A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice you heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short." When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times, and a half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth, the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged against the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring - those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

INTRODUCTION

With the beginning of chapter 12 we enter the second half of the Book of Revelation and the fourth of its seven visions. Unlike the previous three visions, each of which was explicitly structured in seven segments (letters - seals - trumpets), the fourth vision lacks a specific seven part structure. Nonetheless seven different scenes can be observed in this vision. After the opening scene in Revelation 12:1, each new segment is introduced with the Greek phrase "kai eidon" - "And I saw."

Then I saw another beast coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that none could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

"Then I saw another beast coming out of the earth." - The characteristic "Then I saw" (Greek - "kai eidon") signals the change of scene. The appearance of a second beast completes the anti-Trinity. The dragon/Father, the beast from the sea/Son, is now joined by the beast from the earth/ Spirit. In the divine Trinity, the role of the Holy Spirit centers on sanctification, the giving and maintaining of faith. In that light, the beast from the earth will be presented in this scene as the agent of the beast from the sea who creates and fosters faith in him. Thus, John's contemptuous dismissal of the devil as the imitator, the mimic of the true God is completed. Like its predecessor, this figure is a "beast" (Greek - "therion"), a wild ferocious animal of great destructive power. But the menace represented by this beast is different as its detailed description will show. The second beast rises not from the sea, but from the land. The distinction may simply be a matter of staging with the scenes of the vision. The dragon stood on the shore of the sea (Revelation 13:1). One beast rising from the sea and the other from the land places one on each side, with the dragon in the center, indicating that both serve and derive their power from him. It is significant to note that despite their different points or origin: "The two beasts have this in common, that they do not descend from heaven above, but come from below. To borrow the words of James 3:15, they are earthly, sensual, devilish." (Poellet, p. 173) At the same time, beasts from the sea and the land may reflect the Old Testament tradition of Leviathan, the fire breathing monster of the sea, and Behemoth, the massive creature of the land (cf. Job 40 & 41).

"He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon." - The beast from the sea depicted the Antichrist and the anti-christian powers of this world brazenly and boastfully flaunting their strength to coerce the obedience and obeisance of the world. Now the more subtle, devious side of our enemy is revealed. The same power is present, but it is hidden. This is not external coercion and persecution from the unbelieving world, but sabotage from within, subversion inside the church itself concealed behind a mask of piety. The outward appearance of this creature is disarming and reassuring - "He had two horns like a lamb." The real nature of the beast, however, is revealed in the sound of his voice - "but he spoke like a dragon." The beast from the earth is not what he seems to be. Behind the false facade of the lamb lurk the deadly jaws of the dragon. Deception is the essence of his being. In subsequent scenes even his name will change as he shifts from one mask to the next. In chapter 16 he becomes "the false prophet" (Revelation 16:13) and in chapters 17 and 18 he appears as the "great prostitute," (Revelation 17:1) harlot Babylon. Instead of the seven horns of the Messianic Lamb (Revelation 5:6) the disguise of the beast from the earth bears two lamb-like horns. He mimics the two witnesses, lampstands, and olive trees that signified the church in chapter 11. He also reflects the second beast of Daniel's vision - "a ram that had two horns." (Daniel 8:3). Christ had warned that false prophets and messiahs would infiltrate the Church (Matthew 24:5). John's imagery here may well have been based upon Christ's words: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Matthew 7:15).

"The image of a wolf in lamb's clothing suggests a traitor within the fold of the church. Though the beast professes to represent the truth and appears harmless as a lamb, his inner Satanic nature is revealed through his speaking with the authority of the dragon, reflecting the alluring, deceptive speech of Satan, the dragon, that led to the sin of Adam and Eve." (Beale, p. 708)

"He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed." - As the Holy Spirit of God leads people to faith in Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, so the anti-spirit of the Satanic Trinity leads people to "worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed." The language of the texts emphasizes the close and intimate relationship between the two beasts. The Greek text literally reads - "and he exercises all the authority of the first beast before him." The first beast had received his power and authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2). In the imagery of the text, he now delegates that power to the second beast to utilize it on his behalf. The whole process is a blasphemous parody of the inter-relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The description of the beast from the sea was characterized by the repeated use of the verb "dokeo" ("to give"). In a similar pattern the description of the beast from the earth is characterized by the repeated use of the verb "poieo" ("to do"). Forms of the verb occur five times in this segment to describe his actions on behalf of his hellish counterpart. They form an effective team! The goal of the beasts is to remove God from His place and substituting themselves - "and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast."

"And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men." The beast from the earth authenticates his message with "great and miraculous signs." (Greek - "semeia megala"). The noun "signs" is typically used in connection with the supernatural or miraculous. Thus the NIV adds the adjective "miraculous." Moses had warned the children of Israel long ago not to judge a prophet not merely by the miraculous signs which accompany his message but by the substance of the message itself.

"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods (gods you have not known) and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you." (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

St. Paul had warned that the coming of the Antichrist ("the Man of Lawlessness") would be accompanied by "all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The miraculous signs in question are "counterfeit" not in the sense that they are not genuinely supernatural. Although those who serve Satan are often charlatans who practice trickery and deceit, the devil can and does use genuine supernatural power to accomplish his nefarious goals. They are "counterfeit" in the sense that the message they are used to authenticate is false (i.e. Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Pharaoh - 2 Timothy 3:8; Exodus 7:11). The first century apocalyptic "Ascension and Martyrdom of Isaiah" describes the miracles of the Antichrist in this way: "by his word he will cause the sun to rise by night, and the moon he will make to appear at the sixth hour. And he will do everything he wishes in the world; he will act and speak like the Beloved and will say, 'I am the Lord, and before me there was no one...And the power of his miracles will be in every city and district." (Ascension and Martyrdom of Isaiah 4:5-9) The beast from the earth mimics the great miracles of God's prophets in the past, like Elijah who called down God's fire from heaven in his confrontation with the false prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-40). To seek particular historical events as the literal fulfillment of this (or any other) specific detail of the vision is to misunderstand the nature of apocalyptic revelation. John uses the image of fire called down from heaven, to convey the truth that the signs and wonders of the beast will imitate the mighty deeds of Christ and the true prophets and apostles of God. The use of false signs and wonders in endless variety - through apparitions, magical relics, spectacular direct revelations, etc. - will be characteristic of the Satanic efforts of anti-christian religion throughout the latter days. The Christian believer must walk by faith not by sight, in humble obedience to the Word of God. For the believer there is no need for external supernatural confirmation. Our rallying cry must be that of the ancient prophet Isaiah -"To the law and to the testimony!"

"When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Isaiah 8:19-20)

"Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth." - The text again emphasizes the divine consent under which the beast must operate - "the signs he was given power to do." The miracles of the beast make a powerful impression upon humanity. The majority of men have always been impressed by the spectacular but the presence of the true God will not be found in the mighty wind or the great earthquake but in the still, small voice of His Word (1 Kings 18:11-13). The dragon, "the deceiver of the whole world," (Revelation 12:9). The beast is his apt pupil as he carries out the same pattern of deception throughout the world. The Greek verb "plana" is in the present tense indicating a repetitive process of ongoing action. Deception is his characteristic trait. He will deceive the world over and over again. The phrase "the inhabitants of the earth" refers to the entire body of unregenerate humanity.

"He ordered them to set up an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and caused all who refused to worship the image to be killed." - The world's idolatrous acceptance of anti-christian religion is symbolically presented in a sequence of events all too familiar to John's original audience. Daniel tells of the golden statue erected by Nebuchadnezzar, which all the people of Babylon were commanded to worship on penalty of death. The enforcement of this decree led to the attempted execution of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3). Later Daniel predicted the coming of a tyrant whose arrogant self-deification and desecration of the holy place would be precursors the Great Anti-Christ to come (Daniel 8). His prophecy found grim fulfillment in the atrocities of the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes during the inter-testamental period. Antiochus believed himself to be the incarnation of Zeus. He erected an idol of himself within the Holy Place of the temple and had swine sacrificed upon the sacred altar. Thousands who refused to worship his image were slaughtered (1 Maccabees 1:44-60; 2 Maccabees 6:1-9). The cult of the divine emperor flourished in Asia Minor in the latter part of the first century. Caligula had established temples dedicated to himself throughout the region and only his assassination in 41 A.D. prevented the forced installation of his image within the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. Domitian, the current emperor, was also an enthusiastic supporter of the imperial religion. In Ephesus, the site of John's home congregation, the imperial temple housed a colossal idol of Domitian. Accordingly, John's original audience would have been uncomfortably familiar with the scenario outlined in this portion of the vision depicting the combination of the brutal power of the state with idolatrous religion.
"He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who worship the image to be killed." - Scripture asserts that the worship of idols is in fact demon worship, for whatever genuine supernatural power an idol may have must have hell as its source (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:19-22). In the ancient world, the priests and priestesses of the various idol cults often sought to convey the impression that the idol figures could be brought to life, through the utilization of what would today be called "special effects." Sceptics and philosophers denounced the priests as charlatans, frauds and imposters who used ventriloquism, speaking tubes, air shafts, levers, and pulleys to deceive the credulous masses. David Aune summarizes the practice and beliefs of the ancients:

"This reflects the world of ancient magic in which the animation of images of the gods was an important means for securing oracles. The general Greek view was that the images of the gods were not the actual gods themselves but only reminiscent of them... The popular view in the Roman and Hellenistic world, however, was that the gods inhabited their statues. There were many reports in the ancient world of statues turning, sweating, weeping, or speaking... Magical rituals for achieving animation are preserved in the magical papyri. Christians such as Minucius Felix were convinced that unclean spirits concealed themselves inside of cult images and were able to give oracles. The Babylonians had rituals intended to give life to the statues of the gods. In ancient Egypt, beginning at an even earlier period, statues of the gods vitalized through a ceremony of Aopening the mouth...This procedure is reflected in the Heremtic treatise "Asclepius" - "I mean statues, but statues living and conscious, filled with the breath of life and doing many mighty works, statues which have foreknowledge, and predict future events by the drawing of lots, and prophetic inspiration, and by dreams and in many other ways; statues which inflict diseases and heal them, dispensing sorrow and joy according to men's deserts."

The practice of Satanic magic is well attested in the New Testament (cf. Acts 13:6-12 - Elymas; Acts 16:15 - the fortune teller at Philippi; Acts 19:13-20 - the Ephesian sorcerers). Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9-25) is reported to have boasted to Peter: "I made statues move, I gave breath to inanimate objects." (Aune, p. 764). In this instance, the text appears to suggest that the supernatural power bestowed upon the image by the beast from the earth is genuine. The statue actually comes to life, speaks, and commands the execution of all who will not bow down before it. "This is the monstrous tyranny of the lamb-beast -- death to all who refuse to surrender conscience and soul." (Lenski, p. 409) Thus, once again John symbolizes the demonic supernatural power of anti-christian religion through a scenario with which his readers would have most familiar.

"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." - The host of the Lamb received His protective seal to mark them as His own and protect them during the impending tribulation (Revelation 7:1-8). That which the Lamb does the beasts imitate. All who submit to them must bear their brand of ownership. The coercive nature of this action is signaled by the verb "forced." Its comprehensive application is emphasized the word "everyone" (Greek - "pantas") and the three couplets which define it - "small and great, rich and poor, free and slave." The focus is on economic or cultural status. There are no exceptions - to serve the beast is to bear his brand. The noun "mark" (Greek - "charagma") refers to the brand or tatoo which indelibly marked a rebellious slave as the property of his owner. It was also used to punish disobedient or deserting soldiers. At times, the most fanatic devotees of religious cults would also brand themselves with the image of their god. This practice may be reflected in the fact that the mark is "the name of the beast or the number of his name." The "number of his name" refers to the Hebrew practice of "Gematria" according to which each letter of the alphabet had a numerical equivalent. The numbers of a name could be calculated to create a cryptogram which could provide mystic insight into the nature of the bearer of the name. A poignant example of the process can be seen in an inscription left on a wall in the destroyed city of Pompeii which reads: "I love her whose number is 545." (Aune, p.772) The term "gematria" is a Hebrew loan-word from the Greek noun "geomatria" which means "manipulation with numbers." John notes that without the mark of the beast "no one could buy or sell." The term "mark" was also used in reference to the seal of the emperor which appeared on all legal documents and business contracts and to the emperor's image stamped on coins. The mark of the beast branded on the forehead or the hand symbolically reminds us that those who worship the world's false gods are truly Satan's slaves. The Christian who will not bow down before the false gods of this world, who will not play the world's game by the world's rules, will be excluded and penalized both economically and socially.

"This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." - "No verse in Revelation has received more attention that this one with its cryptic reference to the number of the beast." (Mounce, p, 263) The preceding statement is certainly not an exaggeration. The Hebrew practice of gematria was designed to provide insight into the nature of words and the realties they represent through the mystic meaning of numbers. Each letter of the alphabet had a numerical equivalent. For instance, the first nine letters of the Greek alphabet represented the numbers one through nine, the next nine represented the numbers ten through ninety, and so on. Where the alphabet in use lacked enough letters to provide the necessary number equivalents, archaic or modified letters were added. Accordingly the system could become extremely complex. In this instance, John is using the process in reverse. He provides the number of the beast - 666 - and then invites the reader to decipher its name from that number. The symbolic significance of the numerical equivalent is evident. The problem arises in working backwards to decode the name. A host of various interpretations has been put forward. While gematria does not occur elsewhere in Scripture, it is a regular feature in contemporary extra-biblical apocalyptic writings. Many features of Revelation are rare or unheard of elsewhere in the Bible. Verse 17's comment, "which is the name of the beast or the number of his name," strongly suggests the use of gematria. Verse 18's somewhat esoteric introduction of the number itself - "This requires wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a man's number." further reinforces this impression. The opening words - "This requires wisdom." are echoed in Revelation 17:9 - "This calls for a mind with wisdom." The "wisdom" (Greek - "sophia") called for in this context in conjunction with "insight" (Greek - "noun") reflects the language of Daniel: "None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:10; cf. also Daniel 11:33). This is the spiritual discernment of the believer to comprehend the true meaning of signs and events in the latter days. Given the emphasis on deception which predominated throughout the vision of the beast from the earth this call to wisdom and insight is not unexpected. Do not be deceived by outward appearance. Discern the true meaning hidden beneath the false facade. The number in question is "man's number" (Greek - "arithmos gar anthropou estin"), that is to say, it is a human number which pertains to man, not to God. The decipherment of this number does not require special divine revelation. It can be calculated - from the Greek verb "psephisato" based on the word for the pebbles used by the ancients in calculating and counting.

"The man with understanding is called upon to count up or calculate the number of the beast. This is an invitation to work backwards from the number 666 to the name for which it is the numerical equivalent. Gematria was widely used in apocalyptic because of is symbolic and enigmatic quality. It served as a precaution against the charge of sedition." (Mounce, p. 264)

Gematria, as previously noted, held that mystic significance of the numbers in a person's name revealed the true nature of the individual. In this instance the symbolic significance of the number "666" is not at all difficult to recognize. It indicates the ultimate imperfection of the beast. Six falls one short of the perfect seven. The triple repetition of the number constitutes the superlative expression of its meaning. The beast is the personification of absolute imperfection. His quest to imitate and replace the perfection of God is foredoomed to failure. Interestingly, the "Sybilline Oracles," another contemporary extra-biblical apocalypse, indicates that the gematria of the name "Jesus" is "888" representing the superabundant perfection of the eternal Son of God (Beale, p. 727). "This evil trinity, 666, apes the holy Trinity, 777, but always falls short and fails." (Mounce, p. 265) While the symbolic significance of the number is evident, the name concealed within that number is not. "Wisdom and understanding have not always been brought to bear on this passage, with the result that especially Rev. 13:18 has been made the point of departure into an almost unlimited and extremely fanciful world of speculation and misinterpretation." (Poellet, p. 178) The earliest and most plausible among the legion of alternatives proposed comes from Ireneas, Bishop of Lyon (130-200 AD). Irenaeus was a native of Asia Minor and a disciple of Polycarp, who in turn was a disciple of the Apostle John. In his book "Against Heresies" Irenaeus suggests that the name concealed within the number code is the Greek term "lateinos," pointing to Rome and an enduring power which would arise from the ruins of the Roman Empire.

The Biblical Doctrine of the Antichrist

Scripture indicates that God's people will be called upon to endure relentless persecution, opposition, and infiltration throughout the New Testament era (Matthew 24:24; John 15:18; Acts 20:29-30). From the outside, the devil will utilize all the powers of this world - the coercive might of civil government, economic pressure, and the influence of cultural institutions - in support of his bitter quest for the damnation of humanity. Within the Church itself, an endless variety of false prophets and teachers, false christs and antichrists will seek to lead Christians away from the Lord and His Gospel of salvation. Satan, the Father of the Lie, will hurl deception of every sort against the one Truth of God, often using the sincerity of fanatical or misguided Christians as his most effective means of wrecking havoc within the Church.

Among all the enemies of the Truth one ominous figure stands out, shrouded in mystery and menace. The Bible calls him "the Antichrist" (1 John 2:15-18; 4:1-3) and "the Man of Lawlessness." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). Already foretold in the writings of the Old Testament prophets (cf. Daniel 7 &11), the rise and rule of the Antichrist is a characteristic feature of the latter days, the entire era between Christ's first and second coming. The presence of the Antichrist in the world is God's constant reminder that we have entered upon the last hour (1 John 2:18). The power of the Antichrist was already secretly at work in the church in the days of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 4:3) and his nefarious activity will continue until the time of his destruction when the Lord comes again to judge the living and the dead (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Christ summons His Church to watchfulness and prayer to guard against the hidden enemy who is among us now. Those who consign the Antichrist to a safely distant future in the days immediately prior to the Second Coming have fundamentally misunderstood the prophecy and its purpose. They leave the Church vulnerable and defenseless, unable to recognize the enemy within her midst or to protect herself against him.

The term "the Antichrist" occurs five times in the Johannine letters of the New Testament (1 John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 7). In its initial occurrence (1 John 2:18) it is used in both singular and plural forms to contrast a particular phenomenon, "the Antichrist" with multiple manifestations of false teaching and deception which are designated as "many antichrists." All false teachers and opponents of the Gospel are "antichrists" in the broad sense. This general usage should not be confused, however, with the specific reality which Scripture calls "the Antichrist." At times, our theologians have used the title "the Great Antichrist" to emphasize this distinction. Given the time frame of the Antichrist's activity - currently over 2,000 years - it is evident the Great Antichrist cannot be a single human being. The ongoing, trans-temporal nature of his activity throughout the New Testament era indicates a collective reality, a permanent institution which will be represented or personified by a succession of individuals throughout the centuries.

Like its English counterpart, the Greek preposition "anti" when used as a prefix can mean "against" or "in opposition to." However, the Greek prefix differs from its English counterpart in that it also carries the connotation of "alongside of" or "in place of," thus indicating a more subtle enemy whose opposition takes the form of replacement or substitution. Accordingly, the Antichrist is not an overt opponent of Christ, but a counterfeit who seeks to take the place of Christ or to stand in as His substitute. John effectively emphasizes this crucial dimension of the Antichrist's nature in Revelation through the consistent use of parallel symbolism for the true Christ and the beasts which represent the Antichrist. The beast from the earth conceals his true appearance behind the semblance of a lamb. The parallelism continues throughout the imagery of the beasts. G. K. Beale observes:

"There are so many parallels between the beasts in ch. 13 and that of Christ elsewhere in the Apocalypse that it is clear that John intends to identify the beasts with the grand nemesis himself rather than with just one emperor or even one historical empire. Both Christ and the beast (1) have swords, (2) have followers who have their names written of their foreheads (13:16-14:1), (3) have horns (5:6; 13:1,11), (4) are slain (5:6; 13:3,8), (5) rise to new life and are given new authority, (6) have authority over "every tribe, tongue, people, and nation" (5:9; 7:9; 13:7; 17:12,15), and, (7) receive universal worship (5:8-14; 13:4,8). There are other noteworthy parallels...The dragon, the sea beast and the land beast form a competing trinity with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As the Son receives authority from the Father, so the sea beast receives authority from the dragon, and as the Spirit glorifies the Son, so the second beast does with respect to the first beast. The parody of the Trinity is also hinted at by the triple six in imitation of but short of 777 for the divine Trinity. The point of the parody in Daniel and especially Revelation is that, though the satanic beasts appear to feign the truth successfully in their attempts to deceive, they remain ever evil and never achieve the divine character that they mimic." (Beale, pp. 691,729)

The Antichrist is the greatest of all Satan's counterfeits, carefully designed to appear as a mirror image of the true Christ. The threat posed by the Antichrist is one of secret seduction. Therein lies the essence of the danger which he poses to the people of God. The most dangerous enemy is the foe who is trusted and accepted as a friend. St. Paul categorizes his activity as "the mystery of iniquity" (2 Thessalonians 2:7). "The Antichrist is more dangerous than all of the other enemies of the church...The highest art of the Antichrist is that he can make falling away a work of religious piety." (Sasse) Those who anticipate an Antichrist who is blatantly evil or satanic - a figure who can be readily identified by his wickedness and corruption - fail to understand the nature of this menace. The Antichrist will appear to be, and may well believe himself to be, a pious and devoted servant of Christ (Matthew 16:13-23). To all outward appearances he will be the most Christian of Christians, the least likely suspect of all. Every one of his denials of the Gospel will be carefully concealed within a fervent affirmation of the Gospel. His replacement of Christ as Savior and Lord will be advanced as humble ministry to the Lord Jesus. Unlike the swaggering world dictators and megalomaniacal idolaters of millennialist fantasy, the Biblical Antichrist will appear to be the personification of Christian piety and virtue. The great Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli captures this crucial dimension of the Antichrist's nature in a fresco entitled "The Rule of Antichrist" in the San Brizio Chapel of the Orvieto cathedral. (See Fresco) The Antichrist stands in the foreground of the scene, preaching to the crowd, while Satan whispers into his ear. The face of the Antichrist is that of Jesus. Signorelli's masterpiece reminds us that by deliberate design the Antichrist will wear the face of Christ. His evil lurks behind the mask, ever hidden, always dangerous, like the deadly serpent that strikes without warning from the place of concealment.

Scripture warns that the Antichrist will arise within the church itself, at the very heart of Christendom. "He sets himself up in God's temple." (2 Thessalonians 2:4) The Antichrist is a religious figure, whose fundamental goal is the damnation of men through the subversion and denial of the Gospel of salvation. As the true Christ came to the people of God and carried out His ministry among them, so also the Antichrist "sets himself up" among God's people as their leader, protector and guide. The Antichrist claims for himself honor, glory, and power which rightfully belong to God alone. When Paul designates him as "the Man of Lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3), he is indicating that while the Antichrist demands that all men submit to his authority, he will himself acknowledge no authority beyond his own. At the same time, the reign of the Antichrist represents an ungodly combination of the power of Church and state. While he is essentially a religious figure, a spiritual leader within the church, the Antichrist will also control and manipulate political and military power along with vast material wealth. He will command armies and rule over nations. From his position of privilege and power within the church, he will stand as an equal among the political leaders of the world.

The realm of the Antichrist will be sustained through and characterized by the use of "all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders." (2 Thessalonians 2 :9-10; cf. also Revelation 13:2,13-14). These attempts to play upon the superstition and credulity inherent in sinful men will meet with widespread success - "Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth." (Revelation 13:14). The triple repetition - "miracles, signs, and wonders" - reminds us that the miracles of the Antichrist are an integral part of his overall attempt replicate and replace the ministry of the true Christ. These are terms which Scripture uses frequently in connection with Christ and His apostles. In Acts 2:22, Peter hails Jesus as "a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs." According to Hebrews 2:4 God corroborated the preaching of the apostles "by signs, wonders and various miracles." However, unlike the miracles of the true Christ, the miracles of the Antichrist are "counterfeit" - not necessarily in the sense that they are not genuinely supernatural but because they are designed to validate falsehood. F.W. Schink explains the vast difference between the two:

"Christ's miracles were true miracles, miracles of truth, as He Himself is the truth. The miracles of the Antichrist, on the other hand, are "counterfeit signs and wonders." The apostle does not mean to say that all the miracles of the "lawless" one are deceptions without reality, fraudulent mystifications, coarse swindles, trickery, or the result of illusions or hallucinations. That may be true in innumerable cases, yet it cannot be denied, and the apostle does not mean to dispute the fact, that many of the strange feats performed can neither be classed as outright frauds nor be explained according to the known laws of nature. Yet, even granted that many of the Antichrist's miracles are unexplainable, are supernatural, they are nevertheless counterfeit signs and wonders. The Antichrist boasts that they are divine miracles, performed by divine power, proving him to be the divinely appointed ruler of the church; while in truth he does not perform even one miracle by the authority and power of God, but by the satanic power of the Prince of Darkness...His miracles proceed from falsehood since they deceive and mislead men into unbelief." (Schink, p. 580)

In the post apostolic era, with the completion of the Bible, God calls His people to live by faith in humble submission to His Word. Impressive signs and miraculous wonders are unnecessary, and should not be demanded or expected by those to whom God has spoken through His prophets and apostles. Signs and wonders in the latter days will be the mark of the Antichrist, not the true Christ.

The Lutheran Confessions identify the institution of the papacy as the Antichrist (cf. AP,XV,217-218; SA II, IV, Treatise 39-40). It is important to maintain the distinction between the office of the pope and the individual occupants of that office. The men who hold the office may well be acting in all sincerity, in the firm belief that they are serving Christ and His Gospel. Herman Sasse emphasizes the importance of this distinction between the man and the office in Lutheran theology:

"It is not only human beings who are engaged in this drama. It was not only Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII: 1939-1958) who proclaimed the false doctrine of the assumption of Mary as a revelation given to Christianity. It was not actually and not alone Giovanni di' Medici (Pope Leo X: 1513-1521) who cast Luther out of the church. It was not actually Alessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III: 1534-1549) who repudiated sola fide and so also the Lord Christ Himself. Rather it was the Antichrist who spoke and acted through them . For this reason we, as also Luther did, can have some human sympathetic understanding for those men who bore the fearful office of the papacy. This is especially true in the case of those popes who, as far as human eyes can see, were noble figures in the history of the papacy." (Sasse, p. 125)

It is bitterly ironic that the personal integrity and piety of individual popes only serves to enhance the credibility of the papal office, thereby enabling Satan to more effectively pursue his work of undermining Christ and His Gospel within the church through the Antichrist. The institution of the papacy as such, both in its official doctrinal position, and in the authority and power which it claims for itself by divine right, exhibits all of the Biblical marks of the Antichrist.

The papacy has existed, without interruption, throughout the interval between Christ's first and second comings. Although its means and methods have changed many times over the centuries to accommodate the needs of the moment, the papacy always remains. Its beginnings can be traced to the threshold of the apostolic era (cf. 1 John 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). In its early years, the public establishment of the papal hierarchy was restrained by the opposition and persecution of the Roman empire (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). That restraint was removed early in the fourth century with the legalization of Christianity under Constantine. As the Roman Empire weakened and eventually collapsed, the power of the papacy increased and expanded, moving to fill the vacuum left by the fall of Rome.

The papacy represents a unique combination of spiritual and temporal authority. The pope is not only the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he is also the political ruler of the Vatican State. This tiny sovereign nation in the heart of Rome is all that presently remains of the pope's temporal realm. This was not always the case. For many centuries, the Papal States occupied much of the Italian peninsula, and were a major European power. The popes commanded armies and conquered nations. Although significantly reduced in size, the Vatican State continues to enable the pope to function among world leaders as a head of state enjoying all the privileges and prerogatives of statehood and diplomacy.

The papacy's assertion that the pope is the infallible "Vicar of Christ on Earth," (based on the Latin noun "vicarius" - "substitute") through whom alone the church is constituted and ruled is blasphemous presumption. Such absolute authority is the prerogative of God alone. The Biblical prophecies of the Antichrist indicate that blasphemous presumption will be one of the characteristic activities of the Antichrist. The official pronouncement of papal infallibility by the First Vatican Council in 1870 conferred upon the pope God-like authority well beyond the boldest pretensions of the most notorious popes of the dark ages and threatened all who would question or deny that authority with eternal damnation in hell.

"If, then, any should deny that it is by institution of Christ the Lord, or by divine right, that blessed Peter should have a perpetual line of successors in the Primacy over the universal church, or that the Roman pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy, let him be anathema...We teach and declare that by the appointment of our Lord, the Roman Church possesses a sovereignty of power over all other churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman pontiff which is truly episcopal is immediate, to which all of whatever right and dignity, both pastors and faithful are bound to submit...not only in matters which belong to faith and morals, but also in those which appertain to the discipline and government of the church throughout the world...And since by divine right of apostolic primacy, the Roman pontiff is placed over the universal church, we further teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful...Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, for the glory of God our Savior, the exaltation of the Catholic religion, and the salvation of Christian people, with the approval of the sacred council, we teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed that the Roman pontiff, when he speaks "ex cathedra," that is, when in discharge of the office of pastor and teacher of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal church, is, by the divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, possessed of that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed that His church should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding faith and morals; and that therefore, such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not merely from the consent of the church, irreformable. But if anyone - which may God avert - presume to contradict our definition: let him be anathema." (Schaff, 2, pp.261-262, 270-271)

The gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone is the single most important teaching of Christianity, the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls. The peril of vesting supreme doctrinal authority in any human institution is clearly revealed in the Roman hierarchy's rejection and condemnation of this doctrine. In the aftermath of the Reformation, the pope summoned the cardinals and bishops together in the Italian city of Trent to officially formulate the doctrinal position of the Roman Catholic Church. The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (1563), issued at the conclusion of that meeting, emphatically rejected and condemned the central doctrine of the Christian religion. The Tridentine decree remains the official position of the Catholic Church today.

"If anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and remains in them, or also that the grace by which we are justified is only the good will of God, let him be anathema! If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than that confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema!" (Session VI, XI, XII)

The foundational truth that Jesus Christ is the world's only Savior and Redeemer is further undermined by Rome's growing emphasis on the contribution of the blessed Virgin Mary to the salvation of humanity. The Blessed Virgin has come to play an increasingly prominent role in Roman Catholic theology and piety, to a degree that borders on idolatry. The rosary's "Hail Mary" - "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death. Amen." - surpasses even the "Our Father" as the most popular and widely used prayer of Roman Catholicism. The papacy in the modern era has taken the lead in this movement with the proclamation of her "Immaculate Conception" (1854) and her physical "Assumption" into heaven where she reigns as the Queen of saints and angels (1950). In recent years Rome has gone so far as to refer to Mary as the "Co-redemptrix" and "Mediatrix" of the world. Roman Catholic theologian Dr. M. I. Miravalle describes papal doctrine on this subject:

"We have learned to know Mary better and better as the partner of the Redeemer, who was allowed to add her contribution to Christ's immense act of atonement. This was taught to us by Pope Leo XIII, "that she was a participant with Jesus in the most difficult work for the reparation of the human race." And Pope Benedict XV said it just as clearly that, "in this way she suffered with her suffering and dying Son, and to appease the justice of God to the extent that she could, she offered her Son." The truth has been borne in upon us more clearly and distinctly that the Mother of Men helped to merit the salvation of her children. This co-appeasing and co-meriting was realized in the first place, in her painful compassion. Pope Benedict said in this context: "The fact that she was with her Son, crucified and dying was in accord with the divine plan. To such extent did she suffer and almost die with her dying Son, to such extent did she surrender her maternal rights over her Son for man's salvation, and immolated him insofar as she could in order to appease the justice of God that we may rightly say that she redeemed the human race together with Christ. In all this, God's intention was that Mary who would be Coredemptrix by obtaining the graces of salvation, would also be partner and help in the distribution of these graces...In this way Mary became in God's plan of salvation, the general distributor of all grace. In this way Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and men has wanted to add his Mother as Advocate for Sinners, as Mediatrix of all Graces. In this way Mary became in the full sense the Mother of Mankind." (Dr. M.I. Miravalle, 1996)

There is widespread speculation in the closing days of the pontificate of John Paul II that the pope will exercise his infallible authority to elevate the doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix/Mediatrix to the status of an official dogma of the church. This pope's remarkable dedication to Mary is expressed by the Latin motto on his personal coat of arms - "Totus tuus sum Maria" - "Mary I am totally Yours!"

In this connection, the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the host of alleged miracles which have occurred in conjunction with those appearances and the shrines built to commemorate them must be noted. The Bible warns that one of the hallmarks of the Antichrist will be a dependance upon "all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders." (2 Thessalonians 2:9). In order to accomplish the goals of his hellish master, the Antichrist must divert God's people from the objective truth of the Word to follow after the inclinations of their own hearts. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary has repeatedly served as "God's special emissary to earth" to convey revelations of warning and encouragement from God. In a recent study entitled "The Woman and the Dragon - Apparitions of Mary," Catholic scholar David Michael Lindsey lists twelve major Marian apparitions since December 9th, 1531 when a Mexican peasant named Juan Diego reported the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous saw the Blessed Mother in a grotto near the French village of Lourdes. Since then millions of pilgrims from around the world have journeyed to the site and the waters of the spring at Lourdes have been credited with tens of thousands of miraculous healings. Our Lady of the Rosary appeared to three young shepherd children near Fatima in Portugal in 1917. She revealed three secrets which were to be shared with the Holy Father in Rome. Pope John Paul II is convinced that the failure of his attempted assassination on May 13th, 1981 (the 64th Anniversary of the Virgin's first appearance at Fatima) was prophesied by Mary at Fatima and that his survival was the result of the Virgin of Fatima's miraculous intervention. The assassin's bullet removed from his body now rests in Mary's golden crown at the Fatima Shrine in Portugal. Most recently, Mary is believed to have appeared to three young Croatian girls at Medjugorje in the Balkans. In addition to these major apparitions, thousands of other local Marian visitations in every Roman Catholic country in the world are commemorated and venerated. There are presently 937 Marian shrines in France alone. These sites where Mary is believed to have appeared have become the focus of pilgrimage and intense devotion among Roman Catholics, validated by miraculous healings, prophecies, and revelations. 5.5 million pilgrims visit Lourdes every year. The veneration of holy relics, statues that weep or bleed, and images of the saints continue to play an important role in Roman Catholic piety. For instance, five million pilgrims travel each year to the remote Polish village of Czestochwa to pray before the famous "Black Madonna," an icon of the Virgin Mary. The image is said to have been painted by St. Luke on a plank of a table belonging to the holy family in Nazareth. All of this serves to distract God's people from the Word and the Gospel which it conveys, just as the Antichrist prophecies of Scripture had warned.

Scripture reveals the prophecies of the Antichrist in order to enable the people of God to recognize and guard against this threat to the Gospel of salvation. Without these warnings, the Antichrist would have been able to operate with impunity in the church, effectively concealed behind a cloak of piety and devotion. Those who would disregard, deny, or distort the prophecies of the Antichrist imperil the Gospel and jeopardize the salvation of souls. For the fathers of the Reformation, the identification of the papacy as the Antichrist was not a matter of mere denominational polemics. Nor was it a judgment upon the personal morality or immorality of individual popes. The reformers were convinced that the doctrinal position of the papacy represented a denial of the essence of the Gospel. They were prepared to stake their lives and their eternal salvation upon that conviction. True love of Christ and of His Gospel necessitates hatred of the Antichrist and his denials of the Gospel. There is no comfortable middle ground in these matters. Indifference about the Antichrist is indifference about the Christ. In February of 1537, Martin Luther nearly died during a kidney stone attack. In what he believed to be his last words to his followers, he raised himself up on the bed, made the sign of the cross, and prayed, "May the Lord fill you with His benediction and with hatred of the pope." (AE, 54, p. 228) Many would dismiss these harsh words as the bitter ravings of an irascible, sick old man. Those who do so fail to recognize the relationship between the truth of Christ and the falsehood of the Antichrist. The intensity of Luther's opposition to the papacy is the direct reflection of the intensity of his love for Christ and His Gospel.

"No other man in all of Christendom perceived the mystery of the Antichrist as clearly as Martin Luther, or experienced such a horror of him...No one can clearly understand the church in which Christ reigns unless he recognizes the Antichrist....For Luther, the recognition of the pope as the Antichrist is the reverse side of the recognition of the Gospel, and therefore, the struggle against the pope as the Antichrist is the reverse side of the struggle for the Gospel." (Sasse, pp.115 ff.)

We live in an era of indifferent permissiveness and easy-going tolerance that scorns the Truth. The Church has grown listless and complacent. The mystery of the Antichrist thrives in just such an environment. Now more than ever, the Biblical prophecies of the Antichrist must be heard and heeded. Those who truly love the Christ and His Gospel must sound the alarm and rouse the people of God to the danger within their midst.

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth - to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgement has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water." A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured out full strength into the cup of His wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is not rest day or night for those who worship the beast or his image or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say: "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor and their deeds will follow them."

"Then I saw another angel flying in midair..." - For the fifth time in this series of seven the typical phrase - "Then I saw" (Greek - "kai eidon") signals the introduction of a new scene. The first three scenes had portrayed the nefarious anti-trinity in all of their destructive power. In scene 4 the victory of God's people over all the powers of hell was affirmed. The angels of the fifth scene promise that the Gospel will be preached throughout the latter days and that the devil and all those who serve him will certainly receive the full measure of their judgment.

The first angelic messenger is described as "another angel." There does not appear to be any special significance to the modifier "another," other than to contrast this messenger with all those which have appeared in previous visions. The angel appears "flying in midair." The Greek term "meso-ouranema" literally means "in the midst of the heavens." The word indicates that point in the sky which is directly overhead - as the modern fighter pilot would say, "twelve o'clock high." The angel flies in mid-heaven to be seen and heard by all since his message is intended for all of humanity. The term is used three times in the New Testament, only in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 8:13; 14:6; 19:17). In all three instances it occurs in conjunction with an announcement about the coming of God's judgment. Lenski further suggests that the placement of the angel in the midst of the heavens signals the failure of all the devil's effort to suppress the message of the Gospel:

"Neither the dragon nor the dragons two heads can reach him in mid-heaven and stop his gospeling. All the anti-christian power and its blasphemies and the anti-christian deceitful tyrannous propaganda are unable tor each this divine messenger in mid-heaven and to smother his great voice." (Lenski, pp. 427-428)

The angel's message is characterized as "the eternal gospel" (Greek - "euangelion aionion"). The noun literally means "good news." That characterization is reinforced by the use of the Greek verb "euangelisai," based on the same root, which literally means to preach or proclaim the good news of salvation. It occurs frequently throughout the New Testament as the usual term for the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The appearance of the word here is unique in that this is the only time in the New Testament that the word appears without the definite article. The NIV's translation inserts the definite article "the eternal gospel" although it is not present in the Greek text. The content of the angel's message, as specified in the verses which follow, is clearly not the good news of salvation, but an urgent warning of God's impending judgment. This is not "gospel" in the ordinary sense of the term. Evidently the absence of the customary definite article in this text signals a broader use of the word. In the Greek of the Old Testament Septuagint, "euangelion" more generally referred to a message, which could be either good or bad news. John's usage here may reflect that more neutral connotation. David Aune's suggested translation - "an eternal message to proclaim" - reflects both the absence of the definite article and that broader sense. The angel's warning is not merely a pronouncement of judgment but is designed to stimulate repentance. In that sense it serves the cause of the gospel in the narrow sense. At the same time, the announcement of God's impending judgment is certainly good news for Christians and in this context that may explain the unusual use of the terminology. The message that is proclaimed is "eternal," that is to say, it proclaims the changeless counsel of God for all time. It is immutable and permanently valid. As long and time and space endure the proclamation of this gospel will continue despite all the efforts of its enemies to suppress it.

The purview of the message is universal, for all of mankind. This is indicated by the two parallel phrases which follow - "to those who live on the earth - to every nation, tribe, language and people." The language of the first phrase differs from the usual formulation in Revelation - "those who live on the earth" in which the Greek word "katoikeo" ("to dwell" or "to make one's home") is used (cf. Revelation 3:10;6:10; 8:13;11:10;13:8,12,14; 17:2,8). This phrase ordinarily refers only to unbelievers. Here, a different Greek word ("kathemenous" - literally "those who sit upon the earth") is used to signal that the proclamation of the angel is addressed not merely to unbelievers but to all mankind. The point is stressed again by the typical use of the earth number in the fourfold division in the second phrase. The concept echoes that of the "Little Apocalypse:" "This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Mark 13:10). The proclamation is irrepressible for the angel sounds forth his message - "with a loud voice."

"Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." - The angel's proclamation is a contradiction and a denial of all the lies of the devil and his legions of servants. The words recall Christ's rejection of Satan's insidious invitation to fall down and worship him: "Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only!" (Matthew 4:10)

In the face of the imminent judgment of God humanity is summoned to worship and praise God - "Fear God and give Him glory." Dr. Siegbert Becker offers this helpful summary of the meaning of the often misunderstood concept of the fear of God:

"The term "the fear of God" covers a broad spectrum of meaning in the Holy Scriptures, ranging from abject terror before the wrath of God to childlike awe and respect before His ineffable grace. For the sinner, the fear of God is "terror smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin." That kind of fear is described by the Lord when He says: "Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28) For the forgiven sinner the fear of God is holy awe which results from the contemplation of the undeserved pardon which has come to him from the just and holy God who is also the God of infinite grace. Of this latter kind of fear the psalmist spoke when he wrote: "With You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared." (Psalm 130:3)...This should not be understood to mean that the first kind of fear is never found in the heart of a believing child of God. Because of weakness of faith we are not as sure as we ought to be of our forgiveness. Christians are sometimes also terrified at the thought of God's holy wrath. Such fear, however, is characteristic of the Old Adam rather than of the new man. The Lutheran Confessions define the "childlike fear" of a Christian as a fear which is relieved by faith while the "slavish fear" of the unbeliever is the same kind of fear, but which is not relieved by faith (Apology to the Augsburg Confession XII,38)." (Becker, p. 224)

The angel's words constitute "one last call for civilization to repent and give glory to God." (Mounce, p. 273) The appeal is couched in the language of natural theology acknowledging God as the Almighty Creator of all things. Note the fourfold repetition - "the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." The angel summons all of His creatures to worship and adore Him. The goal of this proclamation is repentance and salvation. Paul and Barnabas used the reality of creation and judgment in the same way in their attempt to evangelize the citizens of Athens (Cf. Acts 17:8-18).

Historically Lutheran theologians have viewed this scene as a prophecy of the Reformation. This passage is, in fact the traditional Epistle Lesson for Reformation Day. Dr. Lenski comments:

"The older Protestants regarded this first flying angel as a prophecy of Luther and his gospel and to this day Revelation 14:6-7 is the regular pericope for Reformation Day...When commentators reject this interpretation they do so without sufficient reason. The text for Reformation Day is well chosen, for the fathers of Reformation days selected it not because they identified the first angel wholly with Luther. The reformer too preached only the old apostolic gospel. The angel for the eternal gospel is the messenger for the whole New Testament era and thus most certainly includes a man like Luther who once made the eternal gospel ring out in all its saving power and purity in the whole world despite all the devil's effort to hush its voice. Use the text as the fathers intended it to be used and all is well." (Lenski, p. 428)

Reflecting this view, for many decades the masthead of the Missouri Synod's German publication "Der Lutheraner" featured the image of the mighty angel flying in mid-heaven with the slogan - "Gottes Wort und Luthers Lehr vergehet nun und nimmermehr!" ("God's Word and Luther's Doctrine Pure - May they Now and Evermore Endure!).

"A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." - A second angelic messenger follows immediately in the wake of the first. The first angel had affirmed the continuous, ongoing proclamation of the "eternal gospel" and had pleaded with mankind to acknowledge the one God and worship Him before the imminent coming of His judgment. The second angel takes the matter a step further with a more explicit declaration of judgment, actually announcing the downfall of all of the enemies of God. The announcement is abrupt, without introduction or explanation. John is evidently confident that his readers will understand exactly what he is talking about. The angel's message is drawn from the Old Testament, from the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. "Fallen, fallen is Babylon!" (Isaiah 21:9) "Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad." (Jeremiah 51:7) The specific title "Babylon the Great" comes from Daniel 4:30 and the proud boast of Nebuchadnezzar - "Is this not the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" John synthesizes and modifies the Old Testament language to meet the needs of his message. As the old theologians have said, when the Holy Spirit quotes Himself He has the right to quote freely. The Neo-Babylonian Empire dominated the ancient Near East in the Eighth century B.C. As the political and religious capital of this great world empire, the city of Babylon was renown for its luxury and moral corruption. The "Hanging Gardens" of Nebuchadnezzar's massive palace were regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Babylon's massive walls and fortifications were believed to be impregnable. Cyrus the Persian conquered the city by treachery after diverting the waters of the great River Euphrates. In the Old Testament, Babylon came to represent all the enemies of the people of God. It was mighty Babylon which conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, carrying the people of God away into captivity. Babylon put an end to the independent existence of the Israelite nation. "Because of the destruction and horror perpetrated by ancient Babylon she henceforth became a type of all the enemies of God." (Brighton, p. 378) For the early church at the beginning of the New Testament era Babylon, although long eclipsed as a literal world power (cf. Jeremiah 28:39; 50:39-40; 51:24-26,62-64; Isaiah 13:19-22), continued to epitomize the wickedness and corruption of the world in bitter opposition to the people of God. The name Babylon was often used by writers of the period as a designation for the city and empire of Rome. For example, the Sibylline Oracles, a Hebrew apocryphal book written in Egypt in the mid 70's, describes the reign of Nero and predicts the downfall of Rome in this way:

"Playing at theatricals with honey sweet songs rendered with melodious voice, he will destroy many men, and his own wretched mother. He will flee from Babylon, a terrible and shameless prince whom all mortals and noble men despise...A great star will come from heaven to the wondrous sea and will burn the deep sea and Babylon itself and the land of Italy, because of which many holy faithful Hebrews and a true people perished...It is the last time of the holy people, when God, who thunders on high, founder of the greatest temple, accomplishes these things. Woe to you, Babylon, of golden throne and golden sandal. For many years you were the sole kingdom ruling over the world..." (Sibylline Oracles, V, 143,159,434)

2 Baruch, Hebrew apocalypse written in Palestine in the aftermath of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., follows a similar pattern in calling down God's judgment upon Rome for its treatment of the Jews:

"Now this, I, Baruch, say to you, O Babylon: If you had lived in happiness with Zion in its glory it would have been a great sorrow to us that you had been equal to Zion. But now, behold, the grief is infinite and the lamentation is unmeasurable, because behold, you are happy and Zion has been destroyed...But the king of Babylon will arise, the one who now has destroyed Zion, and he will boast over the people and speak haughtily in his heart before the Most High. And he too will fall finally." (2 Baruch 11:1; 67:7)

Many commentators believe that 1 Peter 5:13 is a New Testament example of this same pattern at work. Peter, presumably writing from Rome, concludes his epistle with these words: "She (the church) who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son, Mark." The designation of Rome as Babylon served a dual purpose. First, it concealed what in many cases government officials would have considered the sedition of these authors. But more importantly the application of this ancient title was a theological statement about the nature of Rome and the Roman government. It said that Rome had become what Babylon once had been, the embodiment of all this world's wickedness and corruption in opposition to the people of God.

This is the first of six references to Babylon in the Book of Revelation. The use of the term six times (the number of the Anti-Christ) is certainly no mere coincidence (cf. Revelation 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21). Babylon in Revelation is not a literal place but a powerful symbol, a symbol for all of the enemies and oppressors of God's people, past, present and future. John's "Babylon the Great" is not one city. It reaches beyond the seats of ancient empires and modern totalitarian governments. It is every city - "The world city is the manufactory of all that inflames and satisfies those passions which make men unfaithful to their Creator and Lord; the Creator's good gifts are put to unhallowed uses." (Franzmann, p. 101)

"Babylon the Great" is not only corrupt but corrupting - "which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." The imagery is that of a prostitute who plies her prospective client with wine to deprive him of his judgment so that she may lure him into her bed. The point of the text is not physical adultery but the spiritual adultery of idolatry and false worship. As noted in the previous scene (cf. p. 314) the prophets often use adultery as an image for the spiritual unfaithfulness of idolatry. Hosea (4:10-12) makes that link explicit in a passage that is strikingly similar to this text:

"They have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the understanding of My people. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God."

The text also suggests the element of coercion - "which made all the nations drink." Babylon uses her power to compel compliance causing the earth's inhabitants to choose a path that they in no way would have chosen without her influence.

It is significant to note that the aorist tense of the verb - "Fallen is Babylon!". In the Greek language the aorist tense is used to describe an event that has just happened, an event completed in the immediate past. Here the aorist tense is prophetic and speaks of a future event as of something that is irrevocably in the past. The sovereign control of God is absolute. His Word is sure. That which He says will happen is as certain as that which has already happened in time.

"A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath." - Now the final angel in this scene makes his appearance and proclaims his ominous message. The message of impending judgment intensifies once more as the general announcement of the downfall of Babylon the Great is followed by a graphic description of the implications of Satan's defeat for every individual who has chosen to follow him. Allegiance to Satan is defined in terms of the imagery of the vision of the beast from the land (Revelation 13:11-18) - "If anyone worships the beast and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand..." The imagery includes all those who have spurned the worship of the true God and have chosen instead to live by the values of this world, having thereby chosen to worship the false gods of this world. The second angel had said that Babylon "made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." Now the punishment fits the crime. Those who have chosen to drink of the wine of Babylon's adultery will be given "the wine of God's fury" to drink. That judgment will not be mitigated or diluted as "the wine of God's fury" "has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath."

The image of God's judgment as strong, untempered wine is a common one in the Old Testament. David laments: "You have shown Your people desperate times; You have given us wine that makes us stagger." (Psalm 60:3) In Psalm 75, the psalmist depicts the judgment of God as foaming wine in the cup of God's judgment: "In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; He pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs." (Psalm 75:8) Isaiah combines the images in his warning to apostate Israel: "Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger." (Isaiah 51:17) In Jeremiah 25, compelling the nations to drink from the cup of God's wrath serves as a graphic image of the prophet's entire ministry:

"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from My hand this cup filled with the wine of My wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad, because of the sword I will send among them." So I took the cup from the Lord's hand and made all the nations to whom He sent me drink it...Then tell them, "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says, "Drink, get drunk, and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you." But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, "This is what the Lord Almighty says, "You must drink it!" (Jeremiah 25:15-16,27-28)

The image of the cup of God's wrath will recur twice more in the visions of Revelation (Revelation 16:19; 19:15).

"He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day and night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." - The link between "burning sulfur" - (traditionally - "fire and brimstone") and divine judgment go all the way back to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Genesis 19:28). This is the grim reality of hell. "We need not speculate about this fire, its nature and its effects. Human expressions are used to represent what is really beyond our present powers of conception." (Lenski, p. 437) As the great Lutheran theologian John Gerhard advised many centuries ago: "It is wiser to be concerned about escaping this eternal fire than to engage in an unprofitable argument as to the nature of this fire."

The eternal punishment of the damned is to take place "in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb." The phrase emphasizes the role of Christ as the eternal Judge of mankind. Jesus declared: "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son...And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man." (John 5:22,27) The angelic host becomes the courtroom gallery before whom the judgment takes place. Jesus had warned: "I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns Me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8-9) All are in full accord with the perfect justice and righteousness of God's judgment. This judgement is final. There will be - there can be - no appeal.

"Their punishment is just; the angels who protect the servants of God (7:1-3), waft the prayers of all the saints into the presence of God (8:3), and to the very last have proclaimed and eternal gospel (6) will not intercede for them. Nor will the Lamb who loved them and died for them (1:5). He who once interceded for His executioners (Luke 23:34) will not intercede for them." (Franzmann, p. 102)

"And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night..." - When Abraham observed the dense column of smoke rising over the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah he knew that God's judgment had finally come upon those sinful cities. (Genesis19:28) So also here "the smoke of their torment" signals that the decisive judgment of God has taken place. The language recalls the description of God's judgment upon the land of Edom in Isaiah 34: "Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become burning pitch. It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever." (Isaiah 34:9-10) The text makes it painfully clear that the torment of the damned with be eternal - "forever and ever" and without interruption - "there is no rest day or night." The objects of this unimaginable punishment are again defined as "those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." The phrase repeats the language of Verse 9.

"This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus." - In the face of the dreadful fate awaiting those who allow themselves to be lured or coerced into the worship of the beasts, God's people are urged to remain steadfast and true. Do not yield. Do not follow the inclination of your own sinful heart or conform to the ways of this world but "obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus." The temporary suffering and persecution which must be endured as the price of that loyalty pale into insignificance in comparison with the eternal torments of the damned.

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." - The appeal to steadfastness is followed by the second of the seven beatitudes of the Book of Revelation (cf. Revelation 1:3;16:15;19:9; 20:6; 22:7). The command to "Write" emphasizes the importance of that which follows. The specific source of the voice is not identified, but it comes from heaven, thus from God. The blessing is immediately affirmed by the Spirit of God Himself. "Blessed" is the Greek term "makarios." The basic meaning of the word is "happy" or "happiness." God promises this blessing to "the dead who die in the Lord from now on."

Faithfulness to Christ in a world where the devil and his minions rule and rage may well result in martyrdom and death. But those "who die in the Lord from now on" need no longer fear death, for man's ancient enemy has been transformed from a curse to a blessing for all those who are "in the Lord." By His death and resurrection Christ has broken the power of death. Death cannot destroy, nor even interrupt, the relationship of Christ with His people. The blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord is immediate "from now on" (Greek - "ap arti"). The Greek phrase might well be translated "from this very moment." The blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord begins at the instant of their death as they are immediately with Christ in heaven. There the struggle against the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh that characterized their life here on earth is over as they rest safe and secure in the loving arms of Jesus - "they will rest from their labor." The language stands in stark contrast to the fate of the damned - "There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image." (V.11) The deeds which are the unmistakable evidence of true faith will go with them to presented as evidence on the final day of judgment.

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to Him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take Your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So He that was seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle. "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." The angle swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

"I looked and there before me was a white cloud...." - As the vision of the seven scenes draws to its conclusion, the focus upon the end of time and the final judgment sharpens. The image of the last judgment as a harvest is common in Scripture. The language of this scene closely resembles that of the prophet Joel who spoke of the judgment in these terms: "Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow - so great is their wickedness." (Joel 3:13) Jesus frequently spoke of the harvest as a picture of the ingathering of God's people (i.e. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38; cf. also Mark 4:29; Luke 10:2; John 4: 35-38). The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30) is based upon the comparison of the judgment to a harvest. The figure of "One 'like a son of man'" sitting on a white cloud introduces the scene. This is the Lord Christ. This classic Messianic title from the Old Testament was used in the Introduction to the Book to describe Jesus amid the golden lamp stands (cf. Revelation 1:13). The prophet Daniel had foretold that on the day of judgment the Son of Man would come "with the clouds of heaven." (Daniel 7:13). Christ used the same words when He promised His disciples that on the Last Day "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30). The reiterated that theme in His warning to Caiaphas and the leaders of the Sanhedrin: "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matthew 26:64) The cloud upon which the Son of Man is seated in this vision is specifically designated as "a white cloud" (Greek - "nephele leuke"). White is the color of purity, righteousness and holiness. In this context it signifies the righteousness of God in judgment.

Two further details define the identity and the role of the Son of Man in the scene. First, there is a "crown of gold" upon his head. This is the victor's crown indicated by the Greek word "stephanos." "Once before the Son of Man had worn a crown: a thorny crown, a crown of mockery in His suffering (Mark 15:17). That crown has been replaced by a golden crown, a crown denoting victory. So now in bearing the crown He comes as the victor." (Brighton, p. 390) Later in Revelation 19:12, Christ will be portrayed wearing the royal crown to signify His royal authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In His hand he bears the instrument of the harvest "a sharp sickle." This sickle is "sharp" - it is honed and ready for use. He is fully equipped and prepared for the task before Him, to gather in the harvest of God's judgment. The job will be done quickly and completely. The word is used eight times in the New Testament, seven of which are in the Book of Revelation.

"Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to Him who was sitting on the cloud..." - The time for judgment has finally arrived. God sends His messenger ("another angel" - the fourth angel in this sequence) forth from the "temple" (Greek - "naos") with the divine command for the harvest to commence. The temple is the holy place in which God dwells. The fact that the angel comes from the temple indicates that the command that he brings originates with God Himself. This is the first of three angels which come out of the temple in the scene. There is a compelling sense of dramatic urgency in the command which the angel relays to the Son of Man - "Take you sickle and reap because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." The language closely resembles that of Joel: "Swing the sickle for the harvest is ripe." (Joel 3:13) Mankind is like a field that has reached perfect readiness and ripeness. The farmer who harvests too soon finds his crop green and incomplete. The farmer who delays the harvest too long finds his crop over-ripe and past its prime. The harvest must occur at just the right moment. This is that perfect moment, as the Almighty Sovereign God sends forth His command. Let the reaping begin now! This is the right time. Bring in the harvest. The act itself is described in startling brevity without embellishment or detail - "So He that was seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested."

"Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle..." - The prophet Joel had used the dual image of a grain harvest and the crushing of the grapes in the harvest of a vineyard. John follows that pattern as the scene unfolds to represent the violent fury of God's judgment upon His foes. Another angel comes forth from the temple - another messenger of the holy and righteous God. Like the Son of Man he bears a sharp sickle in his hand, the instrument of the judgment harvest. He is followed by yet another angel, the angel "who had charge of the fire." This angel was the keeper of the flame on the incense altar. This may well be the same angel depicted in Revelation 8:3-5 who stood before the altar to offer the incense which represented the prayers of the saints. The martyrs beneath the altar had earnestly pleaded for the vindication of God's righteousness in the destruction of the wicked (Revelation 6:9-11). Now their prayer is answered as the "grapes from the earth's vine," ripe and ready for harvest, are gathered to be crushed and destroyed in the great "winepress of God's wrath." Long ago the prophet had spoken of God's people as His previous vineyard: "My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well." (Isaiah 5:1-2). The bitter grapes of this harvest have sprouted from "the earth's vine." This is unbelieving mankind, disobedient and defiant to the end.

"The winepress in ancient times consisted of two bowls hewn out of solid rock. One was higher than the other and contained the grapes which someone walked on to squeeze the juice from them. The juice flowed through a duct into the lower basin where it was collected until being removed for storage or consumption." (Thomas, p.223)

The winepress as an image of God's judgment upon unbelievers was a favorite theme in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. In the closing chapters of the Book of Isaiah, the prophet foretells the coming of the great day of the Lord's vengeance and the total defeat and destruction of the enemies of the people of God exemplified by the heathen nation of Edom, Israel's most bitter foe. Isaiah depicts the Messiah as a warrior champion returning victorious from the fight, his robes bloodstained and red:

"Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with His garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of His strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." Why are your garments red like those of one treading the winepress? "I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations, no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath. Their blood spattered My garments and I stained all My clothing. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so My own arm worked salvation for Me and My own wrath sustained Me. I trampled the nations in My anger; in My wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground." (Isaiah 63:1-6; cf. also Lamentations 1:15)

The brutal realism of the vision captures the fury of God's wrath against those who have made themselves His enemies unto death. The Victorian hymnist Thomas Kelly composed a classic Easter hymn that expresses the sense of the text extremely well:

"Who is this who comes from Edom, all his raiment stained with blood,
To the captive speaking freedom, bringing and bestowing good,
Glorious in the garb He wears, glorious in the spoil He bears?

'Tis the Savior, now victorious, traveling onward in His might;
'Tis the Savior, O how glorious to His people is the sight!
Satan conquered and the grave, Jesus now is strong to save.

Why this blood His raiment staining? 'Tis the blood of many slain;
Of His foes there's none remaining, none the contest to maintain.
Fall'n they are, no more to rise; all their glory prostrate lies.

Mighty Victor, reign forever, wear the crown so dearly won;
Never shall Thy people, never, cease to sing what Thou hast done.
Thou hast fought Thy peoples' foes; Thou hast healed Thy people's woes.

(TLH # 209)

"They were trampled in the winepress outside the city and the blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia." - The grim consequences of divine judgment continue to be presented in gruesome detail. The contemplation of sin's ultimate consequences is not for the squeamish. The grapes "trampled in the winepress" represent unrepentant, unbelieving humanity. The verb "they were trampled" is passive but the agent who carries out the treading is not specifically identified. Later, in Revelation 19, Christ Himself, as the agent of God's judgment, is depicted as the one who "treads the winepress of the fury of God's judgment." (Revelation 19:15). It is safe to assume that the same is true in this instance. The fact that the winepress of God's wrath is "outside the city" signals its role in the punishment of unbelievers. The city is the Jerusalem of God, where the elect dwell in His presence. By grace, they have been spared the fury of his judgment upon unbelief and sin. In the imagery of the prophets, the final judgment and the destruction of the wicked is frequently depicted as taking place outside of Jerusalem in one of the valleys that surrounded the city. Joel tells of the great Day of the Lord in the Valley of Jehoshaphat below Mount Zion (Joel 3:12-16). Zechariah describes the Mount of Olives splitting in two to create a great valley in which the Lord will do battle with the nations (Zechariah 14:1-5). The Valley of Hinnon, south of Jerusalem, was the site of pagan worship and child sacrifice late in the monarchy (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3). Jeremiah foretold a time when the Valley of Hinnon would become known as "the Valley of Slaughter" because it would be filled to overflowing with the bodies of the dead when the judgment of God finally came (Jeremiah 7:30-34). In fact, "Gehenna," the Hebrew word for Hell, literally means"the Valley of Hinnon." Thus, the Revelator's image of the bloody destruction of the wicked outside the city of Jerusalem would have come as no surprise to those familiar with the Old Testament.

John goes to great length to emphasize the magnitude of this judgment. The volume of grapes in the winepress is so great that it overflows from the press out onto the ground. The deep purple color of the juice of the grape resembles that of blood. In the blessing of his son Judah, Jacob predicts: "He will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes." (Genesis 49:11; cf. also Deuteronomy 32:14). John uses this grisly image to describe the consequences of God's judgment. A vast sea of blood pours forth from the winepress to cover the land "rising as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia." The image is that of battlefield carnage on an unimaginable scale. Apocryphal 1 Enoch paints a similarly grotesque picture of the devastating judgment of God:

"In those days the father will be beaten together with his sons, in one place; and brothers shall fall together with their friends, in death, until a stream shall flow with their blood. For a man shall not be able to withhold his hands from his sons nor his son's sons in order to kill them. Nor is it possible for the sinner to withhold his hands from his honored brother. From dawn until the sun sets they shall slay each other. The horse shall walk through the blood of sinners up to his chest; and the chariot shall sink down up to its top." (1 Enoch 100:1-3)

Unfortunately, such bloodbaths are far from unknown in human history. In his letter to the pope announcing the Christian conquest of Jerusalem at the end of the first Crusade, Archbishop Daimbert proudly reported: "God delivered the city and His enemies to us...And if you desire to know what was done with the enemy we found there, know that in Solomon's Portico and in his Temple our men rode in the blood of the Saracens up to the knees of their horses." (The Dream and the Tomb by Robert Payne, p. 103).

The extent of the bloody outpouring is defined as "1,600 stadia." By modern measurement this is a distance of some 184 miles. Some would link the number to the approximate length of the land of Palestine but this view misunderstands the message of the text. Here, as elsewhere throughout the visions of Revelation, the number is not literal but symbolic. Four is the earth number. The earth number squared times ten squared equals 1,600 to signal that God's righteous judgment engulfs all of mankind. Every unbeliever who has ever lived on this earth, from time's beginning to its end, will be included in the gruesome conflagration. Only those who dwell by grace within God's holy city will be spared.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" appropriated the imagery of this vision for the historic circumstances of the American Civil War. Her words have become one of the most powerful and enduring of America's anthems. They convey a stirring sense of the irresistible righteousness of God triumphant over every evil that transcends any national or international conflict:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on!
Glory, glory Hallelujah! Glory, glory Hallelujah!
Glory, glory Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

Scene Seven - The Seven Angels with the Seven Last Plagues
Revelation 15:1-8

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues - last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the Ages. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the testimony, was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and His power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:” - Verse 1 serves as a superscription, a summary of the entire chapter. The final scene in this vision of seven scenes is introduced in the customary manner - “And I saw” (Greek “kai eidon”). As in the previous visions of sevens, this final scene serves as the interlocking link which provides the transition to the vision which follows. Twice before in this series- in reference to the woman with the child and the dragon (Revelation 12:1,3) - John had described his vision as a “sign” (Greek - “semion”). The particular significance of this third and final sign is indicated by the adjectives “great and marvelous.” This combination is repeated in Revelation 15:3 as a description of the works of the Lord. These are the only two appearances of the phrase in the New Testament. This sign is not only “great” (Greek - “megas”), like the sign of the woman with child in Revelation 12:1, it is also “marvelous.” The adjective “marvelous” (Greek -“thaumastos”) denotes the fearful awe of the creature before the almighty power of the Creator. The “great and marvelous sign” is the appearance of the seven angels with the seven plagues. The term “plagues” recalls the ten visitations of God’s judgment upon the land of Egypt in the days of Moses (cf. Exodus 7-11). This connection will be specified and amplified in the verses which follow. The angels and the plagues which they bear are “seven” in number signaling the perfection and completeness of the task they are to carry out. These outpourings of God’s judgment will carry us through to the end of time and the Final Judgment. The point is further emphasized by the designation of these plagues as “the seven last plagues - last because with them God’s wrath is completed.” These seven plagues represent the righteous judgment of the holy God upon sinful mankind throughout the New Testament era culminating - that is, reaching it goal or completion - in the Last Judgment. “God’s wrath” ("ho thymos tou theou”) is not “the freakish fury of an angered deity but is a designation of the impassioned but deliberate majesty of God the Judge.” (Franzmann, p. 104)

“And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire...” - Having introduced the seven angels which are the agents of God’s judgment in history, poised and prepared to pour out the devastation of His fury, John pauses briefly to remind his readers of the victory celebration that is already under way before God’s throne in heaven. The Revelator observes “what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire.” In Revelation 4:6, John had spoken of “what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal” before the throne of God. In the imagery of the Old Testament and Revelation, the surging chaos of the sea is a symbol of evil, sinful mankind locked in endless violence and conflict. The crystal sea depicts the chaotic power of sin calmed and contained by the sovereign power of God. Fire in the Old Testament and Revelation is the symbol of God’s judgement, destroying and purifying. In Daniel 7:10 the prophet uses the image of “a river of fire” flowing forth from God’s heavenly throne to symbolize divine judgment upon the beast (cf. Daniel 7:10-12). John combines these two powerful images. The crystal sea is now ablaze with fire, the fire of God’s judgment impending over sinful mankind.

“Standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name.” - The Children of Israel had celebrated God’s victorious destruction of the army of pharaoh on the shores of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). John continues the “Exodus atmosphere” (Beale, p. 789) of the scene as the celebration of the victorious saints of God is linked to the fiery crystal sea. The NIV translates the Greek preposition “epi” as “beside.” While that translation is possible, in this context, given the text’s emphasis on the sea’s solid surface, the word more like means “on” or “upon” (Cf. Revelation 11:11; 12:18; 14:1). The fact that the saints are standing upon the sea itself stresses the reality of the saints involvement in the struggle against the dragon and all who serve him. The sea is “the battlefield on which the warfare between the church and the beasts of Satan is taking place.” (Brighton, p. 400) The nature of their victory is defined in terms of Revelation 13 and the beasts from the sea and the land. The threefold repetition - “over the beast and his image and over the number of his name” - serves to remind the reader of the relentless nature of the struggle and of the constant pressure to conform and to yield which the faithful are called upon to resist. The saints in heaven are presented as warriors who have victoriously come forth from the battle to celebrate the magnificent triumph that has been won. While the dragon and his minions successfully maintain the illusion of victory and power on earth, their downfall and defeat is already being celebrated in heaven. The Israelites’ victory celebration at the Red Sea was accompanied by musical instruments. So also John’s vision of the heavenly victory celebration includes musical instruments. Once again, the harp (Greek - “Kitharas”) is the instrument of choice for their songs of praise and rejoicing (cf. Revelation 5:8; 14:2). To make the Exodus connection unmistakable John entitles the victory anthem - “the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb.” This is not two songs, but one united anthem. The Greek conjunction “kai” is epexegetical, adding a second phrase which explains or defines the first. The English translation “that is” or “even” would reflect this use of the conjunction. The rabbis of Israel called Moses the first Deliverer and the Messiah the Last Deliverer. That which God accomplished through His servant Moses was a preview of the deliverance of humanity from its bondage to sin, death, and the power of the devil. Moses was, in that sense, a precursor of the Savior, the Lamb of God, Who was to come. The writer to the Hebrews draws the contrast between the servant and the Son in this way: “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house.” (Hebrews 3:5-6) The combination of Moses and the Lamb as the authors of this song of praise in response to the mighty acts of God in delivering His people joins the church of the Old Testament and the New in one magnificent chorus of praise and thanksgiving. Many years earlier, the prophet Hosea had foretold that when the Messiah would finally come the church: “Will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:15). Now that prophecy is fulfilled.

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty...” - The content of the song is not drawn from Exodus 15 or any other particular passage but from texts throughout the Old Testament which extol the gracious power and majesty of God. Like ancient song of Moses on the shores of the Red Sea (Exodus 15) and the song of the host arrayed in white before God’s heavenly throne - those cleansed in the blood of the Lamb - this is a celebration of victory. “In its form the song is a perfect example of beauty in variety of expression and balance, following the pattern of the Psalms.” (Poellet, p. 200)

The first part of the song extols the marvelous works and ways of God -“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of all ages.” The language of the opening phrase is reminiscent of Psalm 111 - “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 11:2-3) The righteous judgment of God upon sinful mankind elicits the wonder and adoration of His people. The formal title of God in this phrase - “Lord God Almighty” (Greek - “kyrie ho theos ho pantokartor”) is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew title “Yahweh Sabaoth” - “Lord God of Hosts.” The title emphasizes the infinite sovereign power and authority of God. The ways of God Almighty are”just and true.” (Greek - “dikaiai kai alethinai”). It also occurs in Revelation 4:8 and 11:17. The phrase is drawn from the second song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:4, emphasizing the absolute justice and complete accuracy and truthfulness of the judgments of God. There is a textual variation in the end of Verse 3. The NIV chooses the phrase “King of all Ages” (Greek - “ho basileus ton aionon"). However, our best and most reliable manuscripts for the Book of Revelation render the phrase “King of all Nations” (Greek - “ho basileus ton ethnon"). The latter reading also seems to best fit the context in its stress of the sovereign power of God.

The only appropriate and proper response of the creature to these attributes of the Creator God is humble awe and adoration- “Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your Name?” The negative rhetorical question obviously implies a negative answer. There is no one who can contemplate the majesty and the justice of God with reverence and praise. This response is in marked contrast to the blatant blasphemy of the dragon and his beasts who rail against God and all His works and who advance themselves as rivals and replacements for Him. The word “fear” (Greek - “phobethe”) is used in a twofold sense in Scripture. Dr. Becker explains the application of the term to both unbelievers and believers:

“The first and basic meaning of “phobeomai” is to be frightened or terrified. This will be true of the enemies of God when they come to know from experience what these victorious saints in glory know. But the word also means to reverence or to respect, In that sense the question also applies to the believing children of God. They have already overcome the terrors of conscience by faith in the forgiveness of sins. Thus all men will finally fear God, either with the fear of a terrified conscience or with the awe and respect of a believing heart.” (Becker, pp. 238-239)

The universal fear of God will result in the universal magnifying of His Name. The name of God is not merely a particular title or designation for God but the total revelation of Who He is. ”It includes everything we know of Him from the Bible - His essence, His attributes, His works, His commandments, and His promises. The Name of God is God Himself as He has revealed Himself to us...God’s name is God’s Word.” (Poellet, p. 201)

“For You alone are holy!” - This clause, introduced by the Greek preposition “hoti” (English - “because”) explains the basis for mankind’s fear of God. The text does not use the typical New Testament term for the holiness of God “hagios”. Instead, the Greek word in this phrase is “hosios” which emphasizes not merely moral purity or sinlessness but the uniqueness and the majesty of God as the One absolutely set apart from that which He has created - “the sum of divine attributes distinguishing God from His creation.” (Beale, p. 796). The qualifier “alone” (Greek -“monos”) reinforces this emphasis. God is to be feared by all because He is the one and only God. There is none other like Him nor could there be. He is by definition “sui generis” - “one of a kind.” The same emphasis on the uniqueness of the one true God can be seen in Jeremiah 10 from which the wording of this segment is drawn. Jeremiah compares the one true God with the idols of the nations which are silent and helpless “like a scarecrow in a melon patch.” (Jeremiah 10:5). The prophet concludes: “Do not fear them; they can do no harm, nor can they do any good. No one is like You, O Lord; You are great and Your Name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, O King of the Nations? This is Your due...there is no one like You.” (Jeremiah 10:5-7). The only other instance in the New Testament where this adjective is ascribed to God is in Revelation 16:5.

“All nations will come and worship before You for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” - The effect of the incomparable holiness of the one God is universal acknowledgment and worship from the nations. The “righteous acts” of God in this phrase are His righteous pronouncements of judgment, the eternal verdicts which He will issue upon humanity. On the great day of judgment all mankind shall stand before the throne as the perfect righteousness of God is demonstrated and declared both in the salvation of the redeemed, who have received by grace the perfect righteousness of Christ, and the condemnation of the damned. No one shall be able to challenge or deny the justice or the fairness of all of God’s acts and verdicts. This is indeed the purpose of Judgment Day - the public irrefutable demonstration of God’s perfect justice and righteousness. It is significant to note that the victorious saints do not celebrate their own victory, but instead they rejoice in the ultimate vindication of the justice and righteousness of God.

“After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is the tabernacle of Testimony, was opened.” - The focus now returns to the seven angels bearing the seven bowls of God’s wrath. The NIV’s translation - “the temple, that is the tabernacle of Testimony” is somewhat misleading with its dual reference to temple and tabernacle. The Greek text literally reads “ho naos tes skenes” - “the sanctuary which is the tabernacle.” The reference is to the portable worship center designed by God for the Children of Israel during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. The tent was called “the tabernacle of Testimony” because of the presence of the Ten Commandments - called “the two tablets of the Testimony” (Exodus 32:15; 40:20-21) - within the Ark of the Covenant inside the Holy of Holies. The designation is common in the Old Testament (cf. Numbers 17:4,7-8;18:2; 2 Chronicles 24:6). The tabernacle was also called “the Tent of Meeting” because there God would meet with the people and their leaders (cf. Exodus 29:42-46). In this instance, the tabernacle is in heaven where God dwells in the midst of His saints in the same way that He once dwelt in the midst of the camp of Israel. The language is nearly identical to that of Revelation 11:19 - “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant.” The opening of the temple and the tabernacle in these texts emphasize the fact that the judgments proclaimed come from God Himself - “In this context it emphasizes that the final plagues come from the presence of God and are the expression of His unalterable opposition to sin.” (Mounce, p. 289). The angels come forth from the heart of the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. The judgment which they bear is an affirmation and an expression of the perfect holiness of God.

“Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues.” - These seven angelic messengers of God’s judgment and the plagues which they bear were first introduced in Revelation 15:1. The specific description of the outpouring of their bowls of wrath will follow in chapter 16. The image of “seven plagues” is reminiscent of Leviticus where God repeatedly threatens to punish His faithless people with “seven plagues” for their idolatrous and sinful ways (cf. Leviticus 26:18,21,24,28). As throughout Revelation, the number is figurative, not literal. It signifies the fact that God’s judgment will be visited upon mankind perfectly and completely.

The angels are garbed in the sacred vestments of the priesthood - “They were dressed in clean shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.” (Cf. Exodus 28:4,39) The description is very similar to that of the Son of Man in Revelation 1:13 which in turn was drawn from the vision of the prophet Daniel (cf. Daniel 10:5). The purity of their raiment is indicative of the mission of purification upon which they have been dispatched.

“Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.” Like those who came before them (cf. Revelation 6:6-14; 8:2) the seven angels are commissioned and empowered from the throne of God. The text does not indicate which of the four living creatures acts as the representative of God in this instance. The living creature presents the angels with “seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God.” The image of the wrath of God as liquid in a bowl or cup is familiar in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 51, the prophet promises that the bitter dregs of the bowl of God’s wrath which has been poured out upon His people will finally be poured out upon the enemies of God: “Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger...See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of My wrath you will never drink again.” (Isaiah 51:17,22) The Greek noun used in this passage, “phialas,” is the equivalent of the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 51. It refers to a cultic utensil used in the temple to pour out libation offerings, typically wine. St. Paul alludes to this practice in 2 Timothy 4:6 - “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.” At times, the imagery of the Old Testament depicted the wrath of God like liquid slowly, gradually rising in the bowl until it finally poured out over the rim (cf. Genesis 15:16). In this instance, the Greek text emphasizes that the bowls of God’s wrath are filled to the brim, ready to overflow (Greek - “gemousas"). The time of judgment has come.

The author of that judgment is “God, Who lives forever and ever.” The awesome title sets the one true God apart from all false gods and idols (i.e. the image of the beast). The eternity of God is cause for great joy on the part of the saved (Psalm 16:11; 23:6) but for the damned God’s eternity means endless torment in hell (Mark 9:42-48). As the writer to the Hebrews notes: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

“And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power..." - The concluding statements of Chapter 15 focus on the glorious majesty of the holy God and emphasize again that the seven angels are merely the dispensers of God’s righteous wrath. Smoke is a consistent indicator of the glorious presence of God in the Old Testament. Bengel, the classic Lutheran commentator, calls it “tegmen majestatis divinae” (Latin - “the covering of divine majesty.”) When the Lord descended upon the heights of Sinai - “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed upon on it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.” (Exodus 19:18-19) Dr. Swete suggests that the smoke in Old Testament theophanies signifies the imminence of divine judgment: “The terrors of the imminent judgment are still further emphasized by the smoke which is seen to fill the sanctuary...Smoke is an O.T. symbol of the divine presence when the awful majesty of God is to be insisted upon.” (Swete, p. 199) The judgment connotation here is reinforced by directly linking the smoke which fills the heavenly sanctuary with “the glory of God” and His power.” The specific wording of this phrase appears to be drawn from Isaiah 6: “I saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple...At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:1,4)

“And no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” - In the original tabernacle Moses was not permitted to enter the sanctuary while the “shekinah,” the cloud of God’s glory had settled upon it (cf. Exodus 40:34-38). In the temple of Solomon the same prohibition applied to the priests: “When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple.” (1 Kings 8:10-11) The closing of the temple represents the irrevocable judgment of God. The tabernacle was the place of mercy and prayer. Now access to those resources is cut off. The time of grace is over. The time of judgment is at hand.

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