Seen arranged in their original pattern, it soon becomes clear that a consecutive series of events is indicated, beginning with the Second Coming (or Parousia, which also means Presence, to give it its proper Greek theological term) and ending with the New Creation. You can confirm this is so by the many cross-references in the text, such as 20:10 ("And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown" - NIV) refering back to 19:20 ("But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded (deceived) those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur" - NIV). Unfortunately, commentators have tried to disrupt the sequence in the interests of their own personal denominational theological systems (by claiming, for instance, that chapter 20 preceeds chapter 19! - I think Yahweh knew what order to arrange the material, don't you?). But the order of these last chapters is actually far clearer than in the middle of the Book of Revelation - and it is very significant.

For example, the enemies of the people of Elohim (God) are expelled from the scene in reverse order to their introduction . Satan appears in chapter 12, the two 'beasts' in chapter 13 and Babylon in chapter 17. Babylon disappears in chapter 18, the two 'beasts' in chapter 19 (as we're about to see) and Satan in chapter 20. This 'mirror-imaging' is called a chiasm in scholarly circles. The city falls before the return of Christ, but He is needed on earth to deal with the 'unholy trinity' of devil, antichrist and false prophet.

• 1a. Satan appears (Rev.7)
  • 2a. The two Beasts appear (Rev.13)
    • 3a. Babylon appears (Rev.17)
    • 3b. Babylon disappears (Rev.18)
  • 2b. The two Beasts disappear (Rev.19)
• 1b. Satan disappears (Rev.20)

The opening vision is ackowledged to be a picture of the Second Coming (Advent) by nearly all scholars (only a few, for vested interestes, say it refers to His First). But Yah'shua's (Jesus') return to earth will cause consternation in the powers-that-be. Shocked by His reappearance or second Parousia, they will plan a second assassination (the first one, two thousand years ago, being the crucifixion which didn't at all work out for them the way they expected it to since He resurrected after His death). But this time a small platoon of guards will be totally inadequate, since millions of His devoted followers will already have met Him in Jerusalem. Paul testified of this to the Thessalonians:

"We believe that Yah'shua (Jesus) died and rose again and so we believe that Elohim (God) will bring with Yah'shua (Jesus) those who have fallen asleep (died) in Him. According to the Master's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Master (Lord), will certainly not precede (come before) those who have fallen asleep (died). For the Master himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of Elohim (God), and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air [as He returns]. And so we will be with the Master forever [on the earth]" (1 Thess.4:14-18, NIV).

A huge military force wiill gather some miles north of the valley of Esdraelon at the foot of the 'mountain of Megiddo' (Armageddon): it is the crossroads of the world, overlooked by Nazareth. Many battles have been fought here; many kings have died here, like Saul and Josiah. But the resurrected Messiah only needs a 'word' (not an army) to raise the dead or kill the living. It is more a sentence than a struggle. Vultures deal with the bodies, too many to bury.

At this point, there are a number of surprising developments which we will have to carefully examine later, but for now let's just deal with 'first impressions'. The two 'beasts' - the Antichrist and False Prophet - are apparently not even killed but are 'thrown alive' into the 'lake of fire' (Rev.19:20), the first human beings to go there. The devil is not sent there, but taken into custody - to be released again later at the end of the Millennium!

Importantly, and above all, Yah'shua (Yesus) does not then bring this world to an end (at the beginning of the Millennium), but He takes over the government Himself, filling the political vacuum left by the 'unholy trinity' (Satan-Antichrist-False Prophet) with His own faithful followers, especially the martyrs once they have, of course, been raised from the dead to fulfil this responsibility. This 'Kingdom' will last a thousand years but come to an end when a paroled devil is set free for a short season to once again deceive and provoke the nations into a final but abortive rebellion that is put down by fire from heaven. It is important to note that this thousand year-long interim between Yah'shua's (Jesus') return and the Day of Judgment is widely rejected by Christendom today and yet was, without a shadow of a doubt, the accepted view of the early Messianic Community (Church). This is critical important to note because most of the theological ideas floating around today are novel (strange, hitherto unknown), not the original apostolic teaching.

There is widespread agreement on what follows. A final day of reckoning is clearly taught throughout the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) and it is heralded by two important portents (omens, signs). The earth and sky ('heavens') disappear. How? Peter says:

"But the day of Yahweh will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Pet.3:10, NIV).

The dead, including those lost at sea, reappear. This is the second or 'general' resurrection (Rev.20:5) and confirms that the wicked as well as the righteous will be physically re-embodied before entering their eternal destiny (Dan.12:2; Jn.5:29; Ac.24:15) - no one is left in a permanetly disembodied state because the world of disembodied spirits itself comes to an end when it is inseparably merged with the physical (which is what 'resurrection' means).

Thus both 'spirit and body', by then resurrected or inseparably connected and integrated (immortal), will be thrown into the lake of fire (Mt.10:28; Rev.19:20). This means that the torment will be both mental and physical (the resurrected body will be burned but not damaged, consumed or destroyed as mortal bodies would be), as confirmed by a parable of the Saviour Himself:

"In Sheol (hell), where [the rich man, Dives] was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire'" (Lk.16:23-24, NIV).

Therefore, both 'death', which separates body from spirit, and 'Sheol' (Heb.) or Hades (Gk.), the abode of disembodied spirits (the righteous, remember, prior to physical resurrection, are in the section of Sheol called 'Paradise'), are now abolished by being cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev.20:14). The 'second death', which neither separates body from spirit nor annihilates either, takes over thereafter. It is the experience of death a second time round but is not this time the separation of spirit from body, but rather the final, painful separation of the fallen, carnal, sinful or Adamic nature from the spiritual by purging over a very long period of time without the rapid, instantaneous power and and blessing of the redemptive power of Messiah Yah'shua (Christ Jesus). This the wicked must do themselves (since they rejected Christ)...which is, they will finally and painfully learn because of their own stubbornness, impossible - the life-saving truth they rejected in mortality.

All that is now visible are the first Judge sitting on a Throne, the second Judge standing before it, and an enormous pile of books or scrolls. The Throne is large and white, representing absolute power and purity, respectively. It is almost certainly not the same Throne as the one John saw in heaven which is neither called 'white' nor 'great/large' (Rev.4:2-4). This one is therefore known, to distinguish it from the first one, as the 'Great White Throne', and this Final Judgment, the 'Great White Throne Judgment'. In any case, it is most unlikely that the resurrected wicked would be allowed anywhere near heaven. Indeed, there is no hint that the scene in chapter 20 has shifted back to heaven - rather, it is more likely to be located where the earth is, has been, and will be - the old earth having disappeared leaving its past and present inhabitants on the renewed one belonging to the cosmic New Creation.

Above all, the Person sitting on this Throne, you may be surprised to learn, is not identified as Yahweh as in Revelation 4:8-11! Why? Well, from other Scriptures we know that Yahweh has delegated the task of judging the human race to His Son, Yah'shua (Jesus):

"For [Yahweh] has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man (Yah'shua/Jesus) He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:3, NIV).

We know from Matthew 25 that:

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the malakim (angels) with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left" (Mt.25:31-33, NIV).

Furthermore, in the same book, the Saviour says:

"I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken" (Mt.12:36, NIV).

This will be no long drawn-out trial of the sort we are accustomed to down here. All the evidence has already been gathered and examined by the Judge in advance. It is contained in 'books' or 'scrolls', each volume being the life of an individual soul. They will not be a selection of the commendable occasions for either a television presentation or a funeral oration, but a complete record of the deeds and (as we have seen) words (Mt.5:22; 12:36) of a whole lifetime from birth to death. We may be initially (in this life) justified by our faith but in the end (at the resurrection) we shall be judged by our works or deeds - you won't be able to 'plead the blood', as so many believers casually do, without genuine repentance and then expect walk away scotfree.

If this were to be all the evidence taken into consideration, we would be in big trouble because it would damn us all to the 'second death'. With all our sins of a lifetime listed and read out before us in the tiniest detail, there would be no hope for us. It's on this point that Christianity differs radically from all the other religious systems of the world invented by Satan. What is Satan's 'solution'? All counterfeit religion teaches that our deeds are put on a pair of scales - the good deeds on one side and the bad deeds on the other. If the good deeds outweight the bad deeds (though how the various good and bad deeds are scaled is never adequately explained), then the judged soul goes to 'heaven', and if the bad deeds outweight the good, then the judged soul goes to 'hell'. This is how Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, the occult, counterfeit-Christian, and all other religious systems work. It is entirely false. Those claiming the name of Messiah who were spiritually regenerated on earth and remained faithful to the end of their mortal life span are not judged by Elohim (God) like that.

Indeed here, unambiguously, in the Book of Revelation, this system of balances is exposed as being false and counterfeit, for now we learn that there is a second book or scroll in addition to the first (which lists all our crimes/sins) that will be opened on that terrible day too. What does that book or scroll contain? It is the record of the Judge's own life on earth, both absolving Him of sin (because He never once sinned) and therefore qualifying Him to absolutely judge others. It is called the 'Lamb's Book of Life' (Rev.21:27). But it also contains other names besides His. Those who are 'in Christ' are listed there, those who have lived and died in Him, enduring to the end, those who have been joined to and remained in this 'true vine' which we read about in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John:

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My talmidim (disciples)" (John 15:1-8, NIV).

Please remember the repeated use of the word 'remain' or 'stay'! It is a commandment which means we must respond by making a choice one way or the other. Once saved you must choose to remain saved, by faith in He who enables us to live the mitzvotcommandments (commandments) which in the flesh we cannot do, or you won't be anymore but instead be metaphorically 'cut off' from the Vine (which is Christ) and 'burned' (in the Lake of Fire). You must choose to remain fully surrendered in Christ after your initial salvation so that you will be finally saved at the very end (Mt.10:22; 24:13; Mk.13:13) - the end that is described in such detail in the Book of Revelation.

These true talmidim (disciples) have thus borne the fruit that attests their continuing union with Him. Paul, naming three examples of those whose names were recorded in the Book of Life along with many others who are unnamed, said to the Philippians:

"Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women (Euodia and Syntyche) who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement [2] and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life" (Phil.4:2-3, NIV).

Again, the Saviour said:

"By their fruit you will recognise [false prophets]. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them" (Mt.7:15-20, NIV).

Fruitfulness is proof of their, and our, faithfulness. The fruit we bear witnesses whether we are 'in Christ' or 'outside' Him, because it is whether we are 'in' or 'out' of Him that testifies whether we are saved or not (and are therefore recorded in the Second Book or the Book of Life). Moreover, the quality of this fruitfulness determines the kind of resurrection we receive (and therefore what kind of Life of the Redeeemed we are to inherit in the eternities, for the Kingdom of Heaven is not, as most Christians teach, homogenous but rather, as Paul testifies, consists of two 'grades', which in terms of their different glories correspond in spiritual brilliance to the sun and the moon.

The third grade, which is not for the saved, corresponds spiritually to the stars in brilliance and diversity. This is the meagre 'inheritance' after the long painful day of their disciplining in the Lake of Fire, passing through the Second Death, are finally reconciled but without the Kingdom rewards of the saved, for they never were of the Kingdom. That they continue to exist, albeit in a dim resurrection world, is solely through the grace or unmerited favour of our Heavenly Father, thanks to the Cosmic Jubilee, which they will more than gratefully accept after their long ordeal in hell.

These details, omitted in the theologies of Christendom, are not unimportant though the Book of Revelation only really concerns itself with the two general categories - the saved (of both solar and lunar glories) and the unsaved (of the distant stellar pin-prick 'glory'). The names that have been put into this second Book alongside the Name of Messiah are therefore those who are 'in' Messiah, after they have repented and believed 'from the creation (foundation) of the world', it says in Revelation 17:8, meaning not that they were predestined to salvation (as Calvinists teach) but that Yahweh, who is omniscient or all-knowing, foreknew their choice to be saved. The 'elect' or 'chosen' are 'chosen' because they themselves, of their own free will, have 'chosen' to follow and remain 'in' Christ, demonstrating that they are chosen by their fruits - their deeds, actions, dispositions, behaviours and lifestyle as a whole.

There is also a second, important nuance to the concept of being 'chosen' "from the foundation of the world" (Rev.17:8, NRSV) which eliminates any possibility of Calvinist-type fatalism or absolute predestination, and that is 'through the whole of human history'. Inserting that nuance into Revelation 17:8 makes it's meaning very clear:

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless (very deep) pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life through[out] the whole of human history (from the foundation of the world/earth), will be amazed when they see the beast..." (Rev.17:8, NRSV - adapted).

The same idea is found in chapter 13 though the phrase there may be linked to the slaying of the Lamb:

"All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation (foundation) of the world (earth)" (Rev.13:8, NIV).

However, there is a also third nuance to this use of 'slain from the foundation of the earth' that has to do with the atonement working its way back in time to effectually redeem the saved from before the time of Christ on the earth, that is connected with His being Elohim (God) who is one eternal round or circle, embracing the alef and taw, or alpha and omega, or the 'beginning' and the 'end' simultaneously (Rev.1:8; 21:6; 22:13). Remember that Christ too was given the free choice in Gethsemane as a human being to go through with the atonement or not, and you will recall His struggle against the Adamic nature which would have Him plead for the 'cup' (that had been presented to Him by the Father) to be removed (Lk.22:42). After the struggle, He yielded in obedience to the Father's will, as we must also as human beings in imitation of the Saviour. The choice to be slain was His just as the choice to be saved is ours, as is true of all human beings throughout history.

Which introduces a vitally important principle, which I have already been strongly hinting at, about which the Book of Revelation is strongly explicit many times, namely, that the names of believers are not 'erased' from the Book of Life, but remain therein inscribed in the Book of Life, that they remain in Messiah. How do they do that practically? By 'overcoming' - overcoming the flesh, which means that the notion of 'once saved, always saved' not only does not 'fit' into the story here but as a doctrine is an abomination, encouraging the opposite to overcoming - to indifference, laziness, casualness, lukewarmness. What these deluded believers don't realise is that if they live out that doctrine, and fail to be overcomers, that their names will be erased from the Book of Life assuming they were even saved in the first place! So once again we see the Book of Revelation sifting out yet more false doctrines that plague the Body of Christ.

Now hear this well (and I shall be returning to this theme as we examine chapters 19 and 20 in greater depth): only those truly saved, overcoming believers, whose names are still in this Book of Life when they die, will escape the 'second death' in the 'lake of fire'. Going to hell, which is a purifying fire without the benefits of the blood of Christ, will seem like dying all over again - a second death - only this one will last for a very long time (an æon we're told), however long it is until the Cosmic Jubilee of release. This is a place 'without hope' since those in it have no idea how long this nightmare will last, or indeed whether it will even end at all (for they will not have the advantage of the scriptural understanding that we do right now, or have forgotten it because of rebellion), because outside of Christ there is no hope! Why? "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim (God)" (Rom.3:23, NIV). The Besorah (Gospel) is therefore exclusive, even as it is written:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Yah'shua, Jesus) under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Ac.4:12, NIV).

That being true, it must also be true that salvation is inclusive, and not just for a few as Calvinists teach:

"[Yah'shua/Jesis] said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned'" (Mk.16:15-16, NIV).

"'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make talmidim (disciples) of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the æon (age)'" (Mt.28:18-20, NIV; cp. Lk.24:47).

The human race will then be permanently divided into two broad groups (Mt.13:41-43,47-50; 25:32-33). For one group (the unsaved), their destination has already been 'prepared' (Mt.25:41). The Lake or the Sea of Fire, represented symbolically by the brazen laver outside the entrance to the Holy Place and Holy of Holies in the Old Covenant Temple, in which the cohenim (priests) had to ceremonially wash their hands and feet before being allowed to enter, has been in existence for at least a thousand years (Rev.19:20).

For the other group, a new metropolis has been 'prepared' (Jn.14:2) into which the children of the First Resurrection go immediately upon being resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium, or later at the end of the Millennium - after their purging in fire (as Paul wrote to the Corinthians about) - if they are the Torah-disobedient sons and daughters of the Second Resurrection:

"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus Christ). Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the [Final] Day [of Judgment] will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Cor.3:11-15, NKJV).

This brings us to the end of our overview of the next three the chapters - or at least part of them - until we come to the final one and to the end of this long course. Next week we will examine the first 10 verses of chapter 19 in some depth so that you can see clearly the basis of today's summary. From now on it's all good news! So until next week, Yahweh bless you as you once again immerse yourself in the Word. In Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] Anglo-Saxon, Jute, German, Celtic, Norse, Danish, Latin, Greek and French
[2] Clement of Rome is noteworthy in that he believed and taught the apostolic universal reconciliation doctrine along with many other leading figures of the second and following generations of believers - also see his Epistle

Acknowledgements

[1] Tom Wright, Revelation for Everyone - The New Testament for Everyone Commentary Series, Vol.19 (SPCK, London: 2011)
[2] E.W.Bullinger*, Commentary on Revelation (Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1984)
[3] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary (JNT Publications, Clarksville, Maryland: 1992)
[4] ESV Study Bible (Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois: 2011)
[5] The NIV Study Bible (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1995)
[6] Ed. J.R.Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (MacMillan, London: 1909)
[7] David Pawson, Unlocking the Bible: A Unique Overview of the Whole Bible (Collins, London: 2007)

*E.W.Bullinger was a brilliant Anglican clergyman and scholar whose works merit careful study by serious students of the Bible. He was, however, seriously in error in at least three main areas, namely, (1) he believed the 'Church' has been raptured before the Book of Revelation opens, (2) he believed that the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3 are 7, literal Jewish churches or assemblies yet to come, and (3) he believed in a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture.