An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
Revelation 14:7 Revelation shows that the central issues in the last crisis of earth’s history will be worship and obedience to God, as revealed in keeping His commandments ( Rev. 14:12). The people of the world will fall into two groups: those who fear and worship God, and those who fear and worship the beast.Review … Continue reading The First Angel’s Message: Part 2
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Revelation 14:7 Read Revelation 14:7 along with Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. What does it mean to “fear God”? How does the concept of fearing God relate to the gospel, and what does the gospel have to do with keeping God’s commandments? (See also Rom. 7:7–13.) What is the connection between fearing God and glorifying … Continue reading The First Angel’s Message: Part 1
Matthew 24:14; Revelation 14:6 Just before the end, God sends His warning messages, symbolically portrayed in terms of three vocal angels flying in the sky. The Greek word for angel (angelos) means “messenger.” Evidence from Revelation suggests that the three angels stand for God’s people who are entrusted with the end-time message to share with … Continue reading The Three Angels’ Messages
Daniel 7:24-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-12; Revelation 13:5-8 Revelation 13:5 specifies a time period of persecution which I explained in a previous note. The 42 months of the beast’s activities is the same time period as the 1,260 days/years of the persecution of the woman/church in Revelation 12:6, 14. (A prophetic “day” symbolizes a year [ … Continue reading What does the Bible say about activities of the sea beast?
John watches as a monstrous beast rises out of the sea. While a beast represents a political power, the description of the sea beast points to a political power that has religion as a dominant characteristic. The sea symbolizes the largely populated area of Europe out of which the sea beast rises to power after the downfall of the Roman Empire (Rev. 17:15).
Revelation 12:6; 13-16 No question, Satan continues his activities on earth by pouring his fury against the great object of Christ’s love on earth—the church. However, the church found divine protection in the desolate, wilderness places of the earth during the prophetic period of 1,260 days i.e. years, as a day is a year in … Continue reading Understanding the 1,260-day Bible prophecy
Revelation 12:1-5, 9 A woman in the Bible is used as a symbol for God’s people (2 Cor. 11:2): a chaste woman stands for faithful believers, while a harlot stands for apostate/impure Christians. The woman in Revelation 12 first symbolizes Israel, to whom the Messiah came (Rev. 12:1-5); in verses 13-17 she stands for the … Continue reading The woman and the dragon
John sees a “great multitude, which no one could number,” who came “ ‘out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ ” (Rev. 7:14, NKJV). That is, they are a special group of people who, despite whatever tribulation they went through, have stayed faithful … Continue reading Who are the saved “great multitude” which no-one could number?
Revelation 7:9, 13-17 The announcement by John in Rev 7:4-8 of the number of those who are sealed marks the completion of the sealing. John hears that their number is 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. The reference here is not to a literal number but to what it signifies. The number 144,000 consists … Continue reading Who are the 144,000 – the sealed people of God?
Matthew 27:52-53; James 1:12; Revelation 3:4-5; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 5:8-10 The description of the elders in Revelation 4:4 shows that they are not angelic beings. The title “elders” in the Bible always is used for humans. In contrast to angels, who invariably stand in God’s presence, these elders sit on thrones. The white robes they … Continue reading Who are these 24 “elders” in heaven?