Rev 15:1-4
The Victory
At this point in the book of Revelation, we are in the last half of
tribulation, but we are seeing what will happen from a symbolic,
heavenly vision. The seventh trumpet sounded \\#Rev 11:15\\. Satan
has been cast out of heaven \\#Rev 12:9\\ He filled the man called
the anti-Christ who has started his persecution of the Jews and
Christians \\#Rev 12:17\\, and taken control of the world politically
\\#Rev 13:2\\, religiously \\#Rev 13:8\\ and economically
\\#Rev 13:16-18\\.
The last chapter can be described as nothing less than a chapter of
death. It is still part of the symbolic, heavenly vision; but John
saw three harvests, each one a harvest of the slain. He saw the
144,000 slain and receiving their reward \\#Rev 14:1-5\\. I believe
that will happen where the vision placed it, just as the 2nd half of
the tribulation begins. Then he saw the righteous \\#Rev 14:13-16\\
and the unrighteous slain \\#Rev 14:17-20\\. Both of these visions,
I believe, demonstrate what will happen throughout the last half of
the tribulation. Both the righteous and the wicked will be slain like
a sickle harvests the field, quick and efficiently. The difference is
the righteous will be gathered into God’s barn while the wicked will
be cast into God’s winepress.
And that is where we stopped last week. Let’s consider some
additional thoughts.
I. \\#Rev 14:17-20\\ Consider the number of wicked killed during the
last half of the tribulation.
A. It is described as being enough so that their blood will flow
to the horses’ bridle and run like a river for 1600 furlong
which is 200 miles.
1. I told you last week that I do not think this is
describing the dead who will die at Armageddon and why.
a. Armageddon is not mentioned here. It will not be
be mentioned until Revelation 16.
b. I believe the placement of this image is near the
middle of the tribulation not the end.
c. The dimension just do not fit the Valley of Megiddo
which is 7 miles wide and 20 miles long.
2. Today, let’s just consider how much blood that is.
B. The adult human body has approximately 1.5 gallons of blood.
1. Imagine a gallon milk jug. The shape is roughly 10 inches
high by 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep.
2. For the moment, imagine it being 12 inches x 6 x 6. That
jug would hold MORE than all of the blood in an adult
human being.
3. It would take four containers to make a cube 12 inches x
12 x 12.
4. To get the blood deep enough to reach the horse’s bridle,
we would have to stack it 5 deep, so that is 20 people.
5. To run that stack 200 miles would require 21,120,000
containers of blood. That is one stack 12 inches wide,
5 feet deep, 200 miles long.
6. The Bible does not tell us how wide this river could be.
However, if to carry it 48 feet wide, 1 billion people
would have to die.
7. The planet has around 7 billion.
a. Some are Christians. They will be removed at the
rapture.
b. We read that 1/2 of the population that is left will
die in just two plagues. Seems that we would be down
to around 3 1/2 billion.
c. Others have to be dying from the other plagues.
d. How wide could this river be before BILLIONS are
dead?
II. \\#Rev 14:6-12\\ The Three Angelic Messages
A. Last week I mentioned two of these.
1. \\#Rev 14:6-7\\-God cares even about the souls of those
who will reject Him during the tribulation. I believe
that the persecuted will witness for Jesus even at the
cost of their lives!
2. \\#Rev 14:9-12\\-God warns concerning the price of
accepting the anti-Christ’s mark. It will cost you your
soul! The lines are drawn. He can buy or sell or you
can have Jesus but not both.
3. \\#Rev 14:8\\ An angel announces that Babylon "is fallen."
B. Who or what is Babylon?
1. I have shared my belief with you on this already; but
because it is so, let me share it again.
2. Babylon is seen in four perspectives by today’s Bible
students.
a. Genesis 11-Babylon is the place where false
religion begin. Being mentioned in Genesis 11,
Babylon is one of the oldest locations known by man,
especially to have retained the same name through
out history.
b. Daniel-Babylon because one of the most powerful
world rulers.
c. In our life time (2003-2004), the United States
fought against Babylon, known by its current name,
Iraq.
d. Revelation 14, 16, 17, 18-We find Babylon has an
end time presence. I believe that the anti-Christ’s
end time kingdom is being collectively referred to
as Babylon, so that everything that is anti-Christ
is being described by that term.
C. Understand the angel’s message.
1. It is being given as the 2nd half of the tribulation
begins.
2. This is the time the anti-Christ is coming to the height
of his power.
3. But even as the anti-Christ is coming to the height of
his power, this angel is talking about it falling down!
a. The verb tense used is the Greek 2nd Aorist, active
indicative which I understand means that it happens
at a point in past time.
b. The implication is that the falling of Babylon has
already happened or at least it has started to
happen.
c. So even while the devil and the anti-Christ are
building their empire, God has begun to tear it down.
4. I believe there are three words to describe the ant-
Christ’s kingdom: FRAGILE yet POWERFUL and CRUEL.
a. It will be the most powerful and cruel dictatorship the
world has ever known.
b. Yet, there will be discord among its heads and God
will use it.
III. Chapter 15 This chapter describes the anticipation of pouring
out the last seven plagues called vials or bowls.
A. \\#Rev 15:1, 5-8\\ The angels are ready to judge.
1. The plagues will be described in Revelation 16.
a. Like the plagues called the seals and the trumpets,
they are listed in the Scripture has occurring very
rapidly, like machine-gun fire.
b. That may not be the case. They may be poured out over
the last 3 1/2 years.
2. However, notice how God refers to these plagues
collectively.
a. He says the vials are filled with "the wrath of God."
b. I believe these bowls are figuratively filled with
more of the fire from the altar.
c. \\#Rev 14:18\\ We saw one of the angels of judgment
come out of the heavenly altar with fire.
d. I told you that was holy fire and it symbolized the
judgment and wrath of God.
3. Why?
a. In heaven is the heavenly temple. The temple is holy
because it is the place of God’s presence.
b. In the temple is a holy altar.
(1) That altar is holy because it is IN the temple.
(2) It is also holy because the only Sacrifice to
ever be offered upon it will be Jesus, the Lamb
for our sins.
c. Under that altar is the holy fire.
(1) That fire is holy because it is in the holy altar
which is in the holy temple.
(2) It is also holy because the fire is what burns
away the contaminant of sin.
4. These seven bowls are filled up with "the wrath of God."
a. Symbolically, they were filled with the coals from that
holy altar.
b. This is holy fire that God is about to cast down on
this earth to burn away the contaminates of sin.
B. \\#Rev 15:2-4\\ John saw another vision of the righteous.
1. \\#2\\ "sea of glass"
a. The sea is a picture of humanity.
(1) When just a "sea," it refers to mankind with all
humanity doing his own thing.
(2) When a "sea of glass," it refers to mankind in
unison, unity, solidity.
(3) Humanity is refered to here as a sea of glass
because they are all worshipping the devil and
following the anti-Christ.
b. This sea has fire mingled with it.
(1) That means that the judgments of God are already
among the people.
(2) The world was being judged.
c. But these that John sees are not IN the sea but ON
the sea.
(1) They have already come OUT of the sea.
(2) They are not even COMING OUT. They ARE OUT.
(3) That means that they are no longer living among
the masses of people.
(4) My conclusion is that they once did but are now
dead.
(5) This is another vision about those who will die
during the last half of the tribulation.
(6) But who are they?
2. They are the ones who have "gotten the victory over the
beast and over his image, and over his mark."
a. This is the saved.
(1) The goal of this people is not to live to
the end of the tribulation.
(2) Their goal is to stay faithful until their end!
b. So this is another image to describe the saved who
will die during the tribulation.
(1) I suspect most of them will die at the hands of
the anti-Christ.
(2) They are being persecuted and cannot buy or sell.
c. Yet some of them may die in the plagues that are
coming. (These plagues will be more selective but
some of the righteous will likely die by them.)
3. Why is the Bible devoting so much time to describing those
who will die during the last half of the tribulation?
a. Perhaps because God does not want you to be one of
them.
b. Perhaps because so many will die.
c. Perhaps because there is no way to write into a book
how so many individuals will die.
4. Notice that while many if not most of these will die at
the hands of the anti-Christ, the Bible says these are
the VICTORS over the ANTI-CHRIST.
a. The victory is not living long in this life. It is
not having wealth or position or power.
b. The victory is standing for Jesus.
5. The saints are singing their victory song.
a. Notice that they are not singing about their deaths,
their fight, or even their victory.
b. They are singing about Jesus. He is the victory!
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