Study Guide Week 7 Andrew Butterworth Ch 19-21: The Seven Wilderness Visions Figure 1 Jesus leading a heavenly calvary on a white horse fter seeing the fall of the prostitute in the wilderness, John remains in the wilderness and sees seven further visions. The first vision is that of a glorified Jesus in conquering- A mode, riding a white horse and leading a heavenly calvary. John then sees the aftermath of the Battle of Armageddon with carcassess all around. The Beast and the False Prophet are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire. A heavenly angel then opens the Bottomless AByss and Satan, in the form of the dragon, is thrown into it and Bound for a millenium. Meanwhile Jesus and his martyrs reign. After the one thousand years has ended Satan is released and prepares a great Battle, the Battle of Gog and Magog. But this Battle is over pretty quickly as fire from heaven consumes the opposing armies and Satan is sent to join the Beast and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire. After this, the great white throne is Brought out and Judgment Day occurs. The final vision of the seven mini-visions introduces the next chapter: the New Jerusalem descends down from heaven and resides on a newly-made earth. The dwelling of God is now truly again with man. Eden has Been restored. Contrasted against this are the people who are excluded from New Jerusalem and instead are found with the Dragron, the Beast and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire. Solemnly, we are told this is the Second Death. 1. The Rider on a White Horse 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! 2 - This is the first of seven visions while John is in seeing the wilderness. Overview of the Seven Wilderness Visions 1. White 2. Great 3. Beast 4. Satan 5. Martyrs 6. Judgment 7. New Vision Horse Supper Captured Bound Reign Day Creation Ref. Rev. 19:11-16 Rev. 19:17-18 Rev. 19:19-21 Rev. 20:1-3 Rev. 20:4-6 Rev. 20:11-15 Rev. 21:1-8 Armies gather Angel with a Those with Those who Heaven and Jesus appears An angel calls against Jesus key to the authority sit have died earth made on a white to the birDs to but the beast Seen abyss comes on thrones stanD before anew and horse with a gather for a and false down from and martyrs the Great heaven comes large calvary great supper prophet are heaven come to life White Throne to earth captureD Books are OlD order of Both the These reign openeD and BinDs Satan pain, crying, Strikes Down BirDs eat the beast anD with Jesus judgment with a great death etc. the nations flesh of kings false prophet for 1000 takes place. Result chain for 1000 passes away. and rules with and their are thrown years then Those not in years in the Those outside an iron roD armies into the Lake defeat the book of Abyss the city go the of Fire Satan life go to the lake of fire lake of fire The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ‘many diadems’ - many crowns. “It was not uncommon for a monarch to wear more than one crown (diadem) in order to show that he was the king of more than one country. For instance, when Ptolemy entered Antioch he wore two crowns or diadems--one to show that he was lord of Asia and one to show that he was lord of Egypt (1 Maccabees 11:13). On the head of the victor Christ there are many crowns to show that he is lord of all the kingdoms of the earth.” - Barclay 13 He is clothed in a roBe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. - This is the first of the seven visions and it’s a picture of Jesus as a conqueror. It’s taken straight out of Isaiah 63. “Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; 3 their lifeBlood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.” - Isaiah 63:1-3 - The winepress has Been trodden. Jesus’s wrath has Been poured out and he has conquered the Beast and false prophet that attacked his church. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his roBe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. - This is not Jesus the carpenter, or Jesus the RabBi. Or even Jesus the LamB. This is Jesus the conquering King. He is ruling in heaven from a position of conquering his enemies. - There are four names of Jesus revealed in this chapter: 1. Faithful and true 2. We're not told (a name so sacred that no one knows it) 3. The ‘Word of God’ (from John’s Gospel) 4. King of kings and Lord of lords - Andrew Wilsons says that the tattoo on his thigh is where you would expect a sword and his mouth, where you'd expect a word is a sword. The blood on his roBe is the blood of his enemies. In this scene he is not viewed as the slain lamB But the slayer of his enemies. 2. Great Supper 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, Both free and slave, Both small and great.” - The Battle of Armageddon seems to have ended. 3. Beast Captured 19 And I saw the Beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the Beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the Beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. 4 - Here the Beast and the False Prophet come to an end. It’s DescriBing the Fall of the Roman empire (Beast) in the 5th Century and the fall of Jerusalem (false prophet) in the 1st Century. 1. Satan Bound REVELATION CHAPTER TWENTY 20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the Bottomless pit and a great chain. - The Bottomless pit (the abyss) is where the Beast ascended from 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. - This 1000 years is the famed ‘Millennium’. Revelation chapter 20 is the only time it’s ever mentioned in the BiBle But it’s caused lots of deBate amongst theologians. - It’s significant to us Because this marks the point where we Believe that Revelation transitions from referring to past to referring to the future. - From John’s readers perspective, the vast majority of Revelation was in the future for them. But 2000 years have gone By and so for us, a lot of the events have happened. But it’s here that the transition takes place. Everything past this millennium is future for us. After the dragon having free reign to use a power like the Roman empire to target all Christians in the world, his power has now Been limited. While it’s true that in some parts of the world, some governments are attacking Christians, for the majority of the time since the Roman Empire fell, Christians have Been able to have freedom of worship. So, we’re in this millennial reign where Jesus is reigning in heaven (right now as we speak) and his kingdom is growing Bigger and Bigger all the time. He started out with 12 followers and now 1.5 Billion people associate themselves in some way to following him.