1. Introduction To Informal Presentations
2. A Biblical Model For Creation And Its Extension
3. A Demonstration Of Life And Its Purpose
4. How Were You Put Together?
5. Comparing God's Wisdom With The World's
6. Reigning With Jesus Now And Forever
7. Help Interpreting The Teachings Of Jesus
8. A New Heavens And A New Earth
9. The Climax Of The Ages

1. Chapters 1-3; the way things are now:

1. The ninth verse of the first chapter tells us: "I, John, your brother and companion (sharer and participator) with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus Christ, was on the isle called Patmos, [banished] on account of [my witnessing to] the Word of God and the testimony (the proof, the evidence) for Jesus Christ."

1. So we see that God’s enemies are our enemies also and that they will physically abuse us, as they did Jesus. But our real warfare is not primarily against physical opponents, but against spiritual ones.

2. Jesus had John write letters to the seven churches to let them know that He was very well aware of what was going on in each church and what He expected of them, and we now have the completed Bible to inform us of the same things, which should help and encourage us.

2. God’s heavenly throne and His judgements against Satan’s world system:

1. "After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard addressing me like [the calling of] a war trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future. At once I came under the [Holy] Spirit's power, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne!" (Rev. 4:1-2).

1. This shows how easy it will be for Jesus to take the Church to heaven when He comes for us just before the beginning of the Tribulation period. The rest of the book reveals what happens from that period until the beginning of eternity, and the Church is not mentioned as being on earth during this period.

2. In the fifth chapter of Revelation our heavenly Father gives to Jesus a book closed and sealed with seven seals. When Jesus begins to break open the seals on the book in the sixth chapter, terrible destruction begins to come upon the inhabitants on earth (Revelation 6:1-17).

1. When Jesus opens the seventh seal in chapter eight, seven angels were given seven trumpets to blow, with each one bringing additional judgement upon earth’s inhabitants (Revelation 8:6-13).
2. When the seventh trumpet is blown we are told that the rule of the world has now come into the possession of our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15-19).
3. In the fifteenth chapter, during the time in which we are shown who all this fighting is against, we are told of another seven angels who bring additional plagues which are called the last (15:1).

3. We are shown in chapter twelve who all this fighting has really been against that we are reading about:

1. At this time Satan will be thrown out of heaven and down to, and apparently confined to, the earth; along with the angels who had followed him.
2. Starting in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation we are introduced to Satan’s main helpers in his fight against God.

1. The Beast or the Antichrist (13:1-8)
2. Another beast known as the False Prophet (13:11-17)
3. The woman who rides the first Beast, called the great harlot, Babylon the great (17:1-6)

1. Her destruction is recorded in 18:1-8; 19:1-3

4. The actual beginning of Jesus’ Millennial reign begins with His marriage to the Church, and the commencement of a battle campaign.

1. This marriage ceremony is most assuredly not the romantic kind envision by most people, but most likely an eternal bonding or attachment to rule and reign with Jesus Christ through all eternity (19:4-9).
2. Then the battle begins (Revelation 19:11-21).

1. The Beast and the false prophet are overpowered and cast alive into the lake of fire, and the rest were killed with the sword of the Lord.
2. Satan is bound and hurled into the bottomless pit for the whole 1000 year reign of Christ (20:1-3).
3. At the end of the 1000 years Satan is released and manages to once again lead an uprising against Jesus, but is defeated and cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10).
4. Then all the wicked dead are resurrected, judged and cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

5. Then eternity begins! (chapters 21-22)

1. So we see that being a citizen of heaven involves a great deal of warfare, both spiritual and physical, and eventually ruling and reigning with King Jesus throughout all eternity.

1. We are not told of any other pursuits or activities that the Church, also known as the Body of Christ, will be involved in; this term, the Body of Christ is therefore probably a better term to use to describe it during eternity.

1. There are however, other groups of created beings that we discussed and described in previous website pages that we won’t take the time to rehash in this page.

2. The Body of Christ will evidently be dwelling in and ruling and reigning with Christ from the New Heavenly Jerusalem shown to us in the 21-22 chapters of Revelation, and we are not told the form or mechanics of the processes that will be involved.

REVELATION 6:1-17…. Then I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come! And I looked, and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer. And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, Come! And another horse came out, flaming red. And its rider was empowered to take the peace from the earth, so that men slaughtered one another; and he was given a huge sword. When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look! And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance). And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages], and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine! When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature call out, Come! So I looked, and behold, an ashy pale horse [black and blue as if made so by bruising], and its rider's name was Death, and Hades (the realm of the dead) followed him closely. And they were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and with wild beasts of the earth.

⁹When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne. They cried in a loud voice, O [Sovereign] Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a long and flowing and festive white robe and told to rest and wait patiently a little while longer, until the number should be complete of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹²When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood. And the stars of the sky dropped to the earth like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind. And the sky rolled up like a scroll and vanished, and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place. Then the kings of the earth and their noblemen and their magnates and their military chiefs and the wealthy and the strong and [everyone, whether] slave or free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, And they called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on (before) us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the deep-seated indignation and wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath (vengeance, retribution, indignation) has come, and who is able to stand before it?

REVELATION 8:6-13…. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel blew [his] trumpet, and there was a storm of hail and fire mingled with blood cast upon the earth. And a third part of the earth was burned up and a third of the trees was burned up and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel blew [his] trumpet, and something resembling a great mountain, blazing with fire, was hurled into the sea. And a third of the sea was turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea perished, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew [his] trumpet, and a huge star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it dropped on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water -- and the name of the star is Wormwood. A third part of the waters was changed into wormwood, and many people died from using the water, because it had become bitter. Then the fourth angel blew [his] trumpet, and a third of the sun was smitten, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that [the light of] a third of them was darkened, and a third of the daylight [itself] was withdrawn, and likewise a third [of the light] of the night was kept from shining. Then I [looked and I] saw a solitary eagle flying in midheaven, and as it flew I heard it crying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the rest of the trumpet blasts which the three angels are about to sound!

REVELATION 11:15-19…. The seventh angel then blew [his] trumpet, and there were mighty voices in heaven, shouting, The dominion (kingdom, sovereignty, rule) of the world has now come into the possession and become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (the Messiah), and He shall reign forever and ever (for the eternities of the eternities)! Then the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin], who sit on their thrones before God, prostrated themselves before Him and worshiped, exclaiming, To You we give thanks, Lord God omnipotent, [the one] Who is and [ever] was, for assuming the high sovereignty and the great power that are Yours and for beginning to reign. And the heathen (the nations) raged, but Your wrath (retribution, indignation) came, the time when the dead will be judged and Your servants the prophets and saints rewarded--and those who revere (fear) Your name, both low and high and small and great--and [the time] for destroying the corrupters of the earth. Then the sanctuary of God in heaven was thrown open, and the ark of His covenant was seen standing inside in His sanctuary; and there were flashes of lightning, loud rumblings (blasts, mutterings), peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a terrific hailstorm.

REVELATION 19:11-21…. After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The one Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness). His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns (diadems); and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand. He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God. And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite (afflict, strike) the nations; and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the omnipotent). And on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

¹⁷Then I saw a single angel stationed in the sun's light, and with a mighty voice he shouted to all the birds that fly across the sky, Come, gather yourselves together for the great supper of God, that you may feast on the flesh of rulers, the flesh of generals and captains, the flesh of powerful and mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all humanity, both free and slave, both small and great!

¹⁹19 Then I saw the beast and the rulers and leaders of the earth with their troops mustered to go into battle and make war against Him Who is mounted on the horse and against His troops. And the beast was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his presence had worked wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those who had accepted or permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the beast and those who paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of Him Who is mounted on the horse, and all the birds fed ravenously and glutted themselves with their flesh.

REVELATION 20:7-10…. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his place of confinement, and he will go forth to deceive and seduce and lead astray the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth--Gog and Magog--to muster them for war; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they swarmed up over the broad plain of the earth and encircled the fortress (camp) of God's people (the saints) and the beloved city; but fire descended from heaven and consumed them. Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (through the ages of the ages).

REVELATION 20:11-15…. Then I saw a great white throne and the one Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books. And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done [according to their motives, aims, and works]. Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.