Three Easy Questions

Three Questions when you read the chapter you wish to study:

1. What does the chapter say?

2. What does that mean – specifically – to me?

3. What am I going to do about it?

Some add an optional memory verse as a part of the process to help them retain what God has said to them.

KV 15: History begins its wrap-up

1 - 5: The Conclusion of the 144,000

6 - 11: Three Angels, Three Messages

12 - 13: The Patience of the Saints

14 - 20: The Harvests of Souls

Remember – at least four six(!) levels to understand!

1. To the believers at that time in that place (Historical context)

2. To all the churches (Ecclesiastic context):

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

3. To all believers (Homiletic context):

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

4. To world historical events (Prophetic context)

5. The Symbolism and interpretation thereof (Symbolic context)

6. Geopolitical context (won’t say much here)

Some principles of Bible study:

Take the text in context

Be sure of literal or symbolic interpretations

Don’t be afraid to ask the Author ;)

Cooper’s first rule of Interpretation:

If the plain sense of Scripture makes good sense, then seek no other sense!

Who are these 144,000? Have we seen them before?

Rev. 7:4 - And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty- four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel…

Are these the same 144,000? (I think so based on verse 3, it’s a pretty specific reference, but not all think this.)

Who are they? It tells us here that They are all men that are virgins, and from Rev. 7, we understand that they are all of Israel, Representing all tribes but Dan (Dan brought idolatry back to Israel in Judges).

Is this possibly the wrapping up of the storyline of these 144,000 men that were sent out to proclaim Salvation through the Sacrifice of Yeshuaha’Meshiach? I think so, and I am not alone.

Three Angels, Three Messages:

Angel One - Proclaim the Everlasting Gospel!At this point, persecution of believers may be so bad, men may no longer be able to share it, so God will send an Angel to do the job.

Angel Two – Proclaim the destruction of Babylon, the world’s religious and economic system (more to come on that in a future chapter).

Angel Three – Proclaim the consequences of following the beats of Revelation 13 and the Babylonian world system – such will suffer the full strength of the wrath of Almighty God (more on this in a future chapter also).

12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, ' Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! '" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."

A Tale of Two Harvests

One is a harvest of hope, perhaps of the believers left on Earth.

One is a harvest of judgement – this harvest went into a winepress and was trodden, and blood came out to the height of a horse’s bridle for about 200 miles.

I think this is a final and somewhat symbolic look at what will happen to the rest of mankind, based on their choices of what they did with Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah. And as always…

WE need to be concerned about our own part in the story and make sure WE are making right choices.

I keep trying to teach this to my kids – the only person you can actually control is yourself. The only consequences you have a hand in choosing are your own. And when you choose the behaviour, you choose the consequence.

This lesson is nothing new – it’s been going on since Genesis 3 where it didn’t go so well for humanity, through Joshua 24:15’s “…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…” right through to us today, making choices that will either stand for eternity or for something else.