The Bowls of Wrath (Revelation 16)

The Bowls of Wrath (Revelation 16)

Keeping in mind that the book of Revelation was written to the oppressed Christians of the time, let’s look at the bowls of wrath.  Seven angels in glorious array were given seven bowls of wrath and directed by God to pour then out on the earth.  There is a lot of figurative language associated with this, no doubt in view of the fact that the means by which God would destroy the Roman Empire is being laid out for all who can comprehend the imagery to see.  Let’s briefly revisit the consequences that would be wreaked on the already oppressed Christians if the imperial authorities could understand this letter.  God’s message of perseverance and hope would turn into a death sentence for the Christians, thus rendering the message of Revelation a hindrance to the Christians rather than a help. 

The bowls containing God’s wrath are obviously symbolic.  Wrath is not a material substance that can be contained in anything and be dispensed like one would pour water out on a flower bed.  The numeral seven represents the completeness of divine judgment upon an ungodly world.  Note that the term “wrath” is an affirmation that God will express his holy and just nature in retribution upon rebellious conduct. 

It is noteworthy that the first 4 bowls of wrath of John’s vision was poured out upon nature but the direct effect was upon the ungodly men of the Imperial Roman Empire.  John used a lot of figurative language to make this vision seem unreal thus disguising the real meaning from the enemies of the Christians.  When the real is separated from the figurative, the bowls of wrath represent the partial destruction of the Roman Empire by natural phenomena.  The Roman historian Edward Gibbon recorded in his book, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chapter 71, page 891, that one of the major reasons for the fall of Imperial Rome was a series of natural calamities which caused great unrest among the people throughout the Empire.  

The fifth and sixth bowls of wrath are poured out directly on man, indicating that God will use internal debauchery and external invasion to complete the fall of the Empire.  History bears out that this was indeed the case. 

The First Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go ye, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a noisome and grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and that worshipped his image.

The first bowl of wrath was poured out upon the earth.  Poured out upon the Roman Empire, it affected only those who bore the mark of the beast and worshipped Domitian.  This plague paralleled the boil plague of Egypt in the days of Moses and caused grievous sores to come upon those who bowed to worship the emperor. 

The Second Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:3
And the second poured out his bowl into the sea; and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living soul died, (even) the things that were in the sea.

Immediately following the first plague, the second bowl of wrath was emptied out upon the sea.  The imagery paralleled the plague of Egypt where the Nile was turned to blood.  This is not to be taken literally, as God promised to protect the Christians who made their livelihood by the sea from His wrath.  What was intended here was to illustrate that God would use natural calamities of the sea to orchestrate, in part, the downfall of Rome.  Keep in mind that a significant portion of Rome’s power lay in its trade expansion through conquering territories.  Major trade routes to the east were achieved by sea travel.  Closing these would seriously cripple Rome’s ability to pursue trade in this and other directions.  Looking ahead briefly to chapter 18, we see a reference to the merchants who were said to weep and mourn over the loss of Roman commerce. 

The Third Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:4-7
4 And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the waters; and it became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Righteous art thou, who art and who wast, thou Holy One, because thou didst thus judge:
6 for they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, and blood hast thou given them to drink: they are worthy.
7 And I heard the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The third bowl of wrath was poured out on the fresh water.  During this event, a voice was heard that proclaimed God’s righteousness in this act.  The Roman Empire slaughtered so many Christians.  They literally made their blood flow like water.  It could be said that they drank of the blood of the Christians.  This bowl of wrath surely gave comfort to the Christians who had seen their blood spilled mercilessly.  God is assuring the Christians that the Roman Empire will drink of the blood they shed.  God’s final words of judgment to Edom speak similarly of them suffering equally for what they had inflicted:

Obadiah 15-16
15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.
16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been.

The Fourth Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:8-9
8 And the fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto it to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat: and they blasphemed the name of God who hath the power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory.

The fourth bowl of wrath was emptied out upon the sun which then sent out scorching rays to burn the wicked.  Those upon whom the rays fell were so hardened in their hearts that they refused to see this as an act of divine retribution and added blasphemy to their already sin cursed lives.  John gives credit to God as having power over the plagues that were coming.  The Christians to who this was written were here told that God is in charge of what’s going on. 

Of significance also is the wording, “and they repented not to give him glory”.  This reveals that the oppressors were given the chance to repent.  This should bring great comfort to those who believe they have gone too far and can never repent and come back to God.  Even after all the horrible things done to the Christians, the people of the Roman Empire still were given an opportunity to avoid God’s eternal wrath which is far more severe and lasting than His wrath executed on earth.  We can see God’s longsuffering and patience at work here in His efforts to reach those who worshipped under the beast and to present them with every opportunity to avoid His eternal wrath.  This calls to mind God’s reluctance to destroy Nineveh when He sent Jonah to preach to them in hopes of converting them from their evil ways.

But, they repented not and gave not any glory to God.  The subjects of the beast, (Imperial Rome), had so taken in his spirit and absorbed his characteristics that instead of repenting and turning to God, they rebelled against God’s efforts to turn them, hardened their hearts just like Pharaoh and rebelled against His efforts to soften them.  Even the scorching heat of God’s wrath unleashed with the sun could not mellow their rebellious hearts, rather it hardened them. 

The fourth bowl completes the first section of plagues involving earth, sea, waters and the sun.

The Fifth Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:10-11
10 And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was darkened; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they repented not of their works.

And now we see the fifth bowl of wrath being poured out on the throne of the beast, (Domitian), and his entire kingdom is darkened.  This imagery is reflective of Psalms 69:23-24, “Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.”  Beginning at the throne, the kingdom is darkened so that the eyes of the leaders lose their ability to see how their kingdom needs to be managed.  They are turning a blind eye to the priorities of managing a world wide empire and turning them instead to the inner pleasures of wicked debauchery.  They feel secure in their power so they become blind to the needs of the empire.  The Roman Empire is by no means the only power on earth that came to demise because of this. 

The Romans who are faithful to the Empire and its emperor worship see it happening, they are in anguish over it, yet in their stubborn pride, they continue to refuse to accept that this internally evil system of government cannot possibly be worthy of their worship so they “repented not of their works,” rather choosing to blame and blaspheme the one to whom they should have turned.

Romans 1:21-25
21 because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:
25 for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

The Sixth Bowl of Wrath

Revelation 16:12
And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river, the (river) Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that (come) from the sunrising.

The sixth bowl of wrath was said to be poured out directly on the Euphrates River causing it to dry up.  The Euphrates River formed the eastern boundary of the Imperial Roman Empire.  Beyond the river was the Parthian nation which had been in rebellion to the empire throughout its existence.  The ancient city of Babylon was finally destroyed in 539 B.C. when the Persians diverted the Euphrates River and entered the city underneath its protective walls, (cf. Jeremiah 50:38; 51:36).  That historical event formed the imagery that the Christians would identify the overthrow of God’s enemies with.  Again, this imagery is used to conceal the real meaning from the Roman authorities.  The drying up of the Euphrates signified to the oppressed Christians that the Roman Empire was now vulnerable to external invasion by the Parthian kings.  The external invasion did indeed occur, after which, The mighty Roman Empire was reduced to a declining world power. 

The Vision of the Three Frogs

Rev 16:13-16
13 And I saw (coming) out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: 
14 for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 
15(Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) 
16 And they gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon. 

A break is given between the sixth and seventh symbols.  God has provided a way for the Parthians to attack the Roman Empire.  The Parthian kings were Rome’s bitterest most aggressive enemies.  The text of Revelation 17:14 indicates that the kings of the earth are being gathered to do battle.  Rome recognized the danger of a Parthian invasion and was moving to ally the nations within the Roman empire to battle against this deadly foe.

We read that three unclean spirits in the form of frogs appear through the mouths of the dragon, (Satan), the sea beast, (Domitian), and the earth beast, (the Roman Concilia).  The frogs were not literal and had a significant meaning to the Christians of the day.  A study of Leviticus 11:9-12 reveals that all animals that lived in the water but did not have fins or scales were to be regarded as an abomination to the Israelites.  They were loathsome creatures not to be eaten nor touched in any way.  Thus we see that the three frogs represent to the Christians of the time vile creatures who are to be rejected and viewed as abominations.  

These three symbolic frogs are said to be “spirits of demons” which are sent out by the dragon, the sea and the earth beast to deceive and rally the kings of the world to defeat the coming invasion by the Parthian kings.  They are successful in deceiving the kings and they all unite in a place called “Har Megadon” to do battle against the invading force.  Only the gathering of forces is mentioned here.  The actual battle does not take place until later in Revelation.  

The words “Har-Megedon” more familiarly known as “Armageddon” means the “mount of Megiddo.”  John was describing the mustering of forces at a place called the Mount of Megiddo.  This was a Hebrew battlefield which had historical significance because this was where Gideon defeated the Midianites, King Saul was defeated by the Philistines, Barak and Deborah overthrew Jabin, (Judges 5:12-19), Jehu killed Ahaziah with an arrow, (2 Kings 9:27), and Josiah was defeated by Pharoah-Necho, (2 Chronicles 35:22).  In the minds of the Hebrew Christians, Megiddo was a place where decisive conflicts took place.  Therefore Har-Megedon fitly symbolizes to the Christians of the day, a battlefield where the forces of God and the forces of evil meet in deadly conflict to determine the earthly future of God’s people.  A more extensive study of the battlefield of Megiddo and Armageddon will follow after we have concluded the study on the bowls of wrath.  

Revelation 16:15
(Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) 

The entire core message of Revelation is for the Christian to persevere against all persecution no matter what the personal consequences to their earthly persons.  God remains in charge and those who endure and remain in righteousness will be victorious in the end.  This message is repeated over and over throughout the text and Revelation 16:15 is a repetition of this exhortation.  The coming as of a thief, (cf Revelation 3:3), was imagery introduced by Jesus during His earthly ministry to encourage constant watch and preparedness for His coming, (cf Luke 12:39).  This imagery was used by the apostles as well in reference to the day of the Lord, (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4; 2 Peter 3:10).  It is therefore impossible to know the day of the Lord’s coming for the final judgment.  

“Blessed is he that watcheth”

Matt 24:42-51
42 Watch therefore: for Ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.
44 Therefore be Ye also ready; for in an hour that Ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
49 and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
50 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
51 and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 

“and keepeth his garments”

The Christian “puts on Christ” or clothes himself with Christ at baptism, (Galatians 3:27).  In scripture, the inspired writers illustrated Christ and God’s righteousness as something the Christian figuratively wears upon His person.  Sin is illustrated as spots and blemishes on one’s garments, (Jude 23).  The Psalmist referred to cursing as being like a garment that clothed the unrighteous, (Ps 109:18-19), so the imagery of garments represents to the Christian that which he adorns himself with be it righteousness or unrighteousness.  A blessing is given to those Christians who keep their garments in the state it was when they clothed themselves with Christ.

“lest he walk naked, and they see his shame”

2 Cor 5:1-3
1 For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 
2 For verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven: 
3 if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 

The present tense of the verbs, “watcheth” and “keepeth” indicate a continuous effort necessitating a daily watchfulness.  The Christians were exhorted to be continuously on guard, watching and keeping themselves clean in all appearance.  The application of this for us today is that since this was required of the Christians to which Revelation was written, so also must it apply to all Christians thereafter.  God is no respect of persons, (Romans 2:11).  God is not going to require Christians who were being slaughtered for their faith to remain righteous and let all the rest of the Christians living afterwards to slide by.  Let us also watch and keep our garments lest we be be found naked and in shame.

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:17-21

17 And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done: 
18 and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty. 
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 
21 And great hail, (every stone) about the weight of a talent, cometh down out of heaven upon men: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof is exceeding great. 

The seventh bowl poured out upon the air symbolizes the complete retribution of God through the use of natural elements, earth water, fire, (the sun) and air.  The previous natural disturbances were not as severe as the ones after the outpouring of the seventh bowl.  There can be no doubt that there is a great deal of figurative language used here and so it would be in that God is describing the downfall of the Roman Empire and must protect the Christians from added persecutions by concealing the real message from the Roman authorities.  

A clue to figurative significance of the outpouring of the final bowl of wrath on the air may be found in Ephesians 2:2, “wherein Ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience;”  The prince of the powers of the air spoken of by Paul is undoubtedly Satan.  In view of the gathering forces for the upcoming battle of Har-Megedon mentioned earlier, it is reasonable to conclude that the final bowl of wrath will be poured out directly on the “powers of the air“, or the powers of Satan.  The fifth bowl was poured out on the throne of the beast, the sixth bowl opened the way for invasion from hostile countries followed by a gathering of forces by the allies of Satan to his evil cause, followed then by the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the entire sphere of Satan’s operation.  Air would be an appropriate symbol representing the prevailing influence surrounding the Roman Empire.  Thus the course of the Empire which was evil to the core, characterized by lives of trespass and sin, ruled by the Satan, (prince of the powers of the air), who controlled his subjects by a spirit of rebellion and disobedience to God, is now going to brought under divine judgment.  

With the pouring of the seventh bowl, the Christians are again reminded that the forces of evil cannot win the battle.  With the outpouring of this last bowl of wrath, we are told that thunder and lightning from heaven and an earthquake unlike any other shakes the earth, all of which are manifestations of divine retribution.  The city of Rome is divided into three parts,  (the divine number) which symbolizes God’s involvement in the overthrow of the city.  When this final action is finished, God’s wrath on the beast and the false prophet is complete.  

The seven bowls of wrath represented three things which historian Edward Gibbons attributed to the ultimate fall of the Imperial Roman Empire: 1) natural calamity, 2) internal rottenness, and 3) external invasion.  All three of these were works of God which ultimately caused the doom of the Roman Empire.  It did no good for Rome to rally help from other nations, for God would destroy Rome irregardless of any help Satan may recruit.  The vision of the bowls of wrath were designed to set forth the assurance of ultimate triumph of righteousness over any and all evil that may be hurled at it.  The message to the Christians of of the day was that God is ruling and they must persevere and keep themselves in righteousness and in so doing they will achieve the ultimate victory.  The message for us is the same.  God cares for us and as long as we live in righteousness we too can triumph over any evil which can be hurled at us.

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
ASV

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Comfort for the Saints (Revelation 15)

Comfort for the Saints (Revelation 15)

Let’s call to mind that in Revelation 6:10, the saints asked God how long it would be before He avenged the blood of the slain saints shed by their oppressors.  Here they are told that it is now time for the punishment due for the suffering brought about by the dragon and his allies.  The forces of heaven are given the directive to implement the wrath of God upon the enemies of righteousness.  Those who are still alive are given a picture of the triumphant martyrs who, having died at the hands of Domitian, kept their faith and endured to the end.  The assurance to the oppressed is that if they too shall overcome the persecution to be inflicted upon them, they also shall receive the crown of life.  It is as if the fallen martyrs are cheering their earthly brethren on to victory. 

It is significant to note that once again, the saints are being exhorted to keep the faith.  Don’t give in, don’t give up, the God of all creation is aware, still in control, angry with the beast and is about to step in and set things right.  The cruel oppressors are about to face the wrath of God.  In the end, the Roman Empire, as powerful as it seems, will succumb and the faithful saints of God will emerge victorious.  “What then shall we say to these things? If God (is) for us, who (is) against us?” (Romans 8:31). (ASV)

Revelation 15:1
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having seven plagues, (which are) the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God. (ASV)

John saw a great and marvelous sign in heaven.  There were seven angels with seven plagues to dispense on the earth.  The number seven represents completeness to the people of the time.  This would suggest that John’s vision previews the complete wrath of God which is to be directed toward the unrighteous.  Biblical history is replete with examples of God’s punishment upon the unrighteous.  Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria and many others suffered defeat at the direction of God due to their rebellion.  These judgments on earth pale to insignificance in the view of the judgment yet to come, when the eternal punishment of Hell shall be manifested upon them. 

Notice that the text refers to the “finished” wrath of God.  This is no way means that the punishment of the unrepentant oppressors is over.  God’s eternal wrath will continue to be upon those outside of Christ, manifested in the eternal punishment of Hell.  (Reference Revelation 14:10-11).  This merely means that God’s anger is complete and will be poured out on the Roman Empire until His purpose is fully executed.  The Christians are being told here that the Roman Empire is going to eventually fall as a result of their persecution.

Revelation 15:2
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that come off victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name, standing by the sea of glass, having harps of God.” (ASV)

This “sea of glass” was mentioned previously in Revelation 4:6, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”  The glass was mentioned in conjunction with the eyes of the living creatures and probably illustrates the transparency of everything to God who knows all things. (cf. 1 John 3:20) and sees all the works of man, (Job 34:21-22, Hebrews 4:13).  The sea represents a barrier between two points.  A barrier from which turmoil and disaster can erupt suddenly and with little warning.  Fire represents both the judgment of God and purification from sin.  The “sea of glass mingled with fire”  here would then seem to represent the all seeing eye of God, burning with the fire of the impending judgment.  And standing there by the sea of glass are those who were “victorious from the beast“, separated from God by the confines of their physical existence but still in fellowship with Him as Christians.  Those who rejected emperor worship and refused to accept the mark of the beast are there, ready to witness the coming fire.  “How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10).  The time has come and the faithful are there, looking on, encouraging their still living brethren and praising God.  In revelation 21, the sea which stands between God and His children on earth is gone.  The saved then stand in the actual presence of God in Heaven.

Let’s pause and look at the “harps of God” in this context.  The victorious are represented as standing beside the sea of glass mingled with fire having the harps of God.  Attempts have been made to literalize the “harps of God” in an attempt to legitimize the use of Manmade instruments of music in our worship today.  The first problem with this is that if one is going to literalize the harps of God, one needs to look at literalizing the sea of glass mingled with literal fire too.  The second problem with this that must be dealt with is that if there are literal harps of God in heaven, we can be assured they are not made by the fleshly hands of men.  A third problem with this is that this vision is not one of the saints in the eternal bode of heaven, rather, the vision is of the redeemed still on earth, known as the body of Christ. 

Revelation 15:3
“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages.”

Moses and the Israelites sang a song of victorious deliverance over the Egyptian forces after they were destroyed in the Red Sea, (cf. Exodus 15:1-19).  The Christians of the day, especially the Jewish Christians, would recognize this figurative representation of victory instantly.  The song of the lamb is a figurative expression for the deliverance from the bondage of sin.  Thus the combined effect of both songs is a song of deliverance from both earthly oppression and the complete and utter deliverance and triumph over sin that is realized through Christ Jesus, the lamb.  Moses’ song of deliverance and Jesus’ song of redemption are the ones only the redeemed who were “purchased out of the earth” can sing, (cf. Revelation 14:3). 

“O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages.”  Notice the similarity to the wording from Psalms 145:17, “Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works,”  The book of Revelation is saturated with allusions to Old Testament scripture. 

Revelation 15:4
“Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name?“  

We will let the Bible comment on this beautiful verse.

Isaiah 45:23
“By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth (in) righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”  See also Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11. 

Revelation 15:4 “ …for thou only art holy”  

1 Samuel 2:2
“There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God.“

Revelation 15:4 “…for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; “

Psalms 86:9
“All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and they shall glorify thy name.”

Revelation 15:4 “…for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.“

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5
4 “so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;
5(which is) a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”

Let’s back up now and look at the whole of John’s description of praise in its entirety. 

Revelation 15:3-4
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages.
4 Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.
ASV

What a beautiful picture of praise to God we have here. It embodies so much.  Entire books could be written about these two verses of scripture and never fully cover their content.  As one studies through John’s Revelation and struggles with understanding the symbolic language, it is a great comfort that intermingled within this letter are passages that stand out so clear to us in their meaning.  One of the main things we pick up from this and other similar passages is that praise and worship to God is the privilege of the redeemed.  While this blessing is extended to all, not all decide to avail themselves of it, choosing rather to live in rebellion to God’s will.  And it is those who so refuse who will never know this privilege.

Revelation 15:5
“And after these things I saw, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:”

The word “temple” here is rendered from the Greek word “naos”  This word alludes directly to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, known as the Holy of Holies.  Within this chamber of the tabernacle was kept the Ark of the Covenant which contained the tables of the law, called “the testimony.”  The image here is that the royal throne room of Heaven itself was opened up and what was about to come forth was coming forth from Jehovah Himself and will be supervised under His personal direction.  God is angry and the doors of the inner sanctuary are thrown open to the view of John, thus revealing the gravity of God’s intentions. 

Revelation 15:6
“and there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues, arrayed with (precious) stone, pure (and) bright, and girt about their breasts with golden girdles.“

And there came out from the very holiness of God Himself, the plagues of judgment.  Seven plagues carried by seven angels.  As noted earlier, the number seven is representative of that which is complete.  The seven seals in Revelation 5 and 6 reveal the wrath of God, the seven trumpets announce and warn of the coming wrath of God, (Revelation 8), and the seven bowls execute the wrath of God.  The doom of the Roman Empire is sealed.  It will be methodically and absolutely trodden out under the feet of God like treaders pressing the juice out of grapes in a winepress. 

The glorious array of the angels with their precious stones in golden girdles most likely signifies that these angels are coming forth from the presence of God almighty with a solemn mission to carry out.  The adjectives “pure” and “bright” are representative of the purity and holiness of the judgments of wrath to come. 

Revelation 15:7
“And one of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.”

The four creatures here being the same ones mentioned in Revelation 4:6; 5:6-8; 5:14; 6:1-6; 7:11; 14:3, and later on in 19:4.  The idea here being that in understanding the symbolism of John’s Revelation, the figurative language is consistent and a consideration of all of it throughout can be used to help unravel the mysteries of this book. 

The wrath of God’s judgment is now given over to the angels for implementation.  The plan is complete, God’s will on the matter is settled.  The time has come.  The blood of the martyrs, just like the blood of Cain’s brother Abel, is crying out from the ground, (cf. Genesis 4:10), and now the punishment has been dispatched to the angels for execution and is about to commence. 

Revelation 15:8
“And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and none was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be finished.“

The temple here is still indicative of the Holy of Holies.  Looking at this from the view of the oppressed Christians, it is probable that the smoke is representative of God’s anger.  However this is not always the case in the Old Testament.  For example, Mt. Sinai in its entirety smoked and quaked from the presence of God when he descended to speak with Moses.  The smoke could therefore be representative of God in action.  Either view is consistent with the theme of the scene being described by John. 

None were able to enter into the temple until all was finished.  There will be no intercessions.  There will be no distractions.  The execution of God’s wrath on the Roman Empire is of a paramount priority, under the personal supervision of almighty God Himself, with the doors of Heaven’s throne room itself thrown open wide to His view. 

What a picture of comfort this must be to the living saints.  God is in control.  The Roman Empire as evil and cruel as they have been in their persecutions is now going to be called out for their actions.  The oppressed Christians can’t buy, they can’t sell, they can’t participate in any kind of transaction whatsoever.  Their friends and families have been turned over to the state, tortured, maimed, sold into slavery and killed.  They worship God in fear of their lives every day, often assembling in secret places out of the public eye.  They have seen their brethren rounded up and fed to beasts in the Roman games for the enjoyment of the citizens of Rome.  They have seen their brethren hung on posts in the street, doused with oil and lit afire to serve as street lamps.  They have seen their properties seized, their children abused.  They have been persecuted and ostracized by the general populace who hate them and blame them for every thing bad that happens.  This message of divine intervention could not come at a better time.  God is about to put a stop to this and nothing is going to stand in His way or detract Him from this mission.  When He is finished, the Roman Empire who has so viciously and cruelly oppressed the innocent faithful will fall.

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The Sickle and the Winepress (Revelation 14:6-20)

The Sickle and the Winepress (Revelation 14:6-20)

It is generally agreed that this is a picture of divine judgment.  There is some disagreement over whether or not this is representative of two separate judgments, one of the righteous and the other of the wicked, or if the imagery represents only a single judgment which God uses to defeat the forces of evil.  The disagreement stems mainly from the futurist interpretation of Revelation, which has been previously noted, offers no value whatsoever to the oppressed Christians of the day.  I believe the context supports a single instrument of God’s judgment on the wicked in a dramatic way that leaves the reader with the impression that it will be terrible and final.  The terror and scope of God’s judgment is seen in the size of the river of blood, as deep as the bridle of a horse and about 200 miles in length. 

Revelation 14:14
“And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud (I saw) one sitting like unto a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”

White symbolizes purity and a cloud is a vantage point of lofty perspective.  Setting upon this pure lofty seat is Jesus wearing on His a golden crown, symbolic of the highest of authority and in his hand is a sharp sickle.  The sickle was a sharp edged tool used to harvest grain.  We sometimes refer to it as a scythe, however a scythe typically has a longer handle.  The reapers of the time would use a sickle to cut down the stalks of grain.  The long curved blade served both to cut and to gather the stalks into a bunch as it is drawn toward the reaper.  The stalks were then gathered into bundles and were later gathered and transported to the threshing floors. 

The words “sharp sickle” do not bring to mind a pleasant thought for the harvest of the just.  John the baptist spoke of hewing down the unfruitful trees with an axe, (Matthew 3:10, Luke 3:9).  Jesus also said that the unfruitful would be “hewn down and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:19).  Nowhere in scripture is it mentioned that the just will be gathered with a sickle. 

Revelation 14:15-20
15 “And another angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Send forth thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 Another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great (winepress), of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” ASV

Three sickles are used to reap the vintage of the earth. One of them being with fire. Scripture is replete with passages that warn of the punishment of fire for the wicked. Those who were cut and gathered were cast into a press and trodden out with an enormous river of blood issuing forth.

The winepress is imagery drawn from Lamentations when Jeremiah wrote of Judah’s captivity in Babylon: “…The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.” (Lamentations 1:15).

Ancient wine presses ordinarily consisted of two rectangular or circular excavations, hewn (Isaiah 5:2) in the solid rock to a depth of 2 or 3 feet. Where possible one was always higher than the other and they were connected by a pipe or channel. Their size, of course, varied greatly, but the upper vat was always wider and shallower than the lower and was the press proper, into which the grapes were thrown, to be crushed by the feet of the treaders. The treaders would get into the winepress with the grapes and walk back and forth, stomping on the grapes with their feet until the juice was extracted.

God’s wrath is here described as being a great winepress. The imagery here is of God cutting down His enemies, casting them into the winepress and treading them out until they are completely destroyed with their blood flowing forth in a river. This is not representative of an instantaneous overthrow on the part of God, rather it is indicative of a methodical and systematic plan designed to utterly and completely vanquish His enemies.

Isaiah 63:1-3
1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat?
3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. (ASV)

The scene of the sickle and the winepress is telling God’s people, with imagery they would be able to understand, that the oppressive forces of evil are powerful but are no match for God. This scene gives Christians of the first century hope as they are assured that God is still on His throne and that He cares for His people and that He will be their champion in the end and they will be victorious through Christ and through His divine judgment.

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The Turning Point (Revelation 14:6-13)

The Turning Point (Revelation 14:6-13)

God has just finished assuring the oppressed Christians that the ultimate victory will be for those who resist Domitian and remain faithful to God.  But God isn’t finished yet.  He is about to reinforce His exhortation to remain faithful and now we start seeing God’s judgment on the Roman Empire.  As mentioned in the previous study, the danger to the Christians as a result of this letter being understood by the Roman authorities is very real.  The language is becoming increasingly figurative as the judgments that God will hand out to the Roman Empire is revealed in detail to those who can understand it.  Our understanding of the next several sections depend on an understanding of who the letter was written to and who the recipients of God’s judgment will be.

Revelation 14:6-20
6 And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
7 and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.

This is a turning point in the book of Revelation.  The hour of God’s judgment has come.  Imperial Rome will not be allowed to continue on in their present state.  The angel mentioned here is representative of God’s saints preaching the gospel to the whole world, (Matthew 24:14; Colossians 1:23).  The oppressed Christians are receiving another message of hope.  There is good news to those who are suffering.  Fear God, worship Him, stay faithful for His judgment is now imminent.

Revelation 14:8
And another, a second angel, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, that hath made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Here, Babylon represents the Imperial Roman Empire.  God speaks of the destruction of the empire as if it has already happened.  This will help shroud the real meaning of the message from the authorities and those familiar with scripture in the OT will remember that God announced the fall of the real Babylon at least fifty years before it happened: Jeremiah 51:8, “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: wail for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.”  When God makes a decree, it is as if it is already accomplished: Isaiah 46:10, “declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not (yet) done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” and Isaiah 48:3, “I have declared the former things from of old; yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.” 

“Babylon the great, that hath made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  Babylon is identified as the Roman Empire here for the Christians.  A discussed in the previous lesson for verse 4, God considers idolatry to be spiritual adultery.  John qualified this figurative Babylon as being the one that forced all nations under her to bow to emperor worship thereby causing them to suffer God’s wrath. 

Revelation 14:9
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, If any man worshippeth the beast and his image, and receiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand,

This is another warning to the Christians.  Do not worship the beast or the idols of the beast and do not receive the stamp of the emperor Domitian.  John used the words “if any man“, meaning if anybody.  No one is excluded from this warning.  Those who would give in and worship Domitian to save their fleshly selves will suffer the wrath of God as vividly portrayed in the following verses. 

Revelation 14:10-11
10 he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 and the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name.

One would think this passage would be in no need of comment, however, there are millions today who believe there is no literal eternal fiery hell.  There is a lot of figurative language here but it is describing a literal place of eternal fire and punishment.  This is supported by the words of Jesus in other scripture such as Mark 9:43-48.  Again, the Christians are warned not to bow down and worship Domitian.  The language used by John is especially strong here and should serve as a warning to these Christians and others after them that God is to be obeyed no matter what the immediate personal consequences may be. 

Revelation 14:12
12 Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.

John gives the words here that should ring loud and clear for oppressed Christians of the time and for all who come afterward.  Those who keep the faith and die in the Lord will be the ones numbered at the side of the lamb.  Don’t give up.  The wrath of Domitian is temporary but the wrath of God is eternal.  “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). 

Let’s pause here for reflection.  Imagine ourselves in a similar situation as the first century Christians living under the oppression of Domitian.  It becomes law that we must burn incense and sacrifice to the leader of our country.  If we refuse, we would not be allowed to buy food, or work for a wage, or sell property or possessions.  It would be illegal for our friends and acquaintances to help us. By so doing, they would jeopardize their own lives.  Our religion would be illegal and if we were caught worshipping we could expect to be arrested and executed with our children sold into slavery.  Our possessions would be confiscated and sold.  Those who were unable to grow their own food would find their families starving to death.  There would be no government assistance for anything whatsoever.  We would be unable to feed our families.  Our children would go hungry.  The only relief in sight would be to bow down and worship the leader of our country.  Only then would we be allowed food.  Only then could we be assured that we would not be rounded up and imprisoned with our children sold into slavery. 

It cannot be overstated enough that obedience to the commands of God is not situational and absolutely required if salvation is to be had.  The 1st century Christians under the rule of Domitian were undergoing the worst persecution in the history of Christianity and they were expected to hold firm to the end.  God did not say, “ok, it’s bad, so do what you have to do and I’ll forgive you when this over.  The blood of my son will get you all through this difficult spot.”  Rather, God commanded over and over, “Do not bow down to Domitian; do not receive the mark of the beast; do not give in.  Stay faithful even if it costs you your life.”   The Christians under the reign of Domitian were told they were expected to remain faithful and obedient and failure to do so would result in the unmixed wrath of God being unleashed on them, being tormented with fire forever and ever, never to rest again. 

There are millions and millions of people in the world today who profess Christ, believe and teach that once a Christian is saved, he or she cannot so sin as to be forever lost.  If this were true, then the entire book of Revelation is a lie.  The persecuted saints of the time were expected to be faithful and failure to do so resulted in their damnation.  The saints of today are expected to be no less faithful.  If the saints then could sin and be lost, so can we.  “So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” (Philippians 2:12)

Revelation 3:5
“He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (ASV)

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The Identification of the first Beast (Revelation 13)

The Identification of the first Beast (Revelation 13)

There are two beasts mentioned in Revelation,  The first is introduced in Chapter 13:1 with the second one coming on the scene in verse 11.  We are going to focus primarily on the first beast with this study.  If there is to be any degree of accuracy in the identification of this beast we must consider two things.  One is to whom this letter was written, and secondly, we must take into account the symbolism in effect in the day and time in which the book was written. 

Many people today think the beast is a malignant force yet to come.  I have read of people in a panic over the veri-chip technology which advocates the implanting of a microchip under the skin in order to identify and track people.  They are convinced that this technology can grow into the mark of the beast.  There is also technology in the development stages where certain world wide retail chains are looking into a chip that can automatically scan items as one walks from the store and automatically deduct the cost of these items from one’s account.  The problem with this is that this does not take into consideration, those to whom the letter was specifically addressed.  What value would such a letter have for people who were undergoing severe persecution at the time if it were a revelation of events roughly 2000 years in the future?

The text we will be looking at is Revelation 13:1-10
1 and he stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns, and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as (the feet) of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the  the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.
3 And (I saw) one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast;
4 and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? And who is able to war with him?
5 and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, (even) them that dwell in the heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, (every one) whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.
9 If any man hath an ear, let him hear.
10 If any man (is) for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
ASV

First, we can determine easily that the beast is not Satan.  Satan is represented in chapter 12 as the dragon who made war with the remnant of the radiant woman’s seed.  In verse 2 we see the dragon, Satan, giving the beast his power, his position or throne, and his great authority.  In verse 4 we read that the heads of the beast worshipped the dragon, Satan.  So the beast cannot be Satan since it derives it’s abilities from and is in a submissive allegiance with him.  It is obvious that the dragon, Satan, is using the beast for the achievement of his own purpose.  So with Satan as the enabler of the beast we can confidently eliminate him from being in consideration as the beast. 

Verse 1 of Revelation 13 starts with the continuance of the sentence in Revelation 12:17.  John saw the dragon, (Satan), standing on the sands beside the sea where the beast emerges from the water.  Interestingly, the symbolism used for “beast” was used by Daniel to represent a ruler or his government, (Daniel 7:2-8).  Daniel used the same animal imagery to represent the the four world empires which were Babylon, Medo-Persian, Grecian and then the Roman Empire.  The fact that the leopard, bear and lion are used here probably demonstrates that the Roman empire was a composite of the other three.  This usage of apocalyptic language would have been familiar to those of the time who were versed in old covenant figures of speech.  This goes back to the thought that Revelation was written in language the Jews would be able to understand without incrimination before the Romans, thereby giving them more incentive to destroy those who were holding fast to their faith.  We can easily see today how successful this manner of writing was in that the book of Revelation continues to be a source of misdirected doctrine.  Anybody with a poor familiarity of old testament speech would be utterly baffled by the figurative language of this book. 

Looking closely at John’s description of the Beast we see Satan standing upon the sand of the sea.  This would likely be the Tyrrhenian sea, which bordered the territory and land of Italy, where the Roman empire had its capital with the imperial palaces built alongside the Tiber river.  This imagery places the dragon within close proximity of the Beast, overlooking and personally directing the coming struggle against the faithful remnant of the radiant woman’s seed.  This thought squares perfectly with new testament teaching that Satan had been given the power to do as he will with the nations of the Earth, (Matthew 4:8-9).  In addition to the close proximity of the Dragon to the beast, the Hebrews not being a seafaring people, recognized the sea as being capable of bringing storms of immensely destructive proportions.  David wrote in imagery of a storm coming inland from the sea, breaking the cedars from Lebanon and shaking the wilderness of Kadesh, which represented Jehovah revealing His strength and power, (Psalm 29).  Daniel used the imagery of the sea when describing the 4 great beasts arising in Daniel 7:3.  Notice particularly the language used in Daniel 7:7, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”  While not all scholars agree, it is my belief that Daniel’s prophecy is about the rise of the Roman empire.  Certainly, the Jewish Christians, well versed in old testament teaching would instantly see a parallel and draw the conclusion that the beast of Revelation 13 and the beast of Daniel 7:23 were one and the same. 

The beast is said to have ten horns with a diadem, or crown, on each, and seven heads with the name of blasphemy on each. An interesting point in History may shed some light on what the 10 horns could represent. The Roman Empire was made up of several geographic territories called provinces. Each province fell under the control of a provincial governor.

As a rule set by Augustus there were always 10 senatorial provinces in the Imperial government system. These provinces were under the direct control of a Proconsular Senator, with little need for intervention by the Emperor, though he had the power to appoint or dispose of these governors if he wished. The governors, served for one to three years depending on which province he was over.

Notwithstanding, there were other lesser provinces under the rule of the Roman empire as it expanded. There were about 28 in all by the middle of the second century. The number “ten” carries with it the meaning of completeness in the minds of the Hebrews, thus simply meaning the complete number of vassal kings within the Roman empire which I personally believe to be the more likely interpretation. One must be very careful when literalizing a number surrounded by so much symbolic language. Consistency almost demands it be taken in the same way as the rest of the surrounding imagery.

The seven heads probably referred to the seven hills of ancient Rome. Every October there was a commemoration to the fact that Rome was founded on seven hills. The seven hills of Rome; Cermalus, Cispius, Fagutal, Oppius, Palatium, Sucusa and Velia, figured prominently in Roman mythology, religion, and politics.

The seven heads could also have represented the seven Roman emperors from Augustus Caesar to Flavius Domitianus, better known as Domitian. These emperors reigned with such power and distinction that Roman temples were erected to each one of them. These emperors were worshipped in these temples as Gods and Lords. This practice started with Augustus Caesar and by the time of Domitian, evolved into mandated emperor worship. Under Domitian, those who refused to worship him as a God were subjected to various punishments from exile to death. Revelation 17:10 lends great support to this interpretation.

So we now have a mental image of just how powerful a foe has arisen against Christianity.  The Parthians were no help, The Romans, who worshipped many Gods, hated them.  There were not enough Christians to make any kind of impact on the socio-economic scene.  When drought, famine, or natural disaster struck, the Christians with their one deity worship were blamed.  The Jews were no help, they were excused from Emperor worship and were of no help whatsoever to the Christians.

Revelation 13:3, “And (I saw) one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed:”  There are plenty of theories as to what this death blow was.  One of the most popular I read was that this was the crushing of Satan’s head prophesied in Genesis 3:15.  However, upon careful consideration of the text, we see that the beast is something other than the dragon, (Satan), which therefore does not make sense.  John mentioned this death blow to one of the seven heads, (emperors), as a means for the identification of the beast to the Christians.  It therefore stands to reason that this blow must be something that is widely known and easily attributed to its rightful understanding by the intended audience.  This said, in 64 AD, during the night of July 18, fire broke out in the merchant area of the city of Rome. Fanned by summer winds, the flames quickly spread through the dry, wooden structures of the Imperial City. Soon the fire took on a life of its own consuming all in its path for six days and seven nights. When the conflagration finally ran its course it left seventy percent of the city devastated.  Of Rome’s fourteen districts only four remained intact. Three were leveled to the ground. The other seven were reduced to a few scorched and mangled ruins.   This event happened during the reign of Nero and would be something that definitely would be in the minds of the people of that day.  The association in their minds between the burning of Rome and the wounded head of the Roman Empire would be easily recognized.  There was plenty of time for this death blow to one of the heads to be healed.  History tells us that Rome was built back bigger and better than ever. 

When considering the facts, the Roman emperor Domitian, who reigned from 81 AD through 96 AD best fits the description of the beast, especially considering the internal Biblical evidence that states things which will “shortly come to pass” in Revelation 1:1.  We learn from history that Domitian pushed the concept of him being a God so far that he would reject any communication written to him if it was not addressed to “Supreme Lord and God”.  From a Christian viewpoint, this is nothing short of blasphemy of the name of God to ascribe the title of God and Lord to anybody or anything other than Jehovah Himself.  The imperial Roman empire at the time was said to include all the inhabited earth, depending on whether you heard it from a Roman or a Parthian.  The body of water we know as the Mediterranean Sea got it’s name because it literally means “the middle of the earth”.  All people, with the exception of the Christians worshipped Domitian as a God.  The Jews were excused from this but they did compromise by praying to Jehovah on behalf of Domitian to avoid persecution. 

In the Hebrew mind, the number 6 was symbolic of that which was not perfect, thereby evil.  Seven represents perfection.  Six being one less than perfect is falling short of the mark.  The definition of “sin” is literally, “to miss the mark”.  So to obtain the ultimate of that which was evil or lacking, the apocalyptic writers of John’s day were using a series of three sixes to represent the worst evil that could befall.  Furthermore this number was reserved for those in government who caused evil to be administered. 

No other emperor in the history of the Imperial Roman Empire fits the description of the beast better than Domitian.  We therefore conclude that the first beast of Revelation 13 can be none other than the evil Imperial Roman Empire, which was personified in the person of Flavius Domitianus, (the number of a man).

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