Transcript Revelation 6 - God's Character

“He will be tormented with fire and
sulfur in the presence of the Lamb”
(14:10)
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“Dr. Cole, I’m relatively new to your Bible
study. You talk a lot about Satan. I’m just
wondering why you emphasize this point so
much.”
God
Humans
Non-Humans
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Creation
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“The earth was formless and void, and
darkness was over the surface of the deep.”
(Genesis 1:2)
 “Formless and void” in the Bible symbolizes
‘The forces that oppose [Yahweh] and his acts
of creation—the forces of disorder, injustice,
affliction, and chaos, which are, in the Israelite
worldview, one.” Jon Levenson, Creation and
the Persistence of Evil
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Snake in the tree
“War in Heaven” (12:7)
What was said at the tree?
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“Eve believed the words of Satan, and the
belief of that falsehood in regard to God's
character, changed the condition and
character of both herself and husband...”
R&H 1886
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“The LORD's spirit left Saul, and an evil spirit
sent by the LORD tormented him.” (1 Samuel
16:14; 18:10-12; 19:9)
“The LORD was angry at Israel again, and he
made David think it would be a good idea to
count the people in Israel and Judah.” (2
Samuel 24:1)
“Satan wanted to bring trouble on the people of
Israel, so he made David decide to take a
census.” (1 Chronicles 21:1)
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“The hour” of Jesus
“Now my heart is troubled---and what shall I
say? Shall I say, 'Father, do not let this hour
come upon me'? But that is why I came---so
that I might go through this hour of
suffering…Now is the time for this world to be
judged; now the ruler of this world will be
overthrown (exposed).” (John 12:27, 31)
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God is not the only acting subject
Revelation is not only the story of the
Lamb, it is the story of the Dragon
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Satan
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Coercion
Force, fear and intimidation
Shrouded in mystery, lies and deception
God
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The truth is spoken in love, people are free to decide
God’s power is selfless love and service
God’s government is transparent
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Christ:
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The 3 and ½ years of Jesus’ ministry as God’s response to
all suffering
The Healer
The One who goes to the lowest point, suffering the most
The Cross
Satan:
the Destroyer
 The one who strives for the highest point; survival of the
fittest
 During the life and death of Jesus, Satan is exposed
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“Daniel, don’t be afraid. God has heard
your prayers ever since the first day you
decided to humble yourself in order to
rain understanding. I have come in
answer to your prayer.” (Daniel 10:1,1113)
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“The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia*
opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael,
one of the chief angels, came to help me… Now I
have to go back and fight the guardian angel of
Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece
will appear. There is no one to help me except
Michael, Israel’s guardian angel. He is
responsible for helping and defending me”
(Daniel 10:13,20; 11:1).
“We wanted to return to you, I myself tried to go
back more than once, but Satan would not let
us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
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Daniel’s prayer
“And God, our source of peace, will soon
crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans
16:20)
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“Then I saw another angel flying high in the
air, with an eternal (everlasting) message of
Good News to announce to the peoples of
the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and
nation. He said in a loud voice, ‘Honor God
and praise his greatness! For the time has
come for him to judge all people. Worship
him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the
springs of water!’” (Revelation 14:6-7)
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‘This is how the judgment works: the light has
come into the world, but people love the
darkness rather than the light...” (John 3:19)
“The Father judges no one. He has given his
Son the full right to judge…And he has given
the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son
of Man.” (John 5:22,27).
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How does Jesus judge those who reject his
message?
 “If people hear my message and do not obey
it, I will not judge them. I came, not to judge
the world, but to save it. Those who reject me
and do not accept my message have one who
will judge them. The words I have spoken will
be their judge on the last day!” (John 12:47-48)
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What words, what message, what truth will
be the judge?
 “If you have seen me, you have seen the
Father.” (John 14:8)
“…according to the Good News I preach,
this is how it will be on that Day when God
through Jesus Christ will judge the secret
thoughts of all.” (Romans 2:16)
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“God uses us to make the knowledge about
Christ spread everywhere like a sweet
fragrance. For we are like a sweet-smelling
incense offered by Christ to God, which
spreads among those who are being saved and
those who are being lost. For those who are
being lost, it is a deadly stench that kills; but
for those who are being saved, it is a fragrance
that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – GN)
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“And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the
hail, and the thunder had ceased, he
sinned yet more; and he hardened his
heart, he and his servants. So the heart of
Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let
the children of Israel go, as the LORD had
spoken by Moses. Now the LORD said to
Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have
hardened his heart and the hearts of his
servants…’” (Exodus 9:34-10:1 – NKJV)
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Separation:
Seal of God
 Mark of the Beast
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“A second angel followed the first one, saying,
‘She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She
made all peoples drink her wine---the strong
wine of her immoral lust!’” (Revelation 14:8)
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“A third angel followed them and said in a loud
voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his
image and receives his mark on the forehead or
on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of
God's fury, which has been poured full strength
into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented
with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest
day or night for those who worship the beast and
his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of
his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11 – NIV)
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“The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the
soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country
will burn like tar. It will burn day and night,
and smoke will rise from it forever. The land
will lie waste age after age, and no one will
ever travel through it again. Owls and ravens
will take over the land. The LORD will make it
a barren waste again, as it was before the
creation.” (Isaiah 34:9-11)
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“A third angel followed them and said in a loud
voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his
image and receives his mark on the forehead or
on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of
God's fury, which has been poured full strength
into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented
with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest
day or night for those who worship the beast and
his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of
his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11 – NIV)
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“Because the LORD your God is like a
flaming fire.” (Daniel 4:24)
“God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews
12:29)
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“The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless: ‘Who of us
can dwell with the consuming fire? Who
of us can dwell with everlasting
burning?’ He who walks righteously and
speaks what is right…” (Isaiah 33:14-15 –
NIV)
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Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on
your arm
For love is as strong as death…
Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the
Lord.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it; (Song of Solomon 8:6-7
NASB)
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“This second beast performed great
miracles; it made fire come down out of
heaven to earth in the sight of everyone.”
(Revelation 13:13)
6th Trumpet: Demonic mounted troops
and that “from their mouths came out fire,
smoke and sulfur…a third of the human
race was killed by those three plagues: the
fire, the smoke and sulfur coming out of
the horses mouths.” (Revelation 8:19)
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“Then one of the seven angels who had the
seven bowls came to me and said, ‘Come, and I
will show you how the famous prostitute is to
be punished, that great city that is built near
many rivers.’” (Revelation 17:1)
“The ten horns that you saw, they and the beast
will hate the whore; they will make her
desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh
and burn her up with fire” (Revelation 17:16).
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“The dragon and his angels warred” (12:7);
“Then the dragon…went off to make war…”
(12:17); “And it was allowed to make war on
the saints” (13:7); “the beast…will make war on
them” (11:7); “these are demonic spirits,
performing signs, who go abroad to the kings
of the whole world, to assemble them for
war…” (16:14); “Then I saw the beast and the
kings of the earth with their armies gathered to
make war against the rider…” (19:19)
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“The wine press” where “blood flowed…as high as the
bridles of the horses, for a distance of about two
hundred miles.” (14:20)
Context: “In those days…a stream shall flow with their
blood. For a man shall not be able to withhold his
hands from his sons nor from (his) sons’ sons in order
to kill them. Nor is it possible for the sinner to
withhold his hands from his honored brother. From
dawn until the sun sets, they shall slay each other. The
horse shall walk through the blood of sinners up to his
chest; and the chariot shall sink down up to its top” (1
Enoch 100:3).
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“You defiled your sanctuaries with your many
sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire
from within you, and it consumed you. I let it
burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of
all who were watching.” (Ezekiel 28:18, NLT)
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“The great day of the LORD is near---very near and
coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the
bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! It will be a day
of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and
destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and
cloudy day, a day filled with the sound of war
trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking
fortified cities and high towers.” (Zephaniah 1:14-17)
See Ezekiel 38:18-23 and Zechariah 14:12-13
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Genesis: God is an untrustworthy and arbitrary liar
(3:1-5)
Revelation God “is called Faithful and True” (19:11),
Jesus is referred to as “the faithful witness.” (1:5) The
Serpent is unmasked as “the Devil, who deceived
them…” (20:10)
Genesis: God’s mere presence caused his children to
tremble in the bushes (3:8); “No one can see my face
and live.” (Exodus 33:20)
Revelation: God’s people are now “protected by his
presence” (7:15); “They will see his face, and his name
will be written on their foreheads.” (22:4)
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Genesis: “Because of what you have done, the
ground will be under a curse.” (3:17)
Revelation: “Nothing that is under God’s curse
will be found in the city.” (22:3)
Genesis: Adam and Eve lost access to the tree
of life. (3:24)
Revelation: “I will give the right to eat the fruit
of the tree of life that grows in the Garden of
God…the leaves of its tree will heal the
nations.” (2:7, 22:2)
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Genesis: Separated from God, Adam and Eve were
warned of a hard life of struggles, hardship and
ultimately death, “You were made from the dust,
and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Revelation: “Now God’s home is with people! He
will live with them, and they shall be his people.
God himself will be with them, and he will be their
God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes.
There will be no more death, no more grief or
crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.”
(Revelation 21:3,4)