CONGRATULATIONS!!!
YOU HAVE MADE IT TO THE END.
Read the Bible in a Year (31DEC19)
REVELATIONThe world as we know it is soon to come to an end. Jesus is on His way back to gather all of the saints who have anxiously awaited His return. He is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. Those who are ready will be invited to the super of the Lamb. There will be no more death, illness, violence, disease, pain, tears, and heartache. All of those things will be a part of our distant past. Never again to be remembered for God will wipe all tears from our eyes.
After all the trials that we have gone through on earth, we have an eternal destination to look forward to. The devil will no longer be a part of our lives. He will forever be destroyed and we will be able to live in eternity enjoying peace with the Lord. All of this is guaranteed if we remain faithful unto God. Those who endure to the end will receive a reward far greater than our minds can conceive.
God is going to create a new Heaven and a new earth. There will be no need for the sun because Jesus is the Light of the world. There will be no need for the moon because there will never be any more darkness and no need for sleep. Our previous earthly bodies will be made new and we will never experience growing old in them.
What a great joy and awesome hope to have that we will one day be done with this old world. Are you ready for Jesus to come? Are you ready to leave this world behind? Have you made things right with God? If Jesus was to come today, would you be ready to go with Him? Have you made things right with your fellow man? If you cannot say “Yes” to all of these questions, the time is NOW to get things right with God and with others. Jesus is coming soon! Don’t miss out because the invitation has been sent. All you have to do is be ready.
Quick Review from Lesson 10
a.) Babylon the Great has fallen.
b.) The kings of the earth committed adultery with her and drank from her cup of wine.
c.) A voice from Heaven warned to come out of Babylon to avoid the judgments that would befall her.
d.) The kings of the earth will stand in sorry over the destruction of Babylon from which they became wealthy.
e.) Babylon will never be restored again after her ultimate destruction.
f.) Babylon is responsible for the martyr of God’s people and all manners of wickedness.
g.) Heaven will sing praises to God over the judgment that has finally been rendered to Babylon.
h.) The rider of the white horse is called Faithful and True.
i.) The beast and the false prophet where thrown into the lake of fire.
j.) The dragon who is the devil was thrown into the Abyss for a thousand years.
k.) Satan will be released after the thousand years to once again deceive the nations.
l.) He will gather the nations for one final battle.
m.) Fire from Heaven will destroy them and the devil will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur.
n.) The dead will be judged and anyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
John saw the creation of a new Heaven and Earth. The former things were passed away and all things had become new. This prophecy was given even during the time of Isaiah. God longs to be with His children and has made provision for us to be with Him in total peace and free from the miseries that were brought on by Satan.
Isaiah 65:17-19 “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. (NLT) God promises that we will not even remember the former things. Death, pain, sadness, heartache and every emotion that has been tied to sin will be taken away from us. No longer will we shed any tears for the loss of a loved one, physical pain, and/or disappointment. All of those things will be passed away.
Revelation 21:5-8 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (NIV)
God tells John that He is making everything new and that His word can be believed. Isaiah 55:10-11 Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and don’t return there without watering the earth, making it conceive and yield plants and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater, so is my word that comes from my mouth; it does not return to me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend. (CEB) We should never doubt the Word of God. If God says it…it is as good as done. He is the Beginning and the End. No one existed prior to God and He will always be. God will give to everyone who has a thirst for Him. John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (NKJV) God is the living water that we need. If we drink of Him…we will never die. We are His children and He is our Father. 2 Corinthians 6:18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (NIV)
Unfortunately, there are a set of people who will not be considered the sons and daughters of God. They will have chosen to follow the enemy and live a life full of sin. All cowards, unbelievers, wicked, murders and others who refuse to obey God will have a part in the Lake of Fire.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. (NLT) God’s word is very specific as to what will cause many to go to hell. However, God wishes for everyone to be saved. It is up to us to make the ultimate choice for Him. There will be no second chances to get it right. There is no purgatory, which will act as a waiting period, with the possibility of release. What you do now for Christ will make the difference later in your final destination. You want to be raised in the first resurrection with the rest of those who are saved. Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (NIV)
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
Revelation 21:9-14 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (NIV)
How marvelous it is going to be seeing the New Jerusalem. It will be far more beautiful than what we have ever imagined. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 But this is precisely what is written: God has prepared things for those who love him that no eye has seen, or ear has heard, or that haven’t crossed the mind of any human being. God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, including the depths of God. (CEB)
Jesus promised, while here on earth, that He had to go away to prepare a place for us. He longs to be with His children for eternity and has taken great care to ensure that He has it all prepared for when He returns. John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (NKJV) We should all long to be in fellowship with our Lord and Savior, so that we may forever live with Him in the beautiful place that He has prepared for us. This is why the devil works so hard to keep God’s children out of Heaven. Remember, he has already been there, so the devil knows what great things God has in store for us once we arrive. Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! (NIV) Yes, Lucifer, now Satan, once had a place in Heaven, but pride overtook him. Therefore, because sin cannot exist in the presence of God, he was kicked out. Habakkuk 1:13 But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? (NLT)
Revelation 21:15-21 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. (NIV)
John describes the Holy City as the angel measured the walls. The city is made of precious gems and stones that are far more splendid than our earthly minds can ever imagine. The gates are made of pearls and the streets are made of pure transparent gold. No mansion on earth can compare to the one that we will have in the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:22-27 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (NIV)
Just as the curtain ripped upon Jesus death to signify that there was no longer any need for sacrificial offerings, the same will hold true with regards to their being a temple. Matthew 27:50-51 Again Jesus cried out with a loud shout. Then he died. Look, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split. (CEB) The sacrifice had been made and no longer was there any need for the shedding of blood from sheep, goats, or calves. Jesus paid it all! We will not have a need for a temple because God and the Lamb are the temple. This is why we must not focus on tangible worship houses, but our worship should be within our hearts because we are the temple of God in which He dwells. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (NLT)
There will be no darkness because Jesus is the Light. John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV) There will be no need for lamps, flashlights, torches, or even the sun and moon. Jesus is all the Light that we will need, for in Heaven, there will be no darkness of any kind. The gates will never be locked for there will be no thieves and robbers for anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will not enter Heaven. Luke 10:20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (NKJV)
Eden Restored
Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (NIV)
John was shown the river of life that flowed from the throne of God and the Lamb. It was clear as crystal. There were no impurities in the water that would produce a cloudiness as in some of the water that we see today. It was clear and ran down the middle of the Holy City. Jesus promised that if we were to believe in Him, water would flow through us as well. He is the living water where we can drink freely from now and forever more. A water where we will never be thirsty again. John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (NIV)
On each side of the river was the Tree of Life. It had 12 kinds of fruit on it and the leaves were good for healing. Every month, it produced new fruit. In the garden of Eden, there was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but in this garden, there will no longer be a need for anything that is evil to bring about death. Genesis 2:16-17 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (NLT) Only life is offered and will be given. Where one tree tested man’s obedience to God, another tree will reward those who remained faithful to Him.
The Tree of Life is not like other trees where they only produce one type of fruit. There are 12 different kinds of fruit on that one tree, which can be eaten unlike in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. (NIV) The leaves are good for the healing of the nation because there will be no more sickness, death, misery or pain. God will wipe all tears from our eyes. Ezekiel 47:12 But on both banks of the river will grow up all kinds of fruit-bearing trees. Their leaves won’t wither, and their fruitfulness won’t wane. They will produce fruit in every month, because their water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for eating, their leaves for healing. (CEB)
No longer will we be under a curse. We will be able to see God face to face and have His name on our foreheads. Galatians 3:13-14 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NKJV) No curse that we were under while on earth will exist in the new heaven and earth because Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we may have eternal life.
There will be no more need for sleep because the sun and moon will not exist. Jesus is the only light that we will ever need and His light will last forever and ever. Isaiah 60:19-21 “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory. (NLT) What a glorious day it will be when we will forever be able to be with our Lord and Savior.
John and the Angel
Revelation 22:6-11 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” (NIV)
The angel let John know that the words that were written in this prophecy was true. Whatever comes out of the mouth of God will come to pass as He has spoken. Isaiah 55:10-11 You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You. (KJV) God stands by His word because He can only swear by Himself since there is no one greater than He.
All scripture that is given comes from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God did not want His children to be clueless as to the things that would take place in the last days, so He gave the prophetic word to John in order for him to give it to the Body of Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV) Jesus let John know that His coming is soon and there was a blessing for those who kept the words of this prophecy. We are not only to be hearers, but doers of the word of God. James 1:22 You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. (CEB)
John fell down to the feet of the angel to worship him, but the angel rebuked John by letting him know that only God is to be worshipped. No one else deserves our worship but the Almighty God. Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You. (NKJV) God is a jealous God. He alone is to be worshipped. All of Heaven know their place when it comes to the Lord and even the angels are subservient to His will.
John was not to seal up the words of the prophecy unlike Daniel. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” (NLT) The time of the prophecy given to John was for the times that we now live in. Therefore, God wanted it to be revealed to all who read it. If there was ever a time to understand this prophetic book, it is now. The words of this book are coming to life in real time and we as the Body of Christ must be prepared for what is and what is to come. Those who have decided to follow Jesus must continue to do so, and those who have made a choice for Satan, the time of Salvation is short where no one will be able to switch sides. Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." (NIV)
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
Revelation 22:12-15 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (NIV)
Jesus is coming soon! There will be no second chances to get it right. He is coming to give everyone the reward that they have rightly earned. This is why it is important to make sure that our lives are right before the King arrives. Proverbs 11:30-31 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner. (NIV) He is the beginning and the end of all things. There was no one before Him and there will be no on e after Him. All who obey God’s commands and have been washed in the blood of the Lamb will live with God forever and eat from the tree of life. However, those who choose to be wicked and live outside of the will of God will not make it into the kingdom and will have their eternity spent in hell. 1 Corinthians 9:9 In Moses’ Law it’s written: You will not muzzle the ox or did he say this entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake because the one who plows and the one who threshes should each do so with the hope of sharing the produce. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it so much to ask to harvest some material things from you? (CEB)
Revelation 22:16-21 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (NIV)
God had given this prophetic message to Jesus, and Jesus gave it to the angel; the angel gives it to John, and John gave it to the churches. God wanted His church to be prepared for the events that would take place during the last days, but also to give us hope as to the things we could look forward to after the time of testing pass. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us, so that we can have the strength to defeat the enemy because He did it first. Jesus was born through the line of David and is the Bright and Morning Star. John 7:42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived. (NIV)
The living water is offered to everyone who is thirsty and desire to drink as a free gift. John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” (CEB) With earthly water, we will be thirsty again, but with the water of life that only comes from Jesus, we will never thirst. The prophecy, which was written by John, is one of great significance for the last days. God gave a warning to anyone who would try to add or take away from it.
This book was not to be altered in order to diminish or embellish it. One must be careful of false teachers who would downplay the urgency of this prophetic word. The book of Revelation is meant for everyone to know, read and understand its contents. It is a book to be respected and not feared. It is a book of warning and a book of enlightenment. It rebukes, corrects, informs and encourages. May God bless you as you have finished learning one of the most important books in the Bible. Please take what you have learned and carefully apply it in your life, so that you will be ready for Jesus’ soon return.
Revelation: Removing the Prophetic Veil Bible Lessons 1-11 by K L Rich are available on Amazon.
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