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SYMBOLS OF THE REVELATION

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Chapter One

Rev 12:9-11 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

This is one of the many names given to the Devil. He is, without a doubt, the most prolific accuser or slanderer of all time. The Bible says that he accuses the believers before God night and day. One of his favorite pastimes must be going up to God and saying, "God, did you see what so and so did this morning? I thought he was supposed to be one of your best followers."

When he sees that he can't get anywhere accusing man to God, he switches over and tries accusing God to man. As early as the Garden of Eden, he accused God of being a liar; when he told Eve that if she ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she would not surely die. He then went on to accuse God of being a tyrant by implying that He forbade the eating of this fruit because it would render the eater as knowledgeable as He.

According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, the word Devil means slanderer or accuser.

ANGELS OF THE EUPHRATES (Revelation 9:14)

Rev 9:12-21 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The angel who signals the sixth trumpet judgment is commanded to loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

These four angels must be exceptionally powerful followers of Satan, making it necessary for God to keep them bound until the time has come for them to be unleashed upon the Earth.

From ancient times through the present day, the Euphrates River has always been considered the boundary line between the East and the West.

These four emissaries of Satan will mobilize an army of 200 million soldiers from the East. In Revelation 16:12, we see the angel with the sixth vial judgment pouring the contents of his vial upon the Euphrates, drying it up, so that this massive army, organized and motivated by the evil foursome, can march across and launch the first ever full-scale invasion of the West by the East. This gigantic invasion will result in the destruction of one-third of the remaining population of the Earth, one-fourth of the population already having been wiped out by preceding judgments.

ANGEL OF THE WATERS (Revelation 16:5)

Rev 16:1-7 1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. 3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. 4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

This refers to the angel whose assignment it will be to pour out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of water, causing them to become blood (see Revelation 16:4).

This angel recognizes the perfect irony and justice of this judgment, and in effect, says "Nice move, God" in the last half of Revelation 16:5.

Prior to this judgment, the sea had already been turned into blood. Now, the same thing had happened to all of the fresh water.

Verse six explains that this horrible judgment is inflicted upon the Earth because "they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, so they deserve to have only blood to drink."

In verse seven, another angel also puts his stamp of approval on this judgment, by saying "True and righteous are thy judgments.

ARMAGEDDON (Revelation 16:16)

Rev 16:16-21 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before 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 there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

A valley on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon, on the boundary line between the territories of the tribes of Issachar and Manasseh.

Armageddon has been the scene of a number of great victories for the Children of Israel, including Barak's victory over the Canaanites, and Gideon's conquest of the Midianites. It also has been the scene of disasters, such as the deaths of King Saul and King Josiah.

In Revelation 16:16, the Lord gathers the forces of the Antichrist together in the Valley of Armageddon. This then becomes the scene of the great, final confrontation between the Lord and the armies of the Antichrist.

When Jesus returns to the Earth, these forces gathered at Armageddon attempt to make war against Him. What happens next, is not a pretty picture.

With the power of His word coming out of His mouth as a two-edged sword, Jesus will destroy the evil hordes and liberate the remaining tribulation believers.

In Revelation 19:17, an invitation is given to all the birds in the atmosphere to come to the valley and eat of the flesh of the vanquished armies. The Antichrist and his false prophet are plucked out of the carnage and cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. All of their followers are slain. Revelation 14:20 says that the slaughter will be so great that the blood will reach up to the horse bridles for a stretch of about 200 miles in the valley.

ARMIES WHICH WERE IN HEAVEN (Revelation 19:14)

Rev 19:11-16 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Isa 63:1-4 1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling 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 winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

What a magnificent sight this great army will be. All of the redeemed from the beginning of the world will be there, led by King Jesus.

The King and His army will charge forth from Heaven to deal with the forces of Satan at the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus will be riding on a white stallion, which has always been symbolic of conquest. Jesus' clothing will be stained red with the blood of his enemies, fulfilling the prediction of the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 63:1-4.

The troops of the King's mighty army are all dressed in pure white. As they follow their leader, they appear as a great cloud in the sky, and everyone on Earth will see them approach.

BABYLON (Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 18:10, 18:21)

Rev 14:8 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Rev 16:19 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Rev 17:3-15 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Rev 17:16-18 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

For centuries scoffers ridiculed two major points in end-time Bible prophesy. They were the involvement of Israel and Babylon in the last days. After all, everyone knew that both had fallen into ruins more than nineteen hundred years ago. Then, in 1948, when Israel was reborn, they had to concentrate their derision on the fact that there was no Babylon to participate in the prophesied scenario. Now the acuity of the prophetic vision has once again been confirmed by the rebuilding of this ancient city, atop the ruins from the past.

It certainly wasn't the intention of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, a Moslem, to affect the fulfillment of the prophesies in Jeremiah 51 and 52 that Babylon would be rebuilt. Nevertheless, he signed an open check to finance the project. Now hotels, restaurants, recreation centers, playgrounds and theaters - many designed to echo ancient Babylonian architecture - seek to make the new Babylon the biggest tourist city in the Middle East.

This reborn city seems destined to become the capitol of the one world government during the Tribulation period. Near the end of the Tribulation period, it will be destroyed suddenly by fire. In Revelation 18:9, we find that the world leaders shall bewail her and lament for her when they see the smoke of her burning. In verse ten, there is an indication that the fire which consumes Babylon may be caused by a nuclear explosion: "Standing afar off for fear of her torment" would coincide with the fear of radiation poisoning from approaching a city destroyed by an atomic bomb.

Both the prophet Isaiah, and the writer of the Revelation, agree that Babylon falls twice (Babylon the Great is falling, is falling). Babylon, as used in prophecy, represents, in addition to the capitol of the world dictatorship, a worldwide religious system. This will be a religious system based on the perverse doctrines and practices established by King Nimrod and his wicked queen Semiramis in ancient Babylon.

Although this worldwide religious system will put him into position as the world dictator, eventually the Antichrist will turn against it and destroy it.

BALANCES (Revelation 6:5)

Rev 6:5-6 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The third Seal Judgment to be unleashed upon the earth during the Tribulation period is symbolized by a rider on a black horse, having a pair of "balances" in his hand. These "balances," or "scales," indicate severe scarcity of food, as it must be weighed out very carefully. Food scarcity is frequently associated in the Old Testament with weighing.

The balances are used to weigh out a day's ration of wheat, or three days ration of a cheaper grain, barley, either one of which would sell for a denarius, which is the Biblical equivalent of the average person's daily wage. In other words, just to provide his family with enough food to keep them from starving, will cost the average man his entire salary.

It's interesting to note that in Revelation 6:6, the rider on the black horse has strict instructions not to mess around with the luxury foods, ("see that you do not hurt the oil and the wine"). While the average person will be unable to purchase them, the elite will still have them available. Perhaps these will be the people who completely sell-out to the Antichrist.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from SYMBOLS OF THE REVELATION by Robert B. Dearmore Copyright © 1999 by Robert B. Dearmore. Excerpted by permission.
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