Verses 21 To 24 The Last Part Of The Funeral Song For Babylon
Verse 21 This is the third part of the song and it describes the*ruin of Babylon .
A strong *angel took a huge stone. Then, he threw it into thesea. The stone sank quickly in the water with a great splash. It had gone belowthe surface and nobody will see it again.
With such force, God will destroy Babylon. It was a great citybut in a moment, its end will come. Nobody will ever see that city again.
Verses 22-23 The passage describes some effects of the end ofBabylon. All that people enjoyed has gone. There is no music. There is onlysilence in the streets of the city.
The sounds of the skilled workers have stopped. They have allgone. There is no sound from the mills. They do not produce flour. There is nomore food in the city. Normal life will not be possible. There is no light inthe houses. All is in darkness. There will be no happy events like weddings.Nothing will remain.
The merchants had been great because of their wealth. They hadlived in luxury. This is one reason for the *ruin of the city.
All the nations had believed the lies of Babylon. They allfollowed Babylons evil ways. This is a second reason for the *ruin of thecity.
Verse 24 Here is the main reason for the *ruin of Babylon.Babylon was guilty of the deaths of many of Gods people. People all over theworld died because they did not *worship the *beast. Babylon fought againstGod. So, God punished Babylon severely.
*worship Of The *lamb
v1 Then I saw a *scroll on the right hand of him whosat on the *throne. There were words on both sides of the *scroll. There wereseven *seals, which locked it. v2 I saw a strong *angel. With a loudvoice, he asked this question. Who deserves to open the *scroll? And who isable to break its *seals? v3 But nobody in heaven, on earth, or underthe earth could open the *scroll. Nobody could look inside it. v4 And Iwept much because there was nobody good enough. Nobody could open the *scrollor look into it. v5 Then one of the *elders said to me, Do not weep.See, the Lion of the *tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome. He isable to open the *scroll and to break its seven *seals.
v13 Then I heard every *creature in heaven and onearth sing. And all *creatures under the earth, on and in the sea sing withthem. They sang a song. This song is to him who sits on the *throne and to the*Lamb. To them belong *praise, honour, *glory, and power without end.
v14 The four *creatures said, *Amen! The *eldersfell down and they *worshipped.
Verse 1 On the right hand of God was a *scroll. The *Lord hadwritten on both sides of the *scroll. On it, there were 7 *seals. Each of these*seals locked a part of the *scroll. To read the *scroll someone had to breakall 7 *seals in order.
The contents of the *scroll were secret. Gods plans for the endof the world were in it. After each *seal, the *scroll showed the events thatwould happen.
Johns Vision Of Christ
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.10 On the Lords Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,11 which said: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.18 I am the Living One I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Footnotes
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The Bible Briefs Revelations Summary:
When Revelations was written:
Who wrote it: The Apostle John.
People & Places of note:Christ John Michael Satan The Beast Angels
Babylon Ephesus Smyrna Pergamum Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea Heaven
Sound-Bites:I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Behold, I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
The Messianic Link:The First and the Last The Lion from the Tribe of Judah The Lamb that was slain The Word of God and the King of kings and Lord of lords The Bright Morning Star
The Book in brief:The book of revelation starts with a warning to the seven churches scattered throughout the known world at that time and follows a general theme, emphasizing that the end of days is near and that the church must be prepared for the events that are to come. It has both present and future implications for the Christian Church.
The seven bowls of wrath and the fall of Babylon are described in graphic detail in Chaps 17,18.
The *beast From The Earth
v11 Then I saw another *beast, which came out of theearth. It had two *horns like the *horns of a *lamb. But it talked like a*dragon. v12 This *beast used all the authority of the first *beast onits behalf. It forced the world and all who live there to *worship the first*beast. The first *beast had the injury, which should have killed it. But that injuryhad healed. v13 The second *beast did great acts of power. It even madefire come down out of heaven to earth. And everyone saw the fire. v14This *beast did acts of power on behalf of the first *beast. By these acts, itcaused the people who lived on earth to believe lies. It told them to make animage of the first *beast. The first *beast lived again after the sword struckit. v15 The second *beast received power to make the image of the first*beast come to life. The image of the *beast could even talk. It ordered thedeath of anyone who did not *worship the image. v16 The second *beastordered that all people must receive a mark. This mark will be on their handsor on the front of their heads. Everyone must have the mark: unimportant peopleand famous people rich and poor people free people and slaves. v17Only those who had this mark could trade. The mark is the name of the first*beast or the number of that name.
v18 One must be wise in order to understand this. Anintelligent person should count the number of the *beast. It is the number of aman and his number is 666.
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Title Authorship And Date
The name Revelation comes from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: á¼ÏοκάλÏÏÎ¹Ï , which means “unveiling” or “revelation”. The author names himself as “John”, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of Revelation also wrote the Gospel of John. He was a Jewish Christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the congregations to whom he addresses his letter.
The book is commonly dated to about AD 95, as suggested by clues in the visions pointing to the reign of the emperorDomitian. The beast with seven heads and the number 666 seem to allude directly to the emperor Nero , but this does not require that Revelation was written in the 60s, as there was a widespread belief in later decades that Nero would return.
To The *church In Ephesus
v1 Write to the *angel of the *church in Ephesus. Iam Jesus. I hold the seven stars in my right hand. And I walk in the middle ofthe seven gold lamp holders. This is what I say to you. v2 I know whatyou have done. I know how hard you have worked. You have been patient and youhave not grown tired. I know that you will not accept bad people. Some peoplesaid that they were *apostles. But you tested them. You proved that they werenot *apostles. You found that they were telling lies. v3 You have beenpatient and you have suffered much trouble for my name. However, you havecontinued and you have not grown tired.
v4 But I have this against you. You do not love asyou did at the start. v5 Remember then what you have lost. *Repent ofthis. When you first believed you did well. Live like that again. If you do not*repent, I will come to you. I will take away your lamp holder from its place,unless you *repent. v6 But you have this right attitude. You hate whatthe Nicolaitans do. I also hate what they do.
v7 If you have an ear, listen! Hear what the Spiritsays to the *churches. To those who overcome, I will give the fruit from thetree of life. That tree is in the garden of God.
Verse 2 The *church at Ephesus was active and its members workedhard. They had almost worked too hard. The situation that they were in was noteasy. There were many people in that city who hated the *church. However, the*church members did not stop when troubles came. The *Lord approves of whatthey had done.
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John Tells Us About His Book
v1 This is the *revelation of Jesus Christ. God gaveit to him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. Jesus sentthis message by his *angel to his servant John. v2 John was a witness ofthe word of God and of Jesus Christ. He tells about all that he has seen. v3The *Lord will *bless the person who reads aloud the words of this *prophecy. Godwill *bless those who listen. He will *bless those who obey it. The time isnear.
Verse 1 This verse shows the purpose of the book. In it, God willtell about the things that must happen soon. God gave the message to JesusChrist. Jesus spoke to John by means of an *angel.
The word revelation means that which God now shows. No personcould know these things unless God showed them. God gave this *revelation toJesus Christ.
Only God knows the future and he gave this knowledge to Jesus.This is the message that Jesus gives to John. That message shows us many thingsabout Jesus. We see more of his *glory. We read how he will defeat *Satan andhis evil plans. John tells us about the time when Jesus will come. We see Jesusas the king of kings. He will rule on earth and in heaven. But the main purposeis to show us the things that must happen soon.
Many of the things that must happen soon are still in the future.The word soon can mean quickly or without delay. When the time comes, thesethings will happen. Some things in the book have already happened. Other thingsin the book have not yet started to happen.
To Many People The Book Of Revelation Is The Most Mysterious And Enigmatic Book In The Whole Bible What Is Its Purpose What Does It Mean
The last book of the Bible, Revelation, is also sometimes called the Apocalypse. The word comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, which is used in the first verse. This word means disclosure or revelation and conveys the idea of laying bare or uncovering. It is from this word that we get the English translation Revelation. So the very name of the book means to disclose,lay bare or reveal.
As part of Scripture, the book of Revelation was given by inspiration of God . Therefore, this book contains information God intends to disclose or reveal to humans, rather than conceal from us.
A careful examination of the book of Revelation explains its purpose and what it is about. Here are some basic questions and answers from the book itself:
1. Who is the author of the book of Revelation?The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John . God the Father is the author, and Jesus Christ is the One who gave the revelation to an angel to give to John. It is notas some Bible translations may say in a subtitlethe revelation of John. John was simply the person who recorded the message.
2. Whyand to whomdid Christ give this Revelation? The beginning phrase of the verse quoted above continues, to show His servantsthings which must shortly take place .
6. What are these seven seals on the scroll about? They reveal details of major events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and even after.
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The Book Of Revelation Explained: An Overview Of The End Of The World
For years, thousands of people were convinced that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012, all because of how folks interpreted a Mayan calendar. There were movies about impending catastrophes, and many doomsdayers became obsessed. The date turned out to be uneventful, but that doesnt mean the end of days arent forecasted by other sources. According to the Bibles Book of Revelation, they may be happening now.
The end of the world is something that has always been fascinating to societies throughout history. Christianity takes the subject head-on in the final book of the New Testament. The Book of Revelation takes place after The Epistles of St. Paul and the Gospels. As the final book in the Bible, it fittingly tells the story of the final prophecy of mans time on Earth.
Based on this story, there are some who think that the signs of the apocalypse have already happened or are happening now. Read on to learn more about the Book of Revelation and youll see just how people are coming to these conclusions.
Choosing The Best Books On Revelation
The New Testament is a book that offers a complete code of life for Christians. It is extremely important to read the book to decode the message of God that he has left for us. If you need help understanding the text, hopefully you will have found a suitable book to do so through perusing this article.
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To The *church In Laodicea
v14 Write to the *angel of the *church in Laodicea. Iam the *Amen. I am the loyal and the true witness. I rule over all that God hascreated. This is what I say to you. v15 I know all that you have done.You are like water that is neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were eithercold or hot. v16 You are warm, and neither cold nor hot. Because ofthis, I will *vomit you out of my mouth. v17 You say that you are rich.You declare that you are wealthy. You say that you need nothing. But you do notknow that you need help. You do not know that you are miserable, poor, blindand naked. v18 I advise you to buy gold from me. Fire has made this goldpure. Buy it so that you can become rich. Also, buy white clothing from me sothat you can dress yourself. Then you will cover up your shame and you will notbe naked. And put eye *ointment on your eyes so that you can see. v19 Icorrect everyone whom I love. And I give them strict discipline. So, be eagerand *repent. v20 Listen, I am standing at the door. I am knocking on it.If you hear my voice, then open the door. I will come in to you. I will eatwith you. And you will eat with me.
v21 To those who overcome, I will give a place withme on my *throne. In the same way, I overcame and sat down with my Father onhis *throne. v22 If you have an ear, listen! Hear what the Spirit saysto the *churches.
The hot weather warmed the pipes. The water was warm, not cold orhot. It was not nice to drink. Such water made one feel sick.
Ii Authorship: Although There Is Some Debate The Author Is Probably The Apostle John Of The Sons Of Zebedee
A. External Evidence:
1. There was a unanimous agreement as to the Apostle John as its writer by the early church before Dionysius.4
a. It was affirmed by Justin Martyr
b. It was affirmed by Clement of Alexandria
c. It was affirmed by Hippolytus
d. It was affirmed by Origin
e. It was affirmed by Irenaeus
2. In accordance with the writers statement that he was in exile on the isle of Patmos , the church Fathers identify this John as the Apostle John5
3. In chapters 2–3 the writer seems to be over the churches of the province of Asia and strong tradition places the Apostle John in this position6
4. Style is a major objection to apostolic authorship, however, this can be answered:7
a. The solecisms may be deliberate due to the books poetic nature
b. The work reflects a lot of apocalyptic reading behind it
c. If it was written in exile, the tools for a scholarly approach may have been absent
d. There is a mood of emotional excitement which may not have lent itself to polished prose
e. There may have been the help of an amanuensis
f. It is not written as an Apostle, but as a prophet
g. The curious language may be related to the setting forth of divine oracles and visions
B. Internal Evidence:
1. The writer calls himself John
2. The writer speaks with great authority as a prophet
3. The writer demonstrates himself to be a Palestinian Jew steeped in temple and synagogue rituals, the OT and the Targum
5. Many similarities exist between the Apocalypse and other writings of John:
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