The frequently asked questions shown below are in the same order as the verses in the Book of Revelation. The purpose for presenting the Book of Revelation in a question/answer format is to gently introduce you to this deep and difficult to understand book of the Bible. For a more detailed explanation of the book of Revelation, please begin your study by reading: Revelation Chp 1--What is Now.  For other frequently asked questions that discuss soul salvation, living a righteous life and general prophecy read: General Frequently Asked Questions.

Q1.1 What is the purpose for the Book of Revelation?

Revelation is a gift from Jesus Christ to Christians to reveal His pleasure and displeasure with the various types of church congregations throughout the Church age and to reveal in detail, the events leading up to His return.   It describes the severe tests (the Tribulation) that He will require all unfaithful Christians to patiently endure; it describes His wrath and the destruction of the earth because of the sin and rebellion of unsaved mankind; it describes the severe testing that He will require the Jewish people to endure so they will see that Jesus is indeed the Messiah they have been waiting for; it reveals His reconstruction of the earth and of the redemption of all of His faithful believers.

Q1.2 Why is Revelation so difficult to understand?

The book of Revelation is probably the most difficult book in the Bible to understand because there are many images and symbols in the Book that need to be correctly identified so the scripture can be understood in today's context.  Another difficulty in understanding Revelation is that the time frame shifts often in the chapters, so you are sometimes left wondering which event chronologically follows which event.

Finally, the chapters are absolutely filled to the brim with substantial "meat" of the word, so the message is sometimes hard to absorb because the ideas are so complex.  Revelation can only be understood by reading and studying all its verses and reading associated scripture such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, the Epistles of Paul and Peter and the four Gospels.  This will take serious study by the Christian.

Chapter 1. The time frame is before the start of the Tribulation.  John greets the seven churches of Asia minor and a vision of the Son of Man is given.

Q1.3 If I hear someone read the book of Revelation, what is the blessing I will receive? [Rev 1:3]

You must not only listen to the passages of the book, but you must also obey whatever Jesus commands in Revelation so you can receive a blessing.  The blessing will be eternal life for your soul and a commendation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The reader will also receive a blessing from the reading and will be the same blessing as the ones that hear and obey.

Q1.4 Who greets the seven churches in Asia Minor and what is the meaning of this greeting? [Rev 1:4-5]

There are four individuals who send their greetings to the seven churches.  The first greeter is John the Apostle.  At one time he was the pastor of the church at Ephesus and he also knew about the six other churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).  John is one of the best examples of a Christian in the Bible and we should observe how he serves Jesus during the time that he writes the book of Revelation.

The second greeter has a mysterious title: from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come (Rev 1:4).  This greeter is God the Father.  God has always existed because He had no beginning and He has no end because He will live forever and ever.  The Person presented here is the Great "I am" as appeared to Moses when Israel was enslaved in Egypt.  God of course has unlimited power and always fulfills His promises and always helps His faithful saints to overcome any trials and tribulation that they may experience, just as He overcame the Egyptian pharaoh and led His people Israel to the promised land.

The third greeter is the Holy Spirit: the power we all have to live a righteous life for God and to resist evil comes from the Spirit of God.  Each Christian needs to use the power of the Holy Spirit to help them live the life that is pleasing to God and even more so at the end of the Church Age and even into the Tribulation.

The fourth greeter is Jesus Christ: He is presented here by John as the humble and suffering Savior that the church members all know about.  He will shortly appear to the churches to evaluate their character and their faith and later as a Judge to the unsaved and unrepentant people of the world.

The greeting is grace and peace, and this lets Christians know that God still loves them even though that peace will soon be taken away from the earth.  Thus, the Age of Grace is almost over because Jesus will soon initiate the seven year Tribulation to test all of the people on the earth and the testing will even include every one of His less faithful believers.

Even when having trials and tribulation, a Christian can have peace because the Spirit of God is with them.  The peace is the vision that God is in control and they will have perfect peace because they will eventually be with God in Heaven.  The key to having this peace is to be faithful to and relying upon Jesus Christ, even when experiencing sorrows, persecutions, sicknesses and even tribulation.

Q1.5 Why is the Son of Man (Jesus) now portrayed as so awesome, majestic and fearful in Revelation?  Isn't He supposed to be the humble Savior who takes away the sins of the world? [Rev 1:10-20]

During the Church Age, Jesus has indeed been the humble Savior and He has saved many Christians during the last 2,000 years.  Because Jesus perfectly completed His mission of being the sacrifice for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross, he has been crowned with glory and honor by God the Father.  He will soon initiate the Tribulation and in seven years, He will return to the earth in glory and honor.

For faithful Christians, He will be the glorious and beautiful Savior who redeems us.  For unfaithful Christians, He will generate fear and anxiety for a season for those that are left behind to endure 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Because of this testing, they will be made more faithful and they will then see Him as the beautiful and glorious Savior. For the unsaved sinners of the world, He will bring wrath, death, judgment and eternal destruction.

Q1.6 What are the keys of Hades and of Death that Jesus is holding? [Rev 1:18]

The key to Hades is Jesus' authority to cast anyone that has not been saved into the abode of the dead--Hades or Hell.  The key to Death is His authority to take the life or soul of anyone He decides to.  This could be either taking the life of the unsaved or to take the life of a Christian who has been unfaithful to Him.  The unsaved person's soul is cast into and remains forever in Hell because during their lifetime on earth they rejected the salvation freely available by faith in Jesus Christ.  The unfaithful Christian who's soul has been destroyed by Jesus will later be redeemed by Him, but with loss of reward and glory and honor.

Q1.7 Please explain the seven golden candlesticks and the seven angels. [Rev 1:20]

The golden candlesticks represent the seven historical churches of the first century: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. The seven churches also represent seven different churches ages from the first century to the churches of today.  The time periods are: Ephesus 33-100, Smyrna 100-312, Pergamum 312-606, Thyatira (Catholic Church) 606-today, Sardis (Protestant Church) 1517-today, Philadelphia (Small independent Bible Church, Home Church) 1750-today and Laodicea (Mega Church, TV Church) 1900-today.

The seven angels represent the pastors of the seven churches.  One way that God communicates with Christians is through the pastor.  So the pastor must deliver the message that God requires him to deliver to his flock.  This includes the full gospel of salvation by grace through faith through Jesus dying on the cross and shedding His blood as a payment for our sins.  It should also include the prophetic messages from the Book of Revelation and from other books in the Bible.

The responsibility for knowing and obeying the prophetic message is not only from God to the pastor to the congregation, but also by the individual church member reading and obeying the message in Revelation.   Unfortunately, today, only the pastor and members of the Philadelphia church are reading, receiving and obeying the full message of prophecy contained in the book of Revelation as well as obeying all of the rest of the scripture in the Holy Bible.

Only a few of the pastors and members of the Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicean churches are reading and obeying all of the scripture in the Bible and because of this lethargy, there are serious consequences for the pastor and members of those churches.  This lack of enthusiasm will result in many Christians being left behind after the First Fruits Rapture and being required to endure severe persecution during the first half of the Tribulation.

Chapters 2 and 3. The time frame is before the First Fruits Rapture.  Jesus observes the spiritual health of the seven churches.

Q2.1 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Ephesus. [Rev 2:1-7]

The Church at Ephesus represents the churches that were established by the apostles in the first century.  They were very strong in doctrine including faith, understanding of the scriptures and patience and they were very strong in withstanding persecution from the pagan religions around them.  When they were first evangelized by the apostles, members had great love for Jesus, for fellow believers and for the people of their community.  We don't know how it happened, but the members fell away from the most important attribute--Christian love and  Jesus strongly condemns them for this sin. He commands them to continue in their good works, patience and faith, but to return to their love and fellowship with God and with their fellow believers and friends and neighbors.

Q2.2 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of  the Church of Smyrna. [Rev 2:8-11]

Members of the church at Smyrna were persecuted for about 200 years (100-312).  The Christians at Rome were rounded up by the Caesars soldiers and used for sport in the Roman coliseum and many were tortured and killed by soldiers and wild animals.  Because of their love for and faith in Jesus, they remained true to Him, even when faced with death.  Because they were very faithful, they were praised by Jesus .

Q2.3 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Pergamum. [Rev 2:12-17]

Members of this church represent the Catholic church that was established by Emperor Constantine.  This church existed 312-606 AD.  When the church became part of the Roman state, persecution then ceased.  There was still faith by the members at that time, but the church instituted a church hierarchy at Nicaea in 325 AD to control access to God by the clergy over the people.  Before this event the Christian had direct access to God and Jesus severely condemns this practice.

Q2.4 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Thyatira. [Rev 2:18-29]

The church of Thyatira represents the Catholic church (606-today).  Jesus has many good things to say to the church of Thyatira He praises them for their good works, their love, their faith and their patience.  Their major sin is that their doctrine has been corrupted by including pagan practices into their worship.  This includes idol worship, praying to saints and the worship of the virgin Mary.  Jesus warns them to repent or they will be forced to endure 3 1/2 years of severe testing during the Tribulation.

Q3.1 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Sardis. [Rev 3:1-6]

The Sardis Church represents the Protestant churches (1517-today).  Except for a few individuals members, Jesus has little praise for the Protestant churches because their worship is characterized by cold, dead formalism.  Their major sin is that they think that they are following God perfectly but this is not Jesus' observation.  They also are not watching and are not prepared for the return of Jesus, hence their good works are few.  They need to make themselves ready for Jesus' second coming by performing all of the righteous works God has prepared for them to accomplish.

Q3.2 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Philadelphia. [Rev 3:7-13]

Jesus has only praise for the Philadelphia church (1750-today).  This church was responsible for sending out many missionaries to the world during the 19th century and into the first part of the 20th century.  It now represents the small Bible or home-based church with only a few members.  This church's primary focus is on deep study and application of the Holy Scripture to they way they live their lives and for their service to God and their service to mankind.  They have great love and respect for Jesus and for each other and are watching and praying for Him to return.  Because of their faith, Jesus promises to open a door in Heaven to remove them from the earth before the beginning of the Tribulation.

Q3.3 Please explain the evaluation by Jesus of the Church of Laodicea. [Rev 3:14-22]

Jesus has no commendation for the church of Laodicea (1900-today), which is the large community or charismatic church which buys a lot of TV time to put their services on the air every Sunday.  Worship is characterized by loud and repetitive music and emotional sermons from their pastors.  Their message is of economic prosperity and good health for those that are truly following God and poverty and poor health for that aren't following Him.  Members are being told by their pastors that they are doing well with their walk with God and are performing all the good works that God wants them to perform, especially their offering of large amounts of money to the church.

They believe that they are rich in faith and works, but Jesus says that they have no good works to show Him.  A major flaw is their lukewarmness.  They show little enthusiasm for deep study and deep application of Bible knowledge to good works that God has prepared for them to accomplish.  Jesus gives them a last chance to walk worthy with Him.  They need to open up their hearts and minds to Him so they can have a close, personal fellowship with Him and to joyfully accomplish all the service that He gives them to do.  Failure to follow Jesus' commands will result in Laodicean Christians being left behind to endure the fiery testing of the Tribulation.

Q3.4 Jesus praises each church for it's spiritual successes and warns each church of it's spiritual failures.  How much time will He give the church members to repent and to be more faithful before the Tribulation starts?

This website went online with articles in December 2006 and the specific warnings to each church are presented in the article: What Is Now--The Seven Churches.  We don't know how much longer God will give unfaithful Christians to repent, but it can't be very much longer.  Each Christian in the world needs to evaluate themselves and to determine their spiritual failures and then repent and make corrections to the way they live their life.  If you want to make sure that you are not left behind to be tested in the Tribulation, we suggest that you read: How to Crucify Self.

Chapter 4.  The time frame is the First Fruits Rapture.  The grand throne in Heaven and the First Fruits Rapture are described. 

Q4.1 What is the open door in Heaven? [Rev 4:1]

Because of the faith of the members of the Church of Philadelphia (plus a few faithful believers from the Churches of Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea) this is their open door to Heaven.  The apostle John represents the most faithful of God's servants and he is simply summoned to Heaven, just before the start of the Tribulation.  At the First Fruits Rapture, Jesus' most faithful followers will simply be taken directly to Heaven to be with Him forever.

Q4.2 What is the grand throne in Heaven and Who is sitting on that throne? [Rev 4:2-10]

Jesus said to the church of Laodicea: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne (Rev 3:21).  In the evaluations of each of the churches please note that all Christians that overcome have been invited to rule with Jesus from this most beautiful throne in Heaven.  It is the throne that Jesus sits on and from which He will be ruling over all Heaven and Earth. 

He is glorious in appearance and is overflowing with holiness, righteousness, wisdom, love, strength and justice.   It is a very large throne, because it was made big enough to accommodate all Christians of all eras.  Unfortunately, most Christians are not faithful enough to be counted worthy to sit on this throne with Jesus.   Jesus has now determined His most faithful and He will share His throne with Philadelphia Christians and the most faithful Christians of the 2,000 Church age.  After the First Fruits Rapture, no other Christians will be invited to sit with Jesus on His throne.

Q4.3 Who are the twenty-four elders sitting on their own thrones around the grand throne?  [Rev 4:4]

The 24 elders represent a very faithful group of Christians raptured from the earth as well as very faithful Christians from the Church era and since they are sitting on thrones, they are qualified to rule with Jesus.   The number 12 represents government and twice 12 represents ruling both in Heaven and on the Earth.  The actual count of elders from the 2,000 year Church Age will be very many, probably in the millions. 

Q4.4 What are the Seven Lamps burning before the grand throne? [Rev 4:5]

The seven lamps represent the seven-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit and include the Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord.  God the Father and God the Son both use these godly characterizes in all Their plans and decisions that They make.  Thus, no plan of God will ever fail because it is perfectly designed and perfectly implemented!

Q4.5 What is the sea of crystal glass before the grand throne? [Rev 4:6]

Sand is a very common material that is found all over the world and is dull and gritty.  Upon melting by intense heat, the sand is refined to produce something very useful--glass.  This is an analogy to the refining of Christians, they are refined and made pure by faith and by the testing of their character.  When they obey God, they are turned into something useful--a faithful believer and this is the crystal sea before the throne of Jesus.  It represents the most faithful of His believers from the First Fruits Rapture and from the 2,000 year Church Age.

Q4.6 Who are the Four Living Creatures in the midst of the grand throne? [Rev 4:6]

A very small percentage of Christians are called the Bride of Christ.  They are the closest to Jesus and are given the highest honor of reigning with Him and sitting with Him on His grand throne.  The many eyes that are given to these believers is their perfect wisdom and insight that they will use to judge during the Millennium Kingdom of Christ.  One of their main duties will to be the praise leaders in Heaven.  They will know exactly the time to give honor to God.  Their "holy, holy, holy" announcement is to recognize the perfect holiness and purity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Q4.7 Why do the Four Living Creatures and the twenty four elders praise He that is sitting on the grand throne? [Rev 4:8-11]

Jesus has just raptured the four living creatures and the 24 elders from the Earth.  A short time after the rapture, they have received their resurrection bodies and their holy and righteous and perfect character.  They then went before the Judgment seat of Christ and have been counted as wise and faithful servants of His and Christ's judgment is that they are worthy to rule and reign with Him.  They are so grateful to Jesus for their redemption that they are full of praise and need to express their admiration and thanks to Him right then.

Chapters 5 and 6. Events associated with the following take place starting at the beginning and continue to the middle of the Tribulation. The first six seals of the scroll are opened and the precursor to the wrath of God that will shortly follow is described.

Q5.1 What is the significance of the Scroll with seven seals? [Rev 5:1]

The scroll is the battle plan of action that God uses to redeem the earth from the sin of mankind and from the influence of Satan.  It is analogous to the closing document when you buy a house.  There are usually several problems that need to be fixed by the seller before the buyer will accept the house.  The seven seal Scroll specifies the conditions that need to be fulfilled before God will accept back ownership of the earth. 

Q5.2 Why did John cry when no one in all of creation was found worthy to open the scroll and lose its seals? [Rev 5:2-4]

John recognized that until all of the conditions on the scroll were fulfilled, that the earth would still be in the hands of evil men and under the control of Satan.  Evil needed to be destroyed and Satan needed to be arrested from tempting mankind until judgment time.

Q5.3 Who was it that held the scroll and who was it that took the scroll? [Rev 5:2-7]

The conditions of the redemption of planet earth were written onto the two-sided scroll and the seals were placed on the scroll by God the Father.  Jesus is the only one with the power and the knowledge to fully carry out all of the directives written in the scroll, and we know that Jesus will perfectly complete all of the steps required to redeem the earth and God's faithful saints.

Q5.4 Why did the four living creatures and the 24 elders worship and praise Jesus after He took the scroll? [Rev 5:8]

They were in deep appreciation of what Jesus was to undertake in opening all seven of the seals on the scroll.  They knew that until the directives in the scroll were completed that their brothers and sisters, the Main Harvest Christians would still be left on the earth and still would be unredeemed.  They also knew that God's people,  the Jews would also be left on the earth and would also be unredeemed.  Their worship was a deep knowledge that the end of evil was near and that Jesus would soon bring all Christians to Heaven to be with Him and with them.

Q5.5 How many angels, living creatures and elders were worshipping around the grand throne? [Rev 5:11-13]

There are over a hundred million Angels and Christians worshipping Jesus around His throne.  These are the faithful believers from the First Fruits rapture and all Christians that have died and went to Heaven from the 2,000 year church age. 

Q5.6 Please explain why every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth and in the sea would worship God the Father and Jesus.  Would this include even those that are not saved, even those in hell? [Rev 5:13]

The holy angels and the Christians in Heaven will certainly be worshipping God the Father and God the Son.  Those human beings that are not saved (both alive and in hell) will not actually be worshipping God the Father and Christ Jesus.  They will be recognizing by the cataclysmic events that will take place that God is indeed in control, and they recognize that God will not stop until He has complete victory over evil.  Knowing this, it is a complete mystery why unsaved mankind does not recognize their depravity and then realize that they should turn to God for mercy.

Q6.1 Explain the significance of the Lamb opening the seven-sealed scroll and the thunder John heard. [Rev 6:1]

The seven year countdown to the completion of the required actions in the scroll has started.  The noise of thunder is a warning to those on the earth that judgment is coming.  For all the seals on the scroll, John somehow is able to see the judgments from Jesus actually take place.

Note that if all Christians at the end of the church age had been as faithful as those in the First Fruits Rapture, the Tribulation could have taken place in only 3 1/2 years instead of seven.  The first half of the Tribulation is a time used by Jesus to test His unfaithful believers so they demonstrate their faith in Him and to prepare them for leadership positions in His kingdom.  The second half of the Tribulation is a time used by God to test His people, the Jews, and to unleash His wrath upon unrepentant and unsaved mankind.

Q6.2 Explain Seal One: the rider on the white horse begins his conquest of the world. [Rev 6:2]

The rider of the first horse is Antichrist.  He will begin to ride the white horse of conquest so he can take over and rule the world.  Note that he is given a bow, but no arrows.  Because of some cataclysmic event or series of events, Antichrist will somehow show up on the world scene and provide an answer and a political solution to the problems caused by these events. He will be a very articulate and persuasive speaker and will beguile many of the presidents and kings of the world to let him rule the earth.  In particular, he will find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and will have many countries in the mid east sign a peace treaty that guarantees security for seven years for the state of Israel.

Q6.3 Explain Seal Two: the rider on the red horse starts war on the earth. [Rev 6:3-4]

Some time will pass after seal one is opened.  The rider on the second horse is the President of Russia.  He will send his military along with the military of several other countries to attempt conquest of Israel and the oil fields of the middle east.  Russia will use some nuclear weapons, but the Antichrist will intervene and destroy most of the Russian military.

Q6.4 Explain Seal Three: the rider on the black horse initiates world-wide famine and economic hardship.  [Rev 6:5-6]

Shortly after seal two, the effects of the war in the mid east will cause widespread economic hardships throughout the world.  Because many of the oil producing countries are destroyed in the mid east, little oil will be available to turn the engines of industry and agriculture in the world.  The food supply of basic items such as grain, cereal and bread will dwindle quickly and the poor and middle class will barely be able afford even simple foods.  Because of the high price of oil, many people will also lose their jobs because many businesses will fail. The rich will still enjoy luxurious foods because of their large bank accounts.

Q6.5 Explain Seal Four: the rider on the gray horse creates many deaths by plagues, hunger and war. [Rev 6:7-8]

The poorer countries of the world will not be able to buy even simple foods such as grains and cereals.  Hence many people in those countries will starve from lack of food.  Because of the scarcity of food, wars will be started to take what little food is available. From both the wars and starvation, diseases will kill many people in the world.  About 1/4 of the six billion people on the earth will die.

Q6.6 Explain Seal Five: the cry to God from the Christian martyrs. [Rev 6:9-11]

Seal five details Antichrist's persecution and destruction of many of the world's Christians.  Immediately after the Tribulation started, the Main Harvest Christians realized that they needed to become more faithful.  They then began to read the Holy Bible, to pray and to perform righteous deeds in the name of Jesus.  During seals one through four the Antichrist persecutes them by confiscating their property and their money, throws some of them into prison and even tortures some.  Because they do not show allegiance to Antichrist at any time, in Seal 5, he rounds them up and puts many of them to death by beheading.

The Antichrist will have control over the United States as well as many of the other countries in the world.  Because of his power, he will seek to put to death as many Christians in the USA as he possibly can.  After he is finished, there will be very few Christians left alive in the Bible Belt.  After he is finished, the mega churches on TV and in the larger cities will have few members, because most will be murdered.  The Catholic parishes will have very few members left alive to pray to God and to perform works of charity at hospitals and in poor and developing countries of the world.   Because he will control other countries in the world, he will cause the death of many other Christians.  Christians in third world countries will also be murdered, but some will probably survive.  In all countries of the world, some Christians will survive to be part of the Main Harvest Rapture, but in the USA, their number will be few.

In Heaven, the martyrs then pray to God and ask Him why He does not avenge their deaths upon their murderers.  God replies and tells them to rest for a little while until the complete number of Christians that were to be killed was completed.  This persecution and murder of Christians will last for the first half of the Tribulation.  This is the testing by fire that would happen to unfaithful Christians that was promised by Jesus when He addressed the churches of Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea in Revelation chapters two and three.

Q6.7 Explain Seal Six : a great worldwide earthquake awakens the world to the coming judgments of God. [Rev 6:12-17]

In seal five, Jesus promised to His martyrs in Heaven that He would shortly avenge their deaths and in seal six there is a great earthquake as a warning to the world that the wrath of the Lamb is about to be unleashed upon the earth when the trumpet judgments are unleashed with the opening of the seventh seal. The wrath of God is not unleashed upon the earth until the last half of the seven-year tribulation. Antichrist is given a full 42 months of unchecked reign upon the earth until after the seventh seal is opened and the trumpet judgments begin. Because the US Government will persecute and kill many of His faithful followers, Jesus will see that to it that America is completely destroyed. This destruction will be carried out in the judgment of the seventh vial or bowl as stated in Rev. 16:19.

Here's how it will happen. The USA currently has great influence over much of the world today. In the Tribulation the USA will have even more control, and because of this, almost all countries of the world will hate it. God will place in the hearts of the leaders of several of these countries a great desire to destroy America using nuclear missiles. These missiles will be launched over the north pole and strike most cities and all military installations in the US. This will include all 50 states and territories. Details of this destruction are written in Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51 and in Revelation 18. In addition, nuclear-armed submarines from China and Russia and perhaps other countries will line up in array around America and assist in destroying it with nuclear warheads. The apostle John describes the warnings that occur in seal 6. The "stars" that John sees falling to earth are a result of this great earthquake that causes the earth to reel and rock and stagger like a drunkard (Is24:20). The mushroom clouds that John sees may be a result of the worldwide volcanic eruptions that accompany the “great earthquake” in Rev. 6:12. To John, it looks like the sky is being rolled up like a scroll.

Chapters 7. Events associated with the following take place at the middle of the Tribulation.  The 144,000 faithful Jews are called by Jesus and any Christians still alive are taken to Heaven in the Main Harvest Rapture.

Q7.1 Who are the 144,000 virgins that are sealed? [Rev 7:1-8]

Jesus has selected 12,000 righteous Jews out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel to serve Him during the second half of the Tribulation.  Since Main Harvest Christians will shortly be raptured to Heaven, God will need other servants to bring the message of the gospel to the world.  Jesus will call 12,000 from each of the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Nephthalim, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin.

Q7.2 What is the mission of the 144,000 virgins? [Rev 7:1-8]

They will serve Jesus on the earth and will be the evangelists to both the Jews and to the gentiles.  They will be used by Jesus to lead many to salvation.

Q7.3 What is the great multitude of people in Heaven dressed in white robes? [Rev 7:9-17]

These are the Main Harvest Christians that were raptured to Heaven by Jesus at mid Tribulation.  They also include those Christians that were martyred during the first half of the Tribulation.  They have received their resurrection bodies and now stand before Christ's throne.  They are clothed in white robes which represent the righteous works they accomplished during the first half of the Tribulation.  These Christians will be close to Jesus in fellowship and love, but will not be as close to Him as the four living creatures and the 24 elders will be.

During the Tribulation, they experienced hunger and thirst, both for food and water as well as for the hunger and thirst for the holiness and righteousness of Christ and both their spiritual and physical hungers will be satisfied by Jesus at the Main Harvest Rapture.  During the Tribulation, Main Harvest Christians will shed tears of sorrow because they knew they were there because of the weak faith they showed before the start of the Tribulation.  These tears will be wiped away by Christ and He will show them great love and compassion the rest of eternity.  They are accepted by Jesus as His good and faithful servants.

Chapters 8, 9 and 10. Events associated with the following take place starting at the middle and continue to the end of the Tribulation.  The wrath of God is poured out on mankind via catastrophic judgments.

Q8.1 Please explain the Seventh Seal. [Rev 8:1-6]

The opening of the 7th seal signals that the wrath of God will soon be poured out on the earth during the second half of the Tribulation. Associated with the 7th seal are seven trumpet judgments.  The 7th trumpet judgment includes unbridled wrath from almighty God.  After the 7th trumpet is sounded, there will be seven bowls of wrath cast upon the earth.

Q8.2 Why was there silence in Heaven for about half an hour? [Rev 8:1]

This is a dramatic pause after the destruction of Babylon, and the inhabitants of the earth will wonder what will happen next.  The unsaved of the world will feel like the criminal that is about to be put to death in the electric chair.  The emotional anxiety of those on the earth will be very high because they already know that the wrath of God will soon be unleashed upon the earth.

Q8.3 Please explain the significance of the prayers of the saints that are offered before the altar in Heaven. [Rev 8:3]

The prayers are for the 144,000 Jewish servants left on the earth and those gentiles that will hear and follow their teaching and thus also become servants of God. 

Q8.4 Please explain the significance of the thunder, lightning and earthquake that happened on the earth after the angel threw fire from the altar down to the earth. [Rev 8:5]

Many times the voice of God sounds like thunder and lightning and has the power of an earthquake. These events are a dramatic announcement to the inhabitants of the earth that very shortly the first trumpet judgment of God will sound and cause severe destruction on the earth. 

Q8.5 Please explain the first trumpet judgment: 1/3 of the trees and all green grass were burned up. [Rev 8:7]

In the first half of the Tribulation, all of the destruction to the earth and the death of many of the people of the world was caused by the military of the governments of the world. During the second half of the Tribulation, all of the destruction that will happen on the world, and the deaths of many people, will be caused or initiated by God.

Many of the forest growing regions of the world will be burnt up by the first trumpet judgment.  This would be an area of the world about the size of the Amazon rain forest.  If 1/3 of the trees on the earth are burnt up then the air quality will be greatly reduced.   The lungs of people will be severely effected by the pollution produced and because trees produce oxygen, breathing will eventually be effected.  The destruction of this many trees will also cause inflation to rapidly rise, effecting the cost of all wood products.

Grain is a green grass when it starts growing and is a basic food staple for much of the world and because of this loss, many people will starve.  Animals that depend upon grass for food will also starve causing yet another hardship on the people of the earth.

The first trumpet judgment is the first installment of wrath from God upon the inhabitants of the earth.    God sometimes uses events that occur naturally, such as earthquakes to accomplish His plan.  At other times, He accomplishes his plan by something that does not occur naturally such as turning all of the water in a river to blood.

Q8.6 Please explain the second trumpet judgment: a mountain was thrown into the sea and 1/3 of the sea was turned to blood; 1/3 of its sea creatures died and 1/3 of its ships were destroyed. [Rev 8:8-9]

For years, earth scientists have predicted that there could be a giant landslide take place at Cumbre Vieja located near La Palma in the Canary Islands, just off the northwest coast of Africa.  This could be the event that causes extreme damage to the sea life and to the ships.  The fire could be the volcanic activity that starts when the mountain slides into the Atlantic Ocean.  Another possibility is to have a meteor or a comet hit an ocean somewhere in the world and it would be burning brightly when it struck the earth's atmosphere.  With either possibility, giant tsunamis will be generated and anything in their paths will be destroyed.  The blood would have to be caused supernaturally by God.  This would be the same as the plague caused by Moses on Egypt's Nile River, except on a much larger scale.

Q8.7 Please explain the third trumpet judgment: 1/3 of the earth's fresh water was contaminated and many people died from drinking this poisoned water. [Rev 8:10-11]

The scripture says that a great star, called "wormwood" fell from the sky, burning like a torch.  We don't know if this is something manmade, like a large nuclear-powered satellite station or if it is say a comet or meteor.  Whatever it is, it will fall on the land itself and contains some chemical or radiation that will severely pollute 1/3 of the rivers and springs of water.  This pollution will kill whoever drinks it.

Q8.8 Please explain the fourth trumpet judgment: the sun and the moon and the stars did not shine for 1/3 of the day. [Rev 8:12]

Jesus said in Matthew 24:22 "and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."  What God does to shorten the length of a day is to increase the rotation speed of the earth.  As all know, the rotation time of the earth is 24 hours and to fulfill Rev 8:12 God shortens the day to 16 hours.  Thus, there is a shorter amount of time to suffer God's wrath and because of this, fewer of God's elect will die.  We can only speculate now but there have to be serious ecological disturbances caused by a faster rotation speed of the earth.

Q8.9 Why did the angel say "woe, woe, woe" to the inhabitants of the earth because of the last three trumpet judgments? [Rev 8:13]

The judgments from the first four trumpet judgments have been just terrible and many people of the earth have died or suffered greatly.  The last three trumpets are even worse and are so terrible, that many millions more people will suffer and die; and some of their suffering will be caused by fallen angels.  The three woes will happen towards the end of the Tribulation.

Q9.1 Please explain the fifth trumpet judgment (the first woe): the locusts from the bottomless pit. [Rev 9:1-12]

Satan will be allowed to open the bottomless pit where many fallen angels now reside because they were so evil in the time before Noah's flood and were placed there by God at the time of the great flood.  Out will come many of these evil ones and they will assume some of the mannerisms of locusts.  Real locusts are insects that swarm and destroy the vegetation of the earth.  Throughout history they have swarmed in places of the earth and destroyed most of the vegetation, making life very difficult for those people and animals in their path.

Ironically, the mission of the locusts will not be to destroy any vegetation, but to inflict suffering upon sinful mankind that have taken the Mark of the Beast.  They will have some kind of sting that will feel like the sting of a scorpion and it will be so painful, that those of mankind that are affected will want to die.  However, God will not let this happen, for they will be tormented by these fallen angels for five months.  Since these fallen angels are very powerful, the pain inflicted upon mankind may be of such a high level that has never been felt before by mankind.  These locusts will be visible to mankind and be very frightening to them.  Since these demons are protected with some kind of armor, any defense thrown up by mankind will be utterly useless.

Q9.2 Please explain the sixth trumpet judgment (the second woe): the four angels are released from being bound at the Euphrates river. [Rev 9:13-17]

The four angels that are released are fallen angels of a high order and they will marshal armies with a total of 200 million soldiers which will be used to kill 1/3 of the remaining number of people on the earth.  These four angels will draw the armies from countries that are north, south, east and west of Israel.

As the armies of the world are set out to do battle on the earth, many of the people of the earth will die.  The weapons used will be both conventional arms as well as tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.  Many will die from the radiation that is a results of nuclear missile explosions.

The final destination for these armies will be in Israel for the Battle of Armageddon.  This battle will be between Jesus and the Antichrist and of course, Jesus will be victorious in this battle and completely destroy this great army of 200 million soldiers.

Q9.3 How many people on the earth were killed by the destruction caused by the 6th trumpet judgment? [Rev 9:18]

One third of mankind is killed by this trumpet judgment, or about 1.5 billion.  So far in the Tribulation 1/2 of the people of the earth have died, or about 3 billion.

Q9.4 How many people on the earth repented of their sins of sexual immorality, greed and demon worship? [Rev 9:20-21]

None.  Even though the people of the earth know that their suffering is caused by the wrath of God, they love their money, drugs, sexual immorality, and their demon and idol worship more than anything and are not willing to give up any of it.  We do know that the 144,000 Jews are still witnessing to mankind and there will be some number of the gentiles that will follow the instruction of the 144,000 and place their faith in Jesus.  The gentiles that do follow God will not be indulging in the above-mentioned sins.

Q10.1 What is the "little scroll" that was held in the hand of Jesus? [Rev 10:1-11]

The little scroll is a second scroll with the written results of the testing that was required to refine His Main Harvest saints and His people the Jews and the written results of the judgments that were inflicted upon sinful man by the opening of the seven seals from the scroll held by Jesus in chapter 6.   This is a small scroll, but once opened, it is very heavy to hold and has very difficult contents to digest.

Q10.2 Please explain why God told John to not write down what the voices in the seven thunders said? [Rev 10:4]

We don't now know what the 7 thunders said, but the scripture is written in Revelation for a reason.  I believe that at the time of the 6th trumpet (the time that the four angels are released from being bound at the Euphrates River), the 7 thunders voices will be heard by all people on the earth.  The inhabitants of the earth will then have some kind of choice to make for good or evil.  The 7 voices may even be some kind of last-chance mercy shown by God to the inhabitants of the earth, even though they are experiencing at that time the unbridled wrath of Almighty God.  If any kind of last-chance mercy is offered by God to unsaved mankind, only those that have not taken the mark of the Beast will be able to respond to the voice.

Q10.3 What is the "mystery" that will be finished when the seventh seal is later opened? [Rev 10:7]

The mystery of God is the final summation of God's revelations and works in regard to the reinstatement of man into his lost inheritance and the restoration of lost fellowship with God.  The establishment of this kingdom is the consummation of everything that Scripture points toward.  It is the prime subject of all of God's inspirations of his prophets. Thus, every command from God that is required to redeem mankind and the earth will have been accomplished. 

Q10.4 Why does God command John to eat the little scroll? [Rev 10:8-11]

John completely agrees that the actions taken by Jesus to fulfill all seven seals of the scroll are all justified.  By the time the 7th seal is opened and each judgment has been completed, the earth and righteous mankind has been redeemed.  This is the sweetness in eating the little scroll.  After having time to digest the understanding of the events that have happened during the seven years of the Tribulation, John realized that there has been much sorrow and suffering by both God's righteous saints, the Jews and by sinful mankind.  This deep understanding given to John by Jesus about prophetic events is obviously very painful.

God would have much preferred that all of His saints had been righteous and been taken by Jesus in the First Fruits Rapture and not have to be persecuted by Antichrist; but most weren't very faithful.  Jesus and the most faithful of God's saints will also take no joy in the pain and destruction that sinful mankind receives from any of the judgments of God.  It is a great responsibility and a heavy weight on a Christian's shoulders to understand prophecy, especially prophecy of the end times.

Chapter 11 and 12. Events now shift back to the middle and continue to the end of the Tribulation.  The ministry of God's two witnesses is described and the seventh trumpet is sounded.

Q11.1 Who are the two witnesses?  [Rev 11]

The two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah sent by God to the earth to prophesy to mankind about judgments that are sent by God upon the people of the earth.  They will prophecy for 1,260 days and also bring judgments upon the earth.  They will predict all of the judgments of God that will happen on the earth during the second half of the Tribulation.  There are two witnesses because at least two witnesses are required to establish important truth, especially the truth of an offense from one person against someone else.

Enoch and Elijah will prophesy from the city of Jerusalem.  They will preach and tell the people of the world of their sin against God and against His people, the Jews.  Because of their message, the evil people of the world will attempt to hurt them.  However, God will supernaturally protect them from all harm until they complete their mission.

Q11.2 Who is the God of the earth? [Rev 11:4]

Until the Tribulation started, Satan was in control of the earth.  When Jesus opened the first seal on the scroll, He then took back control and ownership of the earth.  Jesus is thus the God of the earth and it will never be taken away from Him. 

Q11.3 What kind of destruction will the two witnesses cause upon the earth? [Rev 11:5-6]

They will have the ability to send fire upon and to destroy anyone that tries to hurt them.  They will have the ability to stop rain from falling on earth for their time on the earth.  So no rain at all will fall, thus even less food will be available for mankind so many will starve.  They can also turn water to blood and to strike any people on the earth with terrible plagues.  It appears to the inhabitants of the earth that the two witnesses predict the terrible catastrophes from God that are destroying the earth. 

Chapter 11.  Revelation events now shift to near the end of the Tribulation and the conclusion of the mission of the two witnesses. 

Q11.4 Who kills the two witnesses and how does their death effect the people of the earth? [Rev 11:7-10]

Because of these plagues and their message, the sinful people of the earth will thoroughly hate the two witnesses.  After their 1,260 day mission is complete, God will allow the Antichrist to kill them.  They will be refused a burial and their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days.  A camera will be trained on their bodies and be viewed via satellite on their TVs by the people of the world.  Since their pain caused by the two witnesses will momentarily be stopped, the people of the earth will be happy and send each other gifts.

Q11.5 Who resurrects the two witnesses and how does their resurrection effect the people of the earth? [Rev 11:11-13]

After 3 1/2 days, God will resurrect Elijah and Enoch and then take them to Heaven to be with Him.  The people of the earth will see this event and be shocked to the core of their being.  Their resurrection will be at the time of the second woe, which was described in an earlier FAQ.  After this, the 7th trumpet judgment, or third woe will take place on the earth. Thus, only a short amount of time remains before the end of the Tribulation.

Q11.6 What is the significance of the great earthquake described in Chapter 11? [Rev 11:13]

This great earthquake is caused by God and is His response to the murder of His two witnesses.  As a result of the earthquake, 7,000 people will die in Jerusalem and 1/10th of the city will be destroyed.  Those left alive will be in great fear of God.

Q11.7 What is the significance of the seventh trumpet judgment (the third woe), which occurs near the end of the Tribulation?

The seventh trumpet sounds and there are seven bowls of God's final wrath to be leashed upon the people of the earth.  The bowls are intense, but very brief, occurring within a few months or even a few weeks of the end of the Tribulation.  The seventh trumpet judgments will be described later when the FAQs for chapter 15 and chapter 16 are discussed.

Q11.8 Why do the 24 elders alone worship God? [Rev 11:15-18]

Because the seven bowls of wrath happen very quickly on the earth, the 7th trumpet blast has almost completed it's sounding.  After this, Jesus will return to destroy evil and take back sole possession of the earth.  This is why the elders pray and thank God for asserting His power.  The four living creatures are not mentioned.  This could be because they are preparing themselves to come to earth with Jesus and be by His side when He returns as King of the Earth.

Chapter 11:19 and Chapter 12 Events in Revelation now shift to near the middle of the Tribulation. The persecution of the woman, her child and the remnant of her seed is described.  Note that the translators of the Holy Bible should have included the last verse of chapter 11 (11:19) as the first verse in chapter 12.

Q11.9 Why was the temple in Heaven opened and the heavenly ark was seen by John? [Rev 11:19]

Rev 11:19 and Chapter 12 describe how God deals with Israel during the second half of the Tribulation.  The events associated with Israel and the time frame is the same as was described in chapter 8.  The scene is the same, the temple is opened and the ark can be seen by John and God is ready to test His people, Israel.

Q12.1 Please explain the role of the Woman. [Rev 12]

The woman is the nation of Israel and during her stay on the earth she has endured many trials and afflictions because she was God's chosen nation.  Many of the affections were a result of her not being faithful to God.  The woman described here is the small faithful group of apostles, disciples, prophets, priests and kings that fully served God during Israel's history.  She also represents the remnant of Jews that God will miraculously protect during the second half of the Tribulation.

Q12.2 Please explain the role of the Child. [Rev 12]

The child is the Christian church that was started by Christ during His ministry on the earth.  All of Jesus' apostles and His other disciples were Jews and they initially carried the message of the gospel to the world.  A Christian's attitude should be one of support and prayer for the Jewish people because  they gave us the holy scripture, both old and new testaments and gave us the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Q12.3 Please explain the role of the dragon. [Rev 12]

The dragon is Satan and he has hated and persecuted the people of Israel since the time of Jacob.  From previous FAQs, we also see that he has persecuted Christians during the first half of the Tribulation.  Since all Christians have been raptured to Heaven by mid tribulation, Satan will persecute and kill as many Jews as he can during the second half of the Tribulation.  He will be allowed to kill 2/3rds of all Jews.  The remaining 1/3 will become very faithful to God and recognize that Jesus is their Messiah.

Q12.4 Please explain the seven heads of the dragon. [Rev 12]

The seven heads represent the seven major kingdoms of the world each of which in history rule over much of the known world.    The seven kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and Babylon (the United States in alliance with the European Union).  Satan has control over all of the empires of the world since the time of Adam and will control Great Babylon through the Antichrist.

Q12.5 Please explain the ten horns of the dragon. [Rev 12]

The dominant end-time world power will be the United States which is called the Harlot in the Book of Revelation. During the time of the Tribulation, the USA will be politically united with a second great world power, the European Union (EU). The EU currently consists of 27 countries (as of July, 2007), and additional countries will probably be added in the near future. Out of the European Union will arise a dominant ten nation alliance that will control the EU politically, economically and militarily. At the time the Antichrist comes to power, the EU will make him it's leader, probably calling him the "President", and will bestow great authority on him. The EU united with the USA will be called Great Babylon, and will be powerful indeed.

Q12.6 Where is the wilderness that God prepared for the woman to take care and protect her for 1,260 days? [Rev 12:6]

The people of Israel will flee to the wilderness.  Many Biblical scholars think that this could be near the ancient city of Petra, in Jordan.  Of course, Satan will know that the people of Israel will go there, but he can do nothing about it because God will protect and feed His people for the second half of the Tribulation.

Q12.7 Please describe the war in Heaven between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels? [Rev 12:7-9]

Up until the middle of the Tribulation, Satan has been allowed access to Heaven.  God now decides to remove Satan from Heaven and He commands Michael, who is a great archangel to expel Satan, and he will be cast down to the earth and never have access to Heaven again.  Satan will resist Michael, but will be overcome along with all of the fallen angels of Satan.

Q12.8 When he was still allowed to be in Heaven, Satan has accused the "brethren".  But they have overcome Satan by the power of the blood.  What does this mean? [Rev 12:10]

The brethren are the Main Harvest Christians who have been removed by Christ from the earth at the middle of the Tribulation.  During the time they were on the earth, Satan has accused them of sin and of being unfaithful to God.  The Main Harvest Christians were tested by Antichrist and proved Satan wrong, because most of them were very faithful to God, even through persecution and martyrdom.  They overcame because they placed their faith in Jesus.  Any victory Christians have over sin is because they have been forgiven because of the shedding of Jesus' blood on the cross.

Q12.9 If the devil has great wrath after being cast from Heaven down to earth, what does this mean? [Rev 12:12]

Satan knows that he will have only 3 1/2 more years to persecute any of God's followers on the earth.  He will then expend all of his energy and the energy of his fallen angels to persecute the Jews and any other humans that are faithful to Jesus.

Chapter 13.  Events now shift back to the beginning of the Tribulation.  The Antichrist and False Prophet and their persecution of the saints is described.

Q13.1 Please explain the meaning of the ten-horned beast of Chapter 13.

The ten-horned beast represents a 10-nation organization within the European Union and will control the military forces of the European Union.  At the beginning of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will assume control of this organization and the control of the United States.

Q13.2 Who is the king that had a mortal head wound and appeared as dead and then the wound was healed? [Rev 13:3]

This will be a well-known individual that was formerly the leader of some country in the world and had received and survived a head wound of some kind.  When the wound happened, it was announced that this king died, but this is not what actually happened, it only "appeared" that he died.  This king will later show up on the world stage and assume leadership over much of the world.  This will be the Antichrist.

Q13.3 Why did the people of the world worship the dragon and the beast? [Rev 13:4]

Since the Antichrist will be in control of two of the world's most militarily powerful organizations, the USA and the EU, he will be able to intimidate the other countries in the world.  They will be afraid to make war against him and will follow whatever orders that he gives to the leaders of other countries.  Since this man is so charismatic, the people of the world will in effect worship him and believe everything he says.  The unsaved of the world will not realize it, but by worshipping Antichrist, they are also worshipping Satan who indwells Antichrist.

Q13.4 What kind of blasphemies would the Antichrist commit against God? [Rev 13:5]

The Antichrist will be disrespectful of God and will seek to destroy all that God holds near and dear to Him.  This will include the persecution and murder of Christians and later the Jews.  The worst blasphemy that the Antichrist will commit against God is to say that he, the Antichrist, is "God."

Q13.5 Why would the Antichrist also blaspheme God's tabernacle and those who dwell in Heaven? [Rev 13:6]

The First Fruits Christians have just been raptured to Heaven to be with Jesus and the Antichrist knows this.  He will falsely blame them for some of the tragedies that happen to sinful mankind so far during the Tribulation.

Q13.6 What saints will the Antichrist make war against and overcome?  Why does God allow this to happen? [Rev 13:7]

Any Christians that were unfaithful at the end of the Church Age were left behind to have their faith tested for the first half of the Tribulation.  During this 3 1/2 years, the Antichrist will persecute and murder many of these Christians.  God commands these believers to remain faithful and to accept whatever suffering they may receive from Antichrist because this will demonstrate their faith in Jesus.  At mid-tribulation, they will receive their resurrection bodies and be raptured to Heaven to be with Jesus forever.

Q13.7 What is the Book of Life and why is it so important? [Rev 13:8]

Before God created planet earth, He knew the names of all of the men and women He would call that would place their faith in Him, both Old and New Testament saints.  He then wrote these names in a book He called the Book of Life and this book is now in the care of Jesus Christ.  This book contains a written record of the righteous works that each of God's saints accomplishes during their lives and could be viewed in a certain sense as a compendium of biographies of all of God's faithful saints.

God's purpose for the Book of Life was to be a book that in-fact praises His saints because they are so faithful to Him.  To have your name written in the book means that honor, crowns, awards and responsibility will be given to you in the Millennium Kingdom of God and in Eternity.  You will jointly rule with Jesus over both Heaven and on Earth and you will sit with Him on both His heavenly and earthly thrones.

In spite of their fallen human nature, God's faithful saints gave the Holy Spirit permission to rule in their lives, and through the strength of God, they overcame all of their trials and temptations.  Because they loved God, they knew that it would please Him for them to suffer for Him, some by persecution and some even to death by martyrdom.  Any sins that they committed were confessed  daily to God and because of this confession, those sins were not remembered by Jesus.  With God's help these saints were thus overcomers over their sinful human nature and over their trials and testing during their lives upon the earth.

Many scriptures state that God wants all of His saints to be faithfully dedicated to Him and to say no to their sinful flesh nature and to say yes to God when He wants them to accomplish any good works that He has prepared for them.  So if they are not faithful to God and instead live a self-centered life, then that saint is not an overcomer,  and will have their names blotted out of the Book of Life.    At the Judgment Seat of Christ the Book of Life will be opened for each believer and if his name cannot be found, his soul will perish.  This means that he will receive no ruling responsibility and no rewards, crowns and honor from God during the Millennium or during Eternity.  In effect, his life has been a complete waste. 

After his judgment, all evil habits will have been completely erased from his life and he will be invited to and will live in Heaven forever with God, and he will be greatly loved by Jesus Christ.  However, because of his weak faith and his few good works, he will not be as close to Jesus as His most faithful saints will be.  Many tears of grief will be shed by the unfaithful Christian because they will know that because they did not live their lives dedicated to Christ they have lost an immeasurable amount of honor that could have been theirs.

For more information on the Book of Life read: The Book of Life.

Q13.8 Who is the False Prophet? What was his purpose? [Rev 13:11]

Shortly after Antichrist comes to power the False Prophet will also come to power as the religious leader of the world during the Tribulation.  He will be controlled by Satan and will be an enemy of all people that place their faith in Jesus.  He will seek to glorify the Antichrist and will seemingly perform miracles to deceive the people in the world to believe that the Antichrist is actually "god".

Specifically mentioned is that the False Prophet calls down fire from heaven.  Some possibilities for this fire could be laser  weapons that zap specified targets or even some cities.  After mid-Tribulation this fire could be videos of the nuclear-tipped missiles that fall on America and the atomic explosions that then occur.   Many will see these explosions or their videos and be very fearful of disobeying the False Prophet or the Antichrist.   They will then worship the Antichrist.

There will only be one religion in the world that will be tolerated by the Antichrist and False Prophet--the worship of Antichrist.   Since the False Prophet proclaims that Antichrist is "god", then all of the other religions of the world will be wiped out and the religion of Antichrist will be their replacement.

Q13.9 Could you explain what is the image of the beast? [Rev 13:14]

The False Prophet will document the speeches of the Antichrist and make presentations on the television and also make these speeches available via the Internet on the computer screen and on the small screens on those wireless devices.  Included in these presentations will be praise and glorification of the Antichrist.  The "image" of the beast was what the apostle John saw and was his best description of what we all know is a display screen of some kind.

Chapter 13. Events now shift to the middle and continue to the end of the Tribulation. Worship of the Antichrist is enforced using the mark of the beast.

Q13.10 What is the mark of the beast and the number 666? [Rev 13:16-18]

In the second half of the Tribulation, Antichrist will dictate that all purchases will be accomplished by electronic funds transfer and hence the whole world will be made into a "cashless" society.  We are already familiar with this concept, because in all countries of the world, the foundation is already here and for many transactions, you just use your credit card or your check card.  A large computer system complex in Europe will perform the underlying financial processing for buying and selling all kinds of goods and services.  All countries and companies of the world will have appropriate access to this computer system and be able to tally any kind of monetary transaction, paying of salaries, taxes, etc.  No printing of money will be needed and in theory, crime could be reduce.  The "standard" of currency for the entire world will be the Euro.

At the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will do away with the credit card and the check card and any kind of paper checks.  To identify your own personal account, Antichrist will require all to take the "mark of the beast" (although this is not what the Antichrist will call it), and some kind of oath of allegiance to Antichrist. This will be a small computer chip about the size of a grain of sand and will be implanted in a person's right hand or in a person's forehead.

This chip will be used like a credit card or a check card so that goods and services can be bought or sold by a person.  There will be three numbers, each of which has six digits on this chip (666) and will be the only way that a person can buy anything.  It will be modeled on the universal product code (UPC) that you see on all merchandise bought in stores and in shopping centers.  The number will have some form of encryption security, so that it will be impossible to use a person's account number by anyone other than by the person that actually has the implanted computer chip.  If you don't take the mark, you can't buy or sell anything.  In effect, you could starve if you don't have some other means of acquiring food.

We suggest that you do a search on the Web and read about the small computer chips that are being developed for animal and human implantation.  The technology is already developed enough today to allow the mark of the beast to be a reality.

Q13.11 How is the worship of Antichrist enforced by the False Prophet? [Rev 13:15]

The False Prophet will have the EU computer and network technicians create a Website that will display Web Pages and Videos of worship services for the Antichrist.  These services will include speeches by Antichrist as well as comments by the False Prophet and will be scheduled for publication at various times during the month.  Those humans that took the Mark of the Beast will be required to log onto this Website and view the Web pages and videos.  The password could be their 666 number or a password assigned to them by the False Prophet.  The False Prophet could even include questions that the viewers would have to reply to with an appropriate answer to verify that they understood what the Antichrist was saying.

The Website will then record on a database the worship service name/time and their 666 number the False Prophet assigned to them.  This would identify if they had indeed worshipped Antichrist when the False Prophet commanded this worship. Those humans that did not watch the Antichrist worship service will be electronically identified and will be rounded up by the False Prophet and later executed. Some of these executions will probably be shown on TV later and will cause great fear of the Antichrist by wearers of the mark of the beast. Whether they want to worship him or not, those that receive the mark of the beast will be highly motivated to participate in worship of the Antichrist.

Chapter 14.  Events now shift to near the middle of the Tribulation.  The 144,000 Jewish evangelists are further described.

Q14.1 What is the connection of the 144,000 virgins in Chapter 14 with the 144,000 virgins in Chapter 7?

These are the same virgins as were described in Chapter 7 and it is the same time period, at the middle of the Tribulation.

Q14.2 What is the new song the 144,000 virgins hear sung in Heaven? Why could only the 144,000 learn that song? [Rev 14:4]

This is a song of praise of Jesus because they have complete faith in Him and have been directly told by Him that He will lead them to have a great ministry for God on the earth for the next 3 1/2 years.  They are joyous, because they will have a major part in leading many of the Jews and the gentiles of the world to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

Q14.3 Why do these 144,000 virgins have no fault? [Rev 14:5]

They are the firstfruits of Israel and they are sinless because their bodies have been redeemed and are now perfect.  They will have bodies like Adam had before he sinned in the Garden of Eden.

Q14.4 Why is an angel now preaching the gospel?   This was supposed to be the mission of the church, wasn't it? [Rev 14:6-7]

This is mid tribulation and there are no Christians left on the earth since the Main Harvest Christians have just been raptured to Heaven.  The angel is preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom which means that the dwellers of the earth should obey God, or they will experience wrath and destruction from God.  Both the angel and the 144,000 Jews will be preaching the gospel during the second half of the Tribulation.

Q14.5 Why is Babylon mentioned here and why is "fallen, fallen" mentioned (twice)? [Rev 14:8]

Babylon has two kingdoms: the United States which has just been destroyed after the middle of the Tribulation and the European Union.  The EU will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation by Jesus.

Q14.6 What is the warning the angel is giving to the people of the world regarding the mark of the beast? [Rev 14:9-11]

If anyone takes the mark of the beast, certain destruction will fall on that person.  The one who worships the Antichrist will experience the wrath of God in the second half of the Tribulation and be hell-bound, spending eternity there in terrible torment.

Q14.7 What is the admonition the angel is giving the people of the earth regarding suffering and dying? [Rev 14:12-13]

Many people will place their faith in Jesus during the Tribulation.  They should expect that many of them will suffer and die during that 7 years, because the Antichrist will seek to kill anyone that believes in Jesus.  Jesus encourages them to remain faithful to Him and if they do, they will be rewarded greatly by Him in the Millennium Kingdom.   

Chapter 14. Events now shift to the time of the end of the Tribulation.  The reaping of the earth and the wrath of God is described.

Q14.8 What is the reaping of the earth that Jesus will accomplish? [Rev 14:14-16]

After the Main Harvest rapture all of mankind that places their faith in Jesus will be separated from those that don't have faith in Him and be able to enter the Millennium Kingdom.  They will be protected by Jesus and will have great fellowship with Him during the thousand year kingdom.  After the Millennium kingdom, they will receive their resurrection bodies and live the rest of eternity in perfect peace upon the earth.

Q14.9 What is winepress of God and where does it occur? [Rev 14:17-20]

Those of mankind that did not place their faith in Jesus during the Tribulation will be gathered by His angels to the valley just outside of Jerusalem and near to the Mount of Olives.  They will then be killed by Jesus.  The blood from their executions will flow to the horses' bridles for a distance of about 200 miles.

Chapters 15 and 16.  Events now shift to the last few months or weeks of the Tribulation.  The 7th trumpet is sounded and the seven bowl judgments are described.  They are brief in duration, but of great intensity. 

Q15.1 What is the sea of glass mingled with fire? [Rev 15:2]

All mankind who place their faith in Jesus after the beginning of the Tribulation and who are killed by Antichrist during the Tribulation will be redeemed by God.  These faithful will receive their resurrection bodies and be perfect, without sin.  They will have been purified by testing and will have shown great faith in Jesus.  The fire is the persecution and martyrdom that they experienced in the Tribulation.  The glass is the purity of their characters.

Q15.2 Why do they sing the song of Moses? [Rev 15:3]

All Jews that are now redeemed are joyous before Him.  This song is given in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32.  The saved gentiles are also joyous before Jesus.  This is the same song that the First Fruits Christians (Rev 5) and the Main Harvest Christians sang (Rev 14).  The song of both is one of total redemption and the recognition that this comes only because of their faith in Jesus.

Q15.3 Why was the temple in Heaven filled with smoke and why was no one able to enter the temple until the seven plagues were complete? [Rev 15:8]

God is now ready to unleash the last bowls of judgment upon the earth.  He takes no pleasure in having to destroy all unredeemed mankind, but has no choice because they have chosen to reject Him.  He will see no one, not the holy angels or any of His faithful Christians until the seven last bowls of judgment are cast upon sinful mankind.

Q16.1 Please describe the first bowl of God's wrath: malignant sores. [Rev 16:2]

All humans that received the mark of the beast (666) will be struck by God with a malignant sore that will be very painful and ugly and disgusting in appearance.  It will be similar to the 6th plague that God visited on the Egyptians (Ex 9:10) in the time of Moses.

Q16.2 Please describe the second bowl of God's wrath: the sea turns to something like the blood of a deadman. [Rev 16:3]

When a person dies, if not embalmed, in a few days will swell up because of the bacteria in them and will literally explode.  It will be a similar catastrophe for most of the fish and other creatures in the se Many will die and the smell and corpses of dead animals floating on the sea will be terrifying and gruesome to mankind.

Q16.3 Please describe the third bowl of God's wrath: the fresh water turns to blood. [Rev 16:4-7]

The fresh waters of rivers, streams and springs are next turned to literal blood and will be terrifying to behold by unredeemed mankind.  Unredeemed mankind has shed the blood of God's people and have rejected the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and are thus receiving their just judgment from God by only having blood to drink.

Q16.4 Please describe the fourth bowl of God's wrath: mankind is scorched by the heat of the Sun. [Rev 16:8-9]

The sun could send out fierce solar flares and could heat up the world's atmosphere.  The temperature on the earth could soar well into the 100's all over the earth, even at the north and south poles.  There are other ramifications of this judgment, including heating the world's oceans and possibly causing monster hurricanes.  The people on the earth recognize that this wrath is sent by God and blasphemed God because of it.

Q16.5 Please describe the fifth bowl of God's wrath: the kingdom of Antichrist is filled with darkness. [Rev 16:10-11]

The darkness will be a literal darkness and the weather will turn very cold in Antichrist's kingdom which will be in Europe.  But they would not repent and give God the glory.  Instead, they cursed and blasphemed the name of God.

Q16.6 Please describe the sixth bowl of God's wrath: the gathering of the armies of the world to the valley of Megiddo in Israel. (Armageddon) [Rev 16:12-16]

First, the river Euphrates in Iraq will be dried up and the armies from China, Japan, India and other Asian countries will be drawn to the valley of Megiddo by the fallen angels.  Satan will actually use them to attempt to stop Jesus from coming to the earth and ruling over it.  Of course, Jesus will win and Satan will be held in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.

Q16.7 Please describe the seventh bowl of God's wrath: the mighty earthquake and the great hailstones. [Rev 16:17-21]

This will be a world-wide earthquake and will be the strongest earthquake ever registered.  There will tremendous chasms, volcanoes and rockslides caused by this earthquake and all cities of the earth will collapse, and many of the unsaved people of the earth will die during this great earthquake. The hailstones could weigh as much as 100 pounds each and the destruction they will cause will be catastrophic.

Q16.8 Please explain what is Great Babylon and how is that city destroyed? [Rev 16:19]

The first part of Great Babylon was destroyed (the USA) in the second half of the Tribulation.  The second part of Great Babylon is the European Union and it will be completely destroyed at the end of the Tribulation.  It is destroyed by fire from Heaven and by the hail and the great earthquake set in motion by God.  The FAQs of chapter 17 and chapter 18 will discuss Great Babylon in detail.

Chapter 17.  Events now shift to the beginning and continue to the middle of the Tribulation and describe the great end time world power: Mystery Babylon (also called the Great Harlot, Great Babylon and Babylon).

Q17.1 Please identify the great harlot. [Rev 17:1]

In John's day, the harlot was the Roman empire, which controlled or greatly influenced the known world of that day including the kings of all of the countries that it had conquered, their economies and their religion.  It even molded the way that people thought.  If you didn't conform to it's rules and regulations, you could be tortured or even killed.  It's leader and god was Caesar and his word was absolute law.

The great harlot of today is the United States.  In the book of Revelation, it is also referred to as Babylon, Great Babylon or Mystery Babylon.  It is the richest and the most powerful country in the world and it greatly influences the thinking and of the economy of the world.  It's religion is freedom of the individual, self-importance and self-indulgence and the striving to gain as much wealth, fame and fortune as possible.  This message has been exported to the rest of the world and most of the world is following this religion of the harlot.

This message is completely opposite and opposed to Christianity.  Christ wants all of His followers to put God first in their lives; to place restraint on how they live their lives and in particular to live a righteous and Christ-centered life; to not be seekers of fame and riches; to recognize that their inheritance is in Heaven and to be watching and praying for Jesus' return so they can become completely holy, righteous and sinless.

Q17.2 What are the waters that the great harlot sits on? [Rev 17:2]

The waters are the people of the world, the governments and countries of the world and the economies of the world.  Figuratively, sitting on these means she tells them which direction they should go, just as if you are riding a horse you direct it where you want it to go.

Q17.3 What is the fornication with the great harlot that the kings and people of the earth commit? [Rev 17:2]

God wants all presidents, kings and the people of the earth to become Christ followers.  However, most choose to follow the lead of Babylon.  This is the fornication:  instead of following God, they follow the false, self-indulgent religion of Babylon.  The most sinful part of this fornication is to worship Antichrist.

Q17.4 Where is the wilderness where the great harlot is located? [Rev 17:3]

The wilderness or desert is a place sorely lacking life-giving food or water.  Figuratively, it means that the place that the harlot occupies is missing two very important ingredient: the Holy Spirit and knowledge of and worship of God.  In the tribulation, knowledge of God will be difficult to come by, especially in the USA and those people that do follow God will be severely persecuted.

Q17.5 What is the beast with seven heads and ten horns? [Rev 17:7-14]

The ten-horned beast is the culmination of the main gentile empires throughout history and include Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the final world empire: New Babylon. New Babylon or Great Babylon consists of two of the leading world powers of the end time: the USA and the European Union (EU). The ten-horned beast is a ten-nation alliance that is the political leadership and military muscle of the European Union, and will rise out of the EU in the end-times. The Antichrist will also arise in the time just before the Tribulation, control both the US and the EU and be the official leader of the 10 nations.

The Antichrist will select ten leaders out of the European Union and they will be appointed to run the military of the European Union and they will include the ten nations that have the strongest armed forces.  They will not be kings or presidents of these countries, but are given control over the EU military, probably via some kind of security committee institution within the EU. They will be controlled by Satan and will listen to and give all of their military authority to Antichrist. In the second half of the Tribulation, God will place into the hearts of these leaders a deep hatred for the United States. They hate the harlot because of the arrogance and pride of the USA and their jealousy towards her great military and her enormous riches. They also hate her because the Antichrist also hates her and they have absolute allegiance to the Antichrist.

These ten leaders will be given absolute control and allowed to make plans to destroy the USA by nuclear missiles and this destruction will take about one hour to complete.  These are the kings that will have been given authority by the Antichrist to rule as kings for one hour over the ten nations (Rev 17:12).    After the USA is destroyed, these ten generals will relinquish their control over the militaries of their respective countries back to Antichrist.   

Q17.6 Please explain why the great harlot was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus? [Rev 17:6]

During the first half of the Tribulation, the unfaithful Christians from the USA, Europe and many other countries of the world will be left behind to have their faith tested by Antichrist. He will have many Christians tortured or killed and the means will be by beheading, causing a lot of blood to flow.

Those that are unsaved in the USA and in the EU will enjoy knowing that Christians will be tortured and murdered in the Tribulation. Some of these tortures and killings of Christ's believers may even be shown on TV. The unsaved will make a night of it and open up their beer cans and eat their pizza while these gruesome events take place. They will even get high on these events. Don't say that it can't happen. The torture and killings of Christians in the Roman Coliseum caused the citizens of Rome to also get high. To them, this gruesome event was the high point of their week.

Chapter 18.  Events now shift to after the middle of the Tribulation.  The fall of Babylon the Great is described.

Q18.1. Why is Babylon mentioned again as "fallen, fallen"? [Rev 18:2]

Babylon consists of two great nations: the United States and the European Union. "Fallen, fallen" is sounded by the angel, because there are two falls of Great Babylon. The first fall is during the second half of the tribulation where God causes the EU to hate and then destroy the USA by nuclear missiles. The second fall occurs at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus destroys all of the nations of the world, including the EU.

Q18.2 What is the abundance of luxury for Babylon that the merchants of the become rich by? [Rev 18:3]

The United States has imported many of the luxury items that are consumed by the people of the USA.  Some items that come to mind are wines from France, beautiful hardwood flooring from South America and beautiful marbles from India and Italy. Most of these items are not necessary to live even a comfortable life. However, people of the US think that they need these riches and are willing to pay handsomely for them and the merchants of the world that sell them are growing rich.

Q18.3 Who are the people that are commanded to come out of Babylon? [Rev 18:4]

Many Jews now live in the USA and are warned by God that they should leave the USA and go to Israel so that they will not be destroyed by nuclear explosions at mid-Tribulation. Most Jews will leave the USA and go to Israel in the near future. They will be forced to somehow, because very few Jews will be reading the warning verses in Revelation. Instead, they will be forced to leave for some other reason. Perhaps it might have something to do with the seven year treaty Antichrist will arrange between Israel and the Muslim states that surround it.

Q18.4 What does it mean--that Babylon's sins have reached to Heaven? [Rev 18:5]

Almighty God knows of every sin that has ever been committed by mankind. Reaching up to Heaven means that there are so many sins committed by Babylon that God will tolerate no more and will plan to destroy it very shortly. The worst sin committed by Babylon is the persecution and murder of Christians in the first half of the Tribulation. Shortly, Jesus will see to the avenging of the deaths of His faithful followers, the Main Harvest Christians, in the second half of the Tribulation.

Q18.5 Why would Babylon say in her heart "I will never see any sorrow"? [Rev 18:7]

Because America is so well protected by a great military presence, the military actually thinks that the USA cannot be destroyed by anyone. Most Americans think that their leaders have everything under control, and that no country, neither Russia, nor China nor Europe, nor any other country can completely destroy her. However, if God wants her destroyed, it will most certainly happen at exactly the time He has planned.

Q18.6 Please explain the destruction of Babylon in one day.  What kind of fire are we talking about? [Rev 18:8]

The United States will be completely destroyed in one hour. As we have stated in earlier FAQs, it will be by nuclear tipped missiles that fly over the north pole and have been launched from Europe and from China. The fire that will destroy the USA will be from the initial nuclear explosions and fireballs that are generated as well as the numerous fires in the cities that will be spawned from the nuclear explosions and will completely destroy the country. These fires may burn for days or even weeks or months.

Q18.7 Why do the kings of the earth stand at a distance from Babylon after she is destroyed? [Rev 18:10]

They will stay in their own countries, away from the USA, because of the radiation.  The presidents of the other countries of the world will see via satellite news, that the USA is completely destroyed and will think to themselves "I don't want this to happen to me and my country." They will be afraid of the Antichrist and will know that because he controls the EU, they will not want to arouse his anger against them.

Q18.8 What kind of economic impact on the world would the destruction of Babylon bring? [Rev 18:11]

The United States is now buying about half of the world's commercial goods that are sold by various companies in the world. If a large percentage of the market for a company's goods dries up then that company will probably go under. Most of the countries that have a substantial market in the USA will face economic disaster and a depression that will be much worse than the depression of 1929. Countries such as Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan will be in a terrible economic situation and economic collapse will happen in those countries.

Companies and people of many countries in the world have sizeable investments in American real estate, stocks, companies and currency. That loss will be total and will cause economic collapse by many of those people and those companies.

Q18.9 Could you please explain in today's world what are the goods are that are imported by Babylon from all over the world? [Rev 18:12-13]

Babylon was not satisfied with just the basic necessities of life, she was consumed by obtaining all sorts of luxurious goods from the four corners of the world. These goods included fancy gold and silver jewelry; fine clothing made of silk; beautiful furniture and flooring made from exotic hardwoods; fine flooring and wall decorations made from granite, marble and hand-made tile. Spices included cinnamon and other fine spices. Wine was imported from France, Italy and Germany. Automobiles were imported from Japan, Korea, Germany and Italy. Fine perfumes and incense was imported from Europe and the far east. Even the most fancy chocolates and pasta were imported from Europe. Delicate meats such as mutton, Kobe beef and fish were imported.

Most Americans don't know it, but slavery did not stop in the 1860's in this country. Currently young women are being brought into this country from places in the far east and are currently being used as household and as sex slaves in the US These are the bodies and souls of men that are described in Rev 18:13.

Q18.10 Why are the ship masters also greatly distressed by the destruction of Babylon? [Rev 18:16-20]

Most of the goods imported from other countries into the USA are via vessels that are owned by foreign companies. These are large container ships that import huge numbers of cars, trucks and heavy equipment; electronics; wood products such as flooring; carpets; and of course, crude oil. If no goods are to be imported into the USA via their ships, these ship owners will face economic ruin.

Q18.16 Why should those in Heaven rejoice over the destruction of Babylon? [Rev 18:10]

Those that celebrate in Heaven the destruction of Babylon are the Main Harvest Christians that were so brutally persecuted and many murdered in the first half of the Tribulation. Others in Heaven that will be joyous will be the First Fruits Christians who were praying for and being saddened by the persecution of their brothers, the Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea Christians.

Chapter 19.  Events are now at the end of the Tribulation.  Those in Heaven rejoice over the fall (complete destruction) of Mystery Babylon and Jesus returns to the earth to destroy the Antichrist and his kingdom.

Q19.1 Why are the judgments of God against Babylon righteous? There were a lot of the people of Babylon killed at the end of the Tribulation weren't there?  Were all these deaths really necessary? [Rev 19:2]

In Jeremiah: Chapter 50 and 51, Babylon was given an opportunity to repent and to return to following God, but it rejected this chance.  Therefore, Jesus has no choice but to destroy Babylon/USA/EU.  Yes, there were a lot of people killed, but they didn't have to be killed.   They could have repented and recognized that Jesus was indeed King of the Earth, but they rejected Him.

Q19.2 Why do the twenty four elders and the four living creature now worship God? [Rev 19:4]

The European Union portion of Babylon has just been destroyed and Jesus has carried out all of the judgments against the Antichrist and his kingdom.  Jesus is now ready to begin His millennium reign.  He will first restore the earth and remove the curse from the earth.  His most faithful followers are overjoyed because they will be coming to the earth with Him and ruling with Him over all of the countries of the earth.  The four living creatures also invite all those humans on the earth that were called by Christ for salvation to also worship Christ.

Q19.3 What is the marriage supper of the Lamb and who is His bride? [Rev 19:7-8]

The Christians that are the most faithful to Jesus during the Church age are the "Bride of Christ."  These are the four living creatures mentioned at the beginning of Revelation and will be co-rulers with Christ on the earth and in Heaven.  The 24 elders are the second most faithful to Christ and will have positions of high honor ruling with Him.  The marriage supper is a literal supper that will probably last weeks or even months on the earth after Jesus has had His angels clean it up after all the destruction that was unleashed during the Tribulation.  We don't know what food will be served at that wonderful dinner, but we know that it will be delicious and that the fellowship between Jesus and all Christians that have been faithful to Him will be so wonderful that words cannot express the love and joy that all will experience.

It is sad, but not all Christians will be invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb and His Bride.  All unfaithful Christians of the Church Age will be watching from the sidelines and will have no fellowship and  will share no food with Jesus and His most faithful saints. 

Q19.4 Why did the Apostle John attempt to worship the glorious angel? [Rev 19:9]

The angel John met was actually a First Fruits Christian that had received his resurrection body and was glorious in appearance, just like Jesus' glory.  This angel was one of the four living creatures that during his life was completed dedicated to loving, glorifying and serving God.   I believe that John was also a most faithful follower of Jesus and at First Fruits Rapture will also be sitting on the grand throne in Heaven, along with Jesus.  This glorious living creature might actually be John the Apostle after he received his resurrection body.

Q19.5 Could you please explain why Jesus rides from Heaven on a white horse and He is crowned with many crowns?  [Rev 19:14]

In Biblical times, the victor in a war would ride a white horse into the conquered kingdom.  Jesus returns as a grand King over the earth and He has many crowns because he has been victorious in all of the battles He undertook against Satan and the Antichrist and all of the countries of the world.

Q19.6 Who are the armies clothed in white linen that return to earth with Christ? [Rev 19:14]

Those are Christians and the faithful followers of God from the Old Testament period. The white linen represent the righteous acts that were accomplished by them for God.

Q19.7 What is the sharp sword that comes out of Jesus' mouth? [Rev 19:15]

The sword was one of the main weapons used to kill someone in the days that Jesus walked on the earth, almost 2,000 years ago.  It is used figuratively here to describe how He has the enemies of God killed:  He simply says something like: "All the soldiers in those armies attempting to fight me are now history." They all just drop dead, right there in front of Him.  It will appear that each of the enemy soldiers had been slain by a sword.

Q19.8 Explain what happens in the winepress of Almighty God? [Rev 19:15]

When Jesus returns to the earth for the final battle of Armageddon, His foot will strike the Mount of Olives.  A great earthquake will result and the mount will split in two and a valley will be created that will run all of the way from there to the Gulf of Aqaba, which is about 200 miles.    In this valley is  where all the 200 million soldiers and the rest of wicked mankind will be killed by Jesus.  The blood of His enemies that is spilled will flow this 200 miles to the sea and be to the depth of a horse's bridle or about four feet deep and Jesus' robe will be stained with the blood of His enemies.

Jesus shed His own blood on the cross and paid for every sin that was committed by mankind.  Because His redemption has been rejected by most of mankind, it is so ironic and sad that the blood of those that ignored or rejected His forgiveness is now shed and now covers His garments.

Q19.9 Please explain the title "King of King and Lord of Lords"? [Rev 19:16]

Jesus will rule over the earth as its King.  Christ is also King of Heaven and will rule over both forever.  He also allows some of His most faithful followers to also rule under Him as kings.  The four living creatures and the 24 elders will have honors over many of the countries of the world during the Millennium and during Eternity.

Chapter 20.  Events now shift to the time of the Millennium Kingdom, after the Tribulation.  During the Millennium, Jesus and His saints rule and perfect peace and justice are administered upon the earth.  

Q20.1 During the Millennium kingdom, why was Satan bound in the bottomless pit?  Why wasn't he just judged and thrown into the lake of fire for destruction? [Rev 20:1-3]

God has used Satan over the centuries to reveal the evil that is in man's heart. This is something that is not possible for God to do Himself, since He is absolutely holy and righteous. During the millennium, children will be born and many will not want to give glory to God. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be let loose to reveal the evil in unsaved mankind's hearts. This is why God does not judge and then cast Satan into hell until after the Millennium.

Q20.2 Please describe the First Resurrection of the saints. [Rev 20:4-6]

During the Tribulation, many humans were saved by Jesus and were killed as martyrs by the Antichrist. These humans are now resurrected by God from the dead and will receive their glorified bodies. These bodies will be like Adam's body before he sinned. They will inhabit the earth and be in their own countries. They will have access to Jesus and be able to worship Him whenever He decides to come to the earth.  Those that received Jesus as Savior after the start of the Tribulation and were later murdered by Antichrist will rest in Paradise and be resurrected from there.

Q20.3 What will life be like in the Millennium Kingdom?

The dwellers of the earth will be the Jews and all gentile believers that were saved by Jesus during the Tribulation. They will have a life similar to Adam and Eve's life before they sinned and were living in the Garden of Eden. They will have jobs to do, but they will be challenging and rewarding in every aspect. There will be no drudgery and everyone's life will be perfect in health. Those saints that were still alive at the end of the Tribulation will still have their sin natures and will still need to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. But in the Millennium, it will be much easier because Satan and his fallen angels will be bound, and will not be able to tempt mankind.

These saints will be able to have children during the Millennium and they will be born with a fallen human nature. These children's parents and the redeemed Christians will hold  leadership positions and will be able to instruct these children in the way of the Lord and of the need to follow Jesus  and His teachings. Some will and others will not. However, sin will be dealt will firmly by Jesus and His Saints.

Q20.4 After the Millennium kingdom has concluded, please describe the rebellion by the inhabitants of the earth. [Rev 20:7-9]

God lets Satan out of the bottomless pit at the end of the Millennium.  Satan then tempts all of mankind that have not been saved.  He will gather them to do battle at Jerusalem, where Jesus has His throne.  To even think that they can defeat Jesus is absolute folly.  They are then destroyed by Christ.

Q20.5 If Jesus rules during the Millennium kingdom and everyone will know about the goodness of God and the need to obey Jesus, why do many rebel against Him at the end of the thousand years? [Rev 20:7-9]

This is a mystery.  Unsaved mankind will absolutely understand the love and the grace that God has for mankind.  They will understand all of the predictions in the Bible about the need to revere Jesus and and they will understand how good He is.  But they won't repent.  They don't believe in their hearts about the consequence of their rebellion.  In effect, they would rather suffer forever than to turn to obey Jesus.

Q20.6 After the conclusion of the rebellion at the end of the Millennium, the devil is then cast into the lake of fire where the Antichrist and the False Prophet have previously been cast.  What does is mean to be tormented forever and ever? [Rev 20:10]

The Antichrist, False Prophet, Satan, all of the fallen angels and after the great White Throne Judgment, all of unsaved mankind will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed and then will be cast into hell for eternity.  They will not be able to escape from hell and will be imprisoned there forever. Their torment is to have all of the desires they had while still alive, but they will not be able to fulfill any of these desires.  They will have to live with their sinful nature forever. 

Q20.7 Please describe the Great White Throne judgment. [Rev 20:11-15]

After the Millennium, Jesus will then judge every unsaved human that has ever lived on the earth including the pre-flood era, the period after Noah's flood, the time of the Old Testament era, the 2,000 year Church age, the time of the Tribulation and children born during the Millennium.

At the time of his judgment, each unsaved human that has already died will be raised from the dead and temporarily given a human body.  They will then stand before Jesus and have their complete life's works evaluated by Him and each of their works will be recognized as either good or evil.  At the end of each person's judgment, Jesus will pronounce a sentence.  There will be lighter sentences for those that had at least some good works and heavier sentences for those that had only evil works.

Since none of these are saved, all are condemned and will be cast into the lake of fire and their bodies and their evil works will be destroyed.  After this, all will be cast into hell and be tormented there forever, with some having a greater torment than others.  Those humans that will receive the greatest torment will be those that heard the gospel, but rejected or did not respond to it.

Q20.8 Where does heaven and earth flee to during the great White Throne Judgment? [Rev 20:11]

Those that are saved in both heaven and on the earth will not be able to see the judgment of the unsaved.  This will be terrifying and Jesus will not want His faithful to be present at this judgment.  Many of Christ's faithful will have friends and family members that will not be saved and He will not want His faithful to see their judgment and their punishment.

Q20.9 Where is the Lake of Fire?  Will it be physically painful for those that are cast there? Will any Christians experience the lake of fire? [Rev 20:14]

The Lake of Fire is not a place, but a time of reckoning where all of the sins that a man has ever committed will be judged and then destroyed by Jesus.

The destruction of an unfaithful Christian's sins will take place immediately after they appear before the Judgment seat of Christ and they will need to take responsibility for and admit to Christ any sins they committed.  If during their lives they confessed each of their sins to God, then Jesus will not even mentioned those sins.  This is because Jesus forgets all sins that a Christian has confessed to God before they die:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

An unfaithful Christian will have many unconfessed sins in front of them which Jesus will burn up with an intense heat and they will leave the Judgment Seat of Christ with smoke and ashes on their garments.  A Christian's resurrection body will feel no pain, but there will be extreme emotional and heart pain felt by the unfaithful believer.

When experiencing the Lake of Fire,  the unsaved person's temporary body will be destroyed along with their evil deeds and there will be physical pain for the unsaved, because their bodies will be destroyed by fire, but we don't know how long this pain will last.  After their bodies are destroyed, the unsaved person's soul and dead spirit are then cast into hell and will remain there forever.

At the end of the Millennium, we know that Satan and the angels that rebelled against God will also be cast into the lake of fire and be destroyed by Jesus.  Since all fallen angels had been originally created with a glorious body and a holy spirit and a holy soul, we don't know what kind of destruction by fire that is planned for them by Jesus, but it has to be very painful.  Their punishment must be much greater than the punishment and destruction at the lake of fire that was dealt out to unsaved humans.

The fallen angels lived in Heaven with Almighty God and knew how good He is and what an honor and privilege it was to worship, love and serve Him and yet they rebelled and rejected their holy and righteous state that God had originally created them with.  This was a terrible fall and the punishment of Satan and the fallen angels must also be utterly destructive.  After the lake of fire destruction, Satan and all of the fallen angels will be cast into and spend eternity in hell and be tormented there day and night forever.

Q20.10 What is the Second Death?  Will any Christians have any part in the Second Death?  If so, why? [Rev 20:15]

The first death is when a human being dies.  The "second death" is the death of an unsaved person's Great White Throne Judgment body and the destruction of all of their evil deeds committed during their lifetime.  This destruction is The Lake of Fire.

Christians that have been unfaithful to Jesus and hence have not confessed their sins to God will also be included in the second-death.  For an unfaithful Christian, the second-death will take place immediately after they stand before and are judged by Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Their eternal and holy bodies will not be destroyed, but they will see each evil work as it is destroyed with holy flames by Jesus.

This will be a time of anguish and mourning and embarrassment for unfaithful Christians.  Many tears will flow and deep regret will be in the hearts of each of these Christians.  They will be forgiven, but will lose glory and honor and leadership positions in Heaven.  They could have been kings and generals in Heaven, but there they will be privates and have no glory or honor.

Q20.11 Where is Hell?  What happens to the unsaved that are cast there after their Great White Throne judgment?

We don't know when Sheol was created by God, but in the Old Testament, it was known by the people of Israel and they knew that it was located somewhere in the earth itself and was the place where the souls of humans that died were kept until judgment time. Jesus elaborates some on Sheol. He described that there were three compartments to Sheol:

After Jesus died on the cross, He went to Paradise and preached to those there.  When He was resurrected from the dead, He then took all of the Old Testament saints to Heaven to be with Him forever. After the last saint left Paradise, it was not needed and is not mentioned anymore in the New Testament. All of God's saints that died after that were taken straight to Heaven to be with God and now reside there. All of evil mankind was left in the place of torments until judgment time. The destination for any evil person that dies will be the place of torments, and they will be greatly dreading their judgment at the Great White Throne.

Hell was originally created to hold Satan and all of his fallen angels: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41) So hell will eventually be shared by all fallen beings:  Satan and his fallen angels and all unsaved mankind. It will be a place where it will be impossible to escape from or be redeemed from. An unsaved man will have his unredeemed soul and dead spirit with him only, for no physical body will be present in the place of torments.

After the final judgments of sinful men and fallen angels, we know that the earth will be cleansed, because all evil ones will sentenced to be in Hell. David describes their destination: The wicked will return to Sheol, even all the nations who forget God (Psalm 9:17).

Jesus gives us a glimpse of the suffering that unsaved mankind will experience in Hell in Luke [Luke 16:19-31]. This is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, but we'll only discuss the suffering in hell of the rich man.

First, we don't know the name of the rich man. This is his first suffering, the dead man's name will not be known, so he will receive absolutely no recognition from anyone. Next, there will be agony of the soul. Although only the soul and dead spirit are in hell, somehow the unsaved will experience some kind of extreme discomfort, that will seem physical. The rich man has an extreme thirst, but will not be able to satisfy that thirst. There will be other drives and desires he will have, but because he has no body, he will not be able to satisfy any of these needs including hunger, thirst, companionship, movement, comfort, sleep, etc.

He can think, but we don't know if he can experience any pleasant thoughts or not.  The unsaved person could somehow see the righteous saints in Paradise, but we are not told if he will be able to see other unsaved persons or fallen angels in hell and we don't know if he will be able to communicate with them.

The unsaved person will be able to recollect his past and his relations with other people and have concern for his brothers that are still alive on the earth, but will not be able to communicate with them. He will have regrets for his evil actions on the earth, but it is too late to do anything because all of mankind that are cast into hell are there forever. Hope for the unsaved will not exist and the despair must be a very heavy weight on their minds and emotions.

Finally, the most terrible torment will be upon those humans that took the mark of the beast in the Tribulation [Rev 14:9-11].  They will somehow see Jesus and the holy angels from hell and the righteous and holy eyes of Jesus will penetrate to the very depths of their souls.  This torment will last forever. 

Chapter 21.  Events now shift to the time of Eternity.  John describes a New Heaven and a New Earth.

Q21.1 In chapter 21, John describes a new Heaven and a new Earth.  What happens to the old Heaven and the old Earth? [Rev 21:1]

Both heaven and earth have been polluted by sin.  Heaven, the place of God's dwelling has been polluted by the sin of Satan and from his fallen angels.  Earth, of course, has been polluted by both man's sin and from Satan's sin.  As we move into eternity, God sees to it that both places are absolutely cleansed of all sin and will be perfect places to live.  The environment of earth will be perfect and no one will ever die or commit a sin.

Q21.2 Why does God need to wipe away every tear from the eyes of His saints? [Rev 21:4]

A Christian will suffer many pains over their lifetime including physical pain and suffering; the suffering of children disobeying and getting into trouble; emotional sadness at times, etc. None of these kind of pains will exist when a Christian enters eternity because God will insure that none of His Children suffer anymore. They will be both internally joyous and externally happy.  The tears that unfaithful Christians cry at the Judgement Seat of Christ will also be wiped away.  They are forgiven and live in fellowship with God forever.

Q21.3 What is the water of life that Jesus will give freely to any believer that is thirsty for it? [Rev 21:6]

The water of life is the presence of the Holy Spirit who will help the willing Christian to overcome any temptation or trial that will be in their life. This is a promise of soul salvation for those that put Jesus first in their life and accomplish the righteous works that God has planned for them.

Q21.4 Who is the person that overcomes?  What does Jesus mean by "he will become My son"? [Rev 21:7]

Jesus is talking about Christians.  For the four churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus describes their spiritual strengths and weaknesses. An overcomer will continue accomplishing the righteousness that Jesus has already observed. An overcomer will also ask the Holy Spirit to help them overcome their spiritual weaknesses. If both of these happen, the Christian is an overcomer.

The overcomer is also counted as a mature "son", and will be one of the four living creatures that rules and reigns with Christ. In Greek, this is the huios or mature son. Christians that are not overcomers will not rule with Jesus in the millennium kingdom or in eternity.

Q21.5 Please describe the New Jerusalem.  [Rev 21:10-21]

New Jerusalem will be the most beautiful place where God the Father and God the Son have their primary residence and their thrones. The city will be built upon a foundation of the most beautiful jewels and the streets will be of gold. New Jerusalem will also be the primary residence of Christians of all ages and the primary residence of all Old Testament saints.

Q21.6 Why will there be no temple in the New Jerusalem?

In the past, God has separated Himself from even His holy angels at times. For example, He went into His heavenly temple to be alone when the seven bowls of wrath were to be cast upon the people of the earth. In eternity, there will be no wrath needed, because there will be no sin ever committed on the earth or in heaven, so God has determined that there is no need for a temple.

Q21.7 If there is no temple, where will the believers worship God at? [Rev 21:22]

All believers of all ages will be able to walk side-by-side with God and be able to see His face and personally worship Him. There will also be worship that involves all of God's people and all of the holy angels. The Four Living Creatures will lead this worship of God by all of the inhabitants of Heaven and Earth and will include prayer, words of praise and songs of praise accompanied by musical instruments.

Q21.8 What does it mean that the nations that are saved will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem? [Rev 21:24]

New Jerusalem will be the size of a small moon, about 1400 miles in size. It will orbit the earth and the glory of God will shine upon the earth.

Q21.9 Who will live on the earth and who will live in the New Jerusalem?

God has determined that only His most faithful followers, the Saints of the Old Testament and Christians of all ages will be residents of New Jerusalem. This is a reward for being the most faithful to Him. The residents of the earth were not as faithful, so they are limited to a life on the earth. This will still be a very rewarding life for them, but to have residence in New Jerusalem is only for God's most faithful.

Q21.10 Will inhabitants of New Jerusalem be able to travel to the earth?  Will inhabitants of the earth be able to travel to the New Jerusalem? Why?

Christians and Old Testament Saints will be able to travel from New Jerusalem to and from the earth. Those believers on the earth will only be able to stay on the earth and not to travel to the city above.  However, Jesus will visit the earth and His faithful will be able to personally worship Him there.

Q21.11 What kind of glory of the nations (from the Earth) will be brought into the New Jerusalem? [Rev 21:24]

On the earth every human will be solely dedicated to God and they will glorify God by perfectly following all His commandments. God has need of nothing, but greatly desires and enjoys the way that the redeemed living on the earth worship, adore and glorify Him.  Their lives will be lived in a sinless and holy manner and God will recognize this and be very pleased.

Q21.12 Why does Revelation assert that only those who's names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be able to enter the New Jerusalem? [Rev 21:27]

This is a warning for all mankind that only Christians (and all Old Testament Saints) can enter New Jerusalem. Any non-Christian that is called to read or listen to Revelation would be wise to turn their lives over to Him and live in obedience to Him.  Note that although an unfaithful Christian's name will be blotted out of the Book of Life, the name is still there, so all Christians will be inhabitants of New Jerusalem.

Chapter 22.  Final encouragement from Jesus to all Christians.  The time frame is now, before the start of the Tribulation.

Q22.1 What  is Jesus talking about when He says blessed are those that wash their robes (KJV--keep His commandments)? [Rev 22:14]

Jesus is speaking to the Christians of today.  The commandments from Jesus are to be faithful to Him in every aspect of your life including reading and obeying the Holy Bible, loving God and your fellow believer, accomplishing any good works that He prepares for you to accomplish, watching and praying for Jesus' return and avoiding sin in your life. Any sin that you do commit must be confessed to God, thus receiving forgiveness.  The robes are the works that a believer produces during their lives.  Washed or white robes are a sign of repentance and good works performed by the believer.

Q22.2 Again, John states that the sexually immoral and sorcerers and murders, and liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire.  Who is He talking about? [Rev 22:15]

If you read the Old Testament very much you will read many times that God hated the sin and rebellion of His people, Israel. When God repeats a statement many times, it is very wise for a person to listen and then obey what He says. These sins in Revelation 22:15 are sins that God has a special hate for, so all Christians had better obey Him and avoid these sins. If they don't, then they will lose their soul salvation, have their name blotted out of the Book of Life and then observe their sins being burnt up in the Lake of Fire. This will be extremely embarrassing for the unfaithful Christian.

Q22.3 Why are the punishments for adding to or taking away from the words of the Book of Revelation so severe?  Could a Christian commit such a sin? [Rev 22:18-19]

For the unsaved, we already know that their sins will be burned up at the lake of fire and their bodies will also be consumed by fire.  If any unsaved person should add to or take away from Revelation, the punishments are stated to be the plagues written about in detail in Revelation.  So, before the unsaved person's body is destroyed by fire, that body will also have to endure all of the plague judgments that were cast on the earth during the Tribulation.

Yes, a Christian has the freedom to add to or take away from the words of the Book of Revelation but they are extremely unwise to do so.  A Christian that commits either of these sins will have to confess the sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ and have the sin burned up in front of him and in the presence of Jesus.  The punishment for the Christian will be to have his name blotted out of the Book of Life.  This means that all rewards and all positions of honor in the Millennium and in Eternity will be taken away.  The consequences of this sin will last forever.

The revelations of Jesus in the Book of Revelation are extremely important.  They warn both the saved and unsaved that God's judgments are coming soon.  These warnings should not be ignored and  the book of Revelation should not be altered by anyone!

Q22.4 What does Jesus mean when He says "Surely I am coming quickly"? [Rev 22:12]

This is a message for all of today's Christians. Jesus said that He would return when unexpected: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh (Matt 25:13).  After reading the book of Revelation and understanding it's meaning, we should be continually watching for His return.  We don't want Him to return and not find us following all of the commandments and warnings He has given us in the Holy Bible and especially in the book of Revelation.

Q22.5 At the end of Revelation, John responds with "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus".  Why did he say this? [Rev 22:20]

John shows by example what our attitude towards Jesus' return should be, especially after reading the book of Revelation:  We should be watching and praying for His return and we should prepare ourselves for His return by living a holy and righteous life.  The First Fruits Website Team has prepared a beckoning for the return of Jesus: We Beckon for the Return of Jesus Christ for the First Fruits Rapture.