The Grand Finale of God’s Word
Lesson 9
Revelation 19:11-22:21
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Praise God for the hope of eternal glory! One day the deceiver (the dragon, serpent, devil, called Satan), and all his cohorts and followers will be in the lake of fire. That day is sure to come. We have but to keep our eyes on the promise of Christ and hold firmly and obediently to the faith we have received to enjoy the wonder and bliss of eternal life with Jesus Christ. He has already paid for your heavenly retirement plan in full, a price that cost him his life on the cross. But behold, he who died is alive, forevermore! Amen! There is coming a glorious day when all the struggles of this life will be over and all this earthly experience will be in the past. Can you just imagine it?
What must glory with God and all the heavenly hosts be like? John strains with his pen to describe the majesty of the city of God where all that is wrong, evil, hurtful, sad, dangerous, and decaying will be no more. Only the treasures of eternal joy, life, angelic fellowship, celebration of God’s holy presence and wonder of the Lamb will remain. You and I will be singing. It’s good, really good, better than good; it’s glorious!
We live in a time when superlatives are used without caution. “Wow, that’s an awesome haircut you have there.” Awesome? Really? I’m sorry, but words that are true and that state things the way they are would help us these days. Especially when we turn our attention to the things of God. Being with God in heaven will, in truth be awesome. Seeing Jesus face to face and walking in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords in the intimate fellowship of spiritual union that is only experienced in that realm… that will be awesome. I don’t know about you, but going home to heavenly glory sounds better and better all the time. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” and let all who hear say, “Come!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Day 1
Read chapter 19:11-16
Underline what this text says about the names of Jesus.
What other descriptive things about Jesus do you notice:
What does it look like Jesus is about to do?
Read chapter 19:17-21
This is the first occurrence of the “lake of fire” in the Bible. There are five others: Rev. 20:9,10,14,15, and 21:8.
Notice who is thrown into the lake of fire:
Notice that the rest are slain, but are not yet thrown into the lake of fire. This will occur later.
What God’s word is clearly saying here is that those who come up against Jesus to fight him are doomed. It is not even a battle. Our all powerful Lord has absolutely no risk here. The fools are those who were deceived into taking sides against Jesus. The beast and his false prophet are two of the devil’s key workers. They come with all the authority of the dragon, but it is completely futile. Their efforts are rewarded with eternal torment in the lake of fire. All those who followed the beast and were deceived into going to war against the Lord are fed to the birds.
Look at some of the scriptures that describe the wicked and the condemnation of those who are lost.
WICKED. Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; briers and thorns, Isa. 55:13; Ezek. 2:6; bulls of Bashan, Psa. 22:12; carcasses trodden under feet, Isa. 14:19; chaff, Job 21:18; Psa. 1:4; Matt. 3:12; clouds without water, Jude 12; grain, 2 Kin. 19:26; corrupt trees, Luke 6:43; deaf adders, Psa. 58:4; dogs, Prov. 26:11; Matt. 7:6; 2 Pet. 2:22; dross, Psa. 119:119; Ezek. 22:18,19; early dew that passes away, Hos. 13:3; evil figs, Jer. 24:8; fading oaks, Isa. 1:30; fiery oven, Psa. 21:9; Hos. 7:4; fire of thorns, Psa. 118:12; fools building upon sand, Matt. 7:26; fuel of fire, Isa. 9:19; garden without water, Isa. 1:30; goats, Matt. 25:32; grass, Psa. 37:2; 92:7; grass on the housetop, 2 Kin. 19:26; green bay tree, Psa. 37:35; green herbs, Psa. 37:2; schrub in the desert, Jer. 17:6; horses rushing into the battle, Jer. 8:6; idols, Psa. 115:8; lions greedy of prey, Psa. 17:12; melting wax, Psa. 68:2; morning clouds, Hos. 13:3; moth-eaten garments, Isa. 50:9; 51:8; passing whirlwinds, Prov. 10:25; potsherds, Prov. 26:23; raging waves of the sea, Jude 13; reprobate silver, Jer. 6:30; scorpions, Ezek. 2:6; serpents, Psa. 58:4; Matt. 23:33; smoke, Hos. 13:3; stony ground, Matt. 13:5; stubble, Job 21:18; Mal. 4:1; swine, Matt. 7:6; 2 Pet. 2:22; tares, Matt. 13:38; troubled sea, Isa. 57:20; visions of the night, Job 20:8; wandering stars, Jude 13; wayward children, Matt. 11:16; wells without water, 2 Pet. 2:17; wheels, Psa. 83:13; whitened sepulchers, Matt. 23:27; wild donkey’s colts, Job 11:12.—Bible Text-Book.God is angry with, Psa. 5:5,6; 7:11; Rom. 9:13; 1 Cor. 10:5. Spirit of God withdrawn from, Gen. 6:3; Hos. 4:17-19; Rom. 1:24,26,28. Hate the righteous, Matt. 5:11,12; Luke 6:22,23. Worship of, offensive to God, Psa. 50:16,17; Isa. 1:10-15.Present and future state of the wicked and righteous contrasted, Job 8; Psa. 49. See below.Prosperity of, Job 5:3-5; 12:6; 15:21,23,27,29; 20:5,22; 21:7-13; Psa. 37:1,35,36; 49:10-15; 73:3-22; 92:6,7; Eccl. 8:12,13; Jer. 12:1,2; Hab. 1:3,4,13-17; Mal. 3:15. Hate reproof, 1 Kin. 22:8; 2 Chr. 18:7. God’s mercy to, Job 33:14-30; love for, Deut. 5:29; 32:29; Matt. 18:11-14; John 3:16,17; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 4:9,10. Dread God, Job 18:11. Eliphaz’s exhortation to, Job 22:21-30. Temporal punishment of, Job 27:13-23; 15:20-35; 18:5-21; 20:5-29; 21:7-33; 24:2-24; Jer. 5:25; Ezek. 11:10; 12:19,20; Zech. 14:17-19. False hope of, Job 8:13-18.Gospel invitation to, illustrated by the parables of the householder, Matt. 20:1-16; and marriage supper, Matt. 22:1-14.Warned, Jer. 7:13-15,23-25; 25:4-6; 26:2-7,12,13; 29:17-19; Ezek. 33:8; Dan. 4:4-27; 5:4-29; Zeph. 2:1,2; Luke 3:7-9; 1 Cor. 10:11; Jude 4-7; Rev. 3:1-3,16-19. Terrors of, at the judgment, Rev. 1:7. Death of, Psa. 49:14; 73:4.
THE FUTURE ABODE OF THE WICKED: Psa. 9:17; Prov. 5:5; Prov. 9:13-17; Prov. 15:24; Prov. 23:13,14; Isa. 30:33; Isa. 33:14; Matt. 3:12; Matt. 5:29 v. 30.; Matt. 7:13 v. 14.; Matt. 8:11,12; Matt. 10:28; Matt. 13:30,38-42,49,50; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 18:8,9,34,35; Matt. 22:13; Matt. 25:28-30,41,46; Mark 9:43,44 vs. 45-48. Matt. 5:29.; Luke 3:17 Matt. 3:12.; Luke 16:23,24,26 vs. 25,28; Acts 1:25.; 2 Thess. 1:9; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6,23; Rev. 9:1,2; Rev. 11:7; Rev. 14:10,11; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:10,15; Rev. 21:8; Rev. 2:11.#
I know these are a lot of references to look up, I don’t expect you to check out each one, but just to get a feel for what God’s word says about the wicked and their destiny. This serves as a strong warning to us to avoid wickedness and seek the presence of the Lord always. There is great joy in walking before the Lord and experiencing His presence! While there are temporal thrills in sin and wickedness, they are short lived and end in death and destruction.
Day 2
Read chapter 20:1-3
Notice the description of the dragon. Who is this?
What happens to him here?
Who did God send to capture the dragon and lock him up?
How many angels did it take to capture the dragon and lock him up?
What does this tell you about his power at this point compared to the power of heaven?
What will happen after the thousand years are over?
Now for the big question, what is this “thousand years?” Is this something taking place now or something that will take place later or what? (enter your best guess)
Is this a literal period of time or a symbolic period of time? Where do we get our information to help us understand the truth about this? Lets read the Bible and see:
Read verses 4-10
“Thousand” here comes from the Greek word, chilioi, which occurs 12 times in the New Testament. Twice in 2 Peter 3:8, and the rest are in Revelation, (11:3, 12:6, and here in chapter 20:2,3,4,5,6,7). In Peter, this number is used to refer to how time has no bearing on God’s state of being. To God, a day or a thousand years are the same. In Revelation the word is always used to measure time. The first occurrences in chapter 11:3 and 12:6 are in a measurement of three and a half years, or 1260 days. First, it measures the time of the two witnesses period of prophecy, and second it measures the period of protection for the woman who gives birth to Christ. It would be safe to say that both of these are symbolic.
Here at the end of the book of Revelation we have the last occurrences of chilioi piled into six verses. Then the word disappears from scripture, never to be mentioned again. In each case in chapter 20, the thousand years measure Satan’s captivity and Christ’s reign. During this period Satan is locked up in the abyss and the martyrs are resurrected to rule with Christ. It does not say that they reigned with Christ on earth. Those who hold to the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth theory base the bulk of their teaching on the verses here. But one thing is mentioned in the beginning and the end of these verses that show us that this is not the end of time. After the thousand years are over, Satan is again released. He again goes through the earth deceiving the nations and rounding up an army against God’s people and the city God loves. Surely, if Christ and the risen martyrs were ruling the earth for 1000 years prior to this, this would not have occurred. As these enemies surround the camp of God’s people, God burns them up, captures Satan and throws him into the lake of fire.
This appears to be the final event before the judgment day.
Dear student of God’s Word, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords today, right now! He is not going to give up this rule to Satan for a second! While Satan still influences men in this world, heaven’s rule is perfect. As long as we live on this earth we still can pray as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!” Until Christ returns in final judgment and creates a new heaven and a new earth, this prayer should be on the lips of God’s people. Certainly, the kingdom of God is ruling in the church, but can anyone say that the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven today? Perhaps in a few places with a few people, the will of God is being done on earth, but surely we can pray this prayer today and understand that we are calling on the Lord to come again to let us witness the fulfillment of the words: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Rev. 11:15
What a blessing it will be to see Jesus coming in glory some day! Let us all make ready for that day to come and pray that it hasten.
Read chapter 20:11-15
What does this look like?
Who appears before this seat of judgment?
Read 2 Cor. 5:10
What does this say about who will be there in judgment?
Does this look like the same thing as the text above?
What things are written in the books?
Does God keep a record of your life? Are you thankful for what is in that record?
Why not pause now and pray for God to fill your life with events and experiences that will glorify His Name and will give you assurance and thankfulness for what is written in His record of your life.
Day 3
Read chapter 21:1-8
The judgment is over. Evil is defeated and destroyed. Nothing tainted with sin is allowed in the new dwelling of God’s people, the holy city, where we will enjoy forever the presence of God’s throne and the splendor of his glory. We only get a glimpse of this through the report of John’s vision. But what he tells us reminds us of God’s desire to share eternity with us and his fulfillment of that desire in giving us this inheritance.
Look at the word “new” here. What things are new?
List the blessings for those who inherit all this:
Look again at verse 7. How does this sound like the message to the churches in chapters 2-3?
What is the point?
This speaks of a new heaven and a new earth. What happens with the old heaven and the old earth?
Why do you suppose heaven is included in this description of new things?
Read Eph. 6:10-12. Where are these evil powers?
Look at other passages that speak of the new heavens and the new earth:
Isaiah 65:17-25, 66:22-24. 2 Peter 3:7-13.
What difference do you see in the description of this in Isaiah and the New Testament description of the new heavens and earth?
What similarities do you see?
Jesus spoke of those who are in the resurrection in Luke 20:34-36. What does Jesus say about the children of the resurrection that is different from what you see in Isaiah’s words about the new heaven and the new earth?
Dear student, aren’t you glad that in the resurrection there is eternal life! Jesus reveals that the life he is calling us to in the new heavens and the new earth is forever.
Read chapter 21:9-27
Lets go through this slowly and drink up all the details as we go.
First, underline who this is speaking about. What does the angel first call our attention to?
Who is this?
Where is this? Where does she come from? Where is she going?
How is the wife also the city? (How is the bride the church?)
What does the city shine with? Why?
What is the significance of the number 12 here? (Notice all the 12’s and even the wall is 12 times 12 in measure).
Remember the 12’s in chapter 7:1-8? What significance did these have?
Twelve seems to be the number assigned to God’s people. This number is especially about those closest to him, his chosen, blessed ones who are in his presence. Jesus even selected 12 apostles to accompany him in his mission and to commission to take the gospel to the world. Remember that when Judas fell another had to be selected to take his place to bring the number back to 12 before the Holy Spirit came and began the church. (See Acts 1 and 2).
Discuss the foundation of the city:
What specific details do we see here:
What does the city have and what does it not have?
A walled city is a great protection, but this city never closes its gates. What does this imply?
Where are the enemies at this point?
What is the source of light and where is the place of worship?
Who enters this city and who is excluded?
Aren’t you looking forward to being there? This is the happily ever after that every heart desires and never finds here on earth. Finally, we will enjoy the blessings of sinless splendor before God and the Lamb in the holy city. Are you ready?
Day 4
Read chapter 21:1-6
The term “water of life” occurs four times in Revelation: 7:17, 21:6, 22:1, and 22:17.
The term “tree of life” occurs three times in the first part of the first book of the Bible and three times here in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible. The first time man was removed from access to the tree of life and here we are invited to enjoy its fruit again. Earlier in Rev. 2:7, Jesus promises, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Are you ready to partake of the fruit of the tree of life and drink from the water of life that flows from the throne of God?
In Ezekiel 47 and 48 we read a description of Israel restored. There is a river that flows from the sanctuary, beginning as a trickle of water and growing deeper and wider until it is a mighty river supplying food for all with fish and trees on her shores that bare fruit and never wither. Then he describes the gates of the city naming the twelve tribes of Israel with each gate as he measures it out. The final words are the best: "And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE."
What a beautiful picture of hope and promise. Only God can make a heaven. Only God can save a soul. Only He can cleanse the guilty heart and make the sinner whole.
What do you see in Rev. 22:1-6 that gives you hope?
List the things in these verses that help you understand the blessings of heaven:
What does this say about the heart of God for us? What does our Father want for us?
Read chapter 22:7-21
What does Jesus say in verses: 7,12, and 20?
What do those words mean?
Underline all the warnings in this section.
List them here:
Underline all the encouraging statements in this section:
List them here:
Dear student, you have just read the last words of the Bible. When you think about what God has said throughout this book and then hear these final words, I hope and pray that you have come to see the blessing of God for the one who reads these words of prophecy. God longs for us to share eternity with Him. He has designed a perfect place where we are invited to come. His call to all is, “Come!” But not all will answer and not all will enter the blessings prepared for those who prepare for them. We must continue to seek and strive to live in His will. There is nothing on this earth that can ever compare with being in His glorious presence for eternity.
Day 5
Read chapter 19:11 through 22:21 again.
Review your thoughts from days 1-4.
Dear Student, I’m proud of you! You have completed the entire book of Revelation and have looked at every verse. God has surely spoken to your heart through this study and my prayer is that He will continue to use the things you have learned here to enrich your faith and build up your hope for eternal glory with Him forever. What greater gift can God give to us than He has given and promises to give? Where is the charm of the flesh compared to the splendor of eternal life with Jesus in the heavenly city?
Take a few minutes to write a thanksgiving prayer to the Lord for all He has done and continues to do for us.
