I.
The Beasts
A.
The beast with seven heads and ten horns:
The first beast came out of the sea, he had ten horns and seven heads. Head means kingship which represents a nation
(17:9-10). The number seven does not refer to the actual number, but to a
considerably many number. They will be
united in one, and organize a group of great nation in cooperation with each
other. Horn refers to the power; ten
horns mean a strong and sufficient power.
He resembles a leopard which means that he acts speedily, and his feet
are like those of a bear for the power of a bear is in its feet with which he
attacks or scratches the game not to escape.
His mouth is like that of a lion which means that once he roars, all
around him would be scared. He is the dragon which is the instrument of the
devil, Satan make use of. (Rev 13:2)
B.
One of the heads of the beast seems to have had
a fatal wound, but the fatal wound is healed.
The whole world was astonished
and followed the beast. Men worshipped
the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also
worshipped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" (Rev
13:3-4)
C.
His work:
1.
Persecuting the Church: Blaspheming God and His
name - Jesus (Jn ), and His Temple - the Church (Heb 8:2), - the spiritual
believers dwelling in Heaven (Eph 2:6; Heb ). The beast was given the power to persecute the
Church for 42 months, and to conquer.
2.
Conquering the nations: He was given power and
authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Rev 13:7; Dan 8:24)
D.
The second beast:
This beast had two horns like a
lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He is
the false prophet and false Christ. He
exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, but in the end,
he, along with the first beast, was thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. (; )
E.
He is the little horn prophesied in the book of
Daniel to appear in the last days - the anti-Christ, performing perverse and
abominable things.
His appearance is one of the
signs which indicates the last day coming near. (Dan
7:7-8,11,25-26; 8:9-12,23-24; ,36,37;
Mt 24:15-22)
II.
The Great Babylon
A.
Babylon
the great:
She is the great prostitute, who
sits on many waters (Rev 17:5), and rules over the kings of the earth (), and the mother of
prostitutes (17:,), a home for demons and a haunt for
every evil spirit (18:2,3). "Many waters"
means peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. ().
B.
Her sins:
Blaspheming God, shedding the
blood of the saints (17:3,6; 19:2; ), of prophets and of all who have been
killed on the earth (),
and boasting, luxury, immorality, and so on (18:7,3,9; 17:2).
C.
Her end:
The beast and the ten horns hate
the prostitute, and bring her to ruin and leave her naked, and they will eat
her flesh and burn her with fire (). In one day her plagues will overtake her, to
be burnt to ruin (18:8,10,17,19). She will be thrown down, never to be found
again ().
D.
The calling of God:
"Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her
plagues;" (18:4)
III.
The New Jerusalem (Rev. Chapter 21)
A.
She comes down out of heaven (21:1-2), from the
mountain great and high (;
Is.2:2-3).
B.
The Bride, the wife of the Lamb:
The angel called her the wife of
the Lamb, that is Jerusalem,
the holy city coming down from heaven - the true Church (21:9-10, Gal ; Heb ).
C.
The New Jerusalem
The spiritual contents of the
true Church should be equipped with:
1.
There is a river of the water of life in the
city (Rev 11:1): This represents the river of the Holy Spirit (Jn -39). The church without the Holy Spirit does not
belong to Christ (Rom 8:9; Eph ).
2.
The wall of the city has twelve foundations and
on them are the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (): This means that the true Church should
have the foundation of truth that the apostles preached (Eph ).
No other foundation, that is to say, no other gospel must be preached
(Gal 1:6-9; II Cor 11:4).
3.
There is a great high wall (): This means God's strong protection
which is isolated from the outer world, to be sanctified (Ref. I Kgs 9:3; II Tim 2:19).
4.
There are twelve gates (21:13): Three gates on
the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west, which
means that the gospel of salvation must be preached to all the people in all
directions (Mk 16:15; Mt 28:18-20; Gen.13:14-17; Rom 1:16).
5.
The city does not need the sun or the moon to
shine on it (): This
means that there may be no need of material, physical joy or pleasure, but that
there is a spiritual joy more than enough from the glory of God.
6.
There are the trees of life (22:1-4): These
represent the saints full of spiritual life.
They will bear twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruit every month. The Name of the Lamb is on their foreheads,
for they have the image of the Lord in themselves, and will see His face
always.
