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Scripture Reading: Rev. 18—20
The goal of Revelation is the New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22. First, however, we must come to chapters 18 through 20.
Revelation 18:1 says, “After these things I saw another Angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was illumined with His glory.” This Angel is Christ, for only Christ’s glory can illumine the earth. In 8:3-5 Christ as another Angel offers incense with the prayers of the saints, and in 10:1 Christ as another strong Angel comes to take possession of the earth. Now in 18:1-3 Christ as another Angel comes to judge and overthrow the political and material Babylon.
As we have seen, Revelation 17 is the record of the fall of the religious aspect of Babylon the Great. Chapter 17 impresses us with the fact that the great harlot, the apostate Roman Catholic Church, will be more and more prevailing until the end of this age. The harlot has been riding on the beast, signifying both the Roman Empire and the Antichrist, to utilize its political power. From the time of Constantine the Great, who made Christianity a national religion, the Roman Church has very much utilized the political situation. This union of religion and politics, which is fornication, will continue until the day Antichrist with his ten kings will turn against the Roman Church to destroy her and burn her with fire. That will put an end to her. According to 17:17 this will be something of God’s doing. Verse 17 says, “For God has put it into their hearts to perform His mind and to perform one mind and to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God are accomplished.” The Roman Catholic Church has very much utilized the Roman Empire, but it will be of God that eventually the Roman Empire will bring the Roman Church to an end. This is something divine and sovereign.
Revelation 18, however, records the fall of Babylon, the city of Rome, mainly in its political and material aspects. That this is the material aspect is shown by verse 10, which speaks of “the great city,” and verses 11 through 13, which speak of the traffic of merchandise. The Lord will come back purposely to judge the material Babylon and bring it to an end.
During the time I was in college, the Russian Bolsheviks, the Communists, sent people to indoctrinate and poison the Chinese young people. I saw how these Communists worked among the students, and a number of my schoolmates were gained by them. That is why most of the Communist leaders today are my age.
The intention of the Communists is to create their own version of the kingdom of the heavens. In 1939 a young, proud Chinese man, who frequently would listen to my ministry, came to me and said, “Mr. Lee, you preach the kingdom of the heavens, but we are working it out.” He did not tell me that he was a Communist, but by the terms he used I immediately recognized that he was. The intention of the Communists is to establish a new kind of human society, regardless of the cost to human life. They would even sacrifice most of the human race as long as they could gain a small number from the young generation. This is their devilish goal.
When I came to the West in 1958, many Christian friends expressed their deep concern that the Communists would take over the Western world, including America and western Europe. This surprised me very much. I could not understand how so much of the Western world could be deceived by the false propaganda of the devilish Communists. In 1958 I was invited to London and Denmark. While there, even the most spiritual persons expressed to me the fear that all of Europe would soon fall to the Communists. In their messages they tried to prepare the hearts of the saints to face the same situation that the dear brothers in mainland China had faced. Since I had come from China, they asked me what I felt about that. I am a small person with no famous name and no theological degree, but I boldly said, “Dear friends, do not believe the lie. Be at peace. Those devilish people will never take over your country.” Today, of course, western Europe is still safe.
The saints in Denmark and England wondered how I, not being a king, a prime minister, a president, or even a prophet, could predict this. Therefore, I gave them the reasons. I told them that in the minds of the Communists, they have only two enemies today, one religious and one political and military. Their religious enemy is Roman Catholicism, and their political enemy is the United States. Therefore, their goal is to get rid of these two. If they achieve this goal, they can be successful worldwide and have their “kingdom.” However, according to the prophecy of the divine Word in Revelation 17, Catholicism will be very prevailing until the end of this age. This is a strong sign that Communism will never be prevailing in a worldwide way. Moreover, what we see in Revelation 18 is not Communism. Rather, it is one hundred percent contrary to Communism. In Communism there is no commerce with selling and buying as is portrayed in verses 10 through 13, so this chapter is another strong sign that at the end of this age Communism will not be prevailing in the world. Therefore, be at peace. The Lord will preserve the situation on the earth for His purpose.
Revelation 19:1-6 is the praise of the great multitude of the saints, the angels, and all creatures. After this, verse 7 says, “Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” On the negative side, the praise to God is for the fall of Babylon the Great, while on the positive side, it is because of the readiness of the glorious bride. These two women are the main focus of the prophecy in chapters 12 through 22. In these chapters we see the destruction of the harlot and the readiness of the bride. One woman is brought to an end, and the other woman is made ready for the marriage of the Lamb.
Verse 8 continues, “And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.” Strictly speaking, the fine linen is not the righteousness (that is, Christ) that we received for our salvation (1 Cor. 1:30). Rather, it is the righteous acts that are our living out of Christ. In this sense we may speak of two steps of justification. The first step is to be justified in Christ that we might be saved, and the second step is to be justified in the eyes of God by a daily walk, a living, of righteousnesses. This living, this daily walk, the righteousnesses signified by the fine linen, is the outworking of Christ as life within us. The first aspect of justification is sufficient for us to be saved, and the second aspect is required for us to attend the marriage of the Lamb.
The word righteousnesses in Revelation 19:8 is plural, referring to righteous deeds. The righteousness that is Christ Himself is sufficient for us to be justified and saved; this is righteousness in the singular number. The use of righteousnesses in the plural, however, proves that what is mentioned in verse 8 is not Christ as our righteousness for us to be justified. Rather, it is righteous deeds, the daily walk, the Christian living, that Christ as our life works out through us. This outworking of the inner life is the white linen with which we are clothed. In order to attend a feast, especially a wedding feast, we must dress in a proper way. In the same way, we need the proper clothing in order to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Verse 9 says, “And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.” This wedding feast of the Lamb will last for one thousand years. The thousand years will be a wedding day, for with the Lord a thousand years is like one day (2 Pet. 3:8). To be invited to attend the wedding feast is to have the privilege of sharing the millennial kingdom as co-kings with Christ.
Revelation 19:11 through 13 say, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written which no one knows but Himself. And He is clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God.” The One on the white horse is the wonderful Christ Himself. His being clothed with a garment dipped in blood is related to His treading of the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God (v. 15; Isa. 63:1-3). That His name is called the Word of God means that He is the expression, the testimony, and the speaking of God.
Revelation 19:14 says, “And the armies which are in heaven followed Him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” These armies are the saints, those spoken of in 17:14, which says that the beast and the ten kings “will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and they who are with Him, the called and chosen and faithful, will also overcome them.” They who are with Him refers to the overcoming saints who become the heavenly army. The Lord does not want to fight the battle by Himself. In principle, when the Lord deals with the enemy, He needs the saints as His armies.
The fine linen in 19:14 is the fine linen of the bride of the Lamb in verse 8, indicating that those who attend the wedding feast become the armies to fight the battle.
Verse 15a says, “And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He will shepherd them with an iron rod.” This is the fulfillment of Psalm 2:8-9, which tells us that Christ will rule the nations with an iron rod.
Revelation 19:20 says that the beast and the false prophet were seized and “cast alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.” These two had already died but were raised again, not by God but by Satan. Now they will be the first to go directly into the lake of fire, without passing through further death or resurrection like all the others who perish.
Verse 21 says, “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeds out of the mouth of Him who sits on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” This takes place at the battle of Armageddon which is the treading of the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God. The grapes in this winepress are the kings, armies, and followers of Antichrist. Their intention is to fight against Christ, but God’s intention is to bring them together into the winepress so that Christ can come to tread on them and bring them to an end.
Revelation 20:1-3 records the imprisonment of Satan for one thousand years in the abyss. Following this, verses 4 and 5 say, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and of those who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.” In Greek the word first here is the same word as best in Luke 15:22, which speaks of “the best robe” that the father gave to the returning prodigal son. Therefore, this phrase in Revelation 20:5 may be rendered “the best resurrection.”
Many Christians have a wrong concept about resurrection. In Philippians 3:11 the apostle Paul says, “If perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.” In 1:24-25 he says that he would remain on the earth for the Lord’s testimony, and in 3:20 he indicates that we should wait for the Lord’s coming back. This means that Paul gave no indication here that he expected to die, yet he still aspired to attain to a certain kind of resurrection. The word for resurrection in 3:11 is not the ordinary word for resurrection; it has something added to it to make it out-resurrection. The out-resurrection from the dead is the outstanding resurrection, the best resurrection. This may be compared to a graduation. Someone may graduate from school, but his may not be the best graduation. Only the top few graduates have the best graduation. This resurrection, the best resurrection, includes not only those overcomers who have died but also the raptured living overcomers, such as the firstfruits in Revelation 14:1-5, who have part in the issue of the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” As we have seen, the first resurrection is not the ordinary resurrection; this is the best resurrection, the resurrection with the kingship. The ones spoken of here are resurrected not only to live but also to reign, to be co-kings with Christ. Many believe that no matter what kind of Christians they are after they are saved, they will suddenly be kings when the Lord Jesus comes back. This is ridiculous. Everyone who intends to be a king must be disciplined. Many times I look at myself and ask, “Do I look like a king?” If the Lord Jesus came today and put us on thrones as kings, we ourselves might tell Him that we are not qualified. God’s intention is not merely to save us but to save us to be priests and kings. One born into a royal family needs much training and discipline to become a proper king. Many Christians are poor, having only been saved but never having loved the Lord or agreed to hand themselves over to Him to be disciplined and trained. How can they be His co-kings? Those in chapter 20 who live and reign with Christ are not merely the saved ones. After being saved, they passed through certain kinds of experiences that made them adequate and prepared to be kings.
Revelation 20:7 and 8 say, “And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. Their number is like that of the sand of the sea.” Gog and Magog are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Ezekiel 38:2 says, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” Magog refers to a people from the remotest part of the north (Gen. 10:2; Ezek. 39:1-2), and Meshech corresponds to today’s Moscow. Therefore, most Bible students agree that Gog and Magog refer to Russia. This gives us a hint to understand today’s world situation. Eventually, the problems between men on the earth and God will be focused on that region.
According to Revelation 20:8 and 9, even after the thousand-year reign of Christ, the human race on earth will still be rebellious due to the work of the devil. Verse 9a says, “And they went up upon the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” In 19:14 the overcoming saints are called the armies in heaven. After the war at Armageddon, during the thousand years, the armies of heaven become the camp of the saints who reign as co-kings with Christ. In addition, the beloved city is Jerusalem, the dwelling place of the remnant of Israel. These two people — the camp of the saints and the beloved city — will become the target for the enemy’s attack. Satan will stir up the rebellious human race to do their best to destroy the believers and the Jews. However, verse 9b continues, “And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.” Following this, the devil was cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet were (v. 10).
Following this, there is the judgment of the great white throne. Verses 11 and 12 say, “And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened; and another scroll was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by the things which were written in the scrolls, according to their works.” Him in verse 11 must refer to the Lord Jesus, who is to be the Judge of the living and the dead (John 5:22; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:1; Rom. 2:16). The old heavens and the old earth will flee away from Him; that is, they will pass away.
Revelation 20:12 speaks of two kinds of scrolls. The first scrolls are a record of the works and deeds of the unbelievers, whereas the second scroll is the book of life.
Verse 13 continues, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, each of them, according to their works.” If the dead who are in the sea are the same as the dead who are in Hades, why is there the need to mention the dead in the sea separately? This requires much study. Mr. G. H. Pember gave us a clear understanding of this. He said that the dead who are in the sea may not be human beings but the spirits (the demons today) of the living beings of the preadamic age. This is why demons go into the sea after being cast out of human beings (Matt. 8:31-32; 12:43). In the restoration of God’s creation, on the second day God made an expanse to separate the waters below from the waters above (Gen. 1:6-7). In both places — in the air and in the sea — there are evil things. The evil things in the sea are the demons. Revelation 11:7 and 17:8 tell us that the beast comes out of the abyss, but 13:1 says that he comes up out of the sea. This may indicate that the sea is the mouth of the abyss.
Revelation 20:14 and 15 say, “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” Now at the end of Revelation 20 everything is cleared up. All the “dirt” has been thrown into the “trash can” of the universe, which is the lake of fire.
Moreover, 21:1 says that “the sea is no more.” The sea is a problem to God. In Genesis 1 the waters on the earth were a problem that God had to deal with. On the negative side, God worked to limit the sea, and on the positive side, He worked to bring forth the land in order to grow something for His purpose. The good land of Canaan is a further progression of the land. The land is a type of Christ. On the third day Christ resurrected from the death waters, and by His resurrection He brought forth much life. The sea is a place where the enemy of God is, so God must eliminate it.
Eventually, at the end of the Scriptures there are two consummations, the New Jerusalem on the positive side and the lake of fire on the negative side. God produces the New Jerusalem from the land, and He reduces the sea into a lake. What was originally a large sea is now in a lake, the lake of fire. We may compare this to cleaning a house. At first we may have a big mess, but after we clean it up, the mess is restricted to a small trash can. In the same way, all the dirty and wrong things in the universe will be restricted to a small location, the lake of fire. The sea will be limited to a lake, but the temple will be enlarged to be a city. The sea is limited and reduced, but the temple is enlarged. There will be no more sea, nothing dirty or waste. The beast, the false prophet, the dragon, their followers, the dead in the sea, the dead in Hades, and death and Hades themselves will together be cast into the universal “trash can,” the lake of fire. In this way everything negative will be cleared up.
