The Angel's Second
Visit – Revelation 21:9 –
22:21
[1] [2] [3]
-3-
Adding to and
Subtracting from the Book of
Revelation
God promises a
blessing for everyone who will read
and attempt to understand the book of
Revelation.[16] He also
promises to put a curse on anyone who
adds or subtracts anything from this
book. This curse can be viewed
on two different levels. First,
in ancient times, there were no copy
machines. Everything had to be
copied by hand. Therefore,
God’s warning could be
understood as a promised curse for
anyone who might distort or change
the wording on this mysterious
book. Perhaps Jesus said this
to ensure that the final generation
would have a perfect copy of
John’s original document.
The second view of the
curse is larger and more
complex. This view involves the
interpretation of Revelation’s
story. A day is coming when the
144,000 will present the book of
Revelation to the people of
Earth as a testing truth.
At that time, anyone adding to or
subtracting from the book of
Revelation will be cursed.
Of course, God knows
that down through the ages, honest
and sincere people have tried to
understand the amazing books of
Daniel and Revelation. Today,
there is a great deal of honest confusion
about apocalyptic prophecy.
Even though most of what is presently
said about Revelation is wrong
(according to Daniel’s four
rules), God does not hold a person
accountable for ignorance unless he
knows better and continues to do evil
anyway or he rejects the clearest
evidences of truth or the prompting
of the Holy Spirit. In other
words, the curse pronounced in Revelation 22:18,19 will only occur
when people knowingly and willingly
alter the book of Revelation to
justify their rebellion against
God’s laws. This time has
not yet occurred because the world
has not been confronted with a
testing truth. Soon, the
144,000 and the Two Witnesses will
proclaim the story contained in
Revelation in the clearest of terms
and those who willfully attempt to
distort or change the story will be
cursed.
Remember, Holy Spirit
power will rest upon the 144,000 and
they alone will present the four
angel’s messages to the
world. (See Prophecies 12 and
14.) For 1,260 days every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people
will hear from the book of Revelation
in their own language. The
world will hear a pure gospel, the
eternal gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Jesus given today is
highly contaminated with human
doctrine. If you disagree, just
step back and look at the confusion
that is called Christianity.
The Bible says no lie
will be found in the mouths of the
144,000.[17] The 144,000
will challenge the lies (and laws) of
Babylon. Babylon will intensely
persecute anyone who opposes its
lies. Do not forget, Babylon
will wield great power because the
devil will give Babylon its great
power and authority. To
counteract God’s 144,000
servants, the devil will empower a
large number of false prophets.
Of course, I do not know the actual
number of the devil’s false
prophets, but I do recall that one
true prophet (Elijah) faced down 450
false prophets on Mount Carmel.[18] I am looking
forward to the day when God’s
144,000 servants will present the
book of Revelation to the world with
power and authority and God’s
penetrating truth will separate the
sheep from the goats. Many will
refuse to believe the truth,[19] but many will
also embrace the two laws of love and
be saved!
Final Words
I cannot adequately
explain the love, grace, mercy, or
patience of God as He deals with
sinners (including me) within the
pages of this book. I cannot
adequately explain the dimensions of
the plan of redemption which the
Father designed before the world was
created and put into motion on the
day that sin began. I cannot
adequately explain the joy and peace
that comes from knowing and abiding
in Christ. I cannot explain the
comforting companionship of the Holy
Spirit. Even after forty years
of Bible study, I cannot adequately
explain the Bible or the books of
Daniel and Revelation because I
consider myself still a
beginner. As I wrote this book,
there were times I wanted to quit
because there is so much to the story
of redemption that it is
overwhelming. Where does one
start? How does one organize an
overwhelming number of facts?
What are the best words to use and
when should certain details be
presented? My desire has been
to write the facts so that readers
can easily follow the
story. I have done my
best and the book is finished, even
though I consider it an inadequate
product.
I am so thankful that
God gave us the books of Daniel and
Revelation. They provide a
wonderful road-map for the end time
scenario. We have a chance to
understand Jesus’ coming
actions. As I have explained, I
believe the revealing of Jesus Christ
began in 1798 and that it will
quickly accelerate during the Great
Tribulation. I eagerly
anticipate the revelation of Jesus
(the breaking of the fourth seal)
because the human race desperately
needs to reconnect with its
Creator. The curse of sin has
placed the world in darkness and
rebellion. The curse of sin has
caused endless sorrow, suffering,
violence, illness, and death.
The curse of sin has spawned
predators who prey upon children, the
elderly and anyone who they can
overpower. The curse of sin has
led man to put his faith in money and
his love to be displaced by
lust. Man’s character is
corrupt and loyalty to ennobling
principles has vanished. It is
the curse of sin that causes
God’s wrath to come, and it
surely will come.
The curse of sin left
Jesus to face several
challenges. First,
Lucifer’s jealous hatred focused
on Jesus in Heaven, and the it
focused on Adam and Eve, two people
who Jesus loved enough to die in
their place. Then,
Lucifer’s attention moved toward
the destruction of the world, but
Jesus saved eight souls in
Noah’s day. As time
progressed, Lucifer focused on
Israel, but Jesus saved a remnant
(His Church) out of Israel.
Lucifer focused on Baby Jesus, only
to have His parents be given a
warning to escape. Lucifer
tried again by sealing Jesus in the
tomb of death, only to have Jesus
released. Lucifer fought
against Jesus in Heaven on
Resurrection Sunday, but Jesus
prevailed. Thrown to Earth,
Lucifer focused on the woman, the
bride of Christ, but she too,
escaped. Let me be clear,
Lucifer will soon persecute the
remnant of the woman, but a remnant
will live to see Jesus appear at the
Second Coming! In his attempt
to conquer Jesus and His creation,
Lucifer will lead the kings and
armies of Earth to make war on Jesus,
but Jesus will destroy them.
Finally, at the end of the 1,000
years, Lucifer will lead a numberless
multitude against New Jerusalem, but
fire will come down from God, out of
Heaven, and burn them up.
A day is coming when
Satan will make his last stand and
Jesus will rise up and annihilate the
devil and all who are like him.
Yet, there is one final victory that
I am sure Jesus is anxious to
complete – to destroy death
itself. When Jesus destroys the
curse of sin, death will no longer
exist in God’s universe.
Finally, God’s house will be
free of the cancer of sin!
“Then the
end [of sin’s
drama] will come, when
he [Jesus] hands
over the kingdom to God the Father
after he has destroyed all [earthly] dominion,
authority and power. For
he [Jesus] must
reign [as Sovereign
God] until he has put
all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is
death. For he [the
Father] ‘has put
everything under his
feet.’ Now when it says
that ‘everything’ has been
put under him [Jesus],
it is clear that this does not
include God [the
Father]himself, who put
everything under Christ. When
he [Jesus] has
done this [that is,
destroyed death itself], then
the Son himself will be made subject
to him who put everything under him,
so that God [the
Father] may be all in
all.”[20]
Most people do not
realize that the final victory of
Jesus has a surprise ending.
Instead of remaining on the throne of
God and basking forever in the glory
of His incredible accomplishments,
Jesus will become a subject (a son)
of God all over again because His
greatest joy is living among those He
has created. What
humility! What kindness and
compassion! What love!
And here I go again, having no words
to adequately describe our Savior and
friend, Jesus.
References
- Revelation
17:3,4 Return
- Revelation
19:7 Return
- Isaiah 9:6; Revelation
11:2; 21:9 Return
- Psalm 2:7-12; John 17:6,7; Daniel 7:13,14 Return
- Zechariah
14:4-6 Return
- Revelation
21:23 Return
- Revelation
21:3 Return
- 1 Corinthians
2:9 Return
- Revelation
15:5-8 Return
- Evidently,
the Father’s face cannot
be seen and will not be seen
throughout eternity.
See John 6:46; 1:18; and 1 Timothy 6:15,16. Daniel
saw a representation of the
Father (Daniel 7:9,10) and John saw
His hand
(Revelation 5:7). Return
- Revelation
14:1 Return
- Revelation 1:6 Return
- Revelation 1:1; 10:1 Return
- Revelation 1:1; 1:3; 3:11; 22:6,10,20 Return
- 2 Peter 3:8 Return
- Revelation 1:3 Return
- Revelation
14:5 Return
- See Revelation
13:4; 1 Kings
18:20-22. Return
- 2
Thessalonians 2:9-12 Return
- 1 Corinthians
15:24-28, insertions
mine Return
