Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Revelation 21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” As we move to the end of the book of Revelation, we see John's vision of a new heaven and a new earth. Usually we hear all about heaven and what it will be like, but we don't hear much about the "new earth...

Revelation 20 And I saw coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. Of any of the chapters in Revelation, chapter 20 often causes the most amount of differing interpretation from many theological perspectives. There is no way I can capture all of them here. Some of those topics include: the 1,000 year reign of Christ, when believers are actually resurrected, are there one or two resurrections, and how are people included or excluded from the book of life. Obviously there are huge theological implications for each of these questions. But my goal has been as we have gone through the book of Revelation is to keep things as simple...

Revelation 19 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. Jesus came the first time as the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. But as John sees heaven opening and Jesus coming back, he comes back in great and promised glory. While he came the first time as a suffering servant, h...

Babylon Revelation 18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. 3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Do you ever get tired of the evil and greed in the world? It seems as though the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Those who exploit others and children for their gain, sadly seem to profit as well. What does God think about this? Revelation 18 gives us a glimpse of what kind of judgment awaits those who have been ruled by luxury and greed. The metaphor is that they will be repaid i...

Revelation 18 Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast 17 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” As we have interpreted this book, we have seen that some of the metaphors represent historical people and governments in John's time, but are also metaphorical for all time. Babylon was a specific kingdom who overcame Israel in its history in 586 BC, and Rome was considered the Babylon in Jesus' time. It represented the power in the world, which is ruled by the evil one. One of the symptoms of this system was adultery. Adultery in a literal sense, but also in relation to people who denied God and gave themselves to the gods of the world. In this final revelation, John is seeing this power in complete control of the ever and incre...

Revelation 16 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had The seven bowls of judgment complete God's judgment on all mankind. Each judgment is worse than the previous and brought pain, sores and boils on the people. One of the judgments is cited to be judgment for all those who had shed the blood of the holy ones and the prophets. It reminds us that when the end comes God will right all wrongs and bring justice to those who were wronged or killed for His name. But the big theme is that when those who have the ma...

Revelation 15 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Revelation 15 is a prelude to the seven plagues that will bring the final judgment of God. Seven is the number of completeness, so after this series of plagues the judgment will be complete. One commentator put it this way, "Unlike previous plagues, these are universal, and they will culminate in the abolition of all evil (“with them God’s wrath is completed”) and the end of the world." Life Appl...

Revelation 14 A third angel followed them said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. One of the most difficult aspects of talking about the Christian faith is judgment. This is especially true of the final judgment of believers and unbelievers. Some people would like to soften the message about a final judgment thinking no one should deserve to spend eternity apart from God, what the bible...

Revelation 14 A third angel followed them said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. One of the most difficult aspects of talking about the Christian faith is judgment. This is especially true of the final judgment of believers and unbelievers. Some people would like to soften the message about a final judgment thinking no one should deserve to spend eternity apart from God, what the bible...

Revelation 13 Sea 13 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” So begins a time of persecution where the dragon (Satan) empowers 2 beasts to come through both the sea and the earth. Some have compared the beast to Nero the emperor of Rome, since the church was undergoing intense persecution. And while that might have some relevance ...

Revelation 12 Revelation 12New International Version (NIV) The Woman and the Dragon 12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the d...

Revelation 11 The Seventh Trumpet 15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” 19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailst...

Revelation 10 10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down. Then when I saw the Angel standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will b...

Revelation 9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. Context As the fifth and six trumpets are sounded by the fifth and sixth Angels, there are many terrible things that begin to happen. It is a chal...

Revelation 8 and the Golden Censer 8 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Context As we continue to see the Revelation given to John being translated to the seven churches, we get to the seventh seal. And within the seventh seal, there are seven trumpets given to the seven angels. We see the book of Revelation is like the peeling back of an onion. Again we see again...

Revelation 7 Sealed 7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. Interpretation Of all the verses in the book of Revelation, these are often the most misinterpreted. Many people have interpreted the 144,000 who are sealed, as a literal number of those who will escape the tribulation of the sixth seal. Others see it as symbolic of the full number of Jews who will come to faith in Jesus and be saved. That they are Jews is hard to deny from the text. ...

Revelation 6 Seals 6 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. 3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. Context As we enter into chapter six, the images and metaphors begin to swirl around pretty quickly, so we need to keep them straight as to what the book says what they represent. Here is a brief review of what we have heard so far. Seven Seals These are the revelation of the future events to come before Jesus' second coming. Each seal marked a different part of the revelation as Jesus the Lamb opens the scroll on...

Revelation 5 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Context John expands on his theme in heaven there will be a chorus of every living being and creatures, who will be praising Jesus all day and night. Today he builds on that theme and adds that Jesus will be worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. A scroll could be up to 30 feet long. Since they didn't have paper it was made up of papyrus,...