 Okay. Good morning everyone. Welcome to BC 308, our course on Revelation and Daniel. We are currently going through the Book of Revelation, chapter and verse, and trying to get an understanding of what's been given to us there. Let's pray and we will get started. Could somebody please lead us in prayer? And then we will start. Can you hear me Pastor? Heavenly Father, I come to you under the name of Jesus. Thank you for this day. Thank you for the class you're about to have. Lord, I pray that you and us, Pastor, as your teachers, the truth in the Bible will help us to understand it, to be fully convinced in our faith and God. May everything that we learn equip us, build us for your Kingdom, Jesus. Be with us throughout the session. Help us to have a good Wi-Fi connection. We just give you all the glory and all the honor. Jesus' name, my prayer. Amen. Alright. So, let's go to chapter 8 of Revelation. Just a quick overview of that. That's kind of where we are. We finished up chapter 8 and we are ready to move actually now into chapter 9. So, Revelation chapter 8, we are still in the first half, on the first three and a half years on that side of the tribulation. Okay. And all that we're reading now is in the early part, the first three and a half years of the tribulation. How do we know that? Because when we come to chapter 11 and 12, we have the timing given for us. We will find in chapter 11, verse 1, also in chapter 12, the clear indication that that is the second half of the tribulation. So, therefore, we are saying everything before Revelation chapter 11, verse 1, is the first half, the first three and a half years of the tribulation. So, we saw the seven seals that were opened. Then we saw how God has marked 144,000 Jews to serve Him. Chapter 8, we come to the seven trumpets. And we see before the trumpet judgments can start, chapter 8 beginning, there is a danger of God throws a censor from heaven. And that is representing, so we see that the incense is a prayers of the saints and that is being thrown to the earth. So, what we are saying is that around that time there's going to be a great prayer revival happening on the earth. There's going to be lots and lots of people praying, calling out to God around that time. So, the angel is throwing this censor to the earth. And then we see the seven trumpet judgments starting. So, just to quickly summarize, now each of these trumpet judgments is causing destruction on the earth in some way. There's vegetation. A third of vegetation is being affected. That's Revelation chapter 8, verse 7. Then the seas are affected, the waters are affected. And at the end of chapter 8, things are happening in the atmosphere, in the cosmic world, in the moon, in the sun, and all of that's happening here. So, let's go to chapter 9. We're going to pick up from here. This is the fifth trumpet being sounded. And there's going to be continuous things happening on the earth. So, Revelation 9, verses 1 to 12, please. Somebody could read that for us. Revelation chapter 9, verses 1 to 12, please. Revelation chapter 9, verses 1 to 12. Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit, and he opened the bottomless pit and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So, the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locus came upon the earth, and to them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their forehead. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days, men will seek death and will not find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locus was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lion's teeth. And they had dress plates like dress plates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months, and they had asking over them the angel of the bottomless pit whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon. But in Greek he has the name Apollon. One woe is past, behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. Thank you. So this fifth trumpet, if we were to summarize it, when the fifth trumpet sounds, there is a release of intense demonic work on the earth. And we can see why some of it is quite obvious. There's a release of intense demonic work on the earth, tormenting people, tormenting those who do not have the mark of God on their foreheads. So these 144,000 Jews will not be affected. And I'm just kind of extending that where it says the seal of God on their foreheads could also include the others who believe in the Lord Jesus. They are divinely protected, but these demonic powers are tormenting humanity, people on the earth, and to the point where they want to die. So when you look at the details, there are a lot of pictures. First, in verse one, we see a star. But this is a star that's fallen from heaven to the earth. Now star is used in the Bible to represent angelic beings. It is also used to represent righteous people. In Daniel 12, those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars. But stars are also used to refer to angelic beings. And fallen stars are specifically about fallen angels. How do we know? We've seen in Revelation 12 that when Satan was cast out of heaven, this dragon, he drew a third of the stars with him. So here again, stars is used to represent fallen angels. So here it's clearly indicating Revelation 9.1, a star fallen from heaven. And also we can understand the nature of the star by what it's doing. What is it causing? It's causing the bottomless pit to open, basically hell, and causing a release of demonic beings on the earth. So that's why we say this is this particular star that's fallen to the earth. There's an invasion of this demonic being on the earth and causing the bottomless pit to open. And the picture of locusts. So locusts in the natural are destructive. They destroy vegetation and all of that. But these locusts are different. These locusts don't destroy vegetation, but they go and affect people. And also the description of the locusts is very strange. So it's not locusts as we would think like these big grasshoppers kind of creatures. But these are demonic beings released from the bottomless pit. Very strange looking creatures in the spiritual realm. Very strange looking. And they are tormenting people for five months. Those who don't have the seal of God on their head. And they're striking them and there's some form of torment. And it says that the leader of these demonic beings is the angel of the bottomless pit. Who is the angel of death and destruction. Abaddon, Apollyon. So this angel is leading this whole army of demonic beings on the earth for five months. Causing torment to people to the point where they want to die. They just want to end their life on earth. How they are tormenting we don't know. But we can just imagine maybe it's mental torment or physical torment. Something that they're doing that's causing people to want to die. Fifth trumpet is a release of intense demonic activity on the earth for five months. To the point where people are wanting to die. Then the sixth trumpet, Revelation chapter 9. Feel free to ask questions. We're just going through reading the scriptures and I'm just explaining. Feel free to ask any questions. Revelation 9, let's read verses 13 to 20 please. Revelation 9, 13 to 20 please. Revelation chapter 9 was 13 to 20. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet. And I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar. That is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet. Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice 10,000 times 10,000. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this. Their breast plates were fury red, dark blue and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions. And out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plates of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails were like snakes having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plates still did not repent of the work of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. Thank you. So this is the sixth trumpet. So the angel is directed by God to sound this sixth trumpet. And there are four angels, or at least from the great river Euphrates, who've been kept there in that part of the world. They've been assigned there for this particular moment. And what do they do? They mobilize this army of 200 million. And this army of 200 million, it's characterized here by red, blue and yellow. And they are very destructive. They are going around destroying people in one third of the people are killed through the fire smoke and brimstone which came out of their mouths. So think about this. When John is describing what he is seeing, he is seeing red, fiery red smoke and blue and sulphur. Now he is seeing things coming out of their mouths and things coming out of their tails and all of that. What could this be? And remember, and we said some of this earlier, God is showing John things that are going to happen at least 2000 years out in the future. I'm just using examples. John the Apostle has never seen a drone. He's never seen a ballistic missile that's flying, that's very destructive, which when it impounds gives rise to this big smoke thing. He's never seen those kinds. He has no context. So he's seeing these things and then he's writing it down in language that he has. So what exactly are these things that John is saying? We don't know. But what we can say is there is an army of 200 million people or 200 million who are going to kill one third of human population. And this army is mobilized by these demonic powers that have been confined to that particular part of the world around the river Euphrates. They're released from there, these four angels. And they are going out to mobilize this army to go out and carry out their destruction. They're going to instigate this army of 200 million people of strange looking. I'm sorry, I'm saying people, but it's an army of 200 million. It says horsemen, meaning people mounted on horses that are going out to destroy very destructive. So we don't know the details so we can only speculate like we could guess, try and guess. So this is probably a modern day army that is equipped with these modern day destructive weapons that cause this kind of sulfur and smoke and red and blue and all kinds of destruction happening. This army is instigated by demonic agency that are operating there around the Euphrates, which Euphrates means we are looking at Iran, Iraq, that part of the world. From there, they are being provoked. Doesn't say the army is coming from there, but they are being provoked by those beings that were operating or that being assigned there, that are confined there. Those beings are provoking this army of 200 million who are then destroying a third of the human population through these things they have. So that is happening in the sixth trumpet. Now what would I, if I were to try to translate that to what would it look like in today's world? It seems like some major army of 200 million, maybe Russia, maybe China, they have the capacity to have mobilized that many people or it could be a combination of people. They have been instigated by what's happening in around the Middle East, around the river Euphrates, demonic powers. And so they go about on this rampage of destroying a third of human population with the kinds of weapons they have, which to John looks very strange. It talks about fire and smoke and brimstone which came out of their mouths. The tails are like serpents and having it so you can imagine something was designed that way. It looks like that to John, but it could be different kinds of weapons that we're being released causing this. So we don't know for sure. We can only speculate, but the indication is there is a demonic agency, there is human agency and one third of human population is destroyed. We are seeing a little bit of that these days. You know when Russia is attacking Ukraine or has been attacking and the war has been going on, you know how many lives have been lost, the destruction, the kinds of weapons being used. But the scale of what is described here in Revelation 9 is much bigger because it's saying one third of the human population is destroyed, much bigger. Revelation chapter 9 ends with this very strange note, verses 20 to 21. It says, but the rest of mankind who are not affected. So there are going to be regions and parts of the world that may not necessarily be affected or directly affected by what's happening. John is noticing that they are not repenting. They're not turning to God. Instead they're continuing on and doing whatever worship of idols and demons and everything is going on. They're not, their hearts are hardened. They're not turning to God even though they're seeing all these things happen. And they obviously have the opportunity to look at the scriptures and say, hey, these things were spoken of in the Bible. They have all of that, but they're not turning to God. So this is Revelation, sorry, the sixth trumpet. There's one more trumpet to sum. Now we come to chapter 10. And chapter 10 is what we refer to as a parenthetical chapter. I feel free to ask questions. I'm just moving ahead, but feel free to ask questions. Chapter 10 is a parenthetical chapter, meaning it's not part of what is going to happen through the tribulation. But while John is telling us is being given the revelation of things that are going to happen, he has his own personal experience. So that's parenthetical. That means it's not part of what's going to happen, the sequence of events. But John, there's this big angel who's the angel of God, who's so big, so powerful. He comes and tells John to eat a little book. So John eat this book. John eats it. Initially it is sweet, but then when it goes into his stomach, it's very bitter. And then the angel says, John, you have to prophesy some more to the nations, to peoples. You have a lot more prophecy to give. And it is bitter because this prophecy is all about judgment. It's about destruction that's going to happen and so on. So that's chapter 10. Let's just read it. There's a little note of what John is experiencing while God is giving him the revelation of the end times. So Revelation chapter 10, somebody could read verses 1 to 7. Can read the whole chapter, please. Revelation 10 verses 1 to 11, the whole chapter, please. Revelation chapter 10 verses 1. The mighty angel with the little book. I saw little, I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud and rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun and his feet like billows of fire. He had a little book open in his hand and he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and cried with a loud voice. As when a lion roars, when he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered and do not write them. The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ago, who created heaven and the things that are in it. The earth and the things that are in it and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer. But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God will be finished as he declared to his servants the prophets. Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, Go take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth. So I went to the angel and said to him, Give me the little book and he said to me, Take and eat it and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth. Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. And when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, You must prophesy again about many people's nations, tongues and kings. Amen. Amen. So John sees this big mighty angel. Now this angel is unlike anything we normally imagine. Because when we think of angels, sometimes we think of them as little kids, children playing in Sunday school with little angels. Or sometimes we think angels are human sized or like, you know, human sized. But this angel, this mighty angel, and I don't know why and I don't know how. But he is or he or this angel, I don't think the angels have gender, but I'm just saying the angel is so big, one on one feet on the ocean, one feet on the earth and reaching up into the heavens and angelic being. So whether God is just showing John, you know, that the angel is so big or so powerful over the little, I don't know, that's a little thing, but whether he's just having a visual of an angel that's so mighty, so powerful that the angel, the angel's influence covers water and land and up to all in the sky. Maybe that's what God is trying to get to John. The angels are so powerful. So that's something in our minds, right? I don't think the angels of God are like little creatures, you know, flying around nice. No, no, they're very, very powerful and they are authorized by God to do what God's assigned them to do. Now, this angel has one announcement. This angel says in the days of the seventh trumpet. So one more trumpet is left, right? We've read through till six trumpets. This angel is saying when in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, you know, that means the seventh angel is really giving a signal that we are coming close to the ends. And so what we will see is the seventh angel is sounding the trumpet after we cross the middle line. That is after we cross the three and a half years. And this mighty angel is telling John, John, in the days of the sounding of the seventh, it's basically the seventh angel is saying, okay, you've just got three and a half years left, right? It's just days left, literally, you've got days left and prophecies will be fulfilled. And also we noticed that when this mighty angel came, John actually heard certain things which he was told, don't write, keep it secret, seal it. So we don't know what those utterances were, was for, which John heard. He was instructed, don't write it. And for whatever reason, God doesn't want us to know that. But then after this, the John has given a little book, you eat it. And okay, John, you've got a lot more to prophesy to people's nations, tongues and kinks. So God is going to show you some more. So when we start chapter 11, we are crossing over the middle of the seven years. We are coming into the second half and it is in the second half that the seventh trumpet sounds saying, you've got days left, literally, you've got days left and God is going to wrap everything up and the kingdoms of this world will be taken over by Almighty God. So chapter 11, let's read, please, verses 1 to 14. Chapter 11 verses 1 to 14, they're going to read about the two witnesses. Then I was given a read like a measuring Lord and the angel stood saying, raise and measure this temple of God, the altar and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it. For it has been given to the Gentiles and they will train the holy city under foot for 42 months. And I will give you, I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy 1,260 days closed in Sankh Klos. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devolve their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophesy. And they have power over water to turn them to blood to strike and to strike the earth with old pledges as often as they desire. Now, when they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. Where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples tried tanks and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who drill on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry and send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who drill on the earth. Now, after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they had a loud voice from heaven saying to them, come up here. And they ascended to heaven in a cloud and their enemies saw them. In the same hour, there was a great earthquake and the tennis of the city fell. In the earthquake, 7000 men were killed and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second hill is passed. Behold, the third hill is coming quickly. Amen. Amen. So, what are the details we can get from this passage? So, John is seeing an angel being asked, I'm looking at verse 1, to measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worshiped there, Revelation 11-1. So, at this point, which is in the middle of the tribulation, why do we say middle of tribulation? Because he says the 42 months, 42 months or 1,260 days, 42 months, 1,260 days is three and a half years. So, very clear. Revelation 11 is there in the middle of the seven years. First three and a half years is over. Second three and a half years is starting. How does it start? It starts by telling us that worship is happening in the temple of God. He's saying measure the temple, the altar and where the people are worshiping. Verse 1. So, there has to be a temple. So, this is one reason why we say that there has to be a literal physical temple. He's not referring to a spiritual thing because then there's no need to go and measure it. There is a literal physical temple with the altar where people are actually worshiping. But something changes. What is happening? The outer court is now being trampled by the Gentiles. So, it's telling us that something is changing here. This place of worship is going to be desecrated. Then we will see this happen in chapter 13. Very clear. When the Antichrist sets himself up as God in the temple of God. But here it's giving us an indication that the Gentiles are going to come in and desecrate the temple. And it's giving us a timing also. 42 months, 1,260 days, 3.5 years left. At this time, that means in the middle of the 7 years, God is going to put two prophets on the earth. Now, here it doesn't give us the name. So, what we do know in Malachi chapter 4, verse 4, Malachi 4, 5 and 6. Malachi 4, 5 and 6 says, Remember the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded him in horror for all Israel with the statues and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers, the children, the heart of the children to their fathers, lest they come and strike the earth with the curse. So, Malachi 4, 5 and 6 has already stated, I will send you Elijah the prophet. Now, what do we know about Elijah the prophet? Elijah was taken up into heaven in the chariot. He didn't die physically. And we know the scriptures are saying it is a pointer unto man wants to die. So, death awaits. So, with that in mind, we say, well, who could the other prophet be? And, you know, we know that Enoch was the other person was taken up to into heaven without dying. So, it's very highly likely that the second prophet along with Elijah is Enoch. Again, we can only cross reference and based on that we could say, but we don't know for sure. We think it could be Enoch. There are people who say, oh, maybe it's Moses or, you know, somebody else that they may want to put there. But if you ask me personally, I would think it's Elijah and Enoch because, you know, these two people didn't die physically and they were caught up into heaven. So, God is sending them back here for the special assignment. So, the other thing I want to point out here in verse four, these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands. So, olive trees, lampstands. So, you pick up that image, olive trees representing anointed ones. So, olive trees significant in the Bible. What do olive trees represent? They represent anointed people. In this case, these two anointed prophets and the book of Zechariah also you see these two olive trees through from which the anointing flows represented there. So, olive trees are used symbolically or figuratively in the Bible in one sense to represent people who are anointed by God and as well as lampstands. Also carry the holy anointing oil and they give light. So, just to keep this in mind, olive trees, lampstands being used to figuratively to represent anointed people and the prophets of God. And these prophets for three and a half years, they are prophesying, they are ministering, they are doing very powerful signs and wonders. Almost similar to what we see Moses do during the time when he was going to bring people out of Egypt. Similar kinds of signs that affect the natural elements, weather, power of water to turn blood and plagues and so on. So, they're administering for three and a half years. Now, chapter 11 is unique in that sense, meaning only in this chapter, only in these verses that we read in this passage, we read about the two witnesses and the three and a half years of ministry is described for us. So, we're actually starting in the middle of the tribulation going till the end of the tribulation and saying, for the next three and a half years, these two prophets are going to be prophesying. They're going to be doing all these signs and wonders. So, it's giving us that journey and insight into the future. And then towards the end of that three and a half years of ministry, Satan working through the Antichrist, his agent on earth, is going to kill these two people. He's going to kill them. And verse 8 says, Revelation 11, 8, that their dead bodies will lie in the great city spiritually at that time, it's called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. So, it's referring to the city of Jerusalem. Why? That's why Jesus was crucified. But at that time, during this time in the middle of the tribulation, the city of Jerusalem has become like Sodom given to immorality, specifically homosexual relationships. Sodom, Sodomy is connected to that and become like Egypt. Egypt is idolatry, worship of false gods. So, what has happened to the city of Jerusalem? At that time, there is immorality and idolatry so prevalent in that city. That's why these prophets are ministering. And in that city, they are killed. And it says their bodies will be left to lie on the streets in the city of Jerusalem. Verse 9 says, people from around the world will see their bodies for three and a half days. Now, what is interesting is, we are in a time when this can happen literally. Today, literally you can see anywhere in the world through live streaming, live television, whatever. Which was not possible, you know, maybe, let's say, at least 20 or 30 years ago. It would not be possible. You'd only have to wait for the next day's newspaper and you'll see a picture. You won't see, you know, live streaming or you might see the news, you know, sometime later, they'll show a recording of it. But it says here, verse 9, people will see their dead bodies and they won't bury them. So we are living in a day and time when this can literally happen, right? Verse 119 can literally be fulfilled. So they're going to see these two prophets. They're going to see their dead bodies. People are going to all those who, you know, didn't like them. They're going to be happy. But then God is going to show another big sign. While people are watching, you can imagine all the cameras, all the presses all around on that street. Nobody's touching their bodies. So these people deserve it. And all the cameras are zooming in on these two people and, you know, people are watching live stream everywhere and live news. And then before their eyes, as the cameras and people are all watching, God raises these two people up and they're taken to heaven. In other words, God is giving sign after sign to the people of the earth at that time. Hey, I'm doing, I'm working, I'm here, I'm alive, repent, turn. And there's a great earthquake at that moment. And about 7000 people in the city of Jerusalem are killed, destroyed. There's a destruction and 7000 people are killed. And it says that some people were afraid and some gave glory to the God of heaven. So this is coming to this was happening at the end of the three and a half years, right? Because these two prophets are ministering for three and a half years. At the end of the three and a half years, they are killed. And for three and a half days, this happens. And there is this great destruction in the city of Jerusalem. Okay, now we are coming back to the middle of the tribulation because the seventh angel is sounding. And we read in chapter 10 when the mighty angel said, When the seventh angel sounds, in the days of that angel, the sounding, everything is going to be fulfilled. Prophecies will be fulfilled basically in a very short time, in the days. So a handful of days it will be fulfilled. So John has seen this two witnesses, three and a half years is what they do. Back to the middle, continuing from here, what's the next thing? Okay, next thing he says, sees is the seventh angel sounding. Okay, so let's pause here. I see the time here. So it's time for a break. Let's go for a break. We'll come back and we'll pick up here in verse 15 of chapter 11. Let's meet again at 11 a.m. in about 10 minutes and then we will continue. Okay, thank you.