Revelation

Lesson 14 w/answersEzekiel Chapters 38 and 39, and Revelation 19

In this lesson, the emphasis in Revelation shifts from being focused on the activities of Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet; and moves to the Second Coming of Christ and the doom for all who chose to follow them.

Bible

No event in all the Bible is more anticipated than the Second Coming of Christ. The celebration and the judgments that accompany His return are awesome, as we observe in this study. In this lesson, I hope that you will see things in this chapter that you had not noticed before. So let’s get started.

Read Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39 and Revelation Chapter 19; and consider the following questions:

  1. What does God prophesy that He will do in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39?
    1. ANSWER 1: He will bring all of his enemies together in one place so that He can defeat them all, and through this victory show Himself to be Almighty God.
    2. ANSWER 2: He will bring back to Israel all of the Jews and the 12 tribes. His chosen race will return from all over the world to Israel.
    3. ANSWER 3: Christ will be visible forever to everyone on the earth from this point on.
  2. How do we know these two chapters in Ezekiel refer to end-time prophecy? (see Ezekiel 38:16 and 39:28-29)
    1. ANSWER: it is evident in the references to "latter days" and the prophesy that God "will be known in the eyes of many nations" [KJV].
  3. How long will take to bury the dead after the great battle? (see Ezekiel 39:12-15)
    1. ANSWER: It will take seven months. Note how specific the description is of hiring people to do it and the steps involved, even marking remains with stakes.
  4. What do the verses in Revelation 19:18-19 have in common with those of Ezekiel 39:17-20?
    1. ANSWER: Both passages describe the feast of the fowls of the air on God’s dead and rotting enemies.
  5. in Revelation 19:1-5, we find a series of praises for God. Why is the "multitude in heaven" praising Him? What is referenced in Revelation 19:1 as leading up to these praises?
    1. ANSWER: The phrase "After this..." refers to the time after the destruction of Babylon, the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet, and all that they stood for. This includes putting an end to the killing of the saints.
  6. Revelation 19:6-10 tells us about the marriage supper of the Lamb. If possible, look up these verses in a King James Version of the Bible. In all prior references, the Church is referred to as "the Bride of Christ", or simply as "the Bride". How is the Church referenced in verse 7 [KJV], and what can we discern from this?
    1. ANSWER: In this passage, as rendered in the King James Version, the Church is referred to as "his wife". We can infer from the use of this term that the marriage has taken place, the Church is no longer a bride. As such, it is now time for the marriage feast (or the wedding reception, if you will).
  7. Who is "called" or "invited" to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? If the Church is His wife, who will the other invitees and attendees be at this great celebration?
    1. ANSWER: The guests will include the Jews (i.e., God’s Chosen People), Gentiles who converted during the time of the Old Testament, and those saved after the rapture of the Church during the tribulation period. Each of these groups has a special role in God’s eternal plan, but only the Church will be Christ’s wife.
  8. Read Revelation 19:11-13. Verse 12 tells us that Christ will have "a name written, that no man knew, but he himself". We won’t know that name until then, but He does have other names and titles when He comes again; what are they? (see Rev. 19:13, Rev. 19:16, and 1 Tim. 6:15-16)
    1. ANSWER 1: He is also known as The Word of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and Potentate.
    2. ANSWER 2: Note also that His return will be as King, Lord, and Potentate, and not as the Lamb.
  9. Read Matthew 24:30-31. Could this be a similar prophesy to that found in Revelation 19:14-16?
    1. ANSWER: Yes, absolutely.
  10. What will the war be like, as described in Revelation 19:19? Will the saints who return with Christ have to slay any of Christ’s enemies? If not, then how will the enemies of Christ die? What will happen to Jerusalem during this battle, and what will happen to it, and Israel, when Christ’s enemies are defeated? Read Zechariah Chapter 14 and note what it tells us concerning all of these things?
    1. ANSWER 1: It will entail house-to-house combat, the Jews will initially flee.
    2. ANSWER 2: Christ ("The LORD") will send a plague that will eat the flesh of Jerusalem’s enemies, and He will set the hands of these enemies against one another.
    3. ANSWER 3: Jerusalem will experience a big earthquake, rivers will flow out of it; and the dry and rocky places of Israel will be turned green and fertile.
    4. ANSWER 4: Christ will establish his earthly kingdom and rule it from Jerusalem. Nations will come from all over the world to worship Him. The nation of Israel will have great wealth and prosperity.
  11. In Revelation 19:20, who is thrown in the lake of fire?
    1. ANSWER: Only the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet.
  12. Where do the dead go, if not in the lake of fire? (see Luke 16:23)
    1. ANSWER: They will be transported to Hades, or hell, as some describe it. However, we should not mistake this "Hell" for the Lake of Fire; for it is not. It is the abode of the dead until the "second resurrection" referenced in Revelation 20.
  13. So what happens to Satan? Where is he sent? (see Revelation 20:1-3)
    1. ANSWER: He is dispatched to the "bottomless pit" for a thousand years. He also does not go to the lake of fire until the Second Resurrection.

In our next lesson, we will explore the Thousand-Year Earthly Reign of Christ. As we near the end of our study, we can with all assurance celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ even more so, as we anticipate His coming again and the beginning of his earthly reign.

Have a great week everyone!

Yours in Christ,

Wes

[2006]

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