v.6 “In the historical context of a proud and powerful Roman Empire, for John to call God ‘the Almighty’ is an act of extreme confidence.  Domitian had conferred upon himself the title ‘Our Lord and God’ (Duetonius, Dom. 13).  Literally the word means one who holds all things in his control.  Nine times in Revelation the Seer uses it of God, while only once is it found elsewhere in the NT.  The multitude declares that this all-powerful being who has entered into his reign is a personal God – he is the Lord our God.”[2]

v.7 “The bride is the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem (21:2, 9), which is the symbol of the church, the bride of Christ the community of those redeemed by Christ’s blood. The wedding imagery, including the wedding supper, was for the Jews a familiar image of the kingdom of God. Jesus used wedding and banquet imagery in his parables of the kingdom (Matt 22:2 ff.; 25:1-13; Luke 14:15-24). The OT used the figure for the bride of Israel (Ezek 16:1 ff.; Hos 2:19), and NT writers have applied it to the church (2Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25 ff.). Heaven’s rejoicing has signaled the defeat of all the enemies of God. The time of betrothal has ended. Now it is the time for the church, prepared by loyalty, and suffering, to enter into her full experience of salvation and glory with her beloved spouse, Christ.”[3]

v.8 “The bride is attired in fine linen, bright and pure.  In contrast, the harlot was arrayed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls.  The following clause explains that the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  The plural (‘acts’) may indicate that the bride’s garment is woven of the innumerable acts of faithful obedience by those who endure to the end.  This does not deny the Pauline doctrine of justification based on the righteous obedience of Christ (Rom. 5:18-19), but suggests that a transformed life is the proper response to the call of the heavenly bridegroom.  Note that it was given to her to array herself in righteous acts: believers are created for divinely prepared good words (Eph 2:10).”[4]

v.9 “This beatitude is the fourth of seven (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14) in Revelation. In each beatitude there is a subtle contrast to those who are not loyal and faithful followers of the Lamb […] The wedding supper began toward evening on the wedding day, lasted for many days, and was a time of great jubilation. Here in Revelation, the wedding is the beginning of the earthly kingdom of God, the bride is the church in all her purity, and the invited guests are both the bride and people who have committed themselves to Jesus.  To assure John and his readers of the certainty of the end of the great prostitute and the announcement of the wedding supper of the Lamb, the angel adds, ‘These are the true words of God’ (cf. 1:2; 17:17; 21:5). A similar sentence later seems to give the same assurance for the whole book (22:6).”[5]

v.10 “The angel links himself with John by calling himself a fellow servant with you.  There are not unimportant differences between angels and men, but the really significant thing is that they are both ‘servants’ of their common Lord.”[6]

v.11 “The white horse reminds the hearer-reader of the first apocalyptic horseman of 6:2, the two images thus bracketing the intervening depiction of the last plagues, but the rider on the white horse of 19:11-16 is not to be identified with that of 6:1-2.  Here, there can be no doubt that the figure is Jesus: he has the same flaming eyes as in the vision of Christ in 1:14, the same sword of the word of God proceeds from his mouth (1:16; 2:12), he is named by the same names as in his messages to the churches (‘Faithful and True,’ 3:14; cf. 1:5), he bears the name of the definitive self-revelation of God, ‘Word of God.’”[7]

“Though John uses OT language descriptive of a warrior-Messiah, he does not depict Christ as a great military warrior battling against earth’s sovereigns. John reinterprets this OT imagery while at the same time inseparably linking Christ to its fulfillment. The close proximity in v. 11 of justice and war shows us that the kind of warfare Christ engages in is more the execution of justice than a military conflict. He who is the faithful and true witness will judge the rebellious nations.”[8]

vv.12, 16 “The first thing that John records about the Rider of the white horse is that his eyes are a flame of fire.  Nothing can be hidden from the penetrating gaze of Messiah.  Upon his head are many diadems (royal crown).  Here is an obvious contrast to the seven diadems of the dragon (12:3) and the ten diadems of the beast out of the sea (13:1).  Many crowns indicate unlimited sovereignty.  As King of kings all authority is his.”[9]

vv.13, 15 “This militaristic imagery has seemed to some Christians to be too alien to be applied to Jesus of Nazareth, the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6; cf. Matt. 21:1-9).  Yet, though not all of his interpreters have remembered, John has not forgotten the definitive picture of the nature of Christ’s conquest already given in 5:1-14.  The death by which he conquers is his own, the once-for-all offering of his life on the cross.  John uses all of the traditional messianic imagery, but he consistently asks the hearer-reader to interpret the Lion as the lamb, as he himself does, even in this bloody scene.  This conqueror destroys his enemies, not with a literal sword, but with the sword of this mouth; his only weapon is his word, the Word of God which he himself is (19:13).  The word for ‘rule’ (9:15), also means ‘shepherd,’ evoking both Psalm 23 and Rev. 7:17, ‘the Lamb will be their shepherd,’ which uses exactly the same word.  The conquering rider arrives wearing a garment dipped in blood.  Before the ‘last battle’ ever begins, his garments are already bloody with his sacrifice of himself (1:5; 5:9).  In contrast to the divine warrior of Isaiah 63:1-3, the source for this imagery, this blood is not the blood of his enemies but his own martyr blood in union with the martyr blood of his followers who, like him, have suffered/testified at the hands of Rome.  This is the meaning of the fact that he treads the winepress of God’s wrath.  This view that the eschatological Divine Warrior is red with his own blood rather than that of his enemies […] is analogous to the idea that Christians wash their garments and make them white in the blood of the Lamb (7:14).”[10]

vv.17-18 “The supper of God presents a grim contrast to the marriage feast of the Lamb.  It is the supper of God in the sense that God will provide it.  The ranks of the enemy are composed not only of kings and captains, but of all men, free and bond, small and great.  Beasley-Murray correctly observes that ‘all men’ here indicates ‘all kinds of men’.  In the final conflict no preference will be given to rank or station.  The bodies will lie on the field of battle to be devoured by birds of prey.  To remain unburied for the pleasure of predators was considered by the ancients to be an ignominious fate.  The scene is one of universal dishonor and destruction.”[11]

v.19-21 “Christ and his heavenly army are on the one side, opposed on the other side by two combined groups.  (1) Opposed to Christ are rebellious human beings – not just the ‘high and mighty,’ but also the little people, even slaves (19:18; cf. same motif in 6:15; 13:16).  Revelation’s protest is more than the sociological reality of oppressed people resenting their oppressors.  Though John and his community belong to the marginal, relatively powerless victims of injustice at the hands of the powerful, the conflict he pictures is not between haves and have-nots, first and second versus third world, oppressors versus oppressed but between rebellious humanity and its Creator and Lord.  (2) The primary opposition is not the historical, finite, this-worldly human community but the transpersonal powers of evil that have inspired and deceived them, as symbolized by the beast and false prophet.  Both groups are ‘defeated’ by Jesus the Conqueror, but in different ways.  No battle is described; there could be none in John’s theology.  The decisive battle was won long ago.  The End only makes that victory effective and manifest.  Without a struggle, in a manner reminiscent of the messianic king of Isaiah 11:1-5, the transcendent powers of evil are taken and cast into the transcendent place of destruction, the lake of fire (19:20).”[12]

[2] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977) 339.

[3] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 19.

[4] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977) 340.

[5] Frank E. Gaebelein. Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 19.

[6] Leon Morris, Revelation,  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 222.

[7] M. Eugene Boring, Revelation, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KT: John Knox Press, 1989) 195.

[8] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 19.

[9] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977) 344.

[10] M. Eugene Boring, Revelation, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KT: John Knox Press, 1989) 196.

[11] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977) 349.

[12] M. Eugene Boring, Revelation, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KT: John Knox Press, 1989) 199-200.

v. 3 “Merchants in the Roman empire grew rich by exploiting the sinful pleasures of their society.”[2]

“Economic security would be removed from Babylon’s subjects if they did not cooperate with her idolatry.  Such security is too great a temptation to resist.  Therefore the verb ‘drank’ refers to the willingness of society in the Roman Empire to commit itself to idolatry in order to maintain economic security.  Once one imbibes, the intoxicating influence removes all desire to resist Babylon’s destructive influence, blinds one to Babylon’s own ultimate insecurity and to God as the source of real security, and numbs one against any fear of coming judgment.  Therefore Babylon will be judged because of her seduction of people into idolatry and false economic security.”[3]

vv. 4-7 “Come out of her, my people […] Even in its OT setting, this was no mere warning to leave the actual city of Babylon, much less here in Revelation […] Wherever there are idolatry, prostitution, self-glorification, self-sufficiency, pride, complacency, reliance on luxury and wealth, avoidance of suffering, violence against life (v.24), there is Babylon. Christians are to separate themselves ideologically and physically from all the forms of Babylon (chs. 2-3).[…]Babylon’s threefold web of sin is described as satiety (‘luxury’), pride (‘boasts, I sit as a queen’), and avoidance of suffering (‘I will never mourn’). These three may be interrelated. Luxury leads to boastful self-sufficiency (Eze 28:5), while the desire to avoid suffering leads to the dishonest pursuit of luxury (Eze 28:18).”[4]

vv. 4-5 “Persecuted and harried as they were, the people of God must have been sorely tempted to come to terms with the city. Then not only would their persecution cease, but the city would make them rich and comfortable… Compromise with worldliness is fatal. Gods people must, while playing their full role in the community, hold themselves aloof from what is involved in being worldly-minded.”[5]

v. 8 “Four plagues are singled out. Death, of course, should end everything. The meaning may be that, though some die in the city, the city continues for a time […] With this are linked mourning, famine, and fire. Together this means disaster for the city and this will certainly happen, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”[6]

v.9 “The close connection between idolatry and economic prosperity was a fact of life in Asia Minor of John’s time, where allegiance to both Caesar and the patron gods of the trade guilds was essential for people to maintain good standing in their trades….[The rulers] lament over Babylon’s desolation because it means their own loss of economic standing and power.”[7]

vv. 11-13 “The merchants wail. They have most to lose because Babylon the Great was built on luxury. The lists that follow are inventories of exotic items reminiscent of the great Oriental marketplaces. In v.13 bodies and souls of men requires special mention: Bodies is a Greek idiom for slaves, while souls means essentially persons. Thus the whole expression means ‘slaves, that is, human beings.’”[8]

“The vision (particularly 18:13) gives a reader a glimpse of how the wealth of Babylon has been gained at the expense of millions. Luxury items here gravitate to the center to supply an insatiable need. Those on the periphery become merely the means of supplying the needs of others. John’s vision is an evocation of the consequences of a narcissistic social order, in which everything revolves around the needs of a demanding upper class that makes itself the center of the universe and preserves that position by force, ideology, and demands for conformity.”[9]

v. 20 “Babylon has also persecuted the church of Jesus (saints, apostles, prophets). Regarding apostles, John may have had in mind Herod’s martyrdom of James (Ac 12:1-2) or Rome’s killing of Peter and Paul (cf. v.24).”[10]

“The call to rejoice at the destruction of the city appals [sic] some modern students. But we should notice in the first place that this is not a vindictive outcry. It is a longing that justice be done. And in the second, John and his readers were not armchair critics pedantically discussing rights and wrongs in an academic fashion. They were existentially committed. They had staked their lives on the truth of the Christian faith […] The words are a passionate cry uttered out of the deep conviction that right must triumph and which eagerly welcomes that triumph.[11]

v. 21. “The final lament over the fall of Babylon, spoken by an angel, is poignant and beautiful. A mighty angel picks up a huge stone like a giant millstone (four to five feet in diameter, one foot thick, and weighing thousands of pounds) and flings it into the sea. One quick gesture becomes a parable of the whole judgment on Babylon the Great! Suddenly she is gone forever (cf. Jer 51:64; Eze 26:21), leaving only melancholy behind.”[12]

v. 24 “the blood . . . of all who have been killed on the earth refers to all those who have been martyred because of their loyalty to the true God. Once again, in John’s mind, Babylon the Great encompasses all the persecution against the servants of God until his words are fulfilled (cf. 17:17).”[13]

“Possession of wealth is not the reason for God’s judgment of Babylon.  The cause lies, rather, in ‘the arrogant use of it’ and trust in the security that it brings, which is tantamount to idolatry.”[14]

[2] Life Application Study Bible, study notes (co-published by Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1991) 2326.

[3] G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 896.

[4] Frank E. Gaebelein,  Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 18.

[5] Leon Morris, Revelation,  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 209.

[6] Leon Morris, Revelation,  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 211.

[7] G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 905.

[8] Frank E. Gaebelein. Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 18.

[9] Christopher C. Rowland,  “The Book of Revelation”,  New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 696.

[10] Frank E. Gaebelein,  Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 18.

[11] Leon Morris,  Revelation,  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 215-216.

[12] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 18.

[13] Frank E. Gaebelein,  Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 18.

[14] G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 925.

v.1 “The great prostitute ‘sits on many waters.’ This goes back to Jeremiah’s oracle against historical Babylon, situated along the waterways of the Euphrates, with many canals around the city, greatly multiplying its wealth by trade (Jer 51:13). This description has a deeper significance, as is explained in v.15 with ‘peoples, multitudes, nations and languages’–figurative for the vast influence of the prostitute on the peoples of the world.” [2]

v.4 “Dressed in queenly attire (Eze 16:13; cf. Rev 18:7), the woman rides the beast, swinging in her hand a golden cup full of her idolatrous abominations and wickedness. Note the contrast–beauty and gross wickedness. Her costly and attractive attire suggests the prostitute’s outward beauty and attraction (Jer 4:30). The golden cup filled with wine alludes to Jeremiah’s description of Babylon’s world-wide influence in idolatry (Jer 51:7). Her cup is filled with ‘abominable things’[…] –things most frequently associated with idolatry, which was abhorrent to Jews and Christians alike (21:27). Jesus used this word to refer to Daniel’s ‘abomination that causes desolation’ standing in the temple (Mk 13:14 cf. Da 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). ‘Filth’ (lit., ‘uncleannesses’; GK G176) is associated in the NT with evil (unclean) spirits (e.g., Mt 10:1; 12:43) and with idolatry (2Co 6:17), perhaps with cult prostitution (Eph 5:5).”

v.5 “The woman has a title written on her forehead, showing that in spite of all her royal [attire]  she is nothing but a prostitute. It was customary for Roman prostitutes to wear their names in the fillet that encircled their brows.”[3]

v.6 “Throughout history, people have been killed for their faith.  Over the last century, millions have been killed by oppressive governments, and many of those victims were believers.  The woman’s drunkenness shows her pleasure in her evil accomplishments and her false feeling of triumph over the church.  But every martyr who has fallen before her sword has only served to strengthen the faith of the church.”[4]

v.8 “Much difficulty in interpreting this section has resulted from incorrectly applying John’s words either to the Roman emperor succession (the seven heads), to the Nero redivivus[5] myth, or to a succession of world empires. None of these views is satisfactory. John’s description is theological, not political. He describes a reality behind earth’s sovereigns, not the successive manifestations in history.  The beast is the monster from the Abyss–i.e., the satanic incarnation of idolatrous power that is mentioned in 11:7 and described in 13:1ff., and whose destruction is seen in 19:19-20. John is told that the beast ‘once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss.’ This seems clearly to be a paraphrase of the earlier idea of the sword-wounded beast who was healed (13:3, 14); the language is similar, the astonishment of the world’s inhabitants is identical, and the threefold emphasis on this spectacular feature is repeated (13:3, 12, 14; 17:8 bis, 11).”[6]

v.9 “This and the following verses form the key of the Roman emperor view of the Apocalypse. Most scholars consider the seven hills to refer to the seven hills of Rome and the seven kings to seven successive emperors of that nation. Yet there is good reason to doubt that this is the interpretation John intended. In the first place, the seven hills belong to the monster, not the woman. It is the woman (i.e., the city [v.18]) who sits upon (i.e., has mastery over) the seven heads (or seven hills) of the monster. If the woman is the city of Rome, it is obvious that she did not exercise mastery over seven successive Roman emperors that are also seven traditional hills of Rome. Also, how could the seven hills of Rome have any real importance to the diabolical nature of the beast or the woman? Finally, nowhere in the NT is Rome described as the enemy of the church.  This interpretation also explains the meaning of John’s call ‘for a mind with wisdom.’ The call for divine ‘wisdom’ requires theological and symbolical discernment, not mere geographical or numerical insight (cf. comment on 13:18).  In the seven other instances in Revelation of the word translated ‘hills’ here, it is always rendered ‘mountain.’ Mountains allegorically refer to world powers in the Prophets (Isa 2:2; Jer 51:25; Da 2:35; Zec 4:7). It seems better, then, to interpret the seven mountains as a reference to the seven heads or kings, which describe not the city but the beast. In addition, the expression ‘they are also seven kings’ requires strict identification of the seven mountains with seven kings.”[7]

v.10 “A convincing interpretation of the seven kings must do justice to three considerations: (1) Since the heads belong to the beast, the interpretation must relate their significance to this beast, not to Babylon. (2) Since the primary imagery of kingship in Revelation is a feature of the power conflict between the Lamb and the beast and between those who share the rule of these two enemies (cf. 17:14; 19:19), the kind of sovereignty expressed in v.10 must be the true antithesis to the kind of sovereignty exercised by Christ and his followers. (3) Since the kings are closely related to the seven mountains and to the prostitute, the nature of the relationship between these must be clarified by the interpretation. If we can see that the seven heads do not represent a quantitative measure but show qualitatively the fullness of evil power residing in the beast, then the falling of five heads conveys the message of a significant victory over the beast. The image of a sovereignty falling is better related to God’s judgment on a power than to a succession of kings (kingdoms) (cf. Jer 50:32; 51:8, 49; Rev 14:8; 18:2). The imagery of the seven heads presented in 12:3 and 13:1 must be restudied. An ancient seal showing a seven-headed chaos monster being slain well illustrates John’s imagery here. In that ancient scene, the seven-headed monster is being slain by a progressive killing of its seven heads. Four of the heads are dead, killed apparently by the spear of a divine figure who is attacking the monster. His defeat seems imminent. Yet the chaos monster is still active because three heads still live. Similarly, John’s message is that five of the monster’s seven heads are already defeated by the power of the Lamb’s death and by the identification in that death of the martyrs of Jesus (12:11). One head is now active, thus showing the reality of the beast’s contemporary agents who afflict the saints; and one head remains, indicating that the battle will soon be over but not with the defeat of the contemporary evil agents. This last manifestation of the beast’s blasphemous power will be short—‘he must remain for a little while.’ This statement seems to go with the function of the ten horns (kings) who for ‘one hour’ (v. 12) will rule with the beast. The seventh king (head) represents the final short display of satanic evil before the divine blow falls on the beast (cf. 12:12c; 20:3 c).”[8]

v.11 “This verse presents all interpreters with a real difficulty. One interpretation refers the language to the Nero redivivus myth (see comments on 13:1-18)–namely, that a revived Nero will be the reincarnation of the evil genius of the whole Roman Empire. Furthermore, among futurist interpreters there is no agreement as to whether the seventh or the eighth king is the Antichrist. […] we note the strange (to us) manner in which the sequence of seven kings gives way to the eighth, which is really the whole beast. This pattern of seven-to-eight-equals-one was familiar to the early church. The eighth day was the day of the resurrection of Christ, Sunday. It was also the beginning of a new week. The seventh day, the Jewish Sabbath, is held over, to be replaced by the first of a new series, namely Sunday. In fact, the whole theme of the Apocalypse is integrally related to this idea. Sunday is the day of the Resurrection. Revelation deals with one week, extending from Christ’s resurrection to the general resurrection, when death is destroyed.  Each of the series of sevens in the book, except for the seven churches, follows a pattern of the seventh in the series becoming the first of a new series; thus seven to eight equals one. The eighth was the day of the Messiah, the day of the new age and the sign of the victory over the forces of evil. But does this provide a key to interpret the symbolism of the chaos monster? Of the three stages of the beast–was, is not, will come–only the last is related to his coming ‘up out of the Abyss’ (v.8). These words appear to be the equivalent of the beast’s healed wound (plague) mentioned in 13:3, 14. While, on the one hand, Christ has [overcome]  the monster by his death (Ge 3:15; Rev 12:7-9) and for believers he ‘is not’ (has no power), yet, on the other hand, the beast still has life (‘one is’ [v.10]) and will attempt one final battle against the Lamb and his followers (‘the other has not yet come . . . he must remain for a little while’). In order to recruit as many as possible for his side of the war, the beast will imitate the resurrection of Christ (he ‘is an eighth king’ [v.11]) and will give the appearance that he is alive and in control of the world (cf. Lk 4:5-7). But John quickly adds, for the pastoral comfort of God’s people, that the beast belongs to the seven, i.e., qualitatively not numerically (as if he were a former king revived); he is in reality not a new beginning of life (such as the resurrected Christ) but a part of the seven-headed monster that has been slain by Christ and, therefore, he goes ‘to his destruction.’”[9]

v.12 “The number ten should–like most of John’s numbers–be understood symbolically. Ten symbolizes a repeated number of times or an indefinite number. It is perhaps another number like seven, indicating fullness (Ne 4:12; Da 1:12; Rev 2:10). Thus the number should not be understood as referring specifically to ten kings (kingdoms) but as indicating the multiplicity of sovereignties in confederacy that enhance the power of the beast.  Since these kings enter into a power conflict with the Lamb and his followers (v.14), the kind of sovereignty they exercise must be the true antithesis of the kind of sovereignty the Lamb and his followers exercise. These rulers as well as the beast with which they are allied can be no other than the principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms that Paul describes as the true enemies of Jesus’ followers (Eph 6:12).”[10]

v.14 “The ten kings are said to receive authority for ‘one hour’ along with the beast. This corresponds to the ‘little while’ of the seventh king. From the viewpoint of the saints, who will be greatly persecuted, this promise of brevity brings comfort. These kings have ‘one purpose’ : they agree to oppose the Lamb. But the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings (cf. Dt 10:17; Da 2:47; Rev 19:16). He conquers by his death, and those who are with him also aid in the defeat of the beast by their loyalty to the Lamb even to death (cf. 5:5, 9; 12:11).”[11]

vv.16-17 “What is being taught by the attack on the prostitute is that in the final judgment the kingdom of Satan will be divided against itself. The references to the prostitute being hated by her former lovers, stripped naked, and burned with fire are reminiscent of the OT prophets’ descriptions of the divine judgment falling on the harlot cities of Jerusalem and Tyre (e.g., Eze 16:39-40; 23:25-27; 28:18). The description of the punishment of convicted prostitutes who are priests’ daughters (cf. Lev 21:9) is combined with the picture of judgment against rebellious cities (18:8).  In the declaration ‘God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose,’ there is another indication of God’s use of the forces of evil as instruments of his own purposes of judgment (Jer 25:9-14; cf. Lk 20:18). Nothing will distract them from their united effort to destroy the prostitute until God’s purposes given through the prophets are fulfilled (cf. 10:7; 11:18).”[12]

v.18 “The ‘woman’ and ‘the great city’ are one. Yet this city is not just a historical one; it is the great city, the mother city, the archetype of every evil system opposed to God in history (see comments on 17:1-18). Her kingdom holds sway over the powers of the earth. The cities in Revelation are communities, of which there are only two: the city of God, the New Jerusalem (3:12; 21:2, 10; 22:2ff.), and the city of Satan, Babylon the Great (11:8; 14:8; 16:19; 18:4, 20; et al.). The meaning cannot be confined to any earthly cities. Instead, John describes the real trans-historical system of satanic evil that infuses them all.”[13]

[2] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:1.

[3] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:5.

[4] The NIV Study Bible, study notes  (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1985)  1927.

[5] redivivus: brought back to life (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary v.2.5 software)

[6] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:8.

[7] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:9.

[8] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:10.

[9] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:11.

[10] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:12.

[11] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:14.

[12] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:16-17.

[13] Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) notes for Revelation 17:18.

“Chapters 15 and 16 are one unit; preaching and teaching from any text in this unit should consider the function of the unit as a whole. The seven last plagues are announced in 15:1, and the last plague is referred to in 16:21. Although the action proceeds by pouring out the ‘bowls/plagues’ on the earth, God in his wrath/justice is the theologically operative image. When the last plague occurs, this time there is no ‘canceled conclusion.’ The ‘It is over’ of 16:17 (NEB) is final. This series concludes with the fall of Babylon/Rome, which is the end of history; the next scene will introduce eschaton itself.”

“This text, like the rest of Revelation, provides a graphic model of spiritual warfare for us: we overcome by being physically defeated, by enduring the world’s suffering. The conquerors provide us a model of unwavering faithfulness to God and to his purposes. ‘The Beast has conquered them in martyrdom but in that same martyrdom they had conquered the Beast, for he had been utterly unable to make them deny Christ. This is their victory: loyalty to Christ in tribulation.’

“For Christians struggling against the imperial cult in John’s day or subsequent forces of the Antichrist in history, ‘this song affords great encouragement. The last word of history is not with Satan and his Antichrist, but with the Lord and his Christ.’ The Church has nothing to fear, in this age as well as the age to come, for God reigns forever (or, over all peoples, depending on which variant reading one prefers). As Ladd puts it, ‘Even when evil is strongest on the earth, when God’s people are most violently attacked by Satan, God is still the ‘King of the ages’ (Rev. 15:3).’

“Like Israel in the Exodus, God’s people will again triumph; the certainty of the new redemption is rooted in our confidence in the old one. For John, the songs of Moses and the Lamb were not two separate songs, as if Old Testament redemption and New Testament redemption were discontinuous and incompatible ideas. Jesus as the Lamb has provided the climatic act of redemption, akin to the paschal lamb of the first Exodus, so the song of Moses is also the song of the Lamb. That the overcomers stand on the sea (15:2) may indicate afresh the triumph of the Exodus that subdued even the sea (Ex. 15:8; Ps. 78:13; 89:9-10).”

v.1 “The bowls, like the seals and the trumpets, are administered by angels. But John makes it clear that what he sees is a symbolic portrayal of judgments; like the woman and the dragon, this scene of angels preparing to pour out bowls is a ‘sign’ in the heavens (12:1, 3; 15:1). Thus when he declares that these seven plagues are the ‘last plagues,’ completing God’s anger, he probably does not imply that Revelation arranges all judgments in literal chronological sequence (though this book does emphasize completion of God’s purposes; 10:7; 11:7). Rather, ‘last’ implies that these bowls begin John’s final sequence of judgments. They are the last in terms of John’s narrative – based on the sequence of his visions rather than on the sequence of history. Note that in 15:1, 8, the completion of these plagues forms an inclusio around the entire scene of heaven in 15:1-8, thereby framing this section with an emphasis on the plagues.”

v.2 “A ‘sea’ appears in John’s vision, the same heavenly sea as 4:6. Beside the sea stands the congregation of those who have conquered, the victorious martyr church of 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 (identified by their rejecting the mark of the beast and by their harps). As the congregation is the 144,000 of the new Israel, so the sea is the sea of the transcendent world before God’s throne and also the Red Sea of biblical memory. As Israel once stood on the banks of the Red Sea and celebrated God’s liberating act of the exodus, the church will stand on the shore of the heavenly sea and sing the song of Moses and the Lamb.”

vv. 3-4 “At the Red sea, God’s people celebrated after the fact; in Revelation, the final victory is not yet realized (on earth) but is already accomplished and celebrated in heaven, the ultimately real world, and can thus already be celebrated in this world, where the worship of the earthly church participates in the worship of the heavenly sanctuary. The juxtaposition of songs of celebration with scenes of terrible judgment is thus not gleeful gloating, but neither is it merely a promise of future celebration. The message is not that ‘now is the time of trouble, but someday we will be able to celebrate.’ Rather, Christian worship anticipates the eschatological victory and celebrates it in the present. Christian worship, especially its eucharistic dimension, points ‘backward’ to the past and understands the present in its light (the ‘new exodus’), points ‘forward’ to the future victory and celebrates its reality in the present, and points ‘upward’ to the transcendent reality of God’s world, participating in the worship of the heavenly sanctuary that unites past, future, and present.”

v. 3 “Their song is the ‘song of Moses…and the song of the Lamb,’ recalling the Exodus both in terms of Moses’ leading out of Egypt (cf. 11:8) and deliverance from God’s plagues by the blood of the Passover lamb. Some compare the song with Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 31:30-32:43, which may in fact originate some of the imagery employed by later prophets and Revelation. […] Israel sang this song, led by Moses and summarized antiphonally by Miriam (Ex. 15:21), when God brought his people through the Red Sea and destroyed their enemies, the Egyptians. As God conquered Egypt in the sea, there figuratively slaying the primeval dragon (Ps. 74:13-14; Isa. 51:9), so here the 144,000 are the people of the new exodus, delivered and standing as conquerors on the sea of glass and fire. This song proved a fitting climax for the plagues on Egypt of old or Revelations equivalent (11:8), from which the righteous were shielded (7:1-8).”

vv.5-8 “The tabernacle of Testimony is a Greek translation for the Hebrew ‘Tent of Meeting’ (see Exodus 40:34, 35). The imagery brings us back to the time of the exodus in the desert when the ark of the covenant (the symbol of God’s presence among his people) resided in the tabernacle. The angels coming out of the temple are clothed in clean, shining linen with golden sashes around their chests. Their garments, reminiscent of the high priest’s clothing, show that they are free from corruption, immorality, and injustice. The smoke that fills the temple is the manifestation of God’s glory and power. There is no escape from this judgment.”

vv.5-8 “As with the judgments of the seals (5:1-2) and the trumpets (8:2), the plagues from the bowls (16:1-17) are introduced with a scene in heaven (15:5-8), reminding us that earthly disasters are not merely accidents, but methodically arranged events determined by God’s sovereign vindication of his saints. These angels of judgment, in contrast to destroying angels in some strands of Jewish tradition, are willingly obedient servants of God (cf. 17:1, 21:9); it is a throne angel that hands them the judgments to pour out on humankind (15:7).

“That this scene takes place in the heavenly temple is significant. The angels’ linen clothing (15:6) may simply reflect the tradition that angels normally wore white or linen (1 En. 71:1; Ps-Philo 9:10; John 20:12), but alongside the mention of golden breastplates (cf. Ex. 39:8; probably Rev. 1:13) undoubtedly reminds the reader that these angels fulfill priestly acts in the heavenly temple (15:5-6). Worshipers in temples normally wore linen or white, and this was required for service in the Most Holy Place (Lev. 16:4). The prerequisite for such service was righteousness (Rev. 19:8). Priests in the heavenly temple respond to the earthly priests (1:6) of the oppressed earthly temple (11:1-2), whose prayers (6:9-11; 8:3-6) have invited the judgments about to begin.

“That ‘smoke’ filled the heavenly temple (15:8, note contrast with the smoke of the world’s torment in 14:11) alludes to God’s glory filling his house in some Old Testament theophanies (Isa. 6:4; Ezek. 10:3-4). Under these circumstances the priests could not minister in the temple (1 Kings 8:10-12; 2 Chron. 7:2), nor could even Moses enter the tabernacle (Ex. 40:35); the glory exceeded human ability to withstand. God had filled the earthly tabernacle with his glory at this dedication and a time of celebration (Ex. 40; cf. 1 Kings 8); now he fills the temple with glory in response to the worship of his martyred conquerors through history, and responds with systematic judgments (probably also poured out throughout history). Judgment, as well as mercy, reveals God’s great glory.”

v.7 “The word used for the ‘bowls’ of divine anger (phiale, 15:7; 16:1-17:1; 21:9) is also used for the bowls that contained the prayers of the saints (5:8), suggesting a connection between the saints’ intercession and their vindication through the world’s judgments, as with the trumpet plagues (8:3-5). Probably these bowls, like those in 5:8, contain incense representing the prayers of the saints; it is also possible that the image here implies cups of judgment leading up to the final judgment of the wine cup of God’s anger (14:10, 19-20). That the judgments in this passage issue from God’s presence and follow worship by the conquering martyrs (15:2-4) probably implies that God has chosen to release his acts in history in response to the worship of faithful saints.”

vv.1-5 Who are the 144,000? “That the 144,000 are those ‘redeemed’ (14:3) and ‘purchased’ (14:4; both forms of the same Greek word, agorazo) from the earth and from among humanity reminds us that they stand for all believers (5:9). That the Lamb bought them more than makes up for the fact that, a few verses earlier, they could neither buy nor sell (13:17). That they are the ones who ‘follow the Lamb’ (14:4) supports the position that they represent all believers’ (7:17); in this life they are the people led by the Spirit (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14). John’s audience will also understand that following the Lamb may mean following him to his sacrificial death (John 13:36-37; 21:19-22; Rev. 6:9).”[1]

v.1 “There is an obvious contrast with the previous vision, where those who worship the beast are marked (13:16).  But a name is written on the foreheads of the 144,000 – not just a mark.  What is written is important, even sacred, not only because it is the means of signifying that which is of God, but also because it is the name of God (cf. 22:4).”[2]

v.3 “Why do the 144,000 sing this ‘new song’? They are probably portrayed as God’s end-time army and have just overcome the world. It was customary for victors to celebrate after holy war (2 Chron. 20:27-28). Here, however, the saints praise God for the victory of the Lamb (as in Rev. 5:6-14; 7:9-12), just as the Israelites praised God when he overthrew their enemies in the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1-21; cf. comment on Rev. 15:2-4). This new song is their unique experience shared by no one else in creation (14:3), just as believers have a new name known to no one else (2:17; 3:12).”[3]

vv.4-5 “Just as biblical prophets often portrayed Israel as either an unfaithful prostitute or as a pure virgin or bride for God, so Revelation portrays unrepentant humanity as a prostitute (Rev. 17:1-5) and those faithful to Christ as his pure spouse (19:7; 21:2, 9). These 144,000 have refused to commit immorality with Babylon, the prostitute (cf. 18:3). The symbolism thus makes a strong point: Christians must be pure and faithful to Christ if they wish to be prepared for and engage in the Lamb’s holy war. Unlike the world (13:17), believers cannot indulge in divided interests.”[4]

vv.6-13 “First, a warning of judgment to the unbelieving world is announced (vv 6-7). The warning will not be heeded by the world system and its followers, resulting in their final judgment at the end of history (v 8).  This final historical judgment is the precursor to the final, eternal judgment (vv 9-11).  But the warning is intended to influence true believers to remain faithful to Christ so that they might receive an eternal reward (vv 12-13).”[5]

v.6 “The focus now shifts from the redeemed to the unredeemed (vv 6-11) in order to contrast the destiny of the two. […] The angel announces not a different gospel, but one that carries dire consequences if it is rejected […] The dual nature of the gospel […] was also symbolized by the sweetness and bitterness of the book that John consumed.”[6]

v.7 “The theme of the verse is judgment […] This is ‘good news’ to the saints because it means the downfall of the ungodly system headed by the beast and ultimately Satan and hence is an effect of the doom of Satan set in motion by Christ’s resurrection and announced in 12:7-10.  The coming consummate establishment of God’s sovereignty over evil is good news.  […] Christians can be encouraged because God will defend his reputation after all.  The appropriate response to the gospel is to ‘fear God and give him glory.’ The response is stated in a command.”[7]

“The angel utters a demand to worship the Creator rather than the creature (cf. Acts 17:24; 1 Thess 1:9-10) in the light of the imminence of the hour of judgment (cf. 3:3; 18:10). The message of this gospel is not far removed from the summary in Mark 1:15: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’ (NRSV). In Revelation, the command is to fear God; in Mark, the command is to repent. In both passages, the presence of a time of crisis is stressed, and in both that crisis is set in the context of a struggle with the powers of the cosmos as the coming of the gospel provokes the possibility of rejection and judgment (cf. Matt 10:7, 15).”[8]

v.8 “Babylon’s offense was having caused all the nations to ‘drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (cf. Jer 51:7).  This awkward phrase can be interpreted as Babylon’s having intoxicated the people and caused wrath as the result of the forgetfulness of the true vocation to worship God and keep God’s commandments (cf. 16:19, 17:2, 18:3, 19:15).”[9]

v.9 “Worshipers of the beast who have received his mark will face judgment (14:9-10).  […] Receiving that mark is, however, a symbolic act that does not make one incapable of repentance.  The world (9:20-21; 16:9-11) and even false prophets (2:16, 21-22) are invited to repent, and many of those who ridiculed the witnesses will repent (11:13).”[10]

“The present tenses ‘worship’ and ‘receives’ connote continued worship of the beast and allegiance to him despite the warning of judgment in vv 6-8 and warrant the penalty stated in vv 10-11 […] Those who express greater devotion to the beast than to Christ in order to maintain economic security will be punished.  […] Therefore, since the nations have willingly drunk ’from the wine of passion’ for Babylon, so God will make them ‘drink from the wine of [his] wrath’”[11]

v.10 “Those tormented will be able to look on the Lamb and the holy angels they despised (14:10), now unable to evade the reality they once ignored […] The emphasis here is ‘the inescapability and finality of judgment, not the satisfaction it could afford to those who witness it.’”[12]

v.12 “[..] we are offered in detail the inventory of preparations necessary for the fight between the sons of light and the sons of darkness.  This is conventional battle in that weapons of war are used.  But like Revelation, it is apparent that this battle is not between humans alone but between angelic forces who fight alongside humans (cf. Josh 5:13-14).  But in the war that takes place in heaven in Rev 12:7, the elect do not fight. That does not mean, however, that their endurance and witness contribute nothing to the eschatological process.  As in Eph 6:10, we are offered a picture of a battle conducted without weapons and rooted in the triumph of the Lamb (14:1), who (like Messiah in the contemporary apocalypse 4 Ezra 13:10, 27) stands as a conqueror without indulging in any military action.  The warfare of the elect is conducted with other weapons: endurance, witness, prophecy, obedience to God, and remaining loyal to Jesus (14:12).”[13]

v.13 “The rest from toil echoes 6:9, where the agony of waiting and nakedness is resolved by the granting of white robes.  The deeds of the dead are not forgotten, however, for ‘their deeds follow them’.   The deeds of all persons have been written down, to be opened up to public gaze when the books are opened (20:12). […] The prerequisite for humanity is to repent of their evil deeds (9:20; 16:11).”[14]

vv.14-16 “This is an image of judgment: Christ is separating the faithful from the unfaithful like a farmer harvesting his crops. This is a time of joy for the Christians who have been persecuted and martyred – they will receive their long-awaited reward. Christians should not fear the Last Judgment. Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life’ (John 5:24).”[15]

vv.18-20 “A winepress was a large vat or trough where grapes were collected and then smashed. The juice flowed out of a duct that led into a large holding vat. The winepress is often used in the Bible as a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin (Isaiah 63:3-6; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:12, 13).”[16]

“It portrays the wicked as gathered grapes now crushed into wine in God’s winepress, responding to the cup of the wine of God’s anger poured out on them.  […] God had already promised that he would go out and trample the blood of the wicked like wine in a winepress until his garments were stained with their blood (Isa. 63:1-6); in Revelation Jesus assumes this divine role (Rev. 19:13,15).”[17]

[2] Leander E. Keck, “Revelations” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 664.

[3] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960) 370-371.

[4] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960) 371.

[5] G. K. Beale , The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 747.

[6] G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 747-748.

[7] G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 750-751.

[8] Leander E. Keck, “Revelations” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 666.

[9] Leander E. Keck, “Revelations” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 666.

[10] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960) 373-374.

[11] G. K. Beale., The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1999) 758-759.

[12] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960) 374.

[13]Leander E. Keck, “Revelations” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 665.

[14] Leander E. Keck, “Revelations” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999) 667.

[15] Life Application Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1991) 2322.

[16] Life Application Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1991) 2322.

[17] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960) 377.

vv. 1-10 “Now the dragon’s seven heads and ten horns showed that power was of his very essence.  Of all the attributes of God, his omnipotence is what Satan aspires most to have.  And the beasts of Daniel 7 are actually explained as being four great kings, or empires:  there also power is of the essence.  In fact it is the very word we use to describe them–the ‘great powers’.  So when we are shown a beast whose power is not that of wealth or of influence, but that of government (‘diadems’ and a ‘throne’), who combines all the powers of Daniel 7, and whose authority is worldwide (verse 7), we see in him the principle of power politics:  in a word, the state.  For John this meant, of course, the Roman Empire; but every succeeding generation of Christian people knows some equivalent of it.  To use a phrase which the Authorized Version has fed into common English usage, the beast from the sea represents ‘the powers that be’ (Rom. 13:1, AV).

“But are we not told by Paul that the state is ordained by God?  How then can its authority come from the devil, and be indeed so devilish that it actually begins to look like him (verses 1, 2; 12:3)?

“Paul, of course, is right.  ‘There is no authority except from God’ (Rom. 13:1); it was God who created the institution of human government.  The devil never created anything.  He could only pervert what was already there.  As prince of this world, he took what God had instituted for mankind’s welfare and made it an instrument of oppression.  It is God’s will that there should so often be bad law and tyrannical order.  He puts blasphemies in the mouth of the state, so that it proclaims ‘I am God’ by demanding from its subjects a total, unconditional allegiance, such as those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will never give to any but Christ.  They will uphold the principle of law and order at all costs, to whatever repressive ends it may be perverted:  ‘If any one is to be taken captive,’ well then, ‘to captivity he goes’; they will not take up the sword to overthrow it; this is ‘the endurance and faith of the saints’ (verse 10).  But neither will they worship at its shrine, and be swayed by its talk of ‘patriotism’, and give it ‘the clerical blessing it so much desires’.”[1]

“It is accepted throughout the New Testament that in the last days there will be a special outbreak of the powers of evil.  Sometimes this is associated with an individual who may be called the antichrist (1 Jn. 2:18) or ‘the man of lawlessness’ (2 Thes. 2:3).  It is this figure who is behind the opening vision of this chapter.  John does not name him but calls him ‘the beast.’  A wealth of picturesque detail brings out the horror associated with him.  He is closely linked with Satan, and indeed is something like an incarnation of the evil one.  Many see in the beast a reference to the Roman Empire but this seems to be too simple.  We may well see in the Empire a preliminary manifestation of the evil that will one day be realized to the full in the antichrist.  But there is much more to the beast than ancient Rome.”[2]

vv. 1-2 “The ‘ten horns’ and ‘seven heads’ (13:1) connect this beast with its superhuman mentor, another beast, namely, the serpent (12:3); this image in Revelation fits the Bible’s use of images from the ancient myth of the superhuman enemy (Ps. 74:14).  The ‘blasphemous name’ (Rev. 13:1) probably evokes the arrogant boasts of Daniel 7:8, 20, as do his blasphemies or slanders against God and the saints in Revelation 13:6.  These would prove especially relevant to John’s audience:  Roman coins in the Easter Mediterranean announced that the emperor was ‘son of God’ and ‘God’; Domitian even demanded the title ‘Lord and God.’”[3]

v. 1 “The dragon stands on the seashore as John sees his henchman, the beast, emerge from the sea […]  The ancient world often associated evil with the sea.  Who could tell what existed in its mysterious depths?”[4]

“The chapter says little about the dragon.  He remains very much in the background.  He does his work not openly, but through people.  John is talking about a more than human evil, but it is an evil that reveals itself in human deeds.  The modern world, like the ancient, furnishes us with illustrations.  Hendriksen sees the beast as signifying ‘worldly government directed against the church’, and he takes the multiplicity of heads to indicate that this has various forms, as Babylon, Assyria, Rome, etc.

“The beast hast ten crowns on his horns, which is a curious place for them (Satan has them on the heads, 12:3).  But it is a way of stressing that his dominion (diad?mata are crowns of royalty; […]) rests on force, while leaving the heads free for the blasphemous name.”[5]

v. 2 “The beast is likened to a leopard (or ‘panther’ as some understand pardalis).  The feet are those of a bear and the mouth like that of a lion.  Since the animal has seven heads the singular, mouth, is curious.  We should be clear that John’s interest is in symbolism.  He is not going into detail to help his readers visualize the beast.  In fact it seems impossible to put together all the features John mentions to make up one animal.  But that is not his intention.  He is making use of a variety of the features of the animals mentioned in Daniel 7.  His composite beast then becomes indescribably horrible.  He combines in one terrible feature hitherto associated with different beasts.  The beasts of Daniel 7 are to be understood of the various world empires and it may well be that this is in mind with John’s beast.  In that case he stands for a final empire in which will be concentrated the frightfulness of all its predecessors.  But John does not see the beast as having any power of its own.  The dragon gave its power, its throne, and great authority.  The combination adds up to a formidable foe.”[6]

v. 3 “He does not say how the beast received its wound (in v.14 we find it was ‘by the sword’).  He does not even say whether it received the wound after it come to land or how it come to be healed.  His interest is in the fact that a wound that appeared to be mortal had been healed.  Two points receive emphasis:  the deadliness of the wound and the fact of recovery.  He uses the expression […] ‘as though slain’, which he used of the Lamb in 5:6, and as the recovery of the beast is clear there may possibly be the thought of death followed by resurrection.  This is one of several places in which the evil one is pictured as parodying Christianity.”[7]

v. 4 “Verse 4 repeats the fact of the transfer of the dragon’s authority to the beast and the deception involved in worshiping the beast.  The amazed question, ‘Who is like the beast?’ (reminiscent of similar sentiments expressed about God in Exod 15:11), is followed by ‘Who can make war against him?’  In other words, their amazement is a combination of a sense of awe at the beast’s military power and a sense of despair:  There is no alternative to capitulation.”[8]

v. 5 “The verb was given shows that the beast’s power is derived; he has no power of his own.  It is given him by his master, the dragon.  But John’s readers will reflect that ultimately it is God who determines the limits within which he operates, a point brought out by the use of was given four times in verses 5-7 (NIV omits it before authority in verse 5).  It is further emphasized by the limit of his authority to forty-two months (for this period see on 11:2).  Even the horrible and irresistible beast can exercise authority only during the time that God permits.  The saints are encouraged by the thought that the duration of their suffering has already been determined by God.  It is not the beast who decides this point.  His power is limited though he speaks proud words and blasphemies.”[9]

vv. 5-6 “The beast’s arrogant speech echoes that of the horn of the fourth beast in Dan 7:8, 11, 20.  It blasphemes not only the name of God (cf. Lev 24:15-16), but also God’s dwelling, which may refer to the heavenly temple (cf. 21:2) or be used, in a transferred sense, to indicate the holy people (7:15; cf. 21:3).”[10]

vv. 5-7 “And how long is this to continue?  The beast is ‘allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months’, the same ‘three and a half years’ during which God’s city and the outer courts of his temple are trodden underfoot by the nations, which the church nevertheless survives despite attacks on her members (verse 7), and continues to preach.  Throughout the history of the church, then, the beast from the sea will be active, and Christian people will always have the dragon-manipulated state to take into account in their daily conflict.”[11]

v. 6 “The blasphemies are particularized.  To blaspheme the name of God is much the same as to blaspheme God […] for the name sums up the whole person […] The blasphemy is then directed against God and those in whom God dwells.  To regard the state as supreme (and offer divine honours to the emperor as was demanded in the first century) was not a permissible opinion but the supreme blasphemy.  John’s word must have come to his readers with tremendous force.”[12]

v. 7 “Here, to ‘make war,’ as elsewhere in the Apocalypse, does not mean to wage a military campaign but refers to hostility to and destruction of the people of God in whatever manner and through whatever means the beast may choose (study carefully 2:16; 11:7; 12:7, 17; 16:14; 17:14; 19:11, 19; 20:8; 2Cor 10:4).  ‘To conquer’ them refers not to the subversion of their faith but to the destruction of their physical lives (cf. Matt 10:28). […] their apparent defeat by the beast and his victory turns out in reality to be the victory of the saints and the defeat of the beast (15:2). Messiah-like universal dominion was given the beast by the dragon (Luke 4:4-7; 1John 5:19).”[13]

vv. 7-8 “The apparent universality of worship offered to the beast is qualified, however, by the reference to the Lamb’s book of life.  Until the books are opened (20:12; cf. Dan 12:1) and judgment takes place, the names contained in it are unknown.  […] The criterion for inclusion in the book of life is to resist worshiping the beast.”[14]

vv. 11-13 “Verses 11 to 13 make clear what the beast from the earth is.  Its looks are lamb-like but its voice dragon-like; it stands before the first beast–another reminiscence of Elijah, who stood before God (1 Ki. 17:1) waiting on his bidding, ready to act at his command and speak with his authority; it is concerned with worship, the religious aspect of human life; and it works miracles, like bringing fire from heaven (Elijah yet again, 1 Ki. 18).  The coupling of Christlike appearance and Satanic message, the status of prophet, the concern with worship, and the appeal to the magical, all add up to one thing:  false religion.  The relationships between man and man, and between man and God, are both provided for in the divine plan.  The beast from the sea is Satan’s perversion of society, the first; and the beast from the earth is his perversion of Christianity, the second.”[15]

vv. 16-18 “This mark of the beast is designed to mock the seal that God places on his followers (Rev. 7:2-3). Just as God marks his people to save them, so Satan’s beast marks his people to save them from the persecution that Satan will inflict upon God’s followers. Identifying this particular mark is not as important as identifying the purpose of the mark. Those who accept it show their allegiance to Satan, their willingness to operate within the economic system he promotes, and their rebellion against God. To refuse the mark means to commit oneself entirely to God, preferring death to compromising one’s faith in Christ.”[16]

v. 16 “He now caused a mark to be set on all people on the right hand or forehead.  The listing of various classes, small and great […] etc., is a way of stressing totality.  No-one was exempt.  The choice of right hand or forehead is presumably for conspicuousness.  It could not be hidden.  It may also be meant as a travesty of the Jewish custom of wearing phylacteries (little boxes containing extracts from the Bible) on the left hand (or forearm) and on the head.  It is probably also a parody of God’s seal (7:3; 14:1).  The precise significance of the mark is uncertain.”[17]

v. 17 “The purpose […] of the mark is that no-one should engage in trade without it.  Could (dyn?tai) is stronger than ‘hinder’ or the like.  It points to a total prohibition, which would make it impossible for people without the mark to buy even necessities like food.  It is thus impossible for those who oppose the beast even to live.  The mark is explained as the name of the beast or the number of his name; this leads into the next verse.”[18]

v. 18 “What does 666 mean? Some have seen in this number a reference to Nero, the first emperor to persecute Christians.  Others have seen a reference to some evil person of their day, such as Adolf Hitler, but efforts to identify a specific person have been unsatisfactory.  If the number seven symbolizes the fullness of God (3:1; 5:6), perhaps six is associated with evil, falling one short of completeness.  The threefold six, then, would emphasize how completely evil this beast it.  Essentially, John exhorts all Christians to discern evil.”[19]

[2] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 160.

[3] Craig S. Keener , Revelation, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2003) 336.

[4] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 161.

[5] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 161.

[6] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 161-162.

[7] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 162.

[8] Christopher C. Rowland , “The Book of Revelation”, New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 657.

[9] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 163.

[10] Christopher C. Rowland , “The Book of Revelation”, New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 657.

[11] Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1975) 125-126.

[12] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 163-164.

[13] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for verse 7.

[14] Christopher C. Rowland , “The Book of Revelation”, New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 657.

[15] Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1975) 126.

[16] Life Application Study Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers and Zondervan, 1991) 2320.

[17] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 167-168.

[18] Leon Morris, Revelation, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity, 2000) 168.

[19] Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1994) 1724.

“Although the themes of persecution and vindication pick up where they left off in the vision of the two witnesses, the beginning of chap. 12 is one of the most abrupt transitions in Revelation.  Two visions occur in this chapter: a woman pursued by a dragon and the heavenly war between the hosts of the angel Michael and Satan.  This leads to the latter’s ejection from heaven, paving the way for an immediate threat to the world’s inhabitants.”[1]

vv.1-2 “This woman is in labour to bear a child who is undoubtedly the Messiah, Christ, cp. verse 5 where he is said to be destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron.  That is a quotation from Psalm 2:9 and was an accepted description of the Messiah.”[2]

“If the woman is the ‘mother’ of the Messiah, an obvious suggestion is that she should be identified with Mary; but she is so clearly a superhuman figure that she can hardly be identified with any single human being.

“The persecution of the woman by the dragon suggests that she might be identified with the Christian Church.  The objection is that the Christian Church could hardly be called the mother of the Messiah.

“In the Old Testament, the chosen people, the ideal Israel, the community of the people of God, is often called the Bride of God.  ‘Your Maker is your husband’ (Isaiah 54:5).  It is Jeremiah’s sad complaint that Israel has played the harlot in disloyalty to God (Jeremiah 3:6-10).  Hosea hears God say: ‘I will betroth you to me for ever’ (Hosea 2:19, 20).  In the Revelation itself we hear of the marriage feast of the Lamb and the Bride of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7; 21:9).  ‘I betrothed you to Christ,’ writes Paul to the Corinthian Church, ‘to present you as a pure bride to her one husband.’ (2 Corinthians 11:2).”[3]

“This will give us a line of approach.  It was from the chosen people that Jesus Christ sprang in his human lineage.  It is for the ideal community of the chosen ones of God that the woman stands.  Out of that community Christ came and it was that community which underwent such terrible suffering at the hands of the hostile world.  We may indeed call this the Church, if we remember that the Church is the community of God’s people in every age.

“From this picture we learn three great things about this community of God.  First, it was out of it that Christ came; and out of it Christ has still to come for those who have never known him.  Second, there are forces of evil, spiritual and human, which are set on the destruction of the community of God.  Third, however strong the opposition against it and however sore its sufferings, the community of God is under the protection of God and, therefore, it can never be ultimately destroyed.”[4]

vv.3-4 “The dragon has seven heads and ten horns.  This signifies its mighty power.  It has seven royal diadems.  This signifies its complete power over the kingdoms of this world as opposed to the kingdom of God.  The picture of the dragon sweeping the stars from the sky with its tail comes from the picture in Daniel of the little horn who cast the stars to the ground and trampled on them (Daniel 8:10).  The picture of the dragon waiting to devour the child comes from Jeremiah, in which it is said of Nebuchadnezzar that ‘he has swallowed me like a monster’ (Jeremiah 51:34).

“H.B. Swete finds in this picture the symbolism of an eternal truth about the human situation.  In the human situation, as Christian history sees it, there are two figures who occupy the centre of the scene.  There is man, fallen, always under attack of the powers of evil but always struggling towards the birth of a higher life.  And there is always the power of evil, watching for its opportunity to frustrate the upward reach of man.  That struggle had its culmination on the Cross.”[5]

v.5 “In this scene that blends two worlds, God’s agent of salvation, the One who shall shepherd all nations with absolute authority, is represented by the innocence and vulnerability of a baby.  As the dragon waits to devour the newborn child, all the forces of evil, in this world and beyond, are concentrated against this saving act of God.  The child is born and taken up to God – so quickly does the story move from the Messiah’s birth to death and resurrection.  There can be no doubt that, although the dragon does not ‘get’ the child, who is safe at God’s throne, the way to God’s presence was not by escaping death.  Precisely by dying, Jesus defeated the dragon and was exalted to God’s right hand.”[6]

v.6 “The woman flees to the desert (‘wilderness,’ NRSV), the place where John will later be taken to see Babylon (17:3).  Just as in chap. 17, where the desert gives John a different perspective, so here, too, the desert should not be seen as a harsh and forbidding place.  It is the place that God has prepared for the woman, where she will be nourished (v. 6).  As the Gospels indicate, the desert is the place where the voice cries out and the Messiah emerges, on the very margins of life (Matt 3:3ff.).  It is unclear who will take care of the woman (if it is angels, then this is a parallel to the care Jesus received during his trial in the desert, according to Mark 1:13).  The period of her nurture is 1,260 days, roughly the same amount of time the nations will ‘trample over the holy city’ in 11:2 (1,260 days are roughly equivalent to 42 months).  The situation of the woman contrasts with that of the dragon, which will have no place in heaven (12:8, 14).  The woman’s flight is reminiscent of that of the parents of Jesus when they fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus (Matt 2:13), to a place ‘prepared’ by God in the prophetic scriptures (Matt 2:15).”[7]

vv.7-9 “Here, however, Michael and his forces cast down Satan’s forces, because Michael and his allies represent the heavenly victory won by Christ on earth. God not only rules the world through events in the heavens; he also fits these events to his acts on earth. John perceives not only the fallen angels but even the activity of Michael through his focus on our Lord’s triumph.

“Satan’s being hurled to the earth ends his position of privilege in God’s court. Ironically, Satan’s loss of ‘place’ (topos, 12:8) contrasts starkly with the ‘place’ (topos) of refuge God provides his own people persecuted by Satan (12:6, 14). The Bible already declared that Satan functioned as an accuser (Zech. 3:1), including directly before God’s throne (Job 1:6; 2:1). Jewish tradition amplified this idea, so that in later texts he was said to accuse Israel day and night, except on the Day of Atonement. Here, however, his accusations against the saints have been silenced, for Christ’s victory is sufficient to silence all objections of the once-heavenly prosecutor (12:10). The opposite of a prosecutor was an advocate, and John’s audience is probably already familiar with the idea that Jesus is our sufficient advocate (1 John 2:1; also John 14:16, where ‘Counselor’ translates ‘advocate’). Satan’s activity here is ‘day and night’; like the torment of his followers (14:11; 20:10), this contrasts with the unceasing role of God’s worshipers in 4:8; 7:15.”[8]

v.10 “This anonymous hymn, which interprets the great battle of the preceding verses, has three stanzas: the first (v. 10) focuses on the victorious inauguration of God’s kingdom and Christ’s kingly authority; the second (v. 11) calls attention to the earthly victory of the saints as they confirm the victory of Christ by their own identification with Jesus in his witness and death; the third (v. 12) announces the martyrs’ victory and the final woe to the earth because of the devil’s ejection and impending demise.

“In the first stanza (v. 10), the triumph of Christ is described as the arrival of three divine realities in history: God’s “salvation” or victory (7:10; 19:1), God’s “power,” and God’s “kingdom.” This latter reality is further identified as Christ’s assumption of his ‘authority.’ The historic event of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection has challenged the dominion of Satan and provoked the crisis of history. At the time of Christ’s death on earth, Satan was being defeated in heaven by Michael. As Caird has said, ‘Michael … is not the field officer who does the actual fighting, but the staff officer in the heavenly room, who is able to remove Satan’s flag from the heavenly map because the real victory has been won on Calvary’ (p. 154).

‘In times past, Satan’s chief role as adversary was directed toward accusing God’s people of disobedience to God. The justice of these accusations was recognized by God, and therefore Satan’s presence in heaven was tolerated. But now the presence of the crucified Savior in God’s presence provides the required satisfaction of God’s justice with reference to our sins (1 John 2:1-2; 4:10). Therefore, Satan’s accusations are no longer valid and he is cast out. What strong consolation this provides for God’s faltering people!”[9]

v.11 “This stanza is both a statement and an appeal. It announces that the followers of the Lamb also become victors over the dragon because they participate in the “blood of the Lamb,” the weapon that defeated Satan, and because they have confirmed their loyalty to the Lamb by their witness even to death. The blood of the martyrs, rather than signaling the triumph of Satan, shows instead that they have gained the victory over the dragon by their acceptance of Jesus’ Cross and their obedient suffering with him. This is one of John’s chief themes (1:9; 6:9; 14:12; 20:4).

Verses 12 and 17 lead to the conclusion that only a portion of the martyrs are in view (cf. 6:11). Thus this hymn of victory also becomes an appeal to the rest of the saints to do likewise and confirm their testimony to Christ even if doing so means death. This seems to suggest that in some mysterious sense the sufferings of the people of God are linked to the sufferings of Jesus in his triumph over Satan and evil (John 12:31; Rom 16:20; Col 1:24). Since the martyrs have gotten the victory over the dragon because of the Cross of Jesus (i.e., they can no longer be accused of damning sin, since Jesus has paid sin’s penalty [1:5b]), they are now free even to give up their lives in loyalty to their Redeemer (John 12:25; Rev 15:2).”[10]

v.12 “Satan has failed. Therefore, the heavens and all who are in them should be glad. But Satan does not accept defeat without a bitter struggle. His final death throes are directed exclusively toward “the earth and the sea.” Therefore their inhabitants will mourn, for the devil will now redouble his wrathful effort in one last futile attempt to make the most of an opportunity he knows will be brief (three and one-half years; cf. vv. 6, 14).”[11]

vv.13-14 “The narrative is resumed after the flight of the woman into the wilderness (v. 6). Why? Because she is under attack from the defeated but still vicious dragon (vv. 7-12). No longer able to attack the male child who is in heaven or to accuse the saints because of the victory of Jesus on the Cross, and banned from heaven, the devil now pursues the woman, who flees into the desert. The word ‘pursue’ was no doubt carefully chosen by John because it is also the NT word for ‘persecute’ (dioko, Matt 5:10 et al.). Since the woman has already given birth to the child, the time of the pursuit by the dragon follows the earthly career of Jesus.

“The reference to eagle’s wings once again introduces imagery borrowed from the Exodus account where Israel was pursued by the dragon in the person of Pharaoh: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exod 19:4). As God’s people were delivered from the enemy by their journey into the Sinai desert, so God’s present people will be preserved miraculously from destruction (cf. Deut 32:10-12; Isa 40:31).”[12]

vv.15-16 “The serpent spews a floodlike river of water out of his mouth to engulf and drown the woman. The water imagery seems clear enough. It symbolizes destruction by an enemy (Pss 32:6; 69:1-2; 124:2-5; Nah 1:8) or calamity (Ps 18:4). As the desert earth absorbs the torrent, so the covenant people will be helped by God and preserved from utter destruction (Isa 26:20; 42:15; 43:2; 50:2). The dragon-inspired Egyptians of old were swallowed by the earth: “You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them” (Exod 15:12). In similar fashion, the messianic community will be delivered by God’s power. Whatever specific events were happening to Christians in Asia in John’s day would not exhaust the continuing significance of the passage.”[13]

v.17 “This attack of Satan against ‘the rest’ of the woman’s offspring seems to involve the final attempt to destroy the messianic people of God. Having failed in previous attempts to eliminate them as a whole, the dragon now strikes at individuals who ‘obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.’ To ‘make war’ (poiesai polemon) is the identical expression used of the beast’s attack on the two witnesses in 11:7 and on the saints in 13:7. Could this possibly correlate the three groups and indicate their common identity under different figures?

Those attacked are called ‘the rest of her [the woman's] offspring.’ Some identify this group as Gentile Christians in distinction from the Jewish mother church (Glasson). Others who identify the mother as the nation of Israel see the ‘rest’ as the believing remnant in the Jewish nation who turn to Christ (Walvoord)-view that depends on the prior identification of the woman with the whole nation of Israel. Others have suggested that the woman represents the believing community as a whole, the universal or ideal church composed of both Jews and Gentiles, whereas the ‘offspring’ of the woman represent individuals of the community (Jews and Gentiles) who suffer persecution and martyrdom from the dragon in the pattern of Christ (Swete, Caird, Kiddle). The close identification of the seed of the woman as first of all Jesus and then also those who have become his brethren through faith agrees with other NT teaching (Matt 25:40; Heb 2:11-12). While Satan cannot prevail against the Christian community itself, he can wage war on certain of its members who are called on to witness to their Lord by obedience even unto death, i.e., ‘those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus’ (Matt 16:18; Rev 11:7; 13:7, 15). The church, then, is paradoxically both invulnerable (the woman) and vulnerable (her children) (cf. Luke 21:16-18).”[14]

[2]William Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. II, Daily Study Bible Commentary (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1976) 75-76.

[3]William Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. II, Daily Study Bible Commentary (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1976) 76.

[4] William Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. II, Daily Study Bible Commentary (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1976) 76.

[5] William Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. II, Daily Study Bible Commentary (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1976) 77-78.

[6] Boring, M. Eugene, Interpretation, Revelation (Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1989) 158.

[7] Christopher C. Rowland , “The Book of Revelation”, New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 649.

[8] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIV Application Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000).

[9] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

[10] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

[11] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

[12] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

[13] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

[14] Alan F. Johnson, Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Revelation 12:1-17.

v.2 “The ‘words spoken in the past’ are the prophetic oracles with special reference here to the day of the Lord. The “command” is a way of referring to the moral demands of the Christian faith and primarily to the command of love. These prophecies and commands were given to the early Christians by the NT prophets and apostles (cf. Eph 2:20).”[1]

v.3 “Peter next states a primary thing to be remembered from the prophetic and apostolic deposit: the appearance of scoffers in the last days, who deny biblical truths and live in an ungodly way (cf. Da 7:25; 11:36-39; Mt 24:3-5, 11, 23-26; 1Ti 4:1ff.; 2Ti 3:1-7; Jude 17-18). The “last days” are the days that come between the first coming of the Messiah and his second coming. The “scoffers” are the false teachers of ch. 2 who deny a future eschatology.”[2]

vv.3-4 “The “scoffer” or “mocker” is certainly not a new phenomenon in the history of God’s people. The psalmist pronounced a blessing on the person of God who does not “sit in the seat of mockers” (Ps. 1:1). And three times Proverbs presents the mocker as someone whose ways are to be avoided by the righteous (Prov. 1:22; 9:7 – 8; 13:1). Mocking is one all-too-typical response to the truth of God’s revelation. Mockers do not so much reason against the truth of God as they disdain and belittle it. Rather than standing under God’s Word, mockers, as Peter points out, follow “their own evil desires.” “Evil desires” translates a single Greek word (epithymia) that Peter uses to encapsulate the ungodly orientation of such people (see 1:4; 2:10, 18). These scoffers, Peter says, insist on “going” their own way rather than following the will of God.

Mockery is a general response to the truth of God. But the mockers or scoffers that Peter is particularly concerned about were not, apparently, mocking the faith generally. Indeed, they claimed to be following the faith (e.g., 2:18 – 22). Rather they were scoffing at one particular teaching of the faith: the belief that Christ will return in glory at the end of history. “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” they kept asking. By putting “coming” in quotation marks and adding the word “this,” the NIV rightly suggests that the word has a special reference here. The Greek word is parousia, used throughout the New Testament as a technical term referring to the “coming” of Christ in the last day.”[3]

v.4 “Part of the early church proclamation was the announcement of the return of Jesus to complete the work of salvation and to punish the wicked (e.g., Mt 24:3ff.; Jn 14:1-3; Ac 1:11; 17:31; Ro 13:11; 1Co 15:23; 1Th 4:13-5:11; 2Th 1:7-10; Heb 9:28; Rev 1:7). The false teachers ask, “Where is this `coming’ he promised?” Mocking the faith of Christians, they support their own position by claiming, “Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” “Our fathers” most likely means the OT fathers (see Jn 6:31; Ac 3:13; Ro 9:5; Heb 1:1). “Died” (lit., “fell asleep”) is a lovely metaphor for the death of believers (cf. Ac 7:60; 1Th 4:13-14). The argument of the false teachers is essentially a naturalistic one–a kind of uniformitarianism that rules out any divine intervention in history.”[4]

v.5-6 “But they ‘deliberately [lit., willingly] forget’ the great Flood, when God intervened in history by destroying the world. What they forget is not only the Flood but also God’s prior activity by his word–the existence of the heavens and the watery formation of the earth (Ge 1:2-10). It seems unlikely that Peter is seeking to affirm that water was the basic material of creation. He does not use the verb “create” but says that the earth “was formed out of water and with water.” In Genesis the sky separates the waters from the waters by the word of God, and the land appears out of the water by the same word.

At the beginning of v. 6, the phrase “by these waters” (lit., “through these”) probably refers to both water and the word as the agents used by God for destroying the former world (v. 6), just as word and fire will be the destructive agents in the future (v. 7). “The world of that time” obviously means that the inhabitants of the earth were destroyed (the world itself was not destroyed).”[5]

“What Peter is reminding these false teachers about, then, is the creation of the entire universe. Both the world we can experience through our senses (“the earth”) and the unseen spiritual realm (“heavens,” or better, “heaven”) were brought into being “by God’s word.” As Genesis 1 repeatedly makes clear, all of creation is the effect of God’s powerful word. He spoke, and it came to pass. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made” (Ps. 33:6); “the universe was formed at God’s command” (Heb. 11:3).”[6]

v.7 “Peter’s reference to a future conflagration to destroy the present cosmos is highly unusual. The OT speaks of fire in the day of the Lord (Ps 97:3; Isa 66:15-16; Da 7:9-10; Mic 1:4; Mal 4:1). And Mt 3:11-12 speaks of the future baptism of fire by the Messiah in which he will destroy the “chaff” (cf. 2Th 1:7). Peter argues that just as in the past God purged the then-existing world by his word and by waters, so in the future he will purge the world by his word and by fire. Whether this will take place before the Millennium or after, Peter does not say. Matthew 3:11-12 supports the former, while the sequence of Rev 20-21 puts the new heaven and new earth after the thousand years (cf. 2Pe 3:13).”[7]

v.9 “The third argument against the scoffers grows out of the second one. God’s delay is gracious; it is not caused by inability or indifference. The scoffers argued that God was slow to keep his promise of the new age, and evidently some Christians were influenced by this thinking. God’s time plan is influenced by his being “patient”an attribute of God prominent in Scripture (cf. Ex 34:6; Nu 14:18; Ps 86:15; Jer 15:15; Ro 2:4; 9:22). In Ro 9:22 Paul says that God “bore with great patience the objects of his wrath.” Here in v. 9 that patience is directed “to you.”

v.10 “Peter’s fourth argument against the false teachers reaffirms the early church’s teaching that the day of the Lord will come suddenly. Jesus taught that his coming would be as unexpected as the coming of a thief (Mt 24:42-44), an analogy often repeated in the NT (cf. Lk 12:39; 1Th 5:2; Rev 3:3; 16:15). The “Lord” in these texts is Jesus in his exaltation and should be so understood here. In that catastrophic day “the heavens will disappear” with a loud noise made by something passing swiftly through the air. The sky will recede “like a scroll, rolling up” (Rev 6:14), and the earth and sky will flee from the presence of God (Rev 20:11).

“The elements”could be the basic materials that make up the world; those commonly thought of in NT times were air, earth, fire, and water. But it is also possible that Peter is looking at three realms (the heavens, that of the heavenly bodies, and the earth), and that the “the elements” refers to “heavenly bodies,” those mentioned in other eschatological passages (Joel 2:10; Mk 13:24-26; Rev 6:12-13). The phrase “the earth and everything in it” probably refers to all human products that will be destroyed.”[8]

v.11 “Peter now makes the impending disintegration of the universe the ground for a personal challenge to his readers.  In view of what is in store for the world, Peter asks his readers, “What kind of people ought you to be?” Since the day of the Lord will soon come to punish the wicked and reward the righteous, believers should live “holy and godly lives.” Holiness entails separation from evil and dedication to God; godliness relates to piety and worship.”[9]

v.13 “New heaven and a new earth. The place God has prepared for his people for eternity.  Though this language may be somewhat figurative, we know this will be a place without sin where God will live with his saints forever.”[10]

vv.15-16 “[...] “Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you” is significant in the light of Paul’s rebuke of Peter (Gal 2:11-14).  Peter had recognized the ministry of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles.  What had Paul written to the recipients of 2 Peter? We cannot answer that question. Nor is it necessary to do so in view of Peter’s general statement: “He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters.” In Ro 2:4 Paul says that “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” Peter goes on to affirm that Paul’s letters contain “some things that are hard to understand.” The difficulty in Paul’s letters stems from the profundity of the God-given wisdom they contain. Apparently false teachers were seeking to use Pauline support for their opposition to Peter. Paul’s letters contain things–e.g., slogans and arguments–that can be given meanings far beyond what Paul intended.

The unlearned (NIV, “ignorant”) are those who have not learned the apostolic teaching (Ac 2:42), nor have they been taught by the Father (Jn 6:45). They are “unstable” because they are without a foundation (cf. comment on 2:14). They “distort” the things in Paul’s letters as they do the “other Scriptures.” Like Satan, the false teachers and their followers can quote Scripture out of context for their purpose (cf. Mt 4:6). Does Peter’s expression “the other Scriptures” imply that Paul’s writings were already considered Scripture by this time (c. A.D. 64)? This is the normal understanding of the Greek. That Paul’s writings should be considered “Scripture”–i.e., authoritative writing–is not surprising, for from the moment of composition they had the authority of commands of the Lord through his apostle (Ro 1:1; 1Co 14:37; Gal 1:1).

Twisting the Scriptures leads to “destruction” because it is the rejection of God’s way and the setting up of one’s own way in opposition to God (cf. Ro 8:7). In a time when the Christian church is plagued by heretical cults and false teaching, Peter’s warning about the irresponsible use of Scripture is important. Correct exegesis must be a continuing concern of the church.”[11]

vv.17-18 “With the word “therefore” and an affectionate reference to his readers, Peter begins his conclusion. These two verses touch on the main themes of the letter and summarize its contents. First, there is the reminder for his readers to watch out lest the false teachers lead them astray. Second, there is the exhortation to grow in Christ. The dominant motivation for writing this letter was Peter’s love and concern for the flock (cf. the repeated use of “dear friends”). Since he has told the believers beforehand about the false teachers, they are able to be on guard.

The “lawless men” will attempt by their error to shift the believers off their spiritual foundation. The word translated “secure position” occurs only here in the NT, but the related verb and adjective are important in Peter’s life (cf. Lk 22:32 of Jesus’ command to Peter) and also in this letter. The Christians’ guarding against false teachers includes (1) prior knowledge of their activities, (2) warning against their immoral lives (ch. 2; cf. Mt 7:16), (3) reminders of the historicity of the apostolic message (1:16-18), (4) the prophetic teaching of the past (1:19; 3:1-2), and (5) the warning of judgment (e.g., the Flood).

Now Peter speaks positively: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” In 1:3-11 he has already stressed the necessity for progress in Christian living. If Christians do not keep moving forward, they will regress or fall back. As Paul says, Christians never in this life attain all there is in Christ; so their goal is to know Christ in a fuller, more intimate way (Php 3:10-13; cf. Eph 1:17).

The closing doxology is notable for its direct ascription of “glory” to Christ. For a Jew who has learned the great words in Isa 42:8–”I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another”–this doxology is a clear confession of Christ (cf. Jn 5:23: “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father”). This supreme honor belongs to Jesus Christ today (“now”) and “forever.” So Peter finally points his readers to the new age, “the day of the Lord,” when Christ will be manifested in all his glory.”[12]

[2] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:3.

[3] Douglas J. Moo, 2 Peter, Jude, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996) 166.

[4] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:4.

[5] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:5-6.

[6] Douglas J. Moo, 2 Peter, Jude, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996) 169.

[7] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:7.

[8] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:10.

[9] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:11.

[10] Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2003) 1695.

[11] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:15-16.

[12] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) note on 2 Peter 3:17-18.