Revelation 13

So, Revelation 13 seems to be one of the most highly quoted chapters. 'The Mark of the Beast' chapter.

I'm paraphrasing here. The beast was given great authority by 'the dragon' Satan. It had 10 horns, 7 heads , 10 crowns on it's horns, and each head had a blasphemous name.
It looked like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and a mouth like a lion.
One head of the beast had a fatal wound that had been healed.

The whole world was filled with wonder as they followed the beast, and people worshipped the dragon because it gave authority to the beast, but also worshipped the beast because it asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” It was claiming to be undefeated. It spoke blasphemes of God, heaven and all that was in it. It had the power to wage war against 'holy people' and conquer them, and given authority over all people, all who were not written in The Lamb's book would worship this beast. 

At this point, it is easy to get lost in the imagery. A beast that everyone worships? How absurd -right? Well, we have to understand that sometimes metaphors are used in the Bible, but they are still full of truth. In fact, I would think that it sounded like Hitler almost. This just shows us how possible it is. 

The chapter continues to say...


“If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”[d]

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Then comes the second beast... 

this time come out of the earth with 'two horns like a lamb  but spoke like a dragon'
"It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people...It ordered them (the people) to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived...It also forced all people...to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,  so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name; 666 (there is a little clause about calculating the number).

Revelations 12

The first time that I glanced at this chapter, I thought that it spoke about the birth of Jesus Christ, but with a lot of symbols. However, after careful contemplation, writing a summary like that did not sit well with my soul. I felt a constant urge to revisit it. And so I did, I recognize the book of Revelation as John's vision of prophesy for the future, not the retelling of the past.

This vision tells of a war breaking out in heaven. It talks about the devil appearing as a 7-headed red dragon. It says that the Arch Angel Michael defeated the dragon, Satan so he lost his place in heaven.

This chapter tells about a pregnant woman experiencing labour pains, "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head"(Revelation 12:1)

The dragon was trying to destroy the baby of a pregnant woman.  She had to flee to the wilderness to be cared for in accordance to God's will.  In the vision, "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who 'will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.'[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne." (Revelation 12:5) Finally, it also talks about the devil having a limited reign on earth.

Revelation 11

In chapter 11, John was told to measure the temple of God and the alter -but not the outer court which belonged to the Gentiles -the Gentiles would trample the Holy city for  42 months. 

Then there was a promise of what's to come. "And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬ NIV) The prophecy period is just shy of the 42 months. The voice from the heavens also told John  that no one was to harm the prophets or they'd die by fire from their mouths. These prophets were given the ability to stop it from raining, turn water to blood and bring plagues. When they're done with their testimony the beast from the abyss would attack them, over power, and kill them. Their bodies would lie in the public square where Jesus was crucified. They'll be refused burial for three days, then people will exchange gifts to celebrate their destruction. However, after 3.5 days they were raised to life  "Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.(Revelation 11:12)" Then there was a severe earthquake killing one tenth of the city.

This chapter continues on to talk about the sounding of the trumpet by the seventh angel, after which, loud voices proclaimed,“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭15‬ NIV)

Twenty-four elders worshipped and spoke about the arriving day of judgement where God rewards his servants who prophecy and revere his name, and brings destruction to those who destroy earth.
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. (‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭19‬ NIV)

Revelation 10

An angel robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head, face like the sun and legs fiery -one in the sea and one on land, gave a loud shout as though seven thunders spoke to John, some undisclosed secret. 

The angel reached his right hand to heaven and he swore by our creator there will be no delay that the day the seventh angel sounds his trumpet the mystery of God would be accomplished. 

John was instructed to take the scroll by a voice from the heavens and eat it though it would turn his stomach sour, his mouth will taste honey. Next he wrote, "Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” (‭Revelation‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬ NIV)"

Revelation 9

Here is my summary of Revelation 9...a lot is quoted, but I only took as much as was necessary to understand the chapter.
The fifth angel sounded the trumpet and a star was given a key to open an abyss and locusts came out looking like horses with crowns with human faces. They were to fly over the earth for five months and torture all of those without the seal of God on their foreheads, and were not permitted to eat the grass plants or trees. The locusts had tails like the stingers of scorpions and looked as though they were racing into battle. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). (‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬ NIV)The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. (‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭12‬ NIV) Next, the sixth angel sounded his trumpet and It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. (‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭14-16‬ NIV)A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭18, 20-21‬ NIV)

Revelation 8

One reassuring thing about this chapter is that it opens up talking about our prayers being presented before God. He cares about us, and our heart's desires -even right before judgement day.

This chapter is a continuation of John's vision. At this point, all but the seventh seal was opened. Once it was opened, there was a great silence in the heavens in his vision. Then there were seven angels with seven trumpets standing before God. Then another angel with a censer appeared. He offered a bowl of incense that symbolized the prayers of all of God's people.

The angels prepared to sound their trumpets...

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood...A third of the earth was burned up...The second angel's trumpet plunged a firey mountain like thing into sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star... called wormwood plunged into the sea and turned a third of the water bitter, and many people died. 

With the fourth angel's trumpet, a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. 

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Revelation 7 The promise of salvation

Some may find this chapter of Revelations a little scary -and I admit it can be. It is that degree of uncertainty that Jesus will recognize us as his servant and not as a common sinner that will perish when this prophesy comes to fruition. I cannot go into this chapter without clearing up something that I constantly battle with myself. Accepting God's promise of salvation, and hoping that my sins are not so great as to lose God's love. Remember, God loves greater than all of us. Stop doing things that you have to be sorry for later. Commit your life to God, it is a constant battle, God knows that. While your right hand is praying, try to not let your left hand be sinning. Romans 7 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing....24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!...I found this explanation from 'Love Worth Finding Ministries' it almost brought me to tears, because this is my desire to be saved. God has transformed my heart... it has been a process... but he has. Read this to understand what the Bible says about gaining salvation. When the Bible says “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” believe means to have trust in, to commit to, or cleave to. You trust fully in and commit your life to this truth. You can “believe” that the next train will take you to Poughkeepie. But until you get on that train and entrust yourself to it, to take you to Poughkeepsie, you haven’t “believed,” in the Biblical sense.By WHAT MEANS Are You Saved?If salvation depended on our own efforts, we would be in trouble. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it abundantly clear:“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”By what are we saved?Self cannot save. Works cannot save. It is the GRACE of God through our faith in Christ.You cannot save yourself by “being good.” I can't trust the best fifteen minutes I ever lived to get me into heaven. God isn't Santa Claus, mak­ing a list and checking it twice to find out who's naughty or nice. He isn't weighing your good works against your bad works. You will never experience assurance if you depend on your actions.Most people are counting on their good works in the end to tip the scales in their favor. That's why they don't have salvation: they are counting on their works!You are dead in your sins if you don't know Christ, and a long list of good works won't balance the scales, because we aren't saved by works but by grace.A CLOSER LOOK AT GRACEGrace is the unmerit­ed love and favor God shows to sinners.Grace is what makes God love us when we are unlovely. He doesn't love you for what you've done, He loves you out of grace.Grace is the hand of God reaching down out of heaven. He says, “I love you; I want to save you.When you put your hand of faith in God's hand of grace, that's salvation.Now, let's get into Chapter 7...There were four angels protecting the servants of God before four other angels who were given athority to let the winds bring distruction. The plea by the protective angel was not to let harm come to the servants of God, a seal needed to be placed on their forehead to protect them. Then there were 144,000 people who were from the tribes of Israel who needed to be sealed, and a great multitude that no one could count from every nation wearing white robe. Voices cried out that salvation belongs to God and the Lamb. All of the angels, elders, and animals fell down to worship God. Although this is all important, this part should not be summarized so that you can get a better idea of who will be saved. Revelation 7:13-1713 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.15 Therefore,“they are before the throne of God    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne    will shelter them with his presence.16 ‘Never again will they hunger;    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[a]    nor any scorching heat.17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”I hope that helped someone... maybe myself too...