HEADINGS ON THIS PAGE
PDF VERSION OF THE PAGE
LINK #4:
JOHN'S 'LITTLE BOOK'
JOHN'S 'LITTLE BOOK'
THE FOUR VISIONS OF REVELATION CHAPTERS 11 THROUGH 13
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?
At the beginning of each page of the Prophecy Section of this journal I ask this question, and explain God's timetable for the second coming of Jesus Christ. That timetable is Daniel's '70th Week'.
The first four pages of my Prophecy Section correspond to four links in a divine 'prophetic chain':
And while I encourage my visitor to examine those pages individually, I also offer a condensed combination of these four links in the following document:
SECOND COMING TIMETABLE (PDF)
Here my two main points are that...
If John's 'Little Book' did not exist, I myself would feel compelled to embrace one of today's three major views on Daniel's 70th Week; Post-Millennialism, A-Millennialism or Dispensationalism. But John's Little Book does exist. Its first three visions depict what God accomplished through the family of Abraham
And the fourth and final vision of John's Little Book depicts a singular characteristic of world history
1) THE TEMPLE AND THE COURTYARD (Revelation 11:1-2)
2) THE TWO WITNESSES (Revelation 11:3-12)
3) THE WOMAN, THE CHILD AND THE DRAGON (Revelation 12)
4) THE BEAST FROM THE SEA (Revelation 13)
RECEIVING THE BOOK
Revelation 10 describes the apostle John's reception of a 'Little Book'. He was told to eat it. It was sweet in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach. Then John was told that he must 'prophecy again'. In other words that John must give additional prophecy, over and above what he was already receiving in the larger book of Revelation. The 'Little Book' contained that additional prophecy, and its contents are opened up to us in Revelation chapters 11-13.
John's Little Book sits in the larger book of Revelation, much like the 'inserts' that we find in magazines today. It is held in place and connected to the rest of Revelation by the 'staple' of the 7th Trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19). John's Little Book provides us with 4 visions of Daniel's 70th week. Each vision describes that Week in terms of one or both of its two halves.
These four visions correspond to Daniel 9:27, and the four things that Daniel was told the Messiah would do AFTER His death:
VISION #1: MEASURING THE TEMPLE
THE END OF SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS
In this vision John was told to measure the Temple and the Jewish people who worship there; but to leave out the court (the Temple Mount), because it will be given to the Gentiles for 42 months (42 months is 1/2 of 7 years).
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying "Rise, and measure the Temple of God, and the altar, and those that worship there. But the court which is outside the Temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles. And the holy city shall they tread under foot for forty two months ". Revelation 11:1-2
In the Bible the 'measurement' of things sometimes represents God's judgment of those things. In the downfall of King Belshazzar in Daniel 5:27, the king was told that he had been 'weighed' and found lacking (coming short of God's commandments). And in Jesus' warning that we will be 'measured' with the same measure that we apply to others (Matthew 7:2), we see this same idea. And so the measuring of the Temple, the altar, and 'the people who were worshiping there' represents God's re-evaluation of the Mosaic Covenant (and its animal sacrifices) in the light of Christ's self-sacrifice upon the cross.
Until Jesus came, the Mosaic animal sacrifices had served as both a moral teacher, and as a temporary judicial 'stand-in'. But having been replaced by the death of Christ, the animal sacrifices of Moses were no longer needed as a judicial 'placeholder', or for instruction. Rather, if allowed to continue, they would have obscured the fact that the true Passover Lamb of God had come. And continuing sacrifices by Israel's priests would have been an insult to God; a denial that His Son has gloriously fulfilled and replaced the Old Testament symbolism.
And so to both declare His 'New Covenant' established through the cross, and to proclaim the end of the old Mosaic Covenant, Jesus brought an end to sacrifices and offerings at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD; burned to the ground by the Romans and removed.
The 'court' (Temple Mount) has been trampled by the Gentiles ever since. This suggests that John's '42 months', and the past 1950+ years, may actually be the same period of time. In other words, the 70th Week is not a period of 7 literal years.
THE TEMPLE MOUNT BEFORE 70 AD
THE TEMPLE MOUNT AFTER 70 AD
THE TEMPLE MOUNT TODAY
STILL TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT '42 MONTHS ' LATER
This vision is one of 3 passages within the book of Revelation (the others being Revelation 3:9 and 17:10), which indicate that the book of Revelation was written before the fall of Jerusalem. If John had received the Little Book after the fall of Jerusalem, there would not have been a Temple, altar or people for him to measure. As it is, there is not a single indication within the book of Revelation that Jerusalem had already fallen when John wrote it.
VISION #2: THE TWO WITNESSES
JESUS' CONFIRMATION OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT FORETOLD , AND THEN DECLARED
These two witnesses perform the same miracles that Moses and Elijah performed; but they are not Moses and Elijah. These witnesses symbolize the name that the Jewish people gave to their Bible; "The Law and the Prophets".
This is a vision of God giving the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) to the world; a message which was authenticated by God through supernatural power and divine miracles performed by prophets and apostles alike. And this giving of God's word, along with its verifying 'signs and wonders', ended just before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days , clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy.
And they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Jerusalem).
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half , and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them "Come up here". And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell. And in the earthquake seven thousand men were slain. And the remnant were frightened, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Revelation 11:3-14
THE TWO WITNESSES TESTIFY
THE ONENESS OF THE BIBLE
It is appropriate to represent the New Testament as a continuation of 'the Law and the Prophets'. This connection was evident in the words and life of Christ. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained His relationship to 'the Law and the Prophets'. He said that His work was a fulfillment of them:
Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Matthew 5:17
In the transfiguration on the mount, Jesus appeared to His disciples with Moses and Elijah, as God the Father spoke from heaven:
Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if You will, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah". While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold a voice out of the cloud, which said "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him".
Matthew 17:4-5
Here the Lord Jesus was not only associated with 'the Law and the Prophets', but given preeminence over them; since Moses and Elijah were servants of God, while Jesus was identified by the Father as His Son (Hebrews 3:1-6).
But this continuity between the Old and New Testaments is about more than Christ associating Himself with the Law of Moses and with Elijah. It is about God's promises to Abraham (which precede and supersede Moses and the prophets). It is about God using Moses and the prophets to point forward to the
This is the singular theme that unifies the Old and New Testaments, which I first explain in my page titled
GOD'S JUDGMENT UPON ISRAEL
In the second half of this vision, God's witnesses lie dead in the street of Jerusalem. This represents the fulfillment of the words of the Lord Jesus, when He warned the Jewish leaders that He would be sending more messengers to them (apostles and disciples), and that their mistreatment of these Christian witnesses would result in terrible judgment upon Israel:
Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you slew between the Temple and the altar.
Matthew 23:34-35
The apostle Paul summed up the three great sins of Israel that would lead to its severe judgment:
For you Thessalonians became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Jews. Who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us. And they do not please God and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16
The profound wickedness of stubbornly unrepentant Jews, after the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and then the apostles of Christ, was foretold by the Lord Jesus:
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.
Matthew 12:43-45
And finally Jesus had this to say about Jerusalem:
Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet should perish OUTSIDE OF JERUSALEM. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house (Temple) is left to you desolate. And assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
Luke 13:33-35
There should be no doubt that the many sufferings of the Jewish people, from 70 AD up to the present time, represent the fulfillment of Jesus' words. Again we are talking about a period of time much longer than half of 7 years. In this vision God describes the first half of the 70th week as a period of 1260 days (3.5 years), while twice He describes the second half as lasting 3.5 days. Here God is clearly indicating that the 70th Week is symbolic, and not to be understood as seven literal years.
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET
This trumpet is a continuation of the trumpets of Revelation chapters 8 and 9, and is the 'staple' that attaches John's Little Book to the rest of the book of Revelation. John's Little Book can be left in place within the larger book of Revelation. Or it can be removed, leaving the 'staple' of the seventh Trumpet behind; and read as a 'stand-alone' containing only its four visions.
And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. And the twenty-four elders, who sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who are, and were, and are to come; because You have taken your great power and have reigned.
And the nations were angry and Your wrath has come; and the time of the dead, that they should be judged. And that You should give reward unto Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great. And should destroy those who destroy the earth. And the Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the ark of His testament. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 11:15-19
The 7th Trumpet's placement here (at the resurrection of the Two Witnesses) is appropriate, because it dovetails perfectly with the promised resurrection (or 'rapture') of all of God's 'faithful witnesses' throughout the world; at the sounding of the last Trumpet. It brings a 'note' of hope and comfort amidst all of the gloomy things portrayed in the four visions:
Now this I say, brethren; that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible; and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:50-52
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord. That we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep (dead). For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
It needs to be recognized that the bodies of God's servants are portrayed as lying in the street of Jerusalem right up until the rapture. Even though God has been providentially reestablishing the nation of Israel since 1948, this does not mean that the guilt of Israel is gone. Today some of the most evil people in the world are Jews living both within Israel and outside of Israel. And God still confronts every Jew with the same commandment that He did in apostolic times; 'Repent and believe in my Son, the Lord Jesus Christ'. This will be the single determining factor regarding the future of any Jew who has ever lived.
VISION #3: THE WOMAN, THE CHILD, AND THE DRAGON
THE CHILD CASTS THE 'ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION' DOWN TO EARTH
The Woman in this vision is the nation of Israel, struggling down through Old Testament times to successfully bring Abraham's promised 'Seed' into the world. The Child is born and Satan tries to devour Him. This may represent Herod's attempt to kill the Christ-child at His birth. And it may also represent Satan's frequent temptations of the Lord Jesus, to keep Him from fulfilling His work in righteousness.
The flight of the Woman into the wilderness represents the dispersion (Diaspora) of the Jewish people throughout the world, beginning with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she being with Child cried out, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven: Behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to deliver, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man Child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up unto God, and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days .
Revelation 12:1-6
THE WOMAN PRESERVED
SATAN CAST OUT
SATAN CAST OUT
Not only was the destruction of Jerusalem a judgment from God upon Israel. It has also been, at the same time, the means of preserving a remnant of Israel. This vision tells us that, if the Jewish people had not been dispersed throughout the world throughout the second half of the 70th Week (1260 days), they might not have survived as a people group.
The sun, moon and 12 stars are a reminder to us of Joseph's dream (Genesis 37:9-10). Joseph is symbolic of the Lord Jesus. Both men were betrayed into the hands of the Gentiles by their Jewish brothers; because they enjoyed a special sonship, and because they had visions of ruling over their brothers some day:
Again the high priest asked Jesus, saying to Him “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:61-62
After their betrayal, both men were thought by their brothers to be dead. Jesus is now working behind the scenes, as Joseph did, to bring His Jewish brethren to repentance. Someday this greater 'Joseph' is going to reveal Himself to Israel; in a tearful reunion that will restore the land to Abraham and David, and the nation to God's everlasting blessing (Zechariah 12:6-13:1).
WAR IN HEAVEN
This passage presents to us one of the most powerful lessons in all of the Bible. First of all it explains Satan's work as mankind's accuser. Until Jesus had accomplished salvation on the cross, Satan had always been able to come to the Father and point out how undeserving we are of His grace and mercy. I believe that, as Jesus hung upon the cross being mocked and tormented by those for whom He was dying, Satan was shouting in the Father's ear, asking 'How could you let your Son die for such wicked people as these?'. And his accusations were truthful, and had merit.
But once the Father and the Son fulfilled Their plan of the cross, the salvation of repentant sinners became possible and
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down , who accused them before our God day and night . And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time".
Revelation 12:7-12
The judgment and 'casting out' of Satan is central to the Christian message. Jesus twice referred to it in the gospel of John. God wants all people, Christian and non-Christian alike, to understand what happened to Satan prior to 70 AD; and the implication of these things for us down here on earth.
NOW is the judgment of this world: NOW shall the prince of this world be cast out (of heaven).
John 12:31
And when the Holy Spirit is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on Me. Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:8-11
AN ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION AND TRIBULATION
As I have explained in my pages on
Satan is like Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Though he was defeated, Pharaoh chose to pursue Israel into the Red Sea; rather than to acknowledge his well-deserved defeat and let his captives go. Satan also knows that He has lost and that God's 'Lake of Fire and Brimstone' rightly awaits him. But that does not stop him from hardening his heart and deceiving mankind until the very end; dragging as many people down into that 'Lake of Fire' with himself as he can. Soon that Lake will close over him, just as the Red Sea closed over Pharaoh and his armies.
In this vision God explains the persecution of the Jewish people, beginning with the first 'flood' of destruction that hit Jerusalem in 70 AD. Satan has been pouring out his frustrated fury upon the people who brought the 'Seed of Abraham' into the world; a 'Seed' who has conquered Satan.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man Child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place; where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed; who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:13-17
THE DRAGON ENRAGED
Now we can understand the spiritual reality behind the visible scenes of history, and who it was working within men like Hitler to seek the destruction of the Jewish race. Satan is still at work today, seeking to rally the nations against Israel and the Jewish people. These verses also tell us that faithful Christians will be suffering with the Jews, rather than persecuting them.
This passage describes the second half of Daniel's 70th Week in very grim terms. It is the time of Satan's wrath, and is the 'Great Tribulation' spoken of in Revelation 7:14; stretching from the destruction of Jerusalem to the second coming of Christ.
I believe that the 6th Seal of Revelation chapter 6 represents 'the Day of the Lord', and the onset of nuclear warfare that will have been set in motion by Satan. And Revelation chapter 7 begins by describing that same moment in time as the point when God will remove His people from the planet, while He simultaneously 'seals' a portion of the Jewish people for preservation during the events that follow.
And I suspect that this nuclear wave of destruction will be the underlying cause of the first four Trumpets of Revelation chapter 8; impacting the lands, oceans, fresh water and atmosphere of the earth. When God says 'Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea' (Rev. 12:17), He is referring to a Satanic rage that first expressed itself against Jews and Christians beginning in 70 AD. But that rage will culminate in the almost total destruction of the planet, as foretold by Isaiah:
They that see you (Lucifer) shall narrowly look upon you and consider you, saying "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms? That made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof? That opened not the house of his prisoners?"
Isaiah 14:16-17
For those of us living comfortably in America, the idea that we are now in the Great Tribulation seems inappropriate. But it is not a strange concept for much of the rest of the world. Americans live in relative wealth, ease and comfort.
In this vision we are twice shown the 'Diaspora' of the Jewish people, that began in 70 AD. First we see the woman fed in the wilderness for
VISION #4: THE BEAST FROM THE SEA
SATAN'S PRIMARY TOOL ON EARTH UNTIL HIS 'DECREED END' (DANIEL 9:27)
In this fourth vision of John's Little Book, we are shown how Satan will bring tribulation and desolation upon the planet throughout the second half of Daniel's 70th Week. He will use the Beast of Revelation. We encounter two Beasts in Revelation chapter 13:
The 'Beast from the Sea' is simply referred to as 'the Beast' throughout the rest of Revelation. The 'Beast from the Earth' is subservient to the 'Beast from the Sea', and is referred to as 'The False Prophet' throughout the rest of Revelation.
I provide a more thorough explanation of the Beast in my page titled
Here I simply highlight six traits of the Beast that are given to us in this fourth vision of John's Little Book:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the Beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world wondered after the Beast. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the Beast. And they worshiped the Beast, saying "Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?" And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And power was given unto him to continue for forty two months .
Revelation 13:1-5
The six traits are:
Three things might be said about these six traits:
THE BEAST CONTINUES 42 MONTHS
FROM 70 AD TO THE PRESENT
And then the Lord Jesus will bring the 'decreed end' upon Satan, foretold in the final sentence of Daniel 9:27. Satan, the 'Abomination of Desolation', will be cast into the Lake of Fire after the Millennium. And so while the Beast will have roamed the earth for