We are in the last week of the year 2020! For the entire year, we have focused on JESUS in the 4 Gospels and in various books throughout the New Testament. We have intently looked at names HE is called, along with descriptions of HIM given by HIMSELF and by others. As of yesterday, we have over 800 names/descriptions. We are finishing up our 2020 look at JESUS, via the book of Revelation, in the last 4 days of this year. I will choose to highlight names/descriptions, except for those that may be apocalyptic or those names that refer singularly to GOD THE FATHER or to THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Hopefully, as of January 1, we will be able to change the name of this blog to "2020 for Jesus and beyond". Then, we can continue looking at other things the Bible has to say about HIM.
Revelation 12-17
Revelation 12
The
Woman and the Dragon
“A
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the
moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on
its heads.
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung
them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to
give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the
nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to GOD
and to HIS throne.
6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by GOD,
where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 Then war broke out in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and
his angels fought back.
8 But he was not strong enough, and
they lost their place in heaven.
9 The great dragon was hurled
down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads
the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels
with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in
heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our GOD,
and the authority of HIS MESSIAH.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our GOD
day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of THE LAMB
and by THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to
you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is
short.’
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he
pursued the woman who had given birth to THE MALE CHILD.
14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that
she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would
be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s
reach.
15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to
overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing
the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage
war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep GOD’s
commands and hold fast their testimony about JESUS.
Revelation 13
The
Beast out of the Sea
“The
dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out
of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its
horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those
of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast
his power and his throne and great authority.
3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound,
but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with
wonder and followed the beast.
4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the
beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the
beast? Who can wage war against it?’
5 The beast was given a mouth to
utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for
forty-two months.
6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme GOD, and to slander HIS
name and HIS dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
7 It was given power to wage
war against GOD’s
holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation.
8 All inhabitants of the
earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in THE LAMB’s book of
life, THE LAMB WHO
WAS SLAIN from the creation of the world.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 ‘If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword they will be
killed.’
This calls for patient endurance
and faithfulness on the part of GOD’s people.
The
Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming
out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a
dragon.
12 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.
13 And it performed great
signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in
full view of the people.
14 Because of the signs it was
given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the
inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of
the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
15 The second beast was given power
to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak
and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
16 It also forced all people, great
and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right
hands or on their foreheads,
17 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.
18 This calls for WISDOM. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
Revelation 14
The LAMB
and the 144,000
“Then I
looked, and there before me was THE LAMB, standing on Mount Zion, and with him
144,000 who had HIS name and HIS FATHER’s name written on
their foreheads.
2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing
waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like
that of harpists playing their harps.
3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the
four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they
remained virgins. They follow THE LAMB wherever HE goes. They were
purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to GOD
and THE LAMB.
5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The
Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in
midair, and he had THE
ETERNAL GOSPEL to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every
nation, tribe, language and people.
7 He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear GOD and give HIM
glory, because the hour of HIS judgment has come. Worship HIM WHO MADE THE HEAVENS, THE
EARTH, THE SEA, AND THE SPRINGS OF WATER.’
8 A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the
maddening wine of her adulteries.’
9 A third angel followed them and
said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and
receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
10 they, too, will drink the wine of GOD’s
fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of HIS
wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of
the holy angels and of THE
LAMB.
11 And
the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no
rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for
anyone who receives the mark of its name.’
12 This calls for patient
endurance on the part of the people of GOD who keep HIS
commands and remain faithful to JESUS.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven
say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in THE LORD from now on.’
‘Yes,’
says THE SPIRIT, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will
follow them.’
Harvesting
the Earth and Trampling the Winepress
14 I looked, and there before me was
a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with
a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came out of the
temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take
your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the
harvest of the earth is ripe.’
16 So
he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth
was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the
temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
18 Still another angel, who had
charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him
who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters
of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.’
19 The angel swung his sickle on the
earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of GOD’s wrath.
20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.”
Revelation 15
Seven
Angels With Seven Plagues
“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven
angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them GOD’s wrath is
completed.
2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire
and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the
beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held
harps given them by GOD
3 and sang the song of GOD’s servant Moses and of THE LAMB:
‘GREAT AND MARVELOUS ARE
YOUR DEEDS,
LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
JUST
AND TRUE ARE YOUR WAYS,
KING OF THE NATIONS.
4 Who will not fear YOU, LORD,
and bring glory to YOUR name?
For YOU
ALONE ARE HOLY.
All nations will come
and worship before YOU,
for YOUR
RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.’
5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the
tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened.
6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven
plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden
sashes around their chests.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven
angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of GOD, WHO lives for
ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of GOD and from HIS power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”
Revelation 16
The
Seven Bowls of GOD’s Wrath
16 Then
I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go,
pour out the seven bowls of GOD’s wrath on the earth.’
2 The first angel went and poured
out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the
people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his
bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every
living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured out his
bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
5 Then I heard the angel in charge
of the waters say:
‘YOU are just in these judgments, O HOLY ONE,
YOU WHO ARE AND WHO WERE;
6 for they have shed the blood of YOUR holy people and YOUR prophets, and YOU have given them blood to drink as
they deserve.’
7 And I heard the altar respond:
“Yes, LORD
GOD ALMIGHTY,
TRUE AND JUST
ARE YOUR JUDGMENTS.’
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the
sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.
9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of GOD, WHO had
control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify HIM.
10 The fifth angel poured out his
bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into
darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony
11 and cursed THE GOD OF HEAVEN because
of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they
had done.
12 The sixth angel poured out his
bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare
the way for the kings from the East.
13 Then I saw three impure
spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the
dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the
false prophet.
14 They are demonic spirits that
perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to
gather them for the battle on the great day of GOD ALMIGHTY.
15 ‘Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays
awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.’
16 Then they gathered the kings
together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his
bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from
the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’
18 Then there came flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No
earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so
tremendous was the quake.
19 The great city split into
three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. GOD
remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the
wine of the fury of HIS wrath.
20 Every island fled away and the
mountains could not be found.
21 From the sky huge hailstones, each
weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed GOD on account of the
plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”
Revelation 17
Babylon,
the Prostitute on the Beast
17 One
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come,
I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by
many waters.
2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the
inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.’
3 Then the angel carried me away in THE
SPIRIT into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a
scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven
heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was dressed in purple
and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She
held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth
of her adulteries.
5 The name written on her forehead
was a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes, and the
abominations of the earth.’
6 I saw that the woman was drunk
with the blood of GOD’s holy people, the blood of those who bore
testimony to JESUS.
When I
saw her, I was greatly astonished.
7 Then the angel said to me: ‘Why
are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of
the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast, which you saw, once
was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its
destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been
written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be
astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and
yet will come.
9 ‘This calls for a mind with
wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.
10 They are also seven kings. Five
have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must
remain for only a little while.
11 The beast who once was, and now is
not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his
destruction.
12 ‘The ten horns you saw are
ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will
receive authority as kings along with the beast.
13 They have one purpose and will
give their power and authority to the beast.
14 They will wage war against THE LAMB, but THE LAMB will triumph
over them because HE is LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS—and with HIM will be HIS
called, chosen and faithful followers.’
15 Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters you
saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
16 The beast and the ten
horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to
ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her
with fire.
17 For GOD has put it into their
hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast
their royal authority, until GOD’s words are fulfilled.
18 The woman you saw is the great
city that rules over the kings of the earth.’"
