The Holy of Holies

When we look at Revelation 4:1-2, we read of the two phrases “voice I had first heard” and “in the Spirit” – both connecting back to Revelation 1:10. This is the same vision, and not a separate vision. The fact that Revelation 1-3 comes first in the book should be noted as preliminary remarks concerning the churches. This also would explain why the word μετα is used. It means both after and with, and not either/or. It is after seeing the first vision, and after writing the seven letters to the churches that John turns his focus to this, which is not a separate vision, but with the first two statements.

In this heavenly vision, we find it paralleling both Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1-2. The difficulty with this chapter for many is preconceived notions of what these symbolsmust mean, and often they can’t be tied to anything exactly. We see, just like in Isaiah 6, a throne, and angels singing holy, holy, holy. Just like in Ezekiel 1-2, we find the four living creatures, the throne “with the figure like a man”, the throne like sapphire, light surrounding the throne “like a rainbow”, and when adding Revelation 5:1, the scroll with “writing on both sides”. The two visions in the Old Testament by these prophets are the same thing that John is seeing, but the details given in each of these visions are distinct from one another.

From verse 1, we see an entrance into a new scene. There is a door in heaven, and it seems most logical to conclude that John is outside of this door until being beckoned inside.

The throne is the Ark of the Covenant. Others who saw the throne are found in 1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6:1, Ezekiel 1:26, Psalm 47:8, and Daniel 7:9. See Psalm 18:6, 10, 80:1, 99:1, Micah 1:2, Habakkuk 2:20, Exodus 25:22, Numbers 7:89, 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, and Isaiah 37:16 as evidence that the Ark of the Covenant is the throne of God. Therefore, the throne room here in Revelation 4 is the Holy of Holies. See Hebrews 8:5. This also brings new meaning to Hebrews 4:16 and 10:19-22. When we come before God in prayer, entering into His presence, we are entering into this scene.

In Revelation 4:3 we read of the one sitting having the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and the throne being encircled by a rainbow. Ezekiel 1:26-28 reads, “Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.” We see later (21:11) that the City of God is described as shining like jasper and crystal (carnelian) also.

In verse 4, we read of these twenty-four other thrones and seated upon them are twenty-four elders. These are representative of the twenty-four priestly families (see 1 Chronicles 24). It is strange that this is here ‘interrupting’ the view of the throne (which is taken up again in verse 5). Also, you would assume the four creatures are explained first, for they are closer to the throne and their worship is what promulgates the worship of the twenty-four elders. The fact that these most likely represent priesthood – the white robes and crowns already explained in notes on 3:5 and 2:10 – would imply that the supposed interruption is in view of 3:21. “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Somehow these ‘thrones’ are distinct, and yet they must be mentioned together with God’s throne – compare Daniel 7:9 and Revelation 20:4.

For the “peals of lightning, voices of thunder, and thunderings” in verse 5, compare Ezekiel 1:13, Psalm 77:18, and John 37:4. The seven lamps and the seven spirits of God are explained in Revelation 1:20, 3:1, and 1:12. In Solomon’s temple there are ten freestanding lamps (1 Kings 7:49). However, there is also high likelihood that these are representing the menorah.

The “sea of glass” in verse 6 is possibly the washing basin outside of the Tabernacle, but there was also “The Sea” in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:23-26). Also see Psalm 104:3, that God sits upon many waters. The “living creatures” are cherubim, and we find the four of them in Ezekiel 1:22, 26, and Ezekiel 10 recognizes them as cherubs. Note that in Ezekiel credits these cherubs as being “under the throne”, but we cannot interpret the Greek in Revelation 4 to meaning under the throne. It means “in the midst” of the throne. Why are the creatures in the midst of the throne here when elsewhere they are described as “around” the throne? John is pulling from 1 Kings 6:27 and 8:6-7. There were two cherubim on the top of the mercy seat and two more “overshadowing” the Ark. The covering of eyes in front and back can be traced to Ezekiel 1:18 and 10:12.

Verse 7 is a four-lined stanza, each line beginning with και (and). In Ezekiel 1:10, the man comes first, not third, but other than that, the order is the same.

In verse 8, John modifies the cherubim into what Isaiah calls “seraphim”. In this, I assume that John is gathering imagery to explain the scene and press the point: he is in the Heavenly Temple, before the Throne, in the Holy of Holies.

Verse 9 is interesting to note the praise of the elders in 10-11 is whenever the living creatures praise. Yet, in verse 8, the living creatures are praising God “continually” (NIV translates as ‘day and night’). This is difficult to reconcile, but the possibility is that the elders are always at the disposition of worship before God, even when they are performing some other work. Compare their praise to Daniel 4:34. The phrase “who lives forever and ever” is repeated in verse 10, 10:6, and 15:7. See Deuteronomy 32:40 and Daniel 12:7.

In verse 10, the twenty-four elders have already been noted to correlate with 1 Chronicles 24. Examine Isaiah 24:23, “The Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before its elders, gloriously.” Here is what we know about these elders:

• 1) They sit on 24 thrones around God’s throne (4:4, 11:16)

• 2) They wear crowns of gold and white garments (4:4)

• 3) They are called πρεσβθτεροι – twenty four in number

• 4) They occupy these thrones presently, not at the end of the age.

• 5) The seer addresses one of them as κθριε (lord) (7:13)

• 6) They act as interpreting angels (7:13-14)

• 7) They have a priestly function in presenting the prayers of the faithful to God in golden bowls (8:5)

• 8) They encourage John when he beholds the inhabitants of heaven (5:5)

• 9) They hold the office of praising God by singing and playing the harp (5:8, 14, 11:16, 19:4)

From these characteristics, we glean that they cannot be men, must be angels. They act as interpreting angels, and unless we say that all messengers of God are human – prophets or glorified saints – we cannot then conclude that these are people. Sorry to the dispensationalist; the rapture didn’t happen. Also, their sitting on thrones prior to the eschaton speaks against them being saints, for the saints receive their reward at the coming of Messiah (22:12). The chief priests were designated “princes of God” in 1 Chronicles 24:5. It is possible that these are angelic counterparts to the twenty-four priestly elders – see note on 1:4 and 1:20. In 1 Chronicles 25:9-39, we find twenty-four orders of Levitical singers as well.

For the phrase “glory and honor and power”, see 1 Chronicles 16:27-28. “For you willed they existed, and were created”; compare this to Psalm 148:5, “For he commanded and they were created.” This seems backward. God had conceived, and therefore created. He thought through what would exist, and then made it physical reality. This could be a verse used to support the eternal existence of the soul, but it wouldn’t be a wise choice to do so. The verse itself doesn’t imply eternality of the soul, but merely conceptions in the mind of God before the creation of the world.

Thus, when we view this scene in chapter 4, we see John taken up from the world and given a seat in heaven to behold the rest of the vision. We see the beginning of God’s ultimate purposes for humanity and history is His glory. In Revelation 1, we saw the glory of God revealed in the Son, and now we see the glory of God in the Father (the Son to be revealed as the Lamb slain in chapter 5), and at the end of Revelations, we find them both sitting upon the throne together in the City of God. The beginning and end is the glory of God, and not the journey to get there. If God is glorified and glorious before we see the end time prophecies, and He is glorified and glorious after the end time prophecies, then He is glorified and glorious in the midst of the prophecies. While it seems as though all hell is breaking out upon the earth, God is still upon the throne, and there is not one detail that falls through the cracks. He is in control of all, not surprised at all, and in all things reveals His absolute sovereignty – even in the midst of displaying the freewill of men to reject Him and curse Him.

This is the God we serve, and it is sobering to consider that when I come before Him, I don’t merely stand before a big party table. I stand before a throne of glory, with angels and elders all around giving praise and homage unto the King of glory. This is sobering, but at the same time exciting. Please, if there is anything that you can take from this, take away that when we pray, we are to show the proper respect that God deserves. Yes, he is our Father – Abba – but no, He is not our “daddy”. He is still God, and if you or I were to behold even partially this glorious sight, we would never again have the thought to simply come before Him with our vain requests of blessings and giving us our desires.

A Word on the Two Witnesses

In Revelation 11, we find these “two witnesses” that have both puzzled and fascinated many scholars and Bible students through the centuries. Some want to know who they are, and others want to symbolize them away. What is most fascinating about them is that they “have the power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.”

Before we get to this, lets do a small amount of background. We read in Revelation 11:4 that these “two witnesses” are the “two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth”. Now, this is important for two reasons. First, it is important to know that the lampstands in the book of Revelation are symbolic of the churches (Rev 1:20). Second it is a direct link to call us back to Zechariah 4. In Zechariah 4, we find these “two olive trees” next to a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. No doubt the book of Revelation is looking back to this in Revelation 1:20 with the lamps and the “stars”.

Who are these two olive trees? The context of the vision here begins in Zechariah 2, however, we find that the answer is given when combining chapters 3 and 4 of Zechariah. One of the olive trees is Joshua the High Priest. The other is Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel. These two men are key in the restoration of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem when Israel came back after the exile. Yet, they are also symbolic of something beyond them. Zerubbabel is the descendant of Jehoiachin – the same king of Israel that Jeremiah claimed was cursed and wouldn’t ever have someone to sit upon his throne (Jer 22:24-30). Now, this Zerubbabel is symbolic of the Messiah, because according to the word of Haggai, he is the one who is the signet ring of God, the chosen one (Hag 2:23). Christ Jesus comes from the lineage of Zerubbabel (Mat 1:12). Joshuah is the High Priest, and is symbolic “symbolic of men to come” (Zech 3:8). It is Joshua who is called “the branch”, which is once again a messianic title in the prophetic Scriptures. Thus, we have both Joshua and Zerubbabel as symbols of the Messiah – one as High Priest, and the other as King of Israel.

Now, for John to be referencing these two men, the “olive trees”, and for him to put them in the future as two literal men that are to be coming into Jerusalem to prophesy for 1,260 days is significant. What exactly is John getting at that these two messianic figures are supposed to be two literal people that are not the Messiah? The answer is found in Zechariah 4, where we see that though Joshua and Zerubbabel are considered messianic figures, the two olive trees are specifically considered “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth” (Zech 4:14). Though they are symbolically messianic, they are still two real people.

Now, when we see in Revelation 11 that these two men have the power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want, we instantly should think of Moses. Likewise, when we read that they have the power to shut off the heavens so that it doesn’t rain during the time of their prophesying, we should think of Elijah. John is being purposeful here, because these men are symbolic as much as they are literal people. There is something about Moses and Elijah that we find in no one else through all of Scripture: they were given authority over even the elements of nature. But the question isn’t what, the question is why?

Every plague that Moses sent upon Egypt was against a god of Egypt. Khnum was the god of the Nile River, the guardian if you will, and thus the first plague was to turn the Nile to blood. Osiris was the god of the underworld, and the Nile was the “bloodstream” to the underworld. The Egyptians would have wondered where the goddess Tauret was, the goddess of the river, or where Nu, the god of life in the Nile, was trapped to allow such a thing to occur. The frogs were considered the theophany of the goddess Heqt, the wife of the creator of the world. Heqt was depicted as with the head and body of a frog. The “lice”, or “fleas” that came from the dust of the earth would have been an insult against the god “Geb”, the great god of the earth. The “swarms of flies” is actually missing the word “of flies” in the Hebrew, and thus we see the plague of “swarms”. It is most likely that it was swarms of scarab beetles, the god Amon-Ra being depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.

All of the plagues were directed against the gods of Egypt. But still, the question can be asked, “Why?” The gods are representatives of the principalities and powers. The principalities are demonic forces that influence government, society, culture, and every kind of system – whether educational, religious, governmental or otherwise. They rule and influence through the worship of these “powers” that they manipulate and claim to represent. The powers are these forces of nature that are beyond the control of humanity, but the principalities are somehow manipulating humanity into worshiping them as if they have the absolute control and authority over the rain, harvest, sun, and other aspects of worship through the millennia.

So what about Elijah? Elijah claimed there would not be rain nor dew except by his word. Elijah was speaking this to the king, but speaking past the king into the heavenly realms. The god Baal was the god of prosperity, but he was considered the god over the rain and harvest. So for Elijah to stop up the heavens, he is challenging the authority of Baal, and also showing that it is not by worshiping Baal that we will receive prosperity. Through the drought, Elijah would have bankrupted the whole country, not only of money, but also of faith in a false Baal system.

These plagues, though being manifest upon the earth in physical form, are actually somehow going past the physical and plaguing the kingdom of darkness. So, when we get to Revelation 11, we find that these two witnesses are men that somehow are able to see past the physical and into the spiritual. They see the worship of these false gods – even if we claim that we aren’t worshiping any gods. To follow the Antichrist is to worship him as god. We might call science our god (or emphatically say that it isn’t, yet still give it our every waking moment and devotion). We might claim sports as our god. We might claim education as god. Or maybe our society would worship sex and fertility. Yet, even though our society would say that these aren’t gods, we are serving the same old false gods of the Old Testament. In that, we find that the principalities and powers are still very much in control.

Elijah and Moses are referenced in Revelation 11:6 because these two prophets alone have stories of plaguing the earth, and yet somehow they weren’t merely “plaguing the earth”. The point being made with the two witnesses is that these men will have the authority to challenge the whole Antichrist system to its core – which is to say, to blow the whistle on the lie and unmask the principalities and powers. These men are still a curiosity to me, but I find that in this understanding, a lot more makes sense as to what is happening around this passage. The whole point of the two witnesses, their primary purposes and call in God, is to be a Moses and Elijah in their generation to unveiling the kingdom of darkness, and to make full exposure of their bankruptcy.

The reason this applies to all of us today is that we are supposed to be a prophetic people of that caliber. As the Body of Christ, we are to have the discernment and authority to plague the kingdom of darkness, and therefore expose the lie that many – even Christians – continue to live in support of day after day. The answer to many of the cultural agendas that are anti-religion and anti-god is not some sort of political movement, but instead to recognize the principalities that are at play behind those agendas, and to then uproot them through the use of the authority of God given to the saints. This is not a delegation to “call down fire”, but rather to take up the task of seeing the heavenly realities over our localities and nations, and to therefore war against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Revelations - New Heaven and New Earth

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

⁵ And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

⁶ And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

⁷ He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

⁸ But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

⁹ And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

¹⁰ And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

¹¹ Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

¹² And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

¹³ On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

¹⁶ And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

¹⁷ And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

¹⁸ And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

¹⁹ And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

²⁰ The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

²² And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

²³ And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

²⁴ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

²⁵ And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

²⁷ And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

² In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

⁶ And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

⁷ Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:1-7

I went ahead and posted the whole scene. I cannot find a good place to end to pick back up again. The whole scene needs to be viewed before we can start to digest it. And it seems like there really isn’t even anything to be able to comment on, for the whole thing is epochal and graphic. This might actually be one of the most symbolic scenes in all of Scripture where the scholars debate how symbolic and how literal to take any of it. What the Spirit reveals is so glorious that the only way to communicate it to we that are mortal and on this side of eternity is through such symbolic and terse statements.

What shall we say about the city coming down as a bride? I can’t help but think back to Genesis 2, where the beginning of this age is commenced with a marriage between male and female. The beginning of the age to come is commenced with a marriage between what is earthly and what is heavenly. Heaven and earth have become one. I can almost view this as a coming down, as an act of sexual intimacy, to complete and consecrate the marriage and unification of those two opposites.

Just as Adam and Eve became one flesh – one new thing – so too does heaven and earth become one new thing. They abide together for eternity as one and not separate anymore. This is a metaphor given for the image of God. He created them in the beginning male and female. It is in the unity and coming together of those two opposites and distinct beings that we find the character of God revealed. It is in the unity and community of the saints that we are to display God to the world (John 13:35, 17:21).

God somehow brings down this bride from heaven. But we know that her formation was here in the earth. How else could it be adorned? The description of this bride is that her streets are clear as crystal and transparent gold. This is what makes it adorned: it is as holy as the bridegroom. This Jerusalem is called the holy city. The purity matches that of Jesus our Messiah. There is no shadow. There is nothing that would counter the character and purity of the God that will abide there forever – eternally for His dwelling.

If you can imagine that, then you will be willing to be transformed from image to image. You will be willing to undergo the scrutiny of the Spirit to search out the quality of our life. You will be willing to question the motives and the attitudes that we have – even when performing religious things like invoking the name of Jesus. Not a scintilla of that will remain. She is adorned for the bridegroom.

Can you imagine a gold that is refined so pure that you can see through it? There is such labor that we have to extenuate to even get 10 karat, 14 karat, or 24 karat. But we have never purified gold until it is translucent. This takes a Master refiner that knows how to work those elements beyond any conventional wisdom of mankind. Anything contrary to its essential character is rooted out and cast away. The word impeccable is not even appropriate for the context of what God is describing.

Why is it that we are given this description at all? If we cannot comprehend, then why even make a statement like this? And what is the purpose for saying that we will receive a blessing for simply reading and keeping this (Revelation 22:7)?

We must see it. We must know it from the beginning unto the end. At the beginning, we see a Garden with a river and a tree of life and purpose for humanity (that Adam would tend to the Garden). We come unto the end, and we see the same great symbols: a river of life, a tree of life, and we rule and reign with Christ forever. There is something about these symbols that need to be appropriately understood and handled. We cannot make these things cheap and/or cliché.

Notice that at the end, we find these same symbols, but will more detail. We find the river given the details that it issues from the Throne of God – pure, water of life, clear as crystal. The Tree of Life is said to give 12 different kinds of fruit, one for every month, and the leaves were used for the healing of the nations. To what extent are these the same things that were at the first? I think that these are indeed the exact same things. The only difference is that in these last expressions – when darkness has passed away, and heaven and earth are married – they are able to come to full representation and fruition.

Even the tree of life is given healing to the nations. What nations? I thought that no one made it to heaven without being “saved.” I thought we had to come into God’s Kingdom and be God’s people and confess Jesus Christ is Lord. I thought that we were all going to be under His rule. Why, then, are we seeing here that there will be nations? This is important to realize and understand. We will all be under the same rule and under the same Kingdom, but we will all be within our own nations.

God has established the nations. He has set up and ordained their borders. This is not something that God despises. God doesn’t despise the nations. He doesn’t have plans of being the God of one nation. He is the God of all nations. Remember all of those passages I brought up earlier. He is jealous to make Himself known to and through all nations. And here in eternity, the nations find healing. This is something that apparently could not even be accomplished during the Millennial Kingdom. It takes something that even transcends and exceeds the Millennium.

Verse 4 of Revelation 21, “He will wipe away all tears,” seems to invoke that there will be tribulation, suffering, and tears of the saints right up to the end. All the way to the consummation of the age, there are sorrows. And isn’t this how it seems to be in every deliverance since the Fall? Any time that God has delivered or revealed Himself has been precluded by suffering, tears, anguish, and/or darkness.

Think about the exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were oppressed severely, and their oppression worsened before they were cast out. But the Egyptians were judged. In the midst of the plagues that God sent upon Egypt, the Israelites continued to be blessed. So it will be at the end. This is the pattern of God. Darkness was even upon the face of the deep when the earth was first formed. It was out of that darkness, and from the midst of the darkness, that God brought order and light.

Our obtaining to the purity that this city has is intrinsic to our suffering. In on sense, we hope that we don’t have to suffer. We pray that God would allow us to endure fewer hardships. But from what wisdom comes that prayer? Is it out of the wisdom of God that would desire for us this kind of purity being described in Revelation 21? I think this might be why we read it and that reading brings a blessing. It reveals to us the glory that we are to obtain. In knowing the future glory, we can take and endure any tribulation and hardship and persecution as momentary and light.

We are not naïve. We know that the end will have pain. We know that we will suffer bitterness and tribulation. We know that we are to undergo severe suffering. Thus, the Christian faith does not avoid suffering, but embraces it. Because we know the outcome of such suffering brings refinement and purity and glory, we are given the ability and endurance to stand firm to the end.

And from where does out persecution come? Jesus says, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved,” Matthew 10:22. Why is it that the world hates us? It is because they are under the rule and power and deception of Satan. The governing spirit over them is demonic. What other option do they have? To love you is to love the God that sends you. But they don’t love the God who sends you. They have been blinded and lied to by the devil, and therefore they continue to despise the works of God instead of be drawn to them.

We read in verse 6, “It is done…” Maybe another way that we can translate this and understand is, “It is finished,” the same wording of our Lord on the cross. Nothing of the old remains. We teach that we are new creations. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation – the old man has passed away. On that day, we will experience something else that has been made new and the old has passed away. We are to be people of the resurrection. Our lives are to be constituted by resurrection. We really are supposed to be free from sin. Nothing of the old lifestyle remains. Our old mindsets and attitudes are being conformed to the mind of Christ. This is the testimony of every believer.

When I woke up the next morning after being saved, I found a new wisdom that I had never known. No one had to tell me that I was in the midst of a war between good and evil. No one had to tell me my enemy was not with flesh and blood but with Satan. No one had to tell me that purity is the only option. I knew it. God had revealed it through His Holy Spirit. The logic of this love was to live in community and have all things common with those around me. The logic of this life He had given me was to vehemently oppose anything and everything that I found within self that went against His command.

In that day we will find another newness. We have obtained unto resurrection life now. But in that day we will obtain unto eternal and heavenly life. It is one thing to be resurrected. It is another to be married to Christ. This marriage embodies heaven and earth becoming one. We can say that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. It is a completely different statement to say that we are one with heaven. An experience with heaven does not aggregate oneness with heaven. In the same way, an experience with my wife does not constitute oneness with her. There is something supernatural that must take place for that to happen.

It is under the wisdom of God that we are granted this. It is in verse 7 that we read, “He that overcomes will inherit all these things…” Our inheritance of these things is not based upon our merit. If we read 1 Corinthians 2:8, we find that Paul makes a fascinating statement: “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Satan could not comprehend the wisdom of God. He still can’t. It was in God’s wisdom that through suffering, His Son might be glorified. It is true for us as well. The very means of our sanctification to be adorned in this manner for the bridegroom comes from the demonic attacks that we will suffer and endure all around us.

Maybe this is why verse 8 follows with the reminder of those who have no place in it. Those who were only too quick to be instruments of these demonic attacks have no place here. Those who were too quick to gratify the flesh and the lusts of it have no place here. Those who reject suffering and do whatever means necessary to avoid suffering have no place here. Those who create torment and hell for others are cast into torment and hell for eternity. They rebelled against the redeeming calls of God – like Cain – that sin is at the door and it has a desire for you.

Why would we discredit this verse? It has to be just as grabbing to us as the glory that we see the Bride to be. We ought to view these things as abominable. It needs to probe our minds and deeply penetrate into our inner beings the severity of this claim. For them is the second death. For them is the lake of fire.

What do you make of this in verse 9 that the angel that bids John to come up and see the heavenly Jerusalem is one of the 7 that brought upon mankind the bowls of plague? Why are we told that? Is God short of angels? He needs this one that has already performed something to perform something else? Or could it be that because this angel has poured out judgment upon humanity, it is given the grace to reveal the city to John?

I think it is the latter instead of the former. Because this angel has done the painful thing and not withheld himself from pouring out God’s wrath upon mankind, he is now given the privilege of taking John up onto the mountain to reveal the city of God. You know what this speaks to me? It would appear as though if we are called to speak hard words, then we are to be faithful to the uttermost. If we are called to speak the judgments of God, then we should not blush and candy coat. If we are willing to give the hard words and the words of judgment when called upon, then we will receive a reward given only to those that speak such a word. But as soon as I say this, I feel the need to also say that we cannot be overly harsh or strike with our words more than called upon to do so, for God has judged the nations because of that very thing.

It is at this point that we can discuss the question of what it means to “come down out of heaven.” Is that a geographical location? Is it north? Is it above the earth? Is it literal or is it metaphoric? I think it comes back to the idea of translucence. This purity that is obtained is obtained in heaven. Heaven is not to be taken as some place that we are called up to being in, but rather a lifestyle that we are called to living in. We are called to obedience unto God, within fellowship of the saints, suffering trials and tribulation, not cursing God, finding freedom and joy in this life, and being consecrated unto God in the various thing in which we find ourselves doing. That is heaven.

I don’t mean to reject a literal interpretation. It might very well be a literal coming down from heaven above. What I mean to stand upon and promote is that this purity that we obtain is not somewhere outside of the earth, but instead within the earth. As Leonard Ravenhill used to say, “This life is a dressing room for eternity; that is all it is.” Though we might obtain such things in heaven, it is not outside of the earth, but within the earth. It is in the here and now that we obtain our purity. It is through our present trials and tribulations, not some sort of later purification between the judgment and heaven.

It is as Paul reports. When we are judged, we are tried by fire. Anything built with hay, wood, or stubble is burnt up. Anything built from gold, silver, or precious stones remains. Jesus told us that if our right hand causes us to sin t cut it off, “For it is better to go into heaven maimed than to go into hell whole.” I think that any kind of purification between judgment and eternity will only be a cutting off and casting away. It will not be a refinement. There is no longer opportunity to be refined; there is only severing.

This all goes back to God’s rule and reign. Adam needed a helper. He couldn’t tend to the Garden alone. It was too great a task for him. And so it is with God that He will not rule and reign alone, but with a bride as a helper. Unlike Adam, He is fully capable to rule on His own. But He has decided in His mercy to allow us to join Him in His ruling.

We find the symbol of unity even in the dimensions of the city. It is 144,000 furlongs squared. Each side is 12,000 furlongs. In height, it is 12,000 furlongs. There are 12 gates, each representing a tribe of Israel. The wall of the city has 12 foundations, representing the 12 apostles. The measure of the wall is 144 cubits (12 times 12). Everything is in dimensions of 12. Nothing is rectangular. Nothing is bulged. It all is equal to the number of God’s choosing, which is 12. God seems to choose 12. He chose a people that were made up of 12 tribes. He chose 12 disciples, which became apostles. There are 12 “minor” prophets. There were 12 great priests in Chronicles. The altar was made of 12 stones. There were 12 loaves of permanent offering on the golden table (Leviticus 24:5). There were 12 branches to confirm the choice of Aaron (Numbers 17:21). 12 explorers were sent into Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:23). There were 12 administrators for Solomon (1 Kings 4:7). There was a sacrifice of 12 animals (Numbers 7:87, 29:17). The high priest wore a garment with 12 precious stones upon it.

12 is the number of God’s choosing. I think there is deep insight into why everything in this city is measured as a factor of 12. It is not only the place of His choosing, but it is also the full representation of Him. He chooses that which display Him. In God’s choosing we find a representation of His character. The why question is sometimes critical. It is in discovering why God chose this and not that where we discover something about the nature of God.

Isn’t it interesting that we find God right at the heart of the city? Dead in the center are the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb to be the Temple. They are within the city. We ought not to consider them to be outside any longer. They are within. In our New Testaments, we read that we are the Temple. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. I can’t comprehend that. But that doesn’t make it less true. In that day, God will dwell within His Bride in a way that will lighten the world. All the nations that are saved will walk by that light – which is to say the freedom and character of God. If clouds and darkness represent anguish and sin, then their opposites would mean freedom and life.

We see from Revelation 22 that we are to rule and reign with God. But who is it that is ruling and reigning? It is those that no more are bound by the curse, which see His face, and His name is upon their foreheads. Who is it that is being spoken of? It has to be the same 144,000 that were spoken of in Revelation 7 and 14. Within the context of Revelation, these are the only ones that received His mark upon their foreheads. This is why I concluded back in chapter 7 that they can’t be only 144,000 people. They are a type and symbol of something.

We find within verse 5 that this Bride does not sit on her thumbs all day. She reigns with Christ forever. She has a task. She is to rule with Her Husband over creation. But what does ruling mean? Are we talking about subduing nations or enforcing laws? Are we speaking of some sort of bureaucratic reign that is more oppression than freedom? It is making known the wisdom of God to the nations on how to live rightly. What is righteousness itself? This teaching does not come from those who have obtained academic understanding. It comes from a people that have been wrought in the deepest fabrics of their being what it means to be righteous.

Because we have come into a place of relationship with God that is able to rightly discern and promote such a heavenly view, we are able to rule over those nations that are not within that city, yet are still living according to its light. This is why we are called to speaking the truth in love. We need to be both able to discern and correct, but also to be corrected. It takes humility to acknowledge when we are in the wrong – no matter how embarrassing. It is that kind of a people that can rule over cities or nations. Too many of us believers could not even rule our way out of a paper bag.

This is the necessity of church discipline. And if you think that church discipline is simply to correct someone in blatant sin, then you are mistaken. Sometimes it isn’t blatant, and you’re the only one who sees it. What do you do in that circumstance? To ignore it could be to miss the eternal moment in which God is preparing you to rule with Him forever. You could be wrong in your judgment. It is still necessary to speak out your thoughts. If you are right, it will be your eternal joy. If you are wrong and get corrected, it will be your eternal joy. Either way, the perspective brought from this view of ruling with Christ shows us the importance of being purified.

I think our qualification that we will be in that city that brings light to the world is characterized by the first epistle of John. This light that the nations walk according to is the same light that we are told to walk according to now. How are we doing? Is our walking something that reflects that light? Or is it more correct in saying that we show the same sort of lifestyle that the world has, not withholding video games, television, Internet, and all other forms of entertainment? To what degree have you surrendered your life to walk according to that light?

This might be the very question to ponder when discussing those that see God face-to-face. In all other times of history it has been said that you cannot see God’s face and live. But here the special privilege is given to those that have walked according to the light now, so that after death they can see God’s face. I don’t think that this will be for everyone. There will be some that don’t receive that reward. Though they are not technically cast into hell, they are not given the same distinction and reward as those who labor to walk in the Light as He is in the Light.

It is a mercy of God to cast out those who have rejected the Light into outer darkness so that they might not suffer the anguish and agony of that luminosity. How unbearable must it be to stand before that Light when you have lived your life according to a lie and not given yourself over to that Light? It would be like when you come out from a dark room and into the sunlight. Your eyes start watering and you wince. For a moment you are blinded. But God will not allow for those that have not appropriately loved and walked in the Light to be tormented by it in the next age.

To walk according to the Light is painful before it is glorious. It reveals the wickedness in our lives. It shows our faulty intentions. It finds us out and roots up any falsity or sin.

Now lets cross-reference these texts.

¹⁷ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

¹⁸ But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

²⁰ There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

²¹ And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

²² They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

²³ They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

²⁴ And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.
Isaiah 65:17-25

²² For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.

²³ And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

²⁴ And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Isaiah 66:22-24

God is going to remake this world back to how He original made it. There won’t be curse or death. There won’t be disease or plague. All things will be made new. The former things will not be remembered. I think there are a lot of people that live their lives in fear because of something that was forcibly done to them that rejoice to hear that. Whether they are a rape victim or victims of government that sells children as slaves, there are many evils that people of this world wish they could forget.

⁸ And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

⁹ Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

¹⁰ And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

¹¹ He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

¹² And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Revelation 22:8-15

Here I wanted to just pause and let this sink in. Those that are not allowed to be a part of that city or to enter into it (for these are two separate things) are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and whosoever loves and lies. Truth is the ultimate plumb line. Deception, manipulation, false motives and the like are kept outside and away from the city. There they cannot receive the light but are given over to the darkness.

¹⁶ I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Revelation 22:16-21

Revelations - Judgment Seat

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15

¹⁷ And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

¹⁸ Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

¹⁹ And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

²⁰ Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

²¹ Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

²² Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
Ezekiel 34:17-22

Here we have the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is where all who were not a part of the Millennial Kingdom are now judged. Those that are not written in the Lamb's book of life do not make it into the New Heaven and New Earth. We'll read in Revelation 21-22 about peoples that are not a part of the New Jerusalem, but are somehow still a part of the New Heaven and New Earth. Maybe what is happening is that God is ensuring that nations, culture, diversity, and sex (male/female) are still in eternity. They come to a more balanced and harmonious representation, unlike the stereotypes and dramatic emphasis that we find today. Ultimately, identity is found in God, and the nations are then free to express individuality in the context of being in God's image. It is beauty from holiness, and not beauty from being expressive or "a rebel."

Revelations - Satan Loosed

⁷ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

⁸ And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

⁹ And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

¹⁰ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:7-10

Before we examine other Scriptures that go with this, I need to break down a little bit of what is happening here. Satan is loosed and goes out to deceive the nations. This is a tower of Babel incident all over again. The nations desired to make a monument that would reach up to heaven. God had not ordered them to do so. He told them to disperse and fill the earth. They decided in their own wisdom that it would be better to strive against God and see if they could come up to His level. Thus starts all of the national pride and egocentrism of politics. From this time forward many nations (if not almost all nations) have a ruler or government that think they are god.

John tells us that this final battle is the battle of Gog and Magog. These are Hebrew words. The word gog comes from the root of a false roof – or a human substitute – for the tabernacle used in the Feast of Tabernacles. If you read Zechariah 14, you will find that after the Antichrist is destroyed, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned. This is a fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles is supposed to be symbolic of God “tenting” or “tabernacling” with us.

So Gog is a false tent. It is a false representation of the Feast of Tabernacles. The mem letter in Hebrew prefixes nouns to mean “from.” So, Gog and Magog are interpreted, “false tabernacle and from a false tabernacle.” The implications here are of old. Satan has said in his heart:

¹³I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isaiah 14:13-14

It doesn’t stop there. Hebrew is an ancient language. It used to be written in pictographs. Each letter is a picture that represents something. The gimmel is the picture of a foot or heel. The waw is a picture of a nail or tent peg. Put together, the pictographs would mean, “to strike the heel.” This is an obvious reference to Genesis 3.

In Genesis 3, the curse given to the serpent is that some seed of the woman was going to crush his head, but he would bruise (or strike) his heel. Another way that this could be interpreted in Hebrew would be that the seed of the woman will strike first, but you will strike last. Hebrew is poetic. The verb used to crush and to bruise are the same word. It means to snap at. The Hebrew word for head figuratively means “first,” and the word for heel figuratively means “last.” It comes from the idea of birth. You are birthed head first, and your heel comes out last.

Thus, if we translated the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 as, “He will snap at you first, but you will snap at him last,” we can see how this relates to Gog and Magog. Jesus’ return was the end of the party. Satan’s kingdom and rule is over. But when he was loosed, he still went to strike at (or snap at) Jesus.

Another thing about this text that I find intriguing is that Satan is completely unrepentant. I think that is the point. God wants to reveal to all that even after given 1000 years to think about his actions, the first thing that he does is plot his revenge. Satan has been corrupted to the absolute core. There is nothing unrighteous about God casting him into the lake of fire. God is just.

What are some other Scriptures that speak of Gog and Magog?

The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

² Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

³ And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

⁴ In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

⁵ And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.

⁶ In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

⁷ The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

⁸ In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

⁹ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:1-9

One thing that I note from this passage is that it seems like the fire from heaven mentioned in Revelation 20 comes from the people of God! We know that the mountain of the Lord will be lifted up, and all the other mountains will be brought low. Zion is the highest place in the world at this moment. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem are above the armies coming against it. Maybe the fire isn’t coming from heaven. Maybe it is coming from the saints. I don’t know that this is true, and I wouldn’t be dogmatic about it, but it sure does preach good!

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

³ And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

⁴ And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

⁶ Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

⁷ Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

⁸ After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

⁹ Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
Ezekiel 38:1-9

Note how in this last verse God mentions that numerous people will ascend and come like a storm. Revelation 20:8 tells us that they are as numerous as the sea shore. Ezekiel 38:9 says they are like a cloud that covers the land. That is a lot of people! Ezekiel continues:

¹⁰ Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

¹¹ And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

¹² To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

¹³ Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
Ezekiel 38:10-13

Is it really for the love of money that Satan is able to gather the people? We know that Satan has other motives than heavenly pavement. But the nations are still inclined to do wickedly for the sake of gold?

¹⁴ Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

¹⁵ And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

¹⁶ And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
Ezekiel 38:14-16

Do you note how God is still reaching out a hand of mercy to the heathen? His name shall be sanctified in their eyes. I haven’t touched on this yet, so maybe now is a good time. It says in Daniel 7:12 that the other 3 beasts (not the antichrist kingdom) were stripped of their power for a time. They were allowed to remain. There are a lot of prophecies about other nations dwelling during the time of the Millennial Kingdom. These are pagan nations. Is it possible that God allows them for this time so that they might see His glory and be converted? And thus the option is still there for sin. However, when Satan is destroyed and the people that would come against the Lord and His Anointed are cast into the fire with him, there will be no sin left to purge. All others will glorify the Lord and be made clean.

¹⁷ Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.

¹⁹ For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

²⁰ So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

²¹ And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother.

²² And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

²³ Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 38:17-23

This continues through Ezekiel 39, and by the verses mentioned there, I can assume that Gog and Magog are symbols. I mentioned this earlier. Gog and Magog are not necessarily literal people. They are symbols of the king that leads the armies against Jerusalem and the kingdom of darkness. In one case that is the Antichrist (as spoken of through Ezekiel), and in the other case that is Satan himself. Ultimately, Satan is the ruler and authority over the nations. So the Antichrist is a perfect representation of Satan. This is why we find what seem to be contradictions. They aren’t contradictions.