The world has never seen two men quite like this. They preach the gospel, call down judgment, reign down plagues on all of mankind by their own command. After three and a half years they are killed by the Antichrist and their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and half days. But that's not where the story ends.
The Great Tribulation will be a time like no other. Revelation 9 reveals the 5th and 6th trumpet judgments - and the world will never be the same.
Revelation 7 is a parentheses ... a vision into the future when all the martyrs from the Great Tribulation will sing a new song and give praise to God.
God's response? He will wipe away all their tears. Can you think of anything more personal than wiping someone's tears. Our Father doesn't "staff this out" to an angel, nor ask that we wipe our own tears. The Father in an act of love wipes away their tears. WOW!
In Revelation 4, John was in Heaven seeing Jesus as the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. All Heaven sang a new song - Worth is the Lamb!!!!
What an amazing vision.
After the amazing view of Heaven in chapter 4, John sees a scroll in the hand of God the Father. Only one person could open the scroll.
Announced as the Lion, John sees the Lamb of God who bled and died to take away the sins of the world.
Have you ever tried to describe the glory of God? Yeah - it's pretty much impossible.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:18 - actually - you reflect the glory of God! Still, John's description is beyond amazing!
The letters to the seven churches are a remarkably complete treatment of problems that face the church today. The recurring dangers of losing their first love (2:4), of being afraid of suffering (2:10), doctrinal defection (2:14–15), moral departure (2:20), spiritual deadness (3:1–2), not holding fast (v. 11), and lukewarmness (vv. 15–16) are just as prevalent today as they were in first-century churches. Because these letters come from Christ personally, they take on significance as God’s final word of exhortation to the church down through the centuries. The final appeal is to all individuals who will hear. People in churches today would do well to listen. (BKC)