Who are the twenty-four (24) elders in Revelation?
Revelation 4:4 declares, “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” The book of Revelation nowhere specifically identifies who the twenty-four elders are. However, they are most likely representative of the Church. It is unlikely that they are angelic beings, as some suggest. The fact that they sit on thrones indicates that they reign with Christ. The Church is repeatedly said to rule and reign with Christ (Revelation 2:26-27, 5:10, 20:4; Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30).
In addition, the Greek word translated here as “elders” is never used to refer to angels, only to men, particularly to men of a certain age who are mature and able to rule the Church. The word elder would be inappropriate to refer to angels, who do not age. Their mode of dress would also indicate these are men. While angels do appear in white, white garments are more commonly found on believers, symbolizing Christ’s righteousness imputed to us at salvation (Revelation 3:5,18; 19:8).
The golden crowns worn by the elders also indicate these are men, not angels. Crowns are never promised to angels, nor are angels ever seen wearing them. The word translated “crown” here refers to the victor’s crown, worn by those who have successfully competed and won the victory, as Christ promised (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12).
Another reason to view the twenty-four elders as the Church is the bowls they hold in Revelation 5. There, we read, . . . the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:8–10).
Note that the elders hold symbols of “the prayers of God’s people” (verse 8). This further substantiates the idea that the twenty-four elders are representative of the Church.
Some people believe these twenty-four elders represent Israel, but at the time of this vision, Israel as a whole nation had not yet been redeemed. The elders cannot represent tribulation saints for the same reason—not all had yet been converted at the time of John’s vision. The most likely option is that the elders represent the raptured Church which sings songs of redemption (Revelation 5:8-10). They wear the crowns of victory and have gone to the place prepared for them by their Redeemer (John 14:1-4).
What does it mean that sin shall not have dominion over you in (Romans 6:14)?
In Romans 6:9–14, the apostle Paul communicates a key concept of justification referred to as “imputed righteousness.” He is teaching Christians how they can experience freedom from the control of sin over their lives. When Jesus Christ died and was resurrected from the dead, the victory He achieved over sin and death was imparted to all who believe in His name and receive Him as Lord and Savior. Paul writes, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14, NKJV).
Before salvation, sin was like a slave-driving master over us. Now, as “prisoners of Christ Jesus” (see Ephesians 3:1), we no longer live under the requirements of the law but under the freedom of God’s grace: “Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21, NLT; see also Romans 7:4, 6; Galatians 2:19). Because we belong to Jesus, “the power of the life-giving Spirit” has set us free “from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2, NLT). We are no longer obligated to do what our sinful nature urges us to do (Romans 8:12).
In Romans 6:9, Paul explains that “Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God” (Romans 6:9–10, NKJV). Then Paul clarifies how we can experience what Jesus experienced: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). To “count” is “to consider, to reckon, to think, to credit.” In the same way that Jesus is free from sin and death and alive to God, we must think of ourselves as free. We get to credit or apply to ourselves the same truth that applies to our Savior. Christ’s freedom is now our freedom. Sin shall not have dominion over you because it has no mastery over Christ in whom you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28; see also 1 John 4:9).
Through the death of Jesus, the believer has died, and his life is now “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We are new creations in Christ; the old life of sin under the law is gone, and a new life of spiritual freedom under God’s grace has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we are truly dead, we are free from sin’s influence. The penalty for sin has been paid, and we no longer must answer to sin’s dominion over us.
God counts Christians dead to sin because of their identification with the death and resurrection of Christ. If God considers us dead to sin, we must also think of ourselves as dead to sin’s dominion. If God says it is so, then we must believe it. Counting yourself dead to sin means you “don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2, NLT).
In Romans 6:12–13, Paul firmly cautions believers to make a clean break from their old sinful ways of living: “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Romans 6:12–13, NLT). Peter affirms that Jesus carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we could be dead to sin’s dominance and live to do what is right for God’s glory (1 Peter 2:24).
Sin shall not have dominion over you when you offer your body “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Before salvation, we lived under the law. Sin was our master because adhering to legalistic rules could not give us the power to resist sin. “So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:3–4, NLT). The law merely served to reveal our weakness and failure. God’s amazing grace in the form of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the only thing sufficient to empower us to live according to the Holy Spirit’s control.
Walking in the truth of our salvation does not mean we will never sin again. We have the choice not to sin, and we have the grace of God empowering us not to sin, but we are still human and imperfect. The apostle John says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). When we fall short of the mark, we have an advocate or legal representative in Jesus Christ, “the one who is truly righteous,” who pleads our case before the Father (1 John 2:1, NLT). John explains, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). God responds in grace and mercy toward our human weakness because Jesus Christ died for our sins to give us His righteousness.
Sin shall not have dominion over you as a Christian because the grace of God saves you and enables you to turn away from “godless living and sinful pleasures” and “live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God” (Titus 2:11–12, NLT).
First John 2:18 speaks of the Antichrist: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” The specific term antichrist is used five times in Scripture, twice here in 1 John 2:18 and once in 1 John 2:22; 4:3; and 2 John 1:7. So, what is this Antichrist that the apostle John refers to?
The meaning of the term antichrist is simply “against Christ.” As the apostle John records in First and Second John, an antichrist denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22), does not acknowledge Jesus (1 John 4:3), and denies that Jesus came in the flesh (2 John 1:7). There have been many “antichrists,” as 1 John 2:18 states. But there is also coming the Antichrist.
Most Bible prophecy/eschatology experts believe the Antichrist will be the ultimate embodiment of what it means to be against Christ. In the end times/last hour, a man will arise to oppose Christ and His followers more than anyone else in history. Likely claiming to be the true Messiah, the Antichrist will seek world domination and will attempt to destroy all followers of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel.
Other biblical references to the Antichrist include the following:
The imposing, boastful king of Daniel 7 who oppresses the Jews and tries to “change the set times and the laws” (verse 25).
The leader who establishes a 7-year covenant with Israel and then breaks it in Daniel 9.
The king who sets up the abomination of desolation in Mark 13:14 (cf. Daniel 9:27).
The man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.
The rider on a white horse (representing his claim to be a man of peace) in Revelation 6:2.
The first beast—the one from the sea—in Revelation 13. This beast receives power from the dragon (Satan) and speaks “proud words and blasphemies” (verse 5) and wages war against the saints (verse 7).
Thankfully, the Antichrist/beast, along with his false prophet, will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will spend all eternity in torment (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).
What is the Antichrist? In summary, the Antichrist is the end-times false messiah who seeks, and likely achieves, world domination so that he can destroy Israel and all followers of Jesus Christ.
What does it mean that God gives good gifts in (Matthew 7:11)?
Some people carry childhood emotional baggage that skews their perceptions about the goodness of God. One pastor observes, “I have come across several people who have a deeply rooted impression of God as a trickster. They view him as a kind of cosmic killjoy with a warped sense of humor. These individuals often come from an abusive background, so their ability to trust a father figure has been severely damaged. To them, God lives only to bring them some kind of grief. . . . As a result, they withhold intimate trust from him” (Weber, S. K., Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000, p. 99).
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus indirectly addressed these injured souls, stressing that God is an exceedingly loving Father who gives good gifts to His children: “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9–11, NLT).
The heavenly Father desires every child of His to know that He can be trusted (Numbers 23:19; Romans 8:28). He is a good and loving “Abba Father” (see Mark 14:36; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15) who gives good gifts to His children. No matter how badly one has suffered at the hands of earthly parents, the Bible offers hope and comfort to broken adults who still carry the scars of childhood abuse and abandonment.
Jesus said, “God gives good gifts” within the context of His teaching about prayer (see Matthew 6:5–18; 7:7–11). He taught the disciples to seek the Father in prayer because this is the path to knowing His heart and trusting Him fully. Scripture promises that, if we ask God, He will give us what we need. If we seek Him, we will find what we need. If we knock, He will open the door for us. Instead of fretting over the cares of this life, God’s children can take everything to Him in prayer (Matthew 6:25–34). Since the Father already knows what we need (verse 32), we can entrust our lives to Him and seek His kingdom above everything else (verse 33).
The apostle Paul echoed Jesus’ message: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
In Luke’s account of Christ’s teaching, one of God’s good gifts is the Holy Spirit: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:11–13, CSB). The Holy Spirit is God’s built-in gift to every believer to comfort, help, counsel, empower, guide, and so much more (John 7:37–39; 14:16; Romans 15:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 1 Peter 4:10; Titus 3:5). According to James, wisdom is another good gift of God: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
God wants His children to open their hearts in total dependence upon Him, trusting that they are safe and secure in His embrace. The Lord won’t trick us by giving us a stone instead of bread. Nor will He mock our prayers by presenting us with something harmful, like a snake instead of a fish. If we need food, He won’t abandon us or leave us begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). James writes, “So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession” (James 1:16–18, NLT).
God takes good care of His treasured children because He loves them perfectly. Human parents fall short (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3: 9–18, 23), but God’s love is perfect and eternal (1 John 4:7–21; Romans 8:31–39). The heavenly Father knows what’s best for His kids. He gives them what they need and not what harms them. Believers can trust God completely; because He is truly good, He cannot give anything but what is good.
What does it mean that God demonstrates His love in (Romans 5:8)?
Love is a fundamental attribute of God, and numerous Bible passages declare this glorious truth. One such passage is Romans 5:8, which states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This depiction of love has inspired many to pledge their allegiance to Jesus, even to the point of death. God’s love should be known, relished, celebrated, and held close to our hearts.
The Bible serves as God’s special revelation to us, unveiling His attributes and showing us what love is. God manifested His love through sacrifice, by taking on human flesh in the Person of Jesus and redeeming us from the consequences of sin. John 3:16 immediately comes to mind, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Love is not a static emotion; love acts. Sacrificial love of the type God demonstrated toward us amazes us because we know how challenging it is to give up something valuable for the sake of another. Movies like Titanic achieved global success due, in part, to the theme of sacrifice. What is even more astounding about God’s demonstration of love is that He gave His life for His enemies. Even on the cross, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those murdering Him (Luke 23:34). Christianity is unique in this regard as it is the only religion that welcomes the ungodly: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). In other belief systems, humanity is left to work their way up toward God, but in Christianity God came down to us.
The apostle John also reflected on God’s love in his letter: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10).
It is worth noting that God demonstrated His love in a manner that does not contradict His justice and holiness. On the cross, Jesus fulfilled the just requirements of the law and displayed God’s holiness by bearing God’s wrath against sin. Christ’s atoning work granted God the freedom to exhibit His grace and mercy side by side with His judgment, all for His glory.
The transformative effect of God’s love and grace has softened many hard hearts and filled them with gratitude. Countless depraved individuals have experienced what was described in the old hymn: “The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives” (Crosby, F. J., “To God Be the Glory,” 1875). A prime example is the apostle Paul, who converted from an enemy of Christianity to one of its greatest evangelists.
God’s love was not theoretical. It was demonstrated; it was proved in Christ. Ultimately, God’s love provides the foundation for our love toward others. Once again, we find guidance from John: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things, and is faithful to the promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, just as prophesied. Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.
The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings. This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Zechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King in His second coming. Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describing the second coming, look back to Jesus being pierced. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”
The second coming is spoken of in greatest detail in Revelation 19:11-16, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Is it possible for a person to be saved/forgiven after taking the mark of the beast?
The mark of the beast is a mark that will be placed on a person’s forehead or right hand in the end times as a sign of allegiance to the Antichrist (Revelation 13:15–18). Further, no one will be allowed to engage in commerce without the mark (Revelation 13:17). It appears that some form of worship of the Antichrist is associated with receiving the mark (Revelation 14:9; 16:2), and those who refuse to worship the image of the beast will be killed (Revelation 13:15).
The question then arises as to whether a person who has received the mark of the beast can be forgiven. The answer to this question seems to be “no.” Revelation 14:10–11, describing the fate of someone who takes the mark of the beast, declares, “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
The eternal destiny of those who take the mark of the beast is the lake of fire. Why is taking the mark of the beast a damnable sin against God? Why would God condemn a person to hell for taking the mark of the beast? It would appear that taking the mark of the beast will be a blasphemous act of willful defiance against God. Receiving the mark of the beast is essentially worshiping Satan. Those who take the mark have made the choice to serve Satan rather than obey God and receive Christ as Savior. When people make that decision during the tribulation, God will grant their request to be eternally separated from Him.
The word Armageddon is used generically today to refer to any type of catastrophic conflict, especially if it’s seen as likely to result in widespread destruction or the annihilation of human life. In the Bible, Armageddon refers to a climactic future battle between God and the forces of evil, as recorded in the book of Revelation. The word ultimately comes from the Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo,” the predicted location of the battle.
Revelation 16:12–16 is the record of what will happen toward the end of the tribulation, when an angel pours out the sixth bowl judgment on the earth. The word Armageddon makes its only appearance in the Bible in this passage:
“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. 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. 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. . . . Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
In Revelation 19:11–20, a final battle occurs at Christ’s second coming as the conquering Christ defeats the forces of the Antichrist. We take this to be a description of the Battle of Armageddon mentioned in Revelation 16:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.’
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
The exact location of Armageddon is unclear because there is no mountain called Meggido. However, since Har can also mean “hill,” the most likely location is the hill country surrounding the plain of Meggido, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem. Throughout history, armies have fought countless battles in that region: Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, and Crusaders fought in Megiddo, as well as the armies of Napoleon. Megiddo was the site of battles during World War I and the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 (Weintraub, P., “Rewriting Tel Megiddo’s Violent History,” Discover, Sep 30, 2015). In the future, the plain of Megiddo and the nearby plain of Esdraelon will also be the focal point for the battle of Armageddon.
The plain of Megiddo, or Armageddon, was famous for two great victories in Israel’s history: 1) Barak’s victory over the Canaanites (Judges 4:15) and 2) Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (Judges 7). Armageddon was also the site of two great tragedies: 1) the death of Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:8) and 2) the death of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29–30; 2 Chronicles 35:22).
According to the futurist interpretation of Revelation, which is our view, the Battle of Armageddon will be a real battle in the future, near the end of the tribulation. Demonic influences will cause the kings of the earth to gather their armies for an all-out assault on Jerusalem. The Antichrist will be leading the charge (Revelation 16:13–16). Jesus Christ will return to earth with the armies of heaven (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:14); His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4); He will defeat the forces of evil (Revelation 19:15–16); He will cast the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20); He will bind Satan; and He will set up His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–6). At Armageddon the Lord Jesus Christ “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty”(Revelation 16:19), and all things will be made right.
What does it mean that the Antichrist will cause all to receive the mark of the beast in (Revelation 13:16)?
In Revelation 13 John introduces the beast (often referred to as the Antichrist), who will rule the world for a brief time in the future and who will bring devastation to the earth for forty-two months. John also describes another beast (Revelation 13:11), later called the false prophet (Revelation 16:13 and 19:20), who also has great authority and will cause all to worship the first beast or the Antichrist (Revelation 13:12). This false prophet will even have the ability to bring an image of the Antichrist to life (Revelation 13:14–15). The false prophet will cause all to receive the mark of the beast on the right hand or forehead (Revelation 13:16).
The specific nature of the mark of the Antichrist is not explained in Revelation. The purpose and implications of the mark are delineated, however. Without that mark no one can buy or sell (Revelation 13:17). Apparently, forcing everyone to receive the mark of the beast will be an important tool for controlling the world’s economy (Revelation 13:16).
Some have assumed that any kind of identification for regulating commerce is of the Antichrist, but that is not what the passage is teaching. John is not revealing principles of economics in this context. Rather, he is describing a future time when the Antichrist will be given authority to rule the world. With that authority, the Antichrist conditions buying and selling based on whether a person is willing to worship the Antichrist. If people are willing to worship him, they will accept the mark (Revelation 14:9, 11). This mark is no mere commercial device. All who accept the mark during the Antichrist’s reign will be rejecting Jesus, instead putting their trust in the Antichrist. All who accept that mark will be judged, while those who refuse the mark during that time will reign with Christ after He returns (Revelation 20:4). The problem with the mark is not an economic or technological issue; it is that accepting the mark will be a universal sign of disbelief in Jesus and trust in the Antichrist.
Today’s technology has advanced to the point where digital identification and electronic currency have certainly put in place some necessary conditions for global dictatorship; however, technology is not in itself a bad thing and can be used for good purposes. John is not teaching that we should fear technology or even digital commerce. He isn’t discussing those things at all. He is simply recounting what he saw and cautions people that there is coming a time when the false prophet will cause all to receive the mark of the beast on the right hand or forehead (Revelation 13:16). Taking the mark will be an act of worshiping the Antichrist.
The reign of the Antichrist will be a terrifying, awful time of global dictatorship, but it will not last forever. The authority of the Antichrist (the first beast in Revelation 13:1–10), the false prophet (the second beast in Revelation 13:11–18), and the dragon (Satan, so identified in Revelation 13:1 and 20:2) will end. Christ will return to earth triumphantly with all His saints (Revelation 19:14) to establish His eternal kingdom (Revelation 20:1–6). After the first one thousand years of that kingdom, Jesus will judge everyone (Revelation 20:7–15). God wins in the end.
Even though the church will not be present on earth during the Antichrist’s rule (the church is taken up to heaven before the day of the Lord, see 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17), Jesus warns that the message of the book of Revelation is for the churches to pay attention (Revelation 22:16). During the time the church is on earth, there is no danger of receiving the mark of the beast. But there are certainly many ways we can fail to trust in and worship Jesus. Jesus warns the churches that He will come suddenly, ending the reign of evil. That message should ensure we will not neglect Him in this current age (see Revelation 22:16 and Hebrews 2:3).
Revelation 17:1-2 tells us, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’” Revelation 17:5 goes on to say, “And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Who is this “whore of Babylon” and what is “mystery Babylon”?
Revelation 17:3 gives this description: “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.” The beast mentioned in this verse is the same beast as in Revelation chapter 13:1, “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” The beast in Revelation chapter 13 is understood to refer to the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Daniel 9:27). So, the whore of Babylon, whoever it is, is closely affiliated with the end-times Antichrist.
The fact that the whore of Babylon is referred to as a mystery means that we cannot be completely certain as to her identity. The passage does give us some clues, however. Revelation 17:9 explains, “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.” Many commentators link this passage with the Roman Catholic Church because in ancient times, the city of Rome was known as “the city on seven hills” because there are seven prominent hills that surround the city. However, verse 10 goes on to explain that the seven hills represent 7 kings or kingdoms, five of which have fallen, one that is and one that is to come. Therefore, the “whore of Babylon” cannot refer exclusively to Rome. Revelation 17:15 tells us, “Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.’” The whore of Babylon will have great worldwide influence over people and nations. Verses 10-14 describe a series of eight and then ten kings who affiliate with the beast. The whore of Babylon will at one time have control over these kings (Revelation 17:18), but at some point the kings will turn on her and destroy her (Revelation 17:16).
So, can the mystery of the whore of Babylon be solved? Yes, at least partially. The whore of Babylon is an evil world system, controlled by the Antichrist, during the last days before Jesus’ return. The whore of Babylon also has religious connotations – spiritual adultery with the beast being the focus of an ungodly, end-times religious system.
