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A TIMELINE FOR THE SECOND COMING
ICEBREAKER
Our icebreaker for the first part of the lesson is going to help us get a good overview of what we’re going to talk about today. We know that the Book of Revelation is all about the last days and the second coming. But how well do you know the order of events that have been prophesied in the scriptures? Here’s a chronology challenge for you. You could give this to your students as a handout to begin the lesson. And then, as you correct it, you can lead your class through some of Revelation’s descriptions of these events. Now, understand that there are many other events that I could have included on this list. It’s not comprehensive but I feel captures a basic timeline for the end of times. So, if you like, you can try this yourself right now. Numbering from 1-14, how would you arrange the following events?
And here are the answers:
#1 The apostasy. Prophecies about the Great Apostasy are all over the Book of Revelation, but we saw it particularly in Chapter 12 where we saw the symbol of the woman (of the Church) fleeing into the wilderness.
#2 The Restoration. Jump to Revelation 14:6-7
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
This angel has been identified by prophets as Moroni, having the fulness of the everlasting gospel to restore to the world in the Last days.
#3 The Sign of the Son of Man, that we find in D&C 88:93 that we discussed this back in Chapter 8
Along with #4 The half hour of silence.
#5 The Battle of Armageddon. We’re going to see this idea introduced in Revelation 16:16 where it says:
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
I’ll talk more about this later in the video but sometime before the appearing of the Savior will be a great battle where evil will finally be vanquished. This destruction of evil can be seen in many places in Revelation, but more specifically chapters 16-19. And like I said, we’ll look at this event a little more closely in a minute here. But after the great Battle we have:
#6 Christ appearing to the world in glory. Let’s look more closely at this prophecy. It’s found in 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
The first time Christ came to earth he came as a baby, then a humble carpenter and teacher, he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in peace and invitation. This time, he comes on a warhorse as judge and conqueror of evil. He wears red this time. Why red? Well, Isaiah offers some insight on that question and it’s a little chilling.
2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
The image is that he will trample and tread down the wicked and their blood will splash on his clothing, dyeing them red. I know that’s a tough image to reconcile with the merciful and loving Savior we are all familiar with, but I don’t believe this is a literal event. I don’t believe that Jesus will actually trample people to death. It’s a symbol. He is coming in justice. Those that have refused time and time again his outstretched arm of mercy, will now face his judgment. The wicked will be removed from the earth, and they will spend the millennium in Spirit Prison, rather than with the Lamb of God.
#7 Satan is bound
This is described in Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Satan will no longer have any influence on our world. I feel this prophecy could be taken both literally and figuratively. Satan’s influence will be removed from the earth. Physically, I believe he will have no physical or spiritual presence here. On the other hand, I like how Nephi says it in 1 Nephi 22:26
26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
That’s another way Satan is bound, because of their righteousness, he has no power over them. He can’t get to their hearts because nobody listens to him. In that sense, we can bind Satan right now. Just stop listening to him, and he will be bound and cast away from your life.
#8 The resurrection of the just
#9 The Millennium
#10 The resurrection of the unjust
These events are described in 20:4-6
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Therefore, the righteous will be resurrected first. We know that Celestial and Terrestrial people will be resurrected at this time and enjoy the 1000 years of peace with Christ as their King. And then at the end of the millennium, those that have lived a Telestial law and spent the millennium in Spirit Prison will then be brought forth and also resurrected.
#11 Satan loosed for a little season
#12 The Battle of Gog and Magog
We see these events in 20:7-10
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.
I’m not going to go into great detail on these prophecies and I don’t wish to be speculative. I believe our understanding of them is limited anyway. But apparently, Satan will begin to have influence once again near the end of the millennium. How and why that exactly takes place, I’m not sure. But much like the War in Heaven in the premortal existence, this will not be a physical but a spiritual conflict. And I’m sure that the conflict will be over the same question. Will we stand behind the wisdom of the plan of the Father and accept his Son’s sacrifice for our sins, or will we rebel with Lucifer and use our eternal agency to turn away from God. However that happens, the final outcome is certain, Satan will finally be cast out of our presence once and for all.
This paves way for
#13 The Final judgment described to us in 20:12-15
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.
All must be judged according to their works out of the books that have been carefully kept by the angels through the ages. A quick note here on the judgment. I like the phrase that Doctrine and Covenants 137 adds to our understanding of the judgment. In Revelation we’re judged for our works, and our works alone, but I’m so grateful for what Section 137:9 adds to the equation.
“For I the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.”
I don’t know about you, but I am so grateful that I will not only be judged by my works, but that my desires will count for something too. We’re all familiar with the saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I believe that’s true, but according to this verse, so is the road to heaven.
The final event on our list then is
#14 The earth receives its Celestial glory.
And the description of this event comprises chapters 21-22 and we’ll go into more depth on these chapters later.
But I hope that little activity helped you to grasp the timeline of the events of the Second Coming and beyond just a bit better. I think it’s especially important that we understand these future events because, whether we are alive or not at the actual time of the coming of Christ, we all will play a part in it in some way when that day comes. But now, let’s dig a little deeper into what I feel is the major message of the Book of Revelation. It’s not just about foretelling future events. I believe John has a much deeper purpose here.
GOOD VS. EVIL
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker to this next section of the lesson, I’m going to name some famous contrasting pairs from popular culture. I’ll name one side of the pair, and you come up with the contrast or the opposite. You ready? Here we go.
Harry Potter - Voldemort
Batman - The Joker
Simba - Scar
Frodo Baggins - Sauron
Luke Skywalker - Darth Vader
Aslan - The White Witch
Sherlock Holmes - Moriarty
Well, as a culture, we seem to be enamored with this good vs. evil dynamic. It’s all over our movies, our literature, and popular entertainment. We, as mortals, connect with this idea on a deep, almost sub-conscious level. And the reason why we connect with it so readily, I believe, is because it reminds us of the great struggle that we have all been a part of ever since the pre-mortal existence. The Book of Revelation is probably the best biblical example or manifestation of this particular idea. Through fictional characters, symbols, and events, John portrays the great story of earth's mortal existence played out in one fantastic narrative. Each event slowly marching toward the inevitable outcome, the triumph of good, and the defeat of evil. And when we watch these kinds of movies or read these kinds of books, we kind of always want good to win, or we expect good to win. Perhaps this resonates with us on such a profound level because deep in our hearts and spirits, we know that this is more than fiction. In fact, it’s the most real thing of all. In the end, good will triumph over evil. The very fact that we naturally tend to feel this way is a testament to me of the reality of God, right and wrong, and an objective “truth”.
SEARCH
So let’s put this skill of recognizing contrasts into practice with the Book of Revelation because as I told you in our first video on Revelation, everything in Revelation seems to come in pairs. We’re going to focus on those pairs now, and I’d like to do it with you as an activity. Your job is to find the pairs. I’ll give you the references, and I want you to identify the two sides of the contrast by filling in the boxes. The good vs. the evil. Then, your second task will be to match the pair with what they represent in reality. While we do this, a second activity would be to mark these things in our scriptures in two different colors. One representing the good, and the other representing the evil.
5:6 The Lamb as it had been slain vs. 12:3 The Seven Headed Dragon
12:1/19:7 The Bride vs. 17:1-6. The Whore of Babylon
19:11-16 The King of Kings vs. 13:1-7 The Beast
11:3-4 Candlesticks/Olive Trees vs. 13:11-15 The Dragon voiced Lamb
7:3/14:1 The Seal of the Living God vs. 13:16-18 The Mark of the Beast 666
21:10-16 The New Jerusalem vs. 18:10-13 The Great City Babylon
Let’s take a closer look at each of these in turn
We’ve already covered the Lamb as it had been slain and the seven-headed dragon in previous videos. And we know that they represent Christ and Satan respectively.
So we’re going to put A here.
Also, you’ve been introduced to the Bride of the Lamb in chapter 12:1. She makes another appearance later in Revelation 19 and 21:9.
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.
She of course is a representation of the church. But we haven’t met her counterpart yet. There is another woman and she’s not a bride. Let’s read about her:
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Who does she represent? The world, or as Nephi puts it, “The great and abominable church”. If Satan has a wife, she is it. She is described as a whore, or a harlot. Why? She has sold that which is most precious and sacred for money. She has sold out. She wears scarlet and gold and pearls because these are her desires. Mammon, or material goods. She is an embodiment of lust. She is drunk with the wine of fornication and the blood of the Saints. She represents the worldly philosophy of Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.
That’s why Nephi writes: 10 Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. 1 Nephi 14:10
Whether we describe ourselves as religious or not, we all belong to a church. We can worship in the chapel or at the club. We can eat and drink of the sacrament and find happiness, or we can eat, drink and be merry at the party. We can love or lust, serve or steal, believe or blaspheme. In the end, there are only two churches. The Church of the Lamb, or the Church of the World.
Therefore we’ll put B here. The Church vs. The World
Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
Who is this King of Kings, that would be Christ and his royal government, his political power. He wears crowns and he rules with the iron rod of the word of God. Not just a king, but the King of Kings, the highest authority.
But in chapter 13:1-7 we are introduced to another form of authority. The Beast
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Chapter 13 really introduces us to the three-pronged attack of the Dragon’s Kingdom, embodied by the beast, a dragon voiced lamb, and a great city. Each of these three represents a different tactic of evil and means of gaining influence. Let’s see if we can determine what those are. The fact that the beast has the likeness of a leopard, bear and a lion signals that John is alluding to the Book of Daniel. In Daniel 7:3-6, different nations are represented by these animals. And they are predatory animals, just as many powerful nations prey on weaker ones. Their horns and crowns, and then also the words, power, seat, great authority, make war, and overcome suggest that this is the political arm of Satan’s strategy. Here the influence comes from brute force, authority, and political power. Again, this beast has many heads and manifestations, yet, the same evil heart. There are many examples of the damaging influence of this beast in the last century. The Nazism of Hitler, the repressive communist regimes of Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Kim Jong Un, the fanatic terrorism of Al Qaeda, Isis, and the Taliban, and we can even see the mark of the beast's influence manifest in the candidates and parties of democratic nations as well. The beast makes war with the principles of agency, religious freedom, and morality in order to maintain its grip of power and exploitation.
So we’re going to put C here, Christ’s reign as the King of Kings vs Evil Political Powers and Governments
In 11:3-4 we talked about the candlesticks and olive trees. They represent prophets or God’s witnesses. What is their counterpart?
13:11-15
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Hmmm. Interesting symbol. Why a lamb with a dragon’s voice? Well who is the other lamb in the Book of Revelation? It’s Jesus. So this beast has the outward appearance of innocence, but his voice is that of the dragon. What does he do with that voice? He deceives. What could he represent? False prophets. In fact, this beast is referred to by that name later in 16:13, 19:20, and 20:10. He represents the religious prong of the dragon’s three-pointed attack. They are the false lambs, or false Christs who may appear devout on the outside, but the well-tuned ear will recognize the dragon’s voice whispering from its throat. Manifestations of the false prophets? This is the beast that inspires inquisitions, burnings at the stake, “mercy” killings, crusades, forced conversions, holy wars, and a whole slew of evil practices justified in the name of God and religious zeal. Currently, terrorist attacks carried out in the name of religion would be a noteworthy example of this beast in our day. Also, this beast is manifest in any person or organization that seeks to deceive others with an innocent exterior. The tobacco, alcohol, and pornography industries could be examples of this. The predator who exploits, the conman who swindles, the philanderer who seduces. The dragon voiced lamb is alive and well in the 21st century.
We’ll go ahead and place D here. True prophet VS false prophets.
In the last video we discussed the seal of the Living God on the foreheads of the righteous. We see this referred to in both Revelation 7:3 and 14:1. We saw that the seal was the name of God written on their forehead. This represented the fact that they belonged to God and his kingdom. Is there an equivalent on the dragon’s side? Yes.
13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The wicked also have a mark on their forehead. The mark of the beast. Or the number of his name. This is where we get the idea that the number 666 is associated with the devil. What’s the meaning of the number? Well, in many ancient languages, letters had numerical equivalents. You see this practice in Roman numerals or maybe when you were younger you made up a secret code where numbers represented letters. So, a person could represent their name in numbers if they wished. So 666 is just the numerical way of writing the name of the beast. This makes sense in contrast. If the seal of the living God was the name of the Father, it would make sense that the mark of the beast constitutes the name of the adversary. Verse 17 basically tells us that is what it is. Whether that name be Satan, or Lucifer, or Devil, or Accuser, we don’t know. One theory I find interesting comes from Moses 5:31 describing the account where Cain gives himself the title Mahan after he kills Abel. The footnote to that word tells us that “Mind, Destroyer, and "great one” are possible meanings of the roots evident in Mahan. The name of the beast, maybe. Just a thought. If I have his name on my forehead, who do I belong to? The devil. Now don’t take this mark too literally. I’ve heard a lot of interesting ideas on possible physical manifestations of the mark of the beast, but I don’t buy it. Symbolic not literal. Just like we don’t actually write the name of God on our foreheads, the mark of the beast is likely not an actual mark of some sort. It’s just another way of showing the demarcation between good and evil.
So we’ll put E here. Belonging to God and his Church VS. Belonging to Satan and the world
All right, our last contrast, the rival cities. First, let’s go to 21:10-16
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.
This is the city of God. The New Jerusalem, or more particularly, the Celestial Kingdom. It’s made up of precious gems and crystal, both of which are pure, precious, reflect light and never decay. The Celestial Kingdom will be a place of worth, purity, light, and eternal splendor. Each gate has the names of 3 of the 12 tribes of Israel, mirroring the pattern of the Camp of Israel at the time of the Exodus. There are also 12 foundations to the wall, representing the 12 apostles. Usually a building only has one foundation, but this city has 12. Certainly it is a strong wall. Along with the symbols of stars, eyes, and horns, the apostles are now foundations. They offer us security, a sure foundation, and support.
The city has an interesting shape doesn’t it. It says that it’s length and width and height are all equal. So what does it look like? A giant cube. The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle had square dimensions as well. Why? For something to be square suggests that it was exact and perfect, without any deviation, incongruity, or inequality. Such are the principles of the Celestial Kingdom. It is a place of perfection, where not only the city is exact, but also all those who dwell within.
In contrast we have another city. 18:10-13
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
The city is Babylon, or Satan’s worldly kingdom. Here we have the third prong of Satan’s attack, the economic or materialistic arm. If Satan can’t corrupt us with power, or religious deceit, maybe he can get us with materialism. I believe the United States is a prime example of a nation that has been dominated by this attack. In Old Testament times, Babylon was the wealthiest, most opulent, and excessively materialistic cities of the age. Earlier in the chapter, vs. 7 tells us that she (Babylon) lived deliciously and vs. 14 mentions all things which were dainty and goodly. This passage speaks of the buying and selling of merchandise. It’s an intriguing list. It just seems to go on and on and on. There is purpose in that. John wants you to almost get tired of reading the list. Isn’t that the way of Babylon? There is always something else to buy. Enough is never enough. Babylon must continually offer something new to keep them coming back to buy and buy again. They operate under the philosophy that there is nothing that money can’t buy. And then he ironically throws that last item on the list, and you can almost hear the sarcasm in his voice, "and the souls of men". Everything is for sale, even the souls of men. Jesus said in Mark 8:36 “ 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? In Babylon, people are in the business of selling souls, and in the end, they will come up on the losing side of that equation.
So the match in this case would have to be Celestial Glory, represented by the New Jerusalem, and Worldly Glory, represented by Babylon.
So our final letter, F, is going to go here.
Now as you look at that handout, I hope you can see the clear choices that John has laid before our eyes. The opposing pieces of good and evil are set before us like a giant chess board. The question for you and I still remains. Which side are we going to play for?
THE FINAL SCORE
But as we consider that question, John wants us to know something—a crucial point to contemplate as we make that decision. To introduce that, let’s go back to the good vs. evil pairs that I mentioned at the beginning of the lesson? How did those stories end? What was the resolution of that conflict?
Harry Potter - Voldemort
Harry defeats Voldemort
Batman - The Joker
Batman prevails and the Joker is put into prison.
Simba - Scar
Scar falls off the cliff in a fight with Simba and survives. However, he is killed by the hyenas instead.
Frodo Baggins - Sauron
Frodo destroys the ring and Sauron crumbles
Luke Skywalker - Darth Vader
Darth Vader in a way is eventually destroyed by Luke, as he once again becomes Anakin Skywalker in a type of deathbed repentance.
Aslan - The White Witch
The white witch is killed by Aslan
Sherlock Holmes - Moriarty
Moriarty falls to his death at Reichenbach Falls.
So in popular culture, good almost always defeats evil. In fact, we feel it ought to end that way. Well, let’s see how the Book of Revelation turns out. The question is the same. How does it end? I invite you to take a quick look at the following verses to see what happens to evil. I won’t read each verse word for word, but I’ll summarize this for you.
For the Whore of Babylon? (17:16) She is made desolate and naked. Her flesh is eaten, and she’s burned with fire.
For the great city Babylon? (18:8, 10, 17-19) She is utterly burned with fire and destroyed in one hour, and all shall see the smoke of her burning, and those that bought and sold within her shall mourn.
For both the Beast? (19:20) and
the Dragon voiced lamb (false prophet)? (19:20) they are cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone.
For the Dragon (20:1-3) (we read these verses earlier) An angel comes down from heaven and binds him and throws him into the bottomless pit and puts a seal on it for 1000 years.
For those with the mark of the Beast? (16:1-12, 20:15, 21:8) Now what about all those who decided to choose this side. Those with the mark of the beast. What is their fate? In 16:1-12 we have a whole list of terrible sounding consequences: grievous sores, seas becoming blood, scorched with fire, darkness, pain, and thirst. And why this suffering? I think the key phrase is in verse 11. They “repented not of their deeds”. No one need suffer like this as long as they’re willing to repent. But these people refuse, regardless of the consequences.
In 20:15, after the final judgment, they are cast into a lake of fire and brimstone. And then 21:8 talks about the lake of fire and brimstone again and the power of the second death over them. What’s the second death? Spiritual death, or separation from God. And no, I don’t believe in a literal lake of fire and brimstone that people burn in for eternity. But I do believe in the burning of regret, loss, guilt, and lamenting over lost opportunities and privileges.
I believe the message is really quite simple isn’t it. Evil loses. Good triumphs overall. The beast will no longer conquer, the Dragon voiced lamb will no longer deceive, the Harlot of Babylon will no longer seduce, and the great city will no longer hock its wares. And the dragon? Well, instead of chaining others, he will be chained, instead of spreading darkness, he will be enveloped in it, instead of dragging others into the pit, he himself will be cast there. It makes one wonder why anybody would consciously choose the losing side, doesn’t it?
ARMAGEDDON
An interesting side note on how this loss and destruction takes place. In the past I used to picture the second coming as a literal giant fire falling from heaven and burning the wicked people and purifying the earth. I don’t see it that way anymore. Now I suppose there could be some truth to that, but I don’t believe it’s likely. There is a symbol we haven’t examined closely yet from Revelation 16:16.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Armageddon means Hill of Megiddo. Megiddo was a very strategically placed city in northern Israel. It guarded an important pass in the Carmel mountain range and was vital to controlling the area. Consequently, many battles were fought there. Revelation tells us that before the Second Coming, a great battle will be fought there. Now you can probably guess how I’m going to interpret this. Often this prophecy is taken literally, and many believe that an actual major battle will take place at that very spot in the future. Me, I’m not so sure. It’s possible, I won’t deny that it could happen. A major world conflict playing out in the Middle East is not really that far-fetched of an idea. However, I think John is just playing off the reputation of Megiddo as being a place of battle and conflict for literary effect. The people of John’s day would have recognized that name as being associated with war. Also, the way modern warfare is fought nowadays doesn’t lend itself very neatly to the idea of a large number of nations sending their troops into one location to have it out. I believe Armageddon symbolizes all conflict and violence throughout the world. When mankind turns to bloodshed and devastation and brutality as a means of resolving its problems, there we find Armageddon. In that sense, Armageddon now. It’s happening in the Middle East, in Ukraine, Myanmar, and the Congo. It’s being fought in Syria and in the Drug Wars of Mexico and Columbia. Armageddon is whenever mankind is engaged in war and conflict.
There are many places in the scriptures that prophecy of the wars that precede the second coming. Doctrine and Covenants 87 is a notable example. Joseph prophesies that “the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place”(D&C 87:2). And that those wars will continue “until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations”. (D&C 87:6). Ironically, that section was received on Christmas Day of 1832. The day when the world was celebrating “Peace on earth, good will towards men”. Perhaps the Lord’s way of saying, there will be no more peace on earth.
Another point that should be made. Who is going to be fighting who in the last final battle? Is it a battle between good and evil with good finally vanquishing the bad. Not exactly. Certainly good is in a conflict with evil and the two forces do face off. But Armageddon seems to be a different kind of battle. Who is fighting who? Read the following verses and see if you can figure it out and I’ll put them right next to each other here so you can compare them.
17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
So who destroys the Whore of Babylon? The beast. The beast turns on her and destroys her.
13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Again. Those that live by the law of the sword will be destroyed by it.
Nephi says it the most clearly in 1 Nephi 22:13-14
13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.
14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another.”
So who destroys the wicked? The wicked. Just like the great final battle of the Book of Mormon. It was not a fight between good and evil, but evil and evil. Evil tends to consume itself. In the end, Satan’s kingdom self-implodes. Perhaps God doesn’t even need to do anything to destroy the wicked. They will take care of it themselves. Leaving only the righteous behind.
Probably my favorite place in the scriptures to see this comes from another prophet who prophesied about the end of the world. Joel. A book that Revelation certainly draws inspiration from. Joel doesn’t refer to Armageddon but a different equally compelling location. He says in Joel 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
What is the valley of Jehoshaphat? This is a fascinating story from the Old Testament that’s rarely mentioned. It’s buried in 2 Chronicles chapter 20. I won’t take the time to read through it verse by verse, but I encourage you to do so. I’ll summarize. Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah when he receives word that many nations have decided to band together to attack them. They realize that they have no means of defending themselves against such an enemy and they turn to the Lord in prayer and fasting. The prophet Jahaziel proclaims “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle, set yourselves , stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord, tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you”. So with great faith, the people march towards the oncoming army, not knowing how it would all play out. When they come up over the hill to meet their enemy, what do they see? A field of dead soldiers. The battle had already ended. You see, as the different nations started to march towards Jerusalem, they begin to argue with each other about who got what spoils. Their arguing turns to violence, and they end up fighting with each other to the death. By the time Jehoshaphat gets there, the battle is over, and they have destroyed each other.
I believe that this will be the same outcome for Armageddon. Evil will destroy evil. And all Zion will need to do is sit back and watch. On an even deeper figurative meaning. We could say that any person engaged in evil behavior usually ends up destroying themselves. Their own personal Armageddon. It’s kind of an eternal principle. The criminal, the warmonger, the addict, the dishonest, they almost always bring upon themselves their own destruction. I don’t think God hardly ever has to punish people for their behavior, their own behavior punishes them. They merely experience the natural consequences of their bad choices. So the personal warning for all of us here: Am I heading for my own personal Armageddon or Valley of Jehoshaphat? If so, turn around, change sides, come to Zion, and flee from Megiddo. There is safety and peace in the kingdom of God.
WIPING AWAY ALL TEARS
So that’s how it ends for the wicked. But what about the righteous?
Let’s approach this with a search activity. If I were teaching a class I would break this up into individual assignments or groups and have them search for the outcomes promised the righteous. And most of chapters 21 and 22 cover this idea. Revelation has a happy ending. So let’s explore the promised blessings of the righteous.
19:7-9 Wear our righteousness, feast of truth
21:3/22:4 We meet and dwell with God and Christ
21:4 Tears wiped away, no more death, pain, or sorrow
21:5 All things made new
21:6/22:1 Drink of the waters of life freely
21:7 inherit all things
22:2 the fruit of the tee of life
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
If any of you are married, do you remember what that day was like? Or have you ever attended a wedding? How did you prepare for that day? Especially if you were the bride? My wife prepared herself for hours to be ready for the wedding. Every hair had to be in the right place, the make-up done just so, the dress carefully selected and meticulously fit. Why? She wanted to look and be her very, very best for that special occasion. And for me. And she was radiant, beautiful, If you turned the lights off, she’d of glowed in the dark. I’d never seen her look like that before. Well, that’s the way we should feel about meeting the Savior. Hopefully we live our lives in such a way that we look our absolute best for the Savior when he comes. What is it that we will wear to the wedding? Our righteousness. Like John says in vs. 8, the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Hopefully that is the attitude we all have as we prepare ourselves for his coming. An eagerness to look our best, for Him! I like to imagine a giant locker room in the sky. Each one of us has a locker with our name in gold above it. Inside it is what we will wear to the Second Coming. It’s our righteousness. Each day of our lives we are weaving threads into our wedding garment through our obedience, sacrifice, and service. And if our live have been full of these principles, when we open the locker, for women there will be a beautiful wedding dress, and for men an elegant looking 3-piece suit. However, if our lives have not been full of obedience, and sacrifice and service, how horrified we might be to see what we had to wear. Would you feel comfortable going to the wedding of the Savior in a pair of shorts and a tank top, or worse!? And there we will enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb. And what will we feast on? Truth! Christ is the waiter and truth is on the menu. You can see this in Doctrine and Covenants 101:32-34. Ever had a question you wanted answered? Something you didn’t understand? Christ will feed you those truths. What an amazing meal, not to be missed.
Next,
Revelation 21:3
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.
Revelation 22:4
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Did you hear that?! We get to meet God and Jesus Christ. Can you imagine that moment. We will get to spend time with both of them. One on one time with our Father in Heaven and our Older Brother Jesus Christ. I don’t think we realize just how much we miss our Heavenly parents, but oh what a reunion it will be when the veil has dropped, and we get to meet them again. And how do you think you will react when you meet your Savior, and touch the wounds in his side, and hands and feet?
Revelation 21:4
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.
This is one of my favorite scriptures of all time. For sure it would be on my top 5 list. We cry a lot of tears in this life. Tears of physical pain, tears of grief, tears of guilt, tears of longing, tears of disappointment, tears of loneliness. What does Christ promise to do? To wipe them each from our eyes. Maybe you have wiped away the tears of loved ones but have felt inadequate because you couldn’t wipe them away from their hearts. Christ will do both. There will be no more reason to cry. All the things that make mortality difficult, and painful, will be gone. No more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain. There really is a "happily ever after” for us if we but remain faithful. You may be tried and tested by the tragedies and terribleness of life. But just as a parent lovingly wipes away the tears from their child’s cheek, so too will Christ wipe yours away. All pain has an end. Even Christ was able to say “It is finished” of his pain. I promise that one day, so will you.
Revelation 21:5
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.
All things will be made new. This world will be changed. It will be as glorious as the sun. If the glory of the Telestial kingdom is beyond our mortal comprehension, what does that tell you about the glory of the Celestial? We will no longer live in a fallen world, but a world even greater than Eden. Do you love the way it feels to move into a new home, buy a new car, or wear new clothes? Wait until you get a new world, and life, and body, and glory.
Revelation 21:6/22:1
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.
1 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.
We will drink of the water of life freely. When Nephi saw a similar symbol in the dream his father Lehi saw, an angel explained that the living fountain of waters represented the love of God. We all thirst for love, and in this life we have probably all tasted too much of the water of bitterness, loneliness, or even hatred. In God’s kingdom we will drink daily from the love of our Father in Heaven and feel and know that we belong.
21:7
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
We will inherit all things. We will become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. What will we inherit? His truth, his power, his love, his immortality, his kingdom, his presence, his understanding, his nature. Perhaps greatest of all, we will be like Him. Gods and goddesses. The thing he desired most for us from the beginning. For us to be like Him.
22:2
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.
Not only will we drink of the water of life, but we will eat from the tree of life. And don’t you love that there 12 different kinds of fruit on one tree! Maybe that tells us that the fruits of God’s love are many and various. There is so much he wants us to enjoy, and he offers an assortment of blessings and gifts for us to enjoy in eternity. We won’t even have to wait for the fruit to come into season. It gives fruit all year long. It’s always available.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And here, A question to ponder. As you look at that list, which of these blessings do you most look forward to and why?
TRUTH
If I choose to follow the Dragon(Satan) and his bride(the World) then I will receive darkness and destruction, but if I choose to follow the Lamb(Christ) and his bride(the Church) then I will receive indescribable light and glory.
CONCLUSION
So, has the Book of Revelation helped you to make a decision? Remember that Joseph Smith said that the Book of Revelation was the plainest book God ever caused to be written. Do you understand why now? I pray that I’ve been able to help make its message plainer to you. You and I have a choice to make. As you make your choice, please remember that the outcome has already been determined since the foundation of the world. Just as we expect Harry Potter to defeat Voldemort, and Simba to overpower Scar, and Frodo to conquer Sauron, so too will the Lamb and the woman overcome the Dragon. No matter how powerful or intimidating, or in control the Dragon, and the Beast, and the Harlot seem to be, they will lose. The Lamb will prevail. So when the earthquake shakes, and the stars fall, and the Beast rises, and the Dragon snaps, and the merchants call, and the 4-horseman stalk, and the dragon-voiced lamb whispers, and the smoke from the bottomless pit billows in our eyes, we may rest assured, that it is all temporary. Choose Christ and all will be well. Allow me then to conclude with one of John’s final prayers in Chapter 22:17.
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.
I have spoken with a lot of students and members that feel trepidation and uncertainty when they contemplate the Second Coming. I’m not sure why. Christ’s return will be the most glorious and phenomenal event the world will know in the last days. It’s something to look forward to, to pray for, and to anticipate with joy. So the Spirit cries, Come! And the Bride cries Come. And may all who hear the words of Revelation cry Come! Because whosoever wishes to drink the water of life, may, and do so freely. So let him come. Let the end begin so that the real beginning can commence. Therefore to John’s final prayer of “COME, Lord”, I say “AMEN!”
