Revelation Summary – Rev. 1-22

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Gentiles out of every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. A multitude that no man can number. A bigger crusade than anything we’ve ever seen. It’s going to be in the tribulation period and more folks are going to come to Christ in that period of time than any other similar period of time in all of history.

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Thank you.

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This is Hope for Today. Last time on the program, David Hawking began laying out the big movements of Revelation. And today, the momentum builds. We’re watching God’s plan unfold on a massive scale. The rise and fall of nations, the tension of a world in turmoil, and the unstoppable advance of Jesus Christ towards His final victory. David walks us through the flow of events with boldness and clarity and every moment reminds us that God is in complete control. Amen. God is in complete control. Turn to Revelation and we’ll be back in the book, David’s summary thereof, in just a moment. First, we want to remind you about all the free resources waiting for you at DavidHawking.org. We have books and booklets, free downloadable books and booklets on our homepage by our good friend Richard A. Bennett. We also have video in our media center, Messages by David, complete series for you. And of course, our most recent radio programs on the radio page. And there’s more. Be sure to check out all of our resources at DavidHawking.org. These free resources are a very important part of our ministry. They help folks who may not have the means to regularly purchase Bible study tools by making them available at no cost. And that’s where your generous donations come in. You quite literally help others to get Bible study tools they need so they can stay grounded in the Word of God. So reach out today at 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada and Bible by the numbers 24253. You can also give on our website securely davidhawking.org. Now turn to Revelation chapter 5 and here’s David to continue his summary of this amazing prophetic book of the Bible. David. David.

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Everything God ever made was intended to bring him pleasure. You say, why did God make us? Why did God make the universe? It’s for the pleasure of God himself. We were designed to please the Lord. We were designed to glorify God and enjoy him forever. But the scene in chapter 5 shifts as the attention goes from the one on the throne to a lamb that stands up in the midst. Chapter 5, verse 1, I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne what some describe as a scroll rather than a book. But it’s a book written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals. I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open a book into lucid seals? And no man in heaven nor in earth nor either under the earth was able to open a book, neither to look on it. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the scroll, neither to look on it. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and 20 elders fell down before the lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of frankincense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and open its seals, for thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and has made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and under the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. And all the congregation listening to this said, Amen. In chapter 1, verse 3, God promises you a blessing. He promised you a blessing if you will listen to the reading of this text. By the way, I want you to know, he promises me a blessing for reading it. For those of you who are confused in Revelation, let me say that the seven-sealed scroll is what the whole book of Revelation is about. It unfolds all the way through the tribulation period. That has been confusing to people. They see there are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials or bowls of wrath. They see them as three separate things. Not so. If you read it carefully, the scroll has seven seals on it. When you break the seventh seal, it’s a long message. It includes seven trumpet messages. And in that final seventh trumpet message, it discusses the seven last plagues or the seven bowls of wrath. They are all in the one scroll that has seven seals on it. It was in the hand of God the Father and the Lamb takes it. He’s the only one worthy. It’s the title deed of the universe, of all of God’s plan. There’s only one person who is the heir, and we, praise God, are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Now in chapter 6, we begin the tribulation on earth. I believe the believers of the church age will not be on earth during the tribulation. We have the opening of the seven seals, verse 1. I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come, literally, come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.” And when he had opened his second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red, and power was given to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. And there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld in law a black horse. He that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four bees say, a measure of wheat for literally a denarius and three measures of barley for a denarius. That’s one day’s wage. And see, thou hurt not the oil and the wine. When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the earth. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. They cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? White robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth of air, and the moon became like blood. The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. The heaven departed as a scroll when it’s rolled together. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men, the rich men, the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond slave, every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand? Yes, the seven seals are being opened. There is drama, intensity, judgment, the vengeance of God coming on the world. The first seal is a white horse and rider, deception, and the Antichrist himself. The fiery red horse representing war. The black horse representing famine. The pale horse has death as a rider and Hades following. Death is the gateway into Hades. One-fourth of the world is killed by sword, hunger, death, and beast. Number five are the martyrs under the altar who have been killed for their faith. And God encourages them when they ask the question the prophets asked them long ago. Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? How long, O Lord, until you avenge our blood? Well, that’s what Revelation is about, the answer to that question, as God will answer by bringing his vengeance on the earth. The sixth seal is a great earthquake, and the announcement comes from the Old Testament Hebrew prophets. The great day of wrath has come, and who is able to stand? We believe these events are in the opening three and a half years of the tribulation period. Now in chapter 7, we have two groups of believers. We have 144,000 Jews, and we have a great multitude of Gentiles who will come out of the Great Tribulation as believers. Chapter 7, After these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, and they were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Verse 9, After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. They cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne and under the Lamb. All the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. One of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these who are raided in white robes, and from where did they come? I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. He said to me, These are they who came out of the great tribulation, have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, serve him day and night in his temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. These people are going to lose their life. They’re going to die in the tribulation. All Gentile believers, are going to die in the tribulation. They do not take the mark of the beast, and as a result, they’re all going to be killed. But in chapter 15, we see them standing on a sea of glass with harps and praising the Lord. And in chapter 20, we see the wonderful statement of the scripture that these people are going to be blessed because they are a part of the resurrection of believers. God will not forsake them. They will suffer greatly, however, in the tribulation period. Gentiles out of every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, a multitude that no man can number. In chapter 8, the seventh seal is going to be opened, and that will be the rest of the tribulation period. And there are seven trumpet messages there. Chapter 8, verse 1, when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour, a dramatic moment. I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer, and it was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, cast it upon the earth, and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Yes, it’s going to be an answer to prayer when God brings judgment. The first angel sounded. There followed hail and fire mingled with blood. They were cast upon the earth, and the third part of trees was burned up, and all green grass was burned up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood, and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died, and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, there fell a great star from heaven burning as though it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, upon the fountains of waters, and the name of that star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters became Wormwood, and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.” And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, the third part of the moon, the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld and heard an angel flying to the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound. Chapter 9, And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, Verse 2. Verse 3. It was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strike at the man. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it. Shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared into battle and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. They had tails like scorpions. They were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months. Could very well be modern technology and warfare. They had a king over them who’s the angel of the bottomless pit whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon or destroyer but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past. Behold, there come two woes more hereafter. The sixth angel sounded. I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, a day, and a month, and a year to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen, this is a demonic plague, were 200,000,000. And I heard the number of them, 200,000,000. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, them that sat on them having breastplates of fire and of Jason and brimstone. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions. And out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails. For their tails were like serpents and had heads. And with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues yet repented not.” of the works of their hands that they should not worship, devils and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk. Neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorceries, the Greek word pharmaceutical for drugs, nor of their fornication nor of their thefts. That’s a simple FBI crime report right there. In chapter 10, we have a mighty angel with a little book. I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as though it were the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea, his left foot on the earth, cried with loud voices, When a lion roareth. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and swore by him that liveth forever and ever who created heaven and the things that are in it and the earth and the things that are in it and the sea and the things which are in it that there should be time no longer, delay no longer. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound. The mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go, and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. It could be the same book back in chapter 5 that’s now been unraveled, meaning there’s a little left in it. He said unto me, Take it, eat it up. It shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, ate it up. It was in my mouth sweet as honey. As soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. Now what he does here is he experiences the sweetness of knowing that God’s revenge is going to come. But when it gets into his stomach, he realizes how the people of God are going to suffer terribly during the tribulation period. In chapter 11, we’re introduced to two witnesses. There was given me a reed like a rod, and the angel stood saying, Rise, measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship in it. But the court, which is without the temple, leave out and measure it not, for it’s given unto the Gentiles of the nations, and the holy city shall they tread underfoot forty and two months. That’s the last half of the tribulation. Verse 3, I’ll give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1,203 score days clothed in sackcloth. That’s the first half of the tribulation. These are the two olive trees mentioned by Zechariah chapter 4, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. In Zechariah’s day, it referred to Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel. the political and civic leader. These are a little different. Verse five, if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. That’s also the time of Elijah. They have power over waters to turn them into blood and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will. Since Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ to the Mount of Transfiguration, it’s very possible these two witnesses are none other than Moses and Elijah. The Bible says when they shall have finished their testimony, verse 7, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, shall overcome them and kill them. They’re going to be killed by an antichrist who rises to power during the first three and a half years of the tribulation, but will soon reveal his real motive and intent. It says their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. That’s Jerusalem. They of the peoples and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. They that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry and shall send gifts one to another because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth. And by the way, you who preach the word of God and stand for the testimony of Jesus Christ will also receive the same kind of reaction and hostility from the world. After three days and a half, the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them who saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up here. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them. Verse 13, The same hour was there a great earthquake. The tenth part of the city fell, and were slain of men seven thousand. The remnant, the Bible says, were affrighted, and they gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe cometh quickly. Now this is the seventh trumpet, the last message of those seven messages in the seventh seal. So that scroll is getting smaller as we’re unraveling it. And the seventh angel sounded, verse 15. And there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders who sat before God on their seats or thrones fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art and wast and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and its reign, and the nations were angry, and thy wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldst destroy them and destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven. There was seen in his temple the ark of his testimony or testament. And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and earthquake and great hail. The whole scene in heaven is spectacular to say the least. But a gigantic announcement is given that everything that you see in the terms of the kingdoms of this world, they’re going to become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. The Lord is taking over.

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That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David’s back in a moment to put the finishing touches on today’s study. Right now, Matt and I want to share a powerful, wonderful home Bible study tool with you. This is going to help you learn to praise God in both the good times… And the tough times. Matt? Learning to praise in the Psalms is a dynamic journey through the Psalms with a special devotional for each day of 2026. The Psalms have been the morning meditations of author David Hawking, your dad, for over 40 years. And Jim, with each day’s devotion, my dad outlines a Psalm passage. brings in cross-references, shares his thoughts along with applications, and highlights a special verse for meditation. And each devotion, Matt, I love this, is wrapped up with a prayer to bring the lessons, encouragement, and instruction and hope of the passage to your heart. You know, it’s my dad’s sincere desire that every person who reads this wonderful devotional in the Psalms will be encouraged no matter what the difficult circumstance may be. Learning to praise in the Psalms is just $20. And when you purchase, please consider adding an extra amount, a donation to hope for today, or make a donation by itself. Your contribution will help us continue spreading the gospel through radio and online to ever-increasing numbers of people who need to hear the gospel. the wonder of God’s love for them and believers who need their faith fortified. And please continue to pray for hope for today. To get your copy of Learning to Praise in the Psalms, this is David’s one-year devotional through the Psalms for just $20. Or David’s reading of the Psalms along with worship music, that’s just $10. Call us at 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. In Canada, call 888-75-BIBLE-242. And you can also make the purchase on our website, davidhawking.org. That’s davidhawking.org. You can make your year-end tax-deductible donation by calling 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Again, Bible is 24253. You can also give online at our website, davidhawking.org. If you’d like to send your gift by mail, you can write to Hope for Today in the U.S. at Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO 7 Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2SHP1. And here’s David to bring our time in the Word today to a close.

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And I want to focus on chapter 4 and 5. The scene is heaven. Oh, what a blessed chapter it is. A door was opened in heaven. John was invited to come up. Almost seems like a symbol, in fact, of the rapture of the church. But we’re showing in chapter 4, God the Father’s on his throne. But in chapter 5, the one who’s worthy to open the seven-sealed book is the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. And he’s the one that can open that book. All heaven breaks out singing the praises of the Lord. Wow! He’s made us kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And all the folks in heaven are falling down and worshiping him who lives forever and ever. Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sits on the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

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Well, thank you, David. Well, next time, David continues his powerful summary of the book of Revelation, and you don’t want to miss this. And if you missed any part of today’s program or a recent broadcast, well, just go to davidhawking.org and click on the radio tab. You’ll find the most recent broadcast waiting for you for a limited time. We’ll see you on our next broadcast as we continue bringing you the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible right here on Hope for Today.