“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” That’s what the angel in John’s vision predicts will happen to the great, godless civilization that will stretch across the globe at the end of time, corrupting all the nations and their kings with “sexual immorality” and “luxurious living.” But the angel is also…

If the end of chapter 16 reminds us that powerful kings have often set themselves up as opponents of King Jesus, chapter 17 reminds us that wealthy and sophisticated civilizations tend to be just as hostile to the claims of Christ. John describes “the great city that has dominion over…

For the last 2000 years, the principal opposition to the authority of King Jesus has come in the form of some kind of human government: Imperial Rome until the time of Constantine, the Muslim Caliphate for centuries after that, and Communist totalitarian regimes in places like China and North Korea…

What will the coming of Christ be like for those who have rejected His authority and have refused His salvation? With sores afflicting the people (vv. 2, 11), the waters turned into blood (vv. 3-4) and the sun itself afflicted (v. 8), we are reminded of the plagues that God…

John’s vision in verse 2 takes us all the way back to chapter 4 verse 6, the first time he saw a sea of glass – one like crystal before the throne of God in heaven. This indicates that the scene of chapter 15 has clearly shifted back from earth…

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he…

In the days of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, Babylon was the greatest city in the known world. Its civilization stretched all the way back to the time of Abraham, and as the successor to the culture of even more ancient Sumer, its traditions and learning were unparalleled. Its terraced gardens were…

So, if the way of the false prophet is the way of deception and violence, the way of using force to compel people to worship a state that is in league with Satan, what is the way of the Lamb? We see those who follow Jesus singing a new song…

Well, if the first beast is a visual representation of a king or state that has fallen into league with Satan, what do we make of the second beast that rises out of the earth in verse 11? The most obvious thing about it is that it doesn’t claim to…

Who is this beast from the sea? Commentators have come to wildly different conclusions over the years, many claiming that it was alive in their own generation, and thus that the end of the world was imminent. So, why has this image caused so much confusion? Let’s begin with what…