Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Revelation.  Tonight is study #2 of Revelation, chapter 18, and we are going to be reading Revelation 18:1-2:

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

We have been going, verse by verse, through a study of the Book of Revelation.  At this point in chapter 18 God is going to go into detail concerning the fall of Babylon, the kingdom of Satan, which occurred at the beginning of Judgment Day and throughout the entire period of the judgment upon the world.

We were discussing the “angel” that came down from heaven “and the earth was lightened with his glory and He cried with a loud voice.”  We saw that the term “loud voice” or “megas-phone” is often used to He describe judgment beginning on the world.

Before we continue to look at the fall of Babylon, I thought it would be good for us to spend some time on the end of verse 1, where it says “the earth was lightened with his glory.”  There are two key words in that statement, which are “lightened” and “glory.”  It is referring to the angel that came down from heaven and it was said that “the earth was lightened with his glory,” which is further proof that this “angel” is the Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal God.  No angelic being or created creature could lighten the earth with its glory, but the Chief Messenger of the Covenant, Eternal God, is definitely able to do this and He is doing this at the present time because we are living in the time that Revelation, chapter 18 describes.  Right now the earth has been “lightened with his glory,” the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us first see how the word “glory,” which is “doxa” in the Greek, is associated and related to Judgment Day in a great many places.  For instance, let us turn to Matthew, chapter 15, and I hope we will be able to look at numerous verses where God uses this Greek word “doxa,” which is translated as “glory,” in reference to the Day of Judgment.  It says in Matthew 16:27:

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

This is speaking of the time when Christ comes in judgment.

It also says in Mark 8:38:

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

The “holy angels” are the “saintly messengers.”  When we read of Christ coming with His holy angels, we really ought to understand it is speaking of His people, the elect.  We do read elsewhere that Christ comes with “ten thousands of his saints.”  Nowhere does it speak of angelic beings as saints – it is God’s people that are made holy through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus.  This is what makes sinners “holy” and turns them into saints.  That is why they are called “holy angels” in this verse.

In the context of the Day of Judgment, which occurs “immediately after the tribulation,” it says in Matthew 24:29-30:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Just as the darkening of the sun, moons and stars is figurative and spiritual language, so, too, is the language of “the Son of man coming in the clouds.”  The Bible is the Word of God and it is identified with the “clouds” and God’s people see with spiritual eyes the judgment of God in the Bible, on the pages of the Scriptures.  There “they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

I hope we will understand what some aspects of that “glory” refer to, by the time we complete this study and go through these verses.  But, again, it is Judgment Day and Christ comes in “glory.”  It is the time of the glorious God.

In the parallel passage to Matthew 24, it says in Luke 21:25:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

When you see the “signs” of a darkened sun, moon and stars, then know that your redemption draws near.  Remember, Christ told us that the only acceptable “sign” that the Bible permits is the “sign of Jonas,” which can only be learned by reading the Bible.  That tells us that the only acceptable sign that God will allow is through the Scripture and not outward, physical or visible signs in the skies or heavens above.  Only “signs” in the Bible are permitted and that is where we see the “darkened” state of the world; that is where we see Christ coming in the clouds.  The Bible is related to the clouds.  And when we see these “signs” through reading the Bible, then God says, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” 

Notice the redemption is not there as of yet because there is a period of time that must pass; the duration of Judgment Day, a very likely 1,600-day period, must take place in which the “signs” are being seen by the people of God as He opens up the revelation of His righteous judgment in the time of judgment on the world.

Again, in this verse it says “the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”  We could go to many other places, but let us go to Revelation, chapter 15.  Remember, when we went through this chapter we saw the “seven angels” that came out of the temple were God’s elect that were coming forth and God told them to go their ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God.  That is what is occurring at this time as God’s people share the information we are learning from the Bible; it is as if we are pouring out the seven vials of the seven last plagues of the wrath of God.  It says in Revelation 15:8:

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Notice that it speaks of “power” and “glory,” just as it does in Matthew 24:30, where Christ comes in the clouds with great power and glory.  As far as the temple, what is that temple?  The Bible says, “Ye are the temple of God.”  It says in Hebrews, chapter 3: “Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we,” and God gave us an historical parable of Solomon building the temple; once that temple was completed (and not before) the “ark of the covenant,” which represented the presence of God, entered into the temple.  It signaled the presence of God dwelling with His people.  It also speaks of the “glory of God” filling the temple.  The cloud filled it and no man could enter the temple, historically, when that happened.  All this ties into God saving the last of His elect, completing His spiritual house, the temple of God, and at that point the last “living stone” was set.  This represented the last of God’s elect to become saved and once that happened, God entered into His spiritual house and then the wrath of God began to come forth out of it because the door of heaven was shut and the light of the Gospel went out.  Immediately, when God completed His temple and saved everyone that was to become saved, there was no longer any purpose to send forth the Gospel into the world in an evangelical way. 

Just think of it.  If God has saved everyone that was predestinated to salvation, then what purpose is there in sending forth a Gospel that will result in no one’s salvation?  So God ended His salvation program and is no longer sending out the Gospel for that purpose. 

So we see all these references to the “glory of God” in the Day of Judgment, but let us look at some more examples.  There is an interesting statement the Lord Jesus gives to Peter in Matthew 19:27-28:

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Here, the Lord is saying that when He comes “in the regeneration,” He will “sit in the throne of his glory” and “ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones.”  Christ and His disciples will be seated upon the throne and we will see that the “throne of his glory” is the throne that will be established in the Day of Judgment.  Just turn to Matthew 25:31-32:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Then the Lord goes on to speak a parable concerning the Day of Judgment, but there is no doubt that the Son of man coming in “his glory” with his holy messengers and sitting upon the “throne of his glory” is referring to the time of the wrath of God, the final judgment on the world. 

But Matthew 19 said that when Christ does that, He will sit on the throne of His glory, but the believers will also be seated upon thrones.  That relates to the idea of Christ judging the world with His people, as it says in 1Corinthians 6:2: “Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?”   It is “kings” that make judgment.  Christ is the King of kings and the body of believers are made kings as we are brought into the royal family of Christ in the salvation God has granted us; we are all seated “in Christ” and Christ is in us because we know that when the spiritual house is completed, the “ark,” or Christ, enters in to indwell His people.  But the Bible also speaks of us being seated with Christ in heavenly places, just as John, chapter 17 uses that type of language of “He in us and us in Him.”  Likewise, regarding the throne of His glory, we are in Him and He is in us as He judges the world in the Day of Judgment and ruling with a “rod of iron.”  There is no grace or mercy and no more salvation coming forth from the Word of God, the Bible. 

I think this is why it says in Psalm 122:3:

Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

Jerusalem is “Zion” or the house of God, the body of believers.  When it is builded and compact together,” it is when God has completed His spiritual house.  Then it goes on to say in Psalm 122:4-5:

Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of JEHOVAH, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of JEHOVAH. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

What is interesting about this verse is the word “thrones” is plural.  As we saw in Matthew 19, verse 28, there is the throne of Christ when He is seated in His glory and there are twelve thrones for the disciples as they are also seated.  We should not think that the twelve disciples are somehow more special than other believers.  Of course, God greatly privileged them during His ministry on earth and they were being blessed with His very presence, but the number “twelve” points to the fullness of all believers.  He is judging the world with “ten thousands of his saints” during the world’s final time of judgment.  I believe these are the thrones of judgment that are being referenced.

Let us go to another Psalm.  It says in Psalm 102:13-16:

Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of JEHOVAH, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When JEHOVAH shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

Carefully think about what God just said in Psalm 102:16 when He is giving us a time reference: “When JEHOVAH shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.”  What does it mean to build up Zion?  Look at Psalm 147:2-4:

JEHOVAH doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

To heal the broken in heart is language of salvation and “telling” or “counting” the number of the stars refers to the elect seed of Abraham, as the Lord told him his seed would be as the stars of the heaven.  This happened when JEHOVAH built up Jerusalem by gathering the outcasts of Israel, the scattered sheep that are all a part of the spiritual Israel of God.  So when it says in Psalm 102:16, “When JEHOVAH shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory,” it is further confirmation that once the spiritual house of God comprised of every individual God has saved is completed, Judgment Day will come.  It is another way God can say He judges the world with all His saints, even the saints that are not living on the earth in the Day of Judgment.  The saints in heaven are a part of that spiritual house, just as the saints on earth, and it takes all of them to complete the house in order for God to finally “enter in” and the “smoke” of His glory can fill the temple, even as the “smoke” of His wrath also judges the unsaved people of the earth.  No one else can enter the temple and it is the time of the glory of Jesus Christ.

In Ezekiel, chapter 39 it refers to Gog and Magog, which the Bible ties to Satan’s loosing and he and his emissaries come against the churches during the Great Tribulation.  In Ezekiel 39, Gog and Magog have been destroyed, so it is Judgment Day, after the Great Tribulation and God uses the language of “feasting upon their dead bodies,” and this matches the language of Revelation 19, which speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb that occurs once the “bride” of Christ is completed.  In Revelation 19, the bride has made herself ready and the marriage supper of the Lamb is prepared and the “feast” is the sacrifice of all the unsaved individuals as God slays them for their sin.  That is what sacrifice is – it is an offering for sin.  They had no Saviour; Christ was not their sacrifice and, therefore, they must pay for their own sins and be the sacrifice and they will die for evermore.  The feast of the marriage supper of the Lamb is their death and it says in Ezekiel 39:17:

And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord JEHOVAH; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.

Then it says in Ezekiel 39:20-22:

Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord JEHOVAH. And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that Iam JEHOVAH their God from that day and forward.

The word “heathen” can also be translated as “nations.”  When God begins judgment, the nations will see his glory.  It is the completion of His salvation program.  All the elect are the “throne of his glory,” and He is seated with them on His throne of glory judging the world.  This is the intimate relationship of Christ with His people in the time of judgment and it is why He insists that they judge the world with Him. 

We do not have too much time left in our study, but let us look at one more passage in Ezekiel 43:2:

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

This statement is very similar to our verse in Revelation 18:1, where it said, “and the earth was lightened with his glory.”

Then it goes on to say in Ezekiel 43:3-5:

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of JEHOVAH came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of JEHOVAH filled the house.

It is the completed house of God’s elect.  Let us look at just one more verse in Ezekiel, chapter 44, which speaks of that gate.  It says in Ezekiel 44:2:

Then said JEHOVAH unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because JEHOVAH, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

This is what happened on May 21, 2011, upon the completion of God’s salvation program.  When He had saved the last of His elect, He entered in “by the east gate” into the body of believers and the door was shut. 

Then it says in Ezekiel 44:4:

Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of JEHOVAH filled the house of JEHOVAH: and I fell upon my face.