Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Throughout the entire book of Revelation, we can see that God is in control. We see that again in this week's readings. John also teaches Satan will attempt to use a counterfeit in opposition to God's kingdom. We conclude this week's study with peace established in the Millenium: the righteous will be rewarded, and all the tears will be wiped away from their eyes.
Chapters 15 and 16 introduce the last seven plagues which will cleanse the earth for the Millennium. “The seven last plagues will be expounded upon in chapters 16-18, but here we see a brief glimpse into the marvelous works of the Lord as he prepares to unleash his terrible fury.” (Mick Smith, The Book of Revelation: Plain, Pure, and Simple (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 2003), 166.)
The number 7 is symbolic of fullness, completeness or perfection. In this verse it implies that ALL of the powers of heaven are about to combine against the wicked. The number “indicates perfect and complete judgement against the wicked of the earth.” (Parry and Parry (1998), 197.) The phrase “in them is filled up the wrath of God” is an English translation of a Greek idea of “consummation” or “fulfillment.” John is teaching us that in these last 7 plagues God’s wrath will reach its climax, apex, fulfillment and perfection. Victorinus put it this way: “For the wrath of God always strikes the obstinate people with seven plagues, that is, perfectly.” (Victorinus, “Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John,” in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers, ten volumes (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 7:357.)
Once again John emphasizes that ALL (symbolism of the number 7) of the powers of heaven are now combining to execute God’s judgements on the wicked. This originates out of God’s presence (the celestial temple). God is clothed in “pure and white linen” symbolic of his purity and faithfulness. He also wears “golden girdles” and this is the same outfit that He wore in Revelation 1:13 where God was seen as a King and as the Great High Priest.
Richard Draper: “Chapter sixteen describes what will happen to those who will not repent. Ironically, their refusal to repent is the very thing that continues the plagues. They curse God when they should be blaming themselves. God is not the cause of their misery – they are... They bring upon themselves the fires of Hades even in morality. Yet while they hate it, their minds have become so perverted that the filth of hell seems better than the purity of heaven. And thus they die.” (Draper (1991), 183.)
“There has always been a church of the devil on earth. Speaking of the Church as the kingdom of God on earth, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “In relation to the kingdom of God, the devil always sets up his kingdom at the very same time in opposition to God.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.365)
Bruce R. McConkie: “To a greater or lesser degree, as the case may be, all of the governments of the earth are in league with the great whore in that, from time to time, they do such things as:
The Lord condemns trafficking in the forbidden, greed and lust. He warns that “whore’s” power to seduce lies in her control of money! (see Morris (1999), 209; Parry and Parry (1999), 238. See also Ford (1975), 297.)
Dainties are things that have delicate beauty or are exquisite. They are pleasing to the taste. The idea is that these things are lusted after because of their taste or beauty. In large part Babylon has marketed sin. “The whole of their marketing enterprise is built upon a pretense sustained by the creation of artificial needs. They do this by simple tricks of marketing through which a need for warmth becomes a need for mink; shelter becomes marble and brass; food becomes escargot and caviar. And when the bottom falls out of the market, the kings are left without taxes, armies, or treasuries, and the merchants with rotting cargos and glutted stockpiles that no one will buy.” (Draper (1991), 202. See also Smith (1998), 214.)
John notes that Babylon is built on three ‘D’s: Delicacies (Revelation 18:3-7), Deliciousness (Revelation 18:7-10), Dainties (Revelation 18:14-18). John adds another ‘D’ for the righteous when then see the time of its destruction: Don’t Attempt to Save Babylon—let her die!!! (Revelation 18:21; Jer. 51:9).
Armageddon and the Second Coming
The name for Christ given in this verse – the “Word” or “Logos” – does not mean simply a “sound.” It is an active agent that achieves the will of the one who speaks. One text states: “Perhaps Christ is called the Word himself because he is the one who most thoroughly carries out the will of God, being the very embodiment of that will.” (Parry and Parry (1998), 260.)
Elder Bruce R McConkie: The purpose of the Millennium is to save souls. There can be no doubt about this. It is the Lord's work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is axiomatic among us. All that he does during all the endless ages of his everlasting existence is designed to save souls. There is no aim or end or purpose in anything that comes from God, except to further the salvation of his children....
"[T]he whole millennial system has been ordained and established to save souls. There is no other reason for any of the Lord's dealings with his children. (The Millennial Messiah, p.661)
Brigham Young: “The Millennium consists in this--every heart in the Church and Kingdom of God being united in one; the Kingdom increasing to the overcoming of everything opposed to the economy of heaven, and Satan being bound, and having a seal set upon him. All things else will be as they are now, we shall eat, drink, and wear clothing. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 115)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Great and marvelous though the changes will be incident to life during the millennial era, yet mortality as such will continue. Children will be born, grow up, marry, advance to old age, and pass through the equivalent of death. Crops will be planted, harvested, and eaten; industries will be expanded, cities built, and education fostered; men will continue to care for their own needs, …
“…handle their own affairs, and enjoy the full endowment of free agency. Speaking a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9), dwelling in peace, living without disease, and progressing as the Holy Spirit will guide, the advancement and perfection of society during the millennium will exceed anything men have supposed or expected. (Mormon Doctrine, pp.496-497)
Brigham Young: “Do you know what the Millennium is for, and what work will have to be done during that period?... What is it? To build temples.... What are we going to do in these temples?... In these temples we will officiate in the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our friends, for no man can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of the water and of the Spirit....
“We will also have hands laid on us for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and then we will receive the washing and anointings for and in their behalf, preparatory to their becoming heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Are you going to do this, Latter-day Saints? Yes. (Journal of Discourses, 13:329)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “President Brigham Young has said that during the millennium those on the other side will work hand in hand with those in mortality and will furnish the names of the dead which we are unable to obtain through our research, and thus every soul that is entitled to these blessings shall be ferreted out and his work done for him.
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “I fully believe that many among the dead, those who are worthy, are even now engaged in compiling records and arranging information, if it has not already been done, for this very purpose. Why should they not be so engaged?” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:120)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “Those who will be living here then will be in daily communication with those who have passed through the resurrection, and they will come with this information, this knowledge that we do not have and will give it to those who are in mortality saying, "Now go into the temples and do this work; when you get this done, we will bring you other names
"And in that way every soul who is entitled to a place in the celestial kingdom of God will be ferreted out, and not one soul shall be overlooked. The Lord has not overlooked these things. He has seen the end from the beginning. Every name is recorded.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:167)
Joseph Smith: “The battle of Gog and Magog will be after the millennium. The remnant of all the nations that fight against Jerusalem were commanded to go up to Jerusalem to worship in the millennium. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.280)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “After the Millennium plus a little season--perhaps itself another thousand years--during which men turn again to wickedness, then cometh the end, not of the world, which occurred at the Second Coming, but the end of earth. Then the final battle against Gog and Magog, the battle of the Great God, will be fought.
"Michael will lead the armies of heaven and Lucifer the legions of hell. Again there will be a new heaven and a new earth, but this time it will be a celestial earth. This earth will then be an eternal heaven, and the meek, who are the God-fearing and the righteous, shall inherit it forever and ever. (The Millennial Messiah, p.22)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions.
“The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.” (“The Challenge to Become”, Oct 2000)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear!” (BYU Devotional, 1983)
Teaching Thoughts:
Chapters 15 and 16 introduce the last seven plagues which will cleanse the earth for the Millennium. “The seven last plagues will be expounded upon in chapters 16-18, but here we see a brief glimpse into the marvelous works of the Lord as he prepares to unleash his terrible fury.” (Mick Smith, The Book of Revelation: Plain, Pure, and Simple (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 2003), 166.)
The number 7 is symbolic of fullness, completeness or perfection. In this verse it implies that ALL of the powers of heaven are about to combine against the wicked. The number “indicates perfect and complete judgement against the wicked of the earth.” (Parry and Parry (1998), 197.) The phrase “in them is filled up the wrath of God” is an English translation of a Greek idea of “consummation” or “fulfillment.” John is teaching us that in these last 7 plagues God’s wrath will reach its climax, apex, fulfillment and perfection. Victorinus put it this way: “For the wrath of God always strikes the obstinate people with seven plagues, that is, perfectly.” (Victorinus, “Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John,” in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers, ten volumes (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 7:357.)
Once again John emphasizes that ALL (symbolism of the number 7) of the powers of heaven are now combining to execute God’s judgements on the wicked. This originates out of God’s presence (the celestial temple). God is clothed in “pure and white linen” symbolic of his purity and faithfulness. He also wears “golden girdles” and this is the same outfit that He wore in Revelation 1:13 where God was seen as a King and as the Great High Priest.
Richard Draper: “Chapter sixteen describes what will happen to those who will not repent. Ironically, their refusal to repent is the very thing that continues the plagues. They curse God when they should be blaming themselves. God is not the cause of their misery – they are... They bring upon themselves the fires of Hades even in morality. Yet while they hate it, their minds have become so perverted that the filth of hell seems better than the purity of heaven. And thus they die.” (Draper (1991), 183.)
“There has always been a church of the devil on earth. Speaking of the Church as the kingdom of God on earth, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “In relation to the kingdom of God, the devil always sets up his kingdom at the very same time in opposition to God.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.365)
Bruce R. McConkie: “To a greater or lesser degree, as the case may be, all of the governments of the earth are in league with the great whore in that, from time to time, they do such things as:
- Prohibit the worship of God;
- Enact laws defining religious beliefs and prescribing forms of worship;
- Maintain state-supported, false systems of religion;
- Deny freedom of religious belief to all their citizens;
- Impose the religious beliefs of conquerors upon conquered people;
- Permit the mingling of religious influence with civil government;
- Foster one religious society and proscribe another;
- Deny to men their inherent and inalienable rights;
- Fail to guarantee the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life;
- Enact laws which curtail the agency of man;
- Require the teaching of false principles in their educational systems;
- Deny the representatives of certain churches the right to teach their doctrines or proselyte among their people; and
- Fail to punish crime and protect the rights of their citizens, particularly unpopular minority groups. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols., 3:, p.554)
The Lord condemns trafficking in the forbidden, greed and lust. He warns that “whore’s” power to seduce lies in her control of money! (see Morris (1999), 209; Parry and Parry (1999), 238. See also Ford (1975), 297.)
Dainties are things that have delicate beauty or are exquisite. They are pleasing to the taste. The idea is that these things are lusted after because of their taste or beauty. In large part Babylon has marketed sin. “The whole of their marketing enterprise is built upon a pretense sustained by the creation of artificial needs. They do this by simple tricks of marketing through which a need for warmth becomes a need for mink; shelter becomes marble and brass; food becomes escargot and caviar. And when the bottom falls out of the market, the kings are left without taxes, armies, or treasuries, and the merchants with rotting cargos and glutted stockpiles that no one will buy.” (Draper (1991), 202. See also Smith (1998), 214.)
John notes that Babylon is built on three ‘D’s: Delicacies (Revelation 18:3-7), Deliciousness (Revelation 18:7-10), Dainties (Revelation 18:14-18). John adds another ‘D’ for the righteous when then see the time of its destruction: Don’t Attempt to Save Babylon—let her die!!! (Revelation 18:21; Jer. 51:9).
Armageddon and the Second Coming
- House of Israel will be gathered (Ezk 36:24; 37-21)
- Land of Israel will be rebuilt by Judah (Ezk 36:10-12; 33-36)
- The land will become highly productive (Ezk 36:8, 29-30, 34-35)
- Israel will be one nation again (Ezk 37:22)
- Jerusalem will be the capital city (Zech 1:16-17; 2:12; 3Ne 20:46)
- Judah will become powerful in warfare and politics (Isa 19:16-17)
- A great combination that serves Satan will arise (Rev 13:1;17:8-14)
- Gog and Magog will arise to power (Ezk 38:1-3)
- All nations will be joined in this alliance (Jer 25:26; Rev 16:14)
- The object of this alliance is Israel (Ezk 38:8, 15-16; Zech 14:2)
- They will come like a storm to cover the land (Ezk 38:9)
- This great army can’t be stopped (Dan 2:13-15)
- This is the greatest army in the history of the world (Joel 2:2)
- They will leave behind them a desolation (Joel 2:2-5)
- This army will number 200,000,000 (Rev 9:16)
- They will be aided by false prophets (Rev 13:11-15; 19:20)
- Two prophets will be raised up to the Jews (Rev 11:3-4)
- These two prophets will be Apostles (DNTC 3:509)
- They have power to pronounce great judgments (Rev 11:5-6)
- They are the only hope for Israel (JST Isa 51:17-20)
- They will hold off Gog for forty-two months (Rev 11:2)
- They will finally be killed by Gog (Rev11:7)
- Their dead bodies will lie in the streets for three days (Rev 11:8-9)
- Gog will celebrate this victory for 3-1/2 days (Rev 11:10)
- Gog will kill two-thirds in this final assault (Zech 13:8-9; 14:1-2)
- The two prophets will then be resurrected (Rev 11:11)
- They will be caught up into heaven (Rev 11:12)
- Christ sets his foot upon the Mt. of Olives and it splits (Zech 14:4)
- A great earthquake will strike the earth (Rev 11:13; Ezk 38:19-20)
- Jews will flee into the Kidron Valley (Zech 14:3)
- The islands and continents will become one land (DC 133:23)
- The land will be smoothed out (DC 133:22)
- 6,000’ wide river will burst from beneath the temple (Ezk 47:1-5)
- It will flow into the Dead Sea and heal the waters (Ezk 47:7-9)
- The Jews will flee into the divided Mt. of Olives (Zech 14:5)
- The Jews will see their Messiah (Zech 12:9-10)
- They will ask about the wounds in his hands and feet (Zech 13:6)
- They will mourn that their fathers had killed him (Zech 12:10-11)
- Christ will be their king (Zech 14:9)
- In the confusion, Gog will turn itself on each other (Zech 14:13)
- A great hailstorm will come upon Gog (Ezk 38:22; DC 29:21)
- These hailstones will weigh one talent (Rev 16:21)
- Fire will be poured out on Magog (Ezk 39:6; Isa 34:9-10
- A terrible disease will strike the army (Zech 14:12; DC 29:18-20)
- One-sixth of the army will survive these judgments (Ezk 39:2)
- It will take seven months to bury the dead (Ezk 39:12-13)
- The stench will cause people to stop their noses (Ezk 39:11)
- Full time burial teams will search for bodies (Ezk 39:14-15)
- The dead shall cover the earth (Jer 25:31, 33)
- The animals will be called to the supper of God (Rev 19:17-18)
The name for Christ given in this verse – the “Word” or “Logos” – does not mean simply a “sound.” It is an active agent that achieves the will of the one who speaks. One text states: “Perhaps Christ is called the Word himself because he is the one who most thoroughly carries out the will of God, being the very embodiment of that will.” (Parry and Parry (1998), 260.)
Elder Bruce R McConkie: The purpose of the Millennium is to save souls. There can be no doubt about this. It is the Lord's work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is axiomatic among us. All that he does during all the endless ages of his everlasting existence is designed to save souls. There is no aim or end or purpose in anything that comes from God, except to further the salvation of his children....
"[T]he whole millennial system has been ordained and established to save souls. There is no other reason for any of the Lord's dealings with his children. (The Millennial Messiah, p.661)
Brigham Young: “The Millennium consists in this--every heart in the Church and Kingdom of God being united in one; the Kingdom increasing to the overcoming of everything opposed to the economy of heaven, and Satan being bound, and having a seal set upon him. All things else will be as they are now, we shall eat, drink, and wear clothing. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 115)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Great and marvelous though the changes will be incident to life during the millennial era, yet mortality as such will continue. Children will be born, grow up, marry, advance to old age, and pass through the equivalent of death. Crops will be planted, harvested, and eaten; industries will be expanded, cities built, and education fostered; men will continue to care for their own needs, …
“…handle their own affairs, and enjoy the full endowment of free agency. Speaking a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9), dwelling in peace, living without disease, and progressing as the Holy Spirit will guide, the advancement and perfection of society during the millennium will exceed anything men have supposed or expected. (Mormon Doctrine, pp.496-497)
Brigham Young: “Do you know what the Millennium is for, and what work will have to be done during that period?... What is it? To build temples.... What are we going to do in these temples?... In these temples we will officiate in the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our friends, for no man can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of the water and of the Spirit....
“We will also have hands laid on us for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and then we will receive the washing and anointings for and in their behalf, preparatory to their becoming heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Are you going to do this, Latter-day Saints? Yes. (Journal of Discourses, 13:329)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “President Brigham Young has said that during the millennium those on the other side will work hand in hand with those in mortality and will furnish the names of the dead which we are unable to obtain through our research, and thus every soul that is entitled to these blessings shall be ferreted out and his work done for him.
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “I fully believe that many among the dead, those who are worthy, are even now engaged in compiling records and arranging information, if it has not already been done, for this very purpose. Why should they not be so engaged?” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:120)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “Those who will be living here then will be in daily communication with those who have passed through the resurrection, and they will come with this information, this knowledge that we do not have and will give it to those who are in mortality saying, "Now go into the temples and do this work; when you get this done, we will bring you other names
"And in that way every soul who is entitled to a place in the celestial kingdom of God will be ferreted out, and not one soul shall be overlooked. The Lord has not overlooked these things. He has seen the end from the beginning. Every name is recorded.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:167)
Joseph Smith: “The battle of Gog and Magog will be after the millennium. The remnant of all the nations that fight against Jerusalem were commanded to go up to Jerusalem to worship in the millennium. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.280)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “After the Millennium plus a little season--perhaps itself another thousand years--during which men turn again to wickedness, then cometh the end, not of the world, which occurred at the Second Coming, but the end of earth. Then the final battle against Gog and Magog, the battle of the Great God, will be fought.
"Michael will lead the armies of heaven and Lucifer the legions of hell. Again there will be a new heaven and a new earth, but this time it will be a celestial earth. This earth will then be an eternal heaven, and the meek, who are the God-fearing and the righteous, shall inherit it forever and ever. (The Millennial Messiah, p.22)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions.
“The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.” (“The Challenge to Become”, Oct 2000)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear!” (BYU Devotional, 1983)
Teaching Thoughts:
- God is in Control.
- Real vs. Counterfeit – What are Satan’s counterfeits? How do you identify them?
- The fear that many have when your study Armageddon.
- Being on ‘Team Jesus.’