Minor Characters

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Minor Characters

• The Book of Revelation

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Four Horseman (62-8)
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Four Horsemen

• Appear as the Lamb opens the first four seals of
  the scroll
• Four colors (white, red, black, and pale green)
  identify their respective missions
• Known only by the calamitous results of its
  monstrous deeds
• Combine these worldly features with other worldly
  traits
• Only the 4th is a creature of the underworldthe
  last of the demonic powers to be judged and
  thrown into the Lake of Fire (2013)

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First Horseman

• Rides a white horse
• Bow in his hand
• Wears a crown to conquer

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Second Horseman

• Rides a bright red horse
• Has a great sword in his hand
• Takes peace from the earth

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Third Horseman

• Mounted on a black horse
• Pair of scales in his hand
• Voice in the midst of the four living creatures
  announces the purpose for the balance a quart of
  wheat for a days pay, and three quarts of barley
  for a days pay, but do not damage the olive oil
  and the wine (66)

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Fourth Horseman

• The only one given a nameDeath. Hades is his
  grisly companion
• Rides a pale green horse
• Given authority over a fourth of the earth to
  kill with sward, famine, pestilence, and wild
  animals
• From the underworld

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Four Horsemensymbolism

• Portray human wickedness in its grim alliance
  with demonic wickedness
• Divine passive a crown was given the second
  rider was permitted fourth rider was given
  authority
• Reminder of Gods control and power
• Reminder that evil feeds on evileven in human
  form
• God brings good out of evil and that all is
  within Gods plan
• Uses evil to bring about a New Jerusalem
• Arrival of 4 horsemen is directly related to the
  coming of the new creation
• 4 horsemen summoned by 4 living creatures with
  the word Come which is echoed at the conclusion
  of the book in a summons to Christ to usher in
  the new creation

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The Appearance of Two Witnesses (111-13)

• Chap. 11 John is given a measuring rod to
  measure the temple of god and the altar, but the
  courtyard outside the temple remains unmeasured.
  
• Courtyard is given over to the nations who will
  trample the holy city for 42 months.
• During this period, two witnesses are granted
  authority to prophesy for 1260 days (42 months)

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Other Titles of the Witnesses

• Olive trees
• Lampstands
• Prophets
• 114 These are the two olive trees, and the
  two candlesticks standing before the God of the
  earth. 5     And 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.

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Authority of Witnesses

• 116     These have power to shut heaven, that it
  rain not in the days of their prophecy and have
  power over waters to turn them to blood, and to
  smite the earth with all plagues, as often as
  they will.
• Power to control water
• Power to consume enemies with fire

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Witnesses Become Martyrs

• 117     And when they shall have finished their
  testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the
  bottomless pit shall make war against them, and
  shall overcome them, and kill them. 8     And
  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.
• Their corpses will lie in the street of the
  great city that is prophetically called Sodom
  and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified
  (118)
• For 3 days and a half days their bodies will be
  on display and ridiculed the nations will
  celebrate and exchange gifts because their
  tormentors have been killed

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Resurrection of the Witnesses

• 1111     And after three days and an half the
  Spirit of life from God entered into them, and
  they stood upon their feet and great fear fell
  upon them which saw them. 12     And they heard
  a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come
  up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a
  cloud and their enemies beheld them.
• Afterward a great earthquake destroys a tenth of
  the city, killing 7,000 people. The remaining
  9/10ths give glory to Godreversal of OT
  judgments where only 1/10 survives
• 1/10 is a tithe to God
• 9/10ths are saved so that they can repent and be
  saved

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WitnessesInterpretation

• Typological narrative of the churchs vocation
  and its destiny
• Not an allegory or parable, but rather a collage
  of Old Testament typological references that
  illustrate the churchs crucial role in the
  world.
• They represent the churchescalled lampstands
• Number two symbolizes trustworthy, reliable
  testimonytwo witnesses are needed to validate a
  testimony in Deut. 1915
• Represent the faithful, enduring witness of the
  church in the world

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Witnesses Representative of Whole Church or part
of the Church?

• Represent the proportion of the sevenfold Church
  which must suffer martyrdom
• Symbolize the whole church in its role of
  witnessing to the worldbeing only 2 does not
  limit the representationsimply a representation
  of the validity of the testimony

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AllusionsTwo Witnesses

• Similar to Elijah
• Consumed his enemies with fire
• Closed the heavens so it would not rain
• Difference Elijah calls it down from heaven,
  while it comes from the mouth of the
  witnessessignifying the power of their true,
  trustworthy testimony that consumes as well as
  gives life
• Performed same miracles as Moses
• Turned water to blood
• Struck the earth with every plague

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Why?

• John is not implying that the witnesses are Moses
  and Elijah
• These Old Testament types illustrate the nature
  of the churchs witness in the world
• Signifies the churchs prophetic role to fulfill
  that is accompanied by considerable power and
  impressive authority
• Witnesses garb of sackcloth signifies the
  purpose of the churchs prophetic ministryto
  call the world to repentance and faith

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1260 Days

• Time of churchs prophetic ministry
• The exact period the nations will trample over
  the holy city (112)
• The period of the beasts autarchy of 42 months
  in 135
• Exact identical, coinciding periods
• Implies that evil does not run rampant throughout
  the earth
• Evil is controverted by the powerful testimony of
  the church
• Evil cannot silence Christs true prophetic voice
  in the world, the church

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Testimony of 2 Witnesses Deaths

• Christ testified even unto his death
• Church must testify even unto its death
• Left in the streets for 3 and a half days
• One-half of a symbolic week
• Represents the period in which the beast appears
  to have achieved total victory over the church
  (below perspective)victory is totally
  illusionary (above perspective)
• Raised from the dead and ascend to heaven
• Temporary victory of the beast is the means by
  which God brings about repentance of a
  recalcitrant world

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Churchs Role

• Refute the testimony of the beast
• To bear witness to Jesus Christ
• To bring about repentance of a rebellious world

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Inhabitants of the Earth (earth-dwellers)

• Earth-dwellers (mentioned 10 times) is the
  semi-technical term for the followers of the
  beast
• Reside in the symbolic earthly city Babylon
• Drink the wine of her fornication
• Deceived by the land beast into worshipping the
  sea beast
• Names are absent from the book of life of the
  Lamb
• Hostile to God and are enemies of the church
• Persecute and kill the faithful, gloat over their
  deaths, and celebrate by exchanging gifts

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Identity of Earth-dwellers

• Dwell in the same places as the faithful
• Identified by their allegiance to the beast and
  the iconic mark they wear on their forehead or
  right hand
• Come from all social classes and from all nations
• Limited by a this-worldly vision and seek their
  security in material things
• Within and outside the church

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Angels (67 in Rev. 176 in NT)

• Rev. opens and closes with a reference to an
  angel
• Perform numerous functions
• Personify the spiritual attitude of a church
• Mediate Gods judgment
• Bring Gods revelation to humans
• Praise and worship the Lamb and God
• Provide protection or Gods servants
• Offer the prayers of the saints to God
• Bring destruction on earth

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Angels of the 7 Churches

• Each of 7 churches has it own angel, who is the
  recipient of the message to the church
• Only in Rev. are churches said to have angels
• Represent 4 possible things
• Heavenly guardians of the churchesmore likely of
  the 4, supported in Daniel
• Human representative of the churches, generally
  regarded as bishops of the churchescant be
  recipient and bearer of letter nowhere in the NT
  is this word used for a church official
• Personifications of the churchesrepresent the
  invisible spiritual life of the church, Its ideal
  conception of its immanent spirit
• Human messengers entrusted with the delivery of
  the lettersunlikely because angels are usually
  supernatural

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Michael

• Only angel named
• Has own retinue of angels (127)
• In Daniel, Michael is the guardian angel of
  Israel who fights on Israels behalf against
  angels of the Gentile nations
• In Rev. the archangel fulfills a similar role on
  behalf of the new people of God
• Defeats the archdemon, Satana symbolic
  counterpart in heaven of Christs earthly victory
  on the cross (1211)

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Other Angels

• Mighty Angel mentioned 3 times at crucial
  junctions
• To present a challenge
• Deliver judgment on the world
• Greatness of the angel accords with the greatness
  of his proclamation
• 52 angel with a loud voice announces to every
  remote corner of the world Who is worthy to open
  the scroll and break it seals?
• 101-3 another mighty angel is needed to bring
  the second scrollvoice like a lion's
• Descends from heaven
• wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head
• Face like the sun, and legs like pillars of fire
  (brings guidance)
• Some of the same traits as God and Christ
• 1821 mighty angel announces the certain judgment
  upon Babylon
• Sudden swift devastating action portrays the
  terrifying finality of Babylons sure fate

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Harbinger (181)

• 1     And after these things I saw another
  angel come down from heaven, having great power
  and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2
      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. 3     For all nations
  have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
  fornication, and the kings of the earth have
  committed fornication with her, and the merchants
  of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance
  of her delicacies.
• Hurls a great millstone-like boulder into the sea
  (1821)
• Announces, with a voice that cannot be ignored,
  Babylons dramatic decline

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Rev. 20 unnamed unmighty angel

• An angel of no prominence appears holding the
  key to the bottomless pit and a great chain with
  which he locks up Satan
• No mighty angel is present as might be
  expectednor Michael nor God nor Christbecause
  now in the narrative the devils power is
  completely broken and his fate sealed

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Angels Major Function

• Mediate Gods judgment
• Chap. 8 9 7 angels are given 7 trumpets,
  which announce a series of plagues
• Stand before God
• Represent the inner circle of angels, sometimes
  thought to be the angels of the Presence, who
  stand ready and enter before the glory of the
  lord
• Chap. 16 7 angels pour out the 7 bowls of wrath
  upon the earth
• Bring judgment on earth
• Also hold judgment back
• Chap. 7 4 angels restrain the four winds so
  that no wind could blow one earth or sea or
  against any tree

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Angels bring Revelation

• First and last chapters
• Chap 10 herald brings the revelation fo the
  little scroll to John
• 146 angel flying in midheaven proclaims an
  eternal gospel to every nation and tribe and
  language and people
• 148 angel proclaims the destruction of Babylon
• 149 angel proclaims the coming of Gods wrath
  upon those who worship the beast and bear its
  mark
• 177 angel reveals the mystery of the woman, and
  of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that
  carries her.
• 219 one of the 7 angels who poured out one of
  the 7 bowls revealed to John the bride, the wife
  of the Lamb

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Worshipping Angels

• John attempts twice (1910 228)
• Both times the angel rebukes his idolatrous act
• Reminder to reader that not only is an angel
  simply a servant of God, but also that even a
  prophet can be subtly deceived into thinking that
  the bearer of Gods message is worthy of worship

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Angels Worship God

• Praise the Lamb and God for their mighty acts of
  salvation
• 511, surround the throne and praise the Lamb
  singing, Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
  to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
  and honor and glory and blessing!
• 711 angels sing Amen! Blessing and glory and
  wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and
  might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

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Angels

• Provide protection for Gods servants
• 72-3 angel from east marks the servants of God
  with the seal of the living God to spare them
  from the destructive plagues
• 2112 12 angels are stationed, one at each of
  the gates in the New Jerusalem to welcome weary
  travelers to the city
• 83 Offer the prayer of saints at the altar
  before God
• same angel fills the censer with fire from the
  altar and throws it down to earth, causing
  earthquake, etc.
• Fulfills both a priestly role (offering prayers)
  and a mediating role (brings judgment) upon the
  earth in response to prayers

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Evil Angels

• Dragon has a host of angels at his disposal to
  wage war with Michael and his angels (127-9)
• Angel of the bottomless pit, Abaddon or Apollyon
  has a horde of hellish locusts at his bidding
  (911)
• 914 four demonic angels who were restrained at
  the boundary of the river Euphrates are released
  to kill a third of humankind
• 915 angels (one for each designation of
  timeday, month, year) are released at the
  precise moment immutably determined by God to
  bring judgment and repentance on earththey leas
  an overwhelming and outright frightening cavalry
  of 200 million to destroy a third of the earths
  inhabitants