The 'SEVEN ENDS of THE WORLD' in The Book of Revelation.

[Alan Dale Gross]

Since, each VISION in REVELATION covers the Time Period, from Jesus' First Coming to Jesus' Second Coming,
they each have depictions of the Time of Jesus' Ministry or His Ascension and then they all depict THE FINAL JUDGMENT, to an extent.

(That's why, if one were to try and 'interpret it, by reading it straight through, there would be SEVEN TIMES THE WORLD COMES TO AN END!)

..."We notice that the Final VISION in the Final Sections of the Apocalypse, though synchronous with the other VISIONS in the other Sections
and applicable to the Entire Course of History, describe especially what will happen in connection with the Final Judgment, IN DETAIL.

"So although all the Seven VISIONS in the Seven Sections of the Apocalypse Run Parallel
and Span the Same Period of Time between the First and Second Comings of Christ
and are rooted in the soil of the Old Testament, yet there is also a Degree of Progress.

"The closer we approach the end of the book the more our attention is directed to the Final Judgment and that which lies beyond it.

"The Seven VISIONS in Seven Sections are arranged, as it were, in an Ascending, Climactic order.

"The Book Reveals a Gradual Progress in Eschatological Emphasis.

"A careful examination of the Apocalypse will make this clear.
...

1.) THE FIRST MAJOR DIVISION OF REVELATION (chapters 1-11):

THE ANNOUNCEMENT of Christ’s Coming unto Judgment:

"In the First VISION in the Series—Christ in the Midst of the Seven Golden Lampstands—
we have no more than a mere ANNOUNCEMENT of Christ’s Coming unto Judgment (1: 7).

"Behold, He is Coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him.
And all the tribes of the Earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen."

There is no DETAILED Description of the Final Judgment.
...

2a.) THEN, THE FINAL JUDGMENT is INTRODUCED:

In the Second VISION Section (chapters 4-7),
the Final Judgment is not merely ANNOUNCED but definitely INTRODUCED;

we catch a glimpse of the horror which fills the wicked when they see the Judge Coming to them (6: 12 ff. ).

12; "And I watched as the Lamb Opened the Sixth Seal, and there was a Great Earthquake,
and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,

13; "and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.

14; "The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

15; "Then the kings of the Earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man
hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16; "And they said to the mountains and the rocks,
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One Seated on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the Lamb.

17; "For the Great Day of Their Wrath has Come, and who is able to withstand it?”

But that is all. There is no DETAILED Description of the Final Judgment.

2b.) A few verses are devoted to a Description of the Church triumphant after the Final Judgment (7: 9 ff. );

9; "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10; "And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which Sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb."
...

3a.) The next VISION, similarly (chapters 8-11), ALSO INTRODUCES the Final Judgment and the joy of the Redeemed (11: 15 ff. ).

15; "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17; "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

3b.) And then, the Final Judgment on the Nations is depicted:

18; "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;
and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

"In these three sections which comprise the First Main Division of the Book (chapters 1-11),
we do not come across anything more than a mere ANNOUNCEMENT of or INTRODUCTION to the FINAL JUDGMENT.
...

Con't Chapters 12-22;

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

con't: THE SECOND MAJOR DIVISION OF REVELATION (Chapters 12-22).

"But as soon as we enter the Second Main Division of the book there is a change.

4.) "In the very First VISION in this Second Main Division we have a real description of the Final Judgment (14: 14 if. ).

14; "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One Sat like unto the Son of man,
having on His Head a Golden Crown, and in His Hand a Sharp Sickle.

15; "And another Angel came out of the Temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that Sat on the cloud,
Thrust in Thy Sickle, and Reap: for the Time is Come for Thee to Reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16; "And He that Sat on the cloud Thrust in His Sickle on the Earth; and the Earth was Reaped."

"It is, however, a symbolic representation. Under the symbolism of a Double Harvest the Final Judgment is pictured to us.
...

5.) "The next Fifth VISION (chapters 15, 16) describes the Pouring Out of God’s Final Wrath,
so that this Section, though synchronous with the others, is in a special sense descriptive of the Final Judgment.
...

6.) "In the next Sixth VISION and Minor Division, the Fall of Babylon (chapters 17-19),
this emphasis upon Christ’s Second Coming in Judgment
and its meaning for the World and for the Church, both militant and triumphant, is even greater.
(See especially 19: 11, 12. )"

11; "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and He that Sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in Righteousness He doth Judge and Make War.

12; "His Eyes were as a Flame of Fire, and on His Head were many Crowns;
and He had a Name Written, that no man knew, but He Himself."
...

7.) "The Seventh VISION or Final Section (chapters 20-22) not only describes the Final Judgment,
but in this description drops much of the symbolism of the earlier VISIONS.

"Nothing is vague or indefinite and little is clothed with symbolism (20: 12 if. )."

12; "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the Books were Opened:
and another Book was Opened, which is The Book of Life:
and the dead were Judged out of those things which were Written in the Books, according to their works.

13; "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were Judged every man according to their works.

14; "And Death and Hell were Cast into The Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death.

15; "And whosoever was not found written in The Book of Life was Cast into The Lake of Fire."


"The joy of the Redeemed in the New Heaven and Earth is described here much more circumstantially than, for example, in 7: 9 if.

9; "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10; "And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which Sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb."

"The Book of REVELATION has reached its Glorious Climax."
...

"Proposition IV. The Seven VISIONS in the Seven Sections of the Apocalypse are arranged in an Ascending, Climactic Order.

"There is Progress in Eschatological Emphasis. The Final Judgment is First Announced, then Introduced and Finally Described.

"Similarly, the New Heaven and Earth are described more fully in the Final VISION and Seventh Section than in those which precede it."

From: MORE THAN CONQUERORS.
CHAPTER FOUR
PROGRESSIVE TEACHING CONCERNING FINAL JUDGMENT pg. 40.