Disciples Digital Library

Each of the three sevenfold series of Revelation concludes with a final judgment scene that transpires at the end of the age . Final judgment scenes occur several times in the  Book of Revelation . The sevenfold series of Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Wrath all culminate in the final judgment, and each time, the end of the series is punctuated by the same terrestrial and celestial phenomena.

Revelation moves inexorably from the death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous . At the conclusion of his ‘ Olivet Discourse ,’ Jesus gave the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. On the day when the “ Son of Man arrives in glory ,” his angels will gather all nations before him for judgment, and he will divide them into two groups. One will receive “ everlasting destruction ,” and the other, “ everlasting life ”  – (Matthew 25:31-46).

When Daniel was delivered from the lions’ den, “ Darius the Mede ” was relieved and issued a decree to all his subjects commanding them to revere Daniel’s God. But he also condemned the prophet’s accusers to be cast to the lions instead of Daniel. Both incidents are reflected in the book of  Revelation .

Three Jewish exiles are cast into the fiery furnace for refusing to render homage to the great image set up by the king  - Daniel 3:8-30.  In the second chapter, the “ Chaldeans ” are demoted because of their failure to reveal the king’s dream. But in the wake of Nebuchadnezzar’s construction of his “ great golden image ,” they exploit the opportunity to inflict vengeance on three of the Jewish exiles for their earlier loss of face. Although loyal to the king, these three men cannot bow before the king’s idolatrous image.

The Rider on the White Horse destroys the beasts from the sea and the earth at the last battle, Armageddon  – Revelation 19:17-21.  In chapter 19 of  Revelation , John sees the destruction of the “ Beast from the sea ” and the “ false prophet ” at the final battle when the “ rider on the white horse ” overthrows the forces of “ Gog and Magog .” The passage does not state where this occurs other than on planet earth. The focus is on the destruction of the two beasts and their consignment to the “ Lake of Fire. ”

The  “Inhabitants of the Earth”  represent the men omitted from the Book of Life because they embraced the Beast from the Sea . They are  remorseless in their hostility to the “ Lamb ” and his followers, even rejoicing and exchanging gifts when the “ Two Witnesses ” are murdered. Unlike the “ nations ” and the “ Kings of the Earth ,” they are irredeemable, and therefore their names are excluded from the “ Book of Life .”

Angels announce the judicial sentence on Babylon and the inhabitants of the earth, but "rest" awaits the followers of the Lamb .  Next, “ another angel ” announces the “ fall of Babylon ,” and he is followed by “ a third angel ” who pronounces the judicial sentence on the men who gave their allegiance to the “ Beast ,” namely, torment by “ fire and brimstone .” God is about to vindicate His “ martyrs .”

In the third chapter of  Revelation , Jesus promises to “ keep ” overcoming saints in the city of Philadelphia “ from the hour of trial ” that is coming upon the “ whole habitable the earth .” A comparison with similar passages demonstrates that this ominous “ hour ” is nothing less than the time of judgment and condemnation for all those whose names “ are not written in the Lamb’s book of life ” when they will experience the “ second death ” in the “ Lake of Fire .”