Shownotes
2023 WEEK 52 [REVELATION 15-22] INSIGHTS NOTES
“HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS”
December 25 – December 31
WEEK 52: SUMMARY
In our final week of study we’ll cover Revelation 15-22. John will teach us about the conflicting forces of good and evil in the last days. We’ll focus in on the allure of Babylon and study its sudden fall. We’ll end with John’s description of the glistening Celestial City and his timeless invitation to “Come”.
On the creative side, we’ll put our year of study to the test with an epic full-year Kahoot challenge. Next, we’ll learn about Satan being bound with a fire snuffing experiment. Finally, we’ll help our kids visualize the Celestial Kingdom by creating our own fantastic version with tech and paper.
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CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents my own thoughts and opinions. It is not made, approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or creative interpretations, implied or included are solely those of Maria Eckersley ("MeckMom LLC"), and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Great care has been made to ensure this podcast is in harmony with the overall mission of the Church. Click here to visit the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Transcripts
Welcome back, everybody.
Speaker:This is week 52 of Creative.
Speaker:Come follow me for the New Testament.
Speaker:And this week, we get to head back into that very last group of chapters.
Speaker:We're going to go from 15 all the way up through 22 in the book of Revelation.
Speaker:And I know it's a bit of a hard adjustment after our week enjoying the
Speaker:Christmas story, but I have to tell you.
Speaker:I think I'm starting to really like the Book of Revelation.
Speaker:That is not something I anticipated heading into these three weeks
Speaker:of study, but I'm kind of starting to get it, you guys.
Speaker:And especially this week, I found so much light and excitement in it.
Speaker:I had to gear myself up a little bit.
Speaker:I will tell you that one of the things that really helped me is
Speaker:I've been Studying the Book of Mormon daily, just in my mornings.
Speaker:While I eat breakfast, I study the Book of Mormon.
Speaker:And I happen to be at the very end of the Book of Mormon.
Speaker:I'm in Mormon, and I was reading Mormon 9.
Speaker:These are Moroni's words, where he's trying to talk
Speaker:about this same period of time.
Speaker:His warnings about how he knows how things are going to end, and he
Speaker:really just hopes we will grab hold.
Speaker:The same way he knew for his people how things were going to end, and
Speaker:he hoped they would grab hold.
Speaker:And he gave this counsel.
Speaker:So I can't remember what verses these are.
Speaker:I'll, I'll put it in the notes if I can, but it's in the twenties somewhere.
Speaker:And he basically said, he wants us to despise not the prophecies,
Speaker:the revelations, to wonder not to hearken to the words and to ask
Speaker:the father in his name, and then to doubt not and be believing.
Speaker:That's sort of the lens I put on when I approached revelation this week,
Speaker:because I felt like I just had to come with the assumption that these words
Speaker:are necessary and motivating for me to.
Speaker:believe.
Speaker:And as soon as I got that framework in my head, things clicked together faster
Speaker:for me because I found myself wondering, like, what is it I need to believe in?
Speaker:What is John trying to help me understand?
Speaker:And the big message of every week in the book of Revelation is
Speaker:about the victory of the Savior.
Speaker:especially this week.
Speaker:Because you actually see the victory of the Savior.
Speaker:You read about the millennium and those thousand years of peace.
Speaker:You read about the overcoming of the adversary and this, you know, forward
Speaker:movement when it comes to the celestial kingdom and the glories that are coming.
Speaker:And then you wrap up with John's plea to please come unto Christ.
Speaker:You know, after all that he's seen and all that he's written,
Speaker:John's big message is Come.
Speaker:It's the same message the Savior began with in the New Testament
Speaker:when he approached his apostles and said to them, Come, follow me.
Speaker:It's just this invitation, this constant drumbeat of an invitation to come unto
Speaker:him because he's the only way, the only way through all the things we're going to
Speaker:read this week and the only way to get to that grand hereafter that he hopes for us.
Speaker:He's the only way there.
Speaker:One of the best ways you can learn about how to get there,
Speaker:believe it or not, is the words of John in the book of Revelation.
Speaker:So I'm gonna try and guide you through it.
Speaker:I promise it's worth your time.
Speaker:So grab your scriptures.
Speaker:Grab your notes.
Speaker:It's time to get started.
Speaker:Each week of these three weeks, we've seen seven warnings come forth.
Speaker:So in that first week, we studied those seven seals and how as things rolled
Speaker:forth as those seals are opened, it was a warning and a clear indication
Speaker:that time was marching forward and there would be a phase of destruction.
Speaker:Then in that second week, we saw the seven trumpeters.
Speaker:Remember, like Jericho style, they were sent out to warn people, to urge them
Speaker:to repent, and as each trumpet came forth, there was a warning, and then
Speaker:there was destruction that followed.
Speaker:This week, we have a whole different warning, and you can tell things are
Speaker:intensifying, because what comes this time are plagues, really similar to
Speaker:what we saw in the Old Testament.
Speaker:In fact, a lot of the plagues are almost identical to what we read
Speaker:with Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and I honestly think the intent is the same.
Speaker:Where last time the intent was to get Pharaoh to change, to get him to release
Speaker:the children of Israel, to get his people to safety because, you know, even the
Speaker:Egyptian people, I don't think God hoped to harm any of those people, but because
Speaker:Pharaoh chose to reject and turn away from the prophet and also the ramifications
Speaker:of his choices, the Lord couldn't.
Speaker:Change course.
Speaker:He had to continue down that path and you almost see that happening here So
Speaker:this one will happen with plagues and it covers 15 and 16 What I think is
Speaker:interesting is right at the beginning you see this song so really similar to
Speaker:the song that the children of Israel sing as they They escape from the Red Sea.
Speaker:They are delivered by the hand of God through the Red Sea and they sing
Speaker:this deliverance song and it's alluded to here in these verses and for me,
Speaker:it's almost like an anthem of sorts.
Speaker:Yeah, it's almost like they're pumping themselves up for
Speaker:what is coming to the next.
Speaker:You know, seven or eight chapters, you guys are full of hard.
Speaker:There's, there's a battle that's coming.
Speaker:And I think the angels of heaven know it.
Speaker:And this is their pump up song.
Speaker:That's how I read it.
Speaker:So in my margins, I have thunderstruck written next to the verses,
Speaker:because I think this is a lot like.
Speaker:My high school football games.
Speaker:Like when I would go to my high school football game, my, you would hear
Speaker:Thunderstruck playing so loud that it almost shake the bleachers and you'd
Speaker:see the team come out on the field and everybody would be pumped up.
Speaker:And you're, when you hear that song, it was a remembrance
Speaker:of victories of the past.
Speaker:And it was a hopeful, you know, excitement to look to the
Speaker:victory that might happen today.
Speaker:That was kind of the idea was it was getting you ready for what was inevitably
Speaker:coming, this victory that was coming.
Speaker:That's how I see this song of deliverance.
Speaker:Because even though the plagues will be hard and devastating to some, there
Speaker:will be ultimate victory at the end.
Speaker:So if you look through 15, you can see that song of deliverance, and
Speaker:then this warning about the plagues.
Speaker:I just think it's really interesting who carries these plagues.
Speaker:So like I mentioned, they're carried by angels in these bowls, or vials
Speaker:as they're called, and they are going to be poured out one by one.
Speaker:But before anything is poured out There is this interesting verse.
Speaker:If you look at 5 and 6, it references the temple.
Speaker:So in 6, it says, And the seven angels came out of the temple,
Speaker:having the seven plagues, clothed in pure white linen, having their
Speaker:breasts girded with golden girdles.
Speaker:I think before any of these destruction phases happen, there is this phase
Speaker:of reverence and prayer and a temple like experience of some kind.
Speaker:I don't, I don't really know what this means, but I do really love the
Speaker:contrast to what we read in other You know, if you read in the Book of
Speaker:Mormon about the Lamanites preparing for battle, in many different books,
Speaker:there are these Lamanites who come with bloodthirstiness and their, their heads
Speaker:are shaved and they're often like bare chested and they're ready for battle.
Speaker:And there's just anger and hatred in their eyes.
Speaker:This is such a contrast to that, even though destruction is going to need
Speaker:to happen and it's going to be hard.
Speaker:These angels come.
Speaker:In pure white, coming from a temple with the work that
Speaker:needs to be done ahead of them.
Speaker:I just, I thought there was power in the contrast.
Speaker:If you go into chapter 16, you see them one by one pour out their vials or their
Speaker:bowls to allow the plagues to roll forth.
Speaker:And what's so interesting to me is that people don't Turn it's it's
Speaker:almost like if you've got your kid in trouble, you know Like oftentimes
Speaker:this happens with my boys and their technology if they're in trouble.
Speaker:Sometimes I'll start with something small You know Like I'll just take
Speaker:their air pods or beats or something if they continue down that path and
Speaker:they don't Apologize then next comes their switch or maybe their phone,
Speaker:you know like the things intensify as they choose to rebel and get angry
Speaker:or hostile and at some point in time they catch on and they turn, right?
Speaker:And they say, okay, yeah, I'm sorry, mom.
Speaker:I messed that up.
Speaker:Let me dial that down.
Speaker:And I feel like this is what the Lord is hoping every time
Speaker:one of these plagues pours out.
Speaker:They're really similar plagues to what we see with the children of Israel.
Speaker:So you see plagues like boils that come forth.
Speaker:That probably only affect the wicked and not the righteous just the same way we
Speaker:saw where the Egyptians suffered from the boils But not the children of Israel
Speaker:You're also gonna see things like the rivers and the seas turned to blood and
Speaker:this interesting little Intermission, that's what I call it because between
Speaker:these seven plagues there is this there's these intermission verses It starts around
Speaker:verse seven or so and it says I heard another out of the altar say even so
Speaker:Lord Almighty True and righteous are thy judgments If you look at six, for example,
Speaker:it talks about, well, five and six, it talks about how the Lord was just and
Speaker:how he judged righteously and how these people shed the blood of the prophets.
Speaker:I just found this fascinating.
Speaker:To me, it almost felt like in the middle of these waves of destruction,
Speaker:there is a sustaining vote of sorts.
Speaker:I don't think, I don't mean that literally.
Speaker:I just think.
Speaker:What John is teaching us is that the angels of heaven understand the need
Speaker:for this plague to come forth and have the same hopes that people will change.
Speaker:And when they don't change and are destroyed in the process, the angels
Speaker:of heaven say, no, that was just, you know, that was a fair consequence for
Speaker:the wickedness that they carried out.
Speaker:So I think there's that.
Speaker:It made me feel like these waves of plagues were slower
Speaker:and more deliberate and more.
Speaker:Participatory.
Speaker:I'm not sure the right phrase for it, but I just, anyway, go in
Speaker:the verses, see what you think.
Speaker:So the plagues roll out.
Speaker:You'll see a few others come forth.
Speaker:Like, for example, in verse 8 and 9, there's this plague with the sun
Speaker:where things start to be scorched in a, in a heat, and people don't repent.
Speaker:In fact, it talks about how they In nine, at the very end of nine, and
Speaker:they repented not to give him glory.
Speaker:In the end of 11, after another plague rolls forth, they
Speaker:repented not of their deeds.
Speaker:In fact, that last plague, the fifth one, I found kind of fascinating.
Speaker:Basically what happens on the fifth one is they see the Euphrates River
Speaker:dry up, where before we saw rivers turn to blood and seas turn to blood.
Speaker:This one is almost an absence of a river.
Speaker:You can go in the notes and learn more about this, but this is a river
Speaker:that ran right alongside Babylon.
Speaker:And when it dries up It opens up gateways for enemies to invade the
Speaker:city and it, it dries up truth.
Speaker:You know, like if you think about the Savior being this living water
Speaker:and this source of truth and life and nourishment, when that dries up,
Speaker:there is vulnerability and weakness.
Speaker:And because of that vulnerability, They're more susceptible to the next plague.
Speaker:So what you see come forth are these frogs.
Speaker:One of the things I learned this week as I was studying is that these
Speaker:frogs symbolize lies and apostasy and deceitfulness coming forth.
Speaker:Because when there's a lack of truth in the world, when there's a lack of that
Speaker:living water that nourishes and sustains, then you have a seed bed for falsehood.
Speaker:And that's what the frogs kind of symbolize.
Speaker:They're going to be a counterpoint to the savior who is described as having
Speaker:a sword of truth come out of his mouth.
Speaker:The frogs are kind of the opposite of that.
Speaker:And there's just this really Interesting visual for me is you see them, you
Speaker:see darkness and commotion set in.
Speaker:It reminded me a little bit, since I'm at the end of the Book of Mormon, you know
Speaker:when Mormon, and I think even Moroni, they talk about that phase where there
Speaker:can be no more miracles in the land, and the Spirit can't work on anyone.
Speaker:Remember, even Mormon hopes that his fellow soldiers will repent and see the
Speaker:hand of God and change and they don't and they just take things as their own
Speaker:victory and he he's sad because they never turn and I just Think you see
Speaker:a little bit that here You also see guidance on how to prevent yourself
Speaker:from being susceptible to that darkness.
Speaker:Because we live in a sin sick world now, and I imagine it will continue to ramp up.
Speaker:So you get guidance on how to control it.
Speaker:That's in verse 15.
Speaker:Behold, I come as a thief.
Speaker:Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
Speaker:naked, and they see his shame.
Speaker:I think this is how we inoculate ourselves from all that deceit that
Speaker:is flying around in the world, all those frogs that are spitting out lies.
Speaker:I think the way you do it is to watch and pray always.
Speaker:And I like the visual of keeping your garments.
Speaker:I think it's really similar to what we heard Elder Bednar speak about.
Speaker:two conferences ago about the wedding feast and being worthy and choosing
Speaker:to put on that sacred garment.
Speaker:I don't think this is necessarily literal to the garments, but I do think there's
Speaker:implications there of like, choose to keep your covenants, choose to live
Speaker:how the Lord has asked you to live.
Speaker:If you do that, you'll have the promise that you'll never be susceptible to the
Speaker:lies and deceit that are all around you.
Speaker:You'll have, you'll have your own source of truth available to you.
Speaker:I think that's his promise.
Speaker:Then a little bit later in the chapter, you see forces
Speaker:combining against the adversary.
Speaker:This is not Armageddon yet.
Speaker:This is not the final battle, but you can see forces building up.
Speaker:And as a result of all this destruction and all these plagues,
Speaker:you see this last plague roll out.
Speaker:So this is that seventh plague and it begins around verse 18.
Speaker:And there were voices and thunders and lightnings and there was a
Speaker:great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth so
Speaker:mighty an earthquake and so great.
Speaker:And the city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
Speaker:nations fell, and the great Babylon came in remembrance before God.
Speaker:This is massive level destruction, where the face of the planet
Speaker:changes, like, big things happen.
Speaker:In fact, you see in 20 that every island fled away, the
Speaker:mountains aren't found anymore.
Speaker:In 21, there's this massive hailstorm, like, huge hailstones
Speaker:that damage everything in their path.
Speaker:And there's this.
Speaker:warning in it, right?
Speaker:Like, this has been, we've had seven seals, we've had seven trumpets, we've
Speaker:had seven plagues roll out, and there are still some who choose not to heed,
Speaker:and because of that, destruction happens.
Speaker:What's fascinating to me is what comes in the next chapter, because I feel like when
Speaker:you get into 17, it's where you understand why they still choose, why they, why
Speaker:they go through all these plagues and still choose to fight against the Lamb.
Speaker:You're gonna get a feel for that when we get into 17.
Speaker:The reason so many choose to still turn against the light, I think,
Speaker:is Really evident in 17 and 18.
Speaker:This is where you learn about the great whore of all the earth, the Abomination.
Speaker:Like there's so many different words.
Speaker:You can go on the Institute manual and I think it's Bruce R.
Speaker:McConkie that talks about things like the great and abominable church and they
Speaker:talk about Babylon and there's a lot of different metaphors that we use for this
Speaker:force of evil that continues to call after people and promises glory and power and
Speaker:beauty and wealth and Cannot deliver.
Speaker:That's what you see represented by this great whore.
Speaker:That's what it's, how it's phrased in verse one.
Speaker:I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.
Speaker:Meaning people.
Speaker:So this is someone who has control or tries to maintain control over
Speaker:the chaos and this reign of people.
Speaker:If you go into the verses, you can see how that happens.
Speaker:So, like in Thor, and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color,
Speaker:and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
Speaker:cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
Speaker:This visual is so vivid, right?
Speaker:As opposed to the The angels that we saw coming forth out of the temple
Speaker:with pure white linen and just a, you know, golden sash, basically she
Speaker:is in these rich, saturated colors.
Speaker:She has this cup in her hand that she's trying to entice people to
Speaker:drink and it's intoxicating, right?
Speaker:There is something, this just represents the adversary to me.
Speaker:It is something that looks.
Speaker:Lovely on the surface that looks rich and valuable and exciting on the
Speaker:surface, but up close can't offer the, the visual that helped me is I grew
Speaker:up, like I told you guys, helping in that theater that my parents restored.
Speaker:And I got to learn how to do stage makeup really well.
Speaker:And stage makeup is kind of like this to me.
Speaker:It is something that looks so great from a distance.
Speaker:You know, like it is designed to look really good from very far away.
Speaker:So the, you know, cheeks are a lot pinker than you would do in normal life.
Speaker:The eye shadow is a lot brighter and more saturated than it would normally be.
Speaker:The foundation layer is just caked on and it's like three shades
Speaker:darker than your normal skin tone.
Speaker:You wouldn't know that unless you come up close.
Speaker:From the audience, that stage makeup looks beautiful.
Speaker:When you go and you see actors in person backstage, you're
Speaker:like, Whoa, there's something.
Speaker:Jarring about it.
Speaker:And I think that's the adversary's way.
Speaker:He's, he entices people from a distance and then by the time you're close and
Speaker:you've consumed of that cup, he's already starting to intoxicate you a little bit.
Speaker:I think that's his strategy.
Speaker:He finds ways to get you to drink, which then starts to dull your senses.
Speaker:The same way alcohol does in today's world.
Speaker:I feel like that's kind of what she's offering.
Speaker:Once they're up close, he tries to dull our sensitivities to the spirit,
Speaker:to dull our relationships with others.
Speaker:We stop loving people and serving others and caring about people.
Speaker:We, we become cold.
Speaker:We become distant.
Speaker:We, we are numb.
Speaker:And that's what I think she's offering.
Speaker:In fact, you see on her forehead, it says in verse five, upon her
Speaker:forehead was a name written mystery, Babylon, the great, the mother of
Speaker:harlots and abominations of the earth.
Speaker:There's almost a.
Speaker:mocking feel to this, you know, like it's the great high priest
Speaker:who had that beautiful gold plate that said holiness to the Lord.
Speaker:And what we read about in previous weeks in the book of revelation, where we all
Speaker:have this mark on our foreheads to take his name upon us is there's almost this.
Speaker:mocking and cheapening of those things.
Speaker:In fact, I thought it was really interesting, if you go in the footnotes,
Speaker:it links that word mystery here, not to the mysteries of God, but to like
Speaker:secret combinations, like that's what she's promoting, that's what the
Speaker:Satan is trying to entice people into.
Speaker:And then he talks about what she's drinking.
Speaker:So if you look in 6, And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and
Speaker:with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
Speaker:And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Speaker:I think there is a, a weakness in men that craves this.
Speaker:You know, I think you see it all throughout the Book of Mormon
Speaker:where people get bloodthirsty and this idea of like, I can destroy.
Speaker:I think we saw it in the Old Testament, in the Pearl of Great Price.
Speaker:I mean, we saw it right at the beginning of Man's story with Cain and Abel.
Speaker:There is this desire for power or property or something.
Speaker:And so we get a thirst for blood and you almost see that exemplified in this woman.
Speaker:And then there's this interesting stop point.
Speaker:So in seven, And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
Speaker:I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carrieth
Speaker:her, which has seven heads and ten horns.
Speaker:The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and shall ascend out of the
Speaker:bottomless pit and go into perdition.
Speaker:To me, this is like the angel saying like, Don't be dazzled
Speaker:by her even in a negative way.
Speaker:I don't think John admires her by any stretch I don't think that's what that
Speaker:word means if you go in the notes, you can learn more about that but he's he's
Speaker:kind of mystified by her and just kind of alarmed I think by her and the angel
Speaker:says Don't even give her attention.
Speaker:That's how I read it.
Speaker:He's like basically saying let me tell you where she came from Like
Speaker:she comes from the bottomless pit.
Speaker:I know exactly where she came from and I know exactly where
Speaker:she's going She ends in perdition.
Speaker:There is no kingdom of glory here, you know again, this isn't a literal person
Speaker:But this is a representation of all the works of the adversary and in the same
Speaker:place So you don't need to pay them much heed The same way if you read in
Speaker:the Institute Manual and things like that, you'll see things like, we're
Speaker:not supposed to pay a lot of attention to sorceries or to worry about cults
Speaker:or all those kind of other things.
Speaker:We don't pay them a lot of heed because we know where all that stuff goes.
Speaker:And so that's kind of his warning.
Speaker:When you go a little bit further, you see his Guidance about these things.
Speaker:So when the angel is trying to help John understand, he says basically
Speaker:kings have worshipped at her feet.
Speaker:Kings have tried to, you know, have relations with her, meaning like the
Speaker:nations of the world oftentimes will sell themselves in order to gain
Speaker:power, to gain property, other things.
Speaker:So he warns that that's happening, but I love what it, how it's phrased in 12.
Speaker:Basically what he says is each of those kings gets one hour.
Speaker:I don't think this is literal.
Speaker:I think this is figurative, but this is what he's trying to say.
Speaker:It's like all those people who claim power and claim.
Speaker:prominence, they get one spot in, in glory and in the sun, and then they topple, you
Speaker:know, like we've seen so many nations.
Speaker:In just the Old Testament and the New Testament, nations rise up,
Speaker:and they have this moment in the sun, and then they topple, and a
Speaker:new nation builds on the rubble.
Speaker:That's what he's trying to teach us about.
Speaker:And he says, where that culminates is in 14.
Speaker:These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is
Speaker:the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.
Speaker:And they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Speaker:What I like about this, guys, is I just feel like this is the
Speaker:constant message of the angels.
Speaker:They're kind of saying, like, Don't be intimidated or even
Speaker:pay attention to the adversary.
Speaker:Like, granted, he's there, and you have to be aware.
Speaker:What you have to constantly remember is We are a part of the
Speaker:King of Kings, we are a part of his army, and all of us are called.
Speaker:Remember the Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that, that many
Speaker:are called and few are chosen.
Speaker:And then he tells you why you're not chosen.
Speaker:If you get too wrapped up in the things of the world, or the
Speaker:things that she exemplifies, you know, or the Babylon exemplifies,
Speaker:this wealth and glory and power.
Speaker:If you get caught up in those things, then you can't be chosen anymore.
Speaker:So he says, be all of them, be called, be chosen and be faithful.
Speaker:And if you do that, then you'll know you'll be on the right team.
Speaker:You see the end of Babylon begin in 18.
Speaker:So in 18, basically it's kind of talking about the fall of Babylon.
Speaker:I won't go into all the details, but it's, again, I think this
Speaker:is the angel trying to say.
Speaker:Don't get distracted.
Speaker:Don't even pay too much attention.
Speaker:This isn't going to last very long.
Speaker:Where she represents the adversary, Babylon represents the adversary as well.
Speaker:And so he talks about what happens.
Speaker:Basically, he's saying that Babylon got caught up in their own delicacies.
Speaker:They got caught up in their own high living.
Speaker:To me, Babylon, in my brain, I always picture Hunger Games and The Capital.
Speaker:You know, like, I don't know if you guys saw those movies or read those books,
Speaker:but the group of people that are so Bedazzled and they eat a ton and then
Speaker:throw up because they can't eat more.
Speaker:And so then they can eat again.
Speaker:Like there's just this waste and excess and abundance and a
Speaker:little bit of bloodthirstiness in the people of the Capitol.
Speaker:And I get that feeling with Babylon.
Speaker:And what John is trying to say here is in the vision, I saw Babylon fall.
Speaker:So in one day, Babylon falls.
Speaker:I don't know that this is literal, but I think it means.
Speaker:Very quickly.
Speaker:It could also mean literally.
Speaker:So if you look in 8, Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and
Speaker:mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burned with fire For strong is the
Speaker:Lord God who judged her this is speaking about Babylon and the king of the earth
Speaker:and nine hath committed fornication And lived deliciously with her shall bewail
Speaker:her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning There will
Speaker:be those who have worshipped at the feet of Babylon, you know, who have done
Speaker:everything they can to make friends with those who offer power and prominence and
Speaker:property and wealth and all those things.
Speaker:They will mourn when Babylon falls, because what do you do next?
Speaker:In fact, if you turn the page, that's sort of what you see.
Speaker:You see that they, the merchants, mourn for the loss of Babylon.
Speaker:They mourn that there's no one to buy their gold and buy their
Speaker:little Items and their idols and all the things they start to mourn.
Speaker:I just thought it was so fascinating that none of these merchants
Speaker:are mourning the people that are destroyed when Babylon falls.
Speaker:They're mourning the economy that's lost.
Speaker:Their heart is still tucked away and held on tight to the riches.
Speaker:They've missed it.
Speaker:You know, it's almost, well, you see again the phrase at one hour.
Speaker:So in 17, for in one hour, so great riches is come to naught.
Speaker:And they mourn and weep that they've lost this I just think it's, it tells you
Speaker:something about the adversary's plans.
Speaker:You know, it talks about how he is somebody who will lure you down
Speaker:to hell and he just doesn't care.
Speaker:He doesn't lift, he doesn't have loyalty.
Speaker:He just lures you down.
Speaker:And that's the feel I get here.
Speaker:This idea of this great city full of wealth and prominence falling in one day.
Speaker:Reminds me a lot of Ammonihah.
Speaker:So remember in the Book of Mormon when we melted those styrofoam cups and
Speaker:we talked about that city that got destroyed in one day because they were
Speaker:so cruel and they burned women and children and the new converts and, you
Speaker:know, the day in one day, this wealthy city that never thought they could be
Speaker:destroyed ended up being thrown down.
Speaker:That's what you see in 21.
Speaker:A mighty angel comes and throws a giant millstone in that sinks to the bottom
Speaker:of the water and it's basically this object lesson to say, That's Babylon.
Speaker:All these things have their moment and then they will be gone.
Speaker:And what I love is it doesn't even seem to take effort.
Speaker:You know, he, he throws this millstone, a gigantic millstone into the water
Speaker:and it almost seems casual, like a, this doesn't take effort for somebody
Speaker:who's empowered by the strength of God.
Speaker:Babylon will fall and we need to change our course if Babylon is our aim.
Speaker:That's John's message.
Speaker:So he talks about how no one will hear it at all.
Speaker:To me, if you look in the verses, like 22, 23, and 24.
Speaker:This is when they start to talk about there's nothing left.
Speaker:There's no sound at all.
Speaker:There's no, no more music is heard there.
Speaker:No more light is shown there.
Speaker:There's, there's this hollowness that's left behind, almost
Speaker:like a ghost town kind of feel.
Speaker:And the visual that came to my mind is I've ever watched like a documentary of
Speaker:the Titanic and how they always show the opulence and the grandeur and the amazing
Speaker:everything, you know, it was so amazing.
Speaker:And in one day it sinks and it becomes this hollow, empty.
Speaker:There's no more people there.
Speaker:There's no more luxury there.
Speaker:There's, it is sunk down at the bottom of the sea and there's this hollowness to it.
Speaker:That's how I feel when I read the end of 18 because I think that's when he's
Speaker:trying to help us understand about all the worldliness that creeps into our heart.
Speaker:Everything that we seek that is not from God will eventually feel like
Speaker:that titanic at the bottom of the ocean, something that cannot last.
Speaker:And so he's trying to get us to keep our eyes fixed on what can.
Speaker:I really liked chapter 19.
Speaker:One, it's a nice breath of fresh air compared to all the
Speaker:destruction chapters we just read, but I love the visuals in 19.
Speaker:This is where you see Two suppers held.
Speaker:There's the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and what is it called?
Speaker:The Supper of the Great God, which is basically there's a celebration
Speaker:for the righteous and there is a destruction phase for the wicked.
Speaker:And he's basically saying, you're invited to this one.
Speaker:You're invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Speaker:If you live worthy, you get to come.
Speaker:It's got that feel of the 10 virgins.
Speaker:Remember those who are prepared.
Speaker:are able to come and they enter and they add their light to the feast
Speaker:and then there's rejoicing and those who aren't ready and haven't lived up
Speaker:to their promises are left without.
Speaker:And that's kind of what's described in 19.
Speaker:I just think the visuals are so powerful because it talks
Speaker:about the celebration itself.
Speaker:So if you look in 16 it says, and a great there was a voice of a great
Speaker:multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty
Speaker:thunderings saying alleluia for the lord god omnipotent reigneth.
Speaker:Everyone rejoices when this day comes, because this day is when
Speaker:that those symbols are united.
Speaker:So remember when we studied the parable of the ten virgins, both in
Speaker:the Doctrine and Covenants and in the New Testament, you see the Church of
Speaker:God represented by that bride and the Savior himself representing the groom.
Speaker:And this is this.
Speaker:uniting of them.
Speaker:I actually love that.
Speaker:I can't remember who I learned this from.
Speaker:It wasn't me.
Speaker:I learned this.
Speaker:It's in the notes somewhere, but this idea of at one ment, you know, the
Speaker:Savior's atonement being an at one ment, that's kind of what marriage is, right?
Speaker:It's taking two people and making them at one.
Speaker:And that's what you see played out in these verses.
Speaker:So look at 7, it said, Let us be glad and rejoice.
Speaker:Give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
Speaker:wife hath made herself ready.
Speaker:And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
Speaker:clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
Speaker:Remember, these are all symbols.
Speaker:I don't think we have to take anything too literally, but that visual of
Speaker:a bride making herself ready and being arrayed in beautiful garments.
Speaker:It's beautiful clothes, fine white linen.
Speaker:It's not opulent.
Speaker:It's not excess.
Speaker:It's just fine, meaning it's simple and pure and beautiful on the surface.
Speaker:I just love that visual.
Speaker:I think maybe the fact that I got to help Hannah get ready for her
Speaker:wedding and I got to see that joy on her face, what I learned that day is.
Speaker:And I guess I knew this deep down for myself, but as I was studying Revelation
Speaker:this week, I realized that the joy that a bride feels that day is not necessarily
Speaker:just for what's going to happen that day.
Speaker:I mean, yes, you look radiant and everybody praises you and you get
Speaker:photos taken of you and it's this exuberant day because you get
Speaker:to be with the person you love.
Speaker:and start something new.
Speaker:It's the starting something new that I think actually
Speaker:brings the glow to your face.
Speaker:I just think there's something, when I saw Hannah that day, she rejoiced because
Speaker:of the joy of that day and really because of what it opened for every day after.
Speaker:That she would have Jake next to her always.
Speaker:You know, they would have each other, they could be with each other, they
Speaker:could have each other's back, always.
Speaker:That's what I think about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Speaker:It's not that we're rejoicing in this day when there is that Joining together.
Speaker:It's the fact that every day after it we get to be near him.
Speaker:We get to live among You know people like God and the Savior we get to be
Speaker:in their presence That's the joy that comes you have that, you know that same
Speaker:feeling that a bride has of Looking forward, that's what happens on this day.
Speaker:So, and I just love the simpleness of it.
Speaker:I love the imitation of it.
Speaker:When you look a little further, you see the groom described.
Speaker:So now we've described the bride as this adorned, beautiful, prepared person.
Speaker:And then you see the groom.
Speaker:I saw heaven open.
Speaker:This is verse 11.
Speaker:Behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
Speaker:righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Speaker:His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.
Speaker:And he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Speaker:And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name
Speaker:is called the Word of God.
Speaker:This is the millennial Messiah, right?
Speaker:Coming in red robes, just like that Minerva Teicher painting.
Speaker:Coming on a horse, not a donkey this time.
Speaker:This is the conquering Messiah that has been prophesied about.
Speaker:He is coming to finish what he started and to create this at one minute.
Speaker:I just think there's Such power in this visual.
Speaker:I actually like that in the description of him It says that he is called
Speaker:faithful and true in righteousness.
Speaker:He doth judge and make war I think we always have to teach both sides
Speaker:of the Savior's character, right?
Speaker:That he is Both of those things.
Speaker:Yes, he will destroy the wicked Those have been warned and invited
Speaker:to change and offer prophets and all those invitations to repent There will
Speaker:be a destruction, but he is also a faithful and true and merciful God.
Speaker:He is a Both.
Speaker:And in this perfect harmony.
Speaker:And that's kind of what you see described here.
Speaker:And then he talks about how things will roll forward, that he will speak with
Speaker:this sharpness of the sword of truth.
Speaker:I really liked, so this next block of verses, you're going to
Speaker:see that other supper described.
Speaker:It's hard to read.
Speaker:You're going to read about fowls eating the carcasses of people who were killed
Speaker:in this massive battle where basically the wicked fought against themselves.
Speaker:This is not the Savior even destroying them or the angels of God destroying them.
Speaker:This is like the wicked turning on each other.
Speaker:You'll see more of that in coming chapters, but because of that
Speaker:great destruction happens and there's lots of bodies left over.
Speaker:And so he calls in the birds to basically take those bodies away so that that's
Speaker:not a burden on the earth anymore.
Speaker:And then you see.
Speaker:This interesting phrase.
Speaker:So if you look, you can look at the page in 21 and the remnant were
Speaker:slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
Speaker:proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Speaker:What's interesting to me is if you look on the JST throughout these verses, he
Speaker:focuses on this sword, not being a sort of destruction, but a sort of truth, I think.
Speaker:This is another way that the wicked are destroyed.
Speaker:It's not so much always a physical destruction as it is, he is able to
Speaker:slice through falsehood and slice through the lies of the adversary
Speaker:and there is exposure that happens when he's able to take that.
Speaker:Remember, that's why we did the Discipleship Dojo and talked
Speaker:about those samurai type moments.
Speaker:That's what happens here.
Speaker:He cuts through the lies and the deceit that Babylon embodied and that great
Speaker:whore that we described and the adversary, like all of those lies and falsehoods.
Speaker:He slices through them and exposes what is real and what is true and what lasts.
Speaker:I really loved 22 because this is another evidence of Satan is
Speaker:no match for the power of God.
Speaker:Basically what we see play out is he is bound.
Speaker:So remember how we, this is the only chapter in this week's study
Speaker:about the Millennium itself, about that thousand year time.
Speaker:And we studied this in the Doctrine and Covenants, how Satan will be
Speaker:bound for those thousand years.
Speaker:And I love the way it's described here.
Speaker:It kind of reminds me of, remember in Isaiah, we were studying the Old
Speaker:Testament together and there's these phrases where he talks about how when
Speaker:the adversary is bound, people look on him narrowly and they basically say like,
Speaker:You're the one everybody was scared of.
Speaker:That's kind of the feel you get here.
Speaker:In one it says, And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the
Speaker:great key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.
Speaker:And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and
Speaker:Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
Speaker:Like it doesn't even sound hard.
Speaker:I'm sure it is, but you know, I think there's something about the abruptness
Speaker:of these verses, that it's in a verse, two verses, Satan is bound.
Speaker:This great, scary, imposing force that everybody thought they should be
Speaker:bowing to is is bound in two verses.
Speaker:And I just, it kind of reminds me of, I don't know if your kids ever
Speaker:watched Hercules, like my older kids used to watch that show.
Speaker:And you know, when Hercules is still just figuring out his powers and like
Speaker:he, all these big giants and monsters and things come into the like Coliseum
Speaker:and he's able to just like grab them without any effort in any attempt.
Speaker:Like it feels like that to me because there's just no.
Speaker:There's no contest.
Speaker:I think that's John's message when it comes to the bluster and the, you know,
Speaker:intimidation of the adversary There is no contest between his efforts and what
Speaker:God can do and what the angels sent on God's errand can do And that's what you
Speaker:see in those verses so in three and he cast him into the bottomless pit Pit and
Speaker:shut him up and set a seal upon him that he could not deceive the nations till
Speaker:the thousand years should be fulfilled.
Speaker:And after that, he should be loosed for a little season, meaning for a
Speaker:thousand years of time during that millennial phase, when Christ will
Speaker:reign personally upon the earth.
Speaker:Satan is found, we're gonna talk about this in the object lessons
Speaker:as well, but I love that modern revelation helps us understand that
Speaker:he's bound, not just because he is in this pit and he is got this chain
Speaker:and this seal, but also because.
Speaker:There's no one paying attention to him anymore.
Speaker:The outpouring of the spirit that comes during the millennial phase, when Christ
Speaker:reigns on this earth, causes people to see truth and turn away from the adversary.
Speaker:And as soon as you turn away from the adversary, he flickers and
Speaker:dies, because he doesn't have the oxygen to feed on, you know?
Speaker:I think there's empowerment in that.
Speaker:It's part of the reason I think we all need to get strong, so that we can
Speaker:weaken the adversary in this building up phase towards the millennium.
Speaker:Then when you go a little bit further, it says in 4 what he saw.
Speaker:I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.
Speaker:And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
Speaker:and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
Speaker:image, neither had received his mark on their foreheads, or in their hands.
Speaker:And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Speaker:What I like about this is, this is John the Beloved.
Speaker:He's someone who lives beyond every other apostle of the Savior, and he saw All
Speaker:of them, I imagine, at least, if not in person, he knew of their death, and I
Speaker:think he sees something sweet here, right?
Speaker:He sees these martyrs.
Speaker:Stand next to the Savior for those thousand years
Speaker:that they have a work to do.
Speaker:And this must have been so reassuring to him to see that happen.
Speaker:Then he talks about the first resurrection that will occur.
Speaker:So you can go in the notes and learn more about this.
Speaker:But even though there are some who are resurrected at the time, the
Speaker:time of the Savior's resurrection, he's the, he's the first fruits.
Speaker:He's the first one to be resurrected.
Speaker:But after that.
Speaker:Many more are resurrected.
Speaker:Those great saints of the Old Testament that we've talked about
Speaker:from the Doctrine and Covenants, they're resurrected around that time.
Speaker:And now we talk about the first resurrection.
Speaker:It's called the resurrection of the just at times, which is basically just those
Speaker:who are going to obtain a celestial glory.
Speaker:They're resurrected at least beginning of the millennium, and that's
Speaker:what John's trying to describe.
Speaker:And then he talks about when Satan is loosed again.
Speaker:So you really only have this tiny little sliver of a window about the
Speaker:millennium, and then you see the end of the millennium, where Satan is
Speaker:loosed and destruction comes out.
Speaker:I just found myself wondering like, how is it that anyone turns away from God?
Speaker:You know, after a thousand years of seeing him reign in righteousness,
Speaker:a thousand years without sorrow or death or, you know, those same
Speaker:things that we encounter here.
Speaker:I, how do you turn away?
Speaker:And it was the Institute Manual.
Speaker:And then I heard it reinforced in Michael Wilcox's book as well, but they
Speaker:both talked about fourth Nephi and how this happens in fourth Nephi, right?
Speaker:That first chapter of fourth Nephi, after the savior has come People are righteous
Speaker:and they band together and there's prosperity and growth and happiness.
Speaker:And then over the course of a few generations.
Speaker:We lose it.
Speaker:You know, we lose sight of what was just in front of us.
Speaker:We get greedy.
Speaker:We create divisions.
Speaker:All of those things are natural man tendencies that can creep
Speaker:up as soon as Satan is loosed.
Speaker:In fact, sometimes I wonder if Satan being loosed amplifies that or if
Speaker:it's our choices to go towards greed or go towards division that That
Speaker:amp up the power of the adversary.
Speaker:I'm not sure which, if it's the chicken or the egg in that scenario,
Speaker:but you can see things rolling forth.
Speaker:And then there is that, that final scene, that there is a judgment that occurs.
Speaker:There is that great last battle and judgment where you are judged based on
Speaker:your works and the desires of your heart.
Speaker:That's all phrased in 21.
Speaker:It's just so short.
Speaker:So I found myself, I mean, you get the millennium, the resurrection of the
Speaker:just, and, you know, the description of basically Armageddon, and the description
Speaker:of the judgment, all in like 15 verses.
Speaker:So this study of Revelation made me so grateful for the Doctrine and
Speaker:Covenants, because there's so much more.
Speaker:In fact, if you just go in the Book of Mormon, you can read so much more about
Speaker:these probationary states, and why it's worth it, and what the judgment is like.
Speaker:I just think.
Speaker:We are so blessed to have more modern scripture that can add to what John
Speaker:has given us as a foundation here.
Speaker:Now that we've been through that millennial phase, and we had that
Speaker:last great battle, and the victory of the Savior, and the judgment, now you
Speaker:get to open up to a whole new vista.
Speaker:In fact, if you go into chapter 21, to me, this feels like, well, I have Avatar
Speaker:written in my margin, because, you know the movies like Avatar, where you get
Speaker:to see This whole new world open up and you're just kind of dazzled by it when
Speaker:you first see it, especially if you go in a, like a big theater and you watch it.
Speaker:I can still remember seeing that world and just being sort of mesmerized by
Speaker:it, that the plants were glowing and the islands were floating in the air.
Speaker:And it was so unique and new and.
Speaker:Riveting.
Speaker:That's 21, you guys.
Speaker:He's describing this celestial city, this glory that opens up.
Speaker:So you can see it in one.
Speaker:And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth were
Speaker:passed away, and there was no more sea.
Speaker:Meaning, no more chaos, no more division between people.
Speaker:There is, everything is made new.
Speaker:And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
Speaker:God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.
Speaker:So not just arrayed in white linen, but adorned.
Speaker:You know, there is a beauty and a weight to those words.
Speaker:And then you see how it plays out.
Speaker:So if you look in three, and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Speaker:behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and
Speaker:they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God.
Speaker:That's the ultimate goal of God is that we can be with him.
Speaker:There's something so And I think he's so paternal and compassionate about
Speaker:that, right, that that's his goal.
Speaker:His goal is to find ways to bring us home.
Speaker:I just think it's so warm.
Speaker:In fact, I heard it was a few months ago, but I heard a commentary about
Speaker:Temples being an embassy of heaven.
Speaker:You know how an embassy is in a different country, it gives you a piece
Speaker:of America in a different country.
Speaker:And that same kind of idea of being temples are an embassy
Speaker:of the celestial kingdom.
Speaker:Here on earth, we get just a piece of safety and beauty and
Speaker:a place where God can dwell.
Speaker:And in this celestial glory, he's there all the time.
Speaker:There is this openness to it that is just beautiful to me.
Speaker:And then you see.
Speaker:How he treats his people from four to seven.
Speaker:I mean, I've got these marked up like you wouldn't believe in my verses.
Speaker:And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more
Speaker:death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither the shuddery, any more pain,
Speaker:for the former things are passed away.
Speaker:And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
Speaker:And he said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.
Speaker:This is John's direction.
Speaker:Remember, this is the Lord saying, write this down, take pictures,
Speaker:give visuals to the people so that they know how it's worth it.
Speaker:So they remember what the kind of God I am and the love that I have for them.
Speaker:Write this down.
Speaker:And then in six, and he said unto me, it is done.
Speaker:I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
Speaker:I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Speaker:He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his
Speaker:God, and he shall be my son.
Speaker:You just can't talk long enough about these verses.
Speaker:I just think there's such intimacy in them and such longing to have us close to him
Speaker:and the idea of him making all things new.
Speaker:You know, there's that great talk from Elder Renlund about infuriating
Speaker:unfairness and this idea of Jesus Christ being one who restores what was lost.
Speaker:In fact, you can go in the notes and read the full quote, but I love
Speaker:that he said that the consequences of life's unfairness will either
Speaker:be resolved, mitigated, or lifted.
Speaker:That's the promise.
Speaker:There's another one, I think it's Elder Wirthlin that talks about every tear
Speaker:that you shed here in mortal life will be restored with a thousand tears of joy.
Speaker:Like that, that kind of promise that the things that we, that the suffering that we
Speaker:experience in this life, those carved out parts of our hearts will be Full of joy.
Speaker:That's the fullness he promises.
Speaker:I also love how he says he's the beginning and the end.
Speaker:This is something you can see in the Come Follow Me manual and
Speaker:also in Brother Wilcox's book.
Speaker:But I love the way he articulates it.
Speaker:He just said it's powerful to think about what he's the beginning of.
Speaker:And what he's the end of.
Speaker:That we shouldn't just smush that phrase together, the Alpha and Omega.
Speaker:He is the beginning of life and of peace and of hope and of joy.
Speaker:He is the end of sorrow and pain and death and hell and like, that's his promise.
Speaker:He is a powerful beginning and a powerful end.
Speaker:He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Speaker:He is these bookends and everything in between.
Speaker:That's the Savior.
Speaker:I think it's powerful how it's phrased in 10.
Speaker:And he carried me away into a spirit to a great and high mountain and
Speaker:showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
Speaker:God, having the glory of God and her light was like a stone, most precious.
Speaker:This is when he starts to describe.
Speaker:What this holy city looks like what the celestial city will look like again I
Speaker:think just like we've had to kind of step back a little bit to understand
Speaker:anything in the book of Revelation I think you have to step back from
Speaker:the city description as well for me I don't think this is literally what
Speaker:the celestial kingdom looks like.
Speaker:I'm sure there's some similarities, but I think he's trying to teach us about what
Speaker:the celestial kingdom feels like and how it How it is played out because you see
Speaker:these great high walls, this promise of security and safety, but the very fact
Speaker:that it's set up in a mountain, I think, is this understanding of like, this is
Speaker:a city set on a hill that cannot be hit.
Speaker:And then he describes it.
Speaker:So he talks about the gates, that there are these gates on every side.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:I think that's wonderful.
Speaker:That's a description of the Celestial Kingdom to me.
Speaker:There is an open invitation to come in.
Speaker:In fact, later in the chapter, you see that those gates are never shut, that
Speaker:there's no night, there's no fear.
Speaker:So you don't ever have to shut those gates.
Speaker:It's just those who are worthy, you get to come in.
Speaker:That's the promise is that there will be a, only those who can, who
Speaker:have lived worthy and have made those covenants are able to come in, but
Speaker:you don't need to be afraid there.
Speaker:And then he talks about these portals basically that are on every
Speaker:side of this city, that they are.
Speaker:There are 12 of them, and they have the names of the apostles on them.
Speaker:For me, this is, you know, those angels that stand as sentinels.
Speaker:This is, these are open gates, and if you can, if you can show your
Speaker:worthiness, then you can enter in.
Speaker:That's the imitation.
Speaker:So if you look in 16, it says, And the city lieth foursquare, and the
Speaker:length is as large as its breadth.
Speaker:And he measured the city with reed, twelve thousand furlongs, and the length and
Speaker:breadth and height of it were all equal.
Speaker:So it describes this, Cube almost, right?
Speaker:Like the Holy of Holies.
Speaker:In fact, I think this is supposed to be symbolic of the temple
Speaker:to the people who are reading John's writings then and today.
Speaker:This is the idea of God dwelling among his people, just like the tabernacle offered.
Speaker:But I love this picture of it in my mind, this it's gigantic.
Speaker:You know, like the.
Speaker:This is not a small, gated community where just a few people
Speaker:who live close to God get to be.
Speaker:This is a gigantic city.
Speaker:To me, that's just hopeful.
Speaker:It means a lot of people will be worthy to live there over the
Speaker:course of our lifetimes and after.
Speaker:I think we will We will come to this place, right?
Speaker:We will come to be worthy to be in this place.
Speaker:That's my hope.
Speaker:I just think the way he describes it as so expansive is John trying
Speaker:to say to me, Maria, there's hope.
Speaker:You belong here.
Speaker:The people you love belong here.
Speaker:There's space for you.
Speaker:I just, I love that piece.
Speaker:When you go a little further, you can see that things are Garnished with stones.
Speaker:It was, I think it was in the seminary manual, maybe the institute manual.
Speaker:You can see it in the notes.
Speaker:But he talked about how these jewels and the pearls and the gold can represent
Speaker:things that had to go through a process of pressure and time to be beautiful.
Speaker:That in the hands of someone who can cut a good gem or someone who
Speaker:could mold the gold, like they are someone who can, they can become
Speaker:something beautiful and there's.
Speaker:I think that's, those are the inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom.
Speaker:They are people who had to go through a process of pressure and
Speaker:effort and repentance over and over again, and became something great.
Speaker:The same way a pearl begins as, you know, a grain of sand of sorts, and then
Speaker:over pressure and time becomes something greater, a diamond starts as this lump
Speaker:of coal, and over pressure and time and heat becomes something beautiful.
Speaker:I think the visual is cool to me.
Speaker:It's not so much about having a city that's bejeweled and lovely, I think
Speaker:it's more about the symbolism of that.
Speaker:That's woven into that part of the story and in 22 you learn that there isn't
Speaker:a temple in this city So it says and I saw no temple therein for the Lord God
Speaker:Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it Remember the temple is a place
Speaker:where God can dwell among his people.
Speaker:So in this celestial city He is there.
Speaker:So you don't need a temple.
Speaker:The whole city is a temple.
Speaker:And then in 23, And the city had no need of sun, neither
Speaker:of the moon, to shine in it.
Speaker:For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Speaker:And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of
Speaker:it, and the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor unto it.
Speaker:To me, this is that city set on a hill visual.
Speaker:It is lit from within, it radiates out, and it beckons people in.
Speaker:Remember, it's not For me, when I read it, it's not this city
Speaker:that's tucked away and hidden in a mountaintop, hoping no one will find it.
Speaker:It beams out to the world.
Speaker:It beams out goodness and truth and invitation and has open
Speaker:gates saying, come and partake.
Speaker:In fact, he's going to talk about that idea of like, come and partake
Speaker:freely of the waters that are here.
Speaker:If you go a little further, you'll see that described.
Speaker:So if you jump down into 22, for example, it says, and he showed
Speaker:me a pure river of water of life.
Speaker:Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Speaker:And in the midst of the street of it, on either side of the river, was
Speaker:the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
Speaker:every month, and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations.
Speaker:This city is at its center point.
Speaker:There is a throne of God, with this river that flows out from under it,
Speaker:and these trees on either side, that are freely available to partake.
Speaker:It's in fact if you go on three it says and there shall be no more curse But the
Speaker:throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it and his servant shall serve him to me.
Speaker:This is There is no more chairwoman a flaming sword Defending against
Speaker:anyone partaking of the tree of life.
Speaker:Now you can partake of it freely.
Speaker:In fact, its leaves can heal and bless others.
Speaker:It's designed to be something that offers life to others.
Speaker:And I just think that's such a gorgeous visual for what the
Speaker:Celestial Kingdom is about.
Speaker:It's something that is not designed to be this gated enclosure, but
Speaker:something where goodness flows from it.
Speaker:And it's an epicenter for that goodness to go out.
Speaker:I just love that visual.
Speaker:And four, it says, And they shall see his face and his name, and his
Speaker:name shall be on their foreheads.
Speaker:And there shall be no night there.
Speaker:They shall have need of no candle, neither light or the sun.
Speaker:For the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
Speaker:I actually really like the idea of the name on the foreheads.
Speaker:To me, it's not so much about Being part of an exclusive club as it is like you,
Speaker:you're in a fellowship with each other.
Speaker:Just the other day I was driving down the road and the truck in front of us
Speaker:had a Buckeye logo on the back window and had a Buckeye license plate and I found
Speaker:myself wanting to honk and wave and like say OH and see if they would respond.
Speaker:Like I think that's how you'll feel when you see other people
Speaker:who have taken his name upon them.
Speaker:We are In a fellowship with each other.
Speaker:And there is this, you know, I just can only imagine how productive we will be
Speaker:at this point in time, the great things that will be accomplished in art and
Speaker:science and, you know, all the studies.
Speaker:I just think you've taken away wickedness.
Speaker:You've taken away destruction.
Speaker:You've taken away temptation.
Speaker:And now you have these people who are all ready to me, the way I pictured
Speaker:it was like, If you've ever been in a team project where people are eager to
Speaker:work, normally, I hate team projects.
Speaker:At least I did in school because, you know, you get stuck
Speaker:with the brunt of the work.
Speaker:This is basically saying like, you're going to be in a team project
Speaker:always where everybody is capable and strong and eager to do the work.
Speaker:I just think it sounds so exciting to be a part of this community.
Speaker:In fact, I love the way it's phrased.
Speaker:If you look at 9, it says Well, eight, John falls down and worships
Speaker:the angel that shows him all this.
Speaker:And this is what the angel says in response, Then he saith unto me, See thou
Speaker:do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of
Speaker:them which keep the sayings of this book.
Speaker:Worship God.
Speaker:To me, what this is saying is there is no hierarchy in this holy city of God.
Speaker:There are no higher angels.
Speaker:There are no lower angels.
Speaker:Either you belong here or you don't, but there is no class structure.
Speaker:There's no division.
Speaker:So there's no worship of each other.
Speaker:Instead, we just turn and worship God.
Speaker:I love that visual.
Speaker:And then it says in 14, so again, he talks about coming quickly.
Speaker:And he says, I am Alpha and Omega and 13, the beginning and
Speaker:the end, the first and the last.
Speaker:And then 14.
Speaker:Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
Speaker:right to the tree of life and may enter into the gates of that city.
Speaker:That gate phrasing is interesting to me.
Speaker:All these open gates that surround the city.
Speaker:It's interesting that that's the word choice of baptism, right?
Speaker:The baptism is a gate, a place where we begin and we enter
Speaker:and we make covenants with him.
Speaker:And his invitation is, if you want to belong here, do,
Speaker:you know, do my commandments.
Speaker:That's what it says in 14.
Speaker:I don't think we have to do.
Speaker:16 is where I feel like the power starts to come in.
Speaker:This is almost John's plea for me.
Speaker:So instead of just describing that holy city, now he's trying to
Speaker:say, I've shown you all of this.
Speaker:Now come.
Speaker:So 16, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you
Speaker:these things in the churches.
Speaker:I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.
Speaker:To me, this is the Savior holding us close saying, I am the way.
Speaker:I am all these things, all these things that you might seek for.
Speaker:I am all those things.
Speaker:I am the only way.
Speaker:That you can get to this place in 17, and the spirit and the bride say, come and
Speaker:let him that heareth say, come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will
Speaker:let him take of the water of life freely.
Speaker:That's John's invitation.
Speaker:That's how he, that's what he pulls from all of this vision.
Speaker:He's saying, I've seen it.
Speaker:I've written it down for you.
Speaker:Come.
Speaker:It's worth it to come.
Speaker:I just think that's the same thing Mormon and Moroni taught.
Speaker:They say, we've seen destruction, we know what that looks
Speaker:like, and we know the Savior.
Speaker:To me, that's the message of the whole New Testament and all of this year's study.
Speaker:Above all other things, I think his invitation is, told you what is true.
Speaker:Given you an example in my life, I've offered a sacrifice
Speaker:so that you can come close.
Speaker:Please come follow me.
Speaker:I think that's his invitation from the first page to the last,
Speaker:and maybe that's why I loved this year in the New Testament.
Speaker:I'm just grateful we got to do it together.
Speaker:Welcome back, you guys.
Speaker:Okay, time for the creative side of our last week of the New Testament.
Speaker:This week runs between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, I think, so I'm
Speaker:trying to give you some options that could keep your kids busy and help
Speaker:you have fun and teach scripture during this last week of the year.
Speaker:Okay, I'm gonna give you a quick preview of each one first, and then for those
Speaker:of you in the full course, I'll walk you through each one individually and give
Speaker:you access to the notes and the printables so that you can teach these in your
Speaker:classes or in your kitchens or wherever you happen to be teaching this week.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:First and foremost, if you haven't seen on the chart, it's Kahoot week.
Speaker:Remember at the end of each quarter, we do a gigantic Kahoot to test our know how.
Speaker:So I've got 25 new questions for you that cover the last 13 or so chapters of the
Speaker:New Testament, and then a giant Kahoot to test your knowledge of all year.
Speaker:So it'll keep your family guessing and give you some good options.
Speaker:I'll teach you how to link up to it in just a second.
Speaker:The second one, I really wanted to find a way to link.
Speaker:What we read in the Doctrine and Covenants about the Millennium and
Speaker:about these last days to what we're studying in the Book of Revelation.
Speaker:I think John does a masterful job of teaching us some of the symbolism and
Speaker:the things we should look forward to.
Speaker:But it would be a shame to only read it from the Book of Revelation because we
Speaker:get so much more depth in the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon.
Speaker:One of the things you read in those places is about Satan being bound.
Speaker:by two forces.
Speaker:The idea of him being bound by what John talks about, him being literally bound by
Speaker:a chain, and also him being bound because there is no one to give him heed anymore.
Speaker:The spirit is rich in the land, people are turning towards the Savior,
Speaker:and nobody's giving him attention.
Speaker:And we're going to use a really cool object lesson to teach it.
Speaker:If you weren't with us in the Doctrine and Covenants, this is
Speaker:one that was incredibly popular.
Speaker:It's just dazzling to watch and really fun.
Speaker:So this one, you'll need a little bit of fire.
Speaker:It's our last week.
Speaker:So I had to incorporate some kind of fire.
Speaker:So you're gonna need a lighter.
Speaker:You also need a tea light candle, a salad plate, a paper towel, and
Speaker:then some kind of cup or vase.
Speaker:We use this kind of like straight edged base, but you could use
Speaker:choose a drinking glass as well.
Speaker:The more space it has, the cooler the object lesson will be.
Speaker:But if you only have a drinking glass on hand, that works just fine.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Last one.
Speaker:I loved the description of the holy city this week.
Speaker:It's in chapters 21 and 22.
Speaker:This is where John talks about the walls and the jewels, and I just
Speaker:think there's so many cool metaphors and so many ways to teach your
Speaker:kids about what to look forward to.
Speaker:So I wanted some way that my kids could get a hands on experience for that.
Speaker:And I have to tell you, the first thing that came to mind was Minecraft.
Speaker:My boys play Minecraft.
Speaker:A ton.
Speaker:Maybe your kids do as well, but when they talked about the city of Zion being
Speaker:a cube and having gems and jewels, like my mind instantly went to Minecraft.
Speaker:So this week I'm creating a challenge where you can either fulfill it by
Speaker:building a cool Zion like world in Minecraft, which we'll show you, or if
Speaker:you, your kids don't play that game or you don't have access to it, I'm also giving
Speaker:you a printable to do the same thing.
Speaker:So this is a printable cube that you can open and.
Speaker:Draw Zion.
Speaker:So I'll show you what's inside here.
Speaker:Violet's made a very sparkling kingdom for you to enjoy.
Speaker:But the idea with the printable is that you'll be able to talk through
Speaker:the symbols that are in the description that John gives and talk about why that
Speaker:should give us hope and excitement about the days that are coming towards us.
Speaker:I think you're going to love it.
Speaker:So gather those supplies and you'll be all set.
Speaker:Guys, that is the end of week 52 and the end of an awesome year of study.
Speaker:I am so grateful for this New Testament year.
Speaker:I loved the scriptures before I started this course and I feel
Speaker:like I love them even more today.
Speaker:Like I, four years of intense, hard study and taking time to write
Speaker:down my thoughts and write down my testimony, write down impressions.
Speaker:They have cemented these scriptures into my heart and I'm just.
Speaker:I'm just so grateful for it.
Speaker:As hard as it's been, I'm so grateful.
Speaker:I was trying to think of how I could wrap things up for this year, and I
Speaker:can't think of an adequate way other than just to bear a simple testimony
Speaker:that I know the Church is true.
Speaker:I have never studied it so intensely as I have these four years.
Speaker:And the more I study, and the more I seek, The more I know of a certainty
Speaker:that it's true, not just from spiritual promptings and impressions that come, but
Speaker:from the study itself, like the puzzle pieces are clicking into place for me.
Speaker:Things, prophets and prophecies from, you know, scripture and from modern prophets
Speaker:today, they have clicked into place in a way that I know that church is true.
Speaker:I, I feel like not only do I believe it, but I know it and for
Speaker:that I am profoundly grateful.
Speaker:I also feel like these four years of study have given me a rich,
Speaker:full faceted view of my Savior.
Speaker:I have, um, a deeper and more lasting testimony, not just that He lives, but
Speaker:what His character is like, the kind of God He is, and why we worship Him.
Speaker:I am, I love learning that in scripture and I feel like every book of scripture
Speaker:we studied brought that out for me, gave me a new facet of His character
Speaker:to study and understand and hopefully try to emulate so I'm grateful for it.
Speaker:Um, I was just very a simple witness that I know the church is true and for
Speaker:me, I know God speaks to his people.
Speaker:I know he does through prophets.
Speaker:Through scripture and through personal revelation, I've felt it in all of
Speaker:those ways over these four years, and I look forward to many more.
Speaker:I think our testimonies and our understandings just get richer from here.
Speaker:As I look forward to 2024, I don't see us repeating the same things
Speaker:or getting the same insights.
Speaker:I see us using these four years as a stepping stone to progress in our
Speaker:testimonies and get richer, deeper understandings, and I can't wait for it.
Speaker:I just think as hard as it has been, the blessings are.
Speaker:Abundant in my family, in myself, in my testimony, in every way.
Speaker:So I look forward to many more and I, I bury that witness
Speaker:in the name of Jesus Christ.
Speaker:Amen.
