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Encouragement, Admonition & Instruction
Message To The Church -
Worthiness is Required to Escape the Coming Tribulations
Tribulation
7-Years End Time - Tribulation Begins -
The Lamb Opens the Scroll with Seven Seals
Great Tribulation
7-Years End Time - Great Tribulation Begins -
The Second 3.5 Years
The Seventh Seal Brings God's Day of Wrath
Tribulation
Looking Again At Tribulation -
With Perspective on Authority, Power and Time
The Scene In Heaven
After A Glimpse Of The Seventh Trumpet -
Heavenly Victory Celebration
A Look at the Timeline to the 7th Millennium
We Will Not Yet See the 7th Trumpet On Earth
Tribulation
A Third Look At Tribulation -
The 3.5 Years of Tribulation with Background
and Still More Detail
The Scene In Heaven
The Beings Of Heaven -
Preparing To Unveil The Seven-Years End Time
Encouragement, Admonition & Instruction
The 1260 Days Prophecy -
The Historical 1260 Years of tribulation
Great Tribulation
A Third Look At Great Tribulation -
Great Tribulation in Greater Detail
The Scene In Heaven
Your Reward Is At Hand -
Great Tribulation
The Narrative Transitions To Great Tribulation -
Again Focusing on Authority, Power and Time
Great Tribulation
More On Great Tribulation -
The Wrath Of God
Seven Bowls Of Plagues For The Wicked
It Is What They Have Earned
It Is What They Deserve
The Scene In Heaven
The Raptured In Heaven Shouting Praises To God -
Glorious Encouragement - May It Come Quickly
The Wrath Of God
The Savior's Glorious Ending Of Wickedness -
All 7 Bowls of Plagues Have Been Poured Out
Jesus Now Puts An End To Those Who Love Wickedness
The Millennium
The 7th 1000 Years - The Sabbath Millennium -
The Wrath Of God
Final Judgment of the Wicked -
They Should Have Listened to the Warnings
Eternal Paradise
Earth Is Returned To Its Original Glory -
Praise Be To The God Of Heaven And Our Savior
Encouragement, Admonition & Instruction
Listen To The Warning -
Encouragement, Admonition & Instruction
Message To John -
The Mystery of God Will Finish Just Before the Seventh Trumpet
(At the Rapture of Israel)
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Note 1 - [BACK]
Sealed 144,000 Israelites
The Sealed 144,000 are "sons of Israel" and are of the Jewish faith which has steadfastly rejected First Advent Jesus as their Messiah. The Messiah they've been waiting for, and the One they accept as Messiah, is He who will come in all Power and Glory - Second Advent Jesus. The 144,000 are Sealed and left on the earth because they are not yet ready to be taken to their reward in heaven alongside the Church who are about to be Raptured.
What does it mean to be Sealed? A document is Sealed to keep it out of the hands of those who would misuse and abuse it. Wine is bottled and Sealed to give it the time it needs to mature and to reach perfection. The 144,000 are Sealed to keep them out of Satan's hands; and they are Sealed to give them the time they need to Mature into the Faith of God and to become Perfect in Jesus. Then they will be Ready For Their Redemption with its Heavenly Reward.
Notice that at the time these 144,000 are Sealed, they are "the bond-servants of our God", indicating the Father, and not of Jesus since they have not yet accepted Jesus as their 1st Advent Messiah. Being Sealed and remaining on earth affords them the time they need to come into a full understanding that it was by Jesus' shed "blood" that we have been "purchased ... for God" (5:9; 14:3), and thereby also accept First Advent Jesus as their Messiah (comp Rev 11).
As with the number 7, the number 12 is similarly symbolic of Completion (12:1; 21:12 - 22:2). 144,000 is again symbolic of Completion, but in great numbers (12 Tribes x 12,000), and so it is symbolic of an actual number of Sealed persons much greater than 144,000. This is similar to God's 7000-Year Timeline itself (7 Years x 1000). The End Time 7 Years we are studying is the Last 7 Years prior to the Last 1000 Years. And in turn, God's completed 7000-Year Timeline is symbolic of our reward of Eternity in His perfect Re-Creation.
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Note 2 - [BACK]
Raptured Church
It is only the Church which "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [1st Advent Messiah Jesus]." (7:14) Israel did not.
The Rapture of the Church is at the 6th Seal. It is a sudden event and startles John who expected it to happen later (see also Note 3 below). It is not heralded by a Trumpet, a thunder-like voice, or even a small voice, but rather it is quiet and unexpected by those who are not prepared. For them it comes "as a thief in the night." (3:3) Jesus used this metaphor to describe how His Second Advent would shock those who weren't watching, but it is appropriate in this instance as well.
These people have not died. If "a great multitude which no one could count" (7:9) had suddenly died or been killed, John's vision would have included an account of such a monumental event. His account would have been incomplete without it.
Since "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor 15:50), the Raptured have received their eternal spiritual bodies at this time.
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Note 3 - [BACK]
The Church's Days of Tribulation Have Been Shortened
Speaking about the Church's Days of Tribulation, Jesus said:
For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred
since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and
never will again. And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no life
would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose,
He shortened the days. - Mark 13:19-20
Until God "shortened" the days of Tribulation, the Church would have been required to endure more than the Elect could withstand, at least physically: "no life [of the elect] would have been saved." This is not the will of God so He shortens the length of time that the Church would be required to "overcome". (2:7) He doesn't shorten Tribulation itself; He shortens the length of time the Church will be in it. More precisely, He continues to allow the Church to go through Tribulation, but He will now keep the Church out of Great Tribulation. This fact becomes important a little later in the Revelation timeline.
That Jesus was speaking specifically about events under the Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12 - 7:17), is confirmed by His precise descriptions:
Jesus in Mark:
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and
the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from
heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. ...
Now learn the parable from the fig tree....
Heaven [sky] and earth will pass away.... - Mark 13:24-25,28,31
Jesus (to John) in Revelation:
... the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole
moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a
fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky
was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain
and island was removed from its place. - Rev 6:12-14
In the Mark passage Jesus goes on to say that He doesn't know the exact timing of these events:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. - Mark 13:32
In Revelation Father God has given Him this information (1:1), and He is explaining it now for us, including the Timing which He has now learned.
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Note 4 - [BACK]
Antichrist
As we view Revelation, the term "antichrist" refers to Satan's far-reaching circle of Authority & Power; the sum total of Satan's Antichrist System of all times: All nations; all those with Satan's authority, both fallen angels ("heads") and humans and human agencies ("horns").
In the Bible this term is only used by John the Apostle, and he only uses it five times. Somewhat surprisingly he does not use it in Revelation. For John, the term refers to all that is against Christ; all who deny Christ. But while he applied the term to all who deny the Savior, John also speaks of "the antichrist":
Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it
is already in the world. - 1 John 4:3
John recognized that an especially evil Antichrist will appear at the End of the Age:
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is
coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we
know that it is the last hour. - 1 John 2:18
We know this about Antichrist:
- Certainly a Man of Lawlessness (Sin) is coming at the End of the Age.
- 2 Thes 2:1-12; Rev 13:11-18
- John would agree that this powerful leader is "antichrist".
- Used as a title, the term Antichrist refers to this most powerful,
satanic, last ruler of the Earth.
For our purposes, "antichrist" should be understood to be ALL those who support Satan's evil antichrist system and oppose God's system of Righteousness. The greater amount of Satan's Authority and Power that is possessed by such an entity, the more obviously and directly they are understood to be "antichrist". "Antichrist" as a title refers to the final and ultimate Man of Lawlessness (Sin) who is directly under Satan's control.
SEVEN HEADS: Under Satan's Authority, the Fallen-Angel / Ancient-god Apollo will regain his position of dominance which he previously held. He will no doubt be aided by the six other "heads" as they exert their last and greatest efforts to gain the victory for Satan and establish his eternal kingdom. They believe they can win this war, but if they can't they will give the fight every ounce of their being. At this point they have no other option.
TEN HORNS: The Human Elite proponents of the Antichrist System's New World Order have long held as their fervent desire, belief and goal, to fulfill their satanic dream of world domination. They have long envisioned and strived for a world which is Divided into Ten Major Political / Economic Regions. On occasion they have even called these regions "Kingdoms".
- What is the New World Order?
- How Will The New World Order Come About/ Is It Happening Now?
- Ten Kingdoms
- The 10 Regions of the New World Order
- NWO Plans 10 World Regions: "Ten Horns of the Beast"
Over time the evidence has become increasingly undeniable that these Ten Regions will be managed at the behest of World-Dominating Corporations. A small number of the largest Corporations now possess the vast majority of the world's Wealth and all the Power that comes with it. For some time National Governments have acted as nothing more than servants to these Soulless Corporations, and to the Mean-Spirited People who own and run them. The belief that Corporations will soon become the Ultimate Power behind the world's governance - the New World Order - which we can now clearly see wrenching away our God-Given Freedoms, is not at all a difficult step to take. All that is needed is a scrutinizing look:
- Which Corporations Control The World
- Corporations Running The World
- Corporations - Government Study
- BlackRock & the Vanguard Group
- Control Food - Control People
- United Nations' Hunger Slavery
- This Company Secretly Rules The World
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Note 5 - [BACK]
Antichrist - Man of Sin
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Many harsh evidences against the Roman Catholic church, and against the Pope as its leader, are related on this website. None of this is meant to impugn the character of the many fine Catholic believers. But please Catholic church members: See and understand the history and nature of your organization and ask yourself if the Roman Catholic church could possibly be a true church of Christ.
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The Antichrist System will crescendo as a MAN - the MAN of LAWLESSNESS (SIN) - as Paul affirms:
For it (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes
first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object
of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying
himself as being God. - 2 Thes 2:3-4
The Antichrist MAN of LAWLESSNESS will rule from Jerusalem's Temple, which doesn't exist now (in 2021) and will have to be rebuilt. This Antichrist MAN will be the last Roman Catholic Pope, who (in his view) already takes the place of Christ on earth, proclaiming himself to be Vicarius Filii Dei: Vicar of the Son of God. As in the past (see comments on Rev 12:6) this pope will again have Temporal Power at this time.
- Will (pope) Francis move the Holy See to Jerusalem
- Vatican Now In Control of Jerusalem
- Proof Vatican To Build Israel's Third Temple!
- 666 - The Number of a Man (Vicarius Filii Dei)
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Note 6 - [BACK]
The Church's Days of Tribulation Have Been Shortened
- A Difficulty -
Speaking about the Church's End Time Resurrection and Translation, Paul wrote:
For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive
and remain until the coming of the Lord will not preceed those who
have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who
remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. - 1 Thess 4:15-17
The period of time that Paul is speaking of certainly appears to be right where we are now in our reading (Rev 14) - when Jesus comes in the Clouds of Glory. The 7th and Last Trumpet of the Scroll's 7th Seal (also the Last Trumpet of the Last Sukkot, see v14) will now sound - even as the 144,000 Righteous Israelites ascend to the clouds and into Glory, with their enemies watching as their own "gathering" into God's Wrath awaits (1:7). But the Church isn't here. They were Raptured earlier, with their Days of Tribulation having been shortened just as Jesus said they would be. So we have some sorting out to do:
Clearly, Paul believed that the entire Church would be resurrected and translated, and taken from the earth simultaneously here at Jesus' Second Advent. But since Jesus Himself tells us "He shortened the Days", one or the other, or both of the following are true:
1. Regarding Imminency and Timing, God wanted the early Christians
to be unaware that these events were still far into their future;
2. Paul's understanding was God's original plan until He changed it.
1. Ending the Revelation, Jesus says in chapter 22 vs10-20:
- "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy ... for the time is near."
- "I am coming quickly."
- "Yes, I am coming quickly."
- And then John adds: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
Do you believe it is possible that believers in John's day could have read these words and come away with the understanding that Christ's return would not happen for nearly 2000 years? I do not. They already believed His coming was imminent and these words only confirm that belief.
Jesus tells us that He spoke in parables for the very purpose of hiding details from His listeners. (Matt 13:10-11; Mk 4:33-34)
Whatever one might think is God's intention here, there can be no disputing the fact that the early Christians (Paul and John included) believed Jesus would return quickly; likely even within their lifetime. I submit that God directed this belief in the Lord's imminent Return so believers would remain engaged and vigilant.
2. God can and does change His course of action:
- Then the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold,
they are an obstinate people. So now leave Me alone, that My anger
may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of
you a great nation." [an Extraordinary Change of Plan which Moses
clearly convinces God not to do] Then Moses pleaded with the Lord
his God, and said, "Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your
people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great
power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians talk,
saying, 'With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the
mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn
from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You
swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants
as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken
I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
So the Lord relented [KJV "repented"] of the harm which He said
He would do to His people. - Exodus 32:9-14
The KJV says God "repented". Both words, "relented" and
"repented", mean that God had a change of heart; He changed His
mind; He changed His course of action; He Changed His Plan.
- And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was
about to destroy it, the Lord saw and was sorry [KJV "repented"]
about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel, "It is
enough; now relax your hand." - 1 Chronicles 21:15
- And the Lord regretted [KJV "repented"] that He had made Saul
king over Israel. - 1 Samuel 15:35
- the Lord relented [KJV "repented"] of the disaster which He had
pronounced against them. - Jeremiah 26:19
- they turned from their evil way, then God relented [KJV "repented"]
of the disaster which He had declared He would bring on them. So
He did not do it. - Jonah 3:10
- You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and
abundant in mercy, and One who relents [KJV "repentest"] of
disaster. - Jonah 4:2
See also Genesis 6:1-7; Judges 2:18; 2 Samuel 24:16; Amos 7:1-6
- You do not have because you do not ask. - James 4:2
If God never changes what He will do, why do we pray for Him to
do exactly that, just as this last verse from James instructs us?
As he wrote, Paul thought this event was imminent: "we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord." Paul was wrong about this; but that seems not to be a problem for anyone.
Paul thought this event is to be singular and to include both Translation and Resurrection. Paul was also wrong about this. Should this second lack of clarity now be a problem when the first wasn't?
"SHORTENED" ... MEANS ... CHANGED. What Paul wrote was correct ... when he wrote it. But God later CHANGED IT. Just as Jesus Himself had said would happen.
God reveals what He wants to reveal, in His own good time, to whomever He decides to reveal it. Jesus Himself said the days would be shortened, but added no further detail until He gave His Revelation to John.
That a Rapture of the Church is being described under the Scroll's 6th Seal in Rev 7, and that it occurs prior to the events of His Second Advent under the 7th Seal here in chapter 14, could hardly be more clear.
That the Rapture of the 144,000 Sealed 2nd Advent Messiah Jews, now under the Scroll's 7th Seal; at the 7th Trumpet - the 3rd Woe - the Last Trumpet of the Last Sukkot - is being described in Rev 14, and that it does not include the Church or a resurrection, appears to be similarly clear.
Paul never envisioned these end time events as to happen in this fashion, but he did the best he could with the information that was available to him at that time. One of the two accounts of this event, either Paul's in 1 Thessalonians or Jesus' in His Revelation to John, failed to account for the most complete and latest information that is available to us now. Since Paul did his writing well before this information was received from Jesus through John; and since Jesus is, well, Jesus - God Himself, it is obviously Paul's account which became out of date.
This of course will leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who believe the Bible contains nothing from men; that God basically gave dictation to the writers.
To these people I would pose these questions:
- If a segment of the Bible had been written prior to Adam and Eve's Fall from Grace, do you believe it would have included a prophecy of Noah and the flood?
- If God knew that Adam and Eve would fall from Grace, why did He even place the Tree of Life in the Garden?
- Do you think God had the Flood planned from the beginning, or did His plan change? Which view do you believe this passage supports:
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on
the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was
only evil continually. So the Lord was sorry [KJV "repented"] that He
had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Then the Lord said, "I will wipe out mankind whom I have created
from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling
things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry [KJV "repenteth me"]
that I have made them." - Genesis 6:5-7
- Do you think we can know the mind of God?
Things change. God doesn't change but His plans do change. He "shortened the days" = He changed the plan. This places no indictment upon Paul any more than an hypothesized pre-Fall writer should be indicted for not knowing or writing about the Flood.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The first use of the word "resurrection" in Revelation occurs very near its end, in chapter 20. There is no doubt about precisely what this Resurrection is:
- It is the resurrection of the Righteous.
- It is chronologically placed immediately after Satan's incarceration in
the Abyss, the event which begins the 7th Millennium, and certainly
after completion of the 7-Years End Time, as well as the 7th Seal's
3rd Woe with its Utter Defeat of Satan and his followers.
- There is no Rapture in conjunction with the Resurrection.
- It is described as the "first" Resurrection, and its Timing was Not
Shortened. There was no need for that.
- As was understood from Paul and others, the Resurrection was to
occur in conjunction with the Rapture of the Living Righteous, and
only AFTER Jesus' Second Advent. - 1 Cor 15:20-24; 1 Thess 4:15-17
- So whether one will admit it or not; to believe in a Church-Rapture
that occurs prior to Jesus' Second Advent, or prior the start of the
7th Millennium for that matter; and to believe in a Rapture that does
not occur in conjunction with the Resurrection of the Righteous,
which clearly occurs at the start of the 7th Millennium; is to believe
that Paul's view of the Timing of the Church's Rapture's, which he
expressed in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 . . . Has Been Changed.
Just as Jesus told us it would be.
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The Wrath Of God
God's Final Ending Day of Wrath
Everything Evil Will Soon Be Destroyed
The Scene In Heaven
Your Reward Has Been Granted -
The Scene In Heaven
Suddenly -
The Church Is Raptured To Heaven
The Terms & Symbols of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is not meant to be understood by all; only by those to whom God has given the burning need . . . to know. Adding to this, it is only those who are alive now in the latter days who can attain a fullness of understanding as current events are unfolding and shedding their light of information.
So as to continue to look like "foolishness" [1 Cor 2:14] to the unrighteous, prophecy is often couched in symbolism and hidden meaning, and this most certainly includes Revelation.
If we are going to be able to gain a coherent understanding of what is arguably the Greatest Prophecy, we will need to first understand its Terms and Symbols. Absent this comprehension of terms, attempting to understand the Book itself would be an exercise in futility.
Note that in this glossary, the Terms and Symbols are in boldface and they are individually colored as per the categories they fall within.
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Prophetic Time in Revelation [BACK chap 1] [BACK chap 11]
- Pertaining to Hebrew Prophecy there are 360 Days in a Year, so the prophetic periods of 1260 days, and 42 months, both equal 3.5 Years.
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Important Note: Regarding the three ways in which the two 3.5-Year Time Periods (never actually stated as "3.5 Years") are described in Revelation:
1. 1260 Days - Day-For-A-Year Prophecy;
- I [God] have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year.
- Ezekial 4:6
2. 42 Months - 30 Days/Month (360 Days/Year) Prophecy; and
3. Time, Times + Half a Time - each "Time" equals One Actual Year of
365.25 Days.
- Daniel describes Nebuchadnezzar's seven years of mental disorder
as to occur for "seven periods of time" [NASB] and "till seven times
pass over him" [KJV]. - Daniel 4:16,23,25,32,34
- "The vision ... is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times
far off." - Ezek 12:27
Both Day-For-A-Year Prophecy and 30 Days/Month Prophecy are well understood, but why would a third representation of the 3.5 Years be needed? To deal in real time, which has not otherwise been represented.
Just as with any calendar, if Real Time isn't part of the process, a prophecy is going to quickly become muddled. When Historical Time / Years are spoken of it is in terms of actual full length Years. For example, the amount of Time / Years that Israel was in Egypt: "Now the time that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was 430 years." - Exodus 12:40
We have to be thinking of Time in terms of Actual Years here. Assigning 360 Day Prophetic Years would err by more than 6 Years. Even the 7-Years End Time Prophecy in Revelation would be out by more than a month.
Of course the Lord didn't need to include this Real Time consideration in His Revelation, but it seems clear that He chose to do so, probably for our benefit in understanding and deciphering it. As we will see, a proper understanding of Time, Times + Half a Time is the key to unlocking the anchor point of the entire prophecy.
If we are to be able to follow and understand the timing of the Book of Revelation, we must first understand the three distinct ways in which the Book applies the 3.5 Year time period:
1. 1260 Days: an historical period of 1260 Years tribulation of the Church.
2. 42 Months: 42 months x 30 prophetic days/month = 1260 actual days.
3. Time, Times + Half a Time: 3.5 literal years x 365.25 days/year =
1278 actual days.
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hour
- using Day-For-A-Year 1 Hour is about 2 earthly weeks
- DFAY: 1 Day = 1 Year; 1 Hour = 1/24 Day; 1/24 Year = about 2 weeks
- usually used as a non-prophetic expression indicating an event will happen at
a designated and specific time
- [3:3,10; 9:15; 14:7,15]
one hour
- using Day-For-A-Year this is about 2 earthly weeks
- not always literal; can be used to indicate swiftness; a brief amount of time
- [17:12; 18:10,17,19]
half an hour
- using Day-For-A-Year this is about 1 earthly week
- [8:1]
day(s)
- most often a non-prophetic expression indicating either an actual day(s); or
- prophetically, a period of time taken to complete an event, as in Day of Wrath
- [1:10; 2:10; 6:17; 9:15; 10:7; 11:6; 16:14]
one day
- using Day-For-A-Year this is 1 Year
- [18:8]
1260 days
- using Day-For-A-Year this is 1260 Years
- [11:3; 12:6]
three and a half days
- used literally in Revelation as 3.5 Days
- [11:9,11]
month(s)
- prophetically, 30 Days per Month
- [9:15; 22:2]
five months
- 150 Days
- [9:5,10]
forty-two months
- 1260 Days; 3.5 Years
- [11:2; 13:5]
short time
- the short time of Satan's wrath which occurs through the Seven-Years
End Time
- [12:12]
time, times, and half a time
- three and a half literal Years of 365.25 Days each = 1278 Days
- [12:14]
year(s)
- used only to denote an actual year of 365.25 Days
- [9:15; 20:2,4-7]
Tribulation / Great Tribulation [BACK chap 1] [BACK chap 8]
The Righteous (Israel and the Church) have always had to endure the torment of "tribulation", but "Tribulation" and "Great Tribulation" (as denoted herein) make specific reference to levels of persecution never seen before, which the Righteous will be required to face in the 7-Years End Time leading to Jesus' Second Advent [Matt 24:21].
Satan's intended purpose with his tribulation is to attack, discourage, diminish and destroy God's followers, apparently thinking that if everyone on Earth belongs to him, God loses. This hasn't worked for him in the past as God's followers have consistently flouished under the strain of tribulation. Nevertheless he is about to elevate this strategy to unprecedented levels.
God's purpose in allowing Satan's final and greatest Tribulation to occur is, as in the past, to cultivate a truly Righteous people who will not bend or break under Satan's depravity and persecution, but who will instead become a truly spectacular vision of God's sovereignty for the Universe to behold. God will turn Satan's plan on its head and use it for His own purposes, just as He did with Satan's plan to destroy the Son of God upon the cross.
"Tribulation" and "Great Tribulation" are terms specifically related to God's righteous people on earth, the Church and Israel respectively. These terms denote the Undeserved Wrath of Satan being rained down upon the Righteous. They have nothing to do with Judgment, which is the very much Deserved Wrath of God upon the Unrighteous [Rev 16:5-7].
"Tribulation" of the Church - The First 3.5 Years - 1260 Days - of the 7-Years End Time under the AUTHORITY of God's Two Witnesses.
Tribulation BEGINS when Jesus breaks the 1st Seal of the Scroll [Rev 6].
Tribulation ENDS when the Church is Raptured (Supernaturally removed from the Earth to Heaven) at the end of the 6th Seal, and an Asteroid Strikes, marking the opening of the 7th Seal and releasing Satan's Apollo who then receives AUTHORITY [Rev 7-9].
"Great Tribulation" of Israel - The Second 3.5 Years - 1260 Days - of the 7-Years End Time under the Authority of Satan's Apollo.
Great Tribulation BEGINS when Jesus breaks the Scroll's 7th Seal with 7 Trumpets, and the Asteroid Strikes, immediately unfolding the 1st 4 Trumpets. This frees Apollo who is given AUTHORITY to then Torment (5th Trumpet, 1st Woe) and Kill (6th Trumpet, 2nd Woe) the 144,000 Sealed Israelites [Rev 8-9].
Great Tribulation ENDS when the 7th Seal's 7th (LAST) Trumpet sounds at Jesus' appearance "on a white cloud." He now Raptures Israel, the last of the Redeemed on Earth, thereby ending Great Tribulation and clearing the way for the destruction of the ungodly at His soon to follow return "upon a white horse" at His Second Advent - God's Final Wrath - under the 7th Trumpet (3rd Woe) [Rev 14:14].
Demarcation Event - The event which separates Tribulation from Great Tribulation. The midpoint of the 7-Years End Time with 3.5 years of End Time Trouble for the Righteous - 1260 Days - both before and after it. It marks the transferring of Earthly Authority from God's Two Witnesses to Satan's Apollo WHEN THE ASTEROID STRIKES [Rev 8].
The 7-Years End Time of Trouble for the Righteous is the time of Testing of the saints. It consists of Tribulation (3.5 Years) plus Great Tribulation (3.5 Years). It begins when Tribulation begins, and ends when Great Tribulation ends.
After this the 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet, the 3rd Woe - God's Final Wrath of Judgment - will occur, occupying a further 190 Days to the End of God's 6th Millennium.
- [1:9; 2:9-10; 2:22; 7:14]
- [Note the repeated use of "great" beginning at the 6th Seal which heralds the Great Tribulation of the 7th Seal, 5th Trumpet, 1st Woe: 6:12,13,17; 7:9; 8:8,10; 9:2,14; 11:8,11,13,17,18,19; 12:1,3,9,12,14; 13:2,13,16; 14:8; continuing through God's Wrath of the 7th Seal, 7th Trumpet, 3rd Woe: 14:19; 15:1,3; 16:12,14,18,19; 17:1,5,6,18; 18:1,2,10,16,17,18,19,21; 19:1,2,5,6,17,18; 20:1; and then through the 7th Millennium and beyond: 20:11,12; 21:10,12,16]
SEE: Pause ... - 1260 Years of tribulation (small "t") - Rev 12
SEE: Pause ... - Tribulation (large "T") - The 1st 3.5 Years - Rev 12
SEE: Pause ... - Great Tribulation - The 2nd 3.5 Years - Rev 13
The Righteous; Israel & the Church [BACK]
144,000
- signifying fulness / completion / perfection; symbolizing a very large number
- always used in reference to the Righteous of Israel or the Church
- [7:4; 14:1,3; compare 21:17]
144,000 (Sealed of Israel)
- Israelites who have the seal of God in the Great Tribulation [7:3-8]
- having accepted (Jesus) the Messiah because of events they expect to play
out at His Second Advent, they come to learn of First Advent Messiah and
to trust in Redemption through the Blood of the Lamb [15:1-4]
- [7:4; compare 21:17]
apostle(s)
- specifically, Jesus' twelve disciples
- more generally, highly dedicated laborers for Jesus such as Paul
- see also saints; bond-servants; prophets
- [2:2; 18:20; 21:14]
bond-servant(s)
- The Righteous of (Old Covenant) Israel who revered and had faith in Second
Advent Messiah
- Hebrew members of the Church; Christian believers of Jewish heritage
- Hebrews who were (or still are) under the Old Covenant Law, Israel;
[Paul's writings; Romans 8]
- In John's day the Church was largely made up of bond-servants and, in
umbrella-like fashion through association, the term is also occasionally used
inclusive of Gentile believers
- see also saints; apostles, prophets
- [1:1; 2:20; 7:3; 11:18; 15:3; 19:2,5; 22:3,6]
bride; wife
- Biblically: Righteous of both the Church & Israel who have been Raptured
out of the 7-Years End Time of Trouble to Heaven, and there Prepared as
Jesus' Bride; then to descend in the New Jerusalem to the New Earth, to
there spend eternity with her Groom - King Jesus
- Traditionally: all the Righteous after having been Redeemed and Consecrated
to their Savior, the Groom - King Jesus; while this may subsequently occur,
the Bible appears to be silent regarding this tradition
- the New Jerusalem as adornment for / with the Redeemed [21, esp v2]
- see also woman
- [19:7; 1823; 21:2,9-14; 22:17]
church(es)
- true believers; Christians; those who have accepted both First Advent Jesus
and Second Advent Jesus as their Messiah, Redeemer and God
- this includes saints and can include bond-servants
- not all "members" of a church are part of the Church
- [1:4,11,20; 2:1,7,8,11,12,17,18,23,29; 3:1,6,7,13,14,22; 22:16]
from every tribe, language, people, and nation (and similar language)
- generally refers to the population of the Earth but, as determined by context,
can refer to Christ's Church when speaking of believers
- includes saints and those bond-servants who are following First Advent
Jesus
- [5:9; 7:9]
Israel
- nation of Israel; God's chosen people; the Righteous ones of Israel
- also tribe of Israel, Judah, Reuben, etc.
- also sons of Israel
- [2:14; 7:4-8; 21:12]
lampstand(s), (seven)
- symbol for an individual church; Gentile believers; the Church proper
including 1st Advent Messiah bond-servants, [1:1,20]
- "menorah" in the Old Testament - a central piece within God's Temple, and
so lampstand is in close harmony with Spiritual Israel
- also signifying the seven spirits of God [4:5] working in the Church [5:6]
- the Righteous ones of both the Church (primarily) and Israel; see olive tree
- the two witnesses (in the Tribulation) as they represent the Church
- [1:12,13,20; 2:1,5; 11:4]
olive tree
- the Righteous ones of both Israel (primarily) and the Church; see lampstand
- the two witnesses (in the Tribulation) as they represent Israel
- [11:4; compare Zech 4, esp vs11-14; Romans 11, esp vs16-24]
one
- an earthly / human follower under the authority of God / Jesus / The One
- see also one; compare one
- [1:3; 2:7,11,17,26,29; 3:5,6,12,13,20,21,22; 7:14; 13:9,17; 14:4; 16:15; 20:6; 21:6,7; 22:7,8,11,17]
prophecy, prophesy(ing)
- the foretelling of future events as they are revealed by God
- particularly as they reveal Jesus, the ultimate purpose of the Scriptures and
the very reason for the Book of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." (1:1)
- "the testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy" (19:10)
- see also witnesses
- [1:2; 10:11; 11:3,6; 19:10; 22:7,10,18,19]
prophet(s)
- the Righteous of (Old Covenant) Israel who were under God's authority and
used by God to deliver His prophecies to the people
- these revered and had faith in both First and Second Advent Messiah
- see also bond-servant, saint; compare prophetess, false prophet
- [10:7; 11:18; 16:6; 18:20; 22:6,9]
saints
- the Righteous of the Church; believers in First Advent Jesus who trust in
Redemption by the Blood of the Lamb
- also bond-servants who have attained this understanding and belief
- see also apostles, prophets
- [5:8; 8:3-5; 11:18; 13:7,10; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6; 18:20,24; 19:7; 20:9]
testimony (of Jesus Christ)
- by default, testimony IS testimony of Jesus Christ (1:2,9)
- Truth of Jesus Christ, venerated and attested to by His Righteous followers
- the reason these receive Tribulation / Great Tribulation from Satan
- "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (19:10), therefore:
- prophecy, the purpose of Revelation, IS the explaining of Jesus Christ
- [1:2,9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11,17; 15:5; 19:10; 20:4]
white
- symbol of Righteousness, esp. of heavenly beings and the Righteous within
the Church on earth
- [1:14; 2:17; 3:4,5,18; 4:4; 6:2,11; 7:9,13-14; 14:14; 19:11,14; 20:11]
white robes; white garments
- symbol of Righteousness worn by heavenly beings and granted to
"overcomers" [3:4-5,18] within the Church
- "These are the ones who come out of [are removed from] the great
tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb." [7:14]
- only the Righteous of the Church have washed their robes "white in the
blood of the Lamb" - 1st Advent Jesus; Israel has not done this
- [3:4-5,18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9,13-14; 22:14]
witnesses (two); also two prophets; witnesses of Jesus
- each of them are symbolized as both olive trees and lampstands [11:4],
representing both Israel and the Church
- they first minister with authority to the Church in the 3.5 years Tribulation;
then minister without authority to Israel in the 3.5 years Great Tribulation
- they are almost certainly elders
- clearly portrayed as persons who have God's authority through Tribulation
but who are also subjected to Satan's wrath through Great Tribulation
- they are prophets; they are clothed; they are mortal; and they have power
to perform miracles similar to Moses in Egypt [11:3-7]
- many believe these Two Witnesses to be Moses and Elijah, who were with
Jesus at His transfiguration [Matt 17:1-3]: Moses was resurrected [Jude 9] and is a
symbol of the assurrance of the resurrection; and Elijah was translated
[2 Kings 2:11] and is a symbol of the assurrance of the Rapture
- both of these giants of our faith are now alive in heaven and certainly nothing
prevents God from tasking them in this manner
- [11:3,10; 17:6]
__________
two witnesses / prophets - Important Note: The two witnesses are prophets who are described as having the specific purpose of testimony (11:7). In Revelation those who are witnesses, are witnesses of Jesus (17:6); "testimony" is exclusively in reference to testifying to the Truth of Jesus Christ; and "the testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy." (19:10) The two witnesses perform their prophecy and their testimony of Jesus in Jerusalem, (ch11) the centerpoint of everything to do with Israel. They are present through the seven years of the End Time, and their task is to edify the testimony of Jesus, as presented by the prophets of old, to all the world, but most particularly to the people of Israel. It is this testimony of Jesus which will lead the 144,000 sealed of Israel into the true knowledge and understanding of the First Advent Messiah - Jesus, and the Salvation He purchased with His sacrifice. When Jesus' "righteous acts have been revealed" (15:4), and "the blood" of Jesus (5:9) is fully understood and embraced, Israel will then be ready for their glorious redemption.
__________
woman
- representation of ALL the Righteous of humanity in the form of a Spiritually
Righteous woman
- at first representing Israel, the gate through which the Gentiles have now
gained salvation; and then later the Church [comp Rom 11, esp v11]
- her crown of twelve stars represents Israel's twelve tribes
- she gives birth to Jesus who of course came out of Israel, and in so doing
she also gave birth to the Church
- after Israel rejected 1st Advent Messiah, the woman, still representing the
Righteous, now represents Christ's Church, the foundation
[Matt 7:24-25; 16:18] (article) upon which Israel's salvation now rests
- her crown of twelve stars now represents Jesus', and so the Church's
twelve disciples
- compare the New Jerusalem's foundations and gates: [Rev 21, esp vs12-14]
- see also bride; compare woman
- [12:1-6,13-17]
God and His Realm [BACK]
abyss
- chamber in the bowels of the earth where God, at His discression, imprisons
the worst of the fallen angels; those who are degenerate beyond that which
God allows [see Luke 8:30-31; 1 Peter 3:18-20; Rev 20:1-3, 7]
- this is not the Lake of Fire, Hell, Hades, etc.
- [9:1-2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3]
angel
- messenger / representative of God with His authority
- see also star; compare angel
- [1:1,20; 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,5,7,14; 5:2,11; 7:2,11; 8:2-13; 9:1,13,14;10:1,5-10; 11:15; 12:7;
14:6,8-10,15,17-19; 15:1,6-8; 16:1-12,17; 17:1,7; 18:1,21; 19:17; 20:1; 21:9,12,17; 22:6,8,16]
authority
- authority / permission / enablement / power granted by Father God / Jesus
- those with authority / control over earthly events and subject to God's will
- see also key; compare authority
- [2:26, 27; 6:8; 11:3; 12:10; 13:5; 18:1]
bowl
- symbolic container carrying items such as incense or plagues
- [5:8; 16:1-12,17; 17:1; 21:9]
creature(s), (living, four)
- unique beings who attend God around His throne
- appearing as a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle; all have six wings
and are full of eyes
- creature #1, lion [4:7; 6:1] - God's others [5:5; 10:3]; Satan's [9:8,17; 13:2]
- creature #2, calf [4:7; 6:3] - God's others [none]; Satan's [none]
- creature #3, man [4:7; 6:5] - God's others [1:13; 14:14]; Satan's [9:7; 13:18]
- creature #4, eagle [4:7; 6:7; 8:13] - God's others [12:14]; Satan's [none]
- [4:6-9; 5:6,8,11,14; 6:1-7; 7:11; (8:13); 14:3; 15:7; 19:4]
crown
- a sign of authority / power from God
- compare crown
- [2:10; 3:11; 4:4,10; 6:2; 12:1; 14:14; 19:12]
Death, death, dead, die
- Death is the Ending of Life; a necessary addition to God's authority after
Adam & Eve chose to be subject to Satan's authority instead of God's
- Jesus holds the "key" (authority / power) to Death [1:18]
- death: having died under God's authority
- What is the meaning of death generally?
- death is subject to Jesus' authority / power [1:18; 20:6,14]
- Jesus conquered death [1:5,18; 2:8]
- we are exhorted to be faithful until death [2:10]; (but if we are still alive after
death, why are we not exhorted to still be faithful after death?)
- when the two witnesses died for 3.5 days [11:8-11] we aren't told that they
went anywhere; Why? Because they were dead. They were alive again
only when God gave them His breath of Life after 3.5 days.
- the righteous dead are resting [14:13]
- none of the dead have life in any form until they are resurrected [20:5]
- the dead are resurrected from the sea, Death and Hades [20:13], not from
heaven or anywhere else
- "Death" & "Hades" are metaphorical descriptions; they are personifications
eg: riding a horse [6:8]; also Rev 20:13-14:
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead
who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the
lake of fire.
Not understanding this to be metaphor requires the reader to believe:
- the dead who died in the sea remain there; they don't go to Hades;
- some of the dead remain in Death and are also not in Hades;
- Death and Hades are alive until they receive the second death.
- just as sin entering the world made it necessary for God to create . . .
- an end to life - Death - which also meant a need for . . .
- a place to bury the dead - Hades . . . after God eradicates sin . . .
- death is ended [21:4] and so Death & Hades come to an end [20:14] . . .
- the absence of death results in no more Death . . .
- the absence of death results in no place where the dead are buried
- Important: review Hades; compare death
- [1:5,18; 2:8,10; 6:8; 11:8,9; 12:11; 14:13; 20:13,14; 21:4]
deeds; labors
- Righteous actions / works / behavior inspired by a love for God
- the Righteousness of Jesus as it is applied for the purpose of redemption, to
the people who follow Him and who strive for deeds of Righteousness
- compare deeds
- [2:2,5,19,26; 3:8; 14:13]
elders(s), (twenty-four)
- the term elder suggests humanness, as in church elder
- these appear to be heavenly representatives of the Church; they wear the
white garments of the Church [4:4] which are granted to "overcomers" [3:5],
so they would be glorified humans
- however, the 24 have also been given thrones [4:4], just as the Righteous
- Israel and the Church - are given upon their Resurrection [20:1-6]
- the number 24 is 12 x 2 which harkens to both Israel (12 gates) and the
Church (12 foundations) [see woman]
- The 24 elders around God's throne appear to be those who were resurrected
with Jesus. This resurrection was small and local: "Also the tombs were
opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were
raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they
entered the holy city and appeared to many." [Matt 27:52-53]
- when they were living, these saints had the rare (in their time) understanding,
hope, belief and faith in their yet to come 1st Advent Messiah / Redeemer
- Jesus, and it appears that these honored Old Covenant Hebrews, who were
spiritually prepared to enter heaven, are the 24 elders
- [4:4,10; 5:5,6,8,11,14; 7:11,13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4]
eye(s)
- symbol of spirit entity with great authority under God [5:6]
- God's / Jesus' / spirtual entities' great ability of spiritual discernment
- ability of the Righteous to "see" spiritually
- note that Satan falsifies almost everything of God, but does not have eyes
- see also head, horn, lamps of fire
- [1:14; 2:18; 3:18; 4:6,8; 5:6; 19:12]
forehead(s)
- in the Righteous, a strongly held belief; conviction, determination
- indicating agreement; belief; commitment; support
- note that the beliefs of the Righteous are not described as being in the hand
as they are with the Unrighteous
- the Righteous are not said to be physically marked like the Unrighteous, but
this may be the case
- compare forehead; right hand; mark
- [7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 20:4; 22:4]
Hades
- the place where the dead are buried; the earth; the ground
- the dead are resurrected from the sea, Death and Hades (the earth) [20:13],
not from heaven or anywhere else
- "Death" & "Hades" are metaphorical descriptions; they are personifications
eg: riding a horse [6:8]
- just as sin entering the world made it necessary for God to create . . .
- an end to life - Death - which also meant a need for . . .
- a place to bury the dead - Hades . . . after God eradicates sin . . .
- death is ended [21:4] and so Death & Hades come to an end [20:14] . . .
- the absence of death results in no more Death . . .
- the absence of death results in no place where the dead are buried
- Important: review Death
- [1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14]
__________
Hades - Important Note: With a single exception in Luke 16:19-31, nothing descriptive is said in the New Testament about "Hades". The Luke passage is a parable; one of many which Jesus employed to teach important truths during His earthly ministry [Matt 13:3-13]. In fact to Jesus, parables were an indispensable teaching method: "Jesus ... did not speak anything to [the people] without a parable." [Matt 13:34]
By definition a parable is not literal truth; but rather a metaphorical representation of a singularly important truth. If we mistakenly choose to take His parables literally we would be forced to believe that Jesus taught:
- people are "salt" [Matt 5:13]
- people are a burning "light" [Matt 5:14]
- people can have a "log" in their eye [Matt 7:4-5]
- people are "seeds"; Jesus sows "good seed"; believers are "good seed"; the
world is a "field"; the unrighteous are "weeds"; the devil sows "weeds"; the end
of the age is a "harvest"; angels are "reapers" who gather "weeds" which they
will throw into a "furnace" [Matt 13:18-23; 36-42]
- people are "weeds" and "wheat" [Matt 13:24-30]
- the kingdom of heaven is a "tree" for "birds" to "nest" in [Matt 13:31-32]
- access to the kingdom of heaven can be bought [Matt 13:44-46]
- pharisees are "blind" [Matt 15:12-14]
- people are "sheep" [Matt 18:12-14]
- believers will only be allowed to enter heaven if they are "virgins" with "lamps"
which have sufficient "oil" [Matt 25:1-13]
- believers will only enter heaven if they made wise investments and bring
"gold" [Matt 25:14-30]
And so on with many more examples.
The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31] also cannot be taken literally in its detail. Although it does speak metaphorically of Hades as a place of torment, the Truth which the parable is actually speaking on is; People are so committed to their sin that even though One will rise from the dead, many will choose not to believe. [Luke 16:31]
Again, if we choose to take this parable literally we must believe:
- If we are poor and afflicted, when we die we will be carried away by angels
into Abraham's arms; to some place [not heaven: John 3:13] where we can see
across a great chasm and watch merciless torment of the rich.
- If we are rich and pampered, when we die we will be buried in the ground
where we are conscious and tormented (even though this is not stated without
metaphor anywhere in scripture); where we can watch the poor receiving
comfort in Abraham's arms (Does Abraham have room in his arms for all the
poor?); and where we can speak with Abraham and beg him for mercy which
cannot be granted.
Do we really want to dream up a scenario where this represents the afterlife? I know I don't. More importantly, what does the Bible have to say about this?
The Old Testament does give descriptive information on Hades (Sheol) as:
- the "ground" or "earth" [Num 16:30-34]; where "the dead are" [Prov 9:18]; and where
the dead "vanish" [Job 7:9]
- "darkness"; "the grave"; "maggot"; "dust" [Job 17:13-16]
- "maggots" and "worms" [Isaiah14:11]
- "dead do not know anything"; "forgotten"; "perished"; "no longer" do anything;
"no activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol [the grave] where you
are going" [Eccl:9:5-6,10]
- place where the "wicked" go and are "silent" [Ps 31:17]; and to where they will
"return" after their "judgment" [Psalm 9:15-20]
- place where the righteous go, and "hide", "conceal(ed)" until God's Day of
Wrath when they are only then "remember(ed)" [Job 14:13]
- place from which the righteous are "rescue(d)", and where they cannot
"praise" God [Ps 6:4-5]
- place from where the righteous will be "redeem(ed)" [Psalm 49:15];
"ransom(ed)" "from death" [Hosea 13:14]
If we are willing to take the Bible at face value the meaning of "Hades" or "Sheol" becomes clear. (see also What is Salvation?)
__________
head(s)
- symbol for spirit entity with great authority under God; God / Jesus Himself
- when heads wear crowns this indicates particularly great authority
- see also Jesus Savior with a crown [14:14 saving a single nation] and
Jesus Conqueror with many crowns [19:12 judging many nations] on His head
- see also eye, horn, lamps of fire; compare head
- [4:4; 10:1; 12:1; 14:14; 19:12;]
horn(s)
- symbol for spirit entity or human with great authority under God [5:6]
- when horns wear crowns this indicates particularly great authority
- see also eye, head, lamps of fire; compare horn
- [5:6; 9:13]
judgment, judge(d) [BACK]
- God's Judgment, which is delivered in 3 ways on 3 different occasions,
as determined by biblical context:
- 1st: punitive Final Wrath of God upon the Unrighteous; the 7th Seal's
7th Trumpet; the 3rd Woe; the 7 Last Plagues of the 7 Bowls
- [6:10; 14:7; 16:5-7; 17:1; 18:8-10,20; 19:2]
- especially the 7th Bowl; Jesus Conqueror [19:11]
- this Judgment occurs when the 7 Angels of the 7th Trumpet, of the 7th
Seal, pour out the 7 Bowls of God's 7 Plagues and Jesus Conqueror wins
the Battle of Armageddon
- [16; 18:8-19:16] - see also wrath (God's Day of)
- 2nd: informal 7th Millennium judgment of Satan and the Unrighteous
performed by the resurrected saints who reign with Jesus, in order for the
latter to understand the justice of God's Judgment upon the unrepentant.
- [11:18; 20:4-6]
- 3rd: after the 7th Millennium, the formal "courtroom" Legal Judgment
of the Unrighteous which takes place before God on His Great White Throne,
and ends with the eternal consequences of the second death
- [11:15-19; 20:11-15]
- [6:10; 11:18; 14:7; 16:5,7; 17:1; 18:8,10,20; 19:2,11; 20:4,12-13]
key(s)
- authority; particularly of Jesus
- [1:18; 3:7; 9:1; 20:1]
lamp(s) (of fire), (seven)
- symbol for spirit entity with great authority under God
- the 7 spirits of God [4:5]; 7 lamps resting on the 7 lampstands of the
Church witnessing to the Earth [5:6]
- see also eye, head, horn
- [4:5; 18:23; compare 21:23; 22:5]
name (of God; of the Father; of Jesus)
- the names of all entities under God's authority
- the names which are above all others, beloved by the Righteous and
despised by the Unrighteous
- the names for which the Righteous are willing to suffer through tribulation,
Tribulation, and Great Tribulation [2:2-3]
- the names which mark the foreheads of the Righteous [3:12; 14:1; 22:4]
- see also seal (of God; sealing the Righteous); compare mark, name
- [2:3,13,17; 3:1-8,12; 6:8; 8:11; 11:18; 13:6; 14:1; 15:4; 16:9; 19:12,13,16; 21:12,14,27; 22:4]
one (someone; anyone; etc.)
- Father God [11:17]
- a spiritual / heavenly being under the authority of Father God / Jesus
- see also One; one; compare one
- [5:4; 6:1,2,5,8; 7:13; 11:1,17; 14:3,9,18; 15:7,8; 16:5; 17:1; 19:12; 21:9,15,21]
plague(s) (seven last)
- instrument of God's punitive, final, ending wrath / judgment
- compare plague
- [2:23; 6:8; 11:6; 15:1,6-8: 16:9,21; 18:4,8; 21:9; 22:18]
power
- authority; the ability to take action which requires authority from God
- see also crown, trumpet, thunder; comp authority
- [3:8; 4:11; 5:12; 7:12; 11:6,17; 12:10; 14:18; 15:8; 16:8,9; 19:1; 20:6]
rest (of the Righteous)
- after physical death, to await while God prepares for one's Resurrection
- the non-conscious state one is in while dead (often compared to a
dreamless sleep) and awaiting their eternal reward (more information)
- the dead have rest in the assurance of eternal life
- compare no rest
- [6:11; 14:13]
right hand
- indicating an elevated position / authority / power, as in right hand man
- [ see Gen 48:17; Ex 15:6,12; 29:20; Lev 14:14-29; Deut 33:2; Psalm 16:8,11; 17:7; 18:35; 20:6; 21:8;
48:10; 60:5; 74:11; 78:54; 89:13; 98:1; 108:6; 110:1,5; 118:15,16; and many more]
- compare hand; right hand (regarding the mark)
- [1:16,17,20; 2:1; 5:1,7; 10:5; 20:4]
scroll (sealed with seven seals)
- a sealed heavenly document which only Jesus is worthy to open
- Jesus' Revelation given to the Apostle John
- given to Jesus by the Father to inform Him of things previously known only to
the Father [1:1]
- what did the Father know that Jesus didn't? ... TIMING:
"But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." - Matt 24:36
- Jesus now gives new information to John and so to us. As revealed in
Revelation, new information will include previously unknown facts pertaining to
the Nature, Sequence and Timing of End Time events. [see Rev 1:1-3]
- much of this new information can not be fully understood until the End Time
draws near and more new information is added: "So you too, when you
see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the
door." - Mark 13:29
- [5:1-9]
scroll (little, open, with seven thunders)
- a heavenly document that is not sealed; already open
- revealed by a "strong" angel to John, saying there is more "bitter" prophecy
still to come, and not to reveal to us everything he was told at this time
- [10:1-11]
seal (of God; sealing the Scroll)
- God's prohibition from knowing a particular thing, as in sealed information
- it can only be broken / removed by God; The One who is Worthy: Jesus [5:1-10]
- [5:1,2,5,9; 6:1,3,5,7,9,12; 8:1; 10:4; 22:10]
seal (of God; sealing the Righteous)
- that which seals the Righteous under God's authority
- the Names of Jesus and the Father [14:1]
- compare mark (of the beast), name
- [7:2-8; 9:4]
__________
sealing the Righteous - Important Note: The Sealed 144,000 are "sons of Israel" and are of the Jewish faith which has steadfastly rejected First Advent Jesus as their Messiah. The Messiah they've been waiting for, and The One they accept as Messiah is He who will come in all Power and Glory - Second Advent Jesus. These 144,000 are Sealed and left on the earth because they are not yet spiritually ready to be taken to their reward in heaven alongside those of the Church who are about to be Raptured.
What does it mean to be Sealed? A document is Sealed to keep it out of the hands of those who would misuse and abuse it. Wine is bottled and Sealed to give it the time it needs to mature and to reach perfection. The 144,000 Israelites are Sealed to keep them out of Satan's hands; and they are Sealed to give them the time they need to Mature into the Faith of Jesus and to become Perfect in Him. Then they will be Ready For Their Redemption with its Eternal Reward.
Notice that at the time these 144,000 are Sealed, they are "the bond-servants of our God" (indicating the Father) and not of Jesus since they have not yet accepted Jesus as their First Advent Messiah. Being Sealed and remaining on Earth affords them the time they need for this Mystery to be revealed, and for them to come into a full understanding that it was by Jesus' shed "blood" that ALL the Redeemed have been "purchased ... for God" [5:9; 14:3], and thereby also accept First Advent Jesus as their Messiah (comp Rev 11).
As with the number seven, twelve is symbolic of Completion [12:1; 21:12 - 22:2]. 144,000 is also symbolic of Completion, but in great numbers (12 Tribes x 12,000), and so it is symbolic of an actual number of Sealed persons much greater than 144,000. This is similar to God's 7000-Year Timeline itself
(7 Years x 1000). The End Time 7 Years we are studying is the Last 7 Years prior to the Last 1000 Years. And in turn, God's completed 7000-Year Timeline is symbolic of our reward of Eternity in His perfect Re-Creation.
__________
seal (of God: locking; confining; imprisoning)
- sealing Satan in the abyss
- [20:3]
smoke
- symbol of a Righteous entity's or person's character, especially in perpetuity
- Important: compare smoke
- [8:4; 15:8]
spirit(s), (seven)
- beings with great authority under God to carry out His will on Earth [5:6], who
can inhabit and direct a Righteous person or church
- God's Holy Spirit, who also fulfills these purposes
- see also eye, head, horn, lamp of fire; compare spirit
- [1:4,10; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:1,6,13,22; 4:2,5; 5:6; 14:13; 17:3; 19:10; 21:10; 22:6,17]
star
- symbol for angel [1:20]
- an actual star, asteroid, heavenly body
- [1:16,20; 2:1; 3:1; 6:13; 8:10,11,12;12:1]
thunder
- evidence of having authority from God
- speech requiring authority from God
- the evidence of speaking / acting with such authority
- see also trumpet, crown, power
- [4:5; 6:1; 8:5; 10:3,4; 11:19; 14:2; 16:18; 19:6]
trumpet
- the instrument itself in heavenly hands
- a loud, authoritative voice or proclamation from God or through His agents
- see also thunder, crown, power
- [1:10; 4:1; 8:2,6,13; 9:14]
water(s) (of life) (spring, river, sea)
- water: people, usually in large numbers; nations; ultimately under God's
authority
- [1:15; 10:2,5,8; 12:12; 13:1; 14:2; 19:6]
- voice like water: authority over the nations
- water of life: the gift from Jesus of spiritual sustenance given freely to any
who ask; salvation; eternal life
- [7:17; 21:6; 22:1,17]
- bodies of water [5:13; 7:1-3; 8:8-11; 9:14; 10:6 11:6; 14:7; 16:3-5,12; 18:17,19,21; 20:13; 21:1]
- compare water
woe(s) (three) [BACK]
- Trumpets 5, 6 & 7 of the 7 Trumpets of the Scroll's 7th and final Seal; the
first 4 Trumpets having seen immediate fulfillment with asteroid Apophis
- 3.5 Years - 1260 Days - of Satan's wrath Great Tribulation (woes 1 & 2)
followed by 190 Days of God's Wrath (woe 3) totaling 1450 Days
- woes denote the fury of Wrath (Satan's & God's) and, because they all occur
under God's ultimate authority, the 3 woes comprise God's Day of Wrath
- woes 1 & 2 - God releases Satan to conduct his ultimate and final wrath
upon the Righteous, ending with the death and resurrection of the Two
Witnesses and the Rapture of the last of the Righteous on earth, the living
remnant of the Sealed 144,000 of Israel, at the glorious return of Second
Advent Messiah - Jesus Savior - precisely at the end of the 7-Years End
Time
- woe 3 - God releases His own ultimate and Final Wrath [15:1], the Seven
Bowls of His Seven Last Plagues upon the Unrighteous, with the
glorious appearing of - Jesus Conqueror - who leads the armies of Heaven,
winning the 190 Day Battle of Armageddon.
- see also judgment
- [8:13; 9:12; 11:14; 18:10,16,19]
word(s)
- prophecy / instruction / testimony spoken by God or under His authority
- see also Word; compare word
- [1:3; 3:8,10; 12:11; 17:17; 19:9; 21:5; 22:6-10,18-19]
wormwood
- biblical name (meaning poison) of the asteroid (star) guided by God which
smashes into the Earth at the 1st 4 Trumpets of the 7th Seal [8:7-12]
- [8:11]
wrath (of God)
- God's ferocious and final destruction of evil [15:1] levelled against Satan and
Earth's last remaining Unrighteous, conducted under the third woe
- compare wrath
- [6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15]
wrath (Day of; Lord's Day; Great Day of God)
- the 6th Seal's great earthquake portends the beginning of God's Day of
Wrath, [6:12-17]; after Divine Preparation . . .
- the Sealing of the 144,000 of Israel [7:1-8], and
- the Rapture of the Church [7:9-17]
- God's Day of Wrath is the period of Time which occurs from the breaking
of the 7th Seal onward when the 7 Trumpets sound [8:1-6]
- Trumpets 1 - 4 see immediate fulfillment with the impact of asteroid
Apophis in one instantaneous event; [8:7-12]
- after which wrath continues through Trumpets 5 - 7, the 3 Woes [8:13 - 9:21]
- woes 1 & 2 are Satan's wrath, allowed under God's ultimate authority
[9:4-5,13-15; 13:5]; these comprise the 1260 Days of Great Tribulation of the
Sealed 144,000 Saints of Israel
- woe 3 is God's Final Wrath [15:1] lasting 190 Days and followed by His
Judgment & Reward [11:15-19]
- [1:10; 6:17; 16:14]
Sacred Numerology [BACK]
six
- the number of Man; signifying lack of perfection / emptiness / incompleteness /
corruption; especially when speaking spiritually
- the man Adam was created on Day 6
- often but not always the literal number 6
- I refer to it as Man's "Imperfect-6", and it is a reminder that only God is God
- see also six hundred and sixty-six
- [13:18]
seven
- the number of God; signifying perfection / fulness / completion / incorruptibility;
especially regarding spiritual constructs of God and Heaven
- often but not always the literal number 7
- this is a highly significant and highly used number throughout the Bible, and
most certainly in Revelation; I refer to it as God's "Perfect-7", and it is an
ever-present reminder that it is God who is in charge and who is conducting
His ongoing interaction with mankind
- [1:4,11,12,16,20; 2:1; 3:1; 4:5; 5:1,5,6; 6:1; 8:1,2,6; 10:3,4,7; 11:13,15; 12:3; 13:1; 15:1,6-8;
16:1,17; 17:1,3,7,9-11; 21:9]
twelve, 144 (12 x 12)
- signifying fulness / completion / perfection; especially relating to the Righteous
on Earth
- often but not always the literal number 12
- [7:5-8; 12:1; 21:12-17,21; 22:2]
144,000
- signifying fulness / completion / perfection; symbolizing a very large number
- see 144,000, 144,000 (Sealed of Israel)
Satan and His Realm [BACK]
angel
- messenger of Satan; Satan's representative under His authority but
ultimately subject to God's authority
- see also locust; compare angel
- [7:1-2; 9:11,14,15; 12:7,9]
authority
- authority / permission / enablement / power granted by Satan
- compare authority
- [13:2,4,7,12; 17:12,13]
Babylon - see woman
beast (false prophet; image of the beast)
- symbol of all that is evil, corrupt, satanic; including spiritual entities, persons,
corporations, nations, governmental / financial / religious institutions etc.
- Satan's antichrist system throughout the ages;
- especially as personified by the angel Apollo and by the final Pope of the
Roman Catholic church
- beast from the sea, denoted: [sea]beast; [antichrist]
- [11:7; 13:1-4,11-18; 14:9-11; 15:2; 16:2,10,13; 17:3,7-17; 19:19,20; 20:4,10]
- beast from the earth, denoted: [earth]beast; false prophet
- [13:11-18; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10]
- image of the [sea]beast: a spiritless Clone or Artificial Intelligence entity
created by man; it is not thrown into the Lake of Fire with the Unholy Trinity:
devil; [sea]beast [antichrist]; and [earth]beast [false prophet] [16:13; 20:10]
- [13:14-15; 14:9,11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4]
crown
- as crown but under Satan's authority
- [9:7; 12:3; 13:1]
death, dead, die
- as death except: having died under Satan's authority
- [3:1,2; 8:11; 9:6; 11:18; 16:3; 20:5,12,13]
death (second)
- as death except: for the second time; after having been resurrected
- the second death is eternal
- [2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8]
deeds
- Unrighteous actions / works / behavior inspired by a love for Satan
- the Unrighteous deeds which Satan thrives upon and loves to see in his
followers [John 8:44]
- compare deeds
- [2:6,22,23; 3:1,2,15; 16:11; 18:6; 20:12,13]
devil - see dragon
dragon, serpent, devil
- symbols for Satan
- [2:10; 9:19; 12:3 - 13:11;16:13; 20:2,10]
false prophet - see beast
forehead(s)
- as forehead but under Satan's authority
- see also hand
- [13:16; 14:9; 17:5]
hand; right hand (regarding the mark)
- hand: a belief which might be held for expediency / safety, and with less
conviction than indicated by forehead
- right hand: similar to right hand except: pertaining to beliefs held by the
Unrighteous, and indicating a greater importance and authority of those
beliefs
- it appears probable that the mark is also a literal physical mark on the
forehead or hand identifying those who are loyal to the antichrist
- compare forehead
- [13:16; 14:9]
head
- as head but under Satan's authority
- [9:7,17,19; 12:3; 13:1,3; 17:3,7,9]
horn
- as horn but under Satan's authority
- [12:3; 13:1,11; 17:3,7,12,16]
image of the [sea]beast - see beast
Jezebel - see woman
lamb
- Satan's imitation of the Lamb, Jesus our Savior who died and rose again
- this may be referencing the imitating death and reanimation of the beast
- [13:11; see also 2 Cor 11:14]
locust(s)
- symbol for angel
- [9:3,7]
mark (of the [sea]beast)
- a mark / insignia taken by the Unrighteous upon their forehead or hand
which confirms their allegiance to Satan and his antichrist system
- based upon the number derived from the name of the human representative
of the [sea]beast / antichrist in the Great Tribulation, the final pope of the
Roman Catholic church
- compare seal (of God; sealing the Righteous)
- [13:16-17; 14:9,11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4]
name; number (of the [sea]beast)
- the names of all entities under Satan's authority
- the name of corruption, evil and blasphemy, beloved by the Unrighteous and
despised by the Righteous
- the name for which the Unrighteous are willing to suffer Satan's wrath [9:1-6],
and God's wrath [6:15-17; 8:5-13; 14:19-16:21; 19:11-20:15] with its judgment,
destruction, damnation and eternal death [11:18; 20:15; 20:7-9]
- the name which marks the right hand or forehead of the Unrighteous
[13:16-18; 14:11] in the form of a number
- see also six hundred and sixty-six
- compare name, seal (of God; sealing the Righteous)
- [9:11; 13:1,8,17-18; 14:11; 15:2; 17:3,5,8; 20:15]
no rest (of the Unrighteous)
- after physical death, to await while God prepares for their Resurrection
- the non-conscious state one is in while dead (often compared to a
dreamless sleep) and awaiting their eternal punishment (more information)
- the dead have no rest in the assurance of eternal life
- Important: see also smoke; compare rest, smoke
- [14:11]
number (of the [sea]beast) - see name
one; the one; anyone; everyone; etc.
- a follower of the beast / antichrist / Satan, the one who accuses [12:10]
- compare One; one; one
- [2:23; 3:7,8,11; 6:4; 11:5,10; 12:10; 13:3,8,10,17; 17:10,11,13; 20:13,15; 21:15,27; 22:11,15,18,19]
plague(s)
- instrument of Satan's wrath; persecution; Tribulation; Great Tribulation
- compare plague
- [9:18,20]
power
- authority; the ability to take action which requires authority from Satan
- compare power
- [9:3,10,19; 13:2; 17:13; 18:23]
prophetess
- similar to prophet, but receiving authority from Satan
- [2:20]
prostitute - see woman
serpent - see dragon
six hundred and sixty-six
- number of the name of the human representative of [sea]beast / antichrist
- as three multiples of a single six, ultimate corruption as seen in antichrist
- see also mark
- [13:18]
smoke [BACK]
- symbol of Unrighteous entity's or person's character, especially in perpetuity
- see also no rest; compare smoke, rest
- [9:2-3,17-18; 14:11; 18:9,18; 19:3]
__________
smoke - Important Note: "The smoke of their torment ascends forever."
[14:11] What does this mean? . . .
- The torment of the Unrighteous is in "fire and brimstone" [14:11], when they
are consigned to the lake of fire "which is the second death." [21:8]
- "Death" means the end / absense of life.
- It is not the Unrighteous, but the "smoke" that lasts forever. [14:11; 19:3]
- Smoke ascends before God [8:5]
- Smoke results from God's glory [15:8]
- Smoke results from judgment of the wicked [18:10,18]
- Prostitute Babylon's smoke "rises forever" [19:3]
- but Babylon herself was utterly destroyed [18:8,17,21]
Revelation's 'forever-smoke' is not commentary on eternal torment of the Unrighteous; it is commentary on the eternality of their destruction. It is simply a restating of what is continually presented in the Old Testament. By my count I found 44 similar occurances, exampled by:
Numbers 28:2 Command the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall
be careful to present to Me My offering, My food for My offerings by
fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.' ...
6 It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained on Mount Sinai
as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.
Isaiah 34:8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance....
9 And the streams [of the unrighteous] shall be turned into pitch, and the
dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning
pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall
go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none
shall pass through it for ever and ever.
Revelation's forever-smoke actually represents the payment which God always has, and always will demand for sin:
Leviticus 4:31 ... the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as a
soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for
him, and he will be forgiven. . . .
35 ... as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace
offerings, and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, on the
offerings by fire to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for
him regarding his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 6:22 ... By a permanent ordinance it shall be entirely offered
up in smoke to the Lord.
Leviticus 7:5 The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as an
offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering.
God always has and always will demand a life as payment for sin: "For the wages of sin is death." [Romans 6:23] What does this mean; Everyone Dies.
Everyone dies the First Death. But only those who have no substitute "guilt offering" to cover this payment for sin - the atonement required for their sin - will die the Second Death.
Each of us is free to make our atonement to God with our own life; or with a substitute life acceptable to God. Under the Old Covenant this was a specified animal such as a lamb; while under the New Covenant it is the Infinite Life offered by Jesus, our Lamb - God Himself - on the cross.
Revelation's Unrighteous have chosen to defy God and to go it alone, and so their sin offering to God is the sacrifice of their own life. This is their chosen atonement for their sin. And the forever-smoke of their sacrifice is the "aroma" which God requires and which will "soothe" Him for eternity. Just as the Infinite Sacrifice of Jesus soothes Him for the many who have been Redeemed by Jesus' Blood:
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
1 Cor 2:15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who
are being saved and among those who are perishing:
16 to the one an aroma from death to death, [these make their own
atonement for their sin] to the other an aroma from life to life.
[these accept Jesus' Atonement on their behalf, for their sin]
It is most notable that when the Devil, the Beast [Antichrist] and the False Prophet - the unholy trinity - are thrown into the Lake of Fire, they produce no forever-smoke. There is no smokey "aroma" of atonement rising from their burning to "soothe" the Lord. (19:20; 20:10) Their crimes are too egregious; too universal; too eternal in scope for them to be granted the relief of the Second Death. These eternal beings have provided no atonement for their sin, so their's becomes an eternal torment.
__________
spirit
- as spirit but under Satan's authority
- [16:13,14; 18:2]
star
- as star but under Satan's authority
- [9:1; 12:4]
water(s) (river, sea, flood)
- as water except those who are under Satan's rule / dominion / authority
- [12:15-16; 17:1,15]
woman; Jezebel; prostitute; Babylon (the Great)
- representation of ALL the Unrighteous in the form of a corrupt, evil, Spiritually
Bankrupt, Unrighteous woman; a prostitute etc.
- Satan's corrupt, evil Jezebel; also representing Babylon and depicted as a
corrupt, degenerate, sexually immoral and satanic evil church; primarily as
seen in the Roman Catholic church but also in many Protestant churches of
similar makeup
- compare woman
- [2:20; 14:8; 16:19; 17:1-9,15-18; 18:2-19:2-3]
words
- Satan's or those under his authority, corrupt / vile / evil twisting of words and
ultimately of the Word, Jesus our Savior
- [13:5]
wrath
- Satan's torment and destruction upon the earth conducted under woes 1 & 2,
primarily targeting the Righteous [13:7] but also against the Unrighteous [9:4],
with the goal of ultimately defeating God and usurping His authority and glory
- after becoming "enraged" when he could not destroy the woman during
Tribulation [12:14-17] Satan unleashes his ultimate wrath - Great Tribulation
- compare wrath
- [12:12]
Jesus Christ references not by Name [BACK]
Child; Son (male child)
- Jesus, especially in His earthly incarnation
- [12:4-5,13]
Groom; Husband
- Jesus, after marrying His bride
- [18:23; 21:2; see also 19:7]
Lamb (of God)
- Jesus, the Lamb who was slain for our sins, ending the need for the yearly
sacrifice of the lambs under the Old Covenant
- compare lamb
- [5:6,8,12,13; 6:1,7,9,16; 7:9,10,14,17; 8:1; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1,4,10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7,9;
21:9,14,22-27; 22:1,3]
Lord God, The Almighty, Holy
- Jesus is the Lord, God, Almighty and He is Holy
- [1:8; 3:6; 15:3,4; 16:14; 17:14; 19:6,15; 16; compare with Father: 4:8; 6:10; 11:17; 16:5,7; 18:8; 21:22]
Morning Star
- Jesus, the brightest Being and Commander of the angels
- [2:28; 22:16]
One; Living One; The One; alone
- Jesus; God who creates; gives life; is pre-eminent
- see also one, one; compare one
- [1:13,18; 2:1,12; 14:14; 15:4; compare with the Father: 11:17]
Son (male child) - see Child
Son of God
- Jesus, God Himself in the form of a human fulfilling an Earthly mission
- [2:18]
Son of Man
- Jesus, God who became man to pay the penalty for the sin of mankind
- some believe Jesus may have paid an eternal penalty for our sin, giving up
His omnipresence to be forever in the same glorified physical body that the
redeemed will have
- [1:13; 14:14]
Sword (two-edged; from Jesus' mouth)
- spoken Truth that is judgment upon the Unrighteous, coming from the mouth
of God / Jesus Himself
- Truth of God / Jesus; Word of God
- "... the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-
edged sword...." - Heb 4:12
- [1:16; 2:12,16; 13:10,14; 19:15,21]
Word (of God)
- Jesus Himself; "... the Word was God." [Jn 1:1; Mt 4:4; Lk 3:2; Is 40:8]
- Jesus' spoken judgment, the sword from His mouth
- compare word
- [1:2,9; 6:9; 19:13; 20:4]
Revelation's Other Titles for Jesus Christ
Lion from the tribe of Judah [5:5]
Root [lineage] of David [5:5]
The Amen [3:14]
Faithful (and True) Witness [1:5; 3:7,14; 19:11; 21:5; 22:6]
Origin of the Creation of God [3:14]
Firstborn of the Dead [1:5]
Alpha and Omega [1:8; 21:6; 22:13]
Lord of lords [17:14; 19:16]
First and Last; Beginning and End [1:17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13]
King (of kings; of the Nations) [15:3; 17:14; 19:16]
The Martyred Saints [BACK]
fire of the altar
- incense that is on fire; burning incense [8:3-5]
- symbol for the prayers of the martyred saints being answered
- the saints killed by Satan's Antichrist System being avenged
- see also souls
- [8:5; 14:18; 16:7]
incense
- symbol for the prayers of the martyred saints [5:8]
- see also fire of the altar, souls
- [5:8; 8:3-4]
souls
- symbol for the prayers of the martyred saints crying out for justice
- the martyred saints of the Church whose prayers have been stored up
while awaiting God's response; saints who are dead and who will live again
when they are resurrected (for a fuller explanation click here)
- "I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed
because of the word of God" [6:9]; killed for their testimony of Jesus, [20:4]
First Advent Messiah
- Redeemed beings go to Hades when they die, not under Heaven's altar
- Redeemed living beings in Heaven would not be confined under the altar
- incense, souls, & fire of the altar are all associated with the altar in Heaven
[6:9; 8:3] and are very closely related:
- incense symbolizes the prayers of the saints prior to being martyred
- souls symbolizes these prayers crying out begging God for justice
- fire of the altar symbolizes these prayers being answered
- [6:9; 20:4]
Revelation - New American Standard Bible
JESUS' Admonition To His Church Throughout Time
Revelation 1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show [what did the Father know that Jesus didn't? ... TIMING] to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
- Only the Father knew these things. He has now given this information to Jesus, whose angel is now giving it to John and so to us. As we will see, this new information will include previously unknown facts (even to Jesus; Matthew 24:36) pertaining to the Timing of End Time events.
>>> Essential Information: Prophetic Time in Revelation
2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw.
Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; [for this we must be able to understand it] for the time is near.
Message to the Seven Churches: 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, [preeminent over death; the Authority and the Source of Resurrection] and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-
6 and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father - to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, [study "Sukkot"; 14:14] and every eye will see Him,
AT: 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT (1) - Rev 14
- Jesus Savior conducts the Reaping of the Earth - Righteous & Unrighteous. (comp 14:14-16)
- Antichrist will not come in this fashion so there is no reason to be deceived by his arrival.
even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
AT: The Unredeemed Are Resurrected, Judged And Punished - Rev 20
8 "I am the Alpha [First] and the Omega, [Last]" says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." [Jesus is speaking - "the Lord God ... Almighty"; comp v17]
The Patmos Vision: 9 I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation
- There was tribulation (small "t") in John's day - but not Tribulation or Great Tribulation.
>>> Essential Information: Tribulation / Great Tribulation
and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of [as punishment for] the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, [receiving a vision about the Day of the Lord] and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
11 saying, "Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
>>> Essential Information: The Righteous; Israel & the Church
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; [representing the 7 churches in Asia; and by extension, the churches of the World]
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, [Jesus] clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash.
14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
15 His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; [words of Authority and Judgment]
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, [Jesus is God; comp v8]
18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
>>> Essential Information: God and His Realm
19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
>>> Essential Information: Sacred Numerology
Revelation 2
- These are letters to the churches in John's time, but also to the Church until the end of time.
Message to Ephesus: 1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus [#1] write: The One [Jesus; 1:18] who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 'I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
3 and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary.
4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent.
6 But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, [lasciviousness; "freedom" to sin; idols; sexual immorality; compare vs14-15] which I also hate.
7 The one who has an ear, [willingness to listen] let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, [we overcome through Jesus (see Rev 12:11)]
- In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. - John 16:33
I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.' [in the New Earth; ch21-22 ]
Message to Smyrna: 8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna [#2] write: The first and the last, [comp 1:17] who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander by those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, [not the test at the End Time] and you will have tribulation for ten days. [DFAY?; 10 years?] Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.' [in the Lake of Fire (20:14)]
>>> Essential Information: Satan and His Realm
Message to Pergamum: 12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum [#3] write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; [Satan is Earth's ruler (1 Jn 5:19; 2 Cor 4:4; Jn 14:30, 16:11] and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
15 So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. [words of deadly judgment]
AT: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
17 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.'
Message to Thyatira: 18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira [#4] write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like burnished bronze, says this:
19 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. ["Faith without works is useless." - James 2:20]
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, [type of Babylon; comp 14:8] who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.
22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. [the promise of RAPTURE prior to Great Tribulation]
23 And I will kill her children with plague, [God's Wrath - 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet] and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. [the Unrighteous are judged by their own deeds, actions, works (v26; 20:12-13)]
24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them-I place no other burden on you.
25 Nevertheless what you have, hold firmly until I come.
26 The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds [Righteous are judged by Jesus' deeds] until the end, I will give him authority over the [Unrighteous] nations; [in 7th M. (20:1-9)]
27 and he [the (Resurrected) overcomer, with Jesus (20:4-6)] shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father;
28 and I will give him the morning star. [Jesus delegates 7th M. rulership to the "overcomer"]
- Authority to rule is through Jesus, the morning star. (comp 5:9-10; 12:5; 19:15; 20:4-6; 22:16)
29 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the [Holy] Spirit says to the churches.'
Revelation 3
Message to Sardis: 1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis [#5] write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.
2 Be constantly alert, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Then if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. [16:15]
- Clearly implying that the "alert" will know the hour of Jesus' coming; and it won't be as a thief.
AT: 6th Seal - Readying For God's Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, [robes] for they are worthy. [as the Lamb is worthy (ch5); worthy through the Lamb]
5 The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 The one who has an ear, [is willing to listen] let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Message to Philadelphia: 7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia [#6] write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, [Jesus is speaking - Isaiah 22:21-23; 22:16] says this:
8 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name.
9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie - I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
10 Because you have kept My word of perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of the testing, [promise of RAPTURE - the Church is kept from this test] that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, [Test of Great Tribulation] to test those who live on the earth.
- Another promise of Rapture. Note that we will be kept from (away from / not enter into) the hour of the testing (of Great Tribulation 17:12; 18:10,17,19); that hour will come upon the "whole world"; and it will "test those who live on the earth." The Church will not be on the earth at this time.
11 I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, [the Bride (21:2)] the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
13 The one who has an ear, [is willing to listen] let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Message to Laodicea: 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea [#7] write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, [Jesus (4:11; Jn 1:1-3)] says this:
>>> Essential Information: Jesus Christ references not by Name
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything," and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see.
19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.
22 The one who has an ear, [willing to listen] let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
HEAVEN'S Beings Are Described
Revelation 4
Scene in Heaven: 1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." [look into the future]
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and someone was sitting on the throne.
3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders [resurrected leaders who represent the Righteous (see Terms & Symbols)] sitting, clothed in white garments, [overcomers, 3:5,18] and golden [3:18] crowns [authority] on their heads.
The Throne and Worship of the Creator: 5 Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God;
6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes [spirits from God; 5:6] in front and behind.
7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, [Father God] who was and who is and who is to come."
9 And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns [authority] before the throne, saying,
11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, [Father God; compare Jesus (5:11-14); clearly BOTH are God] to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."
SCROLL With 7 Seals - Who Is Worthy To Open It?
Revelation 5
The Scroll with Seven Seals: 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?" [only Jesus is Worthy, 5:12; and Father God, 4:11; they are equal]
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5 And one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root [lineage] of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [horns & eyes = spirits of God; God's great authority]
7 And He [the Lamb, Jesus] came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne [the Father].
8 When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. [incense = prayers of the saints, Israel & the Church]
9 And they [the creatures & elders] sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, [Israel] language, people, and nation. [Church] [all the Redeemed]
10 You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they [the saints] will reign upon the earth." [over the Unrighteous during the 7th Millennium (2:26-27; 20:4-5)]
Angels Exalt the Lamb: 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, [millions are around the throne]
12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing."
13 And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying, "To Him who sits on the throne [the Father] and to the Lamb [Jesus] be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever."
14 And the four living creatures were saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.
- The Elders are worshipping the Father and the Son. Only God can be worshipped.
The Lamb Opens The Sealed Scroll - Tribulation Begins
COMPARE: Tribulation - the 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time - Rev 11
Revelation 6
- The 1st half of the 7-Years End Time is the 3.5 years called "Tribulation".
- Tribulation begins when Jesus opens the 1st Seal of the 7-Sealed Scroll (ch 6), and is a period of time which offers at least a measure of protection for the Church, as alluded to by the power of the Two Witnesses (11:5-6) and as explained in 12:14-16.
1st 4 Seals - The Earth Endures Torment And Death
- The events under the Scroll's 1st 4 Seals join one another and become co-incidental. Each of the four events join the previous ones, creating one humongous disaster over a period of time; likely most or all of the 3.5 years of Tribulation. 1st Seal is broken . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?)
1st Seal - Conqueror on a White Horse: 1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one [first] of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures [4:6-8] [Seal 1: Creature #1 like a lion speaks] saying as with a voice of thunder, [a voice like "thunder" means much authority] "Come!"
2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, [as with Jesus Conqueror (19:11)] and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown [authority from the Father and the Lamb; these are Their Seals and Their Authority controls / limits these Tribulations - v16-17] was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
2nd Seal - War: 3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature [Seal 2: Creature #2 like a calf speaks] saying, "Come!" [authority of God through His Four Creatures]
4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted [God is granting these powers] to take peace from the earth, and that people would kill one another; and a large sword [as with Jesus Conqueror] was given to him. [this is all done by God's authority]
3rd Seal - Famine: 5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature [Seal 3: Creature #3 like a man speaks] saying, "Come!" I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, [1 day's wage, Matt 20:2] and three quarts of barley for a denarius; [famine] and do not damage [Protection] the oil ["olive oil"; Israel] and the wine." [Lord's Supper wine; Church]
4th Seal - Death: 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come!" [Seal 4: Creature #4 like an eagle speaks]
8 I looked, and behold, an ashen [sickly; plagued] horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, [Seal 4's Rider] and Hades [one or all of the 1st 3 Seals' Riders] was following with him.
- Jesus created and controls both Death and Hades (1:18), and He will also end them (20:14).
Authority [from God] was given to them [all four riders] over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, [Seal 2] and famine, [Seal 3] and plague, [Seal 4] and by the wild animals of the earth.
- White horse; to conquer; large sword; famine; plague: This is a Type of Messiah's Return as Jesus Conqueror, and it is God's last admonition to turn to Him before it's too late.
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
5th Seal - Vision Of The Martyrs
- Seal 5 is a short heavenly vision and occupies little or no earthly time.
5th Seal - Martyrs: 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls
- Metaphor. These are not bodies; not resurrected; not alive until they are resurrected (20:4). Living beings would not be confined under the altar, nor would millions of them fit under the altar.
- This is a metaphor for the prayers of the martyred saints crying out for justice.
of those who had been killed because of the word of God, [Jesus - Jn 1:1] and because of the testimony [of Jesus - 1:8] which they had maintained;
- This is the Church of the ages; those who have accepted 1st Advent Jesus as Messiah.
>>> Essential Information: The Martyred Saints
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?"
11 And a white robe [for overcomers in the Church - 3:5] was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest [sleep] for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.
- More martyrdom and death of the Righteous is still to come under the 7th Seal.
6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church
>>> Important Note: Raptured Church
A Multitude from the Great Tribulation: 9 After these things I looked, and behold, [startled; John expected this event to happen later] a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, [the Church (ch 5)] standing before the throne and before the Lamb, [1st Advent Jesus] clothed in white robes, [the Church (3:4-5; 7:13-14)] and palm branches were in their hands; [to worship Jesus as when He entered Jerusalem]
- This is the Raptured Church, now gone from the Earth, thus ending Tribulation.
- Sealing of the 144,000 and Rapture of the Church occur shortly after the 6th Seal's Great Earthquake, and are done in preparation for the Wrath of the 7th Seal.
- Tribulation - 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time - now Ends . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?)
>>> Important Note: The Church's Days of Tribulation Have Been Shortened
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation [of the Raptured] belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying, "Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen."
13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, [the Church (3:4-5; 7:13-14)] who are they, and where have they come from?"
14 I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, [the Raptured Church] and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [we know that Israel has rejected the Blood of the Lamb]
- The Church has now been removed out of - taken out of the way of - Great Tribulation. This is the Rapture of the Church. Revelation 2:22 also illustrates that the Repentant Church will not go "into Great Tribulation"; while 3:10 states the Church will be "kept from the hour of the testing ... about to come upon the whole world...." We thank God for these assurrances.
Three major events have taken place under the 6th Seal:
- A Great Earthquake the likes of which has never been seen, portends the even more ominous Day of Wrath (6:17) which will shortly be unleashed under the 7th Seal.
- Just prior to the 7th Seal and in preparation for it, God Seals His 144,000, His chosen people; Israelites who will hold steadfast, defying Satan to their deaths, demonstrating God's Unassailable Authority before all of Creation.
- Because "God has not destined (the Church) for wrath" (I Thes 5:9), He now removes the living Church from the earth - RAPTURE - taking the Redeemed to Heaven.
The Raptured Church in Heaven: 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. [Study "sukkot"; 14:14]
16 They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat;
17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."
7th Seal With 7 Trumpets - Day of Wrath
Day 1 an asteroid strikes, starting 3.5 Years - 1260 Days of Satan's Wrath, Great Tribulation under Trumpets 5 & 6, Woes 1 & 2. This is followed by God's Ending Wrath of Judgment, under the 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet, Woe 3, which occupies an additional 190 Days to the end of God's 6th Millennium.
>>> Review: Tribulation / Great Tribulation
> Pause For Greater Detail - Great Tribulation - The 2nd 3.5 Years - Rev 13
Revelation 8
- The 144,000 Continue on Earth, while the Church is in Heaven being spared the 7th Seal.
7th Seal - Interval; Seven Trumpets: 1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. [using Day-For-A-Year (DFAY) this is about 1 earthly week]
- John makes note here that there is a definite time break between when the Church is Raptured and when the 7 angels begin to blow their trumpets. We may consider Heaven's "half an hour" to be approximately a week; but it appears that more time went by previously, as the description of the Raptured Church in Heaven (7:15-17) appears to require additional time.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden [empty] censer; and much incense [last prayers of the Church - they have been Raptured (7:9-17)] was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense [burning incense] ascended from the angel's hand with the prayers of the saints before God.
5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, [burning incense; prayers of the saints about to be answered] and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
NOTE: The "little while longer" (6:9-11) is now fulfilled and Satan can kill no more of the Church. The prayers of the martyred saints are now complete, and when we come to the 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet God will avenge their blood when He releases His Wrath.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7th Seal - 1st 4 Trumpets - An Asteroid Strikes
Demarcation Event - Asteroid Apophis . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?)
- The 1st 4 trumpets are of immediate succession and form a single humongous event (compare the 1st 4 Seals in ch 6) in a very short period of time - an Asteroid - likely within a few hours.
7 The first sounded, and there was hail [asteroid ice] and fire mixed with blood, [asteroid-accompanying debris] and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire [asteroid] was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, [severely contaminated]
9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. [damage from part of the asteroid (break up) striking the ocean]
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star [Greek: aster; asteroid, star, luminous meteor] fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. [part of the asteroid fell on land with its fresh waters]
- "Goldstone and Arecibo radar images [show Apophis] is bilobed (possibly a contact binary)."
- "The delay-Doppler images imply that Apophis is an elongated, asymmetric, and possibly bifurcated (divided into two branches or forks) object." - striking both sea (v8) and land (v10).
11 The star is named Wormwood; [poison; carrying a potent contaminant or contagion] and a third of the waters became wormwood, [poisoned the fresh waters] and many people died [remember, the Church is not here] from the waters because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened [asteroid impact and resulting vulcanism dust, debris & smoke] and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice,
- The 1st 4 Trumpets comprise a single event with only the 4th Creature speaking.
- The 4th Creature (flying eagle - 4:7) speaks at the 4th Trumpet as he did at the 4th Seal (6:7), but the first 3 creatures which spoke at the first 3 Seals had no time to speak here.
"Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" [the coming 3 Woes are Trumpets 5, 6 & 7]
>>> Review: Woe
7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - Apollo Is Released
Revelation 9
- The 5th Trumpet directly follows the 1st 4 without delay and it lasts for 5 months - 150 Days.
- Immediately after the Asteroid Strikes, and likely caused by it, Apollo is released from the Abyss.
Shaft of the Abyss: 1 Then the fifth angel sounded, [Fifth Trumpet - First Woe] and I saw a star [fallen angel; watcher; demon; Apollo (v11)] from heaven which had fallen [past tense; previously fallen] to the earth; [Genesis depicts fallen angels on earth shortly after Creation] and the key [Jesus' authority, comp 1:18] to the shaft [door, pathway, access] of the abyss was given to him.
- Jesus frees Apollo, "the angel of the abyss" (v11), from the abyss (he comes "up out of the abyss" 11:7; 17:8) to facilitate more of Satan's Wrath, which is authorized by God.
- The Abyss is opened when the Asteroid strikes (Trumpets 1-4) and rips into the earth.
2 He [Apollo] opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened [the 4th trumpet carrying into the 5th] from the smoke of the shaft.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts [fallen angels released] upon the earth, and [Satan's] power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God [144,000 of Israel] on their foreheads. [God is in control]
- Satan's army of fallen angels are doing these things but they are under God's limiting authority. Because He is in control, this is ultimately God's Day of Wrath (6:16-17).
John Is Told To Prophesy Again
Revelation 10
Angel with a Little Scroll: 1 I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was on his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
- Some think this angel could be Jesus (link), but Jesus isn't an angel.
2 and he had in his hand a little scroll, which was open. [ready to be read] He placed his right foot on the sea [Gentile nations] and his left on the land; [Israel] [authority over all the earth]
3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.
4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them."
5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven,
6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, [one can only swear by an authority greater than their own; this angel is not the Creator - Jesus] that there will no longer be a delay,
- No more delay in the fulfillment of prophecy. Compare Habakkuk 2:2-3; Ezekiel 12:17-28
7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets.
- All things will have been revealed by the time of the days approaching the 7th Trumpet, which signals the 3rd Woe - GOD'S ENDING WRATH. This has not yet happened here. comp 11:11-12
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the scroll which is open [readable] in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea [Gentile nations] and on the land." [Israel] [authority over all the earth]
- With the 3rd Woe imminent (the 7th Trumpet of the 7th Seal) God reclaims His Authority over all the earth which He had briefly allowed Satan to act under and to take the lives of the saints,
AT: 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH - Rev 9
9 And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. [Daniel's little book?] And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
11 And they said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples, nations, languages, and kings." [Gentile nations]
"You Must Prophesy Again" - A New Perspective
All 7 Seals have been broken, and 6 of the 7 Trumpets of the 7th Seal have sounded. Trumpets 5 & 6, the first 2 Woes - GREAT TRIBULATION - have been completed, and now all End Time Trouble for the Righteous is over. The 7 Years of End Time Persecution of the saints is complete, and the Righteous who lived during this time - the Church and Israel - have been Raptured to Heaven.
All that remains now is the 7 Plagues carried in the 7 Bowls of the 7th and only Trumpet yet to sound - the 3rd Woe - GOD'S DIRECT & FINAL WRATH upon the ungodly.
So as we will come to expect, this is a good time for some review, right? John is now given a new perspective of what has been explained thus far, which will provide us with additional detail and important information. Besides giving a much more detailed account of the major powers acting at this time, this new perspective will also add the details which will ultimately enable those of us near the End Time to truly decipher TIMING.
Satan's Tribulation for the earth BEGINS at the Opening of the Scroll's 1st of its 7 Seals in Revelation 6. Remember that this "Tribulation" is not the "Great Tribulation" of Satan's Wrath which begins when the 7th Seal is opened, and which culminates under its 6th Trumpet - the 2nd Woe. The Righteous always have and will continue to endure tribulation throughout history (1:9; 2:9-10). But the Righteous of the Church will not see the Great Tribulation of Satan's Wrath (2:22; 3:10). As we will now see, the 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time is a period of Tribulation for the entire earth, but also a time which offers at least some protection for the Righteous, as alluded to by the power of the Two Witnesses (11:5-6), and as explained in Revelation 12:14-16. So, back to Tribulation . . .
Tribulation - the 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time
> The Lamb Opens The Sealed Scroll - Tribulation Begins - Rev 6
Revelation 11
The Two Witnesses: 1 Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple [in Jerusalem] of God and the altar, [inner temple; holy of holies] and those who worship in it.
2 Leave out the courtyard which is outside the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the [Gentile] nations; and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
- Jerusalem will be "trampled"; stepped upon; taken over; occupied for 42 months = 3.5 Years.
3 And I [God] will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy [they are prophets] for 1,260 days, [1260 Prophetic Days = 3.5 Years] clothed in sackcloth." [humble before God]
>>> Review: Prophetic Time in Revelation
- Tribulation (1st 3.5 Years) is under God's Great Authority granted to His Two Witnesses.
- This time period is stated as both 42 months and as 1260 days, indicating a dual fulfillment for this 3.5 Year period: a figurative one - the Type (historical; following the Day-For-A-Year biblical prophecy principle; 1260 years); and the literal one - the Antitypical 42 months; 3.5 Years of End Time Tribulation. We will be dealing primarily with the latter.
4 These [the Two Witnesses] are the two olive trees [Israel] and the two lampstands [the Church] that stand before the Lord of the earth.
- The Two Witnesses are two Mortal (human) agents from God, each representing the Righteous of both Israel and the Church. (see Terms & Symbols)
- For 3.5 Years with God's Authority, the 2 Witnesses / Prophets minister to the Church (while being observed by those who will eventually become the 144,000 Sealed Israelites (Rev 7)).
5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth [God's judgment] and devours their enemies; and so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
- For 3.5 years the Two Witnesses / Prophets "devour their enemies", strongly implying at least a measure of protection for the Church, and certainly the prevention of its destruction.
6 These have the power [authority in action] to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
- At this time - Tribulation - the Two Witnesses have Moses-like authority and power from God.
Pause For Greater Detail - 1260 Years of tribulation (small "t")
- More on "tribulation" - a history of persecution which the Church has always endured.
Revelation 12
- From the Creation of the Church through the 1260 years of tribulation . . .
The Woman as Israel: 1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; [angels] [woman = symbol of ALL the Righteous; at first Israel; crown of twelve stars = 12 tribes, each with their angel]
2 and she was pregnant and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
- The Woman gives birth to Jesus; and so also to the Church.
The Red Dragon, Satan: 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven crowns. [dragon = Satan (v9); heads = authority under Satan - fallen angels led by Apollo (ch 9); horns = authority under the heads - kings, leaders; crowns = symbol of authority; greatest power here is with the heads]
4 And his [Satan's] tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven [a third of the angels followed Satan] and hurled them to the earth. [SATAN hurled them down] And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her Child.
The Male Child, Jesus: 5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; [Jesus in the 7th Millennium (Rev 2)] and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. [Son / Child = Jesus]
The Woman as the Church: 6 Then the woman [now Representing the Church; Israel rejected the Son, 1st Advent Messiah Jesus] fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished [kept alive; protected] for 1,260 days. [3.5 years]
- Notice that the 1st 3.5 years is stated here only as 1260 days (and not as 42 months), alluding to fulfillment under the biblical Day-For-A-Year Principle. The figurative 1260 year fulfillment of the 1st 3.5 Years of the End Time prophecy is being addressed here. (see Rev 11)
- The Literal, Primary Fulfillment of these 3.5 Years is End Time Tribulation - ANTITYPE. This is preceded by its TYPE (example; foreshadow); a Figurative, Secondary Fulfillment seen by many in a 1260-year period of tribulation - a persecution of the True Church from 538 AD to 1798 AD, by an apostate Roman Catholic church. Given the unending indescribable atrocities with which the popes (who also had temporal power through that period) persecuted their church's so-called "heretics", it is not difficult to see the connection. A concise exegesis of the 1260 years can be found here. Our focus remains upon the literal 3.5 Years, expressed either as 42 months or as "time, times, and half a time" in Revelation (11, 12 & 13), and never as 1260 days.
That there would be a secondary as well as a primary fulfillment of prophecy is not a difficulty. This principle is seen many times within the Scriptures and is often brought forth as Type and Antitype. For example: The annual slaying of the lambs was the Type of The Slain Lamb (Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for our sins) the Antitype. But we must not forget that the ultimate fulfillment of this 1st 3.5-Years period is just now occurring in the Revelation Timeline, as we have just read in Chapter 11.
Pause For Greater Detail - Great Tribulation - The 2nd 3.5 Years
> 7th Seal With 7 Trumpets - Day of Wrath - Rev 8
> 7th Seal - 1st 4 Trumpets - An Asteroid Strikes - Rev 8
Revelation 13 (The Two Beasts)
- A more thorough description of Antichrist is given (v1-2).
The Beast from the Sea: 1 And the dragon [Satan] stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a [sea]beast coming up out of the sea, [abyss (11:7; 17:8); from the Gentile nations (17:15); article] having ten horns [10 kings, rulers, overlords] and seven heads, [7 fallen angels, authorities under Satan] and on his horns were ten crowns, [Satanic authority has been given to the 10 overlords] and on his heads were blasphemous names. [usurping / desecrating the name of God; the seabeast is antichrist]
2 And the [sea]beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
- The Antichrist Beast is as in Daniel's Coming Empires prophecy, except as a single beast.
>>> Important Note: Antichrist
And the dragon [Satan; 1st member of the satanic trinity] gave him [seabeast / antichrist; 2nd member of the satanic / unholy trinity] his power and his throne, and great authority.
- AUTHORITY for this 3.5 years comes from Satan, with God's permission (v5).
- This is the 2nd period of 3.5 Years. The 1st 3.5 Years, God's Two Witnesses had AUTHORITY (11:3), but now in the 2nd 3.5 Years Satan's Antichrist has AUTHORITY.
3 I saw one of his heads [fallen angel; Apollo] as if it had been fatally wounded, [imprisoned in the Abyss] and his fatal wound was healed. [released from the Abyss to return to power; 17:8]
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - Apollo Is Released - Rev 9
And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the [sea]beast;
4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the [sea]beast; and they worshiped the [sea]beast, saying, "Who is like the [sea]beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
- As the popes had in the past (ch12), Seabeast / antichrist has great temporal / military power.
- The ancient gods (fallen angels) have again become all the rage among the new age "woke" generation. Imitating and counterfeiting Jesus' Earthly Mission, Apollo incarnate - Antichrist - will soon return, and for his devotees this will be a most glorious event; their ultimate confirmation. Exhilarated, these people will give Antichrist their undying devotion, worshipping him. He will be their "God"; and they will spell it with a capital "G". In his earthly role he will be in the form of a man (v18) but his powers will be far greater than those of any man.
5 A mouth was given to him speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and [God's] authority to act for forty-two months [again 3.5 years] was given to him. [GOD PERMITS antichrist for 3.5 years]
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. [the Heavenly Beings & the Raptured Church]
- God now "tabernacles" in Heaven with those He has Raptured (7:15). study "Sukkot"; 14:14
7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - TORMENT for 5 months - Rev 9
and to overcome them,
- 37 Months of destruction of the saints; during the 1st Woe antichrist could not kill the saints.
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH - Rev 9
and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation. [the entire Earth]
8 All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life [the 144,000 Sealed of Israel are still on the earth] of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. [pay attention - your eternal destiny depends on it]
10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. [judgment] Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.
- Grace has been ended. People are no longer permitted to turn to God for salvation.
The Beast from the Earth: 11 Then I saw another [earth]beast coming up out of the earth; [Israel] and he had two horns like a lamb, [gentle appearance] and he spoke as a dragon. [fierce / satanic]
12 He exercises all the authority of the first [sea]beast [antichrist] in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first [sea]beast, whose fatal wound was healed. [v3]
- Earthbeast = false prophet; glorifies antichrist; 3rd member of the unholy trinity. Earthbeast is also antichrist (as is everything evil) but for the sake of clarity we will refer to him only as false prophet. Like Apollo, he is a fallen-angel / ancient-god in human form with great power.
13 He [earthbeast; false prophet] performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people.
14 And he [earthbeast] deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the [sea]beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image [made by people; a Clone or Artificial Intelligence creation; a spiritless entity which is not thrown into the Lake of Fire (19:20)] to the [sea]beast [antichrist] who had the wound of the sword [wounded by "sword" of Judgment (comp 19:15,21) = locked in the abyss] and has come to life.
15 And it was given to him [earthbeast] to give breath to the image of the [sea]beast, so that the image of the [sea]beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the [sea]beast to be killed. [a very high number of the 144,000 Israelites will be killed (comp 20:4)]
16 And he [earthbeast / false prophet] causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,
17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, [The Beast's Ultimate Control] except the one who has the mark, either the name of the [sea]beast or the number of his name. [Developing Now In 2021: link]
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the [sea]beast, [we are able and instructed to calculate who this person is] for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
>>> Important Note: Antichrist Man of Sin
We have once again been taken to the brink of the Scroll's 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet, the 3rd Woe; the time of God's Ending Wrath. But again the RevelationTimeline is delayed from proceeding, this time for a Promise and a Warning.
The PROMISE - Raptured Church Again Shown In Heaven
Just before finishing the 2nd Woe and proceeding to the 3rd Woe (this time we will be taken there) we are given a second view of the Raptured Church in Heaven. This Vision of Salvation is given for our encouragement as we have just witnessed the Sealed 144,000 of Israel moving through the Great Tribulation, into the 2nd Woe and towards the impossibly difficult 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet - the 3rd Woe. By again showing the Raptured Church in Heaven at this crucial moment, God is again Promising that the saints' time of trouble - the 7-Years End Time - is now complete and the last of the Righteous will be in Heaven when the 3rd Woe - God's Final Wrath - JUDGMENT - takes place.
Revelation 14
COMPARE: 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
The PROMISE -The Lamb with 144,000 on Mount Zion: 1 Then I looked, and behold, [time shift / subject change (compare 7:9)] the Lamb [7:17] was standing on Mount Zion, [in Heaven v3; (link)] and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father [Jesus and the Father; Both Names] written on their foreheads. [Sealing is not mentioned]
- These 144,000 have accepted 1st Advent Jesus as their Messiah. The number "144,000" is again being used as a number of completion, this time representing the Raptured Church.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters [many nations] and like the sound of loud thunder, [7:10] and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
3 And they sang a new song [7:10] before the throne [7:9,11,15] and before the four living creatures and the elders; [7:11] and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased [with Jesus' blood - the Church (5:9)] from the [nations of the] earth.
4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, [fallen women = apostate religions / churches; Babylon; ch 17] for they are celibate. [true to God] These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. [7:17] These have been purchased from mankind [purchased from mankind; not just Israel] as first fruits [first ones taken to heaven] to God and to the Lamb. [comp 7:3 - initially only the Father's Name Seals the 144,000 of Israel]
5 And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
Tribulation and Great Tribulation Are Now Complete, meaning the 7-Years End Time is Now Over.
The period of time we now enter is the 190 Days of the
7th Seal's 7th Trumpet - the 3rd Woe - running to
the End of God's 6th Millennium.
This is the Time of God's Ending Wrath.
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - God's Wrath Begins
- Continuing the current narrative from v16 above; and rejoining from . . .
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - Celebration In Heaven - Rev 11
. . . where the 7th Trumpet has just sounded and the 3rd Woe began with a celebration in Heaven. The scene now shifts to the earth for God's Ending Wrath and the utter defeat of evil.
Gathering the Grapes: 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. [a sickle gathers, it doesn't kill or punish]
18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; [fire of the altar is the prayers of the saints being answered] and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes [metaphor] are ripe." [the prayers of the saints will now be answered]
19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press [metaphor] of the wrath of God.
- The angel gathers - takes to be punished - the Unrighteous of the earth.
20 And the wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, [metaphor] for a distance of 1,600 stadia. [184 miles (John Wesley); this may be the distance of the battle zone but it may also be metaphor]
- This is a very brief synopsis of what is coming. Reference here to the "wine press" is forward-looking and promissory; the "wine press" is where the "grapes" are destined to go. Jesus "treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God" only when He comes as Jesus Conqueror, after the 7 Bowls of Plagues have all been poured over the earth.
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7 Bowls - God's Ending Wrath
- Now back to those who were "gathered" to receive God's Ending Wrath on the earth:
< 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - God's Wrath Begins - Rev 14
5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony [of Jesus Christ] in heaven was opened,
6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and their chests wrapped with golden sashes.
7 And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7 Bowls With 7 Plagues
- 7 Bowls are poured out in rapid sequence indicating a rapid deployment taking little time (One Day according to Rev 18:8). But their torment will go on throughout this 190 Day time period.
Revelation 16
The Bowls of Wrath: 1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." [all 7 in quick succession]
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and a harmful and painful sore afflicted the people who had the mark of the [sea]beast [antichrist] and who worshiped his image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, [Father God] because You judged these things;
>>> Review: judgment
6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it." ["... reward(ed) each one as his work deserves", 22:12]
7 And I heard the altar [containing the prayers of the saints, now being answered] saying, "Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, [Father God] true and righteous are Your judgments."
8 And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given power to scorch people with fire.
9 And the people were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the [sea]beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; [still from the 1st Bowl] and they did not repent of their deeds. [it's too late for repentance (13:10)]
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
Pause For Greater Detail - WHO IS BABYLON?
Revelation 17
The Doom of Babylon: 1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute [immoral woman = Babylon; generally: apostate religion; specifically: Roman Catholic church] who sits on many waters, [rules many nations]
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality." [literal, but also symbolic of embracing apostate religion; compare 14:4]
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a [immoral] woman [RC church] sitting on a scarlet [sea]beast, [Satan's antichrist system] full of blasphemous names,
- Blasphemous Roman Catholic Church Statements
- Catholicism: Full of Names of Blasphemy
having seven heads and ten horns. [antichrist system leading to the last pope; comp Rev 13]
4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, [RC church's favorite colors] and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, [both literal and symbolic of extreme apostasy]
5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: "BABYLON THE GREAT, [prostitute = immoral woman = apostate RC church = Babylon the Great] THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES [Apostate Protestant Churches] AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
- Extreme apostasy; evidenced by vileness, corruption and especially sexual atrocities:
- 10 Dirty Secrets Of The Catholic Church
- 10 Secrets The Catholic Church Hopes You've Forgotten
- 10 Scandals That Rocked The Vatican
- 10 Outrageous Scandals That Rocked The Vatican In Recent Years
- 10 Fascinating Bastard Children Of Popes
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
- The RC church has tortured and killed many millions of True Believers, and many others:
- SECRET HISTORY OF PAPAL ROME
- University Study: Estimates of the Number Killed by the Papacy . . .
When I saw her, I wondered greatly.
7 And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery [reveal the interpretation] of the [immoral] woman and of the [sea]beast [antichrist system] that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 "The [sea]beast that you saw was, and is not, [imprisoned in the abyss] and is about to come [released] up out of the abyss [Apollo; Rev 9] and go to destruction. [Rev 20:10] And those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the [sea]beast, [antichrist] that he was, and is not, and will come.
9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are [represented by] seven mountains [Greek "oros": mountain, hill] upon which the woman sits, [Rome sits on 7 hills; link]
10 and they are seven kings; [fallen angel kings; comp 9:11] five have fallen, [5 lost their pre-eminance] one is, [#6] the other [#7] has not yet come; and when he comes,he must remain a little while. [remain a little while until the End Time comes, at which time . . .]
11 The [sea]beast [antichrist Apollo] which was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, [Apollo reigns twice, so a total of seven fallen angel kings] and he goes to destruction. [19:20]
12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings [world-dominating corporations; see below]
- The 10 Kings ruling the 10 regions of earth (with their own nations and kings) in the End Time:
- What is the New World Order?
- How Will The New World Order Come About/ Is It Happening Now?
- Ten Kingdoms
- The 10 Regions of the New World Order
- NWO Plans 10 World Regions: "Ten Horns of the Beast"
who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the [sea]beast [antichrist] for one hour. [for a short time in the Great Tribulation; DFAY = 2 weeks]
13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority [wealth and allegiance] to the [sea]beast. [antichrist; Apollo; last pope]
< 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - Armageddon - Rev 16
Victory for the Lamb: 14 These [the 10 kings; part of the antichrist system] will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
15 And he said to me, [subject / time change] "The waters which you saw where the prostitute [Babylon; immoral woman; apostate churches; most specifically the Roman Catholic church] sits are peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages. [authority over the world]
16 And the ten horns [10 kings, corporations] which you saw, and the [sea]beast, [antichrist] these will hate the prostitute [Babylon; Roman Catholic church] and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. [producing "smoke" (18:9,18; 19:3)]
- The antichrist 10 last earthly powers will ultimately turn against the apostate RC church.
17 For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose [a favorite tactic of God (see 9:15)] by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the [sea]beast, [antichrist; Apollo; last pope; man of sin] until the words of God will be fulfilled.
- This is the time of the Wrath of God and of the Lamb - acting through and manipulating the corrupt antichrist system. We now live in a time (2021) when Satan's Antichrist System is on clear display. How God ultimately manipulates it to destroy itself will be interesting indeed.
18 The [immoral] woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth." [Rome; Vatican; which wields authority over many "kings of the earth"]
Pause For Greater Detail - JUDGMENT OF BABYLON
Revelation 18
Babylon Is Fallen: 1 After these things [subject / time change] I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated from his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become
- Prostitute (ch 17) = Babylon = Apostate church; primarily but not solely Roman Catholic church.
a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her,
- The Roman Catholic Popes Evil Behavior
- The Sex Crimes Of Roman Popes, Priests and Nuns
- What The Bible Says About The Roman Catholic Church
- Vatican Pedophile Ring, Child Trafficking, Mass Graves and Missing Children
- Vatican Rocked By Leak Of 300-Page Dossier
- Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
- Nuns 'sex slaves' scandal fresh blow to Catholic church
- French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse [That's Just In France!!]
- Nuns used crucifixes to rape girls during decades of abuse in Catholic church ...
and the merchants of the earth [world-dominating corporations] have become rich from the excessive wealth of her luxury."
- Wealth of Roman Catholic Church impossible to calculate
- How Rich Is the Catholic Church?
- How Rich Is the Catholic Church? It's Impossible to Tell
- The Catholic Church is the Biggest Financial Power on Earth
- The Pope's Church is the Largest, Richest Corporation in the World!
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, [God's people are called to come out of Babylon the apostate church] so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; [another promise of Rapture]
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her offenses.
6 Pay her [Babylon] back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
7 To the extent that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen [link] and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'
8 For this reason in one day [the 7 Bowls of God's Plagues - the 3rd Woe - are delivered in One Day, ch16] her plagues will come, plague and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
Grief over Babylon: 9 "And the kings of the earth, [not the Antichrist 10 Regional Corporation Kings] who committed acts of sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, [2 Woes; also v19]
- The 3rd Woe is GOD'S ENDING WRATH, and it doubles Satan's wrath which he meted out in his Great Tribulation of Israel, which comprised the first 2 Woes. (see vv6,19)
the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour [very quickly, or; DFAY = 2 weeks] your judgment has come.'
11 "And the merchants of the earth [corporations] weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more- [see ch 13 comments]
12 cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article made from very valuable wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
13 cinnamon, spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, slaves, and human lives. [human atrocities; human trafficking]
- The Major Role The Catholic Church Played in Slavery
- The Catholic church and the theft and sale of babies
- 'Where is their soul?': Catholic Church residential school abuses
- Here Are The Companies Linked To Forced Uighur Slave Labor
- Boycott! - 21 Major Corporations that got rich from Slavery
- Nike Chooses China Profits Over Uyghur Slaves
- 5 Companies That Still Use Slave Labor
- 7 Companies That Are Profiting From Modern Day Slavery In America
- What Do Prisoners Make for Victoria's Secret?
- Whole Foods, Expensive Cheese, and the Dilemma of Cheap Prison Labor
- Control Food - Control People
- United Nations' Hunger Slavery
- How Many Slaves Work For You? [I have more than 60]
14 The fruit you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them.
15 The merchants [corporations] of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 saying, 'Woe, woe, [double the punishment; vs6,10] the great city, [Rome, Vatican, Babylon] she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls; [a perfect description of the Roman Catholic church]
17 for in one hour [very quickly, or; DFAY = 2 weeks] such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood at a distance,
18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?'
19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, [see vs6,10] the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich from her prosperity, for in one hour [see vs10,17] she has been laid waste!'
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." [apostles & prophets both are saints & bond-servants]
21 Then a strong angel picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will never be found again.
22 And the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; [eternal damnation: you will forever cease to exist]
23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your merchants were the powerful people [owners / controllers of corporations] of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft. [WTW]
- Greek: pharmakeia; "enchantment with drugs": covid19 "Vaccine" or something similar.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth." [RC church, Babylon has persecuted the Righteous for centuries]
Pause For Greater Detail - BRIDE PREPARED IN HEAVEN
Revelation 19
- Both the Church and Israel who were alive on Earth have been Raptured from the 7 Years of End Time Tribulation for the Righteous, and since there has not yet been any Resurrection, it is only these Raptured Righteous ones who are in Heaven.
At: 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
At: 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture - Rev 14
Heaven's Beings: 1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, [All of Heaven] saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
2 because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her."
- Israel's Raptured (ch15) faced the wrath of the Great Prostitute in the Great Tribulation (ch17).
3 And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever." [eternal "smoke"]
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"
Israel's Raptured: 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." [praising Father God]
The Church's Raptured: 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude [now clearly focused on a 2nd group] and like the sound of many waters, [nations of the earth] and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, [joined by Heaven's Beings] saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. [praising Jesus God (1:7-8; 15:3; 19:6-7)]
Marriage of the Lamb: 7 Let's rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride [all the Raptured] has prepared herself."
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. [all the Raptured Righteous - Israel & the Church]
9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited [Raptured] to the wedding feast of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."
10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
- Confirmation of New Covenant Salvation. (comp 22:9) Leave here to Read About Covenants
- The Pause For Greater Detail now Ends. Now resuming from . . .
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - Armageddon - Rev 16
The 7th - LAST - Millennium Begins
Satan Is Imprisoned
Revelation 20
Satan Is Imprisoned: 1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key [Jesus' authority taken back from Apollo (9:1)] of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; [this angel has more authority / power than Satan himself]
3 and he threw him into the abyss [this is not the Lake of Fire] and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; [the surviving Unrighteous live through the 7th Millennium] after these things he must be released for a short time. [after he has been judged, then to receive his punishment]
The Redeemed Are Resurrected & Judge the Unrighteous
4 Then I saw thrones, and they [the Resurrected Righteous (below)] sat on them, and judgment was given to them.
- This judging of Satan and the Unrighteous by the Righteous is for the benefit of the latter; for them to comprehend God's Justice in punishing the former.
Reward of the Righteous Begins As They Reign With Jesus
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, [the Church] and those who had not worshiped the [sea]beast [antichrist] or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; [Israel] and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. [5:10]
5 The rest of the dead [the Unrighteous] did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. [1st occurrance of "resurrection" in Revelation]
The Thousand Year Reign: 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years. [this "reign" takes place on Earth (2:26)]
- This is the First use of the word "resurrection" in Revelation.
- Except for the Two Witnesses (11:11), no one is resurrected prior to the Last Millennium.
- This "First Resurrection" is of the Righteous, and it happens right at the beginning of the 7th and Last Millennium of God's 7000-Year Plan. These Righteous are not taken to Heaven.
- These are the "overcomers" who live again to Reign with Christ (5:8-10; 20:4-6) as they rule "with a rod of iron" (2:26-28; 12:5; 19:15) over the surviving Unrighteous on Earth through this Seventh and Final Millennium (20:4).
- Those who were Raptured earlier, remain in Heaven during the Seventh Millennium, after which they will return within the New Jerusalem as the "Bride" (21:2).
The NEW CREATION
- After the 7th - LAST - Millennium - Eternity.
Revelation 21
The New Heaven and Earth: 1 Then I saw a new heaven [earth's sky] and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, [abode of the Righteous (the Bride) in heaven (3:12)] coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride [the Raptured Righteous; ch19] adorned for her husband. [the Bride remained in Heaven through the 7th Millennium]
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle [13:6; 14:14] of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, [on the New Earth] and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, [study "Sukkot"; 14:14]
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death;
there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
- These things just passed away at the end of the 7th Millennium; the end of God's 7000 Years.
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6 Then He said to me, "It is done. [just as at the cross (John 19:30)] I am the Alpha and the Omega, [Jesus is Lord God Almighty (1:8; 22:13)] the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost.
Retrospective Admonition For The Reader: 7 The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8 But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." ["death" means to cease to be alive]
- Since the Lake of Fire is the Second Death for mortals (2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8), the eternal aspect of God's Punishment is in its finality. The Second Death is eternal.
The Bride of the Lamb: 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
- The Raptured Righteous of the Church and Israel are the Bride. We were shown this at:
COMPARE: Pause For Greater Detail - BRIDE PREPARED IN HEAVEN - Rev 19
These Righteous Ones were previously taken to Heaven and will now, after completion of the 7th Millennium, be brought down to the New Earth in the city of New Jerusalem.
The New Jerusalem: 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
- Israel is the "gate" to God's plan of salvation.
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture - Rev 14
13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. [12 gates; compare the city in Ezekiel 48:30-35]
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
- The Church is the "foundation" to God's plan of salvation.
COMPARE: 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand [probably a symbolic number] stadia; its length, width, and height are equal. [1000x longer than Ezekiel's city (length of a Roman Stade isn't precisely known)]
17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, [probably again symbolic of perfection / completion] by human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19 The foundation stones of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. [again equal]
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon [but may still be there] to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. [again equal]
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; [still kings]
- No temple, no sun or moon(?), only day no night means no weekly, monthly, yearly sabbaths(?)
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; [still nations]
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 22
The River and the Tree of Life: 1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, [again equal; the same]
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
- What determines the months if not the moon?
The need for the Water of Life, and to be Healed by the leaves of the Tree of Life, describes an immortality that is dependent on these forms of nurture (also v19), just as it was for Adam and Eve in the Garden.
Humans were not created with innate immortality. It was the Tree of Life which gave Adam and Eve immortality; and it would have continued to do so even after they sinned. The lack of access to the Tree of Life is what enabled Death, which, because sin had entered, was made a necessary part of God's plan of Redemption. (Gen 3:22-24)
7 When they [the Two Witnesses / Prophets] have finished their testimony, [of Jesus]
- After 3.5 years with God's authority (vv2-3) the 2nd 3.5 Years of Satan's Great Tribulation begins.
> Pause For Greater Detail - Great Tribulation - The 2nd 3.5 Years - Rev 13
> 7th Seal With Seven Trumpets - Day of Wrath - Rev 8
> 7th Seal - 1st 4 Trumpets - An Asteroid Strikes - Rev 8
the [sea]beast [Antichrist in all its forms] that comes up out of the abyss [Antichrist Apollo]
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - Apollo is Released - Rev 9
- When Apollo appears, Earthly Authority transfers from the Two Witnesses to Apollo, and he begins his own 3.5 years with Earthly Authority - the 2nd 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time.
will make war with them, [the Two Witnesses / Prophets]
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - TORMENT For 5 Months - Rev 9
- For these 5 months under Protection from God, the Two Witnesses / Prophets minister to the Sealed 144,000 Israelites, who come to a full understanding during Trumpets 5 & 6 (see Rev 7).
and overcome them and kill [God now allows Apollo to kill] them. [Two Witnesses / Prophets]
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH - Rev 9
- At the end of the 2nd 3.5 Years - Great Tribulation - the beast kills the Two Witnesses (Rev 9).
8 And their [the Two Witnesses / Prophets] dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. [Jerusalem]
- 2 Witnesses / Prophets are human; killed in Jerusalem; minister to the Church, then to Israel.
9 Those from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations [Gentiles] will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, [the number is repeated again; 3.5 years before; 3.5 days here] and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.
11 And after the three and a half days, [DFAY, this represents the 3.5 years]
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT - Rev 14
the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
- Resurrection of the Two Witnesses - the Two Prophets - the Two Olive Trees - the Two Lampstands - Representing ALL the Righteous of Israel and the Church throughout time. This is a TYPE (example; foreshadow; assurance) of the Resurrection of the Righteous still to come - the "First Resurrection" - the Last and Greatest Confirmation of God's Ultimate Victory (20:4-6).
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven [from "the (Sukkot) cloud"; (14:14)]
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - 2 Witnesses Called to Heaven
saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up into heaven in the cloud, ["the" cloud; not "a" cloud; study "Sukkot"; 14:14] and their enemies watched them.
- This is Jesus' 2nd Advent. "He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him...." (1:7) Destination heaven - as Satan and his hoard watch on, helpless. Satan has just been handed his Cosmic Smackdown! All the Righteous are now either in heaven or awaiting their Resurrection wake up call. These are the "days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished" (10:7). The Mysteries have been revealed: The 144,000 now understand the Mystery (to them) of Jesus Savior; and Satan now knows his mutany was a complete and utter failure. This finishes "the mystery of God" (10:7).
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture - Rev 14
- This is also the event when the 144,000 Sealed Israelites are "harvested"- Raptured - removing the last of the Righteous from Earth, thus ending Satan's Great Tribulation of the Righteous.
- The 7th angel is now ready to blow his trumpet to begin the 3rd Woe - God's Ending Wrath!
13 And at that time there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. [too late, the Day of Grace is past (13:10)]
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. [without delay]
- As the Two Witnesses & the 144,000 Sealed Israelites ascend and the earthquake roars, the 7th Trumpet sounds. This ends the 2nd period of 3.5 Years - Great Tribulation - and with it the 7-Years End Time of Trouble for the saints.
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - Celebration In Heaven
- The sounding of 7th Seal's 7th Trumpet begins the 3rd Woe . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?) God now finally goes on the offensive in this 6000 Year Old Fight with Satan. This Trumpet is the finishing (15:1) and fulness (15:7) of God's Wrath, and marks the imminent destruction of Satan's Antichrist System and its supporters. This sparks a Victory Celebration in Heaven, with a brief synopsis from the twenty-four Elders of what the Earth has been, and will soon be witnessing.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; [beginning the 3rd Woe which ends with Armageddon]
Christ's Reign Foreseen: 15 ... and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying, "We give You thanks, Lord [Father] God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, [Jesus and the Father carry many of the same Names, Titles and descriptions] because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. [INEVITABLE; Ready To Go]
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Great Earthquake - Rev 6
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - 144,000 Are Sealed - Rev 7
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
18 And the nations were enraged, [compare 12:17] and Your wrath came,
> 7th Seal With 7 Trumpets - Day of Wrath - Rev 8
> 7th Seal - 1st 4 Trumpets - An Asteroid Strikes - Rev 8
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - Apollo Is Released - Rev 9
> 7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - TORMENT For 5 Months - Rev 9
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH - Rev 9
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT - Rev 11
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - 2 Witnesses Called to Heaven - Rev 11 -- [Joint Event]
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH (rejoined) - Rev 14 \\\ ///
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT - Rev 14 /// \\\
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture - Rev 14 ---------------------- [Joint Event]
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - God's Wrath Begins - Rev 14
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 144,000 Sealed Are In Heaven - Rev 15
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7 Bowls - God's Ending Wrath - Rev 15
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7 Bowls With 7 Plagues - Rev 16
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - Armageddon - Rev 16
> 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
> The 7th - LAST - Millennium Begins - Rev 20
> Satan Is Imprisoned - Rev 20
and the time came for the dead to be judged,
> The Redeemed Are Resurrected & Judge the Unrighteous - Rev 20
and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets [Israel] and the saints [Church] and those who fear Your name, the small and the great,
> Reward of the Righteous Begins As They Reign With Jesus - Rev 20
> The 7th - LAST - Millennium Is Finished - Rev 20
> Satan Is Released & Fights His Last Battle Against God - Rev 20
and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
> The Unredeemed Are Resurrected, Judged And Destroyed - Rev 20
The scene is now reset from Heaven back to Earth at the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, the 3rd Woe (11:15), with a marker at the Ending of Evil, the 3rd Woe's 7th Bowl - Armageddon.
19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. [the 3rd Woe's 7th Plague, Armageddon; comp 16:16-21]
God will fully unleash His WRATH as the 7th Trumpet, 3rd Woe destroys the wicked. It's about to get very real with GOD'S UNBRIDLED WRATH. But first, once again before proceeding to the Last Trumpet - the 3rd and Final Woe - we are given more background detail . . .
Pause For Greater Detail - Tribulation (large "T") - The 1st 3.5 Years
- More on "Tribulation" - End Time torment - the 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time.
The Archangel, Michael: 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
- The war in heaven occurs just prior to Satan's "short time" (v12) - the 7-Years End Time.
8 and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
- Before the war Satan and his angels have "a place" in heaven and access to God (v10).
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. [this time GOD throws them down; now they will STAY down (comp v4)]
Joy Over Satan's Defeat In Heaven: 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. [being thrown down, Satan can no longer accuse the Righteous]
- Before the war in heaven, Satan has access to God to make accusations against the Righteous (eg. Job 1:6-12). Being thrown down (and now confined) to earth, signals Satan's assured defeat and God's assured victory. This joyful event occurs just prior to the opening of the Scroll's 1st Seal, when Satan has a "short time" left to cause Tribulation and then Great Tribulation against the Righteous.
11 And they [the Church] overcame [see "overcome", "deeds", etc. previously] him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb [1st Advent Jesus] and because of the word of their testimony [of Jesus], and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
- This refers to Church martyrs of all time, and includes both the 1260 Years of tribulation (Type) and the 42 Months of Tribulation (Antitype). (comp the Rapture of the Church - 6th Seal (ch 7))
12 For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth [Israel] and the sea, [Gentiles] because the devil has come down to you [after War in Heaven (v9)] with great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time. [Satan's 7-Year End Time "Last Push" on Earth]
13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth,
> The Lamb Opens The Sealed Scroll - Tribulation Begins - Rev 6
he persecuted the woman [Church] who gave birth to the male Child.
> Tribulation - the 1st 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time - Rev 11
14 But the two wings [not 6 wings as with the Heavenly Creatures] of the great eagle [might "the great eagle" be a Spiritually Revived U.S.?] were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished [kept alive] for a time, times, and half a time, [1 time + 2 times + .5 time = 3.5 years] away from the presence of the serpent.
> 1st 4 Seals - The Earth Endures Torment And Death - Rev 6
- The first 3.5 Years begins (at the Scroll's 1st Seal (6:1)) after Satan is defeated in Heaven's War and "thrown down to the earth" by God.
- The woman - the Church - flees into the "wilderness" where Satan can't destroy her, and where she receives a degree of protection, from God and His Two Witnesses. (Rev 11)
15 And the serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. [a flood of Satan's LIARS hurled from his mouth, causing so many people (water like a river) to hate the Righteous; happening now in 2021]
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Great Earthquake - Rev 6
which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth. [destroyed the liars sent by Satan]
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - 144,000 Are Sealed - Rev 7
> 6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Rapture Of The Church - Rev 7
17 So the dragon was enraged [comp 11:18] with the woman, [Symbol of all the Righteous] and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of [Father] God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. [the Mystery of Jesus Savior will soon be Finished]
- The Church is gone. The only Righteous left on Earth are the 144,000 Sealed 2nd Advent Messiah Jews - "the rest" of the woman's children - who are now coming to understand what the Messiah of the 1st Advent accomplished for us, and what it means to hold to His testimony.
The 3 Angels' WARNING - Doom For Those Who Ignore God's Call
- This is a view of the consequences of choosing Satan's Antichrist System, prior to detailing God's Ending Wrath under the 3rd Woe. It is given here to forewarn readers of what is coming.
Warning of the Three Angels: 6 And I saw another angel[1] flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people;
- All of humanity has now been warned and there are no excuses. This is fulfillment of the Great Commission: This gospel of the kingdom [of Jesus Christ] shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony [of Jesus Christ] to all the nations, and then the end will come. - Matt 24:14
- And (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel [of Jesus Christ] to all creation. The one who has believed [on Jesus Christ] and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed [on Jesus Christ] will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16
7 and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters."
COMPARE: Pause For Greater Detail - JUDGMENT OF BABYLON - Rev 18
8 And another angel[2], a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she [she = woman / church / spiritual entity] who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality." [don't be a part of Babylon or you will fall with her]
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7 Bowls With 7 Plagues - Rev 16
Doom for Worshipers of the Beast: 9 Then another angel[3], a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the [sea]beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone [21:8] in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [don't bow to the Antichrist or you will fall with him]
11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the [sea]beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
- It is the smoke that ascends forever; not the torment. See "no rest" in Terms & Symbols.
>>> Review: smoke
- Now back into the Timeline where we left off . . .
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH (rejoined)
- Rejoining the Revelation timeline from two discussions which were earlier put on hold . . .
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH - Rev 9
> Pause For Greater Detail - Great Tribulation - The 2nd 3.5 Years - Rev 13
12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. [by the 2nd Woe the 144,000 Sealed understand the Mystery of 1st Advent Jesus Savior]
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them." [remain steadfast and loyal and you will be spared and blessed]
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT
COMPARE: 7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - JESUS CONQUEROR - Rev 19
On A White Cloud: 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, [19:11 - "white horse"]
- The "white cloud" of Jesus' 2nd Advent, which will now lead Israel to the Promised Land of Heaven, just as it once led them to the Promised Land of Canaan. study "Sukkot"
and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, [Jesus] with a golden crown on His head [one crown to harvest one Righteous people; 19:12 - "many crowns"] and a sharp sickle [a sickle is for gathering, not killing or punishing] in His hand. [19:15 - "sharp sword in His mouth"]
- This is a starkly different event at a different place in the Revelation Timeline than "Jesus Conqueror" in Rev 19. Here "Jesus Savior" brings a sickle to "reap His harvest". "Jesus Conqueror" brings a sword to "strike down the nations". "Jesus Savior" rescues - "Jesus Conqueror" "judges and wages war."
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 144,000 Sealed Are In Heaven
- A heavenly scene for our reassurance.
Revelation 15
A Scene of Heaven: 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass [4:6] mixed with fire, and those who were victorious over the [sea]beast and his image and the number of his name, [only the 144,000 Sealed Israelites did this; the Church was not present] standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
- The living remnant of the 144,000 Sealed Israelites whom Jesus has just "harvested" are now seen in heaven. Because so many died in Great Tribulation (13:15) this number is not great, so it is not represented as 144,000, the number symbolizing a massive gathering.
3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, [2nd Advent Messiah Jews] and the song of the Lamb, [1st Advent Messiah Jews] saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; [the Lamb, JESUS] Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed."
- The 144,000 Sealed Israelites now fully Understand Who Their Savior Is (see Rev 7 comments) because His "righteous acts [of boundless Love, Sacrifice and Mercy during His 1st Advent] have been revealed" to them through Great Tribulation. The Mystery of the Lamb's Blood which was shed for sinners, is finished. Israel has come home to their Savior!
- As John noted previously at the Rapture of the Church (ch 8), it is again evident that time is passing between this current Rapture event of Israel and the ensuing pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Plagues under the 7th Trumpet. It would certainly take time to "gather the grapes" from the entire earth. And also, John is again witnessing thrilling events in Heaven with the ones who
just recently joined their Savior there. This break appears to be fairly short. Length of time details aren't given here, but this has been revealed to begin . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?)
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - Armageddon
13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the [sea]beast, [antichrist] and out of the mouth of the false prophet, [the Unholy Trinity] three unclean spirits like frogs;
14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together [14:18] for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. [Armageddon]
Retrospective admonition: 15 ("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.") [Jesus has again been named "God the Almighty]
- The Bowls of Wrath which lead up to this point are anything but stealthy, "like a thief". And when we read on from this point we see that Jesus is certainly not about to "come like a thief", but rather He is about to unleash unprecedented judgment and wrath. (Rev 19:11-16) The admonition here is for the readers; believers who were present before the situation became this dire: "Keep Your Faith and you will be removed from this horror! (Rev 7:9-17; 15:1-4) You really don't want to be present for what is about to take place! Watch for my coming!"
Har-Magedon (Armageddon): 16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
Seventh Bowl of Wrath: 17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." [comp John 19:30; link]
18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
19 The great city [Rome; 17:18] was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great [Roman Catholic church; apostate religion; Rev 17] was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
20 And every island fled, and no mountains were found.
21 And huge hailstones, weighing about a talent [75 to 100 lbs or more] each, came down from heaven upon people; and people blasphemed God [it's too late to repent] because of the plague of the hail, because the hailstone plague was extremely severe.
7th Seal - 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe - 7th Bowl - JESUS CONQUEROR
CONTRAST: 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT - Rev 14
- The Coming of JESUS CONQUEROR is much different than that of JESUS SAVIOR in Rev 14.
On A White Horse: 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, [14:14 - "white cloud"] and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. [14:15 - He "reaps the harvest"]
- Jesus now comes to Judge the Wicked and to Wage War . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?)
- All the Raptured Righteous, both Israel and the Church - the Saints - have been in Heaven for a period of time. Jesus Savior Raptured Israel earlier when He came on a White Cloud.
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; [to conquer many nations; 14:14 - One crown to save 1 nation] and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, [the blood of vengance, not salvation] and His name is called The Word of God. [Jesus, see John 1:1-5]
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. [Jesus brought no "armies" as Jesus Savior]
15 From His mouth [Jesus speaks His wrath] comes a sharp sword, [14:14 - a sharp sickle in His hand] so that with it He may strike down [defeat but not annihilate] the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; [Jesus' millennial reign with the Saints (2:26-28)] and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
- Jesus Conqueror, culminating with the Battle of Armageddon (16:16-17), is the plague of the 7th Bowl which has just been poured out.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great feast of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great."
Armageddon: 19 And I saw the [sea]beast [antichrist] and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army.
Doom of the Beast and False Prophet: 20 And the [sea]beast [Apollo; Man-of-Sin; Satan's antichrist system] was seized, and with him the false prophet [2 of the unholy trinity] who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the [sea]beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. [note that no "smoke" of Atonement rises from any of the unholy trinity]
21 And the rest [kings & their armies (v19); not "deceived" people of the nations (vv15,20)] were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. [to the Lake of Fire AFTER Resurrection & Judgment (20:11-13)]
The 7th - LAST - Millennium Is Finished
Satan Is Released & Fights His Last Battle Against God
Satan Freed and Doomed: 7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
- The 'deceived nations' are the Unrighteous who have lived through the 7th Millennium.
- Satan's Final attempt to defeat God. He has been judged; now he will receive his punishment.
9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, [Jerusalem] and fire [comp 8:3-5] came down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the [sea]beast [antichrist] and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. [the entire unholy trinity has now received final punishment]
- As before (19:20), there is no "smoke" of atonement from the unholy trinity. Their sin is too Great; they are immortal; their torment (not their smoke) will be eternal.
The Unredeemed Are Resurrected, Judged And Destroyed
Judgment: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, [scene change to Heaven] from whose presence earth and heaven [sky] fled, and no place was found for them. [at the time of God's Wrath (16:20)]
12 And I saw the [2nd Resurrection, Unrighteous] dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
- The Righteous are judged by Jesus' deeds and are guiltless under the Lamb's Perfect Sacrifice.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. [no more Death; no more Grave] This is the second death, the lake of fire. [Death ends at the end of the 7th Millennium]
15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. [Second Death; the same as death except this time it is Eternal]
- Just A Thought: Jesus' Revelation makes much of the fact that the earth has been greatly "DECEIVED" by Satan (12:9; 13:14; 18:23; 19:20). In v3 above, the reason that Satan is locked in the abyss for 1000 years is "so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed." Might it be that the 7th Millennium will be a time when those who were deceived, and who are now given a time that is free from this deception, can still embrace God's Truth and receive His Mercy? Verse 15 might be leaving room for the notion that at least some of the names were to be found written in the Book of Life.
- OR ... Might it be that the Unrighteous have been given 1000 years without Satan's influence, for them to reflect upon what might have been; and the fact that they chose to believe Satan's Lie and to battle against God's Truth. When Satan is subsequently released they apparently all choose to be deceived once again, likely knowing that God's Mercy has been lost to them. Could these 1000 years be their actual hell? Since grace has ended (13:10) I believe the latter is true.
6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - Great Earthquake
- Seal 6 takes an unknown amount of time that is probably not very long. It includes a "great earthquake", the Sealing of the 144,000 of Israel and the Rapture of the Church.
6th Seal - Terror: 12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; [dust from erupting volcanoes caused by the great earthquake]
- A Great Earthquake portending Great Tribulation. This is the harbinger of God's Day of Wrath, the Day of the Lord. (comp Acts 2:20) From here forward, many things are termed "great".
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. [rock / lava ejecta falling from the sky]
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves 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 sight of Him who sits on the throne, [the Father] and from the wrath of the Lamb; [Jesus]
17 for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
- Day of Wrath is the 2nd 3.5 year period (42 months) of Satan's Wrath (Great Tribulation) and then 190 Days of God's own Ending Wrath. Its imminency is signalled by the events of the Sixth Seal.
6th Seal - Preparing For Wrath - 144,000 Are Sealed
>>> Important Note: Sealed 144,000 Israelites
Revelation 7
A Brief Interlude: 1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. [this is action taken to harm the earth]
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; [the Father] and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted [allowed] to harm the earth and the sea, [Satan's angels (comp 9:1-5,14)]
3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants [formerly (or still) under the Law; Jews, Israel; Paul's writings; Rom 8] of our God [bond-servants of only the Father (then also Jesus at His 2nd Advent - ch15)] on their foreheads."
The 144,000: 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, [12 x 12,000] sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - 2 Witnesses Called to Heaven - Rev 11
15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap [the Righteous] has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." [19:11 - "He judges and wages war" against the Unrighteous]
16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Jesus reaps / harvests - takes for reward - the 144,000 Sealed of Israel (who are now both 1st & 2nd Advent Messiah Jews) who are still alive ... at His 2nd Advent. This is Israel's Rapture which clears the earth for the Utter Devastation of the 3rd Woe, presented next in Revelation 15. We will be shown Raptured Israel in Heaven shortly.
The Rapture of Israel - the last of the Righteous on earth - brings the Great Tribulation of the Righteous, and so the 7-Years End Time to an END. Jesus Reaps this Harvest immediatly prior to what would have otherwise been Israel's last earthly celebration of Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?) He will now finally bring them home in His glorious white cloud - the Sukkot Cloud of Protection - with the Ultimate Sukkot of the ages to take place in Glory. And God will now tabernacle with Israel in Heaven as He has already been doing with His Church (7:15). study "Sukkot"; 14:14
>>> Important Note: The Church's Days of Tribulation . . . A Difficulty
7th Seal - 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe - TORMENT For 5 Months
- The 144,000 Sealed Israelites are protected for 5 months (150 days) during the 1st Woe, giving them the time they need to learn from the Two Witnesses about 1st Advent Messiah Jesus.
5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; [comp v15] and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. [no killing allowed]
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them! [these are only the Unrighteous (v4)]
7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns [Satan's authority] like gold, and their faces were like human faces.
8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.
9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.
- John's attempt to describe a jet fighter? SCORPION - SEE + SENSE + STING link link link
11 They have as king over them, the [fallen] angel of [freed from] the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
- Apollo; fallen angel; watcher; demon; antichrist; "king" of the demons.
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - DEATH
- No longer restrained, Antichrist now wars against the no longer protected 144,000 Sealed.
- Satan is unleashed at a very Precisely Set Time - 150 Days after the Asteroid Strikes (vv5-12).
- The 6th Trumpet, 2nd Woe occupies the last 1110 Days (1260 Days minus 150 Days), or 37 of the 42 Months of the 2nd 3.5 Years of the 7-Years End Time of Trouble for the Righteous.
200,000,000 Man Army Attacks: 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, [6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe] and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four [fallen] angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." [again, God directs this operation = God's Day of Wrath]
- God now gives Satan Authority to harm and to kill the saints, the 144,000 Sealed.
- God out-manouvered Satan into accomplishing God's will in Jesus' Death at the Cross.
- God has now out-manouvered Satan into accomplishing His will of End Time Wrath!
15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year,
were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. [God No Longer Restrains Satan]
- Unleashing Satan's Full Fury, these fallen angels will be released at a predetermined and very precisely set time - to the very hour - at the 6th Trumpet. The Day upon which this occurs is 150 days after the Asteroid Strikes . . . (On Which Hebrew Day?).
16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; [China now has a military this large] I heard the number of them.
17 And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone.
- John's attempt at describing a modern tank? link
18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. [1/3 of mankind: 2.5 billion people killed]
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths [blasphemies and lies] and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents [Satanic power (12:9,14,15)] and have heads, [Satanic Authority; fallen angels led by Apollo] and with them they do harm.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, [comp 18:12] which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
21 and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their witchcraft, [Watch The Water]
- Greek: pharmakeia; "enchantment by drugs" - covid19 "vaccine" and other similar toxins.
nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.
This iteration of the End Time's Timeline is focused on the activity of Satan and the Unrighteous. At this point in the Timeline is where the following events occur . . .
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - JESUS SAVIOR - 2ND ADVENT(1) - Rev 11
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - 2 Witnesses Called to Heaven - Rev 11 -- [Joint Event]
> 7th Seal - 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe - Israel's Rapture - Rev 14 ---------------------- [Joint Event]
We are now at the end of the 7th Seal's 6th Trumpet, 2nd Woe, with the 7th Trumpet Imminent. This is the end of Great Tribulation and so also the end of the 7-Years End Time of Trouble for the Righteous, the time of the saints' testing. As we will learn, the pattern when we reach this highly significant point in the timeline, is to not go directly into the 3rd Woe, when God releases His Ending Wrath upon the ungodly, but instead to add more information to that already given.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ - Given to John the Apostle
Revelation - the Prophesy Unfolds
- John now looks forward from his time to the Eternal Kingdom, describing for his audience of bond-servants (1:1), the joy of the New Earth Paradise of God and the Lamb:
3 There will no longer be any curse; [of sin] and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants [John is again addressing his audience (1:1)] will serve Him;
- The subject is God and the Lamb, which is then referred to by the singular pronoun Him.
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. [God and the Lamb are ONE]
- THE NAME we are not allowed to see on the Lamb (19:12) until we see Him in His Full Glory on His Re-Created New Earth, is YHWH - THE NAME Jesus twice claimed for Himself, in claiming Oneness with the Father (Jn 10:30) and in repeating YHWH's "I AM" (Ex 3:14, Jn 8:58).
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, [the spirits who minister to the prophets; the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy] sent His angel [JESUS sent His angel (1:1)] to show His bond-servants [John's original audience (1:1)] the things which must soon take place.
- In these verses JESUS has again been unmistakably described as GOD HIMSELF.
7 "And behold, I [JESUS] am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." [the prophecy must be understood before it can be kept]
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9 And he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. [bond-servants] Worship God!"
- Confirmation of Old Covenant Salvation. (comp 19:10) Leave here to Read About Covenants
The Final Message: 10 And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [THIS PROPHECY IS MEANT TO BE UNDERSTOOD]
Retrospective Admonition For The Reader: 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy."
12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. [see 12:11; 16:6]
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." [JESUS is God Himself]
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, [white in the blood of the Lamb (7:13-14)] so that they will have the right to the tree of life, [the Tree of Life maintains immortality (22:2)] and may enter the city by the gates.
15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. [2nd Death ended these people; 21:8]
- This is an advance warning for all readers: Take care of business and do not be left out.
16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life [sustains immortality, 22:2] and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Encouragement, Admonition & Instruction
Closing Message To The Church -
The Truth Of 'God And The Lamb'
Our Reward Will Be Everything Imaginable And More
Don't Mess Up This Opportunity God Has Given Us
