Introduction To The Scroll Of Revelation

The Book of Revelation is unique in the cannon of the Scriptures in that it is the only book authored by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, being a direct communication from God. John the revelator was His amanuensis. Beyond the question of authorship, the book is replete with imagery and symbolism which make it a bit difficult for the young convert to comprehend. The Book of Revelation is in its entirety prophetic. That it is prophetic means that it deals mainly with future events. Biblical prophecy is of two categories, forthtelling and foretelling. Forthtelling deals with the things which are, whilst foretelling deals with the things which shall be hereafter or better still future events(Rev.4:1). The Book of Revelation contains both categories of prophecy. The things which are past are remote(history), and the present. That the Book of Revelation is entirely prophetic does not mean that it does not contain historical facts. There are a few flashbacks to the past.

Besides those terms and phrases which are peculiar to the Book of Revelation, there are also other terms and phrases which are germane to the study of the Book of Revelation which stem from the subject of eschatology. Therefore, for a proper understanding of the Book of Revelation, one would need to familiarize oneself with the unique and peculiar phraseology and terminology of the Book of Revelation and the division of theology called eschatology. In this introduction to the Book of Revelation, we shall attempt a definition and a broad view of these terms in order to enable the young believer gain a fair and working knowledge of these terms and their usages in the Book of Revelation and in eschatology as it relates to the Book of Revelation. Time cometh when these things shall be what matters. It will be a matter of life and death. We shall be at advantage if we have a handle on these things. That a generation of believers shall enter into the 70th week to witness the horrors of the Great Tribulation is certain and inevitable; it is either us, our children, grandchildren or great grandchildren.

Abyss.

The word abyss is the English derivative of the Greek word “abousos.” It is a deep chasm or gulf in the underworld of the dead that separates Hell itself from the OT Paradise(Luk.16:26). It is aptly described as the bottomless pit(Re.20:1). It is a dark and bottomless pit. Imagine a stone in an inflated tube which a child rolls on its axis around a building. The stone will fall for ever as long as the tube is being rolled along. This is how the Earth with the abyss in it rolls on its axis and revolves around the Sun. The stone will be Satan. The fallen angels who did not keep their first estate, but abandoned their own habitation assigned to them of God, and cohabited with human females, giving birth to the Nephilim(hybrid humans, transhumans or humanoids) are imprisoned there under darkness waiting for the judgment of the great day(Gen.6:1-6; 2 Pet.2:4 Jud.6).

It may be that these evil angels are the locusts released from the bottomless pit to afflict the Beast-marked living wicked Earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast at the sounding of the fifth trumpet in the Day Of His Wrath(Rev.9:1-12). These evil angels and humanoid spirits were disembodied at the deluge. Hybrid humans cannot be saved. It was therefore necessary to remove their corrupting influences from humanity. Hence their inprisonment in the bottomless pit. They have a king over them called Adaddon in Hebrew or Apollyon in Greek, who is referred to as the angel of the bottomless pit(Rev.9:11). The Beast-antiChrist is said to ascend from the abyss or bottomless pit(Rev.11:7). This supports the fact that the antiChrist is one who had lived before, and ruled over one of the seven Beast Empires, and shall come back to life to rule over the Eighth Beast Empire of Satan. During the Millennium, Satan, the great red Dragon shall be incarcerated in the abyss for 1000 years alongside with his fallen evil angels(Rev.20:1-3).

Angels.

The Book of Revelation is replete with angels and their activities. To enhance our understanding of the Book of Revelation, we need to know a few facts about these entities called angels. Angels are spirit beings created by God. They are also metaphorically referred to as stars(Rev.9:1) and sons of God(Job1:6; 38:7). Although they are sometimes referred to as sons of God, unlike man, they are not made in the image and likeness of God. They are servants of God created to minister for the saints of God who shall heirs of he kingdom(Heb.1:14). They are ministering spirits. There is a hierarchical order amongst angels. The highest order of angels are called archangels. Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel mentioned in the Scriptures are archangels. Lucifer was probably the highest archangel in charge of praise and worship to God in heaven prior to his ouster. In eternity past, prior to the creation of man, he led a revolt against God in heaven(Is.14:12-23; Ezek.28:1-19). One-third of the angels in heaven sided with him in the revolt(Rev.12:4a) . He and his followers were cast out of the third heaven into the Dark Void and the starry heavens. This is the origin of evil angels called demons or evil spirits, the gods of the nations whom men worship. These evil spirits are locked in unrighteousness; for they can never repent. The obedient angels are locked in righteousness. They can no longer rebel against God. They shall ever be faithful to Him. After resurrection, the saints shall be locked in righteousness eternally. They shall be like the holy angels, incapable of sin(Matt.22:30; Mk.12:25; Luk.20:34,35). From time to time, depending on their missions, angels can be clothed with human flesh and be visible to the naked and unaided human eye.

Beasts.

1. The Four Beasts.

There are a number of beasts mentioned in the Book of Revelation. There are the four beasts(KJV) or four living creatures(other translations). These are created beings. They are the closest to God in His Throne Room in the temple in heaven. Their loci of activities are in and about the throne. They guard the Throne Of God in the Throne Room in the Temple Of God in Heaven and the glory thereof. They abide in His presence, praising and worshipping God. The identity of these four creatures are debated amongst biblical scholars and saints alike. They are obviously angels. Their appearances are like the lion, the cow, man and the eagle. They have eyes within and without. They have six wings apiece. Their duty is to praise God day in and day out, saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. Some call them cherubim. They supervised the breaking of the first four seals of Rev.6., signifying and signaling that even though the first four seals represent the Wrath Of Satan, God is in sovereign control.

2. The First Beast: The Sea-Beast

The First Beast is described in Rev.13. He is also referred to as the Sea-Beast. He has seven heads and ten horns like his master, the Dragon. He is a subaltern of the Devil and his representative on Earth. Satan is an invisible being without a physical body with which to relate to the external physical environment. Therefore his rulership over the earthly realm is by proxy. In other words, he operates through intermediaries or mediators. The First Beast has ten crowns on his ten horns. On his head is written the name of blasphemy. His seven heads are the seven previous beast empires. His ten horns are the ten kings of the ten nation confederation, the Eighth And Final Beast Empire, the Fourth Reich. He is said to come out of the sea(of humanity), he is also said to ascend from the abyss. Putting the two together, we understand that though he is clothed with a human body, he is an evil spirit whose origin is from the bottomless pit. Human spirits are not sent to the bottomless pit. He has the military prowess of Alexander the Great(he was like a leopard, the symbol of the Greek empire), the administrative ability of the best of Medopersian king(his feet was like a bear), and the iron will of Nero who persecuted the Jews and all non-Romans(his mouth as the mouth of a lion). He is possessed of and anointed by Satan: “the Dragon gave him his power, seat, and great authority.”(Rev.13:3b). He will make war with the saints and overcome them. He is the visible eschatological antagonist. The living wicked Earth-dwellers will worship him and the Dragon who empowered him(Rev.13:1-8). He is the Dragon’s immediate subaltern. Defeated by Christ and His armies at Armageddon, he shall be taken captive and cast alive into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone in conjunction with the Second Beast(Rev.19:20).

3. The Second Beast: The False Prophet

The Second Beast came out of the Earth. He is also referred to as the Land-Beast. He has two horns like a lamb, and spake like a dragon(Rev.13:11). Jesus Christ our Lord is the true Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. The Second Beast is a false lamb who will found a false one world religion characterized by the worship of the First Beast and the Dragon who empowered him. Inclusiveness and syncretistic worship are at the core of religious ecumenism. He is called the false prophet. He will be a false religionist who promotes idolatry, the worship of man as God, in the form of humanism(2 Thess.4:11). He is also called the enforcer because he will cause those who dwell on the Earth to take the mark of the beast by means of outstanding and supposedly genuine miracles which will be very difficult to refute such as making fire come down from heaven in the sight of men, and to cause the image of the First Beast to speak. He will be far superior to the prophets of Baal who could not command fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice to Baal(1 Kin.18:26-29), and the magicians of Pharaoh who conceded that the miracles performed by Moses were by the finger of God(Exod.8:18,19). He shall be taken captive at Armageddon and cast alive into the Lake of Fire and brimstone alongside the First Beast(Rev.19:20).

4. The Scarlet-colored Beast.

Scarlet is the robe and symbol of royalty. The scarlet-colored Beast is false human government instituted by Nimrod. It is fake human nobility. It is the front by which Satan administers his rule over the Earth. It has seven heads and ten horns. There is a little difference in nuance between it and the First Beast. “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”(Rev.17:3). As we have pointed out, the seven heads are the seven Beast Empires which Satan used to persecute the children of Israel throughout history. The ten horns are the ten nations and kings of the Eighth And Final Beast Empire of Satan. False human government by which Satan administers his rule over the Earth is epitomized in the antiChrist, the First Beast which also has seven heads and ten horns like his master, the Great Red Dragon. The woman who rides the Beast also sits on seven mountains. It therefore follows that the seven mountains are synonymous with the Scarlet-coloured Beast on which also the woman sitteth. When The Stone cut out without hands from the mountain destroys the Statue Of Nebuchadnezzar by striking it at its feet of ten toes made partly of iron and partly of clay, the whole satanic edifice came crashing down(Dan.2:34,35,44,45). It therefore follows that the life and spirit of the whole satanic setup is in the Eighth Beast Empire and its Emperor, the antiChrist. The Great Red Dragon, the First Beast, and the Scarlet-colored Beast, have the same characteristics, seven heads and ten horns.

Church

The English word Church is a translation of the Greek word “ekklesia” which means called out people. It is the assembly of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus the Messiah. The word of God divides humanity into three, the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church Of Gog. Give none offense neither to the Jews, nor the Gentiles, nor the Church Of God(1 Cor.10:32). The Church is one of three divisions of humanity. The seven churches mentioned in the Scroll Of Revelation were actual local assemblies of believers in Asia Minor which is in present day Turkey. They were not the only ones in Asia Minor at that time. They were representative of local assemblies at that time and in the 70th week of Daniel. Of the seven churches, two were faithful and uncompromising. These were the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna. Five were unfaithful and compromising in various areas though believing in Jesus. The church of Sardis was a dead church with the reputation of being alive, with the outward paraphernalia of religion. These churches boil down to individual Christians. Few believers are faithful and uncompromising. The majority of believers are in between, unfaithful and compromising. There are few in the body who give the outward impression of being spiritually alive but are in actual fact spiritually dead. The faithful and uncompromising believers shall be granted protection within the sphere of persecution because they heeded Christ’s instructions concerning perseverance, and shall finally be removed from the sphere of persecution. The unfaithful and compromising believers shall go through persecution without divine protection because they failed to heed Christ’s instruction concerning perseverance. The dead believers shall capitulate to the authority of the Beast.

The Dragon.

The great red Dragon has seven heads and ten horns like his minion the First beast(Rev.12:3). He is the supreme personality of evil who opposes God, the saints and the holy angels. The seven heads are the seven Beast Empires of history which have persecuted Israel in exile or took her into exile. The ten horns are the ten kings of the ten nation confederation, the 8th and Final Beast Empire. The Dragon is the Chief eschatological antagonist, the supreme personality of evil, the archenemy of God and His saints. In eternity past, he led a revolt against God, and drew one-third of angels to his side(Rev.12:4a). He was the former archangel Lucifer(Greek: phosphorus, the shining one), in charge of praise and worship in heaven. He is called Satan. The Hebrew word “shatan” from which the English word Satan is derived means adversary. He is the opposer of God and His children. He lured Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden(Gen.3:1-24). He is the serpent, so named because of his subtilty, craftiness, greasiness, and crankiness(Gen.3:1, Rev.12:9, 20:3). He usurped the authority given to Adam, God’s human representative in the earthly domain of His universal kingdom. He is the god of this Age, and the prince of the power of the air(2 Cor.4:4; Eph.2:2). His rulership of the Earth shall expire at the end of Adam’s lease, the sixth millennium. He is a spirit being; lacking human body with which to relate to the external physical environment, he rules the world by proxy. He attempted to snuff out the life of Jesus as a child through the agency of Herod the great(Rev.12:4; Matt. 2:16-18). He shall attempt through his minion the antiChrist to exterminate Jews and true believers, anyone else who repudiates his authority during the Great Tribulation(Rev.12:17). He shall be cast down to the Earth with his evil angels in the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel(Rev.12:7-9). He shall be bound in the abyss for 1000 years during the millennial reign of Christ(Rev.20:1-3). At the end of the Millennium he shall be temporarily released to lead the final rebellion against God that would end in divine conflagration(Rev.20:7-10). He shall be finally cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone(Rev.20:10).

Bowls

The Greek word translated bowl(other translations) or vial(KJ) is “phiale” from which the English word vial is derived. It is a shallow bowl like saucer, the content of which can be easily emptied, unlike the vial used in medicine today which is a narrow-throated vessel, the content of which is difficult to empty because the narrow throat constitutes an impediment to the flow of the liquid content. All seven bowls are contained within the seventh trumpet. The imagery of the outpouring of the bowls is one of the discarding and decanting of dirty water used in doing ablution with a quick swish. The seventh trumpet has no judgment of its own but opens into the seven bowls. The seven bowls constitute the final wrath of God(Rev.16). They were administered by the last seven avenging angels. All seven bowls are emptied upon the Earth within a short period of 24 days between the sounding of the seventh trumpet on Mount Zion on the 5th and end of Armageddon on 30th day of the 30-day Reclamation Period. The seventh bowl contains the judgment of Mystery Babylon, the Mother Of Harlots And abominations Of The Earth, the religion and commerce of the humanistic system of the antiChrist epitomized in a city called Babylon, and the war of Armageddon.

Candlesticks

Candlestick or lampstand, also called menorah(Hebrew) or candelabrum(Greek) is a light source. In the Book of Revelation, it is the light source of the city. It was used of Christ to represent a local church which is the spiritual source of light and life in the city. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(Matt.5:14-16). The seven lampstands or candlesticks are symbolically representative of the seven churches in Asia Minor to which the seven letters of Christ were addressed(Rev.1:20). Any local assembly of believers anywhere in the world at any time, more so in the 70th week of Daniel will fall into one of these seven candlesticks.

Crowns.

There are two Greek words translated crown in the Book of Revelation, “diadem” and “stephanos.” Diadem is the crown won by kings and rulers. Stephanos is the victor’s crown awarded to those who were victorious at the Olympic Games. They were made of gold leaves. The woman in Rev.12 is depicted as wearing a crown studded with 12 stars. The ten horns of the Dragon-Beast were also wearing diadems. They were sitting kings. The angel sitting on the white cloud in Rev.14:14, had on his head a golden crown. The rider on a white horse in Rev.19:12 has many crowns on His head. The overcomers wore the victors crown. The crown of life is promised to those who are faithful unto death(Rev.2:10). Therefore it is called the martyrs’ crown.

End Of The Ages.

Judaism has a dual view of the ages. There is the present age, “olam haze,” and the age to come, “olam haba.” In Greek, the age to come is aioneis. The life of the age to come is what is translated as eternal life in the KJV in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have the life of the age to come(zoe aioneis).” The life of the age to come is here present in those who believe in Jesus, albeit masked by the mortal body. Between these two ages, the exiting of the present age and the ushering in of the age to come is the end of the ages. During this transition period, there is an intensification of activities by God and His angels, Satan and his fallen evil angels, and human beings to bring to an end the cosmic conflict. This period corresponds with the part of the second half of the 70th seven referred to as the Day Of His Wrath, the Day Of Christ or simply the End(Matt.10:22, 24:14). During this period the wrath of God is poured out on the living wicked Earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, in order to avenge the blood of the saints killed during the Great Tribulation and to end the wicked reign of Satan and to usher in the just and perfect reign of Christ. Christ’s Second Coming to rescue the Church occurs at the end of the ages, the Harvest prior to the outpouring of the wrath of God. The Church is exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9).

Heads

The Great Red Dragon has seven heads and ten horns, so also the Sea-Beast(Rev.12:3, 13:1). “And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”(Rev.17:3). The scarlet-colored Beast is the image of the rule of the Dragon, Satan over the Earth. Remember, here the emphasis is on how the rule of the Devil affects Israel. So, the seven heads are the seven Beast Empires that Satan has used to persecute Israel. These are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Meno-Persia, Greece, Rome, and The Third Reich of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. There is an Eight Empire figuratively represented by the ten horns, a confederation of ten nations and their kings which shall be ruled by the little horn which is the eleventh horn(Dan.7:8). The little horn that has eyes which signal intelligence is the Beast-antiChrist which has ruled over one of the seven previous Beast Empires, and was killed with a military weapon in battle, descended into the abyss, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit to rule over the Eighth And Final Beast Empire of Satan(Rev.17:8,11,).

Horns.

Horns signify power and authority. In the Book of Revelation, the Dragon has seven heads and ten horns. The first beast also has seven heads and ten horns: so also the Scarlet-colored Beast. The ten horns have ten crowns. That the ten horns have crowns indicate that they are sitting kings. That is indeed the case, inasmuch as the ten horns are the ten kings of the ten nation confederation which is the 8th and Final Beast Empire of Satan. The second beast who spoke as lamb has two horns. While the power and authority of the ten horns were political, the power and authority of the second beast, the enforcer of the First Beast was religious. He hypnotized and mesmerized the living wicked Earth-dwellers to worship and adore the Dragon and the First Beast(The Dragon-Beast; Rev.13:4,12, & 14).

Horse And Rider.

In the Ancient Near East, horses signified royalty and might, more so military might. In the Ancient Near East, all kings go to battle(2 Sam.11:1). Therefore the first four seals of Rev.6 which are the wrath of Satan are symbolized by horses and their riders. The first white horse and rider signal the emergence of false christs, and the antiChrist who is the ultimate false christ. The second red horse and rider signal war. The third black horse and rider signal famine and extreme dearth, pestilences and earthquakes which are the natural consequences of war. The fourth grey horse and rider signal the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist against christians and observant Jews and any other person who repudiates the authority of the Beast-antiChrist. In Rev.19:11-16, the rider on a white horse accompanied by the heavenly hosts also mounted on white horses is Christ. The colour of the horse determines the purpose. White signifies righteousness. Christ is the righteous Judge. The armies of heaven are righteous. Christ is faithful and true and righteous. The first horse and rider which signal the emergence of the Beast also depicts a false Christ who has a bow but no arrows which signal deceit and political intrigue, and subtle peace diplomacy.

Kings.

There are a number of rulers mentioned in the Book of Revelation who are kings. The antiChrist is the overall ruler of the 8th and Final Beast Empire. It is best to see him as the Emperor of the Empire. An empire is a consortium of nations ruled by a king, an emperor. Under him are the ten horns who are the ten kings of the ten nation confederation. Besides, there are the kings of the east, the king of the south and the king of the north. Egypt and her king shall be opposed to the antiChrist. There may be neutral nations like Edom, Moab and Ammon which are in the vicinity of modern Jordan(?) The nations and their armies shall be destroyed at Armageddon. These nations have kings who are not specifically named. Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He shall reign as king over the whole Earth, sitting on the throne of His father David as his greater son and on the throne of God in the Throne Room of the fourth and millennial temple on Mount Zion as His human-divine representative(an Adam), the heavenly archetypal man, the God-Man in the earthly realm of His universal kingdom(Isa.9:6; Zech.6:13; Luk.1:69,70; Matt.2:2).

Lambs.

Jesus is the Lamb of God that was slain to take away the sin of the world(Jon.1:29). In Rev.5, He vacated His seat at the right hand of the Throne Of The Majesty in the Throne Room of the Temple of God in heaven. He is standing in the midst of the throne as a Lamb that was slain. This signals His death and resurrection. He is the Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah who has prevailed to break the seven seals of the seven-sealed scroll and to open it, after a search was conducted in heaven, Earth and under the Earth and no man was found who could open the scroll and break the seals, to the consternation of John the revelator who wept sore. He prevailed because He is worthy. He conquered death. He atoned the sins of all mankind. In Rev.13:11-18, there appeared another lamb with two horns. This is the second beast, the false prophet who mesmerizes and hypnotizes the whole world to worship the First Beast and the Dragon. He has power granted him of the First Beast to perform miracles which appear seemingly genuine, aimed at luring the gullible Earth-dwellers to worship false gods.

Marriage.

There is the marriage of the Lamb which takes place in heaven, after the rapture of the church, after the completion of the spiritual kingdom of God, shortly before the blowing of the seventh trumpets, after Christ reclaims the rule of God Almighty over the Earth at the blowing of the seventh trumpet. It shall be after the Bema Seat judgment at which the saints are bejeweled; for His Bride has made herself ready(Rev.19:7). The marriage Supper of the Lamb shall take place on Earth in the early part of the millennial reign of Christ. At the marriage Supper of the Lamb, Christ, the newly enthroned king of the Earth, Jesus the Son Of God who also is the Son Of Man shall make a banquet for the kings of the Earth(the saints who reign with Him), a feast of wine on the lees, wine well refined(Is.25:6).

Millennium: The Rulership Of The Kingdom

Millennium is a compound Latin word derived from “mille” and “annum.” It simply means one thousand years. It is used by theologians and biblical scholars alike to denote the one thousand years after the present age during which Christ and the saints shall reign on Earth while Satan and his fallen evil angels are bound in the abyss(Rev.20).

God created the heavens and the Earth in six days. He rested the seventh day and hallowed it. Therefore the seventh day is the Shabbat of the Lord. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”(Gen.2:1-2). God leased the Earth to Adam. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”(Gen.1:28). Adam was God’s representative in the earthly realm or domain of His Universal Kingdom. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”(Ps.115:16). Adam was to rule the Earth for six days. Each of those days would be a thousand years. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”(2 Pet.3:8). On the seventh day which is the seventh millennium, the rulership Of the Earth will revert back to the Most High God who is the owner. “And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:”(Gen.14:19).

Adam sold out to the Devil(Gen.3). Satan became the god of this age, the prince of this age and of the power of the air(Jon.14:30, 2 Cor.4:4, Eph.2:2). Satan boasted to Jesus that the kingdoms of this age and the glories of them are his. Jesus did not refute his claim. “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”(Luk.4:5-8, Matt.4:8-10). How and when did he get them? At the fall of Adam. It was legal transactions and therefore binding. Adam did not have the moral right to do that, but he had the legal right because he was God’s representative in the earthly domain of His Universal Kingdom.

God’s lease of the Earth to Adam will expire at the end of the sixth millennium. It therefore follows that Satan’s rule over the Earth will expire at the end of the sixth millennium. Jewish calendar which is lunar begins on day one of creation of man. The 70th week of Daniel is the last seven years of the sixth millennium. The seventh millennium is God’s Shabbat. During this period, Satan shall be bound in the bottomless pit for one thousand years. Christ and the saints shall reign. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”(Rev.20:1-6).

Mountains.

“The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth.”(Rev.17:9). In the Ancient Near East, mountains were used figuratively to refer to kingdoms, and kingdoms were synonymous with their kings. Therefore, the seven mountains represent seven kingdoms and their seven kings. These kingdoms are the seven previous Beast Empires that have persecuted Israel throughout history. They are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Third Reich of Nazi Germany(Dan.2,7). At the time of the writing of the Scroll Of Revelation by Apostle John, the apocalyptist, five kingdoms were fallen or had become history, one was, the sixth kingdom which was the Roman Empire, was in existence at that time. The seventh was yet to come and would last a short space(Rev.17:10). Hitler’s Third Reich intended to last a thousand years survived for a very short period of twelve years(1933-45). There are some biblical scholars that teach that the seven mountains represent the seven hills on which Rome was founded, this cannot be historically substantiated because the seven hills were not seven kingdoms ruled by seven heads or kings. Even if they were sovereign kingdoms, they were never world class Empires that negatively impacted Israel. They were never used of Satan to persecute Israel, neither did any one of them took Israel into exile. The seven kingdoms were used of Satan to persecute Israel.

Nations.

Apart from the 8th and Final Beast Empire of Satan, consisting of a ten nation confederation, there shall be other nations in existence in the end times. There will be nations of the north, south and east(Dan.11:36-45). Nations in the north of Israel shall form a coalition to be ruled by the king of the North. African nations south of the Sahara shall also form a coalition to be ruled by the king of the South. The antiChrist will be the king of the West. But the nations of the east shall not be able to form a coalition due to religious and ideological differences. Therefore, there shall be the kings of the East. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”(Rev.16:12). These are China, India, Pakistan, Japan, etc.

There will be Egypt, Edom, Moab and Ammon. In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand for ever(Dan.2:44). All these nations and theirs kings and armies shall be summarily vanquished by Christ at Armageddon(Rev.19:19-21). And then the kingdoms of this age will become the kingdom of God and of His Christ on Earth. “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”(Rev.11:15).

New Heaven And New Earth

Apostle John the revelator saw a new Heaven and a new Earth and there was no more sea. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”(Rev.21:1). During the Day Of The Lord, the present Heavens And Earth shall be cleansed with fire from the defilement of sin, and renovated during the 45-day Restoration Period Of The Kingdom. The resultant Heavens And Earth shall be the New Heavens And The New Earth. There are some biblical scholars who teach that the new Heaven And New Earth occurs after the Millennial reign of Christ. This cannot be true because what prophet Isaiah described after prophesying of the creation of the new Heaven And New Earth is life in the Millennium.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.”(Isaiah 65:17-25).

During the reign of Christ after the present age, men shall reproduce and bear children. There will be infants and toddlers. There will be old men. After the Millennium is the final final resurrection. Every man will be in a resurrection body which is ageless.

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”(Isaiah 11:1-10).

As also in the Millennium, all wild animals shall be tamed in the New Heaven And The New Earth. In the New Heaven And New Earth as in the Millennium, the Earth shall be repopulated by sinful men, Jews and Gentiles in their sinful mortal bodies subject to sickness, disease and death. They shall have offspring. Those who die at one hundred years of age shall be regarded as babies. If this period follows the Millennium, no man will be in this sinful and mortal body inasmuch as the Millennium ends with the final resurrection and the White Throne Judgment(Rev.20:11-15). After the Millennium everyone, both sinner and saint shall be in eternal immortal resurrection body. The saint shall be in glorified eternal immortal resurrection body which is the resurrection unto life. The sinner shall be in non-glorified eternal immortal resurrection body which is resurrection unto damnation(Jon.5:25-29). So, the new Heaven And The New Earth is the same as the Millennium. After the Millennium is the Eternal State or Eternities Future.

Periods Of The Kingdom.

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”(Daniel 12:11-12).

An interim of 75 days is spoken of by Daniel the prophet. The starting point of this interim is the end of the 70th week. The interim is divide into two unequal periods of 30 days and 45 days. The 1,260, the 1,290, and the 1,335 days have the same terminus-a-quo at the midpoint of the 70th week when the abomination that maketh desolate is set up at the rebuilt Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

1. The 30-Day Reclamation Period Of The Kingdom.

This period begins at the end of the 70th week which is marked by the death of the two witnesses. This period is dubbed the Restoration Period of the kingdom by Robert Van Kampen of blessed memory. Within this period certain key events of the end times occur such as the rescue of the 144,000 and other remnants of Israel hiding in the Edomite Wilderness on the first day, reconciliation of the remnant of Israel with God on the third day, the resurrection of the two witnesses on the fourth day, the reclamation of God’s rule over the Earth by Christ at the blowing of the seventh trumpet on the fifth day, the surviving remnant of Israel sent into protective custody in Azel on the 6th day. This period ends with the defeat of the antiChrist at the battle of Armageddon on the 30th day.

2. The 45-Day Restoration Period Of The Kingdom.

The 45-day extension after the 30-day period is aptly named the Restoration Period Of The Kingdom by Robert Van Kampen. It is indeed a period of restoration of the heavens and the Earth after they have been salted by fire during the Day Of The Lord, and the devastations cuased by the first four seals of Rev.6(Is.65:17; Rev.21:1). During this period, the whole Earth will be renovated, Mount Zion will be renovated and elevated above all other mountains. The Fourth And Millennial Temple shall be erected on top of the elevated Mount Zion, the earthly Millennial Jerusalem will be rebuilt, the heavenly Jerusalem will descend from heaven(Ezek.40-43; Rev21:2). It shall be contiguous with the Throne Room Of Christ in the Fourth And Millennial Temple atop Mount Zion through the hollow at its base. It shall be the abode of the resurrrected saints in their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies who shall reign with Christ over the Earth in the Millennium(Rev.21:3,24). During this period also, the final ingathering of the Jews who survived the wrath of Satan and the first six trumpet judgments shall be conducted(Jere.31:10-15), and perhaps the Sheep And Goat Judgment Of The Gentile survivors of the Day Of The Lord who were not Beast marked(Matt.25:31-46).

Scrolls

The Greek word translated scroll or roll is “biblos” from which the English word bible and its cognates are derived. It simply means book. In the Ancient Near East, documents were written on parchments made from animal skin or papyrus sown together, then rolled up. For ease of handling, the scroll is attached to wooden rods at both ends, left and right, with the ends sticking out at all four corners, up and down as seen today in the scrolls of the Torah. The scroll may or may not be sealed. If sealed, the seals can only be broken by the owner of the seal or the one to whom it is addressed. If unsealed, the scroll can be read by anyone lettered(Isa.29:11,12). The Book of Revelation itself was originally written on a scroll. There are two scrolls mentioned in the Book of Revelation: the Big Scroll in Rev.5&6 and the little scroll in Rev.10. Unsealed Scroll may be rolled up or open.

1. The Big Scroll.

The Big Scroll has seven seals. The seals are on the exterior of the Big Scroll. The seals must be broken before the content of the scroll can be accessed and viewed. The Big Scroll is the Tittle Deed of the Earth which Jesus received from the Father because He is the only one in heaven, on Earth, and underneath the Earth qualified to break the seals and open the scroll to reveal the content, inasmuch as the Father has committed all judgments to Him(Jon.5:22). The Big Scroll is in storage in the Throne Room Of The Temple Of God in Heaven. The Big Scroll is not the Bible as some interpreters teach. The Big Scroll has always been kept in heaven inasmuch as the Earth was leased to Adam, not sold. Christ is the only one who has the right to execute divine judgment on Earth; for He is The Son Of Man(an Adam, God’s human representative on Earth), and God the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son. That He is the Son Of God implies deity. That He is the Son Of Man implies He is the God-Man, the heavenly archetypal man, the rightful heir to the throne of God on the earthly domain of His Universal Kingdom. Although God The Father is the possessor of the Heavens and the Earth(Gen.14:19), He has leased the Earth to the sons of men. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”(Psalms 115:19). God made Adam in His own image and likeness, and gave him dominion over the Earth and it’s appurtenances(Gen.1:26-31).

2. The Small Scroll.

The little scroll has no seals. It is the big scroll with the seven seals broken and part of the internal content already dispensed with in the first six trumpets. The Small Scroll contains the final wrath of God in the 7th trumpet. The seventh trumpet contains no judgments of its own but opens into the seven bowls. The seven bowl judgments are administered by the last seven avenging angelic reapers. The other contents of the Small Scroll are the events that shall transpire during the 45-Day Restoration Period, the Millennial Reign of Christ, and the White Throne Judgment.

Seals.

Rolled up scrolls are tied up and then knotted at several points on the roll. These knots may be in a row or arranged haphazardly. On these knots are placed wet clay or soft wax and then impressed with the signet of the owner of the document. The clay or wax is allowed to harden. These knots with seal impressions are called seals or bullae(singular: bulla). Seals or bullae are for authenticity, security and protection, preservation. Tampering with seals attracts prosecution. Some documents may contain as few as 2-3 or as many as 5-7 bullae or seals. The seals can only be broken by the owner of the seal impression or the one to whom the document is addressed. Unsealed scrolls can be read by anyone lettered. Scrolls with broken seals can also be read by anyone lettered without fear of contravention and prosecution.

The content of the scroll can only be accessed if the seals are broken inasmuch as the seals are on the exterior of the scroll. The Big Scroll in Rev.6 has seven seals. The small scroll in Rev.10 is the big scroll with the seven seals broken and part of the internal content dispensed with in the first six trumpet judgments. So, it has no seals. The big scroll with seven seals is the Title Deed of the Earth. Only Christ has the power and authority to break the seals and reveal the content because God the Father has committed all judgment to Him(Jon.5:22). The seals are broken in heaven and certain events unfold here on Earth. The first seal is the white horse and rider which signal the emergence of false messiahs, and the man of sin, the ultimate false messiah.

The second seal is the red horse and rider which signal war. The third seal is the black horse and rider which signal famine, pestilence and earthquakes. The fourth seal is the grey horse and rider which signal the Great Tribulation. The first four seals signify the wrath of Satan which is different from the wrath of God(Rev.12:12; 6:17). The fourth seal is Satan’s great wrath. The wrath of God is contained in the trumpets and the bowl judgments. The wrath of Satan is directed against the saints of God and the nation of Israel and anyone else who for whatever reason fails to capitulate to the authority of the Beast-antiChrist. The wrath of God is directed against the living wicked Earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”(Eph.5:6).

The first four seals are administered by the four living creatures indicating that God is in sovereign control. The fifth seal is a heavenly scene that depicts the severe persecution of the people of God going on here on Earth under the Fourth Seal which is the Great Tribulation. These saints are arriving in heaven as disembodied spirits and souls. They have not yet received their resurrection bodies. They are kept under the altar of incense. They demand vengeance from God. The sixth seal is earthly and celestial disturbances which God uses to interrupt the persecution of the saints at the completion of the number of saints to be martyred by the antiChrist and his minions under the fourth seal, the Great Tribulation. The seventh seal signals the wrath of God. Before the seventh seal is broken, God raptures the saints and seals the 144,000 from the nation of Israel(Rev.7). The seventh seal has no judgment of its own but rather opens into the seven trumpets.

Sevens.

The number seven is the commonest(most recurrent) number in the scroll of Revelation. It occurs more frequently than any other. In Hebrew numerology and Gematria, seven is the divine number. It signals completeness, wholeness and perfection. It indicates that human history on Earth as we know it is coming to a consummate end with divine precision and accuracy of His righteous judgment. There are seven benedictions(Rev.1:3;14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14), and seven stars and seven candlesticks(Rev.1:20). There are seven spirits of God(Rev.1:4). This does not mean there seven individual spirits. There are seven attributes of the one Spirit of God, The Holy Spirit. These seven attributes of the Holy Spirit are in perfect and complete manifestation in Jesus. That is why the Scriptures say that He, Jesus has the seven spirits of God. There are some, like Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eysenberg, that teach they are seven angels that administer the power of God which may well be true. Is it proper to say Jesus has the seven angels of God? The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches(Rev.1:20). They go beyond angels appointed by Jesus over these churches to the responsible human elements over these churches. Men and angels could be the messengers of God. In extreme cases, where men have failed woefully, animals are used as God’s messengers also(Num.22:22-31; 1 Kin.17:1-6).

The seven candlesticks are the seven churches(Rev.1:20). There are seven churches and seven letters to the seven churches(Rev.2&3). There are seven seals and seven trumpets and seven bowls(Rev.5:1, 8:2,6, 15:7). The seventh seal opens into the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet into the seven bowls. The seventh bowl represents a series of judgments that end at Armageddon(Rev.16:17-19:21). There are seven angels who sound the seven trumpets. There are seven avenging angels administering the seven bowls(Rev.15:1,6). The Dragon, the First beast, and the scarlet-colored beast have seven heads(Rev.12:3,13:1). The seven heads are the seven previous beast empires of Satan. There are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth(Rev.17:9). The seven mountains are synonymous with the seven heads of the Dragon, the First Beast, and the Scarlet-coloured Beast which are the seven Beast Empires inasmuch as mountains signify kingdoms. And there are seven kings or emperors over the seven Beast Empires. The great tribulation and the eschatological day of the Lord occur within the 70th seven of Daniel’s 70 seven prophecy(Dan.9:24-27). The 1000 year reign of Christ(Rev.20:6) is the seventh millennium, the Shabbat of the Lord as it were.

The 70th Week Of Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”(Daniel 9:24). The 70th Week is the last 7 years of the 490 years spoken of by Daniel the prophet. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”(Daniel 9:27). The starting point of this 7-year period is the signing of the 7-year peace treaty by the antiChrist with the many from within Israel which also marks the end of the Gentile interlude between the 69th and the 70th weeks. It is divided into two equal halves of three and one-half years each. The first half called the beginning of sorrows or beginning birth pangs or pains covers the first three seals of Rev.6. The second half called the travail or real hard labor begins at the midpoint, and covers the Great Tribulation, the cosmic disturbances, and the first six trumpets of the Day Of The Lord. It ends with the death of the two witnesses. Most of the activities and events of the end times occur within this brief period of 7 years. It is the last seven years of this present age. Within it the antiChrist shall arise on the world scene as the most powerful ruler of the most powerful empire in history. Beyond it is a brief interim period of 75 days after which is the Millennial reign of Christ which is the age to come.

Stars.

There are two usages of stars in the Book of Revelation. There is the literal ordinary everyday usage and there is the metaphorical and symbolic usage. In Rev.12, there appeared a wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The usages of the sun, moon and stars are symbolic in this passage. In Middle Eastern mythology, the sun is male and the moon female. The stars are their male offspring. This is clear from the interpretation of the dream of Joseph by his father Jacob. Will I and your mother and your brethren come to bow to you? For Joseph dreamed a dream in which the sun, the moon and the eleven stars kotoed and did obeisance to him. The sun and the moon were his parents and the eleven stars his eleven brethren(Gen.37:9-11). In Rev.1, Jesus was holding the seven stars in His right hand. And we are told the seven stars are the angel of the seven churches. Stars are used symbolically and figuratively of men and of angels to signal luminosity. There are angelic and human luminaries. Those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever(Dan.12:3). In Rev.9:1, it is written, a star fell from heaven and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. This star turned out to be an angel. When Jesus was born, His Star was seen in the East by the Magi(Matt.2:2). However, in Rev.8:12, the literal ordinary usage of the words sun, moon and stars are intended. Therefore the context determines the meaning whether ordinary literal meaning or otherwise metaphorical.

Temple

There are four Jewish temples spoken about in the whole of the Scriptures. The first two temples which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are now history. The First was built by King Solomon, son and successor of King David. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in 586 BC. The Second Temple built by the returning exiles from Babylonian captivity around 515 BC was destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”(Dan.9:26).

There are two temples which are germane to the study of the Scroll Of Revelation, the Third Temple and the Fourth Temple. Both will be reared up on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. None of these two temples are extant at the moment.

The Third Temple

The Scriptures do not tell us when this temple shall be rebuilt nor the dimensions of it. What the Scriptures tell us is that after the seven-year peace pact between Israel and the antiChrist is ratified, animal sacrifice and grain and drink offering which have been suspended since the destruction of the Second temple in 70 AD shall recommence. It is this temple that the antiMessiah shall desecrate and in it he will abolish the daily sacrifice and offerings at the midpoint of the 70th week. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”(Dan.9:27). This temple shall be destroyed by God at the outpouring of the seventh bowl Judgment.

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”(Rev.16:17-19). The rebuilding of the Third Temple is one of the landmark events of the end times.

The Fourth Temple: The Millennial Temple

The Fourth Temple shall be built by Christ Himself after the war of Armageddon during the 45-day Restoration Period Of The Kingdom. The plan of this temple is revealed by God to prophet Ezekiel in Ezek.40-43. This temple shall stand throughout the whole of the Millennium. The Fourth Temple Period is the same as the Millennium. The Jews have drawn a plan of the Third Temple based on Ezek.40-43, it is highly improbable they shall be able erect a temple of this magnitude in the Third Temple Period due to opposition from their Arab and Muslim neighbors.

Trumpets.

The use of trumpet in the Book of Revelation could be both literal and metaphorical. The main usage however is the blowing of the trumpets which constitute part of the wrath of God. The seven trumpets emerge from the seventh seal when it is broken. The seven trumpets are administered by seven angels. An angel blows a trumpet in heaven, and certain events unfold on Earth. A literal trumpet is blown, but that it eventuates in certain occurrences on Earth is not literal. Ordinarily, a trumpet is blown on Israel’s feast days, to herald a new moon, prepare for war or call a solemn assembly. In Ancient Israel, the sounding of the trumpet heralds the arrival of certain events(Num.10:1-10). In other words, the sounding of the trumpet is symbolic. When a trumpet is blown and certain events occur on Earth, that is not literal. At the rapture, a trumpet shall be blown before the saints are gathered from one end of the heaven to another(Matt.24:31).

Woman.

There are two women spoken of in the Scroll Of Revelation, the woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet, and the the woman that sits on the scarlet colored Beast with seven heads and ten horns.

1. The Woman Clothed With The Sun.

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”(Rev.12:1-2). This pregnant woman with gravid uterus who gave birth to a man child who is Jesus the Messiah of Israel and all mankind is the nation of Israel. The Great Red Dragon was eager to devour this child but was prevented from doing do so supernaturally by the power of God(Rev.12:3-6). This woman has two offspring: those who keep the commandments of God, the observant Jews, and those who have the testimony of Jesus, the believers in Jesus from all nations of the Earth. During the Great Tribulation, this woman(specifically the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel) shall flee into the wilderness where she shall be given protection for three and one-half years or 1,260 days. There are some that teach that this woman is the Church. This cannot be true because the Church did not give birth to Jesus. Israel birthed the the Messiah. Jesus birthed the Church. So, the Church originates from Israel. The twelve foundation apostles of the Lamb were Jewish(Matt.10:1-4, Rev.21:14), so also were the earliest disciples of Jesus(Acts 1:15). Salvation originates from the Jews(Jon.4:22).

2. The Great Whore

The second woman is the figure of all false religions that have persecuted the Jewish people and believers in Jesus the Messiah throughout history. She is also referred to as the Great Whore. Idolatry is spiritual fornication. “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”(Rev.17:1-6).

This woman who sits on the scarlet-colored Beast with seven heads and ten horns also sits on seven mountains. It therefore follows that the scarlet-colored Beast with seven heads and seven horns is the same as the seven mountains. The seven mountains are synonymous with the seven-headed seven-horned scarlet colored Beast. The seven mountains and seven heads are the seven previous Beast Empires of Satan that had negatively impacted Israel. This woman is false religion of mother child worship. The origin of this false religion of mother-child worship is Babylon. It was founded by Nimrod and his wife Semiramis. After the confusion of languages at Babel, all the descendants of Noah spread it all over the world as they migrated. It is found among all peoples groups. It is Roman Catholicism. It is Islam. It is New Age Religion, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism and every other false religion. The archenemy of all these religions is Christianity and Judaism. The Romish Church, Islam, and Hindus have murdered Christians. In the last hour of history it shall be reconvened in its city of origin, Babylon, in the land of Shinar, as some sort of ecumenism(Zech.5:1-11). This false religion headquartered in Babylon, and its branches all of the world, in all forms and ramifications shall be finally destroyed at the outpouring of the final seventh bowl judgment(Rev.16:16-18:1-24).

Wrath.

The controversy over the timing of the rapture of the church centers around the word wrath. If one believes the wrath of God begins at the start of the 70th seven of Daniel, then the church will not go through the great tribulation because the church is exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9). This is the pretribulation rapture position. If on the other hand the wrath of God does not begin until the end of the 70th seven, then the church shall go through the Great Tribulation and be raptured at the end of the 70th seven. This is the post-tribulation rapture position. If the wrath of God begins in the middle of the 70th seven, then the church shall be raptured in the middle of the 70th seven shortly before the wrath of begins. This is the mid-tribulation rapture position. The Partial Rapture theory which is a modified Pretribulational Rapture Position posits that some saints who are spiritual will be raptured before the 70th week and some others at various points within the 70th week depending on their spiritual preparedness and readiness. This view sounds pious, based on spirituality of the saints, but is biblically unfounded.

The pretribulationists make no distinction between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan. The whole of the 70th seven is seen as the period of God’s wrath and the time of Jacob’s trouble(Jere.30:7). Not all pretribs share the view that the whole of the 70th week is the time of Jacob’s trouble(Ronald E. showers). This cannot be true inasmuch as there is a difference between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan both of which occur within the 70th week of Daniel(Rev. 6:17; 12:12). The wrath of Satan is directed against God’s people and the wrath of God directed against the worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. The two are neither simultaneous, nor coincident nor concurrent. There is no overlap between the two. Which one occurs first? The wrath of Satan. When Satan is cast down to the Earth at the midpoint of the 70th week, he has great wrath knowing that he has but a short time before he is cast into the abyss in Rev.20. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”(Rev.12:12).

The wrath of Satan begins at the commencement of the 70th week, gets progressively worse and intensifies at the midpoint of the 70th week with the breaking of the fourth seal which corresponds with the downing of Satan to the Earth from the heavenly premises by archangel Michael(Rev.12:7-9). The fifth seal is a heavenly scene and reflects the killings going on on Earth under the fourth seal. So, the first four seals have nothing to do with the wrath of God at all, but everything to do with the wrath of Satan. Until after the breaking of the sixth seal which interrupts the Great Tribulation, the wrath of God is not in view. The wrath of God begins with the breaking of the seventh seal, and consists of the trumpet and the bowl judgments administered by God’s avenging angelic reapers(Rev.8,9, 16-20).

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe( because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”(2 Thess.1:6-10).

Both the midtribulationist and the post-tribulationist distinguish between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan, but the timing is something else. The midtribulationists believe that the wrath of God begins in the middle of the 70th week. This cannot be true because the Great Tribulation which is the Great wrath of Satan does not begin until Satan is cast down from the heavenlies to the Earth and possesses the First Beast who is the antiChrist(Rev.12:12). It is precisely at the midpoint of the 70th seven that the First Beast breaks his covenant with Israel(Dan.9:27). Until this covenant is broken, the Beast does not attack Israel. Both pretribulationists and post-tribulationists agree that the Great Tribulation begins precisely at the midpoint of the 70th seven. Besides, if God’s wrath begins at the midpoint of the 70th seven, then God should be held accountable for the death of His saints, the fifth seal martyrs( Rev.6:9-11). This will also be true if the wrath of God begins at the commencement of the 70th week. How can the antiChrist murder so may believers at the time when God is pouring out His Wrath on him and his acolytes? This cannot be true because the souls of the fifth seal martyrs under the golden altar of incense in the temple in heaven, cry out to God for vengeance against their murderers, the beast-marked worsippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. God did promise them vengeance after the number of their brethren on Earth who are to be killed is complete. There is a certain number of saints to be martyred. When that quota is complete, God amputates the great tribulation. And avenges their blood when He gives the living wicked Earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast blood to drink because they have shed blood and are worthy(Rev.16:6).

Why would God avenge their death on the beast-marked worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, if God is responsible for their martyrdom? That in itself would be unjust. But God is not an unrighteous Judge. On the other hand, if the wrath of occurs post-tribulation, i.e., at or close to the end of the 70th week, there is really no time left for God to pour out His wrath upon the living wicked earth-dwellers. The fifth trumpet alone lasts as long as five months(Rev.9:5), and there remaineth but 30 days to Armageddon from the end of the 70th seven(Dan.12:11,12). It is obvious therefore that none of these three views are biblically accurate. The pretribulationists from not being able to distinguish between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan, and the mid-tribulationists and the post-tribulationists from improper timing of the wrath of God. The Prewrath rapture position jointly proposed by Marvin J. Rosenthal and Robert van Kampen, of blessed memory, is the only biblically accurate rapture view that not only distinguishes between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan, but also properly times the rapture after the breaking of the sixth seal that interrupts the persecution of the saints, but before the breaking of the seventh seal that ushers in the wrath of God. This view is not entirely new. It was the view of the church fathers. What is new, however, is giving it a theological title. This view creates time to pour out the wrath of God on the living wicked Earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. With this view, there is ample time for the fifth trumpet judgment that lasts as long as five months. The post-tribulation rapture view does not allow this time, the mid-tribulation rapture view is guilty of attributing the death of the saints to God’s wrath as is the pretribulation rapture position. The Partial Rapture Theory is utter nonsense.

Avraham Shallom.