Revelation Chapter 4: God’s Throne Room in Heaven

After this is a phrase John the revelator uses to introduce a new unit in the sequence of his vision. It is a textual marker. It is also used in Rev.7:9; 15:5 and 18:1. It does not indicate a temporal shift. It does not mean a significant amount of time has transpired between the units of material. It rather indicates that the revelator had received the vision in units of materials. Rev.1:1-3:22 is the first unit. Rev.4:1-7:8 is the second unit. Rev.6:8-15:4 is the third unit. Rev.15:5-17:8 is the fourth unit. And Rev.18:1-22 is the last unit.

I looked and behold. This is a phrase John also uses frequently in Revelation. It is not indicative of physical sight but a spiritual sight. He saw into the realm of the spirit. Although John’s physical body was still on the island of Patmos, he saw a door opened in Heaven. This was beyond physical sight. He not only saw, but also he heard a voice like a trumpet, saying come up hither. This is the operation of the gift of the Spirit called discerning of spirits(1 Cor.12:10). It runs parallel to the physical senses. The one in whom this gift operates can see, hear, smell, taste and perceive in the spirit just as we do in the natural.

Man is a tripartite being: he is spirit, he has a soul and lives in body. There is a physical body in which we live here on Earth, which acts as a transducer enabling us to relate with the external physical environment. But there is a spirit body which houses our souls. Even in the realm of the spirit, the soul is invisible. The soul is fluid. It is the constellation of the will, intellect and emotion. It is internal to the spirit. But it is possible for one to know what the other person is thinking through perception not by sight. The spirit body is invisible to the physical senses though it looks more or less like the physical body. But there is a third body, the eternal immortal resurrection body that enable one to relate to both the two realms of the spirit and the material worlds at the same time. The spirit body or simply the spirit man to which the soul is internal, shall be clothed with the eternal immortal resurrection body at the resurrection. Jesus and the OT saints already possess this kind of body(Matt.27:52,53).

Here John saw and heard. To hear and see into the ream of the spirit, one has to be in the spirit. So John was in the spirit as he was on the Lord’s day in Rev.1:10. He heard a voice like a trumpet. The voice is no other than that of our Lord Jesus the Christ. In Rev.1, He has revealed Himself as judge of the Church, but here He reveals Himself as judge of the World. The voice invited him into Heaven, into the throne room of the temple in Heaven: come up hither, and I will show you things which shall be hereafter. The Scroll of Revelation is divided into three parts. The things which thou hast seen(Rev.1), the things that are(Rev.2,3), and the things which shall be hereafter( Rev.4-22). If anyone was in the same physical location that John was, the one could not have heard or seen what John saw and heard unless the one were in the spirit as John was.

On three separate occasions, John is invited to see a revelatory vision(Rev.4:1; 17:1;21:9). There are some who urge us to believe that the Rapture took place at this point, but there is no textual or exegetical basis for this claim. Robert L. Thomas claims the prophesies of Rev.4-19 will describe what will happen after the period of the church age has run its course. To attempt a divorcement between the church age and the events of Rev.4-19, as the pretribulationists do is biblically unjustified. This claim is clearly based on bias. There is no textual basis to claim that the church age ended at Rev.3:22. There is no explicit passage of Scripture that makes such claim. The argument that Rev.4-19 does not involve the church is based on silence. This is called argument from silence. The reference to wife in Rev.19:7 designates the church. The Church was designated in other ways in Rev.4-19. These are every tribe and tongue and people and nation(5:8); a kingdom of priests(5:10); fifth seal martyrs( 6:9); a multitude(7:9;19:5,6); bond servants(11:18;19:2,5); our brethren(12:10); the remnant of her children(12:17); saints(13:7,10;14:12;-8:20,24), and wife(19:7).

Verse 2 says, immediately I was in the spirit. As I pointed out, John was in the spirit and he saw and heard. There are two ways in which believers can see into the realm of the spirit. They are through dreams and visions. There are three types of visions: trance, in which one temporarily loses consciousness and sees into the realm of the spirit, inward or spiritual vision in which one retains some level of consciousness and at the same time sees into the realm of the spirit, and open vision in which one possesses full consciousness, totally aware of one’s environment and sees into the realm of the spirit. In an inward or spiritual vision, one is unaware of one’s environment and sees into the realm of the spirit. The difference between dream and vision is in the level of consciousness. In dream, one is in stage 4 and 5 of sleep, called rapid eye movement sleep(REM). If one is standing and falls into a trance, depending on how long the trance lasts, one can fall down. There is some muscular atony associated with it. On the other hand if one is standing and sees an inward vision, one keeps standing, but is not aware of ones physical environment, but sees into the realm of the spirit. There is no loss of muscular tone. If one were walking and had an inward or spiritual vision, one could stand still or still be walking while one sees into the realm of the spirit; but one is not aware of ones physical environment. In open vision, one retains full consciousness and yet sees into the realm of the spirit. In open vision, one is fully aware of one’s environment.

The Throne Of God(v.2b).

Verse 2b says, behold a throne was set in Heaven. John’s physical body was on Earth, but his spirit saw a throne set in Heaven. And one sat on the throne. What John saw here is the throne room in Heaven. The one who sat on the throne is no doubt God the Father. Throughout the whole scroll of Revelation, He was sitting. He never sat up. He was sitting because He had committed all judgement to His Son. Because Jesus is the judge of the Earth, He sat up. He that sat on the throne was like jasper and sardine stone. Jasper is a compact, opaque, cryptocrystalline variety of quartz, usually coloured red: often used in decorative carvings. Sardine stone or carnelian, is a brownish red mineral which is often used as semi-precious gemstone. These precious stones or gems are various shades of brown and reddish hue. These are symbols of royalty and wealth. God the Father is the sovereign Lord of the Universe. He is the king upon the throne of His universal kingdom, the possessor of the heavens and the Earth.

Verse 3b says, and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. There was a rainbow Round the throne, greenish in colour. Green signifies life and fruitfulness. It is from this throne that life emanates to the whole Universe. No wonder the throne is enveloped in emerald. As the Father has life in Himself, even so has He given to the Son that He may have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgement also, because He is the Son of Man(John 5:26,27). “I and the Father are one”(John 10:30). “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father also”(John 14:9b). There is no contradiction here at all. As the Father is Life, so also the Son is life.

Worshippers About The Throne(v.4-11).

Verse 4 says there are twenty and four seats round about the throne: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they have on their heads crowns of gold. The thrones of these elders form a circle around the throne of God the Father. They are clothed in white garments symbolic of righteousness. But who are these twenty and four elders? Are they human or angelic? Biblical scholars are not agreed on this, it is possible to come to a conclusion of their identity through proper reading of the text in the original Greek. There are 12 patriarchs of Israel, and there are 12 Apostles of the Lamb. John the revelator is one of the 12. But he is not one of the twenty four, neither did he recognize any of them as one of his colleagues. The patriarchs would also be known to his audience, but they too did not recognize any of them either. There would be no confusion about the identity of these elders were it not for the poor translation in the KJV. This problem has been solved by the harmonization of the subjective and objective pronouns which must agree in number, singular with singular and plural with plural in Rev.5:9,10 in the New American Standard Version. They shall reign in verse 10 is third person plural which is contradictory to we shall reign in verse 9 which is first person plural. One of the cardinal rules of biblical interpretation is that there must be no antinomies or contradictions. Since we believe that John did not make a mistake in recording this prophecy, and that the Scriptures do not contain antinomies, we support a harmony of the text. Therefore they are angelic beings.

Verse 5: Out of the throne proceeded lightings and thunderings and voices. Thunderings and lightings and voices emanate from the throne of the invisible God, frightening onlookers. These signal the glory and the power of Almighty God. And there are seven lamps of fire burning which are the seven Spirits of God. Fire is symbolic of the spirit. On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit, there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire(Acts 2:3). Baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs in tandem with baptism with fire in the Holy Scriptures(Matt.3:11;Luke 3:16). Seven is the number of perfection. There is no doubt this is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. We can see that the three persons are there present in the throne room. The Father seated on the throne, the Son standing as a slain Lamb in the midst of the throne( Rev.5:6), and the seven lamps of fire burning which is indicative of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6, And before the throne was a sea of glass like unto crystal. The crystal sea is another display of the splendor of the throne of the sovereign Lord of the Universe. And in the midst and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. In the midst and round about were four beasts is difficult to visualize. But we must remember that this description is in the realm of the spirit where there is a fourth dimension and no distance. These angelic beings are full eyes before and behind. They see in all directions at once. They have isotropic vision, that is, equal in all directions. They are cherubim. They guard the glory of God. They also reveal something of the omnipresence of God. God sees everything at once, the past, the present and the future. There is no succession of events in His omniscient consciousness. Verse 7 tells us about the look of these marvelous beings. The first is like a lion, the second like a calf, the third has the face of man and the fourth like flying eagle. The lion is the king and representative of the wild beasts, the calf is representative of the domestic beasts. The third represents humanity, and the fourth, the eagle is king and representative of the fowls of the heavens. All living creatures are represented in the throne room and presence of God. The creatures on Earth are also represented in Heaven, but there is no schism amongst them. There is peace and harmony in the heavenly environment. All creation must worship Him who is the creator and the Possessor of the heavens and the Earth.

Verse 8 continues the description of the four beasts. They all have six wings apiece. Seven is the divine number but six is the number of created beings. The four living creature represent all living creatures. They are full of eyes. They see everything, they take note of everything, and they recorded everything. And more importantly, they rest not day and nightly, saying , holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come. The phrase who was and is and is to come referent Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Does that surprise anyone that in the midst of the throne of the Father, the four living creatures worship the Son. Jesus is God: there no doubt about that. Verses 9 & 10. When these beasts give glory, honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, verse 11, “thou art worthy , O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” As we have pointed out earlier, the four living creatures are representative of all living creatures which God in His manifold wisdom hath created for His own pleasure. Man was made glory to God. “It is He that made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture”(Ps 100:3). So also the fowls of the heavens, the beast of the field and all creeping, and whatever moveth upon the face of the Earth.

Avraham Shallom.

Revelation Chapters 2 & 3: Messages To The Seven Churches

The seven Churches addressed in these two chapters of the Scroll of Revelation were in existence in Asia Minor- which is in modern Turkey- in the late 1st century AD. The seven churches addressed here were not the only local assemblies in existence in Asia Minor at that time. They were selected by Christ as representatives of seven types of local churches in existence not only at that time and in Asia minor but at all times and anywhere else throughout the Church Age. Therefore any local assembly at that time and all times in Asia Minor and anywhere else at that time and at all times will fall into one of these seven categories. Geographically these churches linked together formed a circle in Asia Minor. Does that tell us anything? Maybe these types of churches linked up together form a circle around the globe in the end times. None of these churches exist today. Some of the cities mentioned have survived till the present day. Some did not.

The scroll of Revelation is entirely prophetic. Whilst these messages to the seven churches had relevance to these local assemblies as well as other churches in other places in those days, they have normative authority at all times, and more so in the end times. In other words, there was a near view application in those days and a far view application in the end times.

The classification of the seven churches could be further simplified by classifying them in three groups, the faithful church as exemplified by the church of Philadelphia, the compromising church as exemplified by the church of Thyatira, and the dead church as exemplified by the church of Sardis. The faithful church is not promised exempt from the great tribulation but protection within the sphere, and finally removal from the sphere of the great tribulation. The compromising church will go through the great tribulation in order to be purified. Majority of the churches, 4-5, fall into this category. It would however not face the wrath of God. The dead church will not suffer the great tribulation, having taken the mark of the beast, but would face the wrath of God.

These churches also represent individual Christians. The faithful christian will be protected by God during the great tribulation because he or she hearkened to Christ’s instructions concerning perseverance in the end times. The compromising christian will be purified through the great tribulation but exempted from the wrath of God. Majority of christians fall within this category. A lot of us believers compromise in various areas. The dead christian shall be beast-marked. He or she shall escape the wrath of Satan, the great tribulation, but will face the wrath of God in the Day Of His Wrath. Although the messages are prophetic and refer to Christ’s coming in the end times, the parousia, the deeds of churches and individual Christians also demand immediate discipline despite far reaching consequences.

There are some biblical scholars who interpret the seven churches as referent to seven periods of church history. The problems with this interpretation are the difficulty associated with the determination of the beginning and the end of these periods, inasmuch as these periods are subjectively determined, and who has the authority to determine the beginning and the end of these periods. This interpretation undermines credibility and fosters date setting, and denies the 1st century churches, the Apostolic Church, any application for their time. Besides, it soundly lacks biblical bases and justification. Gary Cohen gave an overview of these stages. The seven eras are generally given approximately as follows:

Ephesus: The Apostolic Church(30-100 AD)

Smyrna: The Persecuted Church(100-313 AD)

Pergamum: The State Church(313- 590 AD)

Thyatira: The Papal Church(590-1517)

Sardis: The Reformed Church(1517-1790 AD)

Philadelphia: The Missionary Church(1730-1900 AD)

Laodicea: The Apostate Church(1900- )

There is nothing in the biblical text that indicates the seven local assemblies represent different eras in Church history. We can see that this view is simply an assumption. These designations do not conform to the total content of the letters to the seven churches. This is simply an attempt to give to the seven churches nonprophetic significance in a book that is entirely prophetic.

Biblical scholars have identified similar pattern or structure in the messages to the seven churches. Each church is identified, Christ the sender of the messages is also identified. Certain attributes of His relevant to the message to that particular church are highlighted. The church is then commended for good works. It is condemned or rebuked for bad works. The church is then commanded or exhorted to do certain things and then blessing promised to those who heed the command.

In conformity with the pattern of seven in the scroll of Revelation, Henry M. Morris, in his commentary on the scroll of Revelation, The Revelation Record, has identified seven parts to each message. They are (1) Salutation; (2) Identification of Christ as sender; (3) Assertion of knowledge; (4) Comment and exhortation; (5) Promise or threat; (6) admonition to heed; and (7) Promised blessing. In this commentary we shall follow the generally accepted pattern outlined above, although we may have recourse to the second pattern outlined by Henry M. Morris if need be.

The messages to the seven churches are a remarkable treatment of the problems that the Church faces at all times, but more so in our day. At all times these problems are recurrent: the lost of first love(2:4), fear of suffering and persecution(2:19), doctrinal defection(2:14,15), moral compromise and departure(2:20), spiritual deadness(3:1,2), inability to persevere(3:11), and lukewarmness(3:15,16). These spiritual defects are prevalent today as in the first century churches. These messages are God’s final exhortation to the church, more so to the individual christian down through the first century to the end of the ages. This is God’s final appeal to all who will hear. Believers would do well to listen. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Amen.

Revelation Chapter 2: Messages To The First Four Churches.

Message to the church of Ephesus(2:1-7).

The Destination Or Location(2:1).

In verse 1, Ephesus is identified as the destination of this message. Ephesus was a major city in Asia Minor. The church at Ephesus was the most prominent in Asia Minor. The city boasted of a seaport and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of the goddess Diana of the Ephesians(Acts 19:24-35). The church in Ephesus was started by our brother Paul and his companions about 53 AD, 43 years before the message of John the revelator was sent to them. Paul preached the gospel so persuasively that all Jews and Greeks heard the word. Paul remained in the city for several years and the city was so thoroughly converted that the trade of the goldsmiths who made silver shrines for Artemis was threatened. The message was directed to the angel of the church of Ephesus. The Greek word angelos from which the English word angel and its cognates are derived means messenger. Its principal use in the Bible is in reference to heavenly beings. It is also used of human messengers(Matt.11:19; Mark 1:2; Luk.724,27; 9:52). Sometimes animals are the messengers of God as in the case of Balaam’s ass(Exod.22:27-30), and the ravens that brought flesh to Elijah( 1Kings 17:1-6).

Christ Identified(2:1)

Here Christ identifies Himself. He is the one that holds the seven stars in His right hand, and walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. We know that the seven stars are the angel of the seven churches, or the responsible elements in the seven churches, that is the leadership in each church. The seven candlesticks are the seven churches themselves(Rev.1:20). Christ is one who loves , cares and protects the churches. He walked in the midst of His church to see that everything is in order.

Commendation Or Approval(2:2,3,6).

The Ephesians church was commended by Christ for its works and labour and perseverance in the face of opposition. This local church did not tolerate evil and wicked men. They condemned them. They tested those who claimed to be apostles and found them liars. These men claimed apostolic authority over churches they did not found. The Ephesians were patient. They tried them as a goldsmith would try gold in the fire and found them false. Ephesus is first of the first four churches which had problems with false teachers; (cf, vv. 2,6,14,15,20). It continued in faithful service to God for more than forty years prior to the message of John the revelator.

They were further commended for their hatred of the deeds of the Nicolaitians. Nicolaitian comes from two Greek words, Nike meaning victor and laos, meaning people. The nicolaitians taught believers to compromise with the religious culture around them. This is similar to antinomianism. Antinomianism means there are no norms. They teach that one can compromise as long as one remains a believer at heart. The heart and lifestyle of the believer must be in synchrony, otherwise one becomes a hypocrite and a false witness. The Ephesians soundly hated the doctrine and deeds of the Nicolaitians.

Condemnation or Rebuke(2:4).

I have somewhat against you because you have left your first love. The word for love here is agapen. It is the kind of love that God has for man. Unbelievers do not have this kind of love. It is not as though the Ephesians did not have this God kind of love, but they were no longer walking in it being caught in activities. They had this deep devotion and affection towards God. Paul commended them for it 35 years previously. They had deep faith in Christ and love for Him and the saints(Eph.1:15,16), for which Paul never ceased to give thanks. We must remember that these are second generation believers. They retained accuracy of doctrine and purity of life, and worked hard in their level of service which was quite high, but their hearts have grown cold in devotion to Christ. We must always be fervent in our heart towards Christ.

Command Or Exhortation(2:5).

The Ephesians are commanded to repent from whence thou art fallen, and do the first works. The first generation Ephesians practised a very high level of faith towards Christ and deep love and affection towards Christ and the saints. The second generation Ephesians have fallen from this very high level of faith and deep devotion to God. They were exhorted to repent. Heartless commitment is unacceptable. True heart commitment is evidenced by the quality of the works not the works themselves. Similar exhortations to deep love for God abound in both the gospels and epistles(Matt.22:37; Mark 12:30; Luk.10:27; Jon. 14:14,21,23;21: 15,16; Jam.2:5;1Pet.1:8). A believer must love God above father, mother, sisters, brother or spouse. One’s love for God in comparison to these should be as though one hates them including oneself(Matt.10:47; 1Cir.7:32-35). They were called to change their attitude and their affection. We are to render our services to God not because it is right but because we love Jesus. Christ warned that if they did not repent, the light of their witness would be extinguished. This visitation has immediate or near view application as well as far view or eschatological and consummative application. Ephesus was the seat of a major church council in 431 AD. The city and the church declined after the 5th century. The city and the immediate area have been in ruins since the 14th century. Today, it is an archeological site.

Promise or Admonition(2:7).

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. All seven churches receive concluding admonition. Aune says this can have two nuances: what is said has deeper hidden meaning or the hearer must obey what is given. Both nuances are intended. The inclusion of the churches indicate that the message was not meant only for the church of Ephesus, and demand near and far view application. The Lord Jesus made similar statements in the synoptic gospels(Matt.11:15; 13:8,43; Mark 4:9,23; Luk.8:8; 14:35). In each case the statement is a cue to look deeper into the Lord’s words. The simple sense is the basic story. The intended significance is the spiritual truth beneath the basic story. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the the midst of paradise of God. The Greek word translated overcometh, is nikan from which is derived the English word Nike which means to conquer. In a metaphorical sense, nikan can refer to either athletic contest or military battle. In the NT, one can overcome in two ways: salvific and sanctifying sense. The difference between the two is one of conditionality. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World; and this the victory that overcometh the world even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son Of God(1 Jon.4:4,5). This obviously salvific in nature. Our salvation is not based on conditionality. To be born again, one must believe. Belief is not merely intellectual, but involves an inward transformation and commitment to Jesus Christ our Lord. This results in eternal life.

The overcomer in Revelation is vastly different. It is one who endures or perseveres to the end. The end in context here is the end of the ages, at the beginning of which the saints are raptured. It connotes difficult circumstances. The overcomer is a believer in Christ Jesus who enjoys special benefits in eternity for refusing to give up one’s faith despite persecution, during life here on earth, especially in the context of the great tribulation. Revelation chapters 2&3 list a total of 12 rewards for the overcomer. The 13th, the overcomer shall inherit the earth is in Rev.21:7. Some biblical scholars argue that the rewards and the warnings make no sense unless some believer will not receive them because of their unfaithfulness. Why warn a person of something one cannot lose? We can debate what is lost, but there is no doubt that some

things are lost with grave consequences(1 Cor.3:16; 1 Jon 2:28). But the truth is that all believers who make it to heaven are overcomers. And every believer that makes it to paradise will eat of the tree of life which is the midst of paradise of God. Paradise in NT is part of heaven(Luk.23:43; 2Cor.12:4). It is synonymous with the heavenly Jerusalem which descends from heaven, rests on Mount Zion and is contiguous at its base with the fourth and millennial temple on mount Zion in the New and renovated earthly Jerusalem in the millennium. The tree of life was first mentioned in Gen.3:22. It was then in the garden of Eden. It bears twelve manner of fruits which are for nourishment and health of the nation of them who are saved(Rev.22:2. Those who eat of it will never die(Gen.3:22). John F. Walvoord has written: the promise should not be construed to be special for some group of Christians but a normal reward for all Christians. But the author of Revelation Commentary demurred: “True believers do not have to persevere to win salvation, nor must they be faithful to keep it. Any conditionality automatically removed the issue from a consideration of salvation to the issue of sanctification and rewards. The overcomer in Revelation can lose his reward. It is not eternal. To compromise in the face of physical danger will has severe consequences during the persecution by Antichrist and when one stands before the Lord in judgment. The apostle Paul states in 2 Cor.5:10, for all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Paul indicates a pay back for for the bad done in the body. What the pay back is for bad deeds is not indicated, but there is a pay back. Am convinced however that the tree of life is for all true believers who make it to heaven. How could one possibly be in paradise not partake of the tree of life?

Message To the Church Of Smyrna(2:8-11).

Destination Or Location(2:8).

Unto the angel of the church at Smyrna write; the church of Smyrna is the second church to be addressed. It is a large and wealthy city, 35 miles or 56 km north of Ephesus. It boasted of a seaport. It is still in existence and still has a large seaport. The name Smyrna means myrrh, an ordinary perfume used in the compounding of anointing oil and embalming of dead bodies(cf. Exod.30:23; Ps 45:8; Song 3:6; Matt.2:11; Mark 15:23; John 19:39).

Christ Identified(2:8).

Here Christ identified Himself as the first and the last. He is the one who has the final say. It was quite comforting to the Smyrneans to know, in the face of horrible persecution that our Lord Jesus the Christ is in sovereign control. He has the final authority. It is He who was dead and is alive. As one who had suffered death on the execution stake, Jesus was acquainted with the pains and horrors of death. He was therefore most abler to empathize and comfort them.

Commendation Or Approval( 2:9).

The Smyrneans were commended for their work and poverty. The Greek word for poverty here is ptocheian instead of penia, the usual word for poverty. The word connotes extreme poverty. Besides being persecuted this church suffered extreme poverty. But they were rich in the wonderful and glorious promises of Christ(2 Cor.6:10; Jam.2:5). The church of Smyrna was being persecuted. This persecution came from three sources. The first was Jews: I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan. These Jews who belonged to a synagogue in the city were openly antagonistic to the message of the risen Christ which the Smyrneans were preaching. Maybe these Jews controlled commerce in the city, and therefore the Smyrneans were blackballed out of business by these Jews who were of the synagogue of Satan. Little wonder therefore they suffered extreme poverty.

The second source of persecution was pagan Gentiles. It is on record in the history of the church that the worst persecution of believers have always come from religionists. The last source of persecution was from the archenemy of the saints, Satan himself, the supreme personality of evil. Christ encouraged them: fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: for Satan shall cast some of you in prison, that you may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. The Smyrneans were cast into prison by the civil authorities, but satan was behind it all. Lacking a physical body, he rules by proxy. But the purpose of this persecution was to try them in order that they may be purified. But He knoweth the way that I take: when He has tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold(Job 23:10). Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The Smyrneans were persecuted unto death. Like the city in which they lived, their sweet aroma ascended to heaven as incense, even they suffered persecution unto death. They were promised a crown of life. This is the martyrs’ crown. James 1:12 indicates that the Crown Of Life is God’s reward for perseverance in the face of persecution. It is one of thirteen crowns promised to Overcomers in the scroll of Revelation.

Condemnation Or Rebuke(2:0).

The Smyrneans alongside the church of Philadelphia were the only two churches out of the seven that were not rebuked or condemned. The Church of Smyrna was a faithful church. It stayed faithful in the midst of persecution and poverty. Their extreme poverty and severe persecution had helped to purify them in their faith, love and devotion to Christ and to one another. They failed to compromise despite severe persecution and extreme and deep poverty.

Command Or Exhortation(2:10a).

Christ encouraged them: fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: for Satan shall cast some of you into prison and thou shall be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. The Smyrneans were cast into prison by the civil authorities, but Satan was behind it all. Lacking a physical body, he rules by proxy. But the purpose of the persecution was to try them in order that they might be purified. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold(Job 23:10). Christ was not responsible for it, but He permitted it. Ye shall have tribulation ten days was probably a coded message, the meaning of which was known to the Smyrneans. In Hebrew numerology and gematria, 10 = 7 + 3. Seven is the number of perfection and three is the number of divinity. They were tried in order to be perfected, and Daddy was in sovereign control. There are some who believe that ten represented the entire persecution of the church; others think it represented ten persecution under Roman rulers. There are others who think it represented a limited period of suffering. This position is held by Walvoord and Walter Scott who cites Gen.24:55; Neh.5:17; Jer.42:7; Dan.1:12; Acts 25:6. Henry Alford holds the same position, citing Num.11:19; 14:22;1Sam.1:8; Job 19:3 (The Greek Testament, 4:567). Be faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. The Smyrneans were persecuted unto death. Like the city in which they lived, known for its sweet aroma, their sweet aroma ascended into heaven as incense even as they suffered unto death.

There some believers who think that the righteous should not suffer. That suffering is meant for the ungodly. They are perplexed by the suffering of the godly and faithful Christians. But the righteous and the godly suffer for any number of reasons. Suffering may be disciplinary(1 Cor.11:30-32; Heb.12:3-13), if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged. When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the wicked. It may be preventive of pride and arrogance as Paul’s thorn in the flesh( 2Cor.12:7), for the purpose of learning obedience, as Christ did. Though He was a son He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him.(Heb.5:8; co. Rom.5:3-5). And for the purpose of providing a better testimony(Acts 9:16). No suffering for the present seemeth joyous but grievous, but nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised thereby(Heb.12:11).

Promise of blessing(2:10b,11).

Be faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. The Smyrneans were promised a crown of life if they remained faithful unto death. This is the martyrs’ crown. It is one of thirteen crowns promised to overcomers in the scroll of Revelation, twelve of which occur in the messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2&3. The crown of life is one of several crowns promised to believers(1 Cor.9:25; 1 Thess.2:9; 2Tim.4:6-8; 1Pet.5:4; Rev.4:4). He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The application of this message is universal, inasmuch as it addreesed to the churches throughout the period of the Church Age. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death(Rev.20:15). Death by martyrdom is the ultimate suffering, but with it comes life. It is a servant that opens the door to eternal glory and bliss.

Message To The Church Of Pergamos(2:12-17).

Destination Or Location(2:12a).

Pergamos or Pergamum was a city in Asia Minor, about 20 miles(32 km) inland from Smyrna. It was a wealthy city. The city was given to wickedness. There were several pagan cults in the city which worshipped Athena, Asclepius, Dionysius, and Zeus. The city was famed for its university with a library that boasted of about 200,000 volumes. The city was also famous for the production of parchment called pergamena. Because the city was given to idolatry and wickedness, the spiritual atmosphere was adverse to effective christian life and witness.

Christ Identified(2:12b).

Here Our Lord Jesus the Christ identified Himself as the one who has the sharp sword with two edges. Jesus is the word of God. The word is the sword of the spirit. It is a double-edged sword because it justifies and condemnes as the case may be.

Commendation or Approval(2:13).

Christ commended their works. He recognized that their work was difficult in a city which was the seat of Satan. The city boasted of the great temple of Aesclepius, a pagan god of healing worshipped in the form of a serpent, the symbol of Satan. Inspite of the city being the seat of Satanism, the church in Pergamos held fast to the name of Jesus and did not deny His name. One of them named Antipas, a faithful believer was martyred. Antipas means against all. There are some who believe that Antipas is not the name of a person.

Condemnation Or Rebuke(2:14,15).

The church of Pergamon is one of the four compromising churches in Asia Minor. The compromise was due to the work of false teachers. There were some in that local assembly who held the doctrine of Balaam(Jude 11; 2 Pet.2:5). There are some that teach that Balaam was a false prophet. I demure. Balaam was a true prophet of God but he was greedy. Balaam should not have answered the call of Balak. But he went anyway, inspite of the fact that it was obvious God did not approve. While there God did not permit him to curse the children of Israel. But he counseled Balak to hold a sacrifice of their gods, invite the children of Israel to a sacrifice of their gods, let them eat and drink and relate sexually freely with their women, then their God will destroy them. There is no free launch; someone foots the bill. And it was so(Num.31:16). He gave this counsel in order to curry favour from Balak. He wanted the promotion that came from man. They caused the children of Israel to eat what is sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. The doctrine of Balaam therefore teaches that it does not matter to eat the sacrifice of idols and to commit sexual immoralities. But it does matter very much as we saw in the case of Israel(Num.25:1-2). Twenty and three thousand Israelites perished in one day as result of the counsel of Balaam, as a result of eating what is sacrificed to idols as a form of worship to idols and sexual immoralities, both of which are idolatry. Balaam got his wish, but he died for it.

There were some in that local assembly who hold the teaching or doctrine of the nicolaitians. The doctrine of the Nicolaitians is similar to the doctrine of Balaam. It is compromise with the religious culture in ones environment. The church should not acculturate. It specifically breaks the first commandment. This is why God hates it.

Command Or Exhortation(2:16).

The church of Pergamos was commanded by Christ to repent or I come against thee quickly with the sword of my mouth. Coming quickly occurs five times in the scroll of Revelation(2:16; 3:11; 22:7,12,20). Revelation 22:7, 12,20 refer to the parousia. Revelation 2:16 and 3:11 refer to immediate judgment before the Lord’s parousia. Fight against thee quickly with the sword of my mouth is a metonymy of cause and effect. It meant the church would be taken away if repentance did not occur.

Promise Of Blessing(2:17).

The promise of blessing has near and far view applications. He that overcometh shall be given the hidden manna. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are did. Moses gave you not that true manna from heaven. I am the true bread that came down from heaven(Jon.6: 32,48,49). The true manna is Jesus, the word of God who is our spiritual nourishment. He that overcometh shall be given a white stone with a new name written. Overcomers shall receive new names in heaven. Besides, white stones were used in voting for acquittal of the accused. He that overcometh shall never be condemned. Gem stones on which were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were worn in pouches on the breastplate of the high priest of Israel. He presented them to God when He appeared before Him in the Holy of Holies. In like manner, Jesus, our great High Priest shall wear our names on His breast for eternity.

Message To The Church In Thyatira(2:18-29).

Destination Or Location(2:18a).

The city of Thyatira was situated 40 miles( 64 km) southeast of Pergamos. The city was situated in a rich agricultural area. The church in Pergamos was small. But it received the longest message. It is believed that it was Lady Lydia or her converts who founded the church of Thyatira(Acts 16:11-15).

Christ Identified(2:18b).

Thus saith the Son Of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire and His feet are like fine brass. The attributes of Christ highlighted here are the same as in Rev.1:13-15 except that here He is described as the Son Of God instead of the Son Of Man. The Son Of God occurs 46 times in the NT. It occurs once in the scroll of revelation. The occurrence here is unique in that it is used with a transitive verb. The Son Of God emphasizes His deity. The Son Of Man speaks of His position as the last Adam, God’s representative in the earthly realm of His universal kingdom. The Son Of God speaks of His lordship as God over His creation. His eyes are like unto a flame of fire speaks to His indignation towards sin and compromise. His feet are like fine brass says the KJV. Other translation render it burnished brass. The Greek word translated burnished brass is chalkolibano. It is an alloy of a number of metals that shines brilliantly when polished. It signifies His righteous judgment.

Commendation Or Approval(2:19).

The church at Thyatira was commended by Christ for its work, love, service, faith and patience or perseverance, and the last to be more than the first. In other words the church at Thyatira was doing more as time went unlike the church of Ephesus which did less.

Condemnation Or Rebuke(2:20-23).

The church at Thyatira was condemned for her tolerance of the teachings of a woman who called herself a prophetess. The Lord called this woman Jezebel. Jezebel was probably not her real name. Jezebel was a historical figure in the life of the nation of Israel. She was a Phoenician woman, the daughter of Ethbaal, priest of Baal and King of the Sidonians. The Sidonians like other Canaanites were idol worsippers. They worshiped Baal, the abomination of the Sidonians. She was married to Ahab the son of Omri, who later became king of the ten northern tribes. Omri was in league with Ethbaal, king of Sidon, who gave his daughter to his son Ahab. In the ancients world, this kind of marriage is usually contracted to cement alliance. Jezebel imported Baal worship into Israel. Baal worship was characterized by bouts of sexual orgies and debauchery. It was a fertility cult. She corrupted Israel(1 Kin.16:31-33). They killed the prophets of God, and hounded Elijah to kill him. The church of Thyatira was vehemently rebuked by Christ for her tolerance of the teachings of this wicked woman. She taught them to eat meat scarified to idols as a form of worship to these idols and to engage in sexual immoralities. The immoralities were both physical and spiritual.

The Lord gave her space to repent of her immoralities, but she did not. She had a reasonable followership in the church of Thyatira. Because of her refusal to repent, Christ was going to judge her and her followers and converts. She and those that commit immoralities with her shall be cast into great tribulation. The judgment was both immediate and eschatological. Her offspring were going to be judged with pestilence, in order that all the churches shall know that Christ trieth the heart and the reins, and rewards every one according to ones work.

Command Or Exhortation(2:24,25).

Wonderfully, there were some in the church of Thyatira who were not infected with this virulent virus. Christ referred to them as the rest who have not this doctrine, who have not seen the depths of Satan as they speak. Sexual immoralities have depths. Unless one repents quickly, the victim would slide deeper and deeper into it’s ramifications. It has branches: incest, bestiality, pedophilia, rape, extreme jealousy, murder etc. I will put no other burden upon you. Those in this church who had not received these evil practices were not condemned. They had nothing of which to repent. They were encouraged by Christ to hold unto what they have.

Promise Of Blessing(2:26-29).

He that overcometh is promised shared rulership of the earth with Christ in the New Millennium. He shall be given authority over the nations in the millennium, to rule them with a rod of iron, and to break them in pieces like a potters vessels, even as I received of my Father(Ps 2:6-12). These overcomers like Christ shall be in their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies. The Jerusalem that descended from heaven shall be their abode from where they shall rule the nations with Christ for a 1000 years(Rev.20:4). And I will give him the morning star. Jesus is the bright and morning star(Rev.22:16). Those who win souls shall shine as the stars for ever(Dan.12:3). The stars speak of glory. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another in glory(1 Cor.15:31). The stars exhibit the excellencies of the Almighty. The exaltation of the overcomer to the status of glory is unimaginable. And again that this message is for the audience of all the churches, once again implies near and far view applications.

Revelation Chapter 3: Messages To The Last Three Churches.

Message To Church Of Sardis(3:1-6).

Destination Or Location(3:1a).

The city of Sardis was an important commercial city. It was located 30 miles(48 km) southeast of Thyatira, on an important trade route that ran east to west through the kingdom of Lydia. The city was very wealthy through industries that manufactured and traded in jewelry, dye, and textiles. It was a pagan city that boasted of a temple dedicated to the worship of Artemis. Only a small village remained at the site of the city today. The ruins of the city is an archeological site, and boasts of a Christian building next to the temple.

Christ Identified(3:1a).

Christ identified Himself as the one who have the seven spirits of God and holds the seven stars. The seven stars are the seven angels and leaderships of, or the responsible elements in the seven churches(Rev.1:20). The seven spirits of God are seven attributes of the Holy Spirit(Is.11:2-5). These were in complete and perfection manifestation in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus the Christ(Rev.5:6).

Commendation Or Approval(3:1b).

The church at Sardis was the only example of a dead church. They had no commendation from Christ. He said He knew their work. Their work was that they had a false reputation of being alive. But they were dead. Apparently their contemporaries regarded them as effective witness for Christ. But that regard was an illusion and a delusion.

Condemnation Or Rebuke(3:1c,2b).

Whatever works this local assembly was engaged in that made them so highly regarded by other contemporary churches in the area, we are not told. Christ however sees through the facade of false religious profession without the life of it. Like the Pharisees, they had a form of religion but not the life of it. They had a form of godliness but not the power thereof(2 Tim.3:5). A lot of the congregants were not born again. They had no personal relationship with Jesus, else they would have been alive. They were going through the motions of religious observances. Their spiritual deadness was hidden in a facade of proper and legitimate christian activities. Otherwise their contemporaries in other local assemblies in Asia Minor would not have been blindsided and hoodwinked. It was not a matter of compromise; for they were dead spiritually. But their deadness was hidden in a gamut of legitimate christian practices. They were not outright idolaters; that would have been too obvious and repulsive to their contemporaries. They were not just falling short of fulfilling their obligation as true believers, they were spiritually dead.

Command Or Exhortation(3:2a,3).

Whilst the overwhelming majority of the church at Sardis was dead, there were still a few of them who had the vestiges of life in Christ. Here Christ exhorted them to be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. There were certain things in the church which had a flickering of life in them. Unattended to they will flick, sputter and die. Christ had not found their work perfect. God does not look as man does, at the outward appearance; the outer facade. God looks at the heart. Viewed through the jaundiced eyes of man, their works were wonderful, perfect. Viewed through heaven’s spectacle and electron microscope, they were full of artifacts.

To the remnant, He reminded them of their small beginning, how thou hast received and heard. They should repent and go back and hold fast to the fundamental doctrines of the Faith. Watchfulness implies truth, proper biblical doctrine without which prayer is ineffective. If they do not watch, He, Christ will come to them as a thief, and they shall not know what hour He will come. This connotes immediate judgment, but had far view implications as well. If they did not repent and heed His exhortation, He would come on them as a thief in the night. Christ coming as a thief in the night is to the ignorant. The watchful believer may not know the day and the hour of His coming, but he knows the general time period, for there are prophesied events that shall precede his coming. His coming shall be imminent after the sixth seal is broken. Even then the watchful believer shall still look for the appearance of the Shekinah in the heavens which shall dispel the dearness.

Promise of Blessing(3:4-6).

Despite the spiritual deadness of the church at Sardis, there were a few within it who had not defiled their garment. Christ promised, they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. They are worthy indeed; for to remain spiritual inside the midst of that deadness is commendable. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white. White is symbolic of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He will not blot his name out of the scroll of life. But will confess his name before His father and the holy angels. The statement that He will not erase their names from the scroll of life presents a problem; for it befuddles the minds of those of us preach eternal security. Scriptures affirm that a born again believer remains regenerate(Job.5:24;6:35-37,39; 10:28,29). However this passage implies a person’s name may be removed from the scroll of life, but it also affirms that the names of the faithful will not be removed. The fact that the message concludes with a call for all who have ears to hear with, to hear what the Spirit says to the churches implies that the message has near and far view applications. There are many churches nowadays which are housed in edifices of architectural wonders, deluged in outward biblically acceptable church activities, but nonetheless spiritually bankrupt, devoid of evidence of eternal life. The call of Christ is to remember, repent and obey.

Message To The Church At Philadelphia(3:7-13).

Location And Destination(3:7a).

The city of Philadelphia was located in an area known for its agricultural produce. It was located 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Sardis. The area was vulnerable to earthquakes. It was afflicted several times with this natural malady . The last one occurred in 37 AD. The city derived its name from a king of Pergamum named Attalus Philadelphus, who founded the city. The Greek Word Philadelphia occurs several times in the Scriptures(Rom12:10; 1 Thess.4:9; Heb.13:1; 1Pet.1:22; 2 Pet.1:7; Rec.3:7). It means brotherly love. It is only here that is used of a city. Therefore brethren call this city the city of brotherly love. This city exist to the present day and there is christian witness in the city up to this day.

Christ Identified( 3:7b).

Here Christ described Himself as He that is Holy and true. Christ is not only true, that is veracious, proving true under all circumstances and situations, He is the Truth. He has the key of David. This is in reference to the scene when the key of the royal treasures of the house of David was taken from Shebna and given to Eliakim(Is.22:22). Christ holds the keys of Hell and of Death(Rev.1:18). Here He holds the key to the treasury of David, because He is the rightful heir to the throne, being a true descendant of David. He is also the heir apparent of the throne of the earth and its treasures. Therefore He opens and no one closes; and He closed and no one opens.

Commendation Or Approval(3:8,9).

The church of Philadelphia is the perfect sample of a faithful church. It alongside the church of Smyrna are the only two churches which did not compromise. Therefore, they received no rebuke or condemnation from Christ. But the church of Philadelphia was unique in the sense that it was the only one of the seven churches that received unqualified commendation from Christ.

Christ said, I know thy work, therefore I have kept before thee an open door which no one can close. This is in keeping with Christ’s description of Himself as the one who holds the key of David. This church has little strength, but despite their apparent weakness, kept the word of God and did not deny the name of Christ. They had little strength, therefore, they must have been weak. We are not told what their weakness was, nor in what ways they kept the word of God and did not deny His name. They must have defended the word and the name of Christ in all the ways that count. Warding off temptations, unashamedly proclaiming the message of the gospel, heading off the assault of surrounding pagan cultures, and the allurements of the world, brazenly walking through persecutions. They determinedly failed to compromise. This is wonderful. Without fear of being accused of “Elijah Syndrome” I do not think there are many of us who can fit this bill nowadays.

There was a Jewish synagogue in the city of Philadelphia. The members of this synagogue opposed the witness of the church of Philadelphia for Christ. Christ referred to them as the synagogue of Satan. They claimed to be Jews, and they were by birth. But spiritually they were not. A true Jew is defined by our brother Paul in Rom.2:28,29. He is one inwardly, not outwardly, in the spirit and not in the flesh; whose praise is not of men but of God. Apparently these Jews did not have the praise of God, or else they would not have opposed the testimony of Jesus. Christ will make them to come and worship Him at the feet of the Philadelphians, and acknowledge of truth that Christ has loved them. This might have been fulfilled in the past. It is being fulfilled now and more so, in the future. False religion is a formidable antagonism to true christian Faith. A day cometh when every opponent of the faith shall acknowledge the truth(Is.45:23; Rom.14:11; Phil.2:10,11). Then every opposition will cease.

Promise Of Blessings(3:10-12).

The promise in verse 10 is both eschatological and consummative. Because you have kept the word of my patience, I shall keep thee from the hour of temptation that shall come upon all that dwell on the earth. This is a specific hour of peirasmos that shall come upon all that dwell on the earth. It is not specific or peculiar to the church of Philadelphia. It shall come upon all dwellers of the Earth. This is the great tribulation by the Beast-Antichrist. God does not exempt His children from the wrath of Satan. But God exempts them from His own Wrath. Because the church of Philadelphia has kept His instruction concerning perseverance, Christ shall keep them or protect them within the sphere of the great tribulation, and shall eventually remove them(protection out) from the sphere of the great tribulation. Behold I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, and let no man take thy crown. This is a call to perseverance. They already have the crown. They must persevere to retain it. They must not give up.

He that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. This is in keeping with the ancient practice of immortalizing the faithful by having his name written on a pillar in the temple. This implies that the overcomer shall abide with Christ in God’s presence in His throne room in the temple. He shall go no more out. They shall dwell with Him for ever. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God which is the new Jerusalem which cometh down from heaven, and I will write upon him my new name. Christ will wholly identify with the overcomer by having His new name written on him, and the name of His God, the Father, and the name of the city of my God which is new Jerusalem.

Command Or Exhortation(3:13).

He that hath an ear , let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The message is universal and eschatological. Though Christ is the one speaking here, He says , let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The three persons of the Godhead are involved in the delivery of the massage. The Father gave the Son the revelation to send to the churches, but Christ, the Son spoke by the Holy Spirit.

Message To Laodicea(3:14-22).

Location and Destination(3:14a).

Laodicea was located on the road to Colosse, about 40 miles(64 km) southeast of Philadelphia. It was a very wealth city. It’s main industry was wool cloth. About 35 years prior to the message sent to the city, it was destroyed by a severe earthquake. Because it was a rich city, it was quickly rebuilt. There is no record Paul visited the city, he was concerned about it(Col.2:1,2; 4:16).

Christ Identified(3:14b).

In His address to the church of Laodiceans, Christ identified Himself as the Amen. Amen is a Hebrew acrostic, el melech ne’eman which means God is a faithful King. If Jesus were not God, it would be blasphemous for Him to make such a claim. In making such a claim, He affirmed Himself as the sovereign God who is behind human events; (2 Cor.1:20; Rev.1:6). He also affirmed Himself as the Faithful and true witness(Rev.1:5; 3:7). As the beginning or the foundation of God’s creation, he is the creator, and the head and possessor of God’s creation(Col.1:15,18; Rev.21:6).

Commendation Or Approval(3:0).

The church at Laodicea received no commendation from Christ.

Condemnation Or Rebuke(3:15:17).

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. This message of Christ was very meaningful to the recipients for two reasons. In the ancient Neareast, the cultural practice of the people was that at social events- feasts and religious sacrifices- their drinks were served either hot or cold, never lukewarm. Whatever was lukewarm was abhorrent to the people. Besides, water was piped to Laodicea via an aqueduct from Hierapolis, a few miles north of the city. By the time it reached Laodicea, it was lukewarm. To drink it, they either allowed to it get cold or they warmed it. The idiomatic expression employed by Christ was very much understandable to the church of Laodicea. They know what it means to be lukewarm to Christ. They were utterly abhorrent to Him. Because the church was lukewarm, Christ would spew them out of His mouth. It is believed by some that Archippus was the pastor of this church (Col.4:16,17 ). It is debatable whether he was alive at the time this letter was sent to the church of Laodicea.

One other problem the church had was complacency arising from material wealth. Because the city was rich, the church in it was also rich. Their attitude was, we are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. They did not know that spiritually, they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. This was a very horrible situation. There are many materially rich churches in the world today that are a carbon copy of the church of Laodicea. Excessive material wealth breeds spiritual complacency. We ought to depend on Christ for all our needs. Our dependency on Him keeps us warm in our love for Him and for one another, and our faith in Him.

Command Or Exhortation(3:18-20).

Christ counseled the church to buy refined gold from Him in order that they might be rich. This city was rich materially through wool trade and banking business. The members of the church were involved in both. But they were spiritually poor, bankrupt. If they were poor and wretched as Christ has proffered, it means the refined gold from Christ was offered free of charge. The city produced a famous black wool, the people were physically gorgeously dressed. But they were naked spiritually. They were dressed in black, but spiritually what they needed was a white garment in order that they might be clothed and their nakedness did not appear. The white garment is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

The city of Laodicea boasted of a medical school affiliated to the temple of Aesclepius. This medical school had the best oculist of their day who treated common eye ailments through the use of an eye salve produced by the medical school. So, this church had no problems with their physical eyes. All their physical eye problems were taken care of, but they were spiritually blind and undiscerning. They lacked the gift of discerning of spirits(1 Cor.12:10). If they could see into the realm of the spirit, they would have observed their nakedness and bankruptcy, wretchedness and misery. Christ admonished them to buy of Him eye salve in order that they might anoint their eyes so that they could see. These were all offered free, for they were bankrupt and had not the spiritual currency with which to purchase them. Because Jesus loved them, He rebuked and chastened them, in order that they might become zealous and repent.

Verse 20 could be looked at both ways, either as a command and exhortation or as a promise of blessing. I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come to him, and sup with him, and he with me. This is an appeal to the individual christian to open the door of his heart to Christ, not only of the Laodiceans but also of every local assembly. The heart of the individual has no external lock. The lock is on the inside. Therefore, it must be opened from the inside. When Christ comes in and sits at the head of the table, the Shulhan Aruch, there will be supernatural banquet of love, joy, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, true and lasting wealth and riches, fellowship with God, men and angels, divine guidance and direction, open doors and opportunities etc.

Promise Of Blessing(3:21,22).

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set with my Father in His throne. Jesus is co-regent with the Fatter. He is sitting at the Father’s right hand. Even so shall the overcomer reign with Christ here in the New Milllennium. As always the message is not directed only to the Laodiceans but all believers at all times. We shall live and reign with Him a thousand years. The scriptures make it clear true believers, the overcomers shall share the rulership of the Earth with Christ in the millennium. They shall be co-regents with Christ. Even so, Amen.

Avraham Shallom.

Revelation Chapter 1: Introduction

The Greek word translationted revelation is “apokalupsis” which means “to reveal” or “uncover.” Here Jesus the Christ is being uncovered as the eschatological judge(John 5:27; Acts 10:42; 17:31). This revelation of the Christ is given to Him by the Father. The content of this revelation are things which must shortly come to pass. This revelation is directed to His servants. These things were communicated to His servant John through the mediation of His angel. We are not told which one of His angels this was. Considering the importance of the message, he must be a high ranking angel. He is probably archangel Gabriel, the bringer of good news(Luk.1:19, 26,27). John the brother of James, son of Zebedee, was one of the Apostles of the inner circle. He was the disciplie whom Christ loved, who leaned on His breast at the Passover table in the upper on Mount Zion(John 13:23). He was probably the Apostle closest to the Lord during His earthly ministry. He was the latest of the twelve to be with the Lord. He is the author of the gospel of John and the epistles of first and second John.

In verse 2 John referred to his earlier ministry that he John was faithful in bearing record of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and presently, at the receipt of this revelation, all that he saw. Verse 3 contains the first of seven benedictions in the Book of Revelation. The others are Rev.14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth and keepeth the words of this prophecy. Here John makes it clear that the message of the book of Revelation is prophetic. Prophecy is of two kinds, “forth-telling” and “foretelling.” The book of Revelation contains both. In the early church, the scriptures were handwritten, and therefore could not go round. Besides the level of literacy was not so high. The few copies available were kept by the church elders and read to the congregation during fellowship. Those who could read very well are selected to read to the whole congregation. The majority of believers had no personal copies of the Scriptures to read on their own as we do today. They were dependent on what they heard read during fellowship. Apostle Paul commanded his son-in-the Lord, Timothy to give attention to reading and exhortations and doctrines(1 Tim.4:13). In the synagogues, these readers are called cantors.

The benediction is upon the one that readeth, for not all could read, and upon the the one that heareth, for not all will hear, and more so upon the one that heedeth the words of this prophecy; for not all that heareth would hearken. The reason for the blessedness is that the time is at hand. What this means is that time is short. There is no time to waste: whether we are raptured or sleep in the Lord before the rapture, time is short. Once the events begin, they are going to happen very quickly, with the rapidity of a machine gun fire.

In verse 4, John addressed the revelation he received from the Lord through the mediation of an angel to the seven churches which are in the Roman province of Asia Minor. A frequent motif in the book of Revelation is the number 7. We have seen the first of seven benedictions. Here seven churches are mentioned. This motif indicates that in the book of Revelation, everything is done with divine accuracy and precision, and completeness and perfection. These seven churches were not the only churches in Asia Minor. They were representatives of all the churches in Asia Minor. What this means is that if all the local churches in all of Asia Minor were classified, they would fall into one of seven categories. The same is true of all churches at all times and in all places.

Grace be unto you and peace, is combined salutation formula. Grace, “Karis,” is the Greek form of salutation. Peace, “shalom” is the Hebrew form of salutation. Here John combined both probably because the congregations were an admixture of Greek and Hebrew speaking congregants. The phrase, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come is referent to Our Lord Jesus the Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who came into this world and was crucified on the execution stake of Calvary for our sins, died and was buried. He rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven. Today, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him. And He is coming again to reign over the kingdom of His father David. So the phrase, was and is and is to come is referent to His finished works in His first advent, death, burial and resurrection, His ascension and session at the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens, and His inevitable triumphant return in His second Advent to rule over the Earth.

And from the seven Spirits which are before His throne. The throne here is the throne of the Father in the throne room of the temple of the tabernacle in heaven. Seven spirits which are before His throne does not mean their seven individual spirits, but rather, the seven complete and perfect manifestations of the Spirit of God referred to in Is.11:2,3. These seven manifestations of the Spirit of God were in complete and perfect manifestation in the ministry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg believes the seven spirits are seven angels which stand before God. Verse 5 says, and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness. Our Lord Jesus the Christ was faithful in all the period of His earthly ministry. Even though He was God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, the Father, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon the form of a servant, being found in fashion as a man, He became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. For this reason, God the Father hath highly exalted Him, giving Him a name above all other names: that at the mention of that name everything should bow, of being and things in heaven, beings and things on Earth, and beings and things underneath the Earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father(Phil.2:6-11).

In all points, He was tempted as we are and yet without sin(Heb.4:15;1Pet.2:22). He ministered to the poor and needy, the widows and the fatherless. He preached good news to the poor(Matt.11:5). He raised the dead( Matt.9:25;, He healed the sick(Matt.9:20-22; 10:8), and cleansed the lepers. He opened the eyes of the blind(Matt.9:27-31). He fed the poor and hungry. Moses was faithful as a servant in His house, but Jesus was faithful as a Son over His own house. Therefore He was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He that built the house has more honour than the house(Heb.3:1-6). He is the first begotten of the dead. He is the firstfruits of them that slept. Jesus was not the first person to be raised from the dead. Jesus Himself raised many from the dead in His earthly ministry. He raised Lazarus from the dead(John 11:4). He raised Jairus daughter from the dead(Mark 5:42. He raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead(Luke 7:11-17). In both the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, men were raised from the dead(1 Kings 17:17-24; 2Kings 4:8-37; 13:20,21). All these subsequently died again. They were brought back to life in their earthly mortal bodies. They were subject to sin, sicknesses, disease and death. They were raised in the same old death-doomed body. But when Jesus rose from the dead, He received a glorified eternal immortal resurrection body. He is not earth-bound any more. He could appear and disappear, materialize and dematerialize. He is no longer subject to death. In this sense Jesus is the firstfruits of them that slept. He is the first to receive a glorified eternal immortal resurrection body.

He is the prince of the kings of the Earth. Jesus is King over all the Earth. In that sense He is prince over all the kings of the Earth. But the kings of the Earth here is referent to the saints who shall reign with Him over the Earth in the New Millennium when Satan is incarcerated for a thousand years in the bottomless pit(Rev.20:1-6). Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is remission of sins(Heb.9:22). But all had sinned and come short of the glory of God(Rom.3:23). Jesus our kinsman redeemer, the “goel,” is the only man that ever lived on Earth who was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Man is constitutionally and genetically a sinner. Jesus had no Sin nature. He did not sin neither was any guile found in His mouth(1 Pet.2:22). Though He was tempted just as we are, He committed no individual acts of sin. Therefore His blood was pure, and could and did cleanse us from our sins. He cleansed us not only from our Sin nature but also from our individual acts of sin. The outworking of cleansing us from our individual acts of sin is instantaneous at the moment of salvation, and continuous and progressive when we sin and confess our sins(1 John 1:9). The outworking of cleansing us from our Sin nature is a process. It is progressive, and shall be consummated when we sleep in the Lord and shed our mortal body and or receive our glorified eternal immortal resurrection body at the rapture. What that means is that as long as we are in this death-doomed body of ours, we are capable of sin, and do in fact sin. These things write I unto you that you sin not. But if man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation, not only for our sins but the sins of the whole world(1 John 2:1-2). If we confess our sins-when we sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness(I John 1:9).

Verse 6 says He had made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.

We will not only reign with Jesus the Christ on Earth in the Millennium, we shall minister with Him as priests in the Fourth Temple(the Millennial Temple) on the new Mount Zion in the New and earthly Jerusalem. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the excellencies of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light(1 Pet.2:9). Parallel passages confirm that we the elects of God are a kingdom now. We are not going to be a kingdom(John 18:36; Acts 26:18; Col.1:13;Rev.5:9,10). In the old dispensation, the priests were from the tribe of Levi, and the High Priest from the house of Aaron. In the new dispensation, Jesus the Christ is our eternal High Priest, and every believer is an eternal priest and an eternal king. Our kingship and priesthood are eternal and everlasting. This verse closes with a doxology to Jesus: to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. A doxology is a christian poem that ascribes glory to God the Father. Here Jesus is ascribed glory because of His salvific works for the elect of God. Amen is an affirmation formula used in the OT and imported into the NT. It is a Hebrew acrostic derived from the statement, “el melech ne’eman” which means God is a faithful King. The implication of this affirmation is predicated upon the faithful of God who is a faithful King.

Verse 7 is an affirmation of His earlier promise that He is coming again. “Behold, He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him.” The cloud signifies the glory of God. It is heaven’s means of transportation. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus ascended into heaven and His disciples whom He had chosen beheld Him. It is written that He shall come in the same manner as the disciples saw Him go into heaven. The wailing shall begin with the earthly and celestial disturbances which interrupts the great tribulation(Rev.6:12-17). It shall culminate in His return at Armageddon, riding upon a white horse accompanied by the armies of heaven(Rev.19:11-16). The kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. The kindreds of the Earth is universalistic; it includes Jews and Gentiles. All the tribes or kindreds of the Earth shall mourn refers to mourning out of despair at the return of Christ by the adorers of the Dragon-Beast. The kindreds of the Earth, the beast-marked worshippers shall wail because they know He is coming to destroy them. Once the sixth seal, the earthly and celestial disturbances interrupt the great tribulation, the beast-marked adorers and worshippers of the Dragon-Beast shall know they are destined for the wrath of God. Even those who pierced Him includes Jews and Romans(Gentiles)[Acts 7:52,52; John 19:21,37; Zech.12:9]. Even so, Amen is a phrase used to affirm that what is said or written is based on the faithfulness of God who is a faithful King, and therefore certain and inevitable.

In verse 8, John the revelator quoted our Lord, Jesus the Christ: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. It is like saying that without Him, there is no sound, no word formed, no speech and no language. He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. If Jesus were not God, it would be blasphemous for Him to make such claims. The God of Israel made such claims( Is.44:6). It is obvious that Jesus is the one who made this statement and not the Father, by the fact that the one who is speaking is referred to as the Lord who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Biblical scholars are not agreed that the one who is, and was, and is to come is referent to Jesus who came and died and rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, and is coming again to reign. The Father has never been here physically and never have died, neither had the Holy Spirit; for neither of them have physical bodies. Therefore it is obvious that He is referring to Himself here as the Almighty God of Israel. The Orthodox Jew will see this as blasphemous. But did Jesus commit blasphemy? In the parallel passages in Rev.1:17; 21:26; 22:1, the Christ is equated with Almighty God. Some biblical scholars believe that God the Father is consistently identified with same titles. That makes it impossible to identify which member of the Godhead is involved. It is as if both members were speaking at the same time. This they claim may be closer to the intended truth by John. There is no controversy however that this prophecy stands as the unanimous consent of God the Father and God the Son inasmuch as the Father gave the revelation to the Son.

In verse 9, John the revelator identified himself to his readers as a fellow believer in Jesus Christ and a companion to all those in Christ who are persecuted. The Greek word translated tribulation is “thlipsis.” It is the same word used in [great] tribulation(Matt.24:21, 29; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Rev.2:22; 7:14). Interestingly the definite article is used. Therefore the tribulation is the focus; the tribulation that is consistently connected with Jesus the Christ(Col.1:24). Persecution is common denominator in the life of all believers irrespective of their age and local. It comes in different forms and severity. The ultimate however is martyrdom. That also comes in different forms, summary executions, decapitations, crucifixion, burning at the stakes, other forms of enmolation, being thrown to hounds and wide animals, frayed alive, strangulation, suffocation, being starved to death etc. Persecution is part and parcel of life in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. The millennial kingdom spoken of in Rev.20 is in view. The Christian life calls for perseverance. The Greek word translated patience here in the KJV is peirasmos which means putting to test(Rev.2:2,3; 3:10; 13:10; 14:11,12). It is best rendered perseverance. Perseverance is the true mark of a believer via-a-via tribulation(Matt.13:21). The believer must persevere in the face of opposition. As Jesus persevered, so must we.

John received this revelation when he was on the Greek island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. That island still exists today and is inhabited. John claimed he was there for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. In other words, he was there to preach the word and witness and testify about Jesus. However, in actual fact, he was exiled to that island by the Roman emperor Domitian as a result of antichristian persecution. Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by The Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the imperial period for a number of offenses amongst which were the practice of magic and astrology. Prophecy was regarded by the Romans as belonging to that category whether pagan, Jewish or christian. A lot of people sent to that island died there. He was later released and lived at Ephesus where he died around 100 AD. He was the last of the twelve to depart. Those who live long have the difficult role of seeing the others go.

In verse 10, John was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard a great voice behind him as a trumpet. After the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus the Christ on the first day of the week, believers in the early church came to designate it as the Lord’s day. Following the persecution of the believers and the curses laid upon them in the prayers said in the synagogues, which led to the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity around 96 AD, the believers came to meet for regular worship on Sunday rather than Saturday, the sabbath day. So John was in the spirit on Sunday, the Lord’s day. To be in the spirit, one would have the gift of the spirit called discerning of spirit. This is one of the revelational gifts. The others are the word of wisdom and word of knowledge(1 Cor.12:8,10). The one in whom this gift operates sees and hears, smells and perceives into the realm of the spirit. The phrase “in the spirit” signifies that John’s vision took place in the spirit and not in the body. The spirit man is a body, the spirit body exhibits all the five senses of the physical body. We shall talk more about this gift in Chapter 5. A loud voice is a phrase compared to the blast of a trumpet, the sound of thunder, and the sound of roaring waters. It is used 21 times in the Scroll of Revelation. Each time, a divine angelic being is delivering a message. The voice is like the blast of a trumpet. The emphasis is on the loudness of the voice. The voice identified Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. We have earlier stated that these appellations designate the Lord Jesus, the Christ. John was instructed to write what he saw in a book and send it unto the seven churches in Asia. These churches are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sadis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

The Description of The Son Of Man(verses 12-20).

There are similarities between Rev.1:13b-16 and Dan.10:5,6. The person who appeared to Daniel is the same person that appeared to John in the context of the angelic being, communicating prophetic truth about the end times. This forms an important connection between the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation.

In verse 12, John turned to see the voice that spoke to him. When he turned, he saw seven candlesticks. These candlesticks or candelabra are usually held on a single lampstand called menorah. In the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son Of Man. This is the commonest appellation by which Jesus referred to Himself. It is His favourite Self-designation. According to Leon Morris, Jesus used this phrase because of its lack of political complications, because it has human undertones and divinity overtones and connects to the kingdom. The Son Of Man is one with authority to forgive sins(Luke 5:24). God the Father gave Him authority to execute judgement (John 5:27). The Son Of Man is human. This silences every argument that God’s judgement are unfair because He cannot understand the impact of sin on man’s ability to choose righteousness. Jesus the Christ became man. He was in every point tempted as we are yet without sin. Therefore He is an experientially qualified judge. He wore a garment down to his feet and a golden sach about His loins. White signifies righteous. He is the righteous judge of the church. Gold signifies righteousness, wealth and royalty. His head and His hairs were as white like wool, as white as snow. This signifies His judgeship over the church. And His eyes were as a flame of fire. He is the righteous judge. And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters, powerful and authoritative(Ps.29).

Verse 16, He had in His hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. I presume that we do not suppose that when we see Jesus, there shall be a sword protruding out of His mouth. Jesus is the word of God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. Without Him there was not anything made that was made( John1:1-3). By Him all things were made. By the word of God were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the word of His mouth(Ps.33:6). The word protruding out of His mouth portrays Him as the executor of the Father’s will, the judge of the whole Earth. Judgement must begin in the house of God. If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear(1 Pet.4:17-19). Therefore He is Judge both of the church and the world. When John saw Him, he fell at His feet as dead. He laid His right hand upon him saying unto him, fear not; I am the first and the last. Johns’ response when he encountered Jesus is similar to that of Daniel(Dan.10:9). Mortal and sinful make man cannot stand in the presence of the Holy God. Our holiness quickly turns into corruption and our righteousness into filthy rags(Isa.64:6).

In verse 18, Jesus refers to Himself as He that liveth and was dead; behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. He died and rose again from the dead in order that He might be judge both of the living and the dead. Key signals right and authority. Jesus is judge both of the living and the dead. Jesus is Lord of both the living and the dead. He whom He justifies is justified, and he whom He condemns is condemned. John was instructed to write the things which he had seen, the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter. This gives a possible key to the understanding of the book of Revelation. The things you have seen are Christ as judge of the Church, chapter 1. The things which are would be the seven churches in Asia(chapters 2&3). And the things which shall be hereafter would be the remainder of the book of Revelation(chapters 4-22). This outline is overly simplistic and merits little if any exegetical supports. This is particularly the case when one realizes there is no time difference between the vision of The Christ in Rev. 1 and the seven churches in Rev.2,&3. We should not be pushful about the significance of this outline. The significance of the relationship of the church to Rev.4-22, cannot be recognized by the absence of the term church in these chapters. Does the absence of the term church mean that there is no applicable value for the church in the OT? Jesus the Christ referred to the seven stars and seven Churches as mystery. The Greek word Mysterion occurs four times in the book of Revelation(1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7). A mystery always requires divine insight. In other words, the correct interpretation necessitates divine help. Allegorically, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches.

Avraham Shallom.

Comments On The Scroll Of Revelation

We have dealt with “Introduction To The Scroll Of Revelation,” and “Overview Of The Scroll Of Revelation.” In Introduction To The Scroll Of Revelation, we dealt with the terminology and phraseology of The Scroll Of Revelation. If you were on this platform when we dealt with this series, I would counsel you to refresh your memory by browsing through it again. I did that last night, and it was very refreshing particularly if you tough it all out by reading through at a stretch. If you are new on this platform and not conversant with The Scroll Of Revelation, please by all means study it. Link: https://mtzionheritage.com/introduction-to-the-scroll-of-revelation/.

In the series on the Overview Of The Scroll Of Revelation, we dealt with the “Panorama” of The Scroll Of Revelation which is a broad overview of the Scroll Of Revelation, a bird’s eye view, if you would like. We grouped the chapters of the Scroll Of Revelation in such a way as to understand the chronology of the narrative of the Scroll Of Revelation based on the eschatological timeline derivable from the Scroll Of The Prophet Daniel, Christ’s Olivet Discourse in Matt.24,25, and the Scroll Of Revelation itself. If you were present on this platform when we dealt with the Overview Of the Scroll Of Revelation, you are at an advantage as we advance into the comments on the chapters of the scroll of Revelation. For a review of the Overview Of The Scroll Of Revelation, you do not need to browse through it all at once because it a bit extensive and unnecessary. You can review the overview of chapter one before reading through the comments on chapter one of the Scroll Of Revelation, and so on and so forth. Link: https://mtzionheritage.com/overview-of-the-scroll-of-revelation/. If you have read through the introduction to the scroll of Revelation and overview on chapter one of the scroll of Revelation, you are now ready for comments on chapter one of the scroll of Revelation.

Let me make it very clear that what we present here is not a “commentary on the scroll of Revelation. A good commentary on any book of the Bible will begin with extensive bibliography. It will then be followed by grammatical analyses of the text in its original language(s), whether Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Next will be the author’s own translation of the chapter in question into the language of the commentary which would be English in our own context and settings. This would require that the author read, and write, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. This will be followed by a detailed discourse of form/structure/setting. Then will be the authors outline of the chapter in question. Next will be comments on the text. A section will deal with central interpretive issues in the text, and finally excursus and explanations. Excursus means taking key issue(s) in the text, for example: evil, good, righteousness, salvation, judgment, justice, deluge, gods, demons, idolatry, Satan, crucifixion, nephilim, love, marriage, angels, etc., and giving detailed discussions on it or them as the case may be.

This sort of scholarship will result in a tome that will be intimidating and daunting to even the educated believer who is not a theologian or a biblical scholar. In this regard, the best commentary available today will be The Word Commentary on the Bible in 66 volumes. The section on the Scroll Of Revelation is done by Dr. David E. Aoune, a professor of New Testament at Loyola University in Chicago, USA. It fills three tomes. It is the best of biblical scholarship. Yours truly has read through it all. But I must sound a note of warning here: I did not understand the Scroll Of Revelation by reading these tomes. A lot of is buried in scholarly parlance peculiar to biblical scholarship and what I call scholarly madness. They are of little or no value to the average believer because he neither understands nor can he apply them to his own life. I came to an understanding of the Scroll Of Revelation by understanding the eschatological timeline and applying it to the Scroll Of Revelation.

Comments on the Scroll Of Revelation is simply what it is, comments. It is designed to help the average believer to understand the Scroll Of Revelation and its applicability and relevance to one’s own life, especially those of us who live at the edge of history, called End Times.

I shall give us a couple of days to review “Introduction To The Scroll Of Revelation,” and chapter one of “Overview Of The Scroll Of Revelation, and then, we can start with chapter one on “Comments On The Scroll Of Revelation. Have a wonderful day. Shalom! Maranatha.

Avraham Shallom.

Overview Of The Scroll Of Revelation.

Chapter 1: The Unveiling Of The Risen And Glorified Jesus

Scroll or roll is a translation of the Greek word “biblos” from which we derive the English word Bible and its cognates. It means book. In the Ancient World, and prior to the invention of the printing press by the German goldsmith Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden Gutenberg in 1439, writings were made on clay tablets, stone tablets like the Ten Commandments, ostracon(potsherd), papyrus(leaf of a plant that grows by the banks of the River Nile in Egypt), animal skins referred to as parchments, etc. In ancient Israel, most writing were made on animal skins sewn together and then rolled up. As is the scroll of the Torah venerated by Jews today, there are two handles at both ends sticking out up and down at four corners for ease of handling.

The English word Revelation is a translation of the Greek word “apokalupsis” which means unveiling. Some translations render it “Apocalypse” which is an anglicized Greek, a transliteration. It is the manifestation of a hidden deity. In the Ancient World monarchs were regarded as gods not to be seen too often. They usually spoke to their subjects separated from them by a screen, in low tones and or guttural voices. The interpreter re-echoes their voices in nonguttural and high tones to the subjects. This practice is still in vogue in some parts of Northern Nigeria today. However, from time to time, they were unveiled to their subjects. The unveiling of a hidden deity is called Apocalypse or Revelation.

In the Scroll of Revelation, Jesus The Christ our Lord is being unveiled to His human subjects, the Church. That was the reason why the Scroll of Revelation was addressed to the Seven churches or local assemblies in Asia Minor(Rev.1:4,11). These churches or local assemblies were representative of the whole body of Christ on Earth, in all locations and at all times throughout the whole Church Age. In this chapter of this book “The Scroll Of Revelation”, Which is comments on the Book of Revelation, we shall present a panoramic view of the scroll of Revelation in order that the reader may have an understanding of the overview of the book preludial to an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation.

This Revelation of Jesus the Christ was given to Him by God the Father. Jesus communicated it to His servant John through the mediation of an angel(Rev.1:1). We are not told who this angel was, neither his persona nor rank nor regalia. It was probably the archangel Gabriel who is God’s messenger of good news(Dan.8:16).

The message was intended to be communicated to all bond-servants of Christ, but the Apostle John was chosen by Christ to receive it through the mediation of an angel and to pass it on to all true bond-servants of Christ. In Ancient Israel, a bond-servant was a slave who has completed his period of service to his master. It was usually seven years. He serves his master six years and the seventh is his year of freedom. At the completion of this period of service, the slave ought to be free. If his master had married a wife for him and he had begotten children, the wife and children belonged to his mater. But because he loved his master, and his master had treated him well, and he was unwilling to part with his wife and children, he chose to serve him for ever. Usually a ceremony was performed in which the slave was brought to the gate of his master’s house in the presence of the judges or elders of Israel and his ear pierced with an aul and he served his master for ever(Exod.21:1-6). This is the kind of believers, those who are bonded to Jesus for ever, to whom are addressed the scroll of Revelation. And those who are not, in order that they might become bonded to Him for ever.

John the revelator was one of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. He was one of the Apostles of the inner circle(Mark 5:37). Jesus called him and his brother James while they were mending their nets with their father Zebedee; for they were fishermen(Matt.4:20-2). Jesus nicknamed them sons of thunder(boanerges) because of their fiery spirit(Mark 3:17). Once when it was time for Jesus to be received up to Heaven, He sent his disciples to prepare for Him ahead of time in one of the villages of the Samaritans. But the Samaritans did not welcome them because it was as though Jesus’ face was set towards Jerusalem. The Samaritans loved Jesus. They had recognized Him as the Messiah. They wanted more fellowship with Him(Jon.4:39-42). But Jesus would not stay because it was time for Him to go up to Jerusalem to be crucified on the execution stake for the salvation of all mankind. The Samaritans had a grouse with Jews over where God ought to be worshipped, in Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim? The samaritans are mongrel Jews(2 Kin.17:24-41). The Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, the Mount of blessings, for the Jews did not permit them to participate in the rebuilding of the Second Temple at the expiry of the First exile(Ezra 4:1-3). Therefore they sabotaged the efforts of the returning exile to rebuild the temple and the wall of Jerusalem(Ezra 4:4-24, 5:4; Neh.4:1-2). It was like Jesus was saying the same thing the Jews believed, and they did not want to be reminded. The Samaritans were offended and did not welcome the disciples Jesus sent ahead of Him to prepare for Him. James and John, the sons of thunder(Aramaic: boanerges), pleaded with Jesus to permit them to command fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans like Elijah did to the soldiers of Ahab(2 Kin.1:1-12). But Jesus turned, and rebuked them and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit you are of. Hey guys, this is a new dispensation. The Son Of Man is not come to destroy men’s life but to save them. And they went to another village(Luk. 9:51-56). In spreading the good news of the kingdom, sometimes missionaries are unwelcome, encounter opposition or outright hostility, it is only wise to relocate. “And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”(Matt.10:11-15, 23). In this premission address to His disciples, Jesus no doubt spoke to His immediate audience, but He was also looking ahead into the 70th week of Daniel when His disciples expectation of His coming would be acute because of intense and severe persecution of His followers during the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist.

It was James and John whose mother, brought them to Jesus, demanding that they sit, each on His right hand and His left in His kingdom. Jesus asked them whether they were able to be baptized with the baptism with which He was baptized, and also drink of His cup. They both answered in the affirmative. Jesus then affirmed that they would indeed be baptized with the baptism with which He was baptized, and also drink of His cup. But to sit each of them on His right hand and His left in His kingdom, is not His to grant to anyone. But that it is for those for whom it has been prepared by His Father(Matt.20:20-23). Over the years, John had mellowed down in the spirit a whole lot. He was the disciple whom Christ loved, who leaned on His breast at the Passover table in the upper room on Mount Zion(Jon.13:25).

When Jesus told the disciple that one of them would betray Him, they were all troubled and became curious. When Jesus would not openly identify the infidel, Peter sent John to enquire of Him secretly. John did and He told him in a metaphor; “he to him I shall give sop.” And when He had dipped it, He gave it to Judas, the man from Iscara(Jon. 13:26). John was so close to Jesus that after His resurrection from the dead, when He appeared to the disciples at the Sea Of Tiberias, Peter asked, what would this one do? John and Jesus were so close it looked like though John would not survive any longer without Jesus physically on Earth. Jesus answered, if I would that he abide till I come, what is that to you? Then went the rumor amongst the disciples that that disciple would not die. But Jesus said not that he would not die, but that if I would that he abide till I come, what is that to you? It is that disciple that wrote the Gospel of John, the three letters of John and the book of Revelation. He was known to have preached more on love than any other Apostle. He was called the apostle of Love. He prayed so much that his knees developed callosities. It is on record that when old, he used to be carried to the church to speak to the brethren, and his message would be “brethren love one another”. He was the last of the twelve Apostles to go. Church history records that he was thrown into a basin of hot boiling oil, and he escaped unharmed. Little wonder therefore he was chosen of God to deliver such an important message to the church. He was very intimate with Jesus. We also ought to be so intimate with the Lord in order that He might communicate His word through us to the church in our generation. The Lord will do nothing without revealing it to His servants the prophets(Amos 3:7). And it is needful that we prophesy one by one(1 Cor.14:31,39).

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and do those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand(Rev.1:3). There is an urgency to understand the word of this prophecy and to do them, more so in these last days. It is not just he that readeth, nor heareth but the one who having read or heard the word goes forth also and doeth the word.

“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”(James 1:23-25).

Therefore, read, hear, heed and hearken.

“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him: and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen”(7).

Jesus is coming again to reign. He will not come as gently Jesus, meek and mild, but as roaring lion, the Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah. He is coming as conquering Messaiah, Messaiah Ben David. He has the Title Deed of the Earth from the Father. The Father has committed all judgment to Him. He is the Father’s representative in the earthly domain of His Universal Kingdom. He is coming again to reign over the kingdom of His father, David.

“Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”(Is.9:7).

Men may argue about it, disbelieve it, disprove and debate about it, but it is an inviolate biblical truth. It is inevitable.

“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).

At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, God Almighty shall reclaim His rule over the Earth which Satan usurped when Adam rebelled against God. Jesus shall finally reclaim physical possession of the Earth at Armageddon at the final outpouring of the seventh bowl judgment.

As a hidden Deity, Jesus revealed Himself through His spokesman John the revelator. Jesus is the author of the book of Revelation; John was His amanuensis. John was taken into the realm of the spirit, and he wrote down what he saw and heard. The Scroll Of Revelation is unique in the canon of the Scriptures in that it is direct communication from God. The Scroll Of Revelation is composed of visions. To understand who Jesus is, we shall employ the three principles of character study used in Literature. What the character says about himself, what others say about the character, and your own opinion of the character. Revelation chapter 1 is an introduction to the whole book of Revelation. There, Christ as hidden Deity reveals or unveils His identity. We may do well to take note of what He says about Himself. He says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, first and the last(Rev.1:11). This claim is also made of the God of Israel in the OT(Isa.44:6). If Jesus were not God, it would be utterly blasphemous for Him to make such a claim. He also said,

“I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hell and of Death.”

He died for our sins. His death was utterly selfless. He needed not to die, but He did because He loved us, even while we were yet sinners(Rom.5:8). He needed not to became human in the first place. But He humbled Himself, became human, and therefore subject to death.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”(Phil.2:5-11).

He has conquered sin, sickness, disease and death. It was not possible for Him to be holden by the pangs of death(Acts 2:24). He has overcome. He is risen. The empty tomb is an eternal evidence. Death had no more dominion over Him, nor over those who come to the Father through faith in Him. Sin shall not have the mastery over you; for we are not under the law but under grace(Rom. 6:14). He says, I am He that walketh in the midst of the seven candlesticks and holdeth the seven stars in my right hand(16). Jesus is the good shepherd. We are His under-shepherds. He has the bride, He is the bridegroom(John 3:29).

John the revelator was on the island of Patmos. He was exiled there by Emperor Domitian(81-96 AD). But he claimed he was there for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. What a faith? What a positive mental attitude that turns evil into good, that sees the good in the bad and ugly?

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”(Rom.8:28).

Little wonder therefore shortly after he received the message of revelation of the hidden Deity, Jesus, he was released from incarceration on the island of Patmos, and went on to pass it on to the churches, and to live to a very great age. He became the pastor and an elder in the Church in Edessa which is in modern day Turkey. Of all the twelve Apostles, he was the only one that died naturally. He was the last to go.

Our beloved brother, Apostle John was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard a voice saying to him, come up hitter. There are some biblical scholars like Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg that teach that the Lord’s day is The Day Of The Lord. This interpretation is allegorical; it is tenuous. However it agrees with the Prewrath Rapture position that teaches that the Church shall be raptured prior to the outpouring of the wrath of God at the breaking of the seventh seal. The very day the Church is raptured, the seventh seal is broken, and the wrath of God begins. So the saints are actually in the spirit, taken to heaven with Christ in the Rapture while the wrath of God is meted out on the living wicked earth-dwellers. But literally, the Lord’s day is Sunday, the first day of the week on which Christ rose from the dead. After Jesus our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week, the Apostles and early believers named it the Lord’s Day, in His honour. He defied and conquered death.

John went up in the spirit and saw into the realm of the spirit. He saw into the throne room of God. He saw the seven candlesticks, and one like the Son Of Man walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks. The seven candlesticks are the seven local churches in Asia Minor. He saw the risen Jesus. He had seen Him several times before, immediately after His resurrection from the dead(Luk.24:36, Jon.20:19-20,26, 21:1-25). But this time He was vastly different. This is the glorified Jesus. He was clothed with so much glory which John managed to describe in these words in Rev.1:12-17. He is the Son Of Man. He is because He is The Father’s representative on Earth. He was clothed with a garment down to foot. He was girded with a girdle of gold about his paps. He is king. Being girded means readiness. He was ready to take over the rulership of the Earth, being the Son Of Man. This appellation speaks of His representative and kingly role in the earthly domain of His Father’s Universal Kingdom. His head and His hairs were as white as wool. He is the righteous judge. And His eyes as a flame of fire. Judges wear white wigs, except in the case of delivery of death sentence when they don on red garment and wig. He is the righteous judge. He will not brook sin and evil. Therefore His eyes were like a flame of fire. He cannot be bribed or corrupted. There is no unrighteousness with God. He is the God of justice. God the Father has committed all judgment to Him(Jon.5:22,27,30, 7:24, 8:16, 9:39, 12:31, 16:8,11). By Him actions are weighed. He searches the heart and tries the reins(Ps.7:9,17:3; 1 Thess.2:4).

There is no partiality with Him, neither does He respect the person of any man(Rom.2:11; Eph.6:9; Jam.3:17). He shall render righteous judgment, to every man according to as his work shall be. His feet are like fine or burnished brass, and His voice as the sound of many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. It devours the cedars of Lebanon and discovereth the forest(Ps.29:9). He has the seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth goeth a sharp two-edged sword. The seven stars are the representative angels of the seven local assemblies of believers. He is the word of God. By Him all things were made. Without Him, there was nothing made that was made(Jon.1:3). He is the creator of all things(Jon.1:1-2). It is He that made us, and not we ourselves(Ps.100:3). We are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand(Ps.95:7). Therefore, it is fitting of Him as our God, Lord and King to demand of us our absolute obedience and allegiance. Applying the three principles of character study in Literature, we have heard about what John said about Him and what He said about Himself. I have my own opinion of Him. What is yours?

Chapters 2 & 3: The Letters To The Seven Churches In Asia Minor

Chapters 2 & 3 of the book of Revelation deal with the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which happen to be in Present day Turkey. The seven churches put together formed a circle around Asia Minor. They were not the only local assemblies in Asia Minor. They were selectively chosen by Christ as representatives of the seven kinds of churches in existence at that time in Asia Minor. The same is true of other places at all times around the globe. There are some that believe and teach that these churches represent certain periods in the church Age. That is problematic with regards to the issue of authority in determining the beginning and the end of these periods. The classification of the churches can be further reduced to three: faithful, comprising and dead churches. The faithful church is exemplified by the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna. Neither of these two churches received any condemnation but commendations. Of the two, the church of Philadelphia received unqualified commendation. Therefore the church of Philadelphia is a perfect example of a faithful and uncompromising church. Some would even classify the church of Smyrna as a compromising church. The faithful and uncompromising church is not promised exemption from the wrath of Satan. It is promised protection within the sphere of persecution and lastly final removal from the sphere of persecution. Because it has kept God’s instructions concerning perseverance, God shall keep it from the hour of temptation(peirasmos) which shall come upon all dwellers on Earth(3:10). The faithful church shall not go through the wrath of God.

On the other hand, the compromising church shall go through the wrath of Satan without divine protection in order to purify her. Nevertheless, it shall be exempt from the wrath of God. Four to five of these churches fall within this category. They are the churches of Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Laodicea. Some commentators include Smyrna, but that is debatable. These churches represent various areas and degrees of compromise. The areas of compromise include, loss of first love(2:4), fear of suffering and persecution(2:19), doctrinal defections(2:14,15), inability to persever(3:11), spiritual deadness(3:1,2), lukewarmness(3:15,16) and moral compromise and departure(2:20).

The church at Sardis was the only spiritually dead church. It had a reputation for being alive, but it was dead. This church had the right activities and ceremonies. The members dressed properly and used the right phrases but they were spiritually dead. Because of their right comportment, they were able to hoodwink other neighboring churches into believing they are alive and well. The church of Sardis shall escape the wrath of satan, being beast-marked, but face the wrath of God. However, there are some in it who had vestiges of life in them. They were admonished of Christ to keep alive what remaineth.

These churches can be seen as individuals. Quite frankly, that is what it all boils down to. Individual professing christians are either faithful, compromising or spiritually dead while outwardly professing to be alive and well. That these warnings apply to the individual at all times and in all places throughout the Church Age is evident by the fact that each letter concludes with “he that has ears, let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches.”

Chapters 4 & 5: The Throne Room In The Temple Of God In Heaven

Chapter 3 concludes the things which are. Thereafter John is invited into the Throne Room in the heavenly temple and shown the things which shall be hereafter. There are some who teach that the Rapture took place in 4:1 when John was injoined by Christ to come up hither. The Rapture is here magically conjured up by pretribs. This is hermeneutical jingoism. They contend that after 3:22, the church is not mentioned again in the book of Revelation until chapter 19. This interpretation is at best tenuous, the church being mentioned in some other ways in the book of Revelation. This interpretation is an attempt to keep the church out of the great tribulation in order to justify the pretribulation Rapture position. The church is mentioned in some other ways in Rev.4-19. These are: every kindred, tongue, people and nation(5:9c); kings and priests(5:10); fifth seal martyrs(6:9); a great multitude(7:9; 18:5,6); thy servants(11:18;19:2,5); our brethren(12:10); the rest of children(12:17); saints(13:7,10; 14:12; 18:20,24); wife(19:7). At this point in the narrative of the book of Revelation, God is dealing with the individual believer rather than the institution called the Church or Christendom in general.

Interestingly, neither the Church nor the saints are present in Throne Room Of The Temple Of God in Heaven in Rev.4 & 5. The absence of the saints in this heavenly scene contradicts the Pretrib Rapture view that John’s solo invitation into Heaven constitutes the rapture. What Apostle John the revelator experienced here is what is called spiritual or inward vision. His physical body was here on Earth, but his soul and spirit were transported to the Throne Of God in Heaven where he saw and heard. In this kind of vision, John was not aware of his physical environment here on Earth at the island of Patmos.

In the Throne Room of God in the temple in heaven, God the Father is seated on His throne enveloped in glory. Closest to the throne and round about it and in the midst of it were four beasts or better still four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. The first was like a lion, the second like a calf, and the third beast had the face of man, the fourth was like an eagle in motion. Each of them had six wings, and they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty who was and is, and is to come. These four living creatures are angelic beings representative of the beast of the field, the lion being the king thereof, all domestic animals, humanity in general, and the fowls of the heavens, the eagle being the king thereof. Beyond the four living creatures are twenty and four thrones on which are seated the twenty and four elders. They were clothed in white raiments which signify righteousness. They have crowns on their heads indicating they are sitting kings. Their identity is debated whether they are angelic or human.

Out of the throne proceeds thunder and lightning and voices. There are seven lamps of fire burning which are the seven spirits of God. There is only one Spirit of God, The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. But there are seven attributes of the Spirit. The seven attributes of the Holy Spirit are in perfect manifestations in the Son Of God. There are also some like Dr. Eli Lizorkin Eyzenberg that teach that the seven spirits of God are seven angels. Before the throne was a sea of glass. Some Pretribs identify the sea of glass before the Throne Of God as raptured saints. Another hermeneutical jingoism. In Rev.14:2-3, the resurrected saints stood on the sea of glass from where they ministered to God in the Throne Room Of God in Heaven. The Rapture took place in Rev.7:9-17. Hence the appearance of the resurrected saints in Rev.14. The sea of glass is a platform before the Throne Of God in Throne Room Of the temple of God in Heaven. In the Throne Room Of the Temple Of God in Heaven in Rev:4-5, the resurrected saints were not standing on the sea of glass because the Rapture has not yet taken place. When the four beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.

Chapter 5 continues with the description of the throne room in the temple in heaven. Now a wonderful scene is played out. The Father is seated on His throne, with a scroll in His right hand, having seven seals. A strong angel made a proclamation, saying who is able to open the scroll and to break the seals thereof? A search was conducted in Heaven and Earth, and under the Earth, no one was found who was able to read the the scroll, open or look thereon. Whereupon, John the revelator wept sore. Then one of the elders said unto Him, weep not, for behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll, and to break the seals thereof.

Since the resurrection, ascension, and session of the Son Of God, He had been seated at the right hand of the Father, angels and authorities being made subject to Him(1 Pet.3:22). He has never left the presence of the Father. But now, He vacates His throne at the right hand of the Father. He is standing in the midst of the Throne room in the temple in heaven, as a Lamb slain. He is about to take the seven sealed scroll, the Title Deed of the Earth from the Father. The sixth millennium is ended. The seventh is about to begin. It is the Shabbat of the Lord. He is about to relocate to the Earth to reclaim God Almighty’s rule over the Earth. Adam’s lease to Satan, the usurper of the throne of the earthly realm of God’s universal kingdom is over. Satan and his hordes of fallen evil angels must be evicted from the starry heavens, the dark void and the Earth’s premesis. The work of redemption finished in His first Advent must be consummated in the second Advent. Man will no longer live in a death-doomed, sin laden body for ever. Therefore, there was a standing ovation in Heaven and on Earth when the Lamb took the seven sealed scroll from the Father. The universal orchestra, consisting of the four living creatures, increasing in geometric progression, recruiting the twenty and four elders, the hosts of heaven and indeed all creation, singing in one synchronous voice, saying, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and honour, and glory and blessing. John heard all creation saying, blessing, honour, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever. Some Pretribs who believe the Rapture occurred in Rev.4:1 also teach the Rev.5:5-10 are the raptured saints. Another theological legerdemain.

Chapter 6: The Breaking Of The Seals Of The Big Scroll; The 70th Week Begins

The Son is standing in the midst of the Throne Room of the temple of God in Heaven. He has the seven-sealed Scroll in His hands. He breaks a seal in heaven and certain events unfold here on earth. This logically leads us to Rev.6. The breaking of the first seal marks the starting point of the 70th seven of Daniel’s 70 seven prophecy(Dan.9:27). There are seven seals on the big Scroll. The seals are on the exterior of the Scroll. All seven seals must be broken before the content of the scroll is revealed. The content of the scroll is the Wrath of God consisting of the seven trumpets and seven bowls.

The Jewish calendar on which the eschatological time scale is based is lunar. A month is 30 days, and a year is 360 days. The 70th seven is divided into two equal halves of three and one half years each, 42 months or 1,260 days. The first half is called the beginning of sorrows or beginning birth pangs(pains: Matt.24:8). The second half consists of the Great Tribulation and part of the Wrath Of God, also called the Day Of the Lord or the Day Of His Wrath. Rev.6 is parallel to Matt.24:1-32. The first seal is broken, and the antiChrist emerges and tries to conquer through subtle peace diplomacy(Rev.6:1,2). He is the rider upon a white horse. He has a bow but there are no arrows in it. The second seal is broken, and there emerges a rider on a red horse. This is war, rumors and threats of war and commotions(Rev.6:3,4). War logically leads to famine and pestilence. This is the third seal, a rider upon a black horse(Rev.6:5,6). This is the end of the first half of the 70th seven, the first three and one half years, the beginning of Sorrows or the beginning of birth pains.

The breaking of the fourth seal marks the starting point of the second half of the 70th seven of Daniel’s 70 seven prophecy(Dan.9:27; Rev.6:7,8). This is also the starting point of the Great Tribulation. At this point, Satan and his hordes of fallen evil angels are cast down to the Earth by archangel Michael, the warrior angel of God and the angels of God under his command.

“Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth, for the devil is come down to them, having Great Wrath, because he knoweth that he has but a short time.”(Rev.12:7-12).

He possesses the first Beast(Rev.13:2) who relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem(Dan.11:45), erects a statue of himself in the rebuilt Jewish Temple, the Third Temple, on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, and demands worship of all mortals(Rev.13:16,17). The beast-marked worshipers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast can buy and sell. Those who are not beast-marked cannot. Besides, there will be enlivened images of the Beast-antiChrist installed at strategic locations to identify those who do not have the mark of the Beast, and to cause them to be killed on refusal to accept the mark of allegiance to the Beast(Rev.13:15).

The first four seals constitute the Wrath Of Satan. The fourth seal is the Great wrath of Satan. Though God is in sovereign control, He is not responsible for the death of His saints nor the evil deeds of the wicked. Because God is in sovereign control, the first four seals are administered by the angels of God, the four beasts or cherubim. The fifth seal is a heavenly scene, the consequence of the killings going on here on Earth under the fourth seal. The fifth seal martyrs are kept under the altar of incense in the heavenly temple awaiting the completion of the martyrdom of their fellow brethren(Rev.6:9-11). When the divinely determined number is complete, God interrupts the great tribulation with cosmic and celestial disturbances . This is the sixth seal(Rev.6:12-14). With the breaking of the sixth seal God announces to the living wicked earth-dwellers, the worsippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, He is about to punish the them for their evils.

The kings of the earth, the nobles, the chief captains, the great and mighty men of the Earth shall hide themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains, saying to the mountains,

“fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne; for His wrath is come and who is able to stand before Him.”(Rev.6:15-17).

Chapter 7: Interlude Between The End Of The Sixth Seal And The Breaking Of The Seventh Seal, And The Innumerable Multitude, And The Sealing Of The 144,000

Rev. 7 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. This interlude protects from the wrath of God(Dr. Alan E. Kurschner). The opening of the seventh seal marks the starting point of the wrath of God upon the living wicked earth-dwellers, the worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. But before God pours out His wrath on the wicked, He seals the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel for protection from the wrath of God. Though they are men, they are described as virgins(Parthenoi). They were not defiled with women(Rev.14:4,5). They are judaists with vows of celibacy. They are not born again christians at all. Contrary to what some teachers would want us to believe, they are not evangelists. They live in hiding in the red rose city of Petra across the Jordan River, in present day Jordan, the Judean wilderness, and some in cellars and underground bunkers in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They dared not step out. They must needs be rescued and protected, and would they rescue others? It is interesting they were not sealed till now, though they made vows of celibacy to the God of Israel. They were part of the remnant of the offspring of the Woman who keep the commandments of God, but not part of the remnant of her seed who have the testimony of Jesus. They believe in the Messiah, they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, else they would be part of the innumerable multitude who are raptured. They are not exempted from the wrath of Satan. They were protected from within its sphere simply by hiding just as did the faithful saints.

Before God pours out His wrath on the living wicked earth-dwellers, he must also rescue the saints. The Rapture occurs during this interlude at the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens. It is the Shekinah in the heavens that dispels the darkness and defrosts the Earth of the frost caused by the cosmic disturbance, the sixth seal.

“Immediately afterward the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven: then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another.”(Matt.24:29-31).

Rev.7:9-17 is a heavenly scene, the arrival of a great multitude which no one could number. They included people from all tribes, kindred, families, nations and people and tongues. They stood before the throne, and before the lamb clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. They were clothed with white robes which signify the righteousness of Christ; and palms in their hands which signify victory. They have come out of great tribulation. They were victorious and triumphant over the forces of the Dragon-Beast. They were singing, salvation to our God who sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb. The angels rejoiced and worshipped God with them; for there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous men who need no repentance(Luk.15:7). These are the raptured saints of the Church Age. These are the resurrected saints who have received their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies, who shall live and reign with Christ for ever and ever.

We see the raptured saints in the heavenly scene in Rev.7 as well as Rev.14:2,3,14-16. In the heavenly scene in Rev.4 & 5, they are conspicuously absent. If the Rapture occurs in Rev.4:1 as pretribs teach, why are the raptured saints absent in the heavenly scene is Rev. 4 & 5? Their absence in the heavenly scene in Rev.4 & 5 argues against the assertion by pretribs that the Rapture occurs in Rev.4:1 when the Apostle John the revelator was invited into the Throne Room in the Temple Of God in Heaven prior to the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel in Rev.6. Pretribulationism says they were all martyrs, but there is no bliblical evidence they were all martyred for their faith in Christ. How could the antiChrist murder an innumerable multitude from all tribes and nations in a period less than three and one-half years. We know that the Great Tribulation was amputated by the terrestrial and celestial disturbances that it could not last the entire three and one-had years of the second half of the 70th week of Daniel in order that some saints may be preserved to be raptured alive, that is, translated without passing through the intermediate process of death.

Chapters 8 & 9: The Seventh Seal Is Broken And The Wrath Of God In The Day Of The Begins, The First Six Trumpets

At the breaking of the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for the space of about 30 minutes. God Almighty is about to pour out His wrath on the living wicked earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Beast-antiChrist. The seventh seal has no judgement of its own but opens into the seven trumpet judgments. In the hands of seven angels standing before God were committed the seven trumpets. Before the seven angels begin to blow the seven trumpets, another angel was given incense to mingle with the prayers of the saints and offer it upon the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense mingled with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God. God is about to answer the prayers of the fifth seal matters whose souls called out to God for vengeance from under the golden altar of incense in the Temple of God in Heaven. They are now raptured into heaven. They are now in glory. They are no longer disembodied spirits referred to merely as souls. They have received their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies. God is about to fulfill His promise. The number of their brethren, the saints to be martyred is complete. The angel of the altar took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and cast into the Earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquake. These disasters were preludial to the blowing of the seven trumpets.

Rev.8 & 9 deal with trumpets 1-6. The first four trumpets are more or less general over the earth. The last three, fifth, sixth and seventh are concentrated around the areas in the control of the Beast. The last three trumpets are called the three woes or rather culminate in the three woes. At the blowing of the fifth trumpet locusts were released from the bottomless pit to torment those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when striketh a man. At this time men will seek death but will not find it. They shall desire to die but death shall flee from them. These locusts from the abyss have a king over them whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew or Apollyon in Greek. Both names mean the same thing, destruction or destroyer. The expiry of the fifth trumpet culminates in the first woe. The sounding of sixth trumpet leads to the release of four evil angels bound in the Great River Euphrates. These evil angels were prepared for a year, a month, day and an hour. Their release resulted in the mobilization of an army of 200 million soldiers. China has boasted it can field such number of soldiers. These soldiers are amoured divisions, mounted on the kind of tanks which have not been seen before in any war. These killing machines spat fire from the front and the rear end. They annihilated a third of the population of the world at that time. However, this mayhem did not produce repentance in the hearts of the survivors of the living wicked earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, because thy are already locked in unrighteousness. They have blasphemed the name of the Lord and sinned beyond repentance. Sin Sears the heart and deadens the soul.

Chapters 10-14: Parenthesis

These chapters do not advance the chronology of the narrative of the Scroll Of Revelation nor the chronology of the eschatological timeline. Previously mentioned events presented in the panorama are now viewed periscopically, giving further elucidations and new details are added.

Chapter 10: The Strong Angel With The Small Scroll

In Rev.10, a strong angel came down from heaven clothed in glory. The identity of this strong angel is debated amongst biblical scholars. But when we consider the fact that this angel has a small scroll in His hand, has control over land and sea, and swore by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heavens, the Earth, the seas and their appurtenances, and that His voice was like thunder, we have no doubt that He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Neither men nor angels are permitted to make any oats at all under God. And God swears by Himself and no other. The little scroll Rev.10 is the big scroll of Rev.5 with the seven seals broken and about a half or thereabouts of the internal content done away with in the first six trumpet Judgments already fulfilled. If only Jesus could handle the big scroll, He only could also handle the little scroll. It is a matter of who foots the bill. It is a matter of who came, who conquered sin and death, held session at the right hand of the Father in the throne Room in Heaven for two millennia, angels and authorities being made subject to Him. It is a matter of who is God and became man. What remaineth of the big scroll is the seventh trumpet, the sounding of which leads to the completion of the spiritual kingdom of God(the mystery of God is finished), and the seven bowls. John the revelator was commanded by another voice to take the little scroll from the strong angel and to eat it, and he did. It was sweet in his mouth but bitter in belly. The word is a two-edged sword. It heals and kills. It blesses and curses. There is duality in the word. The result of his ingestion of the word is that he shall prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.

Chapter 11: The Ministry Of The Two Witnesses

Rev.11 deals mainly with the ministry of the two witnesses which centers around the Temple Mount. Sometime before the start of the 70th seven of Daniel, the Jewish temple on Mount Moriah shall be rebuilt. How do we know? Because once the antiChrist ratifies the peace pact with Israel, worship, animal sacrifice, drink and grain offerings will resume in the temple. This shall be the Third Temple. Every period of the kingdom has a temple. Therefore each kingdom period is synonymous with the temple. There were the First and the Second Temple Periods. The Third Temple Period which began in 1948 when Israel regained its independence has no temple till now. However preparations have been made, and sooner than later the Third Temple shall be erected. Chronologically this chapter takes us back in time to the midpoint of the 70th week, the Gentile takeover of the Third Temple at which point the ministry of the two witnesses begins.

The revelator John is given a reed to measure the temple and the adjoining area on the Temple Mount. He was instructed to leave out the outer court which shall be given to the Gentiles. The Gentiles shall tread it under foot for forty and two months. This is the three and one half years allotted to the Beast-antiChrist to reign. It commences at the midpoint of the 70th week. It is the second half of the 70th week of Daniel which also corresponds with the period of the ministry of the two witnesses. Whilst the antiChrist and his enforcer, the false prophet are engrossed in the annihilation of those who refuse the mark of the beast, mainly Jews and christians, and a few nonconformists and free thinkers, the two witnesses shall deliver a powerful ministry to the world right there, under the noses of the beasts, on the Temple Mount. If anyone attempts to hurt them, fire shall descend from heaven and make a minced meal of their enemies. They have power to shut the heavens that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. They are God’s messengers of terror. They shall minister for forty and two months, clothed in sackcloth. They are the two candlesticks standing before the Lord of the whole Earth(4).

The identities of these two witnesses are debated amongst biblical scholars and saints. No doubt their ministry is similar to those of Moses and Elijah. But whether they are Moses and Elijah come back to life is debatable. At the expiration of their ministry which corresponds with the last day of the 70th seven, the antiChrist overcomes them, and kills them. For propaganda purposes, their bodies are left in the open, exposed to the elements-in the city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord Jesus the Christ was crucified which is Jerusalem- and viewed throughout the world via satellite. After three days and a half, about the afternoon of the fourth day of the 30-day Reclamation Period that follows the expiration of the 70th week of Daniel, the spirit of life from God entered into them: and a voice was heard from Heaven, saying, come up hither. And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them to their utter confusion and consternation. In the same hour, there was a great earthquake in Jerusalem which destroyed one-tenth of the city with seven thousand fatalities. The remnants were frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past and the third woe comes quickly. However their recognition of God at this time did not lead them to repentance. The resurrection of the two witnesses marks the end of the sixth trumpet Judgment or the second woe.

Chapter 11 concludes with the sounding of the seventh trumpet on Mount Zion, at which point God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth through His earthly representative, Jesus The Christ. This shall be about the 5th day of the 30-day Reclamation Period. Shortly before this time, on the 3rd of the 30-day Reclamation Period, the mystery of God is finished, as God Almighty completes the spiritual kingdom of God by bringing into saving relationship with the Son the remnants of the offspring of the Woman who keep the commandments of God. With an entourage of angels, Christ descends on Mount Paran- The Holy one came from Mount Paran(Hab.3:3-16)- to the general area of the Rose Red City Of Petra(biblical Sela, Is.16:1), in modern Jordan, where the 144,000 were hiding, across the River Jordan to the Judean Wilderness, rescuing the remnants hidden there and bringing them into saving relationship with Himself; and upwards and northeast to Mount Zion, rescuing and also saving those who were hidden in the Judaean wilderness and Jerusalem and its environs- for the rest of the city shall not be cut off- where He reclaims God’s rule over the Earth, having completed the spiritual kingdom of God. They shall be joined by remnants of Jews from Assyria and Egypt who are reconciled to God when they see that their Messiah has nail-pierced hands(Zech.12:10-14).

The 144,000 are taken into protective custody in Azel with the rest of the remnant of Israel who are reconciled to God after passing through the first six trumpet judgments(Zech.14:6). In biblical geography, there is no known location for Azel. God did it that way for security purposes. Thereafter Christ returns to heaven to hold court at the Bema Seat judgment, and to hold the marriage of the Lamb, while on Earth, the wrath of God is meted out on the remnants of the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast within the remaining 24 days leading to Armageddon where Christ shall annihilate the armies of the nations and reclaim physical possession of the Earth.

Chapter 12: The Mystical Woman And The Dragon

Rev. 12 does not advance the chronology of end times, but rather gives us a flashback in time to the beginning of the cosmic conflict in eternity past, when Satan rebelled against God in Heaven and succeeded in convincing one-third of the angels of God to join him in the rebellion: The Great Red Dagon drew one-third of the stars of heaven with his tail(12:3). There is another flashback also to 6-4 BC, when the nation of Israel struggled under Roman domination to give the Messiah to Israel itself and the World. The great red Dragon, Satan was there present and ready, in the person of Herod the great, the puppet king of Israel under The Roman Empire, to devour the Son of God as soon as He was born(Matt.2). He is a spirit being without a physical body. But he is the god of this Age(Jon.14:30). Therefore he rules the world by proxy. When Herod learned of the birth of the King of the Jews from the Magi, and his place and time of birth from the scholars of Israel, he sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to nip the king of the Jews in the bud. But Jesus was saved by escape to Egypt; for out of Egypt have I called my son(Hos.11:1). He subsequently completed His ministry. He was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day He rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. Today He is seated at the right hand of the Father, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him(Heb.12:2).

There is also a flashback to and a periscope on the middle of the 70th seven when there was war in the heavenlies and Satan and his evil angels were cast down to the Earth by the Archangel Michael and the angels of God under his command. The execution of the sentence against Satan is in stages. First, shortly after the rebellion when he and his co-conspirators were tried and found guilty, they were cast out of the Heaven of heavens, or the third Heaven which is the abode of The Almighty God. But he still has access to the Heaven of heavens to bring accusations against the saints of the Most High. When cast down to the Earth in the middle of the week, he shall be barred access to the Heaven of heavens for time and eternity. When cast down to the Earth, preludial to his subsequent eviction from the Earth’s premises and imprisonment in the abyss for 1,000 years in the New Millennium(Rev.20), he shall be very wrath, and shall belch out a flood to carry away the Woman. When his plot failed, he went to make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. These are the observant Jews who put their faith in the God of Israel, and the christians who put their faith in Jesus as their Saviour and personal Lord. This is the Great Tribulation(Matt.24:21) and the beginning of Jacob’s trouble(Jer.30:7)

Chapter 13: The antiChrist And The False Prophet

Rev.13 is also parenthetical, a persicope on the carriers of the first and second beasts, the antiChrist and the false prophet. The antiChrist is the first beast which rose out of the sea of humanity, the sea-beast. He has seven heads. The seven heads are the seven beast empires of history which persecuted Israel. They are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and Nazi Germany. The beast has ten horns with ten crowns. The horns represent powers, authorities or kings. That they have crowns indicates they are sitting kings, contemporaneous with the Beast. The ten horns constitute the 8th and final Beast Empire of Satan. The constituent nations of the ten nation coalition or confederation are Greece(Javan or more appropriately Greek Syria), Babylon(Arphahxad which is modern day Iraq), Persia or Tiras which is modern day Iran( 13:2). The rest are mentioned in Ezek.38:1-6. They are Magog(Germany), Meshech and Tuval( Russia ), Cush(Sudan), Phut or Put(Libya), Gomer and Togarmah(Turkey, Azerbaijan).

Precisely in the midst of the seven, the Dragon possesses the Beast following his downing to the Earth by archangel Michael(Rev.12:7-9). The Beast relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem(Dan.11:45). He erects a statue of himself in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and demands worship of all mortals(Da.9:27; Matt.24:15; 2 Thess.2:4). His programme to get all men on Earth to worship him and the Dragon is enforced by the second beast, the false prophet. Those who are beast-marked shall be able to buy and sell. Those who do not have the mark of the beast shall not be able to buy and sell. It is likely there will be an economic boom prior to this time, and the antiChrist being the smart Alec that he is may well stockpile food, medicine and other supplies. Those who are not beast-marked shall be hounded and ferreted out to take the mark or be killed on refusal. Enlivened images of the beast shall be located at strategic places to identify those who are not beast-marked and to cause them to be killed on failure to recant. The mark of the beast is 666, an 18-digit computer bar code with other biometrics specific to the individual implanted on the right hand or forehead, with which one can purchase anything online and recieve delivery via drones and robots. Besides, those who receive this mark shall have fiat money lodged into their accounts by the government of the antiChrist. By this time, the world would have attained cashlessness. The faith and comfort of the saints are that if any believer is destined to be killed with the sword, the one shall be killed with the sword, and if any believer is destined to go into captivity, into captivity the one goes(13:10).

Chapter 14: Recapitulation Of The Final Harvest And The Three Angelic Announcements Made At The Midpoint Of The 70th Week.

In Rev.14, the Lamb is standing on the earthly mount Zion with the 144,000, with His Father’s name written on their foreheads. We now know what the seal is. It is the name of the Father. As we pointed earlier in Rev.7 these survivors of the great tribulation were rescued from the rose red city of Petra in the Edomite wilderness(OT: Sela; NT: Pella) and the Judean wilderness and from the vicinity of Jerusalem itself, and brought to mount Zion, where the Lamb who came from the heavenly mount Zion(Rom.11:26) to the earthly mount Zion(Is.59:20) reclaimed the rule of God Almighty over the Earth at the blowing of the seventh trumpet. But shortly before the seventh trumpet is blown these survivors were brought into a saving relationship with Jesus, thus completing the spiritual kingdom of God, thus finishing the mystery of God. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”(Rev.10:7). This is a very momentous event. The orchestra in heaven, consisting of the redeemed of humanity, sitting on the sea of glass before the Throne Of God in Heaven, sing a song with a loud voice. This is the song of the redeemed. The 144, 000 on Earth could learn and sing this song simply because they were redeemed also. This scene is dualistic: Heaven and Earth in Holy Communion and embrace. There were others there of the household of Israel who do not have the mark of the Beast, who saw the Messiah and came out of hiding, but they were not yet brought into saving relationship with Jesus. Therefore they could not learn and sing this song of the redeemed. These men, the 144,000 were described as Parthenoi, that is virgins. A very strange term indeed to describe men. They vowed a vow of celibacy unto the God of Israel. They never knew any women. They fellowed the Lamb wherever He went. They were the firstfruits of them that were to be redeemed from the Earth after the Rapture of the Church. In their mouths were found no guile: they were without fault before the throne of God.

These two glorious events, the completion of the spiritual kingdom of God- the completion of the mystery of God- and the reclaiming of the rule of God Almighty over the Earth were followed by the three angelic announcements. It is debatable whether these three angelic announcements were an advancement in the chronology of the narrative or a recap and a periscope. Some biblical scholars believe and teach that these three angelic announcements were made precisely at the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel. I share that opinion for the fact that Rev. 11-13 did not advance the chronology of the narrative of the book of Revelation, but were a recap and periscope of some events in the 70th Week. Besides, the nature of angelic warnings demand that they be given at the beginning of the great tribulation rather than a few days to Armageddon. The warnings are fear God, Babylon is fallen, and do not worship the beast or his image nor take his mark. But on the other hand, there was no invitation to believe in Jesus which argues against these warnings being given before the Rapture of the church but rather favours the argument that these warning were given to those who have not yet received the mark of the beast before the final wrath of God is poured out upon the living wicked earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. It appears logical and tenable, but nonetheless doubtful.

Rev.14:14-20 deals with the two angelic reapers sitting on the clouds of glory. The identities of the angelic reapers are also debated amongst biblical scholars. However the Scriptures make it clear the reapers are the angels(Matt.13:39). We must also bear in mind that sometimes the three persons of the Godhead appear as angels. The duty of the reapers is to gather the harvest and cast it into the winepress of the wrath of God. The treading of the winepress of the wrath of God is done by the Lord Himself as also the scripture affirms(Is.63:1-7). The harvest is in two stages, the Rapture of the saints(14-16) , and the final treading of the unrighteous wicked at Armageddon(17-20). This also is consistent with the chronology of the eschatological timeline, the rapture followed by the day of the Lord Judgment of the unrighteous wicked. It is the day of vengeance of our God. The lifeblood of His victims shall reach up to the horse bridle and cover a distance of 180 miles or 288km. The fighting shall start in the vicinity of Jerusalem and move over to mount Megiddo in the Jezrael valley in northern Israel, a natural battlefield said Napoleon.

Chapter 15: Prelude To The Outpouring Of The Bowls

Rev.15 is prelude to the seven bowls. Here the chronology of the narrative that was paused at the end of chapter 9 which corresponds more or less with end of the 70th week of Daniel picks up from where it stopped to give details of previously mentioned events, and to introduce and elaborate on new ones like the ministries of the two witnesses. The seven bowls contain the final wrath of God. There appeared seven marvelous angels having the seven last plagues filled with the wrath of God. Before the final wrath of God is meted out on the beast-marked worshipper and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, the universal orchestra in Heaven, consisting of a select group of overcomers who had gotten the victory over the beast and his image, over his mark and the number of name performs standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire, with harps in hand. They sing the song of Moses the servant of God, the song of the redeemed, the song of overcomers, the song of the Lamb. Here are the lyrics of the song: great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints. Who shall not fear the, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

After this, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened, and there emerged the last seven avenging angels, having the seven last plagues. They were clothed in pure and white linen signifying the righteousness of God. Their breasts were girded with golden girdles, signifying that God is a righteous king. Therefore His judgments are right, just and upright. One of the four living creatures gave unto the seven last avenging angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God. Subsequently the temple of God was filled with smoke from the glory of God and His power; and no man could enter until the last seven plagues of the last seven avenging angels were fulfilled.

Chapters 16-20: The Outpouring Of The Final Seven Bowl Judgments

Chapters 16: The Final Seven Bowl Judgments

In Rev.16, a great voice was heard out of the temple in heaven saying to the last seven avenging angels, go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the Earth. The Greek word phiale which is translated vial in the KJV is a shallow bowl or saucer the content of which can be easily emptied, unlike the vial used in modern medicine which is a narrow throated vessel, the content of which is not easily emptied. These bowls are quickly emptied, each with a quick swish within a space of 24 days.

The first bowl resulted in grievous sores on the beast-marked worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast. The second bowl turned the seas into the blood of a dead man, thereby killing everything that has life in the seas. The third bowl turned the fresh water sources into blood. At this juncture, the angel of the waters praised God saying, thou art righteous O Lord, who art, and was, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus. They have shed the blood of the saints; therefore God is just in giving them blood to drink, for they are worthy. Another angel chorused from the altar, even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. The fourth bowl caused men on Earth to be scorched with fire from the sun. Yet they did not repent but rather blasphemed the name of the Lord who has power over all these plagues. The fifth bowl caused the Earth to be darkened and cold resulting in painful sores on the men who worshipped the beast. Yet they did not repent. The sixth bowl caused the waters of the River Euphrates to dry up, making way for the armies of the kings of the East to gather at Armageddon. The gathering of these armies was effected by the power and working of three unclean spirits like frogs from the mouths of the satanic Trinity, the Dragon, the Beast, and the false prophet. There is a very pertinent point to note here; until the sixth bowl is poured on the Earth by the sixth avenging angel of God, the three evil spirits from the mouths of the Dragon, first and second beasts cannot effect the gathering of the armies of the nations to Armageddon, indicating once again that Abba is in sovereign control. The warning in verse 15 was given earlier so that no one takes the mark of the beast, and thereby walk naked, and they see the one’s shame.

The seventh bowl which is the last of the last seven plagues is the one that lasts longest and the most severe. When it was poured out, a voice was heard from the temple in heaven, from the throne room, saying, it is done. Then began a series of judgments that culminated in Armageddon. There were voices, thunders, and lightnings; and the greatest earthquake ever in history. The great city, Jerusalem was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And in this midst of all these, great hailstones, about 33.33km(100 lb) in weight were skyrocketing from the heavens, crushing anything that has life they hit. Despite all these punishments, men blasphemed God. Naturally, because of the severity of the plagues, for the plagues were exceedingly great, one would think that the beast-marked worshippers would repent. They did not, but rather blasphemed God. Does anyone have doubts that sin hardens the heart and deadens the soul?

Chapters 17-20: Periscope On The Final Seventh Bowl Judgment.

Chapters 17-20 are parenthetical in that that they present a periscope, an expatiation and elaboration on the Final Seventh Bowl Judgment.

Chapter 17: The Seventh Bowl Judgment, Description Of The Judgment Of The Harlot City

In Rev.17, John the revelator was shown the judgment of the great whore who sits on many waters(peoples) by one of the seven last avenging angels. The kings of the Earth cooperated with this woman inasmuch this ingratiated them to the Beast-antiChrist. These kings of the Earth compelled their citizens to practise this false religion. The whore is seated on a scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns. Scarlet is the colour of royalty and nobility. The woman is the false religion established to worship the Deagon-Beast, enforced by the false prophet. The scarlet coloured beast is the antiChrist and the beast nations. It has seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are the seven previous beast empires of Satan, and the ten horns are the kings and nations of the ten nation confederation. The seven heads are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medopersia, Greece, Rome, and Nazi Germany. The ten horns are Magog(Germany), Meshech and Tuval(Russia), Babylon(Iraq), Persia(Iran), Greece(Javan), Cush(Sudan), Phut(Put, Libya), Gomer and Togarmah(Turkey, Ukraine). In verse 4, the woman was decked with gold, precious stones and pearls, and a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of het fornication. This woman practised witchcraft which compelled her followers to worship the Dragon-Beast. This practice gave her a position of favour in the antiChrist’s setup which enabled her to garner much wealth. On her forehead was written: mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the Earth. This appellation was given her by God to identify her to His followers. It could not have been given her by the Beast because it is a derogatory designation. She was drunk with the blood of the saints. This is a metaphor. She delighted in killing those who worshipped the true God.

John marveled. The angel said, wait a minute, I will explain everything to you. The Beast is one of the kings who ruled over one of the seven previous beast empires. He died, but he shall come back to life. He was and is not, yet shall be. He shall ascend from the abyss. He shall go into destruction again. Because he is a dead man come back to life, those beast-marked worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast whose names were not written in the scroll of life from the foundation of world shall wonder about him. The seven heads of the beast are seven mountains. Mountains signify kingdoms. And there are seven kings. Kings are synonymous with their kingdoms. These seven kings are the responsible kings of the seven beast empires of Satan which persecuted Israel in exile. At the time of receipt of the revelation five were history. One was, that was Rome. The other was not yet come. But when it cometh, it shall continue but a short time. That was Nazi Germany which had a short history indeed, a mere 12 years(1933-1945). The beast that was and is not, is the 8th and one of the seven. Therefore the antiChrist shall be a man who ruled one of the seven previous beast empires, died, was killed with a military weapon in battle, and shall be raised from the dead to rule over the 8th and final beast empire. Indeed, the antiChrist shall be the one who ruled over the 7th beast empire, and shall rise again to rule over the 8th and last beast empire of Satan. The ten horns are ten kings contemporaneous with the Beast. They shall give their allegiance to the Beast. They shall make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome them because He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. Besides, they that are with Him are called, chosen and faithful. The waters on which the whore sitteth are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues who were compelled by her witchcraft and sorceries to worship the Dragon-Beast. Unfortunately for the whore, it is the ten kings who shall destroy her; for God had put in their heart to do so. They shall make her naked, desolate, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire. To eat her flesh is metaphorical. It means to destroy her and to loot her treasures. Even though they do not think so, God has put it in their hearts to fulfill His will, to agree, and to give their kingdoms unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled. The woman which thou sawest is that city that reigneth over the kings of the Earth. It is false religion headquartered in a city, Babylon that rules over the kings of the Earth.

Chapter 18: The Execution Of The Judgment Of The Harlot City

Rev.18 is a continuation of the truncated seventh bowl judgment. It is also a continuation of Rev.17. But unlike Rev.17 which deals with the religious aspect of the city, the emphasis here is on the commercial aspect of the city as relates to its fall. A very powerful angel came down from heaven. The Earth was lightened with his glory. He cried with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. Repetition is a literary device meant to emphasize and to establish inevitability. The evil angels which were cast down from heaven with their master Satan at the middle of the 70th seven found lounging in Babylon. Therefore it became the habitation of demons, the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. This resulted in escalation in her sorceries, immoralities, commercialism. The nations were drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the Earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the Earth became rich trading in her wares. The people of God were warned to come out of her, lest they be partakers of her sins and share in plagues. Her sins have reached up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. It is debatable when this warning was given. Is it at this point in the chronology or earlier? This warning has been given 2,000 years ago. Therefore the people of God will do well to take heed. Babylon will be rewarded double for her sins. How much she has glorified herself, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore her plagues shall come in one day, death, mourning and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord that judgeth her.

At this point in the chronology of the Scroll of Revelation, the church is in heaven. The 70th week has ended. The Jewish remnant who did not take the mark of allegiance to the Beast, who have gone through the first six trumpet judgments unprotected and survived are now in protective custody in Azel along side the 144,000. The ones that can be referred to as the people of God at this time in the chronology of the end times are the Gentile remnants who had not taken the mark of allegiance to the Beast and had survived both the trumpet and bowl judgments up to this time, and had come to the realization that Jesus is both the Lord and Saviour of all mankind. The fact that they are found in the midst of the adherents of this false humanistic religion headquartered in Babylon indicates they are Gentiles. This events occurs after the rapture of the church, after the close of the 70th week. So the ones referred here as my people are not part of the church.

The kings of the Earth shall bewail and lament for her when they see the smoke of burning. These kings are different from the ones who destroyed her. Those were the kings of the ten nation confederation, the 8th and final beast empire. The merchants of Earth mourned for her because no one buys their goods anymore. Rev.18:12-22 gives an exhaustive list of their merchandise which includes the soul and bodies of men. Make no mistake about it, satanism , witchcraft and sorceries involve ritualistic canibalism. There are human abattoirs in full operations even now.

The heavens, the holy Apostles and prophets were called to rejoice over her, for God has avenged you on her. In a final prophetic act, signaling and signifying the summary destruction of Babylon, an angel took a great millstone, and cast into the sea, saying, thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. No form of human activities whatsoever shall go on in the city anyone; for by her sorceries were all men deceived, and in her was found the blood of the prophets and saints and all that were slain upon the earth. This final prophetic act proves that the great harlot city cannot be Jerusalem: for God will not make a final end of Israel and her Holy city, Jerusalem.

Chapter 19: Armageddon

In Rev.19, the heavenly orchestra is performing, praising God and rejoicing for His righteous judgment of the great whore. Hallelujah; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife had made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Blessed are they who are called to the marriage super of the Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb and the Bema seat judgment will take place in heaven while God Almighty pours out His wrath on the living wicked earth-dwellers. The marriage supper of the Lamb is an earthly event. It will be held in Jerusalem in the early part of the New Millennium. John’s attempt to worship the angel that spoke to him, indicates the splendid glory of this angel. But the angel refused to be worshipped, indicating he was a fellowservant and a brother that has the testimony of Jesus, which means that departed saints play angelic roles in heaven. This is in agreement with Christ’s teaching that in the resurrection, the saints neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels(Matt.22:30; Mk.12:25; Luk.20:35,36).

Thereafter Christ descends from Heaven to the Earth riding upon a white horse, accompanied by the hosts of Heaven also riding upon white horses and clothed in fine linen, white and clean, which signifies righteousness. He is called faithful and true, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were like flame of Fire, and on His head were many crowns. He is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood. He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is also called the word of God. He has a sharp two-edged sword protruding from His mouth. With it, He will smites the nations, and rules them with the rod of iron. The angelic reapers gathered the harvest, but He threaded the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God. On His vesture was a name written: King of kings, and Lord of lords.

An angel stands in the sun and called out to the fowls of the heaven. God is about to organize a feast and a banquet for them called the supper of the great God. On that occasion, they shall eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men both free and bond, small and great. The kings of the Earth and their armies also shall gather at Har Megiddo to do battle with the Lamb and His army. There shall be no battle at all. The beast and the false prophet shall be taken captive and cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. The remnant of the armies of the nations shall be slain with the sword that protrudes from the mouth of the Lord, and their corpses fed to the fowls of the heavens. This shall be the supper of the great

God.

Chapter 20: The Incarceration Of Satan In The Bottomless Pit And The White Throne Judgment.

In Rev.20, at the end of the war of Armageddon, an angel came down from heaven with the key to the abyss. He seized Satan and imprisoned him in the bottomless pit for a 1000 years. On this day also those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus were raised from the dead to reign with Christ for a thousand years. This people were not raised from the dead when the rapture took place. God has to organize a special resurrection for them as it were. This view is not shared by all scholars. Alan E. Kurschner believes they were raised from the dead with other dead saints at the rapture. This verse spoke of the commencement of their 1000 year reign with Christ. There is really neither need nor benefit to delay their resurrection from the dead till this time. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead were not raised until the end of the millennium. At the expiry of the millennium, Satan shall be paroled, but he shall default as always to lead another rebellion against God by gathering the Magogites against the camp of the saints in the New And Heavenly Jerusalem. God is fed up with man’s intransigence. They were consumed in the heavenly conflagration. The devil that deceived the Magogites was cast into The Lake Of Fire where the Beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. So, in chronological order, the Scroll Of Revelation ends with the White Throne Judgment.

Those who lived and died in the millennium, and the rest of the dead who did not take part in the first resurrection shall be raised from the dead, and the living at the end of the millennium shall be translated to appear before the White Throne judgment. At the White Throne Judgment, there are no attorneys, no defendant counsels. At the White Throne judgment, there are two scrolls opened, the scroll of life and the scroll of works. Every man shall be judged according to his works. Anyone whose name was not found written in the scroll of life shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. This is the second death, that is, eternal separation from God. Death and Hell itself shall be cast into the lake of fire.

Chapters 21 & 22: The Millennium; The New Heaven And The New Earth

In Rev.21, John saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. The prophet Isaiah prophesied: behold I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come to mind. He followed it with a description of life in the new and renovated earthly Jerusalem in the millennium. Here men are still in their mortal bodies. The sinner being 100 years old is cursed. Anyone who died at 100 years of age and under is considered an infant and a sinner( Is.65:17-25 ). But John the revelator described a new heaven and a new earth in which there is no death, men and women are in their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies. Therefore what John described is life in the new and heavenly Jerusalem in the millennium. This new Jerusalem came down from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband. This is the fulfillment of God’s promise to tabernacle amongst His people. In the Jerusalem which descends from heaven, man, God, and His angels are in uninterrupted fellowship. Heaven and Earth are in holy embrace. In the heavenly Jerusalem, there shall be no more tears, aches, pains and sorrows; for the former things are passed away. The sinners, the fearful and the unbelieving, the abominable and murderers, the liars, the fornicator have no part in this city. They have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.

This beautiful city was shown to John by one of the last seven avenging angels. This city which descended from the heaven has a hollow at its base where it merges with the millennial temple, the fourth temple described in Ezekiel 40-43. The millennial temple is built on the elevated Mount Zion in the new and renovated earthly millennial Jerusalem. This city has the glory of God. It is decorated with precious stones, clear as crystal. The city has twelve gates. The twelve gates have twelve angels, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written thereon. It has three gates on each of the four cardinal points, east , west, north and south. The city has twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The city has the shape and form of a cube. The length, the breadth and the height of it are equal, about 180 miles or 388 km. The thickness of the wall is 144 cubits, about 66 meters. The wall was of jasper, the city is made of pure gold like clear glass. The twelve foundations of the city were garnished with twelve manner of previous stones. The twelve gates were decorated with twelve different pearls. The city had no temple of its own. The Lord is the temple therein. The only temple in the millennium is the fourth temple on the elevated Mount Zion which projects into the new And Heavenly Jerusalem through the hollow at its base. The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it: for the glory of the Lord do lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The inhabitants of the city are the redeemed of the Lord, the overcomers in their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies, who reign with Christ as kings over the nations in the millennium. They shall walk in the light of it; and shall bring the glory of the nations into it. The gates shall not be shut at all by day: for their shall be no night there. The sinners shall in no way enter into it. The righteousness in their mortal bodies in the Millennium cannot enter into it; for their mortal bodies cannot tolerate the glories of it. The focal point of fellowship between the millennial saints, the dwellers of the heavenly Jerusalem, and God and His angels shall be the millennial temple on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem.

In Rev.22, the revelator John continues his description of the heavenly Jerusalem. The emphases here are on the water source of the city, the tree and the fruits thereof. In Ezekiel 47:1-12, the water source of the new renovated earthly Jerusalem, and of the whole earth is described. The water source of both cities is one and the same. The water source is the Throne Room of the fourth and millennial temple on the elevated and renovated Mount Zion in the refurbished earthly Jerusalem. The water from the throne room flows in two directions, downwards towards the earthly Jerusalem and upwards towards the heavenly Jerusalem. In the heavenly Jerusalem, on its Broadway, this pure river as clear as crystal flows. On either side of the banks of the river, and in the midst of it, there are trees of the same type. This tree yields twelve manner of fruits on a monthly basis. These fruits are for the nourishment and maintenance of the health of the dwellers of the city. There is no curse in this city, no pollution, no sickness, no disease no death. The inhabitants are in their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies. They cannot be sick. Therefore they do not need physical healing unlike their counterparts in the new renovated earthly Jerusalem who need healing from minor bruises and sores. The throne of God and of the Lamb is in this city. His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. The Son of God is the light of the city. They do not need the sun or candle as the source of light. The dwellers of this city shall reign with Christ for and ever. Truly every man in this city is a light unto himself by virtue of eternal life unstoppered by the death-doomed mortal body.

Jesus is coming again. It is an inviolate biblical truth. He is coming to reward His servants who kept the sayings of the prophecy of this book. John was so overcome with awe he fell down to worship the angel that revealed these things to him. But the angel forbade him, saying, I am thy fellowservant, of the prophets and one of thy brethren that keep the sayings of this roll: worship God. It is obvious from here that departed saints play angelic roles in heaven. The wicked shall continue in their wickedness and the righteousness in their righteousness because the time is short.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and the first and the last. He is the root and the offspring of Jesse, the bright and the mourning star. They that keep His commandments shall enter through the gates into the Holy City. None is permitted to add or subtract from the words of the roll of this prophecy. Those who add, God shall add to them the plagues written in this roll. Those who take away from the words of this prophecy, God shall take away their names from the scroll of life and from the Holy City, and from those things which are written in this scroll. The Spirit and the bride say come. Let him that heareth say come. Behold, I come quickly. Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus. These things are sealed with the faithfulness of God. The grace of our Lord be with you all. Amen.

Avraham Shallom.

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.

Reaction To The Debate Between Dr. Tommy Ice And Alan Kurschner Titled: The Church Will Face The AntiChrist Before The Rapture(2)

In my earlier response to the debate as to whether the Church will face the Antichrist(AC), I reacted to only two positions of the Pretribs(PT) as championed by Dr. Tomas Ice. Link: https://mtzionheritage.com/reaction-to-the-debate-between-dr-tommy-Ice-and-alan-kurschner-titled-the-church-will-face-the-antichrist-before-the-rapture/.

Our brother Dr. Avraham Shallom has on many occasions discussed many PT assertions on this blogsite. I will give a number of interpretations of scriptures that emanate from Dr. Tommy Ice’s nonscriptural interpretations but classical dispensational construct as seen in the debate.

(1) Keeping Us From The Hour Of Testing(Rev.3:10)

Dr. Tommy Ice and other PTs have taken non-eschatological scriptures and used them to position the rapture before the AC appears on the world stage. An example is the letter to the Philadelphian Church in Rev.3:10 which says believers shall be kept from the hour of testing that will come upon all earth-dwellers. But Jesus our Lord specifically said in John 17:15 that He is not going to take belivers out of the world in order for them to escape Satan’s persecution, but that He will keep us from the evil one while we remain in the world. This promise is reiterated in Rev.3:10. Their insistence on their position that “keep from” infers rapture leads to a contradiction of scriptures.

Also in saying that the Olivet Discourse is for the left behind Jews, they negate Jesus’ saying to Peter(cephas), “….upon this revelation to Peter- the Rock, will I build My Church.” The Olivet Discourse is revelation for the Church as much as observing the Last Supper is for the Church. No dichotomy in audience as introduced by Pretribbers’ dispensational interpretation.

(2) A 3-Stage Return Of Jesus

Again, the return of Christ as narrated by the scriptures is one continuous event. But the Pretribs say there are two stages. If we follow their line of argument, there will be indeed three stages.

The first is their unreported rapture of the saints somewhere before Matt.24:31. Then, in Matt.24:31, He is coming for the Jews and gathering them from the four winds in the sky. This is their second coming.

Then touch down as narrated in Matt.25:31. So, we have a 3-stage return of Christ, a consequence of the Pretrib position for rejecting Matt.24:31 as the rapture of the Church.

(3) The Elect

Another interesting misinterpretation of the scripture concerns the word elect used by our Lord in Matt.24:22. Here our Lord promised the abortion of the Great Tribulation for the sake and survival of the elect facing persecution by the AC. This scripture from the Master Himself answers the debate question- will the Church face the Antichrist before the rapture? Need we say anymore? Dr. Tommy Ice says by “elect” Jesus was referring to the Jews and not the Church. To defend this interesting view, he deploys Rom.11:7. Unfortunately for his position this verse confirms that the “elect” are those saved by grace, the very Church itself.

True, the word elect was used for Israel in Isa.45:4, but on Israel’s national rejection of Jesus, the word is now used to describe those who accept Jesus as there Lord and Saviour, both Jews and gentiles. The word now stands for those chosen by grace-that is the Church.

(4) Apostasy

Dr. Tommy Ice wants us to change the meaning of the word apostasy as used in 2 Thess.2 so as to fit into the PT positioning of the rapture. It now means departure into heaven-a spatial departure, not a departure from the faith, the great falling away. With this new interpretation the whole of 2 Thess.2:3-10 reads something like this “…… our gathering together(rapture) will not happen until two events take place; “The spatial departure(rapture), and the appearing of the son of perdition in the temple….” Thus saying “The rapture will not take place until the rapture takes place…” What incoherence! All to prop up a lie and deception.

(5) Tribulation saints (TS)

This is a phrase coined and introduced by Pretribs to address Rev.7:11, a description not used by the Apostles including John the revelator. The consequence of using this new appellation is that there are now two sets of saints.

(1) The raptured saints(1st class);

(2) The Tribulation saints(2nd class), who did not make the PT perceived rapture being unworthy believers, and had to overcome the Great Tribulation.

Unfortunately, the answer to the question the angel posed to John Rev.7: is NOT “these are Tribulation Saints,” but “… these are the ONES who came out of the Great Tribulation.

A word of advice for the Pretribs. Please read Rev.22. It says we are not to add to or deduct words from what was revealed to John. The phrase Tribulation saints does not appear in the Book of Revelation nor anywhere else in the Bible for that matter. Stop using it.

(6) Sea Of Glass As Raptured Saints

These absurdities continue. A new one, not from Dr. Tommy Ice, in response to why the raptured Church is not seen in the heavenly Throne Room in the heavenly scene in Rev.4,5 when Apostle John the revelator was called up to heaven where he saw the 24 elders(some say they represent the Church), and the 4 winged creatures, if the rapture took place in Rev.4:1. Some pretribs say the sea of glass before the throne in heaven is the raptured Church. From these assumptions, we see the inconsistency of the proponents of the Pretrib rapture position having to borrow scriptures and twists their meaning to suit their Pretrib rapture position. Note, we all agree there is going to be rapture, but the question is WHEN? Before or after the Great Tribulation, meaning also, before or after the appearance of the Antichrist on the world stage.

This is unlike the Prewrath rapture position espoused by Alan E. Kurschner which rests on the sayings of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in Matt.24:29, and 2 Thess.2:1-3 respectively. In support of these two scriptures, we are able to draw from the following scriptures in the Book of Revelation that says the Antichrist and his false prophet tortured and martyred the saints who were alive during the Great Tribulation(Rev.6:9, 7:14, 13:7, 15:2, 17:6). They were never described as “Tribulation saints”to distinguish them from the “Raptured Saints” of the Pretribs.

Prewrathers never go out of the scriptures to say the Church will still be very much around to face the Antichrist and endure to the end, be it death or rapture, the final onslaught of Satan against the Church of God. This is unlike Pretribs who have to allegorize scripture verses and use both dispensational theology and convoluted reasoning to support their submission that the Church would have been raptured before the Antichrist’s Great Tribulation.

Consequences

We see that believers are largely entrenched in their Pretrib position. This is foretold by our Lord Jesus the Christ that at the end of times, a spirit of deception will be in the air. Four times in the Olivet Discourse, He warned, “…. do not be deceived….” so also did the Holy Spirit warn us in 2 Thessalonians that we should not be deceived. The apostasia confirms that some believers will depart from the faith in Christ Jesus. This means that there is hardly room for sitting on the fence for the last generation of the saints.

How do confused believers or all believers deal with this? Interestingly, the Lord Jesus our God anticipated this scenario and gave us the parable of the ten virgins- Matt.25, placed right between Matt.24:31 and 25:31. Which of the two positions represent wise virgins? This I leave to each one of us to meditate through and determine how they prepare with the help of the Holy Spirit for our Lord’s return.

Olugbenga Jaiyesimi.

Reaction To The Debate Between Dr. Tommy Ice And Alan Kurschner Titled: The Church Will Face The AntiChrist Before The Rapture

For decades, I have asked fellow believers who hold the Pretribulational Rapture view to direct me to unequivocal Scripture verses that buttress their Pretrib belief. They all fail to give give any direct and pointed verses. They defend their view quoting unconnected Scriptures like imputing that the twenty and four elders before the Throne Of God in Rev.4:4 are the raptured Church. They also claim that the invitation to Apostle John, the revelator, to come up hither is the Rapture Of The Church. Yet again they say that the fact that the word “Church” does not appear again after Rev.3 until Rev.22 indicates that the church had been raptured; not withstanding the numerous use of words and phrases such as saints, witnesses to Jesus, martyrs for Jesus, fellow brothers of John after the third chapter. There are other verses they reference to input rapture before the AntiChrist’s physical bebut and unveiling at the rebuilt Third Jewish Temple on Moriah in Jerusalem. So I was pleased when I got the link to the debate on the eschatological timeline between Dr.Tommy Ice and Alan E. kurschner.

Link: click here to watch:

http://link.center.io/wf/click?upn=Gn2wObTEPZToo8U0MjYBWbX0NLFy7UAC1rNZGf0FU1GztYjGpN1F3RUvenvV7WqeDY7-2FmvNAnS7cTxHkgvkcdaepMl681SzyKXZ9X44u8kY-3D_87QjDsvgfD68-2FLwG96R5lTmrmnPBomJlbRck1K-2BOdsDa2ymXGT0PnQaDnoen3BaO610HwRUWRVU5-2B6IO3DR-2BcrjhS0ZXe1X0ufxBOe-2FVO8KtdiM4H5lP1wI3DIyKEsqyX2r-2BomQSx34hup-2BuQ3D-2BBF9u12TlbzuPc-2F3nfLilPj4WeKW4sd3zUXqvPUq5TbpP1ZxeuZXh-2B7paQzucej94OMBu6m70Rfz-2BUkbhgFknZt4NYhezC8jnB4HzTIFJkKzfCjgkjylNI4KXLoGUFksM6ci6HniWxsgpdvnspKEYhtf6ZHe4Wv4ZeXppvrpbRzIO

Click here to listen: http://link.center.io/wf/click?upn=xKsd1EbAQRQf6eXyF5mLYOgt3Zr1yu4wARb-2FzHcz58VPPHngD86dpHdaeUxFf6y93o0sL6CixnhLabQdoqRThLxLpP-2FNeFEBwBog5pDKnohbiXkrmdli6zYzj9CtI3gbPWRVi-2FPwHTo-2BJuKdYjqF6P37Ix-2F80GH7dqPAoPmBuPJ-2FqB2Dj3TtgNztTOQMIlih_87QjDsvgfD68-2FLwG96R5lTmrmnPBomJlbRck1K-2BOdsDa2ymXGT0PnQaDnoen3BaO610HwRUWRVU5-2B6IO3DR-2BcrjhS0ZXe1X0ufxBOe-2FVO8KtdiM4H5lP1wI3DIyKEsqym8CHdQT8h-2BcyAF9juuQf2sGpHH7rxWKkIx3wyGJund8a-2BcQitUMIw45dhBydBajoQjUH0pUvEL4-2BQoGe9wvIwd-2B7IxNpAVIPT9yUixtkmqOSHCyOEpcTh4hAE0Wxt4bJTqVD9zLvv93CtbfFLBQeOffwOwDofKTXHCBDoBaTP0SW-2F0jBq7ZpTBlqu-2FoRQJ-2BA

Click here for transcript: https://www.alankurschner.com/2018/04/12/the-transcript-of-my-2015-debate-with-thomas-ice-is-now-available/

Dr. Tommy Ice did expatiate the Pretrib Position much more than hitherto, while Alan Kurschner espoused the Prewrath Rapture Position better called Pre-God’s-wrath Rapture Position. As stated earlier I was more interested in Dr. Tommy Ice view. I kept an open mind, hoping and wishing to understand and appreciate the Pretrib view. At the end of it all, Dr. Tommy Ice reinforced my prewrath(PW) Rapture Position because he too was unable to give unequivocal and direct Scriptures that I might have missed.

I came to the understanding that the Church would go through the Great Tribulation and be raptured thereafter by simple Bible reading, not even serious Bible study. At that time I had no knowledge of the Prewrath Rapture position expounded by Marvin J. Rosenthal and Robert Van Kampen. And who am I in this regard? A simple believer with no fringes. Just a plain believer who read the Bible and came away with the understanding that a generation of believers would be around when the Antichrist debuts in the Temple.

I would now address and comment on Dr. Ice submissions. Let us refresh our minds on what the debate is on. It is whether the Church will face the AntiChrist before rapture or not. Alan E. Kurschner is for ( affirmative), whilst Dr. Ice is against(negative).

First, from the above, we see that the debate is about when the rapture occurs- an event in time relating to the AntiChrist. With no Scriptures to backup the absence of the Church during the short time of the AntiChrist on the world stage in bodily form, Dr. Ice chooses to tell us why the Church will be gone. He submits that the 70th week is appointed for Israel and not the Church. So, the Church cannot be on the scene in the 70th week. Jesus did not say that, neither did Peter, Paul or John the revelator, just a theological construct derived from Dispensationalism. My friend and brother Abraham Shallom has debunked this in his article, “The Prewrath Rapture Of The Church”: https://mtzionheritage.com/the-prewrath-rapture-of-the-church/.

To crown it all, Dr. Ice says “it makes sense.” Our view on the rapture should not depend on human sense but should rest on the validity of the Scriptures.

This mutual exclusivity of the Church and Israel in God’s scheme of things is strange. For most of the first century AD the Church was a sect within Judaism. From Jerusalem, it dispersed to the Gentile world(Act.8:4). Israel was reestablished as an independent state in 1948. For the past 70 years, it has co-existed with the Church. And God has worked with both at the same time. By the pretrib’s submission, the Church should be gone. Israel is back in its native homeland. Jerusalem is in Jewish hands since 1967, and soon, the Third Temple would be rebuilt. God has never stopped relating with Israel during the Church Age. He ensured their survival all over the world. So this mutual exclusivity in the gap between the 69th and the 70th week is a human construct to suit the Pretrib view. There are no Scriptures to support it.

Now note, in Rev.12:17, we see Satan go at both Israel, the woman and Christians- those who hold firm to the witness of Christ in the face of Satan’s wrath. The reason for the rapture has been given by Jesus Himself. It is to rescue believers from total annihilation during the Great Tribulation.

Dr. Ice and Pretribbers assert that the Rapture is sudden with no events or “sign” to warn believers. Some assert it is secret and not seen by all especially unbelievers. This is not so. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians says while the unbelievers outside of their fold will be caught by surprise, the Thesssalonians should not be caught unawares as he has shared with them these things(1 Thess.3:4). Paul went on to give two future events that must happen before the Rapture: The Apostasy and The appearance of the AntiChrist in the Temple. I am sure we are familiar with this in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians(2 Thess.2:3).

When the disciples confronted Jesus in Matt.24 and asked for a sign to herald his coming, Jesus did not respond and say, oh! oh! there would be no sign: it would be sudden. Rather Jesus gave us the Olivet Discourse, and He zeroed in on a specific sign- the Shekinah, “SIGN” Of His arrival(30). Of course before this time He has spoken of world events like the standing of the image of the Antichrist in the Temple(15), and the cosmic disturbances(29), culminating in His appearance in the sky, and gathering us to meet Him- definitely the Rapture as He does not step on Earth.

To defend their Pretribulational stance, Dr. Ice and other pretribbers say this gospel is only for the benefit of Israel and Jews. Tell me please, is the Gospel Of Matthew read in Jewish synagogues?

Both our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit through Paul use the symbolism of a pregnant woman to describe his second Coming which starts with the Rapture. Have the birth pains started? I don’t think so, but I believe I see a “pregnant woman” in our purview with recent events- Jerusalem’s status as the capital of Israel and moves to build the Third Temple.

I believe that as there is no joy of a new birth without birth pains, so also there is no joy of Rapture without the birth pangs of the Great Tribulation that follows the Antichrist’s debut in the Third Temple in Jerusalem. Yes, these are tumultuous times, but Jesus says we should “look up” as these terrible times unfold. Meanwhile, the unbelieving world who took the Mark Of The Beast, who worshipped Him, probably celebrated as Christians were being persecuted would run helter shelter as our Lord intervenes and cuts short the Great Tribulation by usual never seen before cosmic disturbances. Yes, there are clear events that show Christians will have to contend with the unveiled Antichrist for a short time. Remember these gospels are not read in the synagogues. So, they are not primarily for the unbelieving Jews. They are read in the churches.

Events in Rev.4 are well detailed, with the 24 elders, the 4 beasts, and the tens of thousands of worshipping angels. The raptured saints were not featured, not even in the worship scene. So, where is the Church? Definitely not in heaven. To be continued.

Olugbenga Jaiyesimi.

The One Forty-Four Thousand

In Rev.6, one finds a description of the events of the 70th week of
Daniel, from its inception at the signing of the covenant of apostasy(Dan.9:27), till The Day Of The Lord is about to commence after the breaking of the sixth seal( Rev.6:15-17). It chronicles the events of the first three and one-half years, the beginning of sorrows or the beginning birth pangs(Rev.6:1-6), from the emergence of the false Christ( first seal: Rev.6:1-2), through wars, commotions and rumors of wars(second seal: Rev.6:3-4), to famines, pestilences, and earthquakes( Rev.6:5,6).

Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th seven, the fourth seal is broken, and the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist begins(Rev.6:7-8). It is initiated in the middle of the 70th week by the revelation of the man of sin(2 Thess.2:3,4), the antiMessiah, and the abomination that make the desolate(Matt.24:15). At the breaking of the fifth seal, martyrs under the altar of incense of the Temple in heaven are revealed(Rev.6:9-11). The fifth seal is an heavenly scene, a reflection of the killing of the faithful saints taking place here on earth at the breaking of the fourth seal. The fifth seal does not necessarily advance the chronology of events on earth, but is concurrent with the fourth seal. The souls of the martyred saints here on earth are arriving in heaven. These are faithful saints who are killed for their refusal to capitulate to the authority of the antiMessiah by taking his mark of allegiance. Their souls are keptunder the altar in heaven where they cry out to God for vengeance, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on the that dwell on earth?”(Rev.6:10). There is a complement of the saints to be martyred. When that complement is full, God will
put a stop to the mayhem going on under the rulership of the
antiMessiah.

At the breaking of the sixth seal, there is cosmocelestial disturbance which is preludial to The Day Of The Lord(Rev.6:12-14). With the cosmic disturbance, God serves notice to the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the Dragen-beast that He is about to punish them for theirs evils. At this juncture, the atheists, the evolutionists, the humanists, the false philosophers, the wise men of this age, all the great men, and the mighty men, the high and the low, the poor and the rich, all the kings and nobles as well as peasants shall hide themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains, and they shall call on the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them and hide from the glory of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. The humanistic evolutionist will suddenly realize that evolution is a scientific sham, that man was created by God who demands morals of all men. In their consternation, they shall scurry to the caves and the mountains which shall offer
them no protection. The reason for their consternation is that God is about to pour out His wrath on them for their evils:  “For the Great Day Of His Wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?”(Rev.6:17).

God’s wrath begins with the breaking of the seventh seal. In Rev.8, the seventh seal is broken: ”And when He had broken the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets(Rev.8:1-2). The reason for the silence in heaven is the solemnity and awesomeness of the wrath of God. It is so awesome that heaven can only observe in silence. The prophet Zephaniah prophesied saying, ”Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bidden his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s
sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children,
and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second , and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will He do evil. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards , but not drink the wine thereof. The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteneth, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced
cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon
men, that they shall work like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of them that dwell in the land.”(Zeph.1:7-18).

The whole earth is commanded to keep silence because The Day Of The Lord draws near, and the Lord has prepared a sacrifice for the fowls of the heavens. As touching the sacrifice, the word of God is precise; men are not left in doubt: it is God’s judgment of the nations. The prophet Isaiah added his voice to the proclamation, ”Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world and the things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaven shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in the heaven, : behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse to judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with
blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and
goats, with the fat of the kidneys of Rams: for the LORD hath a
sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea…… For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.”(Is.34:1-8).

At the breaking of the sixth seal in Rev.6, and the attendant
celestial disturbances, God’s wrath is about to be poured out on theliving wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the
Dragon-Beast. At the breaking of the seventh seal in Rev.8, God’s
wrath begins to be poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers. Between the warning of the outpouring of God’s wrath in Rev.6, and the actual outpouring in Rev.8, is sandwiched Rev.7. In Rev.7, two events of paramount importance occur. The one is the sealing of the 144,000, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel(Rev.7:1-8), the other is the appearance in heaven of a great multitude which no one could number(Rev.7:9-17). The questions asked are who are these two distinct groups? Who do they represent? And why do they appear at this time?

In Rev.7, John the revelator saw four angels, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. Before these four avenging angels could carry out their duty, another superior angel who emerged from the east, with the seal of the living God commanded them to hold action, saying, ”Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their four heads(Rev.7:2-3). Angels
are the messengers of God. Inasmuch as it is God’s wrath to be poured out, it is appropriate the angels of God will be employed(2 Thess.7-8). No angels were employed in the execution of the first five seals which represent man’s ultimate rebellion against God. The identity of the superior angel is debated amongst biblical scholars. Some identify him with archangel Michael, the warrior angel of God that standeth for His people, the children of Israel, and the believers in the Messiah of Israel( Dan.12:1). Some identify him with archangel Gabriel, the bringer of God news( Luk.1:26). Both of these archangels have guardian reletionship to Israel and the believers in the Messiah. The identity of this angel is not particularly relevant to this study.

This angel, whoever he may be, was sent to delay the outpouring of God’s wrath till God’s servants, the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel were sealed with the seal of the Living God. There are some biblical scholars, especially of the Pretribulation persuasion who teach that Rev.7 is parenthetical, looking back to the earlier events. But it cannot be demonstrated that it is the seals which hurt the earth, sea, and trees, but the trumpet judgments of Rev.8:7-11.

In Rev.14, this group of 144, 000 are said to have the ” Father’s namewritten on their foreheads”(Rev.14:1). Seals are for protection. They stand for ownership. They are also for the purpose of authenticity and legalization. Shortly before the rapture takes place, these Jews are brought into a saving relationship with the God of Israel. The church is about to be raptured, taken out of the earth as
it were. God will not leave Himself without a witness on earth. Since they belong to God, they must be sealed to protect them from the wrath of God which is about to be poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers, and worshippers of the antiMessiah.

They are sealed on their foreheads in contrast to the worshippers of the antiMessiah who receive their mark of allegiance on the right hand and forehead(Rev.13:16). The seal of the antiMessiah indicates ownership and protection by the antiChrist. The 144,000 are redeemed from the earth(Rev.14:3). They are not defiled with women, for they are virgins(Rev.14:4). This could mean that they never ever engaged in sexual intercourse with women at all in their entire life or they were celibates in their separation unto God(2 Cor.11:2), though they may have have had sexual intercourse with women earlier on in their life prior to their dedication. Perhaps more appropriately, they did not succumb to the enticement to worship the antiMessiah(Rev.13:15; Is.57:3-4,8). This may be the intended meaning since those who took the mark of allegiance to the antiMessiah are said to have committed, and were made drunk with the wine of her 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 show 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 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 filthiest of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH(Rev.17:1-5).

The 144, 000 are ” the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”(Rev.14:). They are the forerunner of a host of the children of Israel who survive the great tribulation by the antiMessiah, and came to a saving knowledge of the Lord prior to the outpouring of the wrath of God. There are those who proclaim they are evangelists, but this claim cannot be scripturally sustained. They were in hiding during the great persecution by the antiMessiah. They were not sealed till after the cosmic distances of Rev.6:12-14( sixth seal), prior to the breaking of the seventh seal which mark the commencement of the outpouring of the wrath of God. No where in the entire Scriptures are they declared evangelists. They must needs be saved, would they save others?

Avraham Shallom.

The Prefigure Of The antiChrist

The rebellion of man against God which began in the Garden Of Eden will have its final hurrah at the rebuilt third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It will be the final attempt by man to enthrone man in the place of God. The catalyst for this ultimate sin is the abomination of desolation,  when the antiMessiah shall erect an image of himself in the rebuilt Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. ” When ye,  therefore,  shall see the abomination of desolation,  spoken of by Daniel the prophet,  stand in the Holy place (whosoever readeth,  let him understand)”( Matt:24:15). The parenthetical phrase,”(whosoever readeth, let him understand) “,  marks out, underlines and undetscores the importance of what the Lord spoke. There is going to be a  terrible abomination: it will make the temple in  Jerusalem, and the whole land of Israel a desolation. This abomination,  the image of the antiMessiah will be standing in the Holy Place.  It was predicted 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 over spreading of the abomination he shall make it desolate “(Dan. 9:27).

Daniel predicted an earlier abomination about Antiochus Epiphanes,  the fourth ruler in the Seluecid dynasty of the Greek Empire. ” He  magnified himself even to the prince of the host,  and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away,  and the place of his sanctuary was cast down”(Dan. 8:14). The prophet Daniel gave a historical precedent of an abomination which occurred in the temple in chapter 8 to help men comprehend the future abomination in chapter 9 which Jesus spoke about in Matt. 24:15.

Alexander the Great came to power in 332 BC,  following the death of his father,  Philip of Macedon,  at the tender age of 22 years.  Within a short space of ten years,  he had conquered a substantial part of the known World. Wherever his armies marched,  he spread Greek religion,  language and culture.  The Greek way of life was encapsulated in Greek philosophy known as Hellenism. Following the death of Alexander the Great,  his kingdom was divided among four of his generals. Ptolemi reigned over Egypt,  Seluecus in Syria, Lysimarchus in Greece and western Asia Minor,  and Cassander in Macedonia proper. The territory of the Seluecid dynasty,  Syria was in the north of Israel,  whilst Egypt,  the territory of the Ptolemaic dynasty was to the south of  Israel. For the first 100 years Israel was controlled by Egypt.  Through power struggle and political intrigue,  Israel came under the sway of Syria. For several decades,  a state of war existed between Egypt and Syria. When two elephants fight,  it is the grass that suffers. Because of the struggle between the two giants,  little Israel was trapped between the hammer and the anvil, in a state of uncertainty as it were. At times,  Israel did not know which of the two nations it owed allegiance to and therefore to which to pay tribute.

Within this cultural milleu,  two Jewish parties emerged.  One party which was religiously conservative favoured Egyptian rule. Egypt was a unified Kingdom with an ancient indigenous culture and therefore less Hellenistic.  It gave the Jews a greater measure of liberty and wide latitude for religious freedom. The other Jewish party which was more liberal and less conservative and observant favoured Syrian rule.  The Greek Syrians foisted their Hellenistic culture on all conquered peoples in order to unify their Kingdom. The latter Jewish party was less concerned about the negative influence of the Hellenistic culture on their religious life and the worship of Jehovah. The latter Jewish party consisted mainly of the aristocrats. They changed their names to Greek names,  dressed according to Greek fashion and instituted Greek athletic games. They built gymnasiums and exercised in the nude. It was in this electrified geopolitical and religious atmosphere that Antiochus IV Epiphanes emerged as the fourth ruler in the Seluecid dynasty. Antiochus was zealously Hellenistic. He ruled Syria between 175-164 BC.

Earlier on Antiochus launched a successful military campaign against Egypt. In 168 BC,  he returned again in order to consolidate his earlier successes,  and bring Egypt under Syrian domination. On this occasion,  he was meet by a courier empowered by the Senate in Rome who drew a circle around him and demanded that he either withdrew or face war with Rome. Frustrated and humiliated by Rome at the time of his apparent success, he headed back to Syria. On the way,  he marched his armies into the land of Israel,  stopped in Jerusalem,  and had his soldiers kill a pig at the Jewish altar of Holocaust. Pig was a ceremonially unclean animal.  Besides,  the pig was offered to his patron deity,  Zeus Olympus. To the Jews,  this was the extreme point of abomination,  the offer of a ceremonially unclean animal to a heathen deity on the Jewish altar of Holocaust in the temple built for the worship of Jehovah. He went further to desecrate the Holy Of Holies of the Temple by bringing the image of his heathen deity,  Zeus Olympus into it.  The image of Zeus Olympus was fashioned after a man with the face of Antiochus himself. He then demanded that the Jews bow down to worship1 his god. Many Jews refused to bow down to his god. As many as eight thousand Jews were slain,  whole the rest fled.

In ancient times,  three major  basic,  brilliant and simple steps were involved in the conquest of a people. The first step was to engage the enemy on the battlefield and defeat him. Secondly,  the enemy was humiliated once defeated.  Thirdly,  the enemy was assimilated into the culture,  custom,  religion and government of the triumphant nation.  Ancient armies marched under the ensign,  banner and supposed protection of their gods. To them,  there was no generally accepted concept of awe one true,  universal and omnipotent  God. They viewed gods as localized finite deities. Each nation had its own plurality of gods.  Some had as many as 360 to 1 million gods in their pantheon. The army that was victorious was thought to be the army with superior deities. In order to carry out the second step of humiliating the vanquished foe,  their icons were insolently taken away,  and with great pomp,  degradably placed at the feet of the deities of the conquerors. This was the zenith of humiliation for the vanquished nation. The logic of the act was our army defeated yours because our gods were great than your gods. Where are your gods?  Are they not at the feet of our gods.  Is it not reasonable and beneficial for you to worship our gods?

Senacherib the king of Assyria applied this principle when he tried to intimidate Hezekiah to surrender. Senacherib the king of Assyria sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ” Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah,  saying,  Let not thy God,  in whom thou trustest, deceive thee saying,  Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold,  thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shall thou be delivered?  Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed,  as Golan, and Haran,  and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath,  and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Henah, and Iva?“(Is.37:10-13). Unfortunately for Senacherib king of Assyria,  the Yahweh of Israel was not like the idols of the other nations he and his fathers conquered. Then the Angel Of The Lord moved through the camp of the Assyria and slew 185,000 soldiers overnight. Senacherib withdrew to Nineveh. His life and reign ended 20 years later in ignominy when he was assassinated in a patricidal conspiracy by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer,  who fled to the land of Armenia. Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead(Is.37:36-38).

Once a defeated people began to worship the deities of their conquerors they were easily assimilated. That meant they will not rebel. Therefore they could serve in the conquerors army,  and pay tribute. Religion was used as instrument of assimilation. When Nebuchadnezzar defeated Israel, in order to humiliate Israel and it’s God, he violated the precincts of the temple by threading on its courts,  and arrogantly and insolently intruding into the temple and taking away the vessels used in the worship of Jehovah. The first commandment of the first table forbade Israel from making any images of the God of Israel. So,  there were no images of the God of Israel in the temple. The sacred vessels used in the worship of The Yahweh of Israel were the only symbols of the God of Israel he could take away to lay at the feet of his gods. Later on,  his grandson Belshazzar used these vessels in a licentious banquet of the gods of Babylon,  for which reason,  his kingdom was taken away from him that very night(Dan.5:1,2,23-29).

When Antiochus brought the image of his patron deity into the Holy Of Holies of the Jewish Temple,  his aim was to assimilate the Jewish people into his kingdom. He could not have Egypt, but he could assimilated Israel into the fabric of his own nation through religion and culture, inasmuch as Israel had no army to be defeated. If assimilated, they would pay tribute to Syria,  Jewish men  would serve in the Syrian military, and be geographically a buffer zone between Syria and Egypt,  incase Egypt latter planned a counterattack.

To humiliate Israel and it’s God, he had a pig sacrificed to his deity,  Zeus Olympus on the Jewish altar of Holocaust. Because there were no icons of the God of Israel to be taken to the feet of his own gods, he brought the image of his patron deity,  Zeus Olympus, into the Holy Of Holies of the Temple built by the returning exiles.

Because Antiochus had considerable support from the nonobservant Jews,  he anticipated the cooperation of the rest of the Jewish people. He seriously miscalculated. Under the leadership of the godly Mattathias and his five sons,  a guerrilla-style resistance ensued. The third son of Mattatais was Judah Maccabaeus. It was after him that the Jewish rebellion against Greek-Syria was named the Maccabian revolt. Within the space of three years, Antiochus and his Syrian army were defeated and driven from Israel.

After the departure of the Syrian army,  the temple was cleansed and rededicated to Jehovah. The temple was desecrated and desolate for three years due to the sacrifice of an unclean animal, the parading of the image of heathen deity in the Holy Of Holies of the temple, and the violation of the sacred precincts by the threading on it by the Gentiles. The consecration and rededication of the temple gave rise to the Jewish feast of Dedication or Lights,  known as Hanukkah.

Any time someone tried to annihilate the Jews,  God gave them a holiday. Pharaoh king of Egypt tried it,  they got Passover.  Haman tried to wipe out the Jews,  they got  the feast of Purim.  For the efforts of Antiochus,  they got the feast of Dedication or Channukah(Jon. 10:22). Hitler tried it,  they got Yom Haatzmaut,  and the Holocaust Rememberance Day.

The prophet Daniel spoke of the conflict between Syria and Egypt in Dan.11:21-32. The prophet Zechariah also alluded to it( Zech.9:11-17).

The introduction of the image of a man in the temple of Jehovah under Antiochus Epiphanes was a historic portrait of the Abomination of Desolation.  It gives a frame of reference for understanding the future prophetic abomination of desolation under the antiMessiah who will be the leader of the 8th and final beast empire of Satan.

The term antiChrist is used to denote the attitude,  spirit and philosophy of this unregenerate world system towards God(1 Jon.4:3).  There have been many antChrists in the past.  There are many antChrists now,  and there will be many antChrists in the future,  more so,  in the first half of the 70th seven of Daniel( Matt. 24:5). But that attitude, spirit and philosophy will be personified in one person who will be the ultimate antiChrist( 1Jon.2:18,22). Antiochus theos Epiphanes was a foreshadow,  Prefigure,  forerunner or precursor of the coming antiChrist.

The Greek word anti means against and in place of. When Satan rebelled against God,  he sought to be against and in place of God(Is. 14:13,14).  The dominant idea about the antiMessiah is someone who is in opposition to,  and in substitution to God(Dan. 11:36; Rev.13:11-17). It is written about the antiMessiah,  ” who opposeth( against) and exalteth himself above( in place of God) all that is called God,  so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,  displaying himself as God( substitution)”( 2Thess.2 4). The attitude of this unregenerate world system is one of opposition towards God and substitution of God with man.

The world is being primed for the coming of the antiChrist. Does it stretch credulity that intelligent,  informed,  sophisticated,  modern, 21st century homo sapiens sapiens would ever bow to the image of man?  That after six thousand years of history,  man would seek to deity his fellow man?  However,  that is unerringly where history is headed.  When the antiMessiah appears at the world’s stage,  he will be the most attractive,  charming, easily accessible man.  Man of the people,  the consumate politician,  the ultimate superman. Therefore the whole world shall go after him.

Avraham Shallom.