THE COMMON THEME IN THE FOLLOWING PARTS OF SCRIPTURE:
THRONES
John 4
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it!
3 And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne.
Revelation chapters 4 & 15 both speak about twenty-four elders seated on thrones. Take a look at the following common symbols and themes found in both chapters:
- The four beasts are mentioned in both passages.
- The sea of glass is mentioned in both passages.
Chapter 4: The twenty-four elders are clothed in white raiment & have crowns [stephanos] of gold on their heads (Revelation 4:4).
Chapter 15: Those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, are seen standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God (Revelation 15:2). *
* The same ones are seen seated on thrones in Revelation 20:4, and they are alive [zao] and reigning with Christ (Revelation 20:4-6), where John is told that this is the first resurrection of the body [anastasis].
Revelation 5 - same twenty-four elders:
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
What is written in the New Testament is that:
(i) Jesus will be seen coming in the clouds of heaven and will send out His angels to gather His elect (Matthew 24:29-31); and
(ii) The elect will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
After this,
(iii) In Revelation 19:11-21 Christ comes down WITH HIS ARMY who are clothed in white clothing - and He is returning for the defeat of the beast and false prophet at the time of the battle of that Great Day - Armageddon:
"Behold, I am coming as a thief.
Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments,
lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
--- And he gathered them into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air. ---
And a great voice came out of the temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying,
--- It is done! "---
(Revelation 16:15-17)
"And He sitting on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And He said to me,
--- It is done ---
I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely. He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son."
Jesus began the unveiling ("revelation") by making seven promises to those who overcome (one to each of His churches). This is THE BRIDE who has made herself ready / prepared herself as a bride adorned for her husband - As it is written in both Revelation 19:7-8 AND Revelation 21:2
- and the same promises made to those who came out from great tribulation in (Revelation 7:13-17) are made to the bride of Christ, New Jerusalem, in a New Heavens and Earth which John saw "descending out of heaven from God.": The throne of God is among them, and all tears will be wiped from their eyes. (Revelation 21:2-4).
WARNING TO THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST
(Chapter 14)
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
THE BOOK (THE SCROLL)
Revelation 5-6
1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book (scroll) written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
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The loosening of the 7th seal opens the book (causes the scroll to unroll).
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No one seals a blank scroll - the seals are not the prophesied events written about in the book/scroll. Therefore neither are the seals prophecies. The prophecies were written in the scroll, which was then sealed with seven seals.
The seals are "unveilings" (revelations) that unveil events that were previously hidden to the knowledge and understanding of the churches of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus unveils them. That's why it's called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John" (Revelation 1:1).
AS IT IS WRITTEN
- The 6th seal is followed by the 7th seal (and the unrolling of the scroll).
- The 6th bowl is followed by the 7th bowl (wrath).
- The 6th trumpet is followed by the 7th trumpet.
So in the book where it's written, 666 is followed by 777.
Let's look at the 5th seal before looking at the 6th seal:
- The 5th seal sees the souls of those who have been martyred being told that they should rest a short while longer until the full number of martyrs is come in (in such a way as to imply that the full number is about to come in).
- The 5th trumpet is the first "woe" - in the book where it's written, it sees the opening of the bottomless pit/abyss.
- The 5th bowl is poured on the throne of the beast.
666 | Armageddon |
6th TRUMPET - THE SECOND "WOE" KEY SYMBOLS:
1. EUPHRATES - THE TIMING: I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
(Timing): And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. (Revelation 9:13-15).
2. FIRE, SMOKE, AND BRIMSTONE: And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions;
3. MOUTHS: and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. (Revelation 9:17-19).
6TH BOWL OF WRATH (Chapter 16) KEY SYMBOLS:
1. EUPHRATES: 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.
2. MOUTHS: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Compare Jesus's interjection in the middle of the 6th bowl of wrath with the loosening of the 6th seal:
--- Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,
lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. ---
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Revelation 16:13-16).
6th SEAL:
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath has come; and who shall be able to stand?"
The unveiling that John saw when the 6th seal was loosened implies that the above will occur at the close of a period of great tribulation that will be experienced by the saints (Christians) at the hand of the beast - in Revelation 19:14 the martyred saints who had been resurrected from the dead are seen returning with Christ for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21):
777 | JUDGMENT / FINAL PLAGUE / BOWL OF WRATH
KEY SYMBOL: Lightnings and thunderings:
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- seen at the time of the receiving of the Testament: lightnings, thunderings (Exodus 20:18).
- seen proceeding out of the throne in heaven: lightnings, thunderings, and voices (Revelation 4:5).
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- seen when the 7th bowl of wrath is being poured out: lightnings, thunderings.
- seen when the 7th trumpet is blown: lightnings, thunderings, and the Ark of the Testament.
- seen when the 7th seal has been loosened (Revelation 8:5): lightnings, thunderings.
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In Joshua chapter 6 we read about seven priests - each has a trumpet - and each priest blows his trumpet once as the people march around the walls of Jericho, for six days.
On the 7th day the people marched around the city 7 times, and at the time of the 7th march around the city and the blowing of the 7th trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the walls of Jericho fell.
In the Revelation we read about seven angels - and each has a trumpet - and each angel blows his trumpet once, and at the time of the blowing of the 7th trumpet (and the pouring out of the 7th bowl of wrath), the cities of the nations fell (Revelation 16:19).
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