IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE THINK IT IS
BUT IT'S ALWAYS WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IT IS
Nobody ever sealed a blank scroll. The text written on any scroll gets written before the scroll is sealed, and any scroll sealed with seven seals will only unroll once all seven seals have been loosened.
The events written in the scroll existed in "the scroll" in heaven before the scroll was revealed to the apostle John, but it remained sealed with seven seals until the Lamb of God was found worthy to loose the seals thereof.
The events written in the scroll (not in the seals that sealed the scroll) reveal the events surrounding the end of the age, and these events are symbolized using metaphors and biblical types of the things to come, which are themselves wrapped in the symbols of seven trumpets and seven last plagues, or 'bowls of wrath', with background information dispersed in-between, as well as before and after the text listing the events mentioned in the seven trumpets and seven last plagues.
Each seal that the scroll is sealed with contains visions that reveal something regarding the events written about in the scroll.
All the visions John saw were written down circa the year 96 A.D, and everything that was written was divided into chapters when the biblical scriptures were divided into chapters circa the year 1227 A.D. Verse divisions were added circa 1555 A.D.
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In the Revelation there are seven angels with seven trumpets announcing to the nations the decree of God regarding their impending judgment; and the cities of the nations are said to fall when the seventh of the seven angels pours out his bowl of wrath.
Biblical type: In Joshua chapter 6 there were seven priests blowing seven trumpets announcing the decree of Jericho's impending judgment, and the walls of Jericho fell when the 7th trumpet sounded, the 7th time the Israelite tribes marched around the city, on the 7th of 7 days.
The door that had been opened in heaven for John (immediately before he was made aware of the scroll's existence), allowed John to be able to see the throne of God, and he saw "lightnings and thunderings and voices" coming out from the throne (Revelation 4:5).
We read of "voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake" when God speaks in Exodus 20:18,
and we see it again in the scroll when the seventh trumpet sounds, and again when the seventh plague or bowl of wrath is poured out. The events of both the seventh trumpet and the seventh plague or "bowl of wrath" symbolize God's judgment.
7th TRUMPET
"And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant, and occurred lightnings and voices, and thunders and an earthquake, and a great hail." (Revelation 11:19).
7th PLAGUE
"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! And voices and thunders and lightnings occurred. And there was a great earthquake, such as has not been since men were on the earth, so mighty and so great an earthquake." (Revelation 16:17-18).
7th SEAL (Each seal that the scroll is sealed with contains visions that reveal something regarding the events written about in the scroll).
"And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it into the earth. And voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake occurred."
The entire scroll now unrolls, because all the seals have now been loosened:
"And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." (Revelation 8:5-6).
666 | Armageddon
6th PLAGUE / "BOWL OF WRATH"
"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.
Jesus' interjection
-- 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 TRUMPET - THE SECOND "WOE"
The beast has ascended from the abyss (which occurred in the 5th trumpet, which was the first "woe").
"I heard a single voice coming from the horns on the golden altar that is before God, saying to the sixth angel, the one holding the trumpet, "Set free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!"
Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were set free to kill a third of humanity. The number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; I heard their number." (Revelation 9:13-16).
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?" -- Revelation 6:15-17.
- * "The kings of the earth" had committed fornication with the harlot (Revelation 17:2 and Revelation 18:9). John wrote that they will weep and wail for the harlot when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up (Revelation 18:9).
- Revelation 17:16 tells us that the 10 kings of the beast will "hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
- Those who believe in Jesus are called "the kings of the earth" in Revelation.1:5-6 & 5:10.
WORSHIPING THE BEAST
"And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, those whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." (Revelation 17:8).
"And all the earth marveled after the beast. And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:3, 8).
5TH TRUMPET
When the 5th trumpet sounds, the "locusts" that John saw coming out of the smoke that came out of the abyss are commanded to hurt "only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads (Revelation 9:1-12).
5TH BOWL OF WRATH
When the 5th bowl of wrath was poured out, it was poured out upon the throne of the beast; "and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." (Revelation 16:10-11).
"And the smoke of their torment ascends for (the) ages (aion) and ages (aion). And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name, because they will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath." (Revelation 14:9-11).
5TH SEAL
When the 5th seal was opened, white robes were given unto every one of of the souls under the altar, that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, and they were told that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:9-11).
THE TORMENT OF THOSE WHO WORSHIPED THE BEAST
"And the first went and poured out his bowl of wrath on the earth. And a bad and grievous sore fell on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshiped his image." (Revelation 16:2).
Bowls of wrath
1. A bad and grievous sore fell on those who worshiped the beast & received his mark.
2. Sea turn to blood.
3. Rivers & fountains of waters turn to blood.
4. Scorching heat of the sun.
5. Darkness on the throne of the beast.
They will blaspheme God because of all of this - their suffering and their sores (Revelation 16:11).
THESIS & ANTI-THESIS
Christ descended from the highest place - God the Father, and returned there.
The beast will ascend from the abyss, and will return there.
AUTHORITY
All the authority of God except God the Father has been placed in Christ's hands. The biblical type given to us of this is Joseph exercising all the authority of Pharaoh before him, with only Pharaoh's own authority excluded.
All the authority of the beast will be exercised by the false prophet.
DYING FOR OTHERS VS KILLING OTHERS
Christ died for the sins of the world, rose again from the dead and ascended alive into heaven. Christ is the image of God.
The image of the beast causes all who will not WORSHIP the beast or his image or take his mark to be killed. The beast and false prophet will be thrown alive into the abyss by Christ when He returns.
Christ is the legitimate 8th King of the 8th Kingdom.
The beast is an impostor.
The number of the beast is 666. The 6th trumpet and the 6th bowl of wrath will be followed by the trumpet announcing his destruction and by the bowl of wrath which brings about his destruction, and this is signified by the fact that the kings of the earth mentioned in the 6th seal know that this is what is coming upon them.
The 7th trumpet will sound, and the 7th bowl of wrath will be poured out, and this is signified by the metaphor of noises, thunderings, and lightnings seen in the 7th seal - the same metaphor which appears in the 7th trumpet and 7th bowl of wrath - both of which also mention an earthquake and hail, which are symbols of judgment.
Only the one who has wisdom will be able to calculate the number of the beast, which is also the number of his name. All wisdom is given by God. We have no wisdom except that which is given by God.
KEY BIBLICAL TYPES
1. God's faithful remnant - three men - who refused to worship king Nebuchadnezzar's "image of the beast" (Daniel Chapter 3) were thrown into a "burning, fiery furnace" but were protected in the furnace by a fourth man, whom to the king appeared as "a son of the gods", before the three men were delivered from the furnace at the king's command.
In His messages to the churches in the Revelation, Jesus promised to guard over [τηρησω tēréō: guard from loss or injury by keeping their eye upon and preserving] His faithful remnant:
"Because you have kept [G5083 tēréō: to guard from loss or injury by keeping the eye upon and preserving] the word of My patience, I also will keep [tēréō] you from the hour of temptation which will come upon all the world, to try those who dwell upon the earth." Revelation 3:10.
2. The exodus from Egypt: The plagues poured out upon Egypt those who worshiped the beast and received his mark, were fulfilled in the destruction of Pharaoh's the beast's armies on the same day and at the same time that God's people were delivered from Egypt.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, "which God gave to Him to declare to His servants things which must shortly come to pass" (Revelation 1:1) contains a number of biblical types such as the above, so that we can understand.
Besides this fact, there are themes which pop up in various places in the scroll which are linked, for example, Revelation Chapter 4 is the first of the only two times the Revelation talks about a sea of glass. The second time is in Revelation 15:
Revelation 15
1 And I saw another sign in Heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire. And those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are Your ways, O King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You only are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your righteousnesses were made known.
The Song of Moses was sung after God's people had crossed the Red Sea, after they had been delivered from great tribulation at the hand of Pharaoh, and after the judgment of the beast and his armies Pharaoh and his armies coincided with their redemption.
"Those who had gotten the victory over the beast" are mentioned again in Revelation Chapter 20:
Revelation 20
4 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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 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.
"We shall reign on the earth":
Revelation 5:8-10
"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. 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; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
THE FOUR BEASTS
The four beasts mentioned in Revelation 4:6 are also mentioned a number of times all the way through the Revelation, in such a way as to show that when John began to be shown the visions of the time of the end in Chapter 4, the four beasts (and most of the time the 24 elders also) are seen in the vision John is recording:-
Revelation 4:6 & 8; Revelation 5:8 & 14; Revelation 6:1 & 6; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 15:7 and Revelation 19:4.
There is no evidence in any of the above verses of a "pre-trib rapture". "Great tribulation [megas thlipsis] is mentioned three times in the New Testament:-
"Behold, I will cast her (Jezebel) into a sick-bed, and them (those Christians) that commit adultery with her into mégas thlîpsis (great tribulation), except they repent of their deeds." (Revelation 2:21).
"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14).
"For the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21-22):
"For then shall be great tribulation [megas thlipsis], such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.".
Matthew 24
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
THE TEN KINGS OF THE BEAST
"For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled [G5055 finished]." (Revelation 17:17).
THE MYSTERY OF GOD SHALL BE FINISHED / FULFILLED
"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished [G5055], as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7).
"When the two witnesses shall have finished [G5055] their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them." (Revelation 11:7).
Revelation 11
15 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 forever [aion: to the age] and ever [aion: to the age] (to the ages of the ages)." (Revelation 11:12-15).
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up [G5055 finished] the wrath of God." (Revelation 15:1).
IT WILL COME TO PASS
"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 [G1096 come to pass]." (Revelation 16:17).
"And he said unto me, It is done [G1096 come to pass]. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21:6).
"And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done [G1096 come to pass]." (Revelation 22:6).
IT MUST BE FINISHED / FULFILLED
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss 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 abyss, 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 [G5055 finished]: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3).
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished [G5055]. This is the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:5).
"And when the thousand years are expired [G5055 finished], Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." (Revelation 20:7-8).
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