JoeCanada

Hi Charlie, You said: "If that is true, then can someone help me understand why the punishment period of 70 years was only based on the failure to honor the land Sabbath?" We should look at Leviticus for the answer. In chapter 25 and then following to 26, we read: "For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My Sanctuary; I am the Lord. If you walk in My statutes..... (God goes on to describe all the blessings that Israel will enjoy)............ I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.... Lev 26:1-13 God then tells them the penalties of Disobedience: "But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, if, instead , you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as to not carry out all My commandments and so break My covenant, I, in turn, will do this to you...." Lev 26:14> "If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins"....verse 18 "If then, you act with hostility against Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins".... verse 21 "And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with hostility against you; and I, even I, will strike you seven times for your sins".... verse 23 "Yet is spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins"................ I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, I will lay waste your cities and make your sanctuaries desolate, I will make the land desolate.... You, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste."... verses 27> "Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies land".. verse 34 By His grace and mercy, God ended the first 70 years of exile to Babylon in fulfillment of the prophecy to Jeremiah. However, the ending to Dan 9:26 shows that more desolations were in store for the Jewish people because of their disobedience and their rejection of Jesus, the cornerstone. "And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined." What "desolations" is the angel Gabriel talking about? History tells us that after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jewish people were driven out of Israel and scattered among the nations...... for nearly 1900 years. Are these the "desolations" that God prescribed as punishment for breaking the Mosaic Covenant? The initial punishment that God laid out for the breaking of the Mosaic Covenant was the 70 years of exile in Babylon: "But if you will not listen to Me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn My statutes, and if your soul abhors My rules, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, then I will do this to you"... Lev 26:14-16 "And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste."..... Lev 26:33

THE CONSTANTINE CREED (325 AD) – Established by the Council of Nicea “I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms, unleavened breads and sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews, and all the other feasts of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspirations, purifications, sanctifications, and propitiations, and fasts and new moons, and Sabbaths, and superstitions, and hymns and chants, and observances and synagogues. Absolutely everything Jewish, every Law, rite and custom, and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish superstition, or shall be found eating with Jews, or feasting with them, or secretly conversing and condemning the Christian religion instead of openly confuting them and condemning their vain faith, then let the trembling of Cain and the leprosy of Gehazi cleave to me, as well as the legal punishments to which I acknowledge myself liable. And may I be an anathema in the world to come, and may my soul be set down with Satan and the devils.” (Stefano Assemani, Acta Sanctorium Martyrum Orientalium at Occidentalium, Vol. 1, Rome 1748, page 105) THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (325 AD) – Setting a brand new holy day of Easter as the resurrection of Yeshua, distinct from the Biblical dates of Passover and First Fruits, His actual death and resurrection. This decree was read by Constantine and sent to churches everywhere. “When the question arose concerning the most holy day of Easter it was decreed by common consent to be expedient, that this festival should be celebrated on the same day by all, in every place… And truly in the first place, it seemed to every one a most unworthy thing that we should follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this most holy solemnity, who, polluted wretches, having stained their hands with a nefarious crime, are justly blinded in their minds…It is fit therefore that rejecting the practices of this people, we should perpetuate to all future ages the celebration of this rite, in a more legitimate order…Let us then have nothing in common with the most hostile rabble of the Jews.” THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (325 AD) – Creed to which Christians would have to swear… “I accept all customs, rites, legalism, and feasts of the Roman’s sacrifices, prayers, purifications with water, sanctifications by Pontificus Mazmus (high priest to Rome), propitiations, and feasts and the new Sabbath “Sol Die” (Sunday) – all new chants and observances, and all the foods and drinks of the Romans… In other words, I absolutely accept everything Roman, every new law, rite and custom of Rome and the New Roman Religion.” THE COUNCIL OF ANTIOCH (345 AD) – Christians were banned from celebrating the Passover Seder (ritual meal) with Jewish friends or neighbors. THE COUNCIL OF LAODICEA (363-364 AD) – The biblical Sabbath day was outlawed. “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day’ and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any be found to be Judaizers, let them be cursed from Christ.” (Canon 29)

Here is something else one should consider. The main harvest (resurrection/rapture) in Revelation 14, Jesus is shown to be wearing a "golden crown". Rev 14:14 "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand" Now ..... Compare this to Revelation 19:11-12: ....... "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself." Here, in Rev 19, Jesus is seen with many diadems on His head, and He is not harvesting the earth with a sharp sickle in His hand, He is waging war with a sword coming out of His mouth. These are major differences one should consider.

The vast majority of Christians in AD 67-70 fled as per Jesus' instructions. "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies..." The surviving Jews in Israel after the AD 70 war were not taken captive and scattered into all nations. A few were taken to Rome to work for the wealthy, a few were taken for pleasure in the Coliseum games ..... but many that left did so of their own volition. Luke 21: ........ "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies..... flee to the mountains..... woe to those who are pregnant or nursing...... they will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led captive into all the nations...... Sorry brother, but this did not happen to the Jews in AD 70. It didn't even happen in AD 135 after the Bar Kokhba war. After that war, Rome would not permit and Jews to live in Jerusalem or even go there, except to observe the festival of Tisha B'Av.

The devout Jews believe it is. What about the second point I brought up, regarding Luke 21:24. "being led captive into all the nations".

Luke 21:6...."As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.” The famous Western Wall in Jerusalem today is where Jews continue to pray. It is deemed the holiest site in all Israel. It is the only remains of the Second Temple from 70 AD. Because it stands, block on block, many blocks high, it proves that this wasn't fulfilled in AD 70. Jesus said "There will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down" Luke 21:20-24 'When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies..... flee to the mountains..... woe to those who are pregnant or nursing...... they will fall by the edge of the sword and ......will be led captive into all the nations...... Did this actually happen? Were the remaining Jews prisoners of war and taken to other countries? Were they led captive into all the nations? No! Many had enough and moved on. Many others remained. And Jewish resistance did not completely evaporate. The Bar Kokhba war of 132-135 could not have happened if all the Jews from Jerusalem were taken captive. A partial fulfillment ..... perhaps. A near-far fulfillment ..... could be. A complete and final fulfillment .... No! There is too much scriptural and historic evidence against it.

Why do you stop at verse 24? There were no chapter breaks like we have in our bibles. Jesus' words continue to verse 28. I won't put the verses in large bold letters as there is no need for me to shout: “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” You said: (Notice Jesus says “But before all these” putting events in order) Yes indeed........ The order of events continues all the way to verse 29. Then, in verse 29 Jesus continues His teaching by telling them a parable. It begins with: THEN Which is a continuation of what He was just talking about.

Hey Charlie, "“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince" We know that the 70 week prophecy was written for the Jews, Daniel's people. So how would the Jews 'know' who the Messiah was? The prophecy doesn't say 'when He arrives'. And there were only a few present at His baptism and His anointing by the Holy Spirit. Also Jesus' 3 1/2 year ministry is hotly debated and challenged. So, since the Jews had the scrolls from the the prophets and they studied them, they only knew Jesus was the Messiah the Prince when He declared it to them.... .............................. at His trial.

There are approx. 6000 Synagogues in Israel, and about 1000 in Jerusalem... these numbers can be debated, This to say there are many. Why would God stop another one? Synagogue, Shul or Temple are all the same. They are places of worship for Jews ans Samaritans.

I have to agree with you Marv. Dan 9:25 says : “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks...." Until Messiah the Prince.... When did Jesus officially declare Himself to be the Christ, the Messiah? Mark 14... "They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. ... "Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ... "For many were giving false testimony against Him ..."the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, (Messiah) the Son of the Blessed One?” ... "And Jesus said, “I am... Many will argue that it was at His baptism or when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, but it was at His arraignment before Caiaphas that He declared Himself to be the Messiah, in front of the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, the whole council of Israel, as well as the Roman officials and the officers in the courtyard within hearing distance..... and the many citizens of Jerusalem. Dan 9:26 ... "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing A person could insert any amount of time "after the sixty-two weeks" and build a case ... but to me it means what it says. 'AFTER SIXTY-TWO WEEKS' ... ............... WHEN THE SIXTY-TWO WEEKS HAVE ENDED

Luke 10:18 says this: The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name." ... And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightening. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you" I believe that Jesus was referring to Satan's status, his place of authority and power. This was his fall. It wasn't a physical removal from heaven, because we are told in Revelation 12:10: "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night." Rev 12:7-8: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer." Satan does have access to heaven up until this battle with Michael and his angels. This battle happens at the end: Rev 12:12: "“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” In order for Satan to come down to the earth, he has to be in heaven.... doesn't he?

Thanks..... However, I scrolled thru your blog and did not see any postings related to the 7 Churches of Revelation. Perhaps my old eyes missed one???

Thanks.... That is what I did. I had everything in Word, I copied and pasted in new windows.... but somehow they didn't all converge properly. It is my hope that in reading the Letters to the 7 Churches; the intro followed by each Letter to the corresponding Church, in order, consecutively..... that the reader might see how they all correlate to the seven seals, as outlined in each letter that I posted.

Hi Michael37, What I tried to do didn't work. I was hoping to have the postings all connected. The Letter to the 7 Churches immediately followed by the Letter to the Church at Ephesus, then Smyrna, then Pergamum, etc..... instead of single posts like they are now. It would have been a really long post had I submitted it as one article. I wanted to break it up into several small ones that follow or continue from the previous one. The flow would really then really make a lot more sense. I have seen others that post articles that follow their previous post. I'm just not very computer savvy. At 70, it's sometimes hard to teach new tricks to an old dog :)

I'm not sure where you are going with this. Seven is a very common number in scripture, occurring about 400 times. John is instructed by Jesus to send a letter or message to the seven churches. These messages are Jesus' love letters to His Church, His instructions to His Church that will endure the 70th week of Daniel, the One True Church.

Let's bring this back to the what the original post is all about. Here is a chart that compares Matthew and Revelation 19 The Second Coming Matthew 24 Revelation 19 Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Matt 24:29-31 Nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matt 26:64 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 1Thes 4:15-17 And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1Thes 1:10 ----------------------- So, please show how Revelation 19 is the same as Matt 24, 26 and 1Thes 4 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God, And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. Rev 19:11-14 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the fleas of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh 0f all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great……. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Rev 19:17-19

Ok.... so, what did I write in the post that needed correction? I don't understand where you are going with this.

Can you please explain why Jesus would be King over Judah for ONLY 7 years?

Maybe a moderator can help me. I want the 7 letters to the 7 churches all to follow the intro to the letters. Can someone put them in order for me ... as they are laid out in Rev 2 and 3

The Letter to the Church at Thyatira The letter opens with Jesus describing a woman who is the temptress of this end time church. Who is this Jezebel and how does she tempt the church? Jesus is making a connection to the historic Jezebel, the Queen of Israel, the wife of Ahab, and one of the most wicked women in the bible. Based on that, how do we know this letter wasn’t meant for a historic church in the first century, but rather is mainly for a future end-time church? Jesus tells us in Rev 2:22: “Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.” This can only be an end-time event because the GT only happens in the end-times. To understand what Jesus meant by the woman Jezebel, it might help to understand the meaning of the name of the city Thyatira. It’s a Turkish word and the Turkish equivalent of Thyatira means “graveyard on a hill.” This fits perfectly with the 4th seal and the rider of the green (or ashen) horse signifying death and thus graveyard. It's interesting that in this letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of God. This is the only reference to this title in the entire BofRev. It reinforces the authority of Jesus. The antichrist at the 4th seal will sit in the temple of God and proclaim himself that he is God, and speak great blasphemies against Jesus’s divinity. So this struggle of Christ vs antichrist is the key to the 4th seal. In Psalm 2:6-9, Jesus quotes this at the conclusion of this letter to Thyatira: “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.” Here we see God saying He has installed His Messiah Jesus as King upon Zion and although the antichrist will be telling the world that he is God … God the Father is saying “No you don’t, you are not king and you are not God. My Son is and His inheritance will be the entire earth and all nations.” Jesus applies this to the church as well: “He who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father, and I will give him the morning star.” Rev 2:26-28 So no matter how hopeless the 4th seal looks, the church is to know and be assured how the story ends … the saints end up in control. Authority is a very important aspect of the 4th seal from a spiritual perspective. It may be its principal defining aspect. In Rev 13:2, we see Satan giving the beast his authority: “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority”. The 4th seal is one of the four horsemen. God grants the rider of the green horse authority: “Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” Rev 6:8 God grants the beast authority over every tribe, people and language. And God also grants the beast authority to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. So when Jesus writes: “He who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations …” Rev 2:26 It is this same authority that was originally granted to the beast for the short period of 42 months. By the 4th seal, which is the midpoint of the 70th week, many lukewarm Christians will have fallen away during the first 3 seals. The church at the 4th seal, though smaller, is now stronger in their faith and in their deeds due to the refining and persecution that they have already gone through. Jesus recognizes them for this: “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” Rev 2:19 This is the exact opposite of what Jesus said in the first letter to the church of Ephesus. The fire of trial is refining the church of Thyatira. Jesus does rebuke the church in relation to Jezebel: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Rev 2:20 In prophecy, women are used as symbols to represent religious systems. The woman in Rev 12 is Israel, maybe Judaism. Jezebel thinks she hears from God and teaches a mistaken theology, and she leads Christ’s bond-servants by encouraging them to eat foods sacrificed to idols and committing acts of immorality. Jezebel is herself not the adulteress but rather she encourages believers to commit adultery. This is an important distinction. What religion encourages its followers to commit adultery? We know it isn’t Judaism or apostate Christianity because if they are unfaithful to our Lord, they would be committing adultery. Is Islam the logical remaining choice? Let’s examine the account of Jezebel in the Old Testament. 1 Kings 16:29-31: “Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the 38th year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of the Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and worshipped him.” Ahab began to serve the Sidonian god Baal. Baal and the Islamic god Allah and Hubal, the deity Muhhamed worshipped, are thought by numerous scholars and historians to be the same god. Jezebel is a symbol for Islam and her name means “where is the prince.” This is a ritualistic phrase called out by Baal worshippers during times of the year when he was supposedly in the underworld. The phrase would be shouted to usher him onto the earth. Jezebel also desired the vineyard of Naboth whose name means ‘fruit producer’. She had two false witnesses accuse Naboth of blasphemy and then had him stoned to death. This is a picture of the persecution to come when the antichrist will accuse the faithful-fruit-producing believers of blasphemy against Allah and have their possessions taken, and then death to the believers ….. 1 Kings 21:1-16 I n the Islamic system, food is sacrificed to Allah, their meat is Halah and is slaughtered by butchers facing Mecca. All food eaten under the mark of the beast can be considered food sacrificed to this idolatrous religion. The sexual immorality may be physical as Islam is a religion that accepts sexual slavery or it may be spiritual unfaithfulness as believers fall away and commit apostacy rather than face death. Jesus will begin to punish the false system of Islam with pestilence in the 4th year as well. Rev 2:21-23: “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” Jesus has allowed Jezebel (Islam) time to repent since the beginning of Islams writing of the Quran around 609 AD, so about 1400 years. Jesus will throw Islam onto a bed of sickness and He specifically said He will kill her children with pestilence … this will cause the church to know that Jesus is the One who searches the minds and hearts. This pestilence will probably be supernatural in origin as it will specifically target Muslims … Psalm 91:5-10: “You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon…… A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand. But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord my refuge, even the Most High your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.” Jesus addresses those who remain true to the faith. Rev 2:24: “But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them – I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority to over the nations.” Jesus makes the promise only to those who endure until the end. A significant trial is coming ………………………… ------------ Read these letters in the same order as in Rev 2 and 3 Read the Letter to the Church of Sardis next

Revelation's 7 Letters to 7 Churches It seems that the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches are the most overlooked and even ignored prophecies in the Book of Revelation. Prophecies?. Yes, they are prophetic. And the fact that they are at the beginning of Revelation should cause us to sit up and pay attention to what Jesus is telling us. Revelation begins with these words: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bondservants, the things which must soon take place.......................Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near." Right there, in the first 3 verses...... Jesus tells us that the words of Revelation are prophecy. Revelation is prophecy! The phrase "things which must soon take place" (Gk: HA DEI GENESTHAI) is one of the most famous phrases of deliverance in Scripture. It occurs only twice in the Old Testament and are found in the Septuagint account of Daniel 2:29 and 2:45. These two uses of the phrase act as bookends for the interpretation of King Nebs dream of the statue of four metals. A "bookend" is, that the phrase is both the first and last phrase in that portion of Scripture. Why is this significant? The young, persecuted church in the first century would have been hungry for some kind of explanation of how Jesus would deliver them from the succession of evil empires that had oppressed the people of God throughout the ages.... as well as their own trials, tribulations and persecutions. John, by using the phrase "things that must soon take place" in the opening verses of Rev, was telling the Church that this book will explain the book of Daniel and will show how Christ will deliver us. John uses the phrase as bookends for the entire book: in Rev 1:1 and closes the book in Rev 22:6. In Rev 1:7, John tells us: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds" which, again is a quote from Daniel 7:13 "and lo, one coming with the clouds of heaven". John is telling us that the BofRev will explain Daniel 7 as well. John then records his vision of the risen Jesus which is an exact match with Daniels encounter with the preincarnate Jesus in Daniel 10. These various aspects of Jesus' appearance have important symbolic meaning as will be seen in the Letters to the 7 Churches. By quoting this vision reference from Daniel 10, John is now telling the reader that what they are about to learn in Revelation will further explain Daniels Great Vision Prophecy from chapters 10, 11 and 12, what the Angel calls "the time of the end" Most of the commentaries teach that the Letters to the 7 Churches are historic, and they base this on Rev 1:19 ……. But..... --- The Letters to the 7 Churches are written in "apocalyptic" language --- The Letters to the 7 Churches contain numerous Old Testament and New Testament references and symbols which apply to the end times --- The concept of including advice for local 1st century churches is out of place in a “Revelation” whose express purpose is to explain the Book of Daniel, the Olivet Discourse, and our deliverance by Jesus. --- If the Letters to the 7 Churches were meant to give real time advice to historic churches, Jesus's guidance would match the historic accounts, which it doesn't. --- The order of the Letters is not random, but occurs in a very specific sequence, as will be seen. And lastly... Why do all the major translations ignore the literal meaning of the words? Look at Rev 1:19: "The things that are"...... translators use this as a basis for considering the Letters to the 7 Churches as being historic. It also supports the theology of the translators (many are pre-trib) and supports their preconceived outline of Revelation. Look at the Greek words "HA EISIN", which scholars translated as "the things that are". But "HA EISIN" literally means "things that they are". New Testament scholar, translator and theologian Henry Alford translated it as "things that they signify". The word "EISEN" is plural and to translate it as "things that are" would require a singular verb. So why is the literal meaning of the word ignored? Because "things that are" creates a more balanced type of phrase..... "things that were, things that are, and things that will be". And when Revelation was translated most of the translators did not/could not make full sense of it so they translated the way they did and followed their preconceived notions of what Revelation meant. King James Bible in 1611 translated it as “things that are” and it has stuck and became tradition. So why don’t translators fix this error? Because it would dramatically change our eschatology. There are 159 uses of “ha eisin” in Scripture…. Not once is it translated the way translators did it in Rev 1:19! Now, look at the command Jesus gives John with this literal translation: "Write the things that you have seen and the things that they signify" This now gives us a reason why John is being instructed to record Jesus' appearance because each aspect of His appearance has symbolic and significant meaning. We will see the significance of these aspects when we look at each letter. In Rev 22:7: “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book” ………. Jesus tells the readers that Revelation is a book of prophecy. Rev 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches ….” The word for is “epi” which means about or upon. The YLT has it correct…. “concerning” ………. all the things that happen in Revelation are actually “concerning or about” the 7 churches. Other commentators who don't ascribe to the historic aspect of these Letters say that the Seven Churches are seven church ages. Most amusing to say the least. Without any basis in Scripture, this view floats on the opinions of men. The seven church ages are totally arbitrary. All seven church types existed in the 1st century, have existed for the past two thousand years, and exist currently. Was there ever a time when one "type" of church was dominant? No!.............This is illogical and unbiblical! So...... The historic view and the church ages view are both illogical and unbiblical. Is there another view? Yes, and Scripture does support it. The Letters to the Seven Churches describe the Church of Jesus Christ as it endures and overcomes each of the seven years of the 70th Week of Daniel. The Letters are not random but follow a distinct pattern that parallels what will happen to the Church during each of the 7 Seals. The 7 Letters are instructions to believers in the Church, what they will encounter and what they should be doing during each of the 7 Seals. As each seal on the 7-sealed-scroll is opened in Rev 6-8, conditions on the earth will change and change rapidly. These letters instruct the church on how to overcome in the midst of those changes. The events of each seal match up exactly with the aspects of Jesus’ Olivet discourse in Matthew 24: - Deception by false messiahs - Bloodshed, war and chaos - Economic collapse and famine - Abomination and death - Martyrdom, witness and apostacy - Celestial signs - Wrath The 7 churches are the one and only church of Jesus as it endures and overcomes each of the seven seals in exact order. A QUICK LOOK AT THE LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES: 1st Letter/Seal: When the first Seal is opens, its primary focus is on deception by false prophets and false messiahs who attempt to spiritually overcome the world. “Nikeo” …. He came conquering and to conquer. The main meaning elsewhere in scripture is “overcoming.” The church is commended for uncovering false religious leaders and for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans…. Nikao meaning overcome, Laity means people, so “overcomers of the people”. 2nd Letter/Seal: The world experiences wars and rumors of wars, struggles between ethnic groups and nations, and peace is taken from the earth. This is the year temple sacrifices begin on a regular basis. Jesus speaks of martyrdom and of a blasphemy by Jews who are of the synagogue of Satan. Is this blasphemy the temple sacrifices? 3rd Letter/Seal: There is economic collapse worldwide, price fixing and famine. Jesus criticizes the church for eating foods sacrificed to idols …. And offers the faithful some of His hidden manna. 4th Letter/Seal: Death is given authority over ¼ of the earth. This is the beginning of the Great Tribulation. (GT) Jesus promises authority over the nations to those who overcome and threatens to throw some of His church into the same Great Tribulation. 5th Letter/Seal: We see martyrdom, witness and apostacy. Sardis is called the dead church. Martyrdom is the physical death of the faithful and apostacy is the spiritual death of those who fall away. Jesus instructs the faithful to witness during this most difficult part of the GT….. to strengthen the things that remain. To strengthen the brothers and sisters still alive who have not yet fallen away or been martyred. 6th Letter/Seal: Celestial signs appear in the sky and Jesus gathers the elect Christians to be with Him. In this Letter to the Church of Philadelphia, Jesus uses the Key of David to open the door to heaven and keeps Christians from the hour of trial – testing. This is the Wrath of God and this keeping them from the hour of testing or Wrath of God is the Rapture. Is there still a Church on earth on earth after the rapture? Yes, the apostate church. Those without saving faith …. Those who are not worthy to go with Jesus in the rapture. Hot – Cold – Lukewarm …. Jesus knocks on the door and entreats them to still come to true faith before the end. ------------- This then, is an introduction to the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches, with a quick look at the actual letters. In the following, we’ll go into more detail. It's important that a person reads the Letters to the Seven Churches in the same order as they are in Revelation 2 and 3. So from here, read the Letter to the Church at Ephesus

Your earth is very very small.... probably the size of your neighborhood Really!

So.... this must be someone other than Jesus who comes before the seventh vial Isa 63:2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? Isa 63:3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their [lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment.

Bro.... In many responses you use "IMHO"..... I always try and use scripture, as in the case of the OP There is no "IMHO".... scripture only. Much of what you post is your "opinion" because you cannot back it up with scripture. You say you use scripture but......

Rev mans comment above in reference to what @The Light said: "Love Perry Stone. However, he does not understand that the tribulation and the wrath of God are not the same time frame. He does not understand that the second coming occurs at the 6th seal, which is the coming of Jesus in Matthew 24." My comment to Rev Man: Keep looking bro..... one beach over is very crowded.