Unravelling Revelation

[Deborah_]

God’s “last word” to the human race is Jesus (Hebrews 1:1,2). Revelation, written around 60 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, therefore contains nothing new; it is, rather, a re-statement of what has already been revealed to earlier generations. What it does is draw together threads from every other part of Scripture, combining them with memorable pictorial language, to give us encouragement and food for thought on the long road ahead until Jesus returns.

The symbolism of numbers

Even a casual reader of this book will notice the author’s obsession with numbers. Two of this, four of that - and his favourite number, the number seven (which symbolises perfection or completeness), occurs over ands over again. Sometimes it’s very obvious (seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls), but it’s also hidden in the number of times that certain words and phrases are repeated. There are seven blessings pronounced on the faithful during the course of the book. And the book’s very framework is based on a pattern of seven.

Half of seven is three and a half - another significant number, used to symbolise the time during which the saints are persecuted. This was the exact duration of the Maccabean uprising and of the Roman siege of Jerusalem (AD 66-70) - both periods of intense suffering for God’s people. It’s sometimes counted as three and a half years, sometimes as 42 months, and sometimes as 1260 days (42 x 30); but they all refer to the same period of time.

Finally, the number twelve (and multiples of twelve) is used for the people of God. So there are twelve tribes in the census, twelve gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem, 24 elders, and 144,000 saints. And the dimensions of New Jerusalem are all multiples of twelve as well!

Numbers, then, have symbolic meaning in Revelation. They shouldn’t be taken literally! The seven churches stand for all the churches; the 144,000 saints stand for all of us, and so on.

Plan of the book

Introduction: letters to 7 churches (chs 1-3)

1^st vision: 7 seals (chs 4:1-8:1)

2^nd vision: 7 trumpets (chs 8:2-11:18)

3^rd vision: 7 visions (chs 11:19-15:4)

4^th vision: 7 bowls (chs 15:5-16:21)

5^th vision: Babylon and Zion (chs 17:1-19:10)

6^th vision: God’s triumph (chs 19:11-21:9)

7^th vision: New heaven & earth (chs 21:10-22:21)

It’s a mistake, I think, to regard Revelation as a blow-by-blow sequential account of the end times. The visions as numbered here don’t follow a chronological order; each one stands alone, and they all cover much the same ground but from different angles. There is, however, a definite progression as we go through the book. The introduction is firmly rooted in the present (although filled with promises for the future). The first three visions each take us from the present day up to the end of the world; the next three concentrate on the final judgement. When we get to the final vision, the present world is no more, and we are given a glimpse of the world to come.

What is the book of Revelation for?

An ‘apocalypse’ (“unveiling”) isn’t like a crystal ball, giving insight into the future; it’s more like an X-ray, giving insight into the present! It’s a different way of looking at our world and its history; it shows us the underlying spiritual reality, the great cosmic drama that has been going on since the beginning of time. This hefty dose of reality enables us to break free from the dominant secular worldview of our age, and calls on us to play our own part in the battle between good and evil, by living out our allegiance to the true King.

There’s one other fascinating fact about the book Revelation: it contains more songs of worship than any other book in the New Testament. It’s a very positive book, oozing with joy and praise! The enemies of God may be rampaging over the earth, causing no end of suffering and persecution; but the citizens of heaven have their hearts and minds focused on the King of kings as they worship Him and look forward to celebrating His return to rule the earth. As we read this book, we should find our hearts uplifted and our own worship stimulated. Our God reigns!

[The Light]

6 minutes ago, Deborah_ said:

Half of seven is three and a half - another significant number, used to symbolise the time during which the saints are persecuted. This was the exact duration of the Maccabean uprising and of the Roman siege of Jerusalem (AD 66-70) - both periods of intense suffering for God’s people. It’s sometimes counted as three and a half years, sometimes as 42 months, and sometimes as 1260 days (42 x 30); but they all refer to the same period of time.

Hi Deborah

This has nothing to do with the book of Revelation. The time, times and half a time occur in the time of the end not 70AD.

6 minutes ago, Deborah_ said:

Numbers, then, have symbolic meaning in Revelation. They shouldn’t be taken literally! The seven churches stand for all the churches; the 144,000 saints stand for all of us, and so on.

Oh my. The numbers are literal. 144,ooo does not stand for all of us. 144,000 is an exact number of male virgins from the 12 tribes that are listed in Revelation 7. They are the first fruits of the harvest that will occur at the 6th seal.

6 minutes ago, Deborah_ said:

 

 

 

[Keras]

Revelation, the Book dictated to John by Jesus, does give a proper sequence of the end times events. With some asides of more details.
We are given an overview from God's perspective of 7 types of Church's. Note that each one has some Overcomers in them. The true, faithful people of God, His Israelites by faith. Proved by Galatians 3:26-29 & 6:14-16
Jesus is the Seed, the real Israel and we; His Christian followers are the inheritors of all the promises of God to Israel. Romans 8:16-18

Jesus opened the Seals, 1 to 5 and we have experienced all the wars, famines and plagues possible, without wiping out humankind completely. The 5th Seal proves it is open, by the souls of all the martyrs since Stephen, kept under the heavenly Altar.
But as the cosmic events described in the Sixth Seal, have not occurred yet, then this must be the next prophesied event. Proved by how Jesus stopped His quote of Isaiah 61, in the second verse, before:.... and a day of the vengeance of our Lord.

This world changing disaster, triggered by an attack onto Israel by the Islamic peoples, will set the stage for all that must happen before Jesus Returns.
All as described in Revelation and throughout the Bible, leading up to the 1000 year reign of King Jesus and then the final Judgement of everyone and then Eternity.
Those found worthy will receive immortality, but the outcome for those whose names are not found in the Book of Life; will be annihilation and they will be remembered no more.

[Deborah_]

Oh my... so many different interpretations! We can't all be right - but let's carry on...

We need to remember that the book of Revelation is mainly about Jesus!

Revelation 1

The setting of Revelation could hardly be more discouraging: John, the writer, is exiled on the island of Patmos to stop him from spreading the Gospel. The churches are being persecuted. They are for the most part small, threatened and fearful. They are supposed to be shining the light of Christ into the spiritual darkness that surrounds them; but the darkness is doing its best to extinguish them.

But on the day of resurrection, John worships - and discovers, like Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-17), that he is actually on heaven’s doorstep, and in the presence of none other than the risen Lord Jesus! But Jesus looks nothing like the carpenter from Nazareth; His glory (briefly glimpsed by John many years earlier on the mountain of the Transfiguration) is so dazzling that John reacts as if in the presence of God.

John’s description of Jesus is. like the descriptions in the rest of the book, symbolic rather than ‘photographic’ (does He really have a sword for a tongue?). There are many allusions to the vision of Daniel (Daniel 7): most strikingly, although Jesus is the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13), He looks exactly like the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9)! His voice sounds like the voice of God (Ezekiel 43:2), and the words He speaks are the words of God (Hebrews 4:12). In other words, Jesus is God - and He confirms it by identifying Himself as the First and the Last (see Isaiah 44:6).

Jesus is dressed as a priest (Revelation 1:13); and one of the duties of the priests was to tend the lamps in the Temple. And so John sees Jesus walking amongst the lampstands (which represent the churches). The lampstands don’t maintain their light by their own efforts; it’s Jesus who keeps the oil (the Holy Spirit) topped up and the wicks trimmed. On an earthly level, many churches appear to be weak and struggling; but the spiritual reality is that Christ holds us securely in His hand (John 10:29).

And so this vision should be a powerful encouragement for us. We are not alone; Christ is in our midst, in all His glory and power. And He has conquered Death! “I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18) He passed right through death and rose again - to a life that is never-ending. And He holds the door open for those who follow Him.

[Deborah_]

Revelation 2 & 3

Before the start of the revelation itself, John is given seven “personal messages” for seven of the churches in Asia Minor. They are a very mixed bag: some are large and thriving, others small and struggling. Some are faithful; others are compromising with the world around them. Some are complacent; others are being fiercely persecuted. But Jesus assures them that He knows them all intimately. He knows their strengths and their weaknesses; He gives credit where credit is due, but pulls no punches where He sees sin being tolerated. And to each church He has a message of encouragement for the faithful: after the struggles and sufferings of this life, they will participate in the blessings of the age to come.

Many people like to see these seven churches as representing different stages of church history. But churches have been as varied as this in every age - including our own. Any one of them could be our church! And so these ‘letters’ are for us, too; we should pay attention to Christ’s warnings, and take encouragement from His promises.

Each letter follows the same pattern. They begin by introducing their Author, using elements from John’s vision of Jesus in chapter 1. Jesus reminds each church that He knows exactly what is going on there; then He lists their good and bad features. There are many historical references - not to church history, but to the history of Israel! For God’s people face the same challenges and make the same mistakes under both old and new covenants. The love of the Ephesians has grown cold, just as Israel’s did. And Balaam and Jezebel (who attempted to lead Israel astray in the distant past) have their counterparts in the first century, and also in modern times.

Having diagnosed the problems facing each church, Jesus prescribes His treatment - which in most cases is repentance. But He calls on the faithful to persevere. And to encourage them, He tells them of the wonderful things that He has in store for “the one who is victorious.” Many of these (such as the tree of life, the white robes, the book of life and the new Jerusalem) are mentioned again in the final chapters of Revelation.

So these introductory chapters are like an overview of the whole book. The church is in the midst of an evil world, struggling against false teaching and persecution; but Christ is watching over us. We need encouragement to remain faithful right to the bitter end - and Revelation provides that in spades!

[Revelation Man]

On 2/15/2025 at 5:32 PM, Deborah_ said:

Numbers, then, have symbolic meaning in Revelation. They shouldn’t be taken literally! The seven churches stand for all the churches; the 144,000 saints stand for all of us, and so on.

 

Finally someone who understand the numbers are symbolic. 7 = Divine Completion, 10 = Completion, 12 = Fulness and so on. There is also an added emphasis at times when those numbers are multiplied, just like the 7000 God saved Himself in the Old Test. was 7 x 10 x 10 x 10 meaning all Israel who repents, likewise 144,000 can be seen as 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10 or ALL Israel who repents in the end times. However they all have the Fathers name on their forehead, so it is only Jews. The 10 Virgins represent the Complete Church, and only 5 of the 10 make the pre 70th week rapture. 

Most people miss the timing because they see the 7 Seals as Judgments instead of mere Seals that bind up God's Judgments. The 7 Trumps contain all of God's Wrath, because the 7th Trump emits the 7 Vials which are the 3rd Woe, just like Woes 1 & 2 are derived from the 5th & 6th trumps as Rev. 8:13 clearly shows us. Its so simple, Jesus is opening the BOUND JUDGMENTS in Heaven, or taking the 7 Seals off, but alas, he is only prophesying what is soon to come when the 7th Seal looses God's soon to fall wrath, that is why Seal #7 is over in Rev. 8 and why Revelation 7 is really just the 1/3 Jews repenting and fleeing Judea before God's Wrath falls. But just before that Jesus is opening the Seals in Heaven, in Rev. 6, amidst the Church(Rev. 4&5), showing them what is soon to come.

The first 5 Seals are opened and Jesus tells about the coming Anti-Christ's soon to come actions, in 5 varied ways, he Conquers/Makes War/Brings Famine/Brings Sickness/Death & the Grave, in the 5th Seal he is foretold to murder the newborn Saints (Gentile Saints mostly, the Jews or 144,000 are protected). So, the Seals are meaningless as being seen as real time events because its just Jesus foretelling unto us what is coming using a Metaphor of a Sealed Message, this one has 7 Seals meaning God has DIVENELY SEALED it Himself. Then the "6th Seal" tells of God's coming Wrath and that Wrath will make the Sun & Moon go dark, and that happens when? At the 4th Trumpet Judgment, brought to pass by an incoming Asteroid (Trump #1) that burns 1/3 (think New World only) of the trees, just like an Asteroid destroyed Sodom, then Trump #2 is THE IMPACT of this asteroid. Trump # 3 is the FALLOUT that poisons the fresh waters. And finally Trump #4 is the Sun & Moon going dark or dimming by 1/3, because of all the Smoke. Its just Jesus foretelling what is soon to come, that is why in Rev. 7 the Angel is told to HOLD UP the four winds that hurt the Trees, Seas and the Earth !! Because God has to save the 1/3 (144,000) Jews which will be about 5 million Jews. Only then can the 7th Seal be opened in Rev. 8, which brings 30 minutes of silence,

That Silence has a purpose, its meant to show the Heavens do not rejoice in this coming Judgment where Billions of humans must be killed.  But a Just God has to judge mankind. Its like a funeral observance, remember when God said it repented Him that he had to flood the whole earth? Likewise, this is a sad day for God and His Angels, they are not joyous about the coming judgments, of course. 

Then we get the REAL ORDER of the Book of Revelation, Rev. 8, 9 and 16 are the 42 Months of Judgments, the Anti-Christ parallels these 42 months. All of the other chapters after ch. 8 are thus Parenthetical Citation chapters in that they happen at the exact same time as those three chapters. The Proof is in the chapters "timelines". Rev. 11 covers the Two-witnesses 1260 days plus 75 more days because they show up 1335 days before the 2nd coming in order to get Israel to repent before God's Wrath falls, they are thus THE BLESSING of Daniel 12. The 1290 is the False Prophet, the 1260 comes last, he is the Little Horn/AC. 

Rev. 12 covers 1260 days in which Satan chases the Woman/Israel via his Anti-Christ/Beast Armies. 

Rev. 13 is the Beast who rules FOR.............1260 days

Rev. 14 and 19 covers the full 7 years, the first is the Harvest Chapter, and gives all the Harvests, The Jews or 144,000, the Wicked Grapes and the Church is Harvested Pre Trib. in vs. 14 in a cinematic FLASHBACK. Rev. 19 shows Jesus Marrying the Church, and in Chapters 4 & 5 we see the Church already has on her white robes. The Bride and Groom remain in the Wedding Chambers for 7 days(7 years).

Rev. 17 coves 1260 days, its the AC and his 10 (Complete Europe Reunited) horns/kings (E.U.) who kill off all False Religion (Harlot) save Beast worship, because he demands to be the ONLY GOD being worshiped.

Rev. 18 is Babylon (WHOLE WORLD) being Judged by God over a 42 month period. Notice, Babylon has become a habitation of devils/demons in vs. 2, well of course that's true, Satan was cast down at the 1260 middle of the week events, and Apollyon and his demons from the bottomless pit will be released at the 1st Woe. In vs. 4 God says COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that is really just Rev. 7, which shows the Jews who repent Fleeing Judea, in verses 8-10 we say Babylon is destroyed in ONE HOUR and in ONE DAY, both mean 42 months, in Rev. 17:12 we see the 10 Kings rule ONE HOUR with the Beast who we know rules for 1260 days/42 months. Then we all know the Day of the Lord references God's Wrath, so ONE DAY and ONE HOUR both mean 42 months. 

Those who do not get the symbology of the numbers will never grasp in full the Book of Revelation. 

Edited February 17 by Revelation Man

[Marilyn C]

[Marilyn C]

[AdHoc]

On 2/16/2025 at 12:32 AM, Deborah_ said:

God’s “last word” to the human race is Jesus (Hebrews 1:1,2). Revelation, written around 60 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, therefore contains nothing new; it is, rather, a re-statement of what has already been revealed to earlier generations. What it does is draw together threads from every other part of Scripture, combining them with memorable pictorial language, to give us encouragement and food for thought on the long road ahead until Jesus returns.

The symbolism of numbers

Even a casual reader of this book will notice the author’s obsession with numbers. Two of this, four of that - and his favourite number, the number seven (which symbolises perfection or completeness), occurs over ands over again. Sometimes it’s very obvious (seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls), but it’s also hidden in the number of times that certain words and phrases are repeated. There are seven blessings pronounced on the faithful during the course of the book. And the book’s very framework is based on a pattern of seven.

Half of seven is three and a half - another significant number, used to symbolise the time during which the saints are persecuted. This was the exact duration of the Maccabean uprising and of the Roman siege of Jerusalem (AD 66-70) - both periods of intense suffering for God’s people. It’s sometimes counted as three and a half years, sometimes as 42 months, and sometimes as 1260 days (42 x 30); but they all refer to the same period of time.

Finally, the number twelve (and multiples of twelve) is used for the people of God. So there are twelve tribes in the census, twelve gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem, 24 elders, and 144,000 saints. And the dimensions of New Jerusalem are all multiples of twelve as well!

Numbers, then, have symbolic meaning in Revelation. They shouldn’t be taken literally! The seven churches stand for all the churches; the 144,000 saints stand for all of us, and so on.

Plan of the book

Introduction: letters to 7 churches (chs 1-3)

1^st vision: 7 seals (chs 4:1-8:1)

2^nd vision: 7 trumpets (chs 8:2-11:18)

3^rd vision: 7 visions (chs 11:19-15:4)

4^th vision: 7 bowls (chs 15:5-16:21)

5^th vision: Babylon and Zion (chs 17:1-19:10)

6^th vision: God’s triumph (chs 19:11-21:9)

7^th vision: New heaven & earth (chs 21:10-22:21)

It’s a mistake, I think, to regard Revelation as a blow-by-blow sequential account of the end times. The visions as numbered here don’t follow a chronological order; each one stands alone, and they all cover much the same ground but from different angles. There is, however, a definite progression as we go through the book. The introduction is firmly rooted in the present (although filled with promises for the future). The first three visions each take us from the present day up to the end of the world; the next three concentrate on the final judgement. When we get to the final vision, the present world is no more, and we are given a glimpse of the world to come.

What is the book of Revelation for?

An ‘apocalypse’ (“unveiling”) isn’t like a crystal ball, giving insight into the future; it’s more like an X-ray, giving insight into the present! It’s a different way of looking at our world and its history; it shows us the underlying spiritual reality, the great cosmic drama that has been going on since the beginning of time. This hefty dose of reality enables us to break free from the dominant secular worldview of our age, and calls on us to play our own part in the battle between good and evil, by living out our allegiance to the true King.

There’s one other fascinating fact about the book Revelation: it contains more songs of worship than any other book in the New Testament. It’s a very positive book, oozing with joy and praise! The enemies of God may be rampaging over the earth, causing no end of suffering and persecution; but the citizens of heaven have their hearts and minds focused on the King of kings as they worship Him and look forward to celebrating His return to rule the earth. As we read this book, we should find our hearts uplifted and our own worship stimulated. Our God reigns!

Nice summary, even if I differ on some points.

The Title is actually "The unveiling (apokalypsis) of Jesus Christ"

Chapter 1 verse 1 says that the information in the book is revealed by "signs". So I agree that numbers are symbolic

The natural divisions of the Book are not left to men to decide. They are; "19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (1:19). That is, Chapter 1 is which John "hath seen", Chapter 2 & 3 are "thngs which are in 96 AD, and from Chapter 4:1 " things which "shall be". But the things that "shall be" are modified by two things;
1. The Lord's warning that He would be coming to the last 4 Churches, and
2. The "unveiling" would start with Jesus seen in the clouds on the Bema with His members before Him. Plus-minus three and a half years before His "unveiling" to the inhabitants of the earth

Genesis 1:26-28 states God's purpose with men. A man is revealed who will rule the earth (2nd Thess.2:1-4). This man is powerful in talents and has the back of 10 kings and the Dragon. He comes from the Abyss and he comes from the sea. That means that he is resurrected and from the Nations. Another Man is about to be "revealed" from heaven. He is also resurrected, but from Israel. The TWO will fight it out at Jezreel. The culmination of the conflict of these TWO MEN is the ushering in of a new government on earth (Rev.11.15). 

Because the bulk of men, having heard of Jesus Christ and rejecting Him, choose the other man from the Abyss, and follow him in a multitude of sins, the Second, and heavenly Man pours out God's wrath from heaven (Rom.1, Rev. 6). For 3 years, 42 months and/or 1260 days, the earth is made uninhabitable by natural and supernatural calamities. "Wrath" is mentioned 13 times. Ten of these mentions are God's wrath. God's wrath causes Tribulation. They are not separate.   

The Church is never again mentioned after Chapter 3. Individual saints are (.e.g. 12:17, 13:7, 18:4)

Most of the scriptures quoted are Old Testament.

Among good expositors no two students of "Apokalypsis" agree on everything. The bulk of Christianity get their understanding of Revelation from fiction books and films.

The number 144,000 is derived from New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem houses Believers (the Wall) and Israel (the Gates).

[The Light]

2 hours ago, AdHoc said:

God's wrath causes Tribulation. They are not separate.   

The great tribulation is Christians being hunted and killed that do not take the mark. The tribulation is over at the coming of Jesus at the 6th seal for a harvest. The 7th seal is the wrath of God........The Day of the Lord. They are NOT the same thing.

2 hours ago, AdHoc said: