INTERPRETATIONS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS

There are two points of view. One says it's about the end of the world, and the other says it's only 'Apocalyptic' stories figuratively speaking about the persecution of the Christians taking place during the same era, since the Romans forbade Christian teaching.

Which one do you think is correct? If it is the first, then prepare, for the time is near. If it is the latter, you can't really say it doesn't matter, because your own life could end at any time, so it would be wise to prepare anyway. After all, you will be dead a lot longer than you will be alive, so what's going to happen to you after you have taken your last breath?

John, the author of Revelations, did not make up these stories. He was given several visions while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. The first thing John saw was Jesus standing amidst 7 lampstands holding 7 stars. This will be explained later. Jesus told John (1:19) to write down what he sees, what is and what is to take place hereafter. John tried his best to describe what he saw, but what if he was looking at futuristic things such as nuclear explosions, helicopters, and missiles? Think about how he might describe such things. Besides John's writings, Biblical descriptions of the end times can also be found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Daniel.

There is a parable about the Fig Tree (Matt 24:32, Mark 13:28, Luke 21:29) which says when the fig tree "puts forth its leaves", the end is near, and this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now if you consider the possibility that the Fig Tree represents the country of Israel, then it is very interesting how Israel ceased to exist from Biblical times all the way to the late 1940's, when it once again became an independent country, and "put forth its leaves", so to speak. If so, we are in the final generation, which cannot pass away until all these things take place, and this generation happens to live 100 years, the math suggests all this could occur any time between now and the 2040’s.

How will we know when the end is near? Will there be a sign? The answer is yes, and it is found in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 which says to head for the hills when we see a "desolating sacrilege" described by Daniel (9:27) as causing worship in Jerusalem's Temple to cease. The Apocalyptic point of view would call this event the Roman occupation of Israel in Biblical times, but the futuristic point of view would call this event the destruction of the current temple which today is called the Dome of the Rock, controlled by Muslims. With the current tension in the Middle East, a bombing is certainly possible, so look out for it as a sign.

Daniel 9:24 also tells about a time period called "70 weeks of years" (or 490 years) which began with the release of captive Israelites from Babylon around 450 B.C. Daniel said it took 7 weeks (49 years) for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and for Solomon to rebuild the temple (around 400 B.C.). Then came a period of 62 weeks (434 years) where Israel was able to worship in its temple until an anointed one (Jesus) was cut off, after which the entire city of Jerusalem including its temple was completely destroyed by the Roman army. So far, that is a total of only 69 weeks. There is still one week remaining, marked by the arrival of the Antichrist. There will be a 7 year period of tribulation. Halfway into this week is when the desolating sacrilege is to take place. If the temple is blown up soon, that could mean the Antichrist is already among us.

In 1:20, Jesus tells John the seven stars He is holding are the angels of the seven churches, and the 7 lampstands are the 7 churches. Jesus then dictates letters to each of the 7 churches for John to write. Each letter gives warnings and ends with "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." In other words, it is up to us to listen. John was told in 22:10 not to hide these words, and if people won't listen, leave them alone.

An interesting sidelight: Are angels superior to men? Read 19:10 and 22:9. It suggests maybe there is no difference between angels and saints. In 4:5 the churches are no longer on earth, but have been taken up into heaven. How this happened is explained in 1Cor 15:51, 1Thes 4:17, and Matt 24:40. This event is called The Rapture, and this is what happens in the movie Left Behind. Good people are to be spared this period of terrible tribulation by being taken to heaven before they die. The number of people taken like this is 144,000 as stated in 7:4 and in 14:1. Those who say that number is a limit on how many can fit into heaven (Jehovah's Witnesses?) are wrong. 7:9 says the number is limitless and includes those who chose peace (palm branches) during the period of tribulation.

The tribulation is described by a scroll sealed with 7 seals (chapter 5). It is so terrible that, at first, nobody in heaven or on earth was worthy to open it. This caused John to weep, but Jesus then came forward and opened the first seal at the beginning of Chapter 6.

The first 4 seals brought forth the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. The white horse brought a king who thought of nothing but conquest. The red horse took away peace from the earth and caused men to slay one another. The black horse upset world economies. The pale horse caused famine and pestilence. When the 5th seal was opened, the martyrs cried for revenge, but were told to wait until everything else had taken place (6:11, 7:17).

The 6th seal seems to describe the mushroom clouds of nuclear explosions..."the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up...". The last seal was filled with suspense. Would this finally be the end of it all? After a long silence, it was determined that the prayers of the saints were not enough, and this rejection resulted in more violence on earth (8:5), and 7 angels were each given a trumpet to blow one at a time.

The first trumpet brought hail, fire, and blood to earth, and one-third of the earth was burned up. The 2nd trumpet brought a large meteor which hit the seas, killing one-third of all sea creatures and destroying one-third of all ships. The 3rd trumpet brought a blazing star (a missile?) which was called Wormwood, and it poisoned our water supplies (chemical or biological warfare?). The 4th trumpet brought darkness, and if all this wasn't bad enough, a flying eagle cried woe to those on earth for each of the last 3 trumpets yet to come. At the 5th trumpet (chapter 9), the gates of hell are opened, and strange "locusts" came forth, but John's description of the locusts (9:7) suggests he might have been looking at futuristic army helicopters and tanks.

At the 6th trumpet, 4 angels are freed from being bound at the river Euphrates in the Middle East. Their mission is to kill one-third of mankind. An army of 200 million arrives. Is it a coincidence that the Red Chinese boast that the size of their army is 200 million? At this point, a mighty angel came down from heaven (Chapter 10) and announced the 7 thunders, but John was not allowed to write down what happened with the 7 thunders. The angel then said there should be no more delay for the 7th trumpet to fulfill the mystery of God.

Perhaps this is when The Rapture takes place, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52). Once again the first half of the 7-year period of tribulation is described as 42 months during which 2 of God's special messengers prophesy and work wonders, but then are killed by the devil, and then raised up to heaven. In 11:19 the temple and the ark of the covenant are already in heaven. In 14:14-16 the Rapture is completed. Chapter 12 seems to be a flashback about the devil's encounters with Mary and Michael the Archangel. The good news is that Michael defeated Satan and cast him out of heaven. The bad news is that Satan was cast down to earth to carry out the tribulation. 13:2 tells us that Satan is not the antichrist, but gives his power to the antichrist, who is described as a beast with several heads, several horn, and diadems, who will take control for 42 months (2nd half of the 7 year tribulation). The horns, heads, and diadems may represent a union of countries over which the antichrist takes control. The antichrist can be identified as someone who was once mortally wounded (13:3, 13:12, 17:8) but comes back again. The beast also has a number associated with it, and that number is 666 (13:18). People will not be able to buy and sell unless they have this mark on their right hand or forehead (13:16), but those who accept this mark will be punished by God (14:9).

I have heard it said that the symbol of Israel, the 6-pointed star, fits these descriptions (6 points, 6 triangles, and a hexagon), and Israel was mortally wounded and came back. Perhaps God is not happy that Israel never recognized Jesus as His Son. On the other hand, God did promise never to abandon His people. After the Rapture, those remaining on earth are subjected to a bloody slaughter, similar to a winepress (14:19).

Chapter 15 describes the final punishments in the form of 7 plagues, each in a bowl. Nobody else can get to heaven until these 7 plagues were ended (15:8). Chapter 16 tells what each of the bowls are to affect. The 6th bowl names the place where the final major battle is to take place, the battle to end all battles. It is an area of Israel called Armageddon (16:16). Participants in this battle are described in chapters 17 & 18, east vs. west, represented figuratively by Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Rome (the city with 7 hills, 17:9). When the 7th and last bowl was poured there was a great earthquake and hailstones so huge that men cursed God because of this. So there were no winners in the battle of Armageddon. Both are destroyed. Babylon has fallen twice, once in Biblical times and once more at the end times (18:2). The final results of the battle are summarized in 19:20 thru chapter 20. Satan is thrown into hell for a thousand years and then is let loose again, causes more trouble all over again, and once again is thrown into hell.

There is also mention of the first resurrection and second death. On judgment day, you must get your name entered into the book of life, or else you will suffer the 2nd death, which is to be cast into hell along with Satan. Chapter 21 describes how God makes all things new. John is overcome and tries to worship the messenger-angel (22:8), who tells John only to worship God, because they are only fellow servants. A stern warning appears in 22:18 to make sure nobody changes the words of the book. Whoever does that will suffer the same plagues already described. In closing, God reminds us that he is the first and the last, the beginning and the end (21:6, 22:13, 1:8), and that He is coming soon (22:20). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!