S T O R I E S F R O M M Y H E A D
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the writings of R.B. BANFIELD
All Bible quotes are literal translations by the author.
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Copyright © R.B. Banfield, 2019, 2022
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Except for personal reference or book review, no other part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
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Contents
PART THREE: THE GOSPEL & THE ENEMY
The Throne in Heaven: Revelation 4:1-3
Twenty-Four Elders: Revelation 4:4-5
Four Living Creatures: Revelation 4:6-11
Scroll of Judgement: Revelation 5:1
Messiah as a Lion: Revelation 5:2-5
Messiah as a Lamb: Revelation 5:6-7
By Your Blood: Revelation 5:8-10
Praise to the Lamb: Revelation 5:11-14
Messiah as a Boy: Revelation 12:1-6
Second and Fourth Seal & First Beast: Revelation 6:3-4, 7-8; 12:18-13:8
First Seal and Third Seal & Second Beast: Revelation 6:1-2, 5-6; 13:11-17
The Name Below All Names: Revelation 13:18
Fifth Seal: Revelation 6:9-11; 13:9-10
Victory at Calvary: Revelation 6:12-17; 12:7-17
PART THREE
THE GOSPEL & THE ENEMY
THE THRONE IN HEAVEN
Revelation 4:1-3
(4:1) After these things I saw, and lo, a door having been opened in the sky. The first voice I heard was like a trumpet speaking to me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this!” (4:2) And at once I was in the spirit. And lo, a throne was set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne. (4:3) And he sitting had the appearance of a jasper and sardine stone; and a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald was around the throne.
You, LORD, remain forever, your throne from generation to generation.
Lamentations 5:19
John was taken away to see Heaven, but it was probably only as a visionary experience, although he may have actually been bodily transported. For want of a better description, he sees the Heavenly Throne Room (“room” being a poor phrase, since it is probably more like a great expanse). This glorious place was seen by Daniel, and likely also by Paul, who was reluctant to discuss it.
To boast is, indeed, not helpful to me; for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows), such a one was snatched away to the third heaven. And I know such a person (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows), that he was snatched away into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a person is not permitted to speak.
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
We seem to be safe in assuming that this heavenly visit was Paul’s very own, and that he was being humble by saying it was “a man he once knew.” Paul said that he saw Paradise, and that there were no words that could be used to describe what he experienced. It was unclear exactly what Paul meant by “third heaven,” but it appears that he meant a place that was above the sky and the stars, which would be the place where God dwells.
Paul used the phrase “visions and revelations of the Lord,” which was an accurate description of what John saw. Was it possible that Paul had the same kind of visions as John, and that maybe he was told to not report it in a book? That would explain how Paul knew so much about the future and the End Times, and he explained it in detail to the Thessalonian Christians. He said that God “resides in inaccessible light” (1 Timothy 6:16). He knew about the coming of the Antichrist and what he would do, and the Apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12), and the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), and “the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
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Daniel was shown a very similar scene:
I watched until thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, with fiery burning wheels. A fiery stream shot out before him. A thousand thousand ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated and the books were opened.
Daniel 7:9-10
“White as snow” was also used in Matthew 28:3 to describe an angel, but the term “Ancient of Days” was not used anywhere else in the Bible outside of Daniel.
TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS
Revelation 4:4-5
(4:4) And twenty-four thrones were all around the throne, and I saw twenty-four elders sitting on the thrones, having been arrayed in white clothes, and on their heads they had golden wreaths. (4:5) And from the throne came forth flashes of lightning, sounds, and peals of thunder. In front of the throne seven lamps of fire are burning, which are the seven spirits of God.
And it happened, on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
Exodus 19:16
This vision showed the angelic worship in heaven. They threw down what was honourably given to them, their wreaths, showing they had no regard over themselves when worshipping the Lord.
One of the greatest mysteries in Revelation is the identity of these twenty-four elders sitting on the thrones.(55) Are they human beings, or are the angelic beings? The elders mentioned by Isaiah were thought to mean the elders of Jerusalem, but they may also mean these same Twenty-four Elders of Heaven: “The LORD of Armies will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and gloriously before his elders” (Isaiah 24:23b).
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The King James Version had a mistranslation of “us” instead of “them” in Revelation 5:10 (“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”), and this has caused confusion. If they said “us,” then the Elders would have been part of the salvation plan for all humanity, but if they said “them,” then the Elders would be outside the salvation plan and thus would be angels.
Some teachers have equated the Twenty-four Elders as famous biblical figures. Are they the Twelve Patriarchs from the Old Testament, plus the Twelve Apostles? Was John looking at himself? Nothing else in this scene represented the earth or the world we inhabit, so why should they be human beings? It probably makes more sense to assume that they were a part of Heaven’s angelic hierarchy.
There is, however, one good argument in favour of the Twenty-four Elders being human beings, in that John saw them singing. Remarkably, angels were never described in the Bible as singing; they only shouted out.(56) The 144,000 sang in Revelation 14:3, the Martyrs sang in 15:3, and the Twenty-four Elders sang in 5:9. If the Elders were angelic beings of Heaven, then this was the only place in the Bible where such beings sing.
It is not unreasonable to conclude the possibility that most (if not all) angels cannot sing. A possible reason that only human beings have been gifted with the ability to sing by God is because only he sings in Heaven. This verse describes that beautifully: “The LORD your God is in your midst, the Mighty One will save. He will rejoice with gladness over you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Footnote
55. The various schools of interpretation seem to assign the elders to whatever fits their teaching, either with historic people from the Bible, or representing the entire Jewish priestly order, or even the Raptured Church.
56. Even when a multitude of angels arrived to herald the birth of Christ, they did not sing, they said “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth, delight for people” (Luke 2:13).
FOUR LIVING CREATURES
Revelation 4:6-11
(4:6) And in the presence of the throne was a glass sea, similar to crystal. And in the midst of the throne, all around the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. (4:7) And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a calf, and the third living creature having a face like a person, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. (4:8) And each one of the four living creatures had six wings, full of eyes all around and within. Day and night they do not rest, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, LORD God, the Almighty, the one who was and who is and who is to come.”
(4:9) And when the living creatures give glory and honour and giving of thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one living forever and ever, (4:10) the twenty-four elders fall down in the presence of the one sitting on the throne. And they prostrate themselves in homage to the one living forever and ever, and will throw their wreaths in the presence of the throne, saying, (4:11) “You are deserving, LORD, to receive glory and honour and ability; because you created all things, and because of your will they exist and were created.”
For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises wisely. God reigns over the Gentiles. God sits on his holy throne.
Psalm 47:7-8
The Greek word for “living creatures” is a plural of the word Zoe, which means Life, so it literally means “the livings.” The King James Version mistranslated them as “beasts,” which is too similar to the Beasts of chapter 13. They are angelic beings. Isaiah saw the same, also with six wings:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim with six wings. Each one had six wings, with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Armies! The earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah 6:1-3
Isaiah used the word Seraphim, and no one is certain what it means, so it is always left untranslated. The word is plural for Seraph, which means “to burn,” and is similar to Sarap, used in Isaiah 14:29 for what is usually translated as “fiery serpent.” Probably the best way to translate Seraphim is “fiery beings.”
Very little is known about the angels. They do not marry (Matthew 22:30), which probably means that they are neither male nor female. They act as our guardians (Matthew 18:10), and they can be sent to comfort us (Matthew 4:11; Hebrews 1:14; 13:2). Paul made an interesting comment that he did not further explain: “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3).
FOUR FLYING BEINGS
Ezekiel also saw four “living creatures” in the remarkable vision at the beginning of his book, but he saw that each had four wings, not six. He used a form of the Hebrew word Chay, which could, again, be literally translated as “the livings.”
The following is how the above passage Revelation 4:6b-8a looks if the term “living creatures,” which gives it an archaic feel, is instead rendered as “beings,” to give it a more modern approach.
And in the midst of the throne, all around the throne, were four Beings, full of eyes in front and behind. And the first Being was like a lion, and the second Being was like a calf, and the third Being having a face like a person, and the fourth Being was like a flying eagle. And each one of the four Beings had six wings, full of eyes all around and within.
The phrase “full of eyes all around and within” probably only means that they could see all around, and that they were self-aware.
The way that John worded this scene, that the four beings were in the midst of the throne and were all around the throne, may mean that they were the actual throne itself. Daniel said that the “wheels of the throne were ablaze” (Daniel 7:9). Since when do thrones have wheels? Was Daniel describing a mechanism that rotated? The beings were also seen by Ezekiel, on two separate occasions, and he also noted the wheels.
Each one seen by Ezekiel had four faces at the same time, but John said that each of the four had the one face. What is interesting is that they both described the same faces. So similar was Ezekiel’s vision to this scene described by John, that it is worth examining in full. In his vision, Ezekiel saw much of what is found in Revelation chapter 4: the Four Living Creatures, the Throne, the Glory of the Lord, and he was then told to preach (Ezekiel 2:1-8), and he was given a sweet scroll to eat that made him bitter (Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, 14).
In the following passage, what is usually translated as Spirit, Living Creatures, and Covered In Eyes, is instead translated as Wind, Beings, and, See Everywhere.
And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind storm was coming out of the north, a great cloud, and with raging fire engulfing it all around, and radiating out of the midst, like the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. And from within it came the likeness of four beings. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. And each one had four faces, and to each one had four wings. And their legs were straight feet, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet, and they flashed like the colour of burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under their wings, on their four sides, and the four had faces and wings. Their wings touched one to another. They did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward. And as for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man, and the four had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle; thus were their faces.
Ezekiel 1:4-11a
The four faces were the same as the four described by John. They had the face of “a man,” and since man is made in God’s image, their faces resembled the face of God. Their shining feet were much like the vision of the Son of Man (1:13) and the Strong Angel (10:1). Ezekiel saw four wings, but he later noted that two of their wings covered their bodies. We can presume that if they had six wings as seen by Isaiah and John, then their other wings may have also been covered when Ezekiel saw them.
And the wings of each one stretched upward; two touched one another and two covered their bodies. And each one went straight across as they faced, went wherever they wanted, as the wind they went, and they did not turn when they went. And as for the likeness of the beings, their appearance like coals of burning fire, was like the appearance of torches, going back and forth. And bright fire was among the beings, and out of the fire went lightning. And the beings ran back and forth, like in appearance of a lightning flash.
Ezekiel 1:11b-14
The throne seen by John was exactly the same as what was seen by Ezekiel. From the throne came forth flashes of lightning, sounds, and peals of thunder (4:5), “bright fire was among the beings, and out of the fire went lightning” (Ezekiel 1:13). Also stated by Daniel was, “His throne was a fiery flame, with fiery burning wheels. A fiery stream shot out before him” (Daniel 7:9b-10a).
Ezekiel saw that the angels were in flight and travelled very quickly, probably over his head as he watched them. John saw them as stationary before the throne, but that does not mean the throne of Revelation cannot move the same way as what Ezekiel saw.
And as I looked at the beings, and behold, beside each being with its four faces was a wheel on the earth. The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the colour of beryl, and all four had the one likeness. And the appearance and their workings was like a wheel inside a wheel. When they moved toward any of the four directions they did not turn aside when they went. And as for their defences, they were so high, and were fearsome, and their defences could see all around the four of them. And where the beings went, the wheels beside them went, and when the beings were lifted up, the wheels were lifted up from the earth. Wherever, anywhere, the wind wanted to go, they went, because the wind went there, and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the wind of the beings was in the wheels. When those went, these went, and when those stood, these stood, and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the wind of the beings was in the wheels.
And above the heads of the beings was the likeness of an expanse, like the colour of ice, fearsome, stretched out over and above their heads. And under the expanse their wings spread straight out; each had two covering them and each had two covering their bodies. And I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, the voice of roaring when they went, like the noise of an army, and when they stood still they let down their wings. And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads, when they stood and let down their wings. And above the expanse over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone. And high above it, on the likeness of a throne, was the likeness with an appearance of a man. And I saw, like the colour of amber, with the appearance of fire within it, all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward, and from the appearance of his waist and downward, I saw like the appearance of fire, and with brightness all around; like the appearance of a rainbow on a rainy day, was the appearance of the brightness all around it, that was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard a voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel 1:15-28
The same “expanse” was seen by John: In the presence of the throne was a glass sea, similar to crystal (4:6), and “I saw what was like a glass sea having been mixed with fire” (15:2). Again, what Ezekiel saw was: “above the expanse over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone” (Ezekiel 1:26).
SCROLL OF JUDGEMENT
Revelation 5:1
(5:1) And I saw in the right hand of the one sitting on the throne a scroll having been written inside and on the back, having been sealed up with seven seals.(57)
And I turned and raised my eyes and saw, and there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”
And he said to me, “This is the oath that goes out over the face of all the earth, for every thief, according to the scroll, shall be expelled, and every perjurer, according to this, shall be expelled. I will send it out,” says the LORD of Armies, “and it will enter into the house of the thief and the house of one who swears by my name falsely, and it will remain inside his house and consume it, and its timber and stones.”
Zechariah 5:1-4
It seems likely that there are many books in Heaven, but only one is revealed to us. Great importance is placed on the Book of Life, but there is surprisingly little about it in the Bible. It was only mentioned once in the Old Testament, in Psalm 69: “Add iniquity to their iniquity, and do not let them come into your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the Book of the Living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:27-28). Outside of Revelation, where it was used six times (3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27), the only other place was in Philippians 4:3: “And I ask you also, legitimate colleague, help those who contended along with me in the good news, and with Clement, and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.”
The scroll seen by John was a very different book from the Book of Life. It concerns the salvation of the world, together with the judgement that will come on the world that rejects that Gospel. The Gospel message is as much about salvation and personal closeness to the Father through the Son, as it is about judgement to the world that rejects him.
And Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgement, that the ones not seeing may see, and those seeing may become blind.”
John 9:39
“Judgement is now of this world. The ruler of this world will now be ejected. And if I be elevated from the earth, I will draw all to myself.” And he said this in indicating by what kind of death he was about to die.
John 12:31-33
“. . . about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
John 16:11
Footnote
57. Historicists see the scroll as describing events future to the time of John. Futurists see it as judgment against the world during seven years. Idealists somehow see the scroll as the “redemptive plan of God,” or even the Lamb’s Book of Life. Preterists see the scroll as judgment against Jerusalem.
MESSIAH AS A LION
Revelation 5:2-5
(5:2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is deserving to open up the book and break its seals?” (5:3) And no one in the heaven or on the earth or beneath the earth was able to open up the book or look into it. (5:4) And I wailed much, because no one was found who was deserving to open up the book or look into it.
(5:5) And one of the elders says to me, “Do not wail. Lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has subdued, to open up the book and break its seals!”
“Judah is a cub of a lion. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion who will rouse him? Nor will the sceptre depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until that comes from Shiloh, and the obedience of the people will be to him. Binding his donkey to the vine, and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”
Genesis 49:9-11
John saw the Messiah as a great Lion of the tribe of Judah; a majestic conqueror and triumphant king. The Jewish people rightly viewed their promised Messiah as the only one who could save them from the world. What they got wrong was the scope of how much he would save them. It was commonly thought, and they had no reason to doubt, that the Messiah would rescue the people from the Roman invaders and establish the promised Kingdom. The reality was that he rescued them from themselves, that the great enemy of humanity is sin and death, and the resulting absence from God. Messiah became the covering for sin, and introduced the world to God as our Father.
Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, through adoption into the family of Joseph of Nazareth. The two genealogies (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:21-37) detailed his family heritage back to the family of King David (the Root of David) and the tribe of Judah, and therefore his legal right to the throne. Although it looks on the surface to be a contradiction that the two genealogies are very different from each other, there is a very simple explanation. Matthew listed the line of the royal succession of kings, and drew through Solomon (Matthew 1:6). Luke tracked back through what appears to be mostly father-and-son links, and went back to another of David’s sons, Nathan (Luke 3:31).(58)
Isaiah prophesied the Messiah as the Root of Jesse, who was the father of David:
And there will come forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will grow. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. And his delight is in the fear of the LORD, and he will judge not by the sight of his eyes, nor decide by the hearing of his ears, but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. And righteousness will be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.
Isaiah 11:1-5
Footnote
58. About half-way through each list there are two identical sets of names, Shealtiel and Zerubbabel, both of whom are mentioned in 1 Chr 3:17-20, who lived in the 6th Century BC. The Greek word Huios does not strictly mean son, but also descendant. It is clear that Luke was using a more accurate system than Matthew. There is no basis for the common cop-out explanation that Luke’s list is Mary’s ancestry, and it makes no sense the more one studies the two lists. It is fair to say that anyone who pushes the Mary angle knows little about the lists, or the genealogy as recorded in the Old Testament.
MESSIAH AS A LAMB
Revelation 5:6-7
(5:6) And I saw, and lo, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a young lamb standing, as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God having been delegated into all the earth. (5:7) And he went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one sitting on the throne.
. . . with the costly blood of Christ, as of a faultless and unblemished lamb.
1 Peter 1:19
I was watching in the night vision, and behold, with clouds of heaven came one like a Son of Man, coming to the Ancient of Days. He went before him and they brought him near.
Daniel 7:13
The image of the Messiah as a Lamb is central to Christianity. Although this great truth was hidden by God for centuries, the ritual of killing a lamb to atone for the sins of the Jewish people was a prophecy of the work of the Messiah of atoning for the sins of the entire world, both Jews and Gentiles.
We all have gone astray like sheep, everyone turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, and yet he did not open his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before its shearers, so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:6-7
The next day John sees Jesus coming toward him, and says, “Lo! The Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29
For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.
1 Corinthians 5:7b
The Last Supper was the Apostle’s private Passover. Jesus was their lamb but they did not know it. The Passover ritual remembered the story of the Israelites escaping from Egypt (Exodus 12:1-11), which was a picture of the Redeemed of the Lord escaping from the sin and death of the world.
The typical age of a Passover lamb was usually between six and eight weeks, but according to Exodus 22:30 and Leviticus 22:27, it was to be at least 8 days old. The Greek word used by John for Lamb was Arnion, which originally meant “young lamb.” In the Gospels, the believers were often compared to lost sheep that Jesus came into this world to save. “And going out, Jesus saw a great crowd and felt sympathy for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). And yet, he made himself the lesser of all of us, the youngest of lambs.
BY YOUR BLOOD
Revelation 5:8-10
(5:8) And when he took the book the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down in the presence of the young lamb; each one having harps and golden bowls full of incenses, which are the prayers of the holy-ones. (5:9) And they sing a brand-new song, saying, “You are deserving to take the book and open up its seals, because you were slain and have brought for God by your blood those out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, (5:10) and have made them kings and priests to our God, and they will rule over the earth.”
And dominion was given to him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages, should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:14
The Blood Sacrifice of the Messiah was a mystery hidden from the world, even during the Crucifixion itself, and immediately afterwards. The Messiah was sent to the world to save it from sin and introduce us to God as our Father, by becoming a sacrificial offering for everyone’s sins. Whereas, under the Law of Moses, the blood of an animal covered sins for a temporary time, the Messiah’s blood covers everyone for the rest of time. “And according to the law almost all things are cleansed by blood, and there comes no remission apart from shedding of blood” (Hebrews 9:22).
PRAISE TO THE LAMB
Revelation 5:11-14
(5:11) And I saw and heard the sound of many angels all around the throne, and of the living creatures and of the elders, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, (5:12) saying with a loud voice, “The young lamb is deserving, having been slain, to receive the ability and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing!”
(5:13) And I heard every creature which is in the sky and the earth and beneath the earth, and all the things in the sea, and all the things that are in them, saying, “To the one sitting on the throne and to the young lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and power forever and ever!”
(5:14) And the four living creatures said, “Amen!”
And the elders fell down and prostrated themselves in homage.
Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever, and your name is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Nehemiah 9:5b
All of creation knows its Creator. The Lord said that if there was no praise given to him, then the stones would cry out praise.
And as he was coming near, already at the descent of the Mountain of Olives, all the multitude of the disciples began being cheerful, to praise God with a loud voice about all the works of power they saw, saying, “Blessed is the coming-one, the king, in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And from the crowd, some of the Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
And answering, he said to them, “I say to you, that if these should be silent, the stones will cry out!”
Luke 19:38-40
Following the Parallel system of interpretation, we now need to look at chapter 12 and how it matches with chapter 5. To add to possible confusion for the reader, chapter 12 itself contains its own parallels:
1) 12:4a ∥ 12:7-9
2) 12:4b-5 ∥ 12:15-17
3) 12:6 ∥ 12:13-14
MESSIAH AS A BOY
Revelation 12:1-6
(12:1) And a great sign was seen in the sky, a woman having been clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a wreath of twelve stars. (12:2) And being pregnant, she cries out, being in travail and having been tortured to give birth. (12:3) And another sign was seen in the sky, and lo, a great fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and with seven royal crowns on his heads; (12:4) and his tail draws a third of the stars of the sky, and he throws them to the earth. And the dragon stood in the presence of the woman being about to give birth, that when she gives birth he may devour the child. (12:5) And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is about to tend as a shepherd to all the Gentiles with an iron sceptre. And her child was snatched away to God and his throne. (12:6) And the woman escaped into the desert, where she has a place having been prepared for her by God, that there they might provide for her for 1,260 days.(59)
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder.
Isaiah 9:6a
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and columns of smoke.
Joel 2:30
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul will be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly turban, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10
Therefore he will abandon them until the time when she is in labour has given birth.
Micah 5:3a
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear him, and rescues them.
Psalm 34:7
Paralleling the visions of the Messiah as a Lion and a Lamb, chapter 12 depicted him as the son of a persecuted woman, who will then shepherd all the Gentiles. The woman’s sun-bright clothes resembled the clean wedding dress of the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-8). She had the moon beneath her feet, which shows the spiritual authority granted to her by God, also shown by the wreath (crown) of twelve stars.
This was similar to one of Joseph’s dreams: “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me’” (Genesis 37:9). The answer to Joseph’s dream was that his father was the sun, his mother was the moon, and his eleven brothers were stars, all bowing to him. The Revelation vision had important differences. There were twelve stars, not eleven, meaning that Joseph’s tribe has joined with his brothers’, to represent the Twelve Tribes. Joseph saw the sun bowing to him, but the sun in Revelation was what dressed the Woman. The clothes of the sun shows that she is redeemed by the Lord.
The point of the vision was to show that the Messiah came from the Redeemed of Israel. Throughout history, God has kept his people apart from the world. These were people who followed God’s Spirit, and who were protected from religious fakery and deception, whether they knew it or not. They were sanctified by God to be his chosen people, and to do his will. They cannot be counted by men, or named as part of any group, since only God knows his true people. They were people like Mary and Joseph, and Elizabeth and Zechariah. Like the old man Simeon who prophesied over the baby Jesus (Luke 2:25-35), and the old widow Anna (Luke 2:36-38). The Lord always has his people, even when it seems that there are none. When Elijah thought that he was the only loyal man left, the Lord told him, “I have reserved in Israel 7,000 whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).
This vision of the Woman was connected to the story found in Genesis 3:1-24 of Adam and Eve, and the Tree of Life, and Eve’s deception at the hands of the Devil who was in the disguise of a snake. This was when Man fell away from God’s sight, and was banished from the Garden. But there was hope given in the prophecy, that an Offspring of the Woman will destroy the Devil. This is known as the First Gospel, which was the very first mention of a coming Messiah.
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15
The Devil was told that he may “strike his heel,” which was a reference to the Crucifixion and the Messiah’s temporary time in death. In return, the Messiah will “strike your head,” which meant the destruction of the Devil, as described in Revelation 20:10. In Revelation 12 we see the Dragon (the Devil) wanting to kill the Woman’s child, because the child will rule the world. In Revelation 5 we see the sacrificial Lamb taking the Scroll of Judgement, which is all part of the Devil’s head being crushed, to destroy with him those who follow him, angel and human alike.
The following segments juggle the order of the visions to show how they parallel each other. Students of Revelation may find it jarring to not follow the chronological order, but that is part of the “Western” mindset of seeking an understanding by following line-by-line, verse-by-verse, rather than reading the entire vision and then comparing similarities with other visions.
The First Seal (6:1-2) and the Third Seal (6:5-6) are both paralleled with the Second Beast (13:11-18). The First Beast (12:18-13:8) parallels with the Second Seal (6:3-4) and the Fourth Seal (6:7-8). But before that, it is important to look at what was described by John, notably the Four Winds.
Footnote
59. On a basic level, the 12th chapter is not difficult to interpret, that the enemy of God opposes the righteous and the Messiah. Historicists see the Woman as the True Church, the Child as the children of the True Church, and the Dragon as Imperial Rome, which places it in the distant past from modern times. Futurists and Idealists are similar with their interpretations, that the Woman is Israel, the Child is Christ, and the Dragon is Satan. Futurists see the 1,260 days as the last half of the last seven years. Preterists see the Dragon as representing the four beasts in Daniel, which are world empires, and so that becomes the Roman Empire.
THE FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN
“Daniel spoke, saying, I was looking and saw in my night vision, and behold four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea” (Daniel 7:2). As with the Greek word, the Hebrew word for Wind (Ruach) also means Spirit. The term Four Winds is found throughout the Bible, and at first glance it appears that it does not really mean anything, the same as the “ends of the earth,” or “the four corners of the world.” But if we look at Zechariah, we find that it is more than a nice phrase.
The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses, the third chariot white horses, the fourth chariot dappled horses; all strong.
And I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
The angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven, who go out from their standing before the Lord of all the earth.”
The one with the black horses is going to the north country, and the white are going after them, and the dappled are going to the south country. And the strong ones went out, eager to go, that they might go to and fro throughout the earth.
And he said, “Go to and fro throughout the earth,” so they went to and fro throughout the earth.
Zechariah 6:2-7
According to this prophecy, Zechariah saw the same as John; four horsemen with coloured horses leaving the presence of the Lord and travelling around the world. He saw one red, one black, one white, and one “dappled” (or “spotted,” and not in a good way).
The conclusion that must be reached is that the “horsemen” are spirits, or angels, who were sent out from Heaven to cause death to the world. It is possible that the white horseman was responsible for the rise of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-12), and the very first recorded war may have been the work of the red horseman (Genesis 14:1-4). It appears that these spirits have continually been in the world, causing conquerors to rise, wars to prevail, death and disease to spread; all as part of God’s judgement.
Several times in the Bible, angels who cause death and destruction have been sent out to kill.
And it happened, on a night that the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000. And when they woke early in the morning they beheld all the dead bodies.
2 Kings 19:35
One was seen by David, after he disobeyed God:
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel and seventy thousand men fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was destroying, the LORD looked, and he relented him of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough. Now relax your hand.”
And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD standing between the earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who sinned, and did evil. But these are sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, I pray, let your hand be against me and my father’s house, but not against your people, that they should be plagued.”
1 Chronicles 21:14-17
It was recorded in the New Testament that an avenging angel was sent to King Herod because of his blasphemy: “And at once an angel of the LORD struck him, because he did not give the glory to God. And becoming worm-eaten, he breathed his last” (Acts 12:23).
SECOND AND FOURTH SEAL & FIRST BEAST
Revelation 6:3-4, 7-8 ∥ 12:18-13:8
(6:3) And when he opened up the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see!” (6:4) And another horse, that was red, came out. And the one sitting on it was given for him to take peace from the earth, so that they would slaughter one another; and he was given a great knife.(60)
(6:7) And when he opened up the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!” (6:8) And I saw, and lo, a greenish(61) horse, and the name of the one sitting on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And authority over a fourth of the earth was given to them to kill with the sword and with famine and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
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(12:18) And I stood on the sand of the seashore. (13:1) And I saw a wild beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and ten royal crowns on its horns, and names of blasphemy on its heads. (13:2) And the wild beast which I saw, was similar to a leopard, and it had the feet of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave its power to it, and its throne and great authority. (13:3) And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, but the wound of its death was healed. And all the earth wondered after the wild beast, (13:4) and they prostrated themselves in homage to the dragon who gave authority to the wild beast. And prostrating themselves in homage to the wild beast, they say, “Who is similar to the wild beast? Who is able to make war with it?” (13:5) And a mouth was given to it speaking great things and blasphemies. And authority to act for forty-two months was given to it. (13:6) And it opened up its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme his name, and where he has his tent, and those encamped in heaven. (13:7) And it was given to it to make war with the holy-ones and to subdue them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. (13:8) And all those residing on the earth will prostrate themselves in homage to it, of whom the names are not written in the Book of Life of the young lamb, having been slain from the world’s founding.(62)
“One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
2 Chronicles 15:6-7
“I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will make you bereaved. Plague and blood will pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Ezekiel 5:17
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a knife!”
Matthew 10:34
“And you are about to hear of wars and rumours of wars. Take heed, do not be frightened, for all these things must happen, but the end is not yet.”
Matthew 24:6
Daniel saw the same Beast, but it was part of a group of four, and he called it a “great beast.”
Daniel spoke, saying, I was looking and saw in my night vision, and behold four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each one different. The first was like a lion, and had wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a heart of a man was given to it. And suddenly there was another beast, a second, like a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, and thus they said to it, “Arise, devour much flesh.” After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird on its back, and the beast four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this, I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong, and it had huge iron teeth. It was devouring and breaking in pieces, and trampling with its feet the residue. And it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
Daniel 7:2-7
Daniel’s first beast was “like a lion,” John saw a mouth like the mouth of a lion. His second looked “like a bear,” John’s had the feet of a bear. The third looked “like a leopard,” John’s was similar to a leopard. Both Daniel’s fourth beast and John’s First Beast had ten horns.
Daniel saw the emergence of “another horn,” that wanted to be a king, which should be understood to represent the spirit of Antichrist, that opposes God and operates through the popes, generation to generation. One of the titles of the pope, which is seldom revealed, is King of Vatican City. The Antichrist was seen by John, not as another horn, but as a mouth was given to it speaking great things and blasphemies. John also saw the Antichrist as a second beast (13:11-18).
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, and three of the first horns before it were plucked out by the roots. And in this horn there were eyes like eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Daniel 7:8
Following this, in Daniel’s vision, he saw the Throne Room and the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9-14), and afterwards he was “grieved in his spirit,” which is entirely understandable. Daniel was then told what it meant:
I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, within my body, and the visions troubled my mind. I went near to one of those who stood there, and asked the truth of him about all this, so he told me, and explained the interpretation, “These four great beasts are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and take possession of the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”
Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast which was different from the others, with its exceedingly dreadful teeth of iron, and its claws of bronze which devoured, and broke in pieces and trampled the residue with its feet. And the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and three fell before it, this horn which had eyes and a mouth, which spoke great things, whose appearance was greater than the others. I was watching the horn making war against the saints and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came and a judgement was made for the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
Thus he said, “The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom on earth, that will be different from all other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and trample it, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns from the kingdom are ten kings who will arise. And another will rise after them, and he will be different from the first, and will subdue three kings. And he will speak great things against the Most High, and will persecute the saints of the Most High, and will intend to change the times and laws, and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.”
Daniel 7:15-25
This was exactly the same as John’s First Beast that would dominate the earth and seek to destroy it. This was also the same as what John’s Red and Greenish Horsemen were sent to do (the second and the fourth, 6:3-4, 7-8), to bring war and death to the world.
An important addition to John’s vision is that he saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, but the wound of its death was healed. From this we can see that the First Beast will be recovered from something that should have killed it. Some people interpret this “healed death wound” as the Antichrist being killed and then returning to life so he can deceive the world. This teaching is misleading, since the First Beast is not portraying a man, but an entire empire.
It is an empire seemingly reborn from the ancient world. Daniel’s four beasts represented the Babylonian (the lion), the Medo-Persian (the bear), the Greek (the leopard), and then what must be the Roman (the dreadful, terrible, and strong). It was the Roman Empire that terrified Daniel, and was prophesied by John as still dominating the world up until the time of the Second Parousia. This must mean that the Roman Empire never really ended, and that it still exists today. It is now in a different form, and it has a different name, but it has the same spirit and the same need to dominate the world, and the same arrogance.
In simple terms, the modern First Beast is the New World Order, which was a name it gave itself. On 11 September 1990, when the United States of America was rallying other nations to join its illegal invasion of Iraq,(63) President George H.W. Bush first announced the term “New World Order” to the world. Before that moment the name had been kept secret, but from that time on it has become commonplace.
Does that make America the First Beast? It is not that simple. America is more the First Beast’s military arm. There presently exist three city-states in the world that operate with laws separate from their own countries. The three are Washington D.C. in America, the “Corporation of London” inside the city of London in the United Kingdom, and Vatican City State. This “revived” First Beast’s financial centre is London, that controls an incredible eighty percent of the world’s wealth. Its religious centre is the Vatican, that controls over one billion Catholics throughout the world. Its current war machine is the American government, that has nearly one thousand military bases in almost every country in the world, and many ongoing, illegal, and mostly secretive wars, under the ambiguous banner of the “War on Terror.” That exactly fulfils the prophecy of Daniel of a formidable empire that will “devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.” It also fulfils John’s prophecy that it would take peace from the earth, so that they would slaughter one another, and kill with the sword and with famine and with death.
Footnotes
60. Historicists see the Red Horse as representing the time of Roman civil wars, AD 192-284. Preterists also see it as civil wars, but the Jewish factions during the First Jewish War. Futurists see it as war during the last seven years, and some see the “great knife” (or “large sword”) as the power of the nuclear bomb. Idealists see it as representing all war in general, or the persecution of Christians.
61. Usually translated as Pale, but the Greek Chloros means a sickly greenish colour. This Horse is seen by Historicists as representing death throughout the Roman Empire from AD 248-268 (or AD 248-296). Preterists see it as death in Jerusalem during the siege of AD 70. Futurists see it as death during the last seven years. Idealists see it as general death throughout history.
62. Every interpretation sees the First Beast as the Roman Empire, but in their own ways. Historicists see the 42 Months as the years AD 533-1793 and the French Revolution. Futurists portray the First Beast as a revived form of the empire during the future Great Tribulation of seven years. Preterists see the First Beast as the empire of the 1st Century, and yet without any explanation about the “wound that healed.” The interpretation in this book holds that the Roman Empire never really ceased to exist, but rather that it changed its name, altered its language, moved its capitals, and remains in the same dominance today, in plain sight, right in front of our eyes.
63. Although America had not long before that conducted an illegal invasion of its own, into Panama, on December 20, 1989, killing at least 2,000 of the local population, which was not reported by America’s controlled media.
THE UNDYING ROMAN EMPIRE
It can be difficult to accept the idea that the Roman Empire exists in a modern form in the world today, so to prove it we need to look at history, and also to what is right in front of our eyes. First, exactly at what date did the Roman Empire receive the death wound and cease to exist? Most students of history are aware of the Sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Germanic King Alaric and his Visigoth barbarians. This event was not the end of the Roman Empire. At the time, Rome had not been the capital of the empire for over a century. Alaric took three days to loot the city, but then he left. Rome was again sacked by the Vandals in AD 455, and then by the Ostrogoths in AD 546. It was the Ostrogoths who completed the final blow to Rome, but this was only the end of the Western Empire. Governed from Constantinople, the Eastern Empire still remained very strong into the 6th Century.
In the 7th, 8th, and 9th Centuries, Constantinople survived numerous attacks from Islamic armies, and then in the 10th Century from the Bulgars (AD 924) and Prince Igor of Kiev (AD 941). The First Crusade was organised under the guise of Christianising Jerusalem, but it was really to defend Constantinople, in 1096. The Fourth Crusade saw Constantinople almost destroyed, but the Western Empire managed to survive. It was only when the Ottomans took the city, in 1453, did the Western Empire cease to exist. Historians later decided to call it the Byzantium Empire,(64) but never in its history did it call itself by that name; the people always considered themselves to be Romans.(65)
By the 15th Century the Eastern Empire had been back in existence for over six hundred years, calling itself the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne was crowned Roman Emperor on 25 December AD 800, by the blind and mute Pope Leo III. In AD 962 the German king Otto the Great formed a stronger empire than Charlemagne’s. After Otto, the title of Emperor became coveted by all the kings and princes of Europe, until the last, none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, who famously crowned himself in 1804.
It is worth noting that the emblem for the Holy Roman Empire, called the Reichsadler, was comprised of two black eagles with outstretched wings, over a yellow background, and it was first used by Charlemagne. The Roman army marched under the standard called Aquila, which was an eagle with outstretched wings. The standard was of high importance to the Roman legions, who always took from it their inspiration for battle, and it was seen as the greatest insult if it was captured by the enemy. It is no coincidence that the emblem of the United States of America is also an eagle.
Footnotes
64. Hieronymus Wolf coined the name Byzantinae in 1557, after the town of Byzantium that pre-dated Constantinople. So, someone decided, many years later, that the people who lived in Constantinople were not Romans who lived in the Roman Empire, as they called themselves for many generations, but Byzantines who lived in the Byzantine/Byzantium Empire. This would be like someone in, say, the year 2891 deciding that because New York was known as New Amsterdam before 1664, everyone who live there hundreds of years later should be called Amsterdamians who lived in the Amsterdamian Empire.
65. It made no difference to them that they spoke Greek and dressed Greek, since Greek was always the language of the common people throughout the entire history of the Roman Empire.
THE NEW ROMANS
In the early 19th Century the revived Roman Empire had moved in both spirit and thought to the American government. From that time until today, the USA has fought continual wars throughout the world, and sought to oppress nations through lies and manipulations, either with threats to trade, or threats of military invasion. The American people exist for the sole reason of supplying men (and recently women) to become soldiers in their endless wars, and the rest of the population exist to provide money to fund the war machine through their taxes. Few appear to be aware of their role in the world, through constant “bread and circuses,” and the mantra given to them from the cradle to the grave that they are the greatest nation in the history of the world.
If there is any doubt that the USA is indeed the revived Roman Empire, it is worth looking at the cultures of both. America calls itself a republic but it is really a plutocracy, a society controlled by wealthy elitists and families. Rome called itself a republic but it was a plutocracy controlled by its Patricians (the ruling class of families). The use of bribery was the easiest way to gain political power in Rome, and the American political system operates the same way, with candidates needing rich benefactors.
The American government passes laws through its Senate, and Rome passed its laws through its Senate. Every state in America named its government centre as Capitol, and the head of the American government sits on Capitol Hill, named after Capitoline Hill in Rome, which was home to the Temple of Jupiter. The head of the American government is one individual, the President, and the head of the Roman government was one individual, the Emperor (with the title of either Caesar or Augustus). The walls of the American Congress are adorned with the fasces, the ancient symbol for Roman law and justice. The fasces is also displayed on the seal of the American Senate. The symbol features a bundle of rods to mean unity, and the axe represents the use of lethal force as punishment. The word fasces was the origin of the word fascist, after Italian dictator Benito Mussolini adopted the symbol as his own.
Many people from outside America desire to become citizens, either illegally or legally, and the culture absorbs them. In the ancient world, a Roman citizen was held in very high esteem, and while they were constantly threatened by “barbarians” from all sides, such people frequently became citizens, and even loyally served in the army, and in a few cases even reached the role of emperor.
America was built by slave labour, and Rome was built by slave labour. America views the world as a place to take for itself wealth and resources, including women and children for “human trafficking.” Rome steadily increased its borders to gain the wealth and resources of other countries, and take the people as slaves, and leave the rest to pay taxes. The delusionary term “Pax Americana”, apparently meaning that the whole world will agree to live under the rule of Washington D.C., was modelled after Rome’s “Pax Romana”, the ideal of world peace under the control of Rome.
When Daniel was first told about this world-dominating empire, he was told, “And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay” (Daniel 2:43). A powerful nation filled with people who are never united, but are always bickering over one thing or another, perfectly describes the United States of America.(66)
Footnote
66. And yet, this is an oversimplification. The division of the people is far more than in the society of one country, but a prevailing problem throughout the empire at the end of its days. The statue divided into ten shows that what was once a united kingdom has become separated and weak as they fight against each other.
FIRST AND THIRD SEAL & SECOND BEAST
Revelation 6:1-2, 5-6 ∥ 13:11-17
(6:1) And I saw when the young lamb opened up one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice of thunder, “Come and see!” (6:2) And I looked, and lo, a white horse, and the one sitting on it having a bow. And a wreath was given to him, and he went out subduing, that he might subdue.(67)
(6:5) And when he opened up the third seal, I heard the voice of the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And I saw, and lo, a black horse, and the one sitting on it having a pair of scales in his hand. (6:6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius; and do not wrong the olive oil and the wine.”(68)
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(13:11) And I saw another wild beast, coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns similar to a young lamb but spoke like a dragon, (13:12) and it does the authority of the first wild beast in its presence. And it causes the earth and those residing in it that they should prostrate themselves in homage to the first wild beast, whose death wound was healed. (13:13) And it does great signs, that it even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. (13:14) And it leads astray those residing on the earth because of the signs which were given to it to do in the presence of the wild beast, telling those residing on the earth to make a likeness to the wild beast which has the knife wound and lived. (13:15) And it was given to it to give a spirit to the likeness of the wild beast, so that the likeness of the wild beast might speak and might cause those who would not prostrate themselves in homage to the likeness of the wild beast, that they be killed. (13:16) And it causes all, the small and the great, and the wealthy and the poor, and the freed-men and the slaves, that it may give to them an impression on their right hand or on their foreheads, (13:17) so that no one could buy or sell, except the one having the impression, or the name of the wild beast, or the number of its name.(69)
And a herald cried aloud, “It is commanded to you, peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time when you hear the sound of the horn flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you will fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.”
Daniel 3:4-5
And then the lawless-one will be unveiled (whom the Lord will consume by the spirit [breath] of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his advent), whose advent is according to the working of Satan, in all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and in all delusion of wrongfulness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for them to be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10
The First Seal’s White Horseman subdued the world, and the Third Seal’s Black Horseman oppressed the world economically. To fully understand this vision, it must be placed next to its parallel vision, the Second Beast. It had two horns similar to a young lamb but spoke like a dragon, meaning that it had the appearance of the Messiah but it spoke like the Devil. This is the Antichrist spirit that was manifest in the pope of Rome, most notably with the papacy of the murderous Innocent III, but also all throughout the ages with equally evil men who embraced this spirit, who hid behind a cloak of piety and godliness like devils in sheep’s clothing. Some of the most notable are described in the following paragraphs, but there were many more.(70) That their crimes are not common knowledge shows how successful the Roman Catholic Church has been in covering up the truth about its leaders for many centuries. While it can make for difficult reading, it is important to know what the papal throne represents.
In AD 955 a son of Alberic II, who was the ruler of Rome, became John XII.(71) He was only sixteen years old when he became pope, and he would last only until he was twenty-four, in AD 963, when he was killed by a man while in the act of raping that man’s wife. John XII was an utterly depraved monster, who would sexually force himself on anyone he wanted. It was said that he invented sins. Women were warned to keep away from the Lateran Palace. On one infamous occasion, he gave a toast to the Devil in front of the high altar. Every day the priests prayed for his death. One day, after stealing what he could, he fled to Tivoli, but Emperor Otto of Saxony forced him to return to Rome. He did so in due course, and then set about discovering which people were against him, and he had them either maimed or executed.
Benedict IX was both younger and worse than John XII. In 1032 Count Alberic wanted the papacy to stay in his family, and after paying all the needed bribes, found that he had no suitable candidates, except for his eleven-year-old son Theophylactus, who became Benedict IX. As in the case of John XII, Roman Catholic Church historians dispute their ages, and try to add on a few more years here and there, ignoring that the real problem was in their behaviour. To admit that Benedict IX had “extreme youth,” as the Roman Catholic Church has done, is admitting that yes, he was very young. And he was very evil. Although it is difficult to comprehend, by the time he reached the age of fourteen he “had surpassed the wickedness and extravagance” of those who had preceded him. He was described by contemporaries as, “that wretch, from the beginning of the pontificate to the end of his life, feasted on immorality,” and “a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest.” The people of Rome tried to kill him several times, and in 1046 he fled the city. While he was gone, a successor was chosen, Sylvester III. When he returned, Pope Sylvester III was excommunicated. In 1048 he decided to abdicate from the papacy, and retired to private life, to great celebrations in Rome.
Gregory IX, a relation of Innocent III, became pope in 1227, at the age of 84. He declared that the pope was, “the lord and master of the universe; all things as well as all people.” His main mission was in burning heretics, which he made official in his Bull of 1232. Any means was permitted, including the torturing of witnesses. He expressly forbade mercy. Corpses were dug up and put on trial. Even corpses that had been in the ground for forty years were brought to trial. When they were found guilty, as they all were, their family’s assets were seized by the Church.
When Dante wrote his famous Inferno in 1320, the man he was writing against was the monstrous Pope Boniface VIII. He was known as Magnanimus Peccator (the Great-Hearted Sinner). Dante called him the Black Beast, “who turned Peter’s burial place into a sewer.” A curial cardinal described him as, “All tongue and eyes; the rest of him rotten.” During the Jubilee of 1300, Boniface VIII sat on the papal throne, wearing a crown that he claimed belonged to Constantine, and brandishing a sword, saying, “I am Pontiff, I am Emperor.” This pope also proclaimed: “The breast of the Roman Pontiff is the repository and font of all law. This is why blind submission to his authority is essential to salvation. . . . Every human being must do as the pope tells him.”
The height of Boniface VIII’s delusion of power came in his famous Papal Bull of 1302, Unam Sanctam, which is believed to be the first to be addressed to the universal church. It said: “There is but one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation or remission of sins. We declare, announce, and define that it is altogether necessary for salvation for every creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” The outraged king of France, Philip the Fair, answered this Bull by sending his army to arrest the pope, killing anyone who got in their way. Boniface VIII was captured and put on trial, and he died alone not long after, locked inside the Lateran Palace.
Rodrigo Borgia became Alexander VI in 1492, and is well known for his corruption and depravity. Once he was pope, he became a drunkard and arranged constant sex orgies. Edward Gibbon called him, “The Tiberius of Christian Rome.” Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic faithful seem to accept who he was and what he did, and that his presence was some sort of temporary blip in an otherwise godly papal history. The truth is, Borgia was a product of the system; an evil man who did all he could to gain the papal throne because that was the goal for anyone wanting real power in the world; the same as many before him and many after him.
Of Alexander VI’s ten children, the vilest was Cesare, who enjoyed killing people with poison, and he was made a cardinal at the age of 18. The still-familiar portrayal of Jesus as a slightly gloomy yet handsome man with a trimmed and pointy beard, who looked nothing like a native of the Middle East, looked almost exactly like Cesare Borgia. Many believe that Cesare was used as the model for the portraits, and his father the pope then used his influence to spread the image far and wide.(72)
Julius II was famous for being the Warrior Pope, and he would lead his army out to war on his horse, decked out in battle armour, to protect the Papal States from the French. When he wasn’t out playing war, he was enjoying the high life. He knew nothing about religion, but everything about fine food and the arts, including recognising the talents of Michelangelo, and commissioning him to paint the Sistine Chapel. This pope liked to carry a stick with him, so he could hit anyone who annoyed him. At the time of his reign (1503-1513) the population of Rome was 50,000, and 7,000 of them were prostitutes. Syphilis was everywhere in the city, especially among the priests, and also Pope Julius II himself. He was so badly afflicted with syphilis that his feet could not be kissed.
Alessandro Farnese was known as the Petticoat Cardinal, and he became Paul III in 1534. He kept a roll of about 45,000 prostitutes who paid him a monthly tribute. Although he had a mistress, he was still in an incestuous relationship with his own daughter. In order to take control of the vast Farnese family inheritance, he poisoned several relatives, including his mother and his niece.
Julius III arrived on the papal throne in 1550 without any interest in religion or politics. His time was devoted to what he loved most; luxury, gambling, entertainments, male prostitutes, and small boys (one of whom was his illegitimate son). The very first cardinal he appointed, one Innocenzo del Monte, was a youth of 15, who had been a beggar on the streets of Parma, and he then became Julius III’s “chief diplomatic and political agent.”
Paul IV was a fierce man with a violent temper and a foul mouth. He would knock people down with his wild gestures, despite being a 79-year-old rheumatic when he came to power in 1555. A strict ascetic, he tried to enforce that lifestyle on others. He persecuted more Jews than any other pope, and initiated them being locked into their own “ghetto” in the Papal States. He also had homosexuals burned alive, and forbade any woman entry into the Vatican.
Nowadays, in this apparently modern and civilised world, every king and political leader still knows that they must rush to Rome and pay homage to the pope, giving gifts, and kissing the pope’s ring, showing loyalty and respect. This is more than political courtesy. The pope is the figurehead of the First Beast Empire, and to not show him the proper worship will signal the end of that leader’s political career, and probably also their life as well.(73)
Footnotes
67. Discovering the identity of the White Horse has been a major problem for Revelation students, simple because they spend too long looking for what is not there. The contrast of their answers is astounding, either identifying it as good or as evil. Historicists think that it represents Roman imperialism during the years AD 90-180, but if not, then it must be the Gospel. Some Futurists also say that the White Horse represents the Gospel, and that Christ is the rider, which is entirely out of context. Most Futurists see the Antichrist as the rider, spreading his corrupted version of the Gospel. Idealists are also split between identifying the White Horse as the preaching of the Gospel, or a universal sequence of conquest, famine, and war. Preterists see the Horse as representing war, and the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
68. Historicists see the Black Horse as the tax laws of the 3rd Century, especially by Caracalla, but the phrase “do not harm the oil and the wind” is seen as literally fulfilled in the laws passed by Diocletian and Galerius. Preterists see it as representing famine or food shortage when Jerusalem was besieged in AD 70. Futurists see it as famine and economic upheaval during the last seven years. Idealists see it as spiritual famine from God’s judgment throughout history.
69. The Mark of the Beast, which is, in the opinion of this author, a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. There cannot be any doubt, to anyone searching the latest technological advancements, particularly in the merchandise industry, that we are very close to being introduced to a mark, or an impression, or an actual barcode, on the skin or in the skin of the right hand, or on the forehead. This verse is widely known, but the follow-up verse is not, that all those who receive this will find that it causes cancerous tumours, which is exactly the case of what will happen when human skin is regularly exposed to barcode scanners or something similar. The literal fulfilment of the Mark of the Beast has long been discussed by Futurists. Idealists, however, see it as symbolic of people who follow the anti-Christian governmental system. Preterists ignore it.
70. Stephen VII (896-897) conducted the Cadaver Synod, when he had the body of his predecessor Formosus (891-896) dug up and put on trial for heresy. Sergius III (904-911) also had the body of Formosus dug up and put on trial, some seven years later. Innocent IV (1243-1254) described himself as Praesentia Corporalis Christi, the bodily presence of Christ. Baldassare Cossa became John XXIII (1410-1514) but his main work was in piracy and murder. Pius II (1458-1464) wrote an erotic novel which became one of the best-selling books of the 15th century. Sixtus IV (1471-1484), after whom the Sistine chapel is named, was the first pope to license the brothels of Rome, and also enforced a tax on all priests who had a mistress. Innocent VIII (1484-1492) actually acknowledged his children and stated: “Eight wicked boys born, and just as many girls, so this man could be entitled to be called Father of Rome.” In a time of much bribery and very short reigns, Sixtus V (1585-1590) faked weakness and illness only to get himself elected, and once he became pope he threw away his crutches and announced, “Now I am Caesar.” At the time of his reign it was no secret that Innocent X (1644-1655) was controlled by his mistress Donna Olympia Maidalchina. Gregory XVI (1831-1846) called freedom of worship, the press, assembly, and education “a filthy sewer full of heretical vomit,” and banned railways, since they were the “ways of the devil.”
71. Originally named Octavian, this is the pope who began the tradition of changing his name when elected.
72. How sad to know that many religious people looked to, and prayed to, such portraits thinking them to show Jesus, but it reality it was the depraved Cesare Borgia. No wonder the Jews were never permitted to show any depictions of God.
73. Identifying the Second Beast with the Papacy is somewhat controversial (and combining it with the White and Black Horsemen is unheard of). But what of the other interpretations, do they offer a better alternative? Historicists agree that it is the Papacy, and this was the main weapon used by the Reformation to separate themselves from the Vatican (although not fully, since they retained parts of Roman Catholicism). Idealists see the Second Beast as all false religion. Futurists are full of confusion with this, seeing the Second Beast as an individual man opposed to God, named False Prophet, who is not the Antichrist but who helps him. Apart from a vague reference in 19:20 (which refers to the Antichrist) there is nothing to prove this fantasy of a supporting player to the Antichrist. Preterists see the Second Beast as the cult of the Roman emperor Nero, or the governor of Judea, or even Israel itself. The Image of the Beast is conveniently seen by Preterists as being symbolic, since it cannot possibly be anything that existed in the 1st Century.
THE NAME BELOW ALL NAMES
Revelation 13:18
(13:18) Here is wisdom: The one having intellect, let him count the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of man, and its number is 666.
Let the one who is wise observe these things, and they will understand the mercies of the LORD.
Psalm 107:43
It is therefore more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfilment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names can be found possessing the number mentioned; and the same question will, after all, remain unsolved. For if there are many names found possessing this number, it will be asked which among them shall the coming man bear. It is not through a want of names containing the number of that name that I say this, but on account of the fear of God, and zeal for the truth: for the name Evanthas contains the required number, but I make no allegation regarding it. Then also Lateinos has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5, 30, 3
The Greek-speaking and Greek-writing Irenaeus said that the Antichrist could be a “Latin speaking man.” He derived that from his interpretation of 666 to mean “Latienos” (but what he meant by “Evanthas” is unknown). Latin was primarily the language of the Roman government and classical writers, but the written language for the common people was Greek. In case his point might be unclear, Irenaeus also stated that the “Latin’s” were “presently ruling,” which can only mean the Romans.(74)
Footnote
74. Historicists believe that Irenaeus was referring to the entire Roman Empire. Idealists spiritualise the 666 and point out that 777 is a perfect number (apparently) and 666 is “1 less” than that, whatever that means. Preterists say that the Hebrew version of the name Caesar Nero adds up to 666.
VICAR OF THE SON OF GOD
One of the oldest titles for the pope was “Vicar of the Son of God”, which was Vicarius Filii Dei in Latin. The following shows what this name calculates to, using the Roman system of substituting letters for numbers (V was substituted for U):
V (5), I (1), C (100), A (-), R (-), I (1), V (5, S (-), F (-), I (1), L (50), I (1), I (1), D( 500), E (-), I (1)
​
To put it another way, the name features the Roman numbers V, I, C, I, V, I, L, I, I, D, I, which is 5, 1, 100, 1, 5, 1, 50, 1, 1, 500, and 1. If we count the number of this name, we get 666.
​
This is strong evidence connecting the papacy with the Second Beast, and it has been known for hundreds of years. To counter this, the Roman Catholic Church used the weak argument of claiming that Vicarius Filii Dei had never been used as a title for the pope. Except that the name was used in the famous Donation of Constantine, which was a document used as the Roman Catholic Church’s ultimate authority for many years. Its first known use was in AD 778, when Pope Stephen III presented it to Pepin the Short in an effort to persuade him to use his army to protect Rome from the Lombards. The document was used as proof that Constantine gave to the Bishop of Rome rulership over his entire empire, especially the wealthy parts, such as the emperor’s palace. It was dated as 30 March AD 315.
DONATION OF CONSTANTINE (Latin)
Constantinus imperator quarta die sui baptismi privilegium Romanae ecclesiae Pontifici contulit, ut in toto orbe Romano sacerdotes ita hunc caput habeant, sicut iudices regem. In eo privilegio ita inter cetera legitur: Utile iudicavimus una cum omnibus satrapis nostris, et universo senatu optimatibusque meis, etiam et cuncto populo Romanae gloriae imperio subiacenti, ut sicut B. Petrus in terris vicarius Filii Dei esse videtur constitutus, ita et Pontifices, qui ipsius principis apostolorum gerunt vices, principatus potestatem amplius quam terrena imperialis nostrae serenitatis mansuetudo habere videtur, concessam a nobis nostroque imperio obtineant, eligentes nobis ipsum principem apostolorum vel eius vicarios firmos apud Deum esse patronos.
DONATION OF CONSTANTINE (English translation)
The Emperor Constantine the fourth day after his baptism conferred this privilege on the Pontiff of the Roman church, that in the whole Roman world priests should regard him as their head, as judges do the king. In this privilege among other things is this: We together with all our satraps, and the whole senate and my nobles, and also all the people subject to the government of glorious Rome considered it advisable, that as the Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of the Son of God on the earth, so the Pontiffs who are the representatives of that same chief of the apostles, should obtain from us and our empire the power of a supremacy greater than the clemency of our earthly imperial serenity is seen to have conceded to it, choosing that same chief of the apostles and his vicars to be our constant intercessors with God.
When it was miraculously found, the Donation of Constantine was of the utmost political importance in the Middle Ages. It happened to come to light at exactly the right time for the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. The document helped the Roman Catholic Church gain the land that would become known as the Papal States. It was later proven to be a particularly poor 8th Century forgery. Because of Roman dominance and misinformation, it took to the 15th Century to discover that is was, indeed, a forgery. What is important about the document is that the Pope was identified as Vicarius Filii Dei, the Vicar of the Son of God, or as we know now, Mr 666.
The Greek word Antichristos literally means “Take the Place of Christ.” The word Vicar means to substitute, or to take the place of. What has never been acknowledged by the Roman Catholic Church is that Christ has no need for any man to take his place. The Holy Spirit was sent for the specific purpose of taking his place until the Second Parousia (John 14:25-26). The pope has put himself in the place of the Holy Spirit. He has put himself in place of the Son. And by calling himself by the titles Most Blessed Father, Holy Father, Pope, and Papa, he has also taken the place of God the Father.
Christ is a king, so Antichrist is also a king. The Saviour was manifested as a lamb; so he too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf. . . . By the beast, then, coming up out of the earth, he means the kingdom of Antichrist. . . . and in speaking of the horns being like a lamb, he means that he will make himself like the Son of God, and set himself forward as king. And the terms, “he spoke like a dragon,” mean that he is a deceiver, and not truthful.
Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 6, 49 (c AD 220)
Nor let any one of you, beloved brethren, be so terrified by the fear of future persecution, or the coming of the threatening Antichrist, as not to be found armed for all things by the evangelical exhortations and precepts, and by the heavenly warnings. Antichrist is coming, but above him comes Christ also. The enemy goes about and rages, but immediately the Lord follows to avenge our sufferings and our wounds. The adversary is enraged and threatens, but there is One who can deliver us from his hands.
Cyprian, Epistle 55, 7a (c AD 251)
There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.
Westminster Confession of Faith, 25, 6 (1647)
FIFTH SEAL
Revelation 6:9-11 ∥ 13:9-10
(6:9) And when he opened up the fifth seal I saw beneath the altar the souls of those having been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had. (6:10) And they cried out in a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, the Holy and True, do you not judge and avenge our blood on those residing on the earth?” (6:11) And each were given a white gown and told that they should rest a little longer yet, until their co-slaves and brethren were fulfilled, those who were about to be killed as they had been.(75)
∥
(13:9) If anyone has an ear, let him hear. (13:10) If anyone gathers into captivity, he goes into captivity; if anyone will kill with the knife, with the knife he must be killed. Here is the patient-perseverance and faith of the holy-ones.
And it will happen, if they say to you, “Where should we go?” tell them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Such as for death, to death. And such are for the sword, to the sword. And such are for famine, to the famine. And such are for captivity, to captivity.’”
Jeremiah 15:2
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:39-40
With the Gospel comes persecution of the believers. It can come in many forms, from martyrdom to imprisonment, to mockery and rejection.
“Lo, an hour comes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, each one to his own things, and you will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have spoken these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble; but have courage, I have subdued the world.”
John 16:32-33
Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are not dressed, and are beaten, and are homeless, and fatigued from working with our hands. Reviled, we bless. Persecuted, we patiently endure. In being abused, we encourage. We are the garbage of the world, until now the scum of all.
1 Corinthians 4:11-12
Footnote
75. The Fifth Seal is explained by Historicists to mean the Christian persecution under Diocletian that began in AD 303. Preterists see it as specific persecution against any Christians who might have still been in Jerusalem during the siege of AD 70. Futurists see it as persecution caused by the Four Horseman that causes martyrs during the last seven years, but under the rules of dispensationalism these people cannot be referred to as Christians. Idealists see it as general persecution that causes martyrs throughout history.
VICTORY AT CALVARY
Revelation 6:12-17 ∥ 12:7-17
(6:12) And I saw when he opened up the sixth seal. And lo, a great commotion happened, and the sun turned black like sackcloth, and the moon became like blood, (6:13) and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. (6:14) And the sky departed, like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of their places. (6:15) And the kings of the earth, and the great-ones, and the wealthy-ones, and the chiliarchs, and the powerful, and every slave, and every freed-man, hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. (6:16) And they say to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne, and from the anger of the young lamb! (6:17) For the great day of his anger has come, and who is able to stand?”
∥
(12:7) And there was war in the sky. Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels battled, (12:8) and they did not have strength. And there was no longer any place found for them in heaven. (12:9) And the great dragon was thrown out; the most ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan, the one leading the world astray, was thrown to the earth, and his angels were thrown with him.
(12:10) And I heard a great voice in the sky, saying, “From this time has come into being the salvation and the ability and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the accuser of our brothers is thrown down, the one accusing them in the presence of our God day and night. (12:11) And they subdued him because of the blood of the young lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their soul as far as death. (12:12) Because of this be glad the heavens and those encamped in them. Woe to those residing on the earth and the sea, because the Devil came down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has a short time.”
(12:13) And when the dragon saw that he was thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male. (12:14) And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she may fly to her place in the desert, where she is provided-for there for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent’s face. (12:15) And the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that she be caught in the current. (12:16) And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed up the flood that the dragon spewed out of his mouth. (12:17) And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, those keeping the commands of God and having the testimony of Jesus.
How you are fallen from heaven, Shining One, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the Gentiles!
Isaiah 14:12
Sing out, heavens, for the LORD has done it. Shout, you lowest parts of the earth.
Isaiah 44:23a
But I say this, brethren: The set-time has been contracted. . . . For the form of this world is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:29a, 31b
Be discreet; stay awake, because your adversary the Devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour; whom firmly oppose in the faith, knowing the same afflictions are being executed to your brotherhood throughout the world. Now the God of all grace, the one calling you to his everlasting glory in Christ Jesus, having suffered a little, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish you. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:8-11
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will take refuge. His truth will be your shield and bulwark.
Psalm 91:4
Understanding the Sixth Seal is pivotal to understanding Revelation. When placed next to chapter 12, we can see that it concerns the defeat of the Devil.(76) This is what happened with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, when Jesus broke the power and authority of the Devil.
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of me, but because of you. Judgement is now of this world. The ruler of this world will now be ejected. And if I be elevated from the earth, I will draw all to myself.” And he said this in indicating by what kind of death he was about to die.
John 12:30-33
But I tell you the truth, it is helpful for you that I should go; for if I do not go, the Supporter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And coming, that one will admonish the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgement. About sin, because they do not trust in me; about righteousness because I am going to my Father, and you see me no longer; and about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
John 16:7-11
Since, then, the children have shared of flesh and blood, he also likewise shared in the same, that through death he might nullify the one having the power of death, that is, the Devil.
Hebrews 2:14
And you, being dead in the transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made alive together with him, having pardoned you of all the transgressions; obliterating the handwriting in the decrees against us, which were contrary to us; he has also taken from the midst, nailing it to the death-stake; having stripped the rulers and the authorities, he publicly exhibited them, conquering over them in it.
Colossians 2:13-15
Because of this I also, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love which is toward all the holy-ones, do not stop giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your mind having been enlightened for you to know what is the expectation of his appointment, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the holy-ones, and what is the surpassing magnitude of his power toward us, those trusting according to the working of his great strength, which he worked in the Christ, raising him from the dead; and he seated him at his right hand in the celestials, far above all rule and authority and power and mastery, and every name being named, not only in this age, but also in the one about to be. And he subjected all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Assembly.
Ephesians 1:15-22
The triumph of Christ at Calvary defeated the powers of darkness. Calvary means Cranium, which was the name given to a place that looked like a skull (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:17), so it was a picture of death. There is no greater victory than this. Jesus destroyed the Devil’s hold over this world. When Paul talked about the “rulers publicly exhibited” (Colossians 2:15), he referred to how a victorious king would display his success. The defeated king and all his officers would be part of a public parade, chained and humiliated, and taken to a prison to await execution, which would also be a public event.
The sun turned black like sackcloth (6:12) happened when the Father turned away from the Son, when darkness covered Calvary. “And the robbers who were impaled with him also insulted him with the same. And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ That is, ‘My God, my God, why did you leave me?’” (Matthew 27:44-46).
The moon became like blood (6:12) was when the Son became the Lamb sin offering for the world. “And taking the cup, and thanking, he gave it to them, saying, ‘All drink of it. For this is my blood, of the brand-new covenant, which concerning many is being poured out for remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:27-28).
The stars of the sky fell to the earth (6:13) was when the Devil was defeated. “And he said to them, “I watched Satan fall as lightning out of heaven” (Luke 10:18).
This was prophesied by Joel using the same sun, moon, and stars imagery.
And it will happen after that, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons will prophesy, and your daughters will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And also on my servants and maids, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it will happen, that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a deliverance, as the LORD has said, and whom the LORD calls among the survivors.
Joel 2:28-32
Although this seems to be similar, it was different to the prophecy given by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, in which he quoted from Isaiah, Ezekiel, and another prophecy of Joel:
“And directly after the trouble of those days, the sun will be obscured, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Matthew 24:29
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light, the sun will be darkened in is rising, and the moon will not shine its light.
Isaiah 13:10
When I will cover and extinguish the heavens and darken the stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give light.
Ezekiel 32:7
Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grows dark, and the stars diminish their brightness.
Joel 2:10
None of the above four prophecies said that the sun turns black and the moon turns red. That was only stated in Joel 2:31 and Revelation 6:12. These were prophecies of two different events; one was the Victory at Calvary, and the other was the Second Parousia.
Footnote
76. It is surprising that even Idealists, who look for anything with a spiritual connection to avoid a literal interpretation, do not put the Sixth Seal together with the Woman and the Dragon.
MICHAEL
Outside of this vision in Revelation, the Archangel Michael was mentioned only four times in the Bible; three in the Book of Daniel (10:13, 21; 12:1), and one in Jude. From Daniel we learn that he was “the prince who protects your people.” The only other time Michael was mentioned was in the strange account given by Jude, who took it from an ancient apocalyptic book of the Jews, now lost, called The Assumption of Moses. Jude tells us that Michael disputed over the body of Moses after he died. The story went that Michael did not get into a name-calling match with the Devil, and instead said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9).
In Revelation we find that Michael was again sent to battle the Devil. The vision was of those two going head to head with their armies, in an all-out war. What form that war took was not described, and is really completely unknowable to us. Angels were seen with swords in the Old Testament, but that description was probably only reflecting the usual weaponry of those times.
Because of the Victory at Calvary, the Devil and his angels were defeated and there was no longer any place found for them in heaven, which is the same as saying that the stars of the sky fell to the earth (the Greek word Ouranos can mean both heaven and sky). They were prohibited from Heaven and thrown to the earth. The angels being thrown out was the same event described in 12:4, as the dragon threw a third of the stars down on the earth.
PENTECOST
Revelation 7:1-3
(7:1) And after these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. (7:2) And I saw another angel going from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom was given to them to wrong the earth and the sea, (7:3) saying, “Do not wrong the earth or the sea or the trees, until we may have sealed on the foreheads of the slaves of our God!”
And the LORD said, “Go into the midst of the city, into the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who groan and cry over all the abominations that were done within it.”
Ezekiel 9:4
The vision of the Sealing of the 144,000 is part of the Sixth Seal. The angels shouting, “Do not wrong the earth or the sea or the trees, until we may have sealed on the foreheads of the slaves of our God!” was a result of the Victory at Calvary. This is missed by most readers because of the break in chapters 6 and 7, but it should be remembered that John did not divide his book into chapters. The rendering of chapters and verses was introduced as late as the 16th Century.
The word Tree was used four times in Revelation as a symbol for people, but it is only found in the section contained in chapters 7, 8, and 9. It was also used in the psalms: “He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, its leaf will not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3). Trees used as a symbol for believers was used by Paul. Romans 11:17-21 used the image of “wild olive trees” to describe the Gentiles converting at a time when Paul’s own Jewish people, the “cultivated olive trees” were suffering under God’s rejection.
John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, which should be understood as the Four Horsemen, the angels sent out by God to destroy, being held back from their work.
When the disciples met together at the festival of Pentecost, wondering what was to happen to them after the Lord left them, they were given the Holy Spirit to be the Seal of God, to show that they were his people. Pentecost means Fiftieth, for taking place fifty days after Passover (Leviticus 23:15-17). As recorded in Acts, when the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles, Peter was inspired to preach what had happened, and he started by quoting Joel:
But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, “Men, Jews and all those residing in Jerusalem, let this be well known to you, and listen to my words! . . . But this is that which has been spoken by the prophet Joel: And it will be in the last days, says God, I will pour forth from my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams. And on my slaves and on my female slaves in those days will I pour forth from my spirit, and they will prophesy. And I will give wonders above in the sky and signs below on the earth; blood and fire and mist of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and memorable Day of the LORD comes. And it will be, everyone who appeals to the name of the LORD will be saved.”
Acts 2:14, 16-21
The stars had fallen. The powers of darkness were defeated. The Devil was removed from his place. The Holy Spirit was given to the believers as a Seal.
TRUE CHURCH
Revelation 7:4-8
(7:4) And I heard the number of those having been sealed: 144,000 having been sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. (7:5) From the tribe of Judah 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Reuben 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Gad 12,000 having been sealed. (7:6) From the tribe of Asher 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Naphtali 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Manasseh 12,000 having been sealed. (7:7) From the tribe of Simeon 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Levi 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Issachar 12,000 having been sealed. (7:8) From the tribe of Zebulun 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Joseph 12,000 having been sealed. From the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 having been sealed.
But let all rejoice, those who put their trust in you, let them ever shout for joy because you defend them. Be joyful in you, those who love your name. For you, LORD, will bless the righteous as with a shield, you will surround him with favour.
Psalm 5:11-12
Throughout the Old Testament the lists of the Twelve Tribes frequently changed. When the Levites became the priests, and it became forbidden to count them, they were replaced in the list by splitting Joseph’s tribe into two, after his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. The very last time the tribes were mentioned in the Old Testament was Ezekiel 48:30-35, and it was the same list as the original in Genesis 35:22-25. And yet, the way the tribes were listed in Revelation was very unusual, and bore no resemblance to how they have ever been listed in the Old Testament. There are two immediate problems. The tribe of Dan was omitted, and it makes no sense that Joseph was listed along with his son Manasseh’s tribe.
There was speculation from as far back as Irenaeus that the reason for Dan’s omission is because that was the tribe from which the Antichrist would come. There are two hints that may show a connection between Dan and the work of the Antichrist. The first was in part of the prophecy given by Jacob:
“Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper in the path, that bites the heels of the horse, so that its rider shall fall backward.”
Genesis 49:17
The word used for Serpent was Nahas, the same word used for the Devil in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). It is interesting that in the prophecy the serpent lurks on “the way,” meaning a road or a journey. The Christian faith was originally called “The Way” (Acts 9:2). By the serpent causing the rider to fall backwards to prevent their journey, are we to understand that this means that this is a prophecy of the Devil using the Antichrist to stop Christians from making their spiritual journey along the Way of faith?
The Hebrew word for Path in the above quote was Orah, which could also mean Highway (Judges 5:6). The Lord said, “Enter in through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way leading into ruin, and many are those entering through it” (Matthew 7:13). Is this to mean that the Devil also uses the Antichrist to attack the people who have forsaken the “narrow way” and are on the broad way?
A more obscure reference to the Antichrist is found in a member of the tribe of Dan named Aholiab, son of Ahisamach. He was one of the highly skilled designers who made the beautiful adornments used for worshipping the Lord, and this is not to suggest that he was any kind of evil man. What is interesting is the prophetic meaning in the text. He was called Chashab in Hebrew, which meant Thoughtful, Cunning, or Scheming, and that he worked in “blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen” (Exodus 38:23). What else should we make of a reference to a brilliantly scheming man from Dan who worked in purple and scarlet?
For the actual list of tribes in Revelation 7:5-8, the odd omissions and different order allows us to make sense of the prophecies given by the parents of each son. In Hebrew each of their names sounded like words specific to the circumstances in which they were born. Judah was “Praise,” Reuben was “He Has Seen,” Gad was “Good Fortune,” Asher was “Happy,” Naphtali was “Wrestle,” Manasseh was “Forget,” Simeon was “One Who Hears,” Levi was “Be With,” Issachar was “Reward Me,” Zebulun was “Honour,” Joseph was “May He Add.” When Benjamin was born, his dying mother Rachel wanted to call him Ben-Oni which meant “Son of My Trouble,” but Jacob changed it to Benjamin, “Son of My Right Hand” (Genesis 35:18).
The following are the prophecies of the mothers of the sons of Jacob and the one son of Joseph:
So Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Surely the LORD has seen my affliction. Therefore, my husband will now love me.”
Genesis 29:32
And she [Leah] conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, he has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.
Genesis 29:33
And she [Leah] conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Now at last, my husband will be with me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore was his name called Levi.
Genesis 29:34
And she [Leah] conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Now will I praise the LORD.” With this, she called his name Judah, and she stopped bearing children.
Genesis 29:35
And Rachel said, “With great wrestling I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.
Genesis 30:8
And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. And Leah said, “Good fortune!” So she called his name Gad.
Genesis 30:10-11
And Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.
Genesis 30:13
And Leah said, “God has given me my reward, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.
Genesis 30:18
And Leah said, “God has bestowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will dwell with me, because I have born him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.
Genesis 30:20
And she [Rachel] conceived, and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my shame.” So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add another son to me.”
Genesis 30:23-24
And it happened, when she [Rachel] was in hard labour, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for this will be a son to you.” And it happened, as her soul was departing, for she died, that she called his name Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin.
Genesis 35:17-18
And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For God has made me forget all my trouble, and all my father’s household.”
Genesis 41:51
If we follow the order given by John in Revelation 7:5-8, the prophecies of the four mothers combine to become the following:
“Now I will praise the LORD,
because the LORD has seen my affliction.
Good fortune! How happy I am!
I have wrestled, but God has made me forget all my trouble,
because the LORD heard that I am unloved,
but he will be with me, and give me my reward, and will dwell with me,
and the LORD shall add the Son of his right hand.”
This is the song of the True Church, the song of the Woman in the wilderness as she is protected during the 70th Week of Babylon.
VICTORIOUS
Revelation 14:1-5
(14:1) And I saw, and lo, the young lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with him 144,000, having the name of his Father having been written on their foreheads. (14:2) And I heard a sound from the sky, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of great thunder. And I heard a sound like lyre-players playing on their lyres. (14:3) And they sing a brand-new song in the presence of the throne and in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000, those having been ransomed from the earth. (14:4) These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones following the young lamb wherever he may go. These were ransomed from among mankind as the offering of first-fruits to God and to the young lamb. (14:5) And no deceit was found in their mouth, for they are faultless.
The remnant of Israel will not do unrighteousness, nor speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths, for they will graze and lie down, and no one will make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD has taken away your judgements, he has cast out your enemy. The LORD, the king of Israel, is in your midst, you will not see disaster. In the day that it will be said to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion. Let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God is in your midst. The Mighty One will save. He will rejoice with gladness over you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:13-17
Having willed, he birthed us by the word of truth, for us to be a certain first-fruit of his creations.
James 1:18
The words “these are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins” must be seen in a spiritual sense, that they are spiritually pure. “No deceit was found in their mouth, for they are faultless,” follows the same pattern, that they have no sin, that they are clean and acceptable to God. The only way for any human to be so sinless is to be redeemed by the Blood of Jesus, and in that way take on his perfection. Every Christian is therefore represented by the 144,000.
DEAD-IN-CHRIST
Revelation 7:9-17 ∥ 14:6-7
(7:9) After these things I saw, and lo, a great crowd, which no one was able to number, from every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing in the presence of the throne and in the presence of the young lamb, having been clothed in white gowns, and palms in their hands. (7:10) And they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God sitting on the throne, and to the young lamb!
(7:11) And all the angels stood all around the throne, and the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces in the presence of the throne and prostrated themselves in homage to God, (7:12) saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and ability and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen!”
(7:13) And one of the elders responded, saying, “These, the ones having been clothed with white gowns, who are they, and where have they come from?”
(7:14) And I said to him, “You know, lord.”
And he said to me, “These are those coming out of the great trouble. And they washed their gowns and whitened them in the blood of the young lamb. (7:15) Because of this they are in the presence of the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his Temple. And the one sitting on the throne encamped over them. (7:16) They will not hunger any more, neither will they thirst any more, nor will the sun fall on them with every kind of heat. (7:17) For the young lamb, in the midst of the throne, will tend to them as a shepherd, and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
∥
(14:6) And I saw another angel, flying in mid-air, having an everlasting good news to announce as good news to those residing on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, (14:7) saying with a loud voice, “Revere God and give glory to him! For the hour of his judgement has come! Prostrate yourselves in homage to him having made the sky and the earth, and the sea and springs of waters!”
Neither will they hunger nor thirst, and neither will the heat strike them, nor the sun, for he who has mercy will lead them; he will even guide them by the springs of water.
Isaiah 49:10
The LORD is my shepherd, I will not be lacking. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters.
Psalm 23:1-2
He will swallow up death forever, and the LORD God will wipe away tears from all faces.
Isaiah 25:8a
The LORD of Armies, him you will regard as holy, him let your fear be, him let your dread be.
Isaiah 8:13
Here John emphasised that the True Church comes from every tribe and culture in the world. No one is left out. The Gospel was freely given to everyone. This innumerable great crowd corresponds to the symbolically numbered 144,000; no one can count them, and the number is known only to God. They are from every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues. This is the Remnant of Israel under the New Covenant; the separation of Jews and Gentiles now unrecognised by God, all considered a “new man” in Christ (see Ephesians 2:11-3:12). Now all believers are considered to be Jews in spirit, and all unbelievers are considered to be Gentiles in spirit.
HERE IS FAITH
Revelation 14:8-13
(14:8) And another angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is the great city Babylon! For she made all Gentiles drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication!”
(14:9) And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone prostrates themselves in homage to the wild beast and its likeness and receives an impression on the forehead or hand, (14:10) he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, having been poured undiluted into the cup of his anger, and they will be tortured by fire and sulphur, in the presence of the holy angels and the young lamb! (14:11) And the smoke of their torture goes up forever and ever, and they have no respite, day and night, those prostrating themselves in homage to the wild beast and its likeness, and if anyone receives the impression of its name!”
(14:12) Here is the patient-perseverance of the holy-ones, those keeping the commands of God and the faith of Jesus. (14:13) And I heard a voice from the sky, saying to me, “Write: Fortunate are the dead, those dying in the Lord from this time.”
“Yes,” says the spirit, “they may rest from their labours, and their works will follow with them!”
For there is a cup in the hand of the LORD, and the wine is red, fully mixed, and he pours it all out, and drains it on the wicked of the earth, and they drink it down.
Psalm 75:8
“Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like theirs!”
Numbers 23:10b
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his holy-ones.
Psalm 116:15
Babylon has always acted as the opposition to God’s truth. The Bible recorded many conflicts between God’s people and religions that came directly from Babylon. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites followed the religions of Baal and Ashtareth (Judges 2:13), who were gods that came from the Babylonian Mother and Child cult, which was the origin of the Roman Catholic Church’s Mary and Child imagery.(77)
When King Saul died, his body was stolen and taken to Ashtareth’s temple (1 Samuel 31:10), which was also one of the religions that King Solomon followed when he was in his old age (1 Kings 11:5). And shockingly, there was a time when the Babylonian god Tammuz was worshipped in the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:14). In the time of the New Testament, the Christians at Ephesus came up against the mother goddess Diana (also called Artemis), another descendant of Babylonian mystery religions (Acts 19:24-41).
The Babylonian mother goddess continues to influence Christian worship even to this day. The so-called Queen of Heaven was named Diana, Artemis, Ishtar, Cybele, and Isis. The Roman Catholic Church uses “Queen of Heaven” as a title for Mary, and she is fanatically worshipped as the Mother of God. This is not found anywhere in the Bible, but it is found everywhere in paganism originating from Babylon. Not only does the Roman Catholic Church teach that it is necessary for salvation to believe that Mary had no sin (Immaculate Conception) and divinely ascended to Heaven (Assumption of Mary), but every year Easter is widely celebrated as a thinly disguised mother-goddess ritual named after Ishtar.
Footnote
77. See The Two Babylons (1858) by Alexander Hislop.