The book of the Apocalypse, or Revelation as its known in the English means “to reveal”. Many feel that Revelation is so hard to understand because it’s written to where it’s not meant to be understood. This is folly. If “apocalypse” means to reveal, then why would people not be able to understand it? Actually nothing in Revelation is anywhere near the hardest thing in the Bible to understand. Romans chapter eleven is by far the hardest to understand to its fullest meaning. The reason for that is you have to draw some never before heard conclusions in order to connect what Ba’al truly was and when this happened.
Revelation is indeed very difficult to understand, but not impossible. Much of what’s written inside Revelation is written somewhere in the Old Testament more in depth and clarity. Revelation was concisely written by John of Patmos so unless you know what in Revelation connects to what is written in the OT in the books of the prophets, then you will not understand it. The books of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and also the minor prophets are full of apocalyptical prophecies. Just have to get familiar enough to connect them and see where each thing written goes.
Revelation starts by John of Patmos describing his vision of Jesus being a candlestick holder holding the seven churches of Christ as candles. His hair was like wool and feet were like brass. No, that doesn’t mean he was black. Sorry Jeremiah Wright and other black theologians who believe this. Jesus was a brass candlestick holder, so of course his feet would be like brass. His hair was like wool and so was Moses’ after he met with God on Mount Sinai. Jesus was a Jew. Enough said there.
Jesus spoke against five of the seven churches of Christ. Only one of them does he threaten to remove though. Look it up. That is the church of Ephesus he threatens to remove altogether as being a church of Christ. The two he finds no fault in are the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna, which do not exist as of yet as it is prophesied of them. There were churches established in Philadelphia and Smyrna in modern day Turkey, but they weren’t any different than any of the previous churches established. That means these two churches will be a future establishment, perhaps due to the future splits of existing denominational churches, including the church of Ephesus once it ceases from being a Christian church.
The most difficult chapter in Revelation to understand is chapter twenty, because again you have to have learned something mistranslated before you can understand what is written. It speaks of Jesus’ return. It’s written in the KJV that when Jesus returns that it ends the world. If that is correct, then how can chapter twenty even happen? The disciples asked in Matthew 24:3 what are the signs of his return and the end of the world. Problem is that word “world” there in the original Greek was actually their word for age, not world. “Αιων” (ahee-OWN) is their word for age while “κοσμοσ” (COS-mos) is their word for world. The word there and anytime the end of the world is mentioned it’s “αιων”. So with the knowledge that when Jesus returns that he ends this age, you can look at Revelation and see that there is a new age after his return. That’s where he returns with all of his saints, the dead will not live again, and Satan will be imprisoned for a thousand years. When the thousand years are over, then Satan is loosened from his prison and the dead are given their lives back. The dead there are simply those who’ve made the wrong choice or lived their lives wickedly. They will not be literally dead, but imprisoned inside the temple. It’s written in Ezekiel 44 under the ordinances of the temple to come. The only ones allowed to visit them will be of direct relations, as is explained in the 25th verse. Jesus isn’t going to gather every carcase of who died and put them in the temple and allow only direct family to visit them, so the dead is really just the title for these people. They will be given their lives back by being released from the temple and Satan will try to deceive them once again, as well as those who haven’t made a choice yet. Those who are deceived try to make war with the saints, but God stops them and ends that age. Then the books are opened and judgment is given. Not beforehand. Jesus returns to start a new and the last age. After the end of the last age, eternity begins.
A saint in the eyes of God are simply those who have made the right choice. There are many saints upon Earth right now. If one humbles himself before God and truly accepts His son as the Messiah, then they are a saint. I know that flies in the face of what men have defined a saint to be, and that’s too bad on their part. Paul did address his epistle to the Ephesians by saying “to the saints which are at Ephesus”. As Jesus explained, there is no one on Earth better than anyone in heaven. The reason is because those souls are not inside this sinful human flesh any longer. These weren’t prophets or miracle workers on Ephesus. They were just people that made that change and accepted Christ as their Saviour. If there was one saint upon Ephesus in this sinful human flesh, prophet or not, then anyone who has died after truly making that choice to become a Christian has to be one. Everytime the word “saints” is written in the NT, it’s the Greek word “αγιος” (ha-gee-ose) which is their word for saint, so it’s no mistranslation. So keep that in mind about your loved ones that have passed on that were true Christians. Name them saints in your hearts since your Lord already has.
I have written more about Revelation concerning the plagues and the Antichrist in my other blogsite. I will leave links to them here at the bottom. This was basically a foundation on how to understand Revelation. I got into detail about Revelation chapter 20 because I felt I had to in order to give it a proper foundation. God bless.
WHO WILL BE THE ANTICHRIST? « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF
GRACETHE FALSE PROPHET, POPE PETRUS ROMANUS, AND THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
ANALYZING THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
THE GREAT TRIBULATION OF REVELATION « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
THE PLAGUE OF THE LOCUSTS « ONE OF THE ELECTION OF GRACE
