AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION 

JEWS AND CHRISTIANS; TWO GROUPS WITH TWO DESTINIES INTERWOVEN THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES 

Christianity is a religion. It is Jewish in origin. It is based upon the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Having been rejected by Judaism, it is the largest religion in the World with over 2 billion people. Christ prophesied that the “Kingdom of heavens’ calling” would be corrupted (leavened) and would also have this unnatural growth. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”  [Matthew 13:31-32] The mustard seed, leaving its natural humble state of a small bush, having become corrupted, is now so conformed to the world that it is popular with the world. (The birds of the air symbolize the demonic destructive forces at rest in this abnormal tree which has become so large and established that it has become a roosting place for evil.) Most tribulation for Christ’s sake has ceased, and worldly, wicked men and women flock into the churches. In fact, it has become fashionable to be an active and much respected member of “some church”. 

“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” [Matthew 13:33] Leaven, put into a mass of meal, leavens it. It assimilates it to itself by corrupting it. Likewise, false doctrine, intermixed with the doctrines of Christ, corrupts and destroys it. The woman is Mystery Babylon who has stealthily introduced soul-destroying error.  (Revelation 17:5) 

Jesus Christ also declares, most explicitly, that what the state of society was in the days of Noah was like, it will be the same at His second coming. Thus, His prophetic word is that the whole world will have become thoroughly corrupted, and be in a state of open-faced rebellion to God; unto finally giving itself up to worship the Anti-Christ. Satan has gone to and fro, up and down upon the earth and has woven his web of deceit. Billions of living people are caught in one or the other aspect; secular or religious Mystery Babylon.  

Generally speaking, true first century Christianity has long since been hijacked. Christianity has drunk from the golden cup, the wine of Mystery Babylon’s fornication. Christians are with blinded vision, starving the spirit and feeding the flesh. They are in love with the flesh, the lust of their eyes, and worldly satisfactions. They are willfully within the walls of Sodom, the citadel of doom, mostly deaf to the End Time cries of heaven’s call to…. “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” [Revelation 18:4] Truth seeking Christians can no longer stay within her present structure; she is drunk and fully leavened and if a confessing Christian continues with her, the delusion within her will be found to be too strong to resist. (2nd Thessalonians 2:11) They shall be found to be partakers of her sins. And they, like Lot’s wife, shall receive of her plagues as God avenges His holy apostles and prophets upon her. The warnings are fearful. 

INCENTIVIZED TO OVERCOME STRESSES THE GAIN OF REWARD FOR A PART IN CHRIST’S HEAVENLY MILLENNIAL AND ETERNAL KINGDOM FOR OVERCOMING CHRISTIANS…AND HOLDS FORTH CHRIST’S PREMIER PROMISES OF RAPTURE FOR THE LIVING AND FOR THE FIRST RESURRECTION FROM AMONG THE DEAD FOR THOSE FAITHFUL TO THAT CALLING. BUT SCRIPTURE ALSO HOLDS FORTH THE THREAT OF SEVERE JUDGMENT FOR CHRISTIANS WHO IGNORE THE CALL. “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” [Hebrews 10:28-31] 

The Book of Genesis defines for us Man’s beginnings and purposes, which are to be taken literally. So the Book of Revelation (the taking off of the veil of the future) is to be taken literally (save where it is absurd to do so). In that it is the chief Book of Last Days’ prophecy, and gives us further imperative detail of the present Work of God “the things which are” along with the future “things which shall be hereafter”…unto the Second Coming of Christ. “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” [Acts 3:21] A great amount of leaven has gone into taking suffering and tribulation out of Christ’s heavenly kingdom call. The fact that suffering and tribulation is an essential part of the heavenly call is abundant in New Covenant Scripture. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33] I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [Revelation 1:9 with 2:9,19] “Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” [2nd Timothy 3:12] “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” [Romans 8:17] “Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” [Matthew 20:20-23] The Cup and the baptism of Jesus Christ is suffering servitude in this life. 

There are two separate appointed periods of tribulation for righteousness sake for God’s two people. The first being for the Body of Christ, whose tribulation has been an appointed part for 2000 years in this present dispensation of grace and mercy. The second is for Israel, whose Day of Great Tribulation, or Jacob’s Trouble is yet to come. (See Matthew 24:15-28) Old Testament Scripture describes how God redeemed His people out of bondage in Egypt. The New Testament reveals a new people being formed by God as the old people are broken off. (Yet to be brought back in later as seen in Romans 11.) The Apocalypse or Great Tribulation described in the Book of Revelation is God’s means by which He will finally deliver both peoples out of this world’s bondage into the Kingdom of His Son. To look at End Time prophecy and most certainly the Book of Revelation without the understanding concerning these 2 groups of God’s people is to be unable to see the Book’s Truths. That the Book of Revelation runs on these two lines is set forth by John from the beginning in John 1:2 who bears witness “…of the word of God (Old Covenant teaching), and of the testimony of Jesus Christ”  [Revelation 1:2] (That being the Old Covenant in the light of His New Testament revelation, see also Revelation 12:17 and 14:12.) Thus the threads of both peoples and their religions run throughout the End Times prophetic portion of the Book (chapter 4 onward). 

 We have these things discovered for us in the Book of Revelation: 

THE THINGS WHICH ARE (Chapters 1-3) 

1 Christ’s current ministry of High Priest at the right hand of the Father 

2 The Dispensation and disposition of the Church or ”Body” of Christ  

(while the Nation of Israel is cast off) 

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE AFTER (chapter 4 onward)  

3 Christ’s future Investiture as King and Executioner of God’s End Time Judgments   

4 The Two End Time Prophets of God  

5 The Dragon, the Woman, and the Rapture 

6 The War in the heaven related to the Earth between satan’s and Michael’s Angels 

7 The manifestation of the Anti-Christ and False Prophet 

8 The persecution of Israel and the End Time Church 

9 The End Times Babylonian connections 

10 The First Resurrection and Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the heavens above the Earth 

11 Christ and His Hosts’ victorious return to the Earth 

12 The Anti-Christ and False Prophet thrown into Lake of Fire 

13 satan chained and locked into the Bottomless Pit 

14 Christ’s millennial earthly and heavenly Kingdom of kings and priests established 

15 satan’s release after 1000 years and the last rebellion 

16 Great White Throne Judgment 

17 New Heavens and New Earth 

18 Descending of New Jerusalem and everlasting rule  

The Book of Revelation begins with the things that are. That is the declaration of Jesus Himself to His own, that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the One rightful heir of Abraham, the One who has passed through death unto Resurrection life and walks within the Sanctuary of God. (Understanding the symbols being Jewish here and throughout the Book is key to literal interpretation.) He is the High Priest over His Church. Jesus, in chapters 2 & 3, as He has throughout the New Covenant, gives Believers vital instruction in the Kingdom of heavens’ inheritance in qualifications of worthiness that must be owned to be a part of Christ’s future Millennial Kingdom in this World. So it is clear that the promises are not given to merely Believers in the Church but to the Overcomers. The time frame of this heavenly calling (the things which are) is the last 2 thousand years and is now closing and represents the immediate relevancy of the threads of the 2 groups in the Book of Revelation revealed in the Words of Paul. “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved,…”  [Romans 11:25,26a NKJV] 

Revelation Chapters 4 & 5 represent to us initially the things which shall be after this 2000 year calling out of a people for His Name. It is time for Christ’s Investiture as the Worthy Executioner of God’s long awaited judgments, with the breaking of the seals, the trumpets, and vials on this World. And that initial event of Christ’s Investiture occurs in the unseen heaven associated with this Earth, as the fullness of the Gentiles is being completed, concurrent with the end of the times of the Gentiles, for ruling in the earth is now fast approaching. “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”  [Luke 21:24] 

Now the prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:9-14 describes this commencing scene, this holy assembly in the heavens above the earth, that precedes the judgments, and climaxes with the end of Gentile rule and the restoration of Israel. As does the prophet John echoe in Revelation 4. This ominous event signals the beginning of the last or 70th week of 7 years. And towards the end of that 7 year period, Scripture highlights that the determined consummation of destruction is poured out. (Daniel 9:24-27) These words having in view the progressive End Times judgments begun in Revelation 6 to be the last judgment vials (Revelation 15 & 16); that of God’s concluding Wrath upon His enemies and Israel’s enemies at the last of the Tribulation period and just before Christ’s Return, and then the end of Tribulation and Israel’s restoration. (Joel 3, Zechariah 14) 

The Age of Mercy and Grace is closing, the Throne of Grace is changing to the Throne of Judgment and the Age of Justice in His Law is opening. His Last Days’ Two Witnesses are evidence of that, who will not turn the cheek but devoureth their enemies with fire (Revelation 11:3-6). The Message of the Two Witnesses is of a God of Justice to be established on the earth. Their message is not of a Father in the Heaven; for that Age has passed. Grace has failed upon the World, Justice is to be administrated as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah now rises to smite, His vesture dipped in the blood of His foes.