THE BOOK OF REVELATION

The Parenthetical Insertion of Revelation Chapter 12-14

IT COULD BE HELPFUL TO ARTICULATE WHY THERE IS SO MUCH CONFUSION AND COMPLETELY BAFFLED CHRISTIANS AS IT RELATES TO THESE BIBLICAL TRUTHS GIVEN IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

THERE ARE 3 PRIMARY REASONS:

  1. Not being aware or understanding what it means that man is made up of 3 parts: spirit, soul and body.
  2. The lack of understanding of the curse of death, and the place and state of the dead.
  3. The basis for and means by which the Lord judges His people.

The knowledge of the prophetic Word tends to conform us to the will of God bringing sanctification to the heart. The spirit of wisdom and understanding of the knowledge of God will show us which God/god we serve, praise, worship and pray to. There are but two Laws/natures in the World: God’s and satan’s. Whose do we follow, that is who is our God/god? The law of satan, which is the mystery of lawlessness, is that we fix all our desires and hopes upon the things of this World. We look to him therefore, for our pleasures. And to his many sensuous past times we adhere, having no time therefore to let our thoughts wander to God’s Law of Life in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah tells us that only by force of God will we know righteousness on the earth. [Isaiah 26:9] This speaks to the Truth that THE CHURCH of Christ was never to conform and reform the World. But to be participants with God in the bringing out of it “…a people for his name.” [Acts 15:14]

In the End Times, God is claiming again the World as His. And His foes, both man and spirits, will be destroyed as He lays claim again to it. This is what the Book of Revelation so vividly discloses for us who will hearken. The Lord refers to satan not only as the god of this World but the prince of the power of the air, or heavens associated with the earth. The Lord comes to destroy the powers of those upon High and those kings upon the earth. [Isaiah 24:21, Daniel 2:37-45] Psalms 82 has come to pass.

Afterwards God does not alter the form of government in this World upon its destruction and His Return, but appoints new leadership in both realms. On High He replaces the Angels/angels on their thrones with His holy ones of Christ. And on the earth, He appoints restored Israel to rule over the nations.  The seed of Abraham then rule in both realms, that is in the earth and the heavens associated with it.

UNDERSTANDING THE DEVASTATION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

“AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”…..A familiar Scripture comparing the days of His Second Coming with the ancient days of Noah. Eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark. These particular carrying-on’s could be said as descriptive of any days throughout history. Not really then identifiers specific with His Return, just a warning really as to the perceived commonness of the that Day.

This Scripture is a warning Word from our Lord to His followers in the last days. Comparing the attitude of the people of Noah’s age just prior to their destruction. Where long past were the warnings of Enoch, now…. the ridiculous long standing blabbering of Noah, now ignored, they just carry on in their normal ways. Suddenly without further warning, it is too late. The destruction is upon them. And comparatively, those (regenerate knowing, and unregenerate unknowing) today in the end times who are focused on the things, ( and besides things evil, things not necessarily evil in themselves) cares of life. Then they see they are not taken/rescued, but are left behind, and faced with the Great Tribulation. [Matthew 24:36-41] So it is an appropriate prophetic comparative of a prevailing apathetic attitude in the earth and its consequences in the end times we are contemplating here in our study of the Book of Revelation.

Also instructive in Noah’s day’s flood is a deliverance that is then possible in Christ’s End Days, and alluded to in the Words “….for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come….”  This “coming” and catching up being secretive, like a thief, as opposed to His Return when “…every eye shall see him….” [Revelation 1:7] It is the secretive rapture referred to in the “one taken and the one left” for only the watchful, meaning; keenly attentive and prayerful escape the Great Tribulation. [Luke 21:34-36, Revelation 3:10, 12:5]

The Lord, without question, also used Noah’s days as the example of wickedness prevailing both times. But it’s instructive to consider that in addition to those reasons, it should be understood the end times leading up to His Return are going to be times associated again with His Covenant with Noah and his seed of which we are…both Jew and Gentile.  “And God spake unto Noah,….I establish my covenant with you,….neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth”

Here also is a tacit reference to the times of the Great Tribulation.

So it is then also in the Last Days, as God has previously rejected those pretenders of Moses’ Covenant now for some 2 thousand years. And the days in which the witnesses of the Covenant of Christ are rejected has arrived. Having been lukewarm and spewed out of His mouth, thereby then ending the Age of mercy and Grace, that time of the calling out of Gentiles also then ending. THEN Noah’s covenant becomes relevant again. That time specifically for His “coming in the clouds” and His actual 2nd Coming to the Earth proper… being the last 7 years (which is concurrent with Daniel’s visions. [Daniel 2:31-45 & chapters 7 & 9]

Vengeance and blood for blood is God’s post-deluge Covenant order of that day. And continues, although at times was supplanted / superseded by other covenants. And is now confirmed by reference to the Rainbows, and the signs of the times as now the covenant reminder unto God in that terrible last days of His Justice and Vengeance.

The rainbow, being then a token and a reminder of that Covenant with all flesh left upon the earth in the then future End Times destruction. [Genesis 9:1-17] The rainbow being noteworthily mentioned only twice in the New Testament, both in the Book of Revelation. (4:3, 7, 10:1)  To the discerning, that Covenant of blood for blood, additionally speaks much to what the Lord tacitly refers to “as it was in the days of Noah so shall also the coming of the Son of man be…”  That is, now that the dispensation of justice and vengeance has arrived. “…. surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”

PICKING UP WHERE WE STOPPED IN THE LAST LESSON….

THE PATTERN OF EVENTS WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT UNFOLDING IN REVELATION 4:1 THROUGH 11:14  IS GOD’S PLAN AS SEEN THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE. [Psalms 22, Isaiah 53,54,55 etc] THEY ARE:

  1. Jesus Christ’s Investiture
  2. The removal of the faithful prior to the Great Tribulation
  3. The Beast arises and persecutes God’s people
  4. The removal of those who endure the Great Tribulation along with those who had lived faithful among the dead
  5. The Lord descends from the heavens to the Mount of Olives, destroys the Beast and his armies
  6. The Lord establishes the Kingdom of heavens on the earth

Now in Chapter 11 verse 15 is the blowing of the 7th Trumpet, which is also the 3rd Woe. But before we are allowed to proceed, John is given a new vision…Where we flash back in chapters 12,13 &14 for a further explanation and description of those two previous Trumpet woes.

Afterwards then, we shall pick up again with the commencing of the 7th Trump/3rd woe in the 15th first verse of Chapter 11….skipping over then 12,13,& 14 and proceeding with that which then follows the 7th Trump sounding…. Chapter 15:1.

So then after the blowing of the 5th Trumpet, that being the first of 3 woes upon the earth, the first woe is satan’s casting down to earth and his then opening of the Bottomless Pit, releasing the tormentor beings upon man for 5 months. Then quickly comes the blowing of the 6th Trumpet and the unleashing of the 4 angels and their army of beings, some 200 million of them that go forth. And by them are 1/3 of mankind killed in their permitted time of 1 year, 1 month, 1 day, and 1 hour. Then, as stated above, from chapter 11:  Verse 14 …. chapters 12,13, and 14 shall now be interposed.

What we are looking at here in Revelation 12, 13, & 14 is that of more detail, of that which is introduced in previous chapters….

Chapter 12 turns back to before the start of the Great Tribulation. At first, it’s a description of the condition of today. Before satan’s being cast out of that heaven associated with this World. Chapters 12-14 is a new vision, that gives more details of what transpired when 1) The 5th seal was opened and then the call for vengeance from the dead martyrs was then heard 2) “…the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth:….” and what additionally happens as a result. 3) Further understanding as to who the Man-child is and after its catching up, who now is the focus of satan’s persecution 4) The Scriptural law of former reference given for chronological order of events to follow, seen in its agricultural example.

CHAPTER 12  gives us 1) a Woman typical of the Church of God, with its two groups a) The Taken b) those Left Behind  2) The Dragon who is satan 3) A rising war in the heaven associated with the earth, resulting in satan’s being cast out, the first Woe on earth 5) satan’s angry pursuit of those left behind of the Church.

CHAPTER 13 gives us the two Beasts, the Anti-Christ with authority to war and overcome the saints, his 10 co-conspirators and the False  Prophet making an image of the Anti-Christ and causes all to take a mark and worship the Anti-Christ.

CHAPTER 14

  1. The Lamb
  2. The First Fruits
  3. The Gospel of fear of God
  4. Warning not to take the mark of the Beast
  5. The Harvest
  6. The Vintage

To view the timeline from the lesson click the image above.

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