I would like some perspectives on Revelation.

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● Rev 1:1-3 . . The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show
his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his
angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-- that is: the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads
the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to
heart what is written in it, because the time is imminent.

Nobody knows the exact day nor hour of Jesus' return to rule the world, but
the events depicted in the book of Revelation will serve as early warnings to
alert folks that the time has come-- sort of like the act-by-act synopses used
by folks interested in operas like La Bohème, Hamlet, Madam Butterfly,
Porgy and Bess, South Pacific, and Don Giovanni.

If folks stuck in the tribulation era use Revelation like that; they'll have a
pretty good idea when to expect Jesus' arrival; and begin preparing
themselves for it.
_

 

[ewq1938]

Beast out of the sea is the 10 nations around the Mediterranean sea

Beast out of the earth is the Kingdom of the antichrist

A prophet is not a kingdom.

The ten horned beast is a kingdom, in Daniel and Rev.

The leader of that kingdom is always the next person introduced. In Daniel it's the little horn, and in Rev it's the false prophet who has two little horns. They have that in common.

It's that simple.

 

[ewq1938]

any guess on what the mark of the beast could potentially be or was?

It's future but there would be types through history. In history there were examples, where it was something literally seen.

In Rev 13, it has to be something the enemy can see ort detect because it is they that would enforce the selling/buying so they would have to be able to determine who has the mark and who does not. It could be a shot, computer chip or tattoo.

 

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● Rev 6:5 . . And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living
creature saying: Come! And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who
sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

Scales (a.k.a. balances) were mechanical devices used in the application of
commercial weights and measures. Modern electronic scales are quite a bit
more sophisticated.

The black horse in this case indicates hunger. (compare the pale horse's
assignment in Rev 6:8)

● Rev 6:6a . . And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living
creatures saying: A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of
barley for a denarius;

The Greek word translated "measure" is roughly equal to 1.09 liters or 2.3
US pints. The denarius is widely assumed to have been equivalent to a day's
pay for soldiers and/or laborers.

It's a pretty good guess that what we're looking at is hand-to-mouth
existence due to inflationary pricing caused by the simple fact that there just
won't be enough to go around; for example:

● Rev 6:6b . . do not damage the oil and the wine!

Oil made from olives was common in just about everybody's kitchen and
served as a shortening. (cf. 1Kngs 17:8-12) Wine was a common first aid
treatment, likely due to its alcohol content (e.g. Luke 10:34) and also useful
as a sedative (Prov 31:6-7)

NOTE: The oil used in Luke 10:34 was likely an essential oil rather than
olive, e.g. Myrrh, Clove, and/or Frankincense, et al.
_

 

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● Rev 6:7-8 . .When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of
the fourth living creature say: Come!

. . I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named
Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power
over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the
wild beasts of the earth.

Those rather unpleasant horsemen are common throughout the world today;
but never have they harvested so many souls as they will in the future.

For example the current global population is roughly +/- 8,103,080,740 souls.
By the time Mr. Death finishes his work, something like 2.026 billion of
those people would be rubbed out by war, hunger, disease, and the animal
kingdom; which consists of a fair number of poisonous species along with
toxic critters like vampire bats and mosquitoes.

* In perspective: 2.026 billion people adds up to nearly 6x the USA's current
population of +/- 341,401,847 souls.

We don't usually notice someone's passing unless they're famous or one of
our friends, associates, and relatives. Well; when Mr. Death goes to work,
the dead will be all around and impossible to overlook. I rather suspect
funeral homes will be overwhelmed; if open for business at all.

And ER? Well, it's Mr. Death's intention that people die rather than survive,
so I should think that any and all medical attention the hospitals are able to
provide will be quite inadequate, viz: they'll likely serve as morgues instead
of treatment centers.
_

 

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● Rev 6:12 . . I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the
whole moon turned blood red

Astronomically, that depicts a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse
simultaneously; which nature by itself cannot produce due to specific
alignment requirements.

● Rev 6:13 . . and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a
fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.

That possibly describes an optical illusion, i.e. an apparition; which is going
to be very effective in causing anxiety all 'round the world.

● Rev 6:14a . .The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up.

That would be sort of like opening the drapes in the morning to allow light
into the house. I'm guessing the event will occur in the middle of the night;
which of course will defy explanation.

● Rev 6:14b . . and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

No doubt previous centuries of theologians were curious about that
prediction, but thanks to the relatively new science of plate tectonics, we
now know that the movement of mountains and islands has been occurring
all along; just not as noticeable as the shuffle depicted by Rev 16:14b.

Anyway, those unnatural events will quite naturally cause global panic.

● Rev 6:15-17 . . .Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the
rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and
among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the
rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand?
_

 

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● Rev 8:1 . .When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven
for about half an hour.

A reason for the silence isn't given, but I suspect the one in charge will be
thinking about what He has to do next, and reluctant to bring it on; because
the next round of horror will be devastating beyond belief-- and once
started, won't be stopped.

● Ezek 18:23 . . Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die-- saith
the Lord God --and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

● Rev 8:7 . .The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and
fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the
earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green
grass was burned up.

There's quite a bit of destruction depicted in that verse-- all aimed at
agriculture.

First a portion of the soil's organic material is destroyed which will greatly
impact its fertility.

Next a portion of the trees are destroyed so that foods derived from trees--
e.g. nuts, and fruits-- will become in short supply.

And finally all the green grass; which is translated from words that suggest
crops will be just starting to mature and produce grain, e.g. corn, beans,
wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rice; et al.

* Rice is a staple food for over ½ of the world's human population,
particularly in Asia and Africa.

NOTE: Although crops will be burned, they'll bounce back. (Rev 9:1-4)

Anyway, when the availability of food stuffs become limited to those on
hand, demand exceeds supply; and with that prices go up, thus increasing
the cost of living. Theft will likely increase too. I would suggest people not
let it out that there's food in their homes if they have it lest their own
neighbors break in to take it away from them.
_

 

[Rob7]

.
There's quite a bit of destruction depicted in that verse-- all aimed at
agriculture.

First a portion of the soil's organic material is destroyed which will greatly
impact its fertility.

Next a portion of the trees are destroyed so that foods derived from trees--
e.g. nuts, and fruits-- will become in short supply.

And finally all the green grass; which is translated from words that suggest
crops will be just starting to mature and produce grain, e.g. corn, beans,
wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rice; et al.

* Rice is a staple food for over ½ of the world's human population,
particularly in Asia and Africa.

NOTE: Although crops will be burned, they'll bounce back. (Rev 9:1-4)
_

Your interpreting prophecy , "literally" ... if we want to know what Jesus is messaging us, we have to let the Bible interpret itself.. let the Bible give the means for these "Symbols & Signs" ... our human understanding is inaccurate and insufficient.

Right at the beginning, in Chapter 1, God gives example of how to read the revelation, historically, a progression of time from John's time, to the Second Coming.

Rev 1:1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John" ... Starting in John's times, a historical account, by " Signs & Symbols" of Jesus to His Church, until His soon second coming.

The seven golden candlesticks "signify" the church’s divine calling to uphold God’s truth in a dark world. Their fate hinges on faithfulness to Christ, who empowers and judges His people. The imagery signifies a visible, prophetic church preparing for Christ’s return.

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou saw are the seven churches.

Jesus Himself, tells us, how these "mystery" = prophetic interpretation, are realized. NOT taken literally, but, symbolically .. this holds true for the ALL of the revelation.

"If it makes good sense as it stands, and does not violate to the simple laws of nature, then it must be understood literally; if not, then it must be understood symbolically." - William Miller - Rules of Bible Interpretation - Rule #11

This means that while the book of Revelation uses extensive symbolism, all symbols are intended to be explained by other literal portions of the Bible. The Lord sent His angel to reveal to John events which were to take place upon the earth, Jesus dealing with the state of the church, from apostolic time, down to the end —her backslidings and the position which she should occupy if she would please God and finally overcome.”

Taking Jesus' revelation literal all the time.. will not give you any spiritual understanding, of the times we live in, which is what Revelation is suppose to do. If we don't know the past, we'll not know the present or future, and will repeat the same misunderstandings and mistakes.

If we don't realize that the first 6 Churches Rev.2:1-3:7 are church "ages" being characteristics of the churches, from the apostolic church till now , ...we'll not understand that we are the Laodicean Church and likely receive condemnation for it. The Book of Revelation was applicable for the past 6 church ages, of the last 2000+ years .. not just for these end of days.

Rev 3:16,17 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ... ... Which reasonably describes, the condition of Christ's Church AT THIS TIME. Read Rev, 3:14-22 .. sure sounds like the state of the Church NOW. Ya Think ?
Blessing

 

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● Rev 13:4 . . And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the
Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying: Who is like unto the Beast?
Who is able to make war with him?

* The Dragon is identified by Rev 12:9 as the Serpent, the Devil, and Satan;
so there can be no doubt who this creature really is. (cf. Rev 20:2)

It's quite possible that the people of that day will honestly believe the Beast
is empowered by a divine being; and unaware they are actually giving glory
to a demonic being instead. For example:

● 2Thess 2:9-12 . . .This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with
artificial power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked
deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they
refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great
deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.

Worship of the Beast will be universal, mandatory, and strictly enforced
regardless of age, race, gender, and/or ethnic identity-- a one-world mega
religion that blows all others out of the water, e.g. Islam, Mormonism,
Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, etc.
(This situation would amount to circumstances somewhat similar to Hab
2:14 only quite in opposition to Yahweh's purpose.)
_

 

[Rob7]

There are three main different methods of interpreting prophecy;

Historicist, … the way Jesus proclaimed prophecy.

Preterism, an approach to biblical eschatology, was first systematically expounded by the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar in the 17th century during the Counter-Reformation

Futurism, … was developed by Jesuit Francisco Ribera, who published his futurist views in 1585 at the request of the Catholic Council of Trent, held between 1545 and 1563, as part of the Counter-Protestant Reformation

The futurist "theory" was picked up by John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), and developed into what is now referred to as "Dispensationalism", which was then made popular by the Scofield Reference Bible, which used this theory in it's "study side notes". The study bible became popular in many theological schools, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, like Moody Bible Institute 1886 … this a VERY brief explanation of the peoples and progress of the development of dispensationalism to become the predominate understanding by professed Christians today.

"According to this futurist view, the Antichrist was to come from the tribe of Dan, and would make his appearance after the secret rapture. He was to rebuild the temple, abolish the Christian faith, pretend to be God and then conquer the world in the space of three‑and‑a‑half years. Furthermore, futurism teaches that, instead of coming with the clouds with great power and great glory, our Saviour will come secretly and silently to take away his Church ‑ a teaching foreign to that of the apostles.

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

"The apostles referred to the spirit of antichrist already working in their time, to be fully revealed at the end of time. There is no question of referring to the antichrist power in the past. Jesus in Matthew 24 speaks of this great apostasy as a future event, not a past occurrence. In the nineteenth century, the Protestant world, starting with the Anglican priest Samuel R. Maitland, accepted the futurist teachings and saw in it an opportunity to cease hostilities with Rome.

The prophetic interpretation of futurism was further refined, when, according to S.P. Tregelles, dispensationalism originated in an “utterance” by means of tongues in Edward Irving’s church in England. The futurist dispensationalistic mode of prophetic interpretation has been accepted by most Protestant churches today, and is the form of interpretation employed in the Scofield Reference Bible. Dispensationalism is a product of futurism and it teaches that history is divided into seven dispensations. ETC... Prof. Pastor Walter Veith, from his book, "Truth Matters"

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● Rev 13:4 . . And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the
Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying: Who is like unto the Beast?
Who is able to make war with him?

* The Dragon is identified by Rev 12:9 as the Serpent, the Devil, and Satan;
so there can be no doubt who this creature really is. (cf. Rev 20:2)

It's quite possible that the people of that day will honestly believe the Beast
is empowered by a divine being; and unaware they are actually giving glory
to a demonic being instead. For example:

● 2Thess 2:9-12 . . .This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with
artificial power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked
deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they
refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great
deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.

Worship of the Beast will be universal, mandatory, and strictly enforced
regardless of age, race, gender, and/or ethnic identity-- a one-world mega
religion that blows all others out of the water, e.g. Islam, Mormonism,
Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, etc.
(This situation would amount to circumstances somewhat similar to Hab
2:14 only quite in opposition to Yahweh's purpose.)
_

**NOTICE**
This interpretation reflects the system, not individual Catholics, and warns against conflating the prophecy with personal faith. This view aligns with historicist Protestant eschatology.

Concerning the first beast of Revelation 13:4 (rising from the sea, described in Revelation 13:1–10) symbolizes the Roman Catholic Church in its role as a persecuting religious-political power, specifically the Papacy. this beast fulfills biblical prophecies, a system that opposes God’s authority and enforces false worship. Key identifiers include:

1. Blasphemous Claims: The beast’s "blasphemous names" (Revelation 13:1) align with papal titles like Vicar of Christ and claims to infallibility, usurping Christ’s unique role as head of the church.
2. Persecution: The beast’s war against saints (Revelation 13:7) mirrors the medieval Church’s suppression of reformers and dissenters.
3. Prophetic Timeline: The 42-month/1,260-day period (Revelation 13:5, interpreted as 1,260 years) corresponds to the Papacy’s dominance from 538 CE (Justinian’s decree) to 1798 CE (Napoleon’s imprisonment of the Pope).
4. Mortal Wound Healed: The beast’s "deadly wound" (Revelation 13:3) refers to the Papacy’s loss of temporal power in 1798, with its modern resurgence seen as the "healing" of that wound.

 

[Psalm1]

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● Rev 13:4 . . And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the
Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying: Who is like unto the Beast?
Who is able to make war with him?

* The Dragon is identified by Rev 12:9 as the Serpent, the Devil, and Satan;
so there can be no doubt who this creature really is. (cf. Rev 20:2)

It's quite possible that the people of that day will honestly believe the Beast
is empowered by a divine being; and unaware they are actually giving glory
to a demonic being instead. For example:

● 2Thess 2:9-12 . . .This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with
artificial power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked
deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they
refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great
deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.

Worship of the Beast will be universal, mandatory, and strictly enforced
regardless of age, race, gender, and/or ethnic identity-- a one-world mega
religion that blows all others out of the water, e.g. Islam, Mormonism,
Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, etc.
(This situation would amount to circumstances somewhat similar to Hab
2:14 only quite in opposition to Yahweh's purpose.)
_

Yes
And it will be instituted with UNDERLYING PURPOSE. To remove the church from the face of the earth.
( wich it does as is stated clearly in rev)

 

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● Rev 13:5a . . And there was given unto the Beast a mouth speaking great
things

That pretty much describes the rhetorical bombast of most every politician,
viz: promises of a better world under the auspices of their own
administrative practices.

● Rev 13:5b . . and blasphemies

In this scenario, the Beast is God's political opponent: no doubt scoffing at
the notion of Christ's return to establish the theocratic administration
predicted in the old testament.

Well political opponents in today's world make it their mission in life to
destroy the other guy's reputation, to call into question his motives, and
even to get him thrown into jail and/or assassinated. I suspect the Beast's
tactics will be no different because it's to his advantage to emphasize the old
God's perceived faults and failures and to show how himself as the new God
who can do a much better job managing the world's affairs.

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is
worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to
be God." (2Thess 2:3-4)

NOTE: I would imagine that a first order of business for the Beast will be to
come up with a plausible explanation for the rapture as its described by
1Thess 4:13-18 wherein nigh unto 2,000 years of deceased Christians will
appear out of thin air all over the globe and join those still alive and all go
up together like an Oort Cloud to rendezvous with Christ in the upper
atmosphere.

It seems nigh unto impossible to spin something like that; however, the
Beast is allied with the Dragon-- a very clever critter (Gen 3:1) --who will no
doubt figure out a way to manipulate the meaning of the rapture to the
Beast's advantage.
_

 

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● Rev 13:5c . . and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Be advised those are not calendar months, rather, they're prophetic months of
thirty days apiece which add up to a 360-day year instead of the usual +/- 365
days. So then; forty and two months of prophetic time totals exactly 1,260 days.

Prophetic months and years are sort of like baker's dozens and troy ounces. Though
a baker's dozen isn't a dozen of twelve, and though a troy ounce is heavier than a
standard ounce; baker's dozens and troy ounces are both true values in their own
way. The same goes for mean solar time vs. sidereal time, and/or geographic north
vs. magnetic north.

Scripture also reckons time by means of heptads; which are units of time consisting
of seven prophetic years each, e.g. Daniel 9:25-27.
_

 

[Rob7]

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NOTE: I would imagine that a first order of business for the Beast will be to
come up with a plausible explanation for the rapture as its described by
1Thess 4:13-18 wherein nigh unto 2,000 years of deceased Christians will
appear out of thin air all over the globe and join those still alive and all go
up together like an Oort Cloud to rendezvous with Christ in the upper
atmosphere.

It seems nigh unto impossible to spin something like that; however, the
Beast is allied with the Dragon-- a very clever critter (Gen 3:1) --who will no
doubt figure out a way to manipulate the meaning of the rapture to the
Beast's advantage.
_

The "first order of business for the Beast" in 1545, seems to have been "damage control". Due to the damage done by the Protestant Reformers, outing the Papacy for who they really are and where their allegiance lies. ... The Council of Trent, and Ignatius of Loyola establishing the Jesuit Order in 1540, to counter the Protestant Reformation, and the generation of "Futurism"

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: - :9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
:10 And with all delusion of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved -:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: -:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

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● Rev 13:7-8 . . And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and
to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues,
and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.

"saints" in the book of Revelation always pertains to the people whom God
selected many years ago to be His people.

"This is what Yahweh says: "Israel is my firstborn son." (Ex 4:22)

The Greek word translated "saints" basically means sacred. While true that
the Jews don't seem all that sacred per se --it's their situation with God that
makes them so.

According to the letter to Hebrews; had Moses' people invaded the promised land
when Yahweh instructed them to, their occupancy of it would've been
permanent and no power on earth could've conquered them because God
would have seen to it.

Point being: we mustn't assume their current occupation in that land is
permanent because according to Rev 13:7 the Jews are on track to lose
control of Israel at least one more time.

The Lamb slain "from the foundation of the world" reveals that Jesus wasn't
a stand-by emergency responder sent to an unexpected train wreck, rather;
he was designated, and scheduled, to die on a cross for the sins of the world
prior to God creating even a single atom for the current cosmos. In other
words: the cross was anticipated (cf. 1Pet 1:18-21) and if so, then I think
we are safe to assume Rev 13:7-8 was a foregone conclusion from the very
beginning.
_

 

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During the circumstances depicted and described in the book of Revelation,
quite a few folks are going to wake up and begin looking for answers. I'm
guessing it will be difficult, and dangerous, trying to locate copies of the
Bible as I suspect the Beast and his allies will initiate something similar to
Mao Zedong's cultural revolution to eradicate competing ideologies.

Nevertheless; just as Communist China has failed to suppress Christianity
within its borders, so the Beast and his allies will fail to silence every mouth;
especially those two witnesses spoken of in the 11th chapter of Revelation

Plus, I think we can be reasonably confident there will be large numbers
of Christians left behind who, although they missed the rapture, will
nevertheless be a blessing in disguise as they will have quite a bit of the
Bible retained in their memories from Sunday school classes and whatnot
just as they do now. And they, in concert with the two witnesses, should
prove to be an invaluable source of spiritual intel for the large crowd of
tribulation victims depicted by Rev 7:9-17.
_

 

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● Rev 13:9b-10 . . If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills
with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith
of the saints.

I think that just might be a reiteration of the perseverance and the faith of Job; where it's
said:

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22)

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15)

That of the prophet Habakkuk:

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of
the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in The Lord, I will joy in the
God of my salvation." (Hab 3:17-18)

And that of the apostle Paul:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face
death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." (Rom 8:35-36)

It's generally agreed among conservative Christians that no saved person will enter the
Tribulation; but there will be a large number of lost souls saved out of it; though at great
cost to their welfare. They mustn't allow their misfortunes during that era to persuade
them that they've bought into a fraud.

* Believers are not a protected species; nor are they insulated from the slings and
arrows of outrageous fortune.

When there's a pandemic, they get sick the same as everybody else. When there's war,
they get caught up in it. When there are economic catastrophes like the Great
Depression and the housing bubble of 2008, they lose their jobs and sometimes their
nest eggs. When there are shortages of goods and services, they have to make do with
what there is the same as everybody else. When the weather becomes disagreeable
with tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding, they lose their homes right along with non
believers. Wild fires in California burn the homes of believers the same as everybody
else's homes. Believers get cancer, they get in car wrecks, they get taken by crime,
nature drops tree limbs on them, and the postman delivers their mail to the wrong
address, etc. etc. etc.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say:
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(Horatio P. Spafford, 1828-1888)
_

 

[IXOYE81]

Do you believe Revelation is literal, physical, spiritual, something in between, or just another completely different perspective! I would love to see your thoughts and your logic behind them.

My Bible teacher and Scholar for over 30 years, Peter Barnes, once said regarding understanding the Book of Revelation, "If it makes sense, don't try to make other sense of it." There are portions that are certainly symbolic; however, if we follow Peter's suggestion, we can understand it better by taking his advice. I've studied Revelation for over 40 years and it's one of my favorite books. To sum it up, Jesus gave this prophesy to John His disciple to warn the seven churches (which also represent the churches today) about the details of the events that will happen the last seven years prior to His return. We may not know the day nor the hour, but He certainly did want us to know the signs of His coming, so we can be prepared. Myself, I hold the view that Jesus will rapture the Believers out of here just before the opening of the sixth seal and just before His wrath is poured out on the earth as described in Revelation 6:12-17.

 

[Webers.Home]

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● Rev 13:11 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had
two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

This particular beast will be, from all appearances, a seemingly harmless
individual, viz: he won't have the look of a menace.

For example: German SS officer Heinrich Luitpold Himmler had the look of a
classic Mr. Milquetoast; but underneath that facade was an astonishing
capacity for cruelty, subterfuge, and murder on a grand scale. In other
words: you couldn't tell at first glance that Himmler was a monster in whose
opinion human lives are inconvenient.
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[Webers.Home]

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● Rev 13:11-17 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth . . . and he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from
heaven to earth in full view of men . . . he deceived the inhabitants of the earth and
ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast . . . He was given power to
give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who
refused to worship the image to be executed.

The dimensions of the image aren't given but I should think it will be large enough
to be imposing.

For example: side by side statues of former North Korean leaders Kim IL Sung and
Kim Jong-IL, located on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, are 22 meters (72+ feet) tall. If
one of those statues ever came to life, it would make quite an impression because
something that big would be very difficult to fake for even a top-notch magician like
David Copperfield.

* The Greek word translated "beast" refers to dangerous animals as opposed to
peaceful critters like goats, sheep, prairie dogs, and squeaky little gerbils.
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