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Showing posts from August, 2019

Silence in Heaven

At the end of the seventh seal, seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets, unleashing judgment on the “inhabitants of the earth”  – Revelation 8:1-6.  The saints have been “ sealed ,” washed “ in the blood of the Lamb ,” and brought safely through the “ great tribulation .” The full complement of “ witnesses ” has been assembled, and the time has arrived for judgment to be rendered against the “ inhabitants of the earth ” that persecuted the martyrs. Their plea for “ vengeance ” is about to be answered.

First Four Seals - Aftermath

The first four seal openings occur under the watchful eyes of the “Lamb” and the “four living creatures” around the “throne”  –  Revelation 6:8 .  Collectively, the four “ riders ” are authorized to kill “ a fourth of the earth .” Each seal is “ opened ” by the “ Lamb ,” and each respective “ rider ” is commanded to ride by one of the “ four living creatures ” that surrounded the “ throne .” The forces unleashed by the first four seals result from the “ Lamb ” breaking open the seven “ seals ” of the scroll.

Sealing of God's Servants

SYNOPSIS :   God’s servants are now sealed, numbered, and assembled for their journey to the Promised Land, New Jerusalem  - Revelation 7:1-8 .  The seventh chapter of the book of Revelation appears to interrupt the sequence of seal openings between the sixth and seventh seals. However, this “interlude” or interruption is an integral part of the series of seven seal openings; moreover, it follows a literary pattern established in Chapter 5.

Sixth Seal - Wrath

The sixth seal ushers in the Day of the Lord, the time of wrath upon the inhabitants of the earth and all the Lamb’s enemies  –  Revelation 6:12-17 .  The opening of the sixth seal causes celestial and terrestrial trauma as the “ day of wrath ” dawns. It is nothing less than the “ great day of the wrath of God and of the Lamb .” Men of every rank panic in terror, but their every attempt to hide from the impending “ wrath ” is in vain. There is no escape, for no one can “ stand ” before the “ Lamb and the throne. ”

Season is at Hand

In Revelation, the period known as the last days began following the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth .  The last book of the New Testament is called   the “ revelation of Jesus Christ ,” and it is a message for his “ servants ,” namely, the “ seven churches of Asia .” It concerns “ what things must come to pass soon ,” information that is vital since the “ SEASON IS AT HAND .”

Ezekiel's Temple

Revelation places Ezekiel’s vision of the ideal Temple in the middle of the city of New Jerusalem .  The book of Revelation  places Ezekiel’s vision of the ideal Temple in the city of New Jerusalem. What the ancient prophet envisioned is at the center of the perfectly squared city. Language from his prophecy is applied in  Revelation  to paint a portrait of the glorious city that will encompass the entire New Creation.

The Son and the Dragon

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In Chapter 12, John sees a new “ sign ” in the heavens, the Woman “ clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet .” She is wearing a “ crown of twelve stars ,” and she is pregnant and about to give birth to one identified as a “ son .” He appears in fulfillment of the messianic promise in the Second Psalm, the King and Son of Yahweh who is destined to “ rule the nations .”

Beginning of the Creation

Revelation looks forward to the reign of Jesus in the New Creation, a reality inaugurated by his Death and Resurrection .  In his letter to Laodicea, Jesus is declared the “ beginning of the creation of God .” In his death and resurrection, he inaugurated the New Creation. In the same sentence, and in the present tense, he also is called the “ Amen ,  the faithful and true witness ,” appellations applied to him previously in the book’s prologue.

Finished! - Seventh Bowl

The seventh “ bowl of wrath ” anticipates the fuller description of the destruction of “ Babylon ” in chapters 17 and 18. It echoes the Old Testament story of the plague of hail inflicted on Egypt at the word of Moses. Emptying the bowl “ on the air ” prepares for the “ great hail ” that will conclude this last “ plague ” and seal Babylon’s doom.

First Four Bowls

The first four bowls target the economic infrastructure necessary for commerce and the economic health of the  World Empire . Since the “ Beast from the sea ” caused the followers of the “ Lamb ” economic deprivation, so, now, the “ Beast ” and the “ inhabitants of the earth ” suffer economic loss.

Fourfold Structure

The book of Revelation is comprised of a prologue, the vision proper, and an epilogue. The vision falls into four recognizable divisions, and each commences when John finds himself “ in the spirit ” and is transported to a specific location. For example, the first vision begins with John on Patmos where he “ comes to be in spirit ” and sees a vision of the one “ like a son of man .”

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