Have you ever thought that the book of Revelation is a bit confusing? There are tons of people quoting this book and they all have different viewpoints on how this book plays out. When I started in 2020 I realized that the narrative I was told is a complete lie, so I set out to find out what God truly means in this prophecy. God did not just throw out these fantastic events to confuse us, he had the evidence hidden in the Old Testament all along. The book of Revelation has the same imagery as the prophecies in Enoch, the apocrypha and the Old testament. We can find a prophecy that's been fulfilled and use it to teach us how to interpret Revelation. And that's what I've done. This prophecy is not waiting to be fulfilled, but is nearly done because it started it's fulfillment in the first century, just after John wrote it down. This viewpoint is critical in testing whether or not the prophecy is valid and whether or not the person interpreting the prophecy is truthful. There are 2 references to the prophecy starting soon in chapter 1, and 3 in the final chapter 22. The prophecy starts and ends with this phrase, and it is said multiple times. God wants us to take notice of that. If it did not start soon, the prophecy is a lie. So, I believe God's prophecies always come to pass, just as he said, so it's just a matter of finding the evidence. I have gone verse by verse to find the connections to what God said in the prophecies that HAVE been fulfilled, line those verses up with historical evidence, and let the Words of the Most High God do it's job. What has been shared with me in secret, I now shout from the rooftop.
I am using the title God to identify the Most High God, the tetragrammaton (YHWH), and the name Jesus to identify our messiah. Since there is still debate over the true name of the Most High, I will use God for consistency. I know that God is a poor choice but I'm not certain which name to call my heavenly Father, so I'll keep with God, as well as using the name Jesus, because that's what most translations use. I pray in the name of Jesus and my prayers reach God's ears with miracles and deliverance, so the name of Jesus still has power. I know this can be a place of offence, so please show me grace over this decision to keep it simple and consistent.
The ESV bible is my preference for a translation, and I use biblehub.com for my research. Using a system like biblehub magnifies your ability to research the word. Bible scholars in previous generations would not have even thought it possible to have all this information at our fingertips!
Before we start chapter 1, I want to briefly touch on three common themes of end-time events that you will not find in Revelation: the Antichrist, the rapture, and the seven-year tribulation. Concerning the antichrist, there is not one book of prophecy that mentions the antichrist, and if a description of the antichrist is not important for God to include in Revelation, then it must be left out of my investigation. God has a very dire warning to anyone who adds to the words of the book of Revelation, God will add to him, which would be ME, the plagues described in this book. Revelation 22:18.
Second is the rapture. People generally quote Paul's phrase of meeting Jesus in the air as the basis of this end time event. He uses a series of events that actually contradict what Jesus says in the gospels, when Jesus described the gathering of the elect in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The event Jesus describes is the diaspora that happened before the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. I have a blog post on this with the biblical and historical evidence to back up this claim, so take some time to look it over if you are interested. The current rapture theory was promoted by a man who attended a Jesuit college, and this is relevant because of the Jesuit dragon introduced in chapter 12 of Revelation. The dragon is the father of lies and the rapture deception is making our church lukewarm. If people think they are raptured to heaven, then they won't even make the effort to study Revelation. They have just enough oil to be saved, but not enough to meet the bridegroom and enter the kingdom of God. Entering the kingdom is the highest calling we have while we are still on this earth. Be fervent for the kingdom as Jesus calls us to be in the Laodicean church of Revelation 3.
The third event is the seven-year tribulation, which is also called Daniel's 70th week. I have a blog post on that called Blaspheming God, the 7-year Tribulation which shows the evidence that Jesus fulfilled the 70th week. God gave this prophecy about his son, and this prophecy was fulfilled exactly as the spirit of God spoke it. Think about the ramifications of twisting this prophecy to say that it's actually the antichrist that fulfills this prophecy. Imagine looking at your savior, and seeing his disappointment? Imagine contradicting the Holy spirit of God and spinning this prophecy against what the Spirit intended, that is blasphemy. ... blaspheming the Holy Spirit........The terrible consequences of either one of these ideas is too much for me to entertain. Not only is there proof it has already been fulfilled, the prophecy was not sealed, there's no indication that the prophecy was stopped and held over for a later time. Historically, many bible scholars also witnessed to this, and you can easily google their findings and read their work as well. Biblehub has maybe a dozen of these bible scholars on their website under the commentary tab. That's the easiest place to find their work.
God has always been consistent in his language concerning prophecy. If he referred to a flood as meaning a flood of troops in a war in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, then we can apply that interpretation to Revelation and then see if there is historical evidence to back that interpretation up.
Another good example is looking at the beasts in Daniel 7 & 8. Chapter 8 has terminology and the definition given by the angel, so we get an accurate fulfillment of the imagery of the beasts and horns shown to Daniel. With that knowledge, you can define similar imagery in Daniel 7. Once the imagery is defined we can look to history to see that the chapter 7 dreadful beast is Rome. In Revelation, the dreadful Rome beast falls, and we see portions of all four beasts in Daniel 7 emerge as the sea beast in Revelation 13. The horns on Daniel's dreadful beast are also on the sea beast, and when the sea beast falls in power in chapter 19, those horns go back on the red dragon beast in chapter 20. This process of defining the red dragon beast is not straightforward in Revelation, you have to put 4 chapters of information together to see this transition of this red dragon beast. Having the book of Revelation defined verse by verse make it possible to find the fulfillment, and will point us in the right direction to understand bible prophecy as a whole.
God put the book of Revelation in our hands at this time so we can be confident about coming events, and to see who our enemy is. We don't solve the prophecy to be arrogant over others, or to set dates, but to see God's purpose as the one who was, who is and is to come. We see the heart of Jesus and his expectation of his church, and, to have a healthy fear of his coming judgement so we can repent and walk in victory. Jesus wants his church to be victorious, not lukewarm. It is vital to press in to the truth, now more than ever, for the end is very near.
Now for the overview of Revelation. Chapter 1 is an introduction by John testifying to all that he saw, and that it will soon come to pass. After that is the revelation of Jesus. It goes through a list of qualities that Jesus now has, for example: Jesus walks among the lampstands which are the churches, he is robed with glory, his hair white with wisdom. He is the son of man, meaning he's a true prophet, and has a golden sash, the assignment of a holy messenger. His eyes of understanding burn with such intensity as a fiery flame, and his voice is as a multitude. The words of his mouth are a double-edged sword and his face shines with the presence of God that is compared to the strength of the sun! He is not the baby in a manger, he is mighty and fearsome! He uses that fierce power to walk among the churches and render his judgement to the oppressors of his people. Looking at these many qualities shown in chapter 1, we can not assume our walk with Jesus will be for the timid, but for the fierce and the bold.
Chapters 2 and 3 are about the churches. Bible scholars up until the 1850s had these interpreted as church ages because phrases of a specific church matched phrases shown later in the prophecy. For example, when Jesus comes as a thief is both in the description of the church and in the prophecy. This would show the church ages to be twice fulfilled, which further testifies to God's glory! How amazing to see the timeline of history marching through these churches, right up until the age of the Laodicean Church. This is our church age, so we can prepare ourselves by reading the commands of Jesus concerning this church, repent, and be ready for the times ahead of us.
Chapter 4 is the introduction to the first prophecy by a visit to the throne room of God. We see much of the same terminology in this chapter as we see in the mighty prophecies in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and even Enoch. Those books show a similar introduction to the throne room, which validates it as a true prophecy. We also see how God uses prophetic speech, such as thunders, fire and lightning.
Chapter 5 is the fulfillment of the scroll in Daniel 11 that was sealed in Daniel chapter 12, and it shows the one who is worthy to unseal this prophecy. The scroll is a scroll of judgement, so it is fitting that the lamb that was slain is determined worthy to open the scroll. It's good to note here that chapters 4-9 have been interpreted as the fall of Rome. Dozens of bible scholars from the 1400s to the 1800s have written books and articles, detailing it's fulfillment. The most remarkable point about that is the use of Edward Gibbon as their source. He wrote The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and he is not considered to be a Christian at all! God can use the most unlikely people to accomplish his will.
Chapter 6 shows the beginning of the judgement. The prophecy was told to John that it would soon come to pass, so the Daniel 7 dreadful beast of Rome that ruled in the first century, is going to finally receive it's judgment. The four horses representing Rome show the start of this process of judgement, but Rome did not repent. Persecution of the followers of Jesus continued to increase and the number of martyrs reached their limit. The 6th seal shows intense prophetic language such as the sun becoming black, the moon of blood, the sky vanishing like a scroll and the earth leveled because of an earthquake. These are prophetic - terminology used by God to show the nature of rulers and empires. The earthquake was the splitting of the great Roman empire. The sun is the leader of the empire, and Diocletian was that emperor, who was darkened with oppression, and the full moon was Galerius, his second in command but having full rule over a fourth of Rome. His decrees resulted in death of the saints, fulfilling the red moon. Even the colors used have a consistent meaning, so solving the black horse helps define the black sun. We know black is oppression and can use that term throughout scripture.
Chapter 7 is where the tribes of Israel are sealed for a time. They are the ones who follow the lamb and will be unsealed in chapter 14. We also see those clothed in white, which are the saints who will be persecuted for following the truth and defying the Roman church. Here is where we see the divide between the Spirit and the bride, later described as the camp of the saints and the beloved city. It's a small detail that will be useful in interpreting old testament prophecy concerning the return of the true Jews to the promised land.
Chapter 8 is the trumpet judgements of war against the Roman empire, starting with the Western Roman Empire. There first 4 trumpets were separate military campaigns against the empire, two of those against the city of Rome itself. Rome was the capitol of the empire, the mighty mountain that was burning with fire because of being sieged. The eagle ends this chapter with a woe to the empire, which is the decree of final destruction.
Chapter 9 is the 5th trumpet that opens the shaft of the abyss, or the well, or cistern. This is a great example how to carefully interpret the words God gave concerning the prophecy because the shaft is opened, not the abyss itself. This is usually misinterpreted and people assume that demons from the abyss are released here. The demons weren't released with this trumpet, but instead it was their teaching, the well of the abyss. Muhammed received this teaching by an angel of darkness and Islam was born. The Muslim hoards were the unlikely messengers of judgement against the Eastern Roman empire, also called the Byzantine empire. We have an exceptional fulfillment in this chapter, because the timeline of days in verse 15 was fulfilled exactly in years. The Byzantine empire fell but the rest of mankind, or the Roman church, still survived, and did not repent. Her judgement comes in the second prophecy given in Revelation 10.
Chapter 10 shows God's throne again and John is given a new prophecy. The fulfillment of this second prophecy will be the rise and fall of 3 beasts, the transformation of the papal woman, the introduction of the kings of the east, the church in the fullness of truth and the spirit, the return of Israel back to the land. We see in chapter 10 the angel on the land and sea, which is in Europe, where the prophecy will be start. We also see the seven thunders. They were ready to speak the end of the age prophecies written in the Old Testament, but they would be sealed, or postponed, until the 7th bowl judgement, and their testimony was not recorded. Instead we would be required to read Old Testament prophecies and discern how they fit into this second prophecy. The second scroll was opened, but this time it is called a biblaridion, or little book. It's interesting to see it called a little book, considering how critical the invention of the printing press was to the expansion of the church in chapter 12.
Chapter 11 shows the two lampstands, also called the two witnesses and two olive trees. This chapter is usually taken out of context by thinking it will be two literal people, likely Enoch or Elijah, instead of two churches. We know it's not two people because Jesus said that lampstands are churches in Revelation 1:20. Not only do we have that defined in Revelation, but we have history on our side as well. There were two groups of people that fulfilled the role of lampstand, witness and olive tree, they were the Cathars and the Waldensians. They transcribed bibles, speaking to the olive tree. The were witnesses, secret missionaries in the face of a mighty Roman church. They evangelized even though the Papacy did not accept any other interpretation of Christianity except what their priest taught from their Latin vulgate bible. The Cathars especially were bold in their proclamation of Jesus that the papacy issued edicts against them, excommunicated them and even started the Episcopal Inquisition against them in 1184. The Cathars were nearly wiped from history, and the Waldensians, even though they tolerated Jezebel, suffered greatly during the inquisitions as well. The fire that poured out of their mouths was fulfilled through the judgements of St Anthony's fire, a pestilence on wheat called ergotism, the drought of the century which lasted from 1302–1307, and the bubonic plague also called the Black death from 1347–1351, that killed 25-50 million people.
In Chapter 12 we are introduced to a woman about to give birth. This woman is the persecuted church, about to birth a son who will rule with an iron rod. There is a heavenly war between Michael and Satan, the dragon, and this chapter shows the victory of God's word going out. Many think that this is Israel, birthing Jesus, but we know from chapter 7 that Israel is still sealed for a time. The sun, moon and stars are interpreted in previous chapters as leaders, emperors or kings, and lesser levels of leadership. The woman is robed by the sun, or blessed by the king. The the moon under her feet shows her authority even over the lesser powers of the government. In the 1400s we see a shift in loyalty with a line of kings in the British Isles that led to the Reformation. We are also introduced to the dragon, a formidable animal but not yet a beast. This dragon is the Jesuits, headquartered out of Rome, who worked with the papacy to come against the infant churches of the Reformation. The English crown cast off the papacy and blessed the infant Anglican church, and it ruled England with a rod of iron, by passing laws dictating that they would use the book of common prayer in services instead of the "mass" (liturgical rituals of the papacy). Later in chapter 17, we find what the connection the papacy has with the dragon. Also in this chapter we have 3 different fulfilments of time, times and half a time, which is pretty phenomenal! It always gives me pause when these happen, only by the hand of God!
Chapter 13 is the introduction of the sea beast, which is the morphing of the remnants of the ancient Roman empire. It has characteristics of all the beasts in Daniel 7 so going back to that chapter is vital to the understanding of this beast. The sea beast carries the 10 horns that were described in Daniel's dreadful beast, which are the 10 divisions of Roman family royalty. The family dynasties actually had land associated with their rule and Daniel 7 explains that 3 horns of the dreadful beast lost their land, which transitions into the 7 heads of the sea beast. One of the sea beast heads is the mortally the wounded Rome, healed to become the Holy Roman Empire. This empire started in 800 AD so here is an example of a chapter going back in time to set up the players of the prophecy, not necessarily following a consecutive set of events like in chapters 6-9. After the sea beast is established we see another beast rise from the earth. We will see that has to be the United States. It is shown as a lamb, so a newly formed nation, but it speaks like a dragon. Speech is the laws and decrees of a nation, and the US constitution and government structure does in fact mirror that of ancient Rome. We will also see how this beast formed the image of the first beast, the UN, and formed it's own mark - the dollar/fiat currency. It is numbered after a man, and this phrase is similar on how Jesus was numbered with the disciples, fulfilled by being 1 of the 3 Americas, which is also a man's name. The beast is also Babylon, 666, which used a base 60 numbering system. This beast will not only be thrown in the lake of fire, but also receive it's judgement in chapter 18 as part of Babylon the great city.
Chapter 14 is the unsealing of the tribes from Chapter 7. We see this separation in the parable of the wedding feast, where there are those invited to the wedding, and the bride. It's also why there is the camp of the saints, and the beloved city in chapter 20 and explains why the spirit and the bride say come, in chapter 22. Soon after the bride is unsealed will be the harvest of the earth which is also described in chapter 16 and 19.
The beginning of chapter 15 shows the conclusion of chapter 14, and the coming plague judgements.
Chapter 16 shows the plague judgements on the 2 beasts of chapter 13, and the throne of dragon-beast and woman of chapter 17. The plagues mirror the seal judgements and since we know how those are solved, it helps to see the fulfillment in chapter 16. At the end of these judgements the Euphrates is prophetically dried up, which is the decline of the Ottoman Empire that ruled that area. This decline started in 1823. This gives rise to the kings of the east, which we know now as China and Russia. Next shows the three frogs of propaganda issued out, gathering the nations for the first world war. They come from the mouths of all three beasts, showing that these beasts are all ruling at the same time, and the earth beast of chapter 13 is now called the false prophet. They assemble at Megiddo, near Jerusalem, and that literal battle was fought in 1918. Jesus comes as a thief in WWI, and fulfills prophecy in chapter 3. The final plague is issued, which is a judgement against Babylon, the great city, and the cup of staggering is being prepared for her. The island and mountains fell, which is the fall of imperialism, and the great hailstones is WWII.
In Chapter 17 we will go over the two phases of the papacy, the harlot on many waters, and the Woman on the beast. The riddle of the dragon-beast is explained, as well as it's connection to the horns from Daniel's dreadful beast, and how the head of the dragon is one of the heads of the European beast.
Chapter 18 is the judgement of the Babylon the Great city, drunk on power, a double portion of immorality. Babylon is a mindset, so it's still referred to as a she, but it's not the church or papacy. The great city is the expanse of people that follow Babylon with their idolatry and wealth. Governments, merchants and even the church are all components of this corrupt world system. Babel was the first post-flood city to try to recreate fallen angel worship that was prevalent before the flood. God gives the queen of this debased world system a double cup of judgement, and her plagues will be twice as bad as what other empires received before. We can look to chapter 6 to the fall of Rome, chapter 10 to the attacks against papal Europe, and the plagues in chapter 16, but they will be worse, much worse, but the punishment fits the crime. The cup of staggering was even given to the bride of God, his blessed Jerusalem, for the wickedness that they participated in. Ezekiel 23 explains the horrific atrocities that were committed, they were lewd, disgraceful, and even offered their children up as sacrifices to worship fallen angels. The same is being done today on a world-wide level of horror well deserving of the double portion of suffering. There will be plagues, pestilence, famine, war and captivity, just as what happened to mighty Jerusalem. Christian, you must be prepared. This chapter is a fine example of the real reason to obey the words of Revelation and repent!
Chapter 19 finishes the fall of Babylon, then shows how the lamb is coming for his bride. It shows how Jesus is the righteous judge, and he is the one who treads the winepress, preparing the cup of staggering to Babylon. All the imagery in chapter 19 show us the extent that Jesus is preparing the way for his bride, the unsealed sons and daughters of Jacob. We see the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy of the valley of dry bones in this chapter. The first Aliyah in 1800 is the sinew, and the miracle of the breath over the bones is the Hebrew language being revived in the late 1800s! The end of chapter 19 is restating the fulfillment of the Son of Man coming on the clouds from chapter 14. WWI and WWII are shown from three perspectives, chapter 14, 16 and 19 as well as from the churches in chapter 3. These two wars were the lake of fire that the sea and earth beasts were thrown alive in, and it gives us insight on the coming final lake of fire in chapter 20.
Chapter 20 is a continuation of chapter 19 and we see that the dragon beast is released to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth. We also see the saints who did not worship the image or the mark come to life. This is a similar battle to the battle of the witnesses in chapter 11 when the churches true to the Word stood against the dragon. The sea and earth beasts are mentioned as having already been thrown into the final lake of fire, which speaks to their destruction. When we look to the verses in chapter 17 describing this red dragon beast, it has Mystery Babylon on the forehead of the Woman who rides the beast. The dragon and woman are deceptive and are hiding in the shadows, using the remnants of the sea and earth beast, the image and the mark, to control humanity. This chapter has the culmination of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, the apocrypha and of Jesus, being fulfilled before the final end. We have another lake of fire shown here, the fire that is not quenched. This fire not only destroys every beast and tool of the enemy, but Hades itself. The great white throne judgement is the very end of this age where death and evil finally meet their end. We have to be diligent to interpret Revelation wisely so we can see how other prophecies are being fulfilled as we speak. If we do, we can see who true Israel is, and who the counterfeit Edom is. We can see the severity of the coming judgements and prepare our homes and our families. We can see the lies of the rapture, and escaping to heaven, so we aren't left in the dark. We can have the clear interpretation of the prophecies that Jesus gave for us and the dire warnings he gave the church. We will be mightily empowered with truth to overcome the works of darkness. We will also take to heart the warning that Jesus gave the Laodicean church so we are found acceptable, and not be vomited out of His mouth. This is the blessing promised to us as we read this book and learn how to understand all of bible prophecy.