Introduction to the book of Revelation

The purpose of bible prophecy is so that God can reveal not just exactly what will happen in the future, but also exactly when it will happen with precise time lines. Then, when those future events occur exactly when God said they would occur we will know that he is God. For example, the Great Tribulation which Jesus Christ prophesied would happen precisely forty years after his death in 70 AD. The Great Tribulation is God’s judgment against the Jews for killing the prophets and the Messiah. It also known as the Jewish War of insurrection against Rome and in that war Rome laid siege to Jerusalem, crucified the Jews who survived the siege for insurrection against Rome and sold the remnant into slavery. This resulted in the European Diaspora of the Jews from the land of Israel for 1260 years, one year for each year they existed as a nation and the end of the nation of Israel until the time of the Gentiles to trample Jerusalem ended in 1948 AD.

God uses the genre of apocalypse in so many bible prophecies because it is impossible to understand those prophecies until after they have already been fulfilled. It is only through the hindsight of history that we can see them with 20-20 vision. This is God’s way of placing a seal of understanding on the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation about WWII and the holocaust of the Jews for the abominations of the first temple by Manasseh, king of Judah [reigned 698-643 BC] until after they were already fulfilled. The prophecies of Revelation fit like a glove into the prophecies of Daniel because they are about the same thing, WWII and the holocaust. The prophecies of Revelation about WWII and the holocaust are not sealed from understanding, but the prophecies of Daniel are. This is why everyone who has tried to understand the prophecies of Revelation about WWII and the holocaust has failed. But now the prophecies of Daniel about WWII and the holocaust have been fulfilled, the seal of understanding on them has been lifted and we can now understand the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation about WWII and the holocaust.

The writers of apocalypse use apocalyptic symbols to describe the relationship between God, the angels in heaven and the evil nations on the earth who are judged by him. Those apocalyptic symbols cannot be literally interpreted or we will not be able to understand the prophecies. But, fortunately for us the writers of apocalypse always define the symbols they use somewhere in the text. If we search for those definitions we will be able to understand the symbols and we will then be able to understand the prophecies themselves. I have already found all of the definitions for the apocalyptic symbolism used in the prophecies of Revelation and have inserted them in parenthesis in the text of the Modern King James Version of the bible for your benefit.

Author:

John, the disciple Jesus dearly loved, brother of James the Greater. He was one of the sons of Zebedee and Salome. When John the Baptist began his ministry John was deeply influenced by his teaching. On the invitation of Jesus Christ he became one of the twelve disciples.

Date:

According to tradition, during a period of persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Vespasian that lasted from 69 to 79 AD, John was banished to Patmos, one of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. In 70 AD, while on the island of Patmos he wrote the book of Revelation.

Content:

In chapters 1 through 3 an apparition of Jesus Christ appears to John and personally dictates a letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which is present day Turkey. It is therefore another Gospel of Jesus Christ and is far more expansive on the doctrine of eternal life in heaven than the other four.

The rest of Revelation is partly historical and partly prophetical. Chapters 4 through 7 are historical and document the divine coronation of Jesus Christ in 70 AD in fulfillment of the Son of man prophecy of Daniel. Jesus prophesied to his disciples that he would receive a kingdom from God in which he would be equal to God. He also prophesied to them that he would receive that kingdom within forty years of his death and that at least one of them would live long enough to witness it. In 70 AD John, the disciple Jesus Christ dearly loved had an out of body experience and his spirit was taken into heaven to witness the divine coronation of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of that prophecy. In heaven John sees Jesus Christ breaking seven seals on a scroll that he takes from the hand of God. Those seven seals symbolize the divine authority of God over the earth and as Jesus Christ breaks each seal he takes on that divine authority.

Chapters 8 through 20 are prophetical. The seventh seal symbolizes God’s divine authority over the fulfillment of bible prophecy and when Jesus Christ breaks it and takes on that divine authority John begins to see prophetic visions about the fulfillment of all bible prophecy, from the messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus Christ to the battle of Gog Magog, as spoken of by the prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah, which is another world war.

Those prophetic visions are about:

The fulfillment of all messianic prophecy by Jesus Christ during the lifetime of John.

The Great Tribulation, God’s judgment against the Jews for killing the prophets and the Messiah. This is also known as the Jewish War of insurrection against Rome and the Roman siege of Jerusalem when Rome crucified the Jews who survived the siege for insurrection against Rome and sold the remnant into slavery. This resulted in the European Diaspora of the Jews from the land of Israel for 1260 years, one year for each year they existed as a nation and the end of the nation of Israel until the time of the Gentiles to trample Jerusalem ended in 1948 AD.

The siege of the Jewish fortress of Masada by Rome.

The European Diaspora of the Jews from the land of Israel for 1260 years.

The fall of the Roman Empire.

The Zionist movement that led to the restoration of the nation of Israel.

World War I.

The rise of the Third Reich of Germany and the desolation of six million Jews in the holocaust for the abominations of the first temple by Manasseh, king of Judah [698-643 BC].

The outbreak of World War II.

The invasion of Germany, the fall of Berlin and the division of Berlin into four parts.

The use of nuclear weapons by the United States to end World War II and the Cold War with Russia that followed.

The restoration of the nation of Israel and the war with her Arab neighbors that followed.

The second resurrection of the Jews into heaven who died before Messiah brought salvation from the second death penalty of their sin, which occurred after World War II.

The extended period of peace between World War II and the battle of Gog Magog, as spoken of by the prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah which is another world war.

The outbreak of World War III and the use of nuclear weapons to end it.

In chapters 21 and 22 John describes heaven itself and the city there prepared for us called the Paradise of God.