Seals, marks, and robes.

[Janette]

Be warned this is not one of my happy posts. I have a fire in me today and I do not write for myself. This is taken from the NIV.

This is written in rebuttal of the ministers who lie in God's name, preaching the Law and works when they should teach of the Love of Jesus. This is written to rebuke those who frighten the uncertain and confuse the seeking with stories of how they have to be "good enough" to be sure their Salvation will "stick" and get them to Heaven. This is written to silence those who treat the Grace of the Christ like a mortal vaccine that may or may not succeed in curing the diseases of evil.

So if you have ever doubed that Salvation would get you to Heaven, if you have ever feared that you were marked or will be marked by the devil, then God is making me write this accurate synopsis of Revelations just for you. I am writing it now because the day is coming, and you need to wake up your minds and accept the nature of the Salvation:

Revelations 1

General introduction. John needed to know to Whom he was speaking.

Revelations 2-3

John gets messages to give to the seven churches in Asia. It's not strictly necessary to reinterpret these as prophecy for modern day, but they probably still fit even if we just look at what is in those geographical areas now.

Revelations 4

John sees the Throne of Heaven and some of the people and spirits around it.

Revelations 5

Jesus (the Lamb of God) is proven to be the only one who can open and enact the things ordained in the scroll for the endtimes -- by virtue that He was the One who paid out the blood for it.

Revelations 6

1-8 The first four seals are opened, releasing pestilance, war, famine, and death in personified form upon the earth. This wasn't a dream, so this isn't metaphore.

9-11 The fifth seal is opened. Those souls already martyred for God ask when God is going to avenge them by judging the world. They are given white robes and told to wait a little longer, until the last of those who will number among them by billing killed as they were are collected.

12-15 The sixth seal is opened. The world gets really messy. Generals and kings and everyone else hide and panic because the world gets messy in a way they can recognize as God's direct will. They even cry out about the judgement of God and the Lamb. (This refutes every rendition of Revelations as some kind of thing that's going to sneak up on us via a purely secular end-time world war three scenario).

Revelations 7

1-8 Then God puts the destruction of the world on pause (imagine that for a moment, imagine tidal waves perched to crash..but stopped, imagine hurricanes and tornados just standing still) and an angel comes and seals 144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Contrary to many a preacher's sermons, these people are not removed from the Earth. They are right there in the thick of things. They are simply given a visible seal that marks them as belonging to God and that probably protects them from being smashed to bits by all the destruction to come (confirmed later). So...if you're in the last-day crisis, these are the "cops" you want to run to and gather around for your 11th hour chance. These are the leaders, and it's a very small number....but don't be put out if you aren't one of them because this is a vastly awesome responsibility.

9-17 And then there's a multitude of people from every nation and language beyond counting that is before the throne of God. We are told that these are those who have come out of the great tribulation because they were washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Before the beast even makes an appearance, these sheep are brought before the throne of God. These sheep do not even see what happens after this. Note that the 144,000 were not given white robes, are still on Earth, and are not yet before the throne of God.

So ... Unless you don't plan to number among these vast multitudes from every nation and every language who cannot be counted, the rest of the book of Revelations is not for you. You're Saved and you're done. God just didn't want to write a cliffhanger, so we have more chapters to read if we're curious. He also wanted the 144,000 to know what they were asking for when they prayed for that seal.

(continued)

 

[Janette]

(continued)

Revelations 9

1-12 The fifth angel blows his trumpet and the abyss is opened. Scorpion-locust-horse monsters are released upon the earth. They are told not to harm anything on the earth (plants and such), including the 144,000 marked by God (see? They are still there!). They torture all the other people on the earth for five months, and we are told that as bad as this torture is, people cannot die, even if they seek death.

13-21 The sixth trumpet blows and 200million (specific number) angelic troops under four angels bound up until this day go forth and just flat kill 1/3 of the total human population. We are not told whether those killed repented before they died or not, nor are we told the fates of their souls after death. We are specifically told that the remaining 2/3 still do not repent of their wickedness despite seeing all this (you gotta wonder what kind of stubborn that takes?!?).

Revelations 10

John and God exchange some private words in a rather mysterious fashion. Whatever this was about, John wasn't allowed to reveal this part of things.

Revelations 11

1-6 We are told two witnesses/prophets will come. They will have the power to work miracles and to inflict plagues on the remaining people on earth. They'll do this for 1,260 days (just over three years).

(Imagine God's mercy here. He's hit the world with all manner of disaster, called home all but the most stubborn of His children, wiped out 1/3 of the wicked population, and He still sends two more to witness to those who are left. He even gives these two folks the ability to do "old Biblical" miracles to lend them credibility in the eyes of these doubtful wicked people.)

7-10 We are not told if anyone hears these last two witnesses and become Saved. The beast of the Abyss comes up and murders the two witnesses which is planned by God. The wicked (who don't know that God let this happen) rejoice and refuse to bury the bodies of the slain.

11-14 After three and a half days these two are resurrected by God and bodily taken to Heaven. At the same time there is an earthquake that kills 7,000 people (specific number). Again we are not told the ultimate fate of those people, but we are told that the survivors glorify God. This means that out of the humans who still would not put aside their wickedness (as mentioned above), some are now glorifying the very God who unleashes these horrors on them. We are not told if this means they "finally see the light" or not. We are also warned that the third and final woe is yet to come.

15-19 The Seventh trumpet is blown. The temple of the Lord opens and we are told that now God is going to reign. The last judgement is upon us. (Note that if this is the moment of the judgement starting, the fates of all those who died above must not have been wholly determined by their physical deaths). Those of you seeking the Ark of the Covenant can relax as it appears safe and sound in the Temple of the Lord at this time.

(This is rather clearly a symbolic union of old and new covenant. Already with God are those who died under the Law according to their abilities, rescued from Aaron's bousom by Jesus or consigned to their eternal fate. Already in Heaven are those who died under Grace who were washed by the blood of the Lamb, surrounding the throne from back in Rev chapter 7. All that is left now, the *final* Judgement, is for those who were too foolish or too stubborn to fall into either of the first two categories. This is truely the absolute last chance scenario.)

(continued)

 

[Janette]

Revelations continued

Revelations 12 (this is where it gets really hard, I recommend reading the actual chapter before reading anything I have to say about it because I am only a person.)

I'm not enough of a theologist to tackle this but I'll try.

A celestial woman (who might be Mary but who really appears to be a personified form of Ruach -- the Set-Apart Spirit of God) ... is in the process of giving birth. The devil in the form of a red dragon is trying to devour the child-to-be. The woman is taken in safety to a place set aside for her by God.

The devil and his ilk make war against Michael and the angels and the devil and his folks lose. They are thrown to earth. (Since Jesus speaks of this war and the fall of lucifer in the past tense before this, it would seem to indicate a second war, unless this was all a retrospective.)

Frustrated by this defeat and unable to reach the celestial woman and her child, the devil decides he will make war on all her other children--"those who obey God's commandments and testify to Jesus."

(That last statement about we humans being her other children is what makes me think this woman represents the Set-Apart Spirit and not just Mary -- we're all children of God, but not all children of Mary. This vision was almost certainly not given to mankind before because some dingbat would decide She was a Goddess and not simply part of the mystery of the Triune God. As it is, we have people trying to make Jesus something other than God. Further, since the multitudes are already with God, it would seem to indicate that again, unless this is all just a retrospective of things past, that there are still some last "lost sheep" to be found on Earth.)

Revelations 13

The dragon calls a beast out of the water. It's really ugly. It calls up a second beast out of the earth. Say it with me now: "false trinity".

(Lot's of people have tried to make this a metaphor for this or that nation or group. There are over 200 nations on the planet and I have no idea which ones might make up a seven headed ten horned beast.

I'm not going to try to interpret this beyond what the words actually say because it doesn't make sense to me that God would go from being relatively direct to being entirely metaphorical.

The people still alive to see this have seen enough wonders that these beasts would have to be pretty impressive and obviously supernatural to be worshipped.

We're talking about the last remnants of humanity -- the jaded heartless wicked folks who after all of this, even after seeing those last two prophets go to Heaven bodily...still turn from the Lord God.

It makes more sense to me that God would go ahead and give these stubborn people a world of "magic" and "wonder" in a last effort to get them to understand and repent.)

The beast of the earth makes an *image* (idol) of the beast from the water that can speak and it passes judgements saying:

Anyone refusing to take the sign of the beast is to be killed. Basic survival needs like commerse depend on having said sign.

(The number is 666 and it belongs to a man and I wish you luck figuring out exactly what that means. The point is that by the time you have to really have to worry about it, you will have already seen 4 horsemen; 200million angel warriors; the destruction of 1/3 of the population, plants, land, and animals on the earth; and the rising of not one but three horrible demonic beast-creatures. This guy and his sign are just not going to sneak up and bite you on the rump while you aren't looking. God isn't giving you an unfair test with trick questions.)

Revelations 14 (an important bit, if you're still around to hear it)

1-5 Jesus (the Lamb of God) and the 144,000 gather together on Mt. Zion. There is much rejoicing that these 144,000 have been redeemed from the Earth. Their work (whatever it was -- we weren't given specifics but we can assume they were the last examples of righteousness in a wholly unrighteous world) is now complete.

6-12 Three angels come. One preaches the eternal gospel to "every nation, tribe, language, and people" on earth. The second declares that the great Babylon has fallen. The third angel warns that anyone who takes the sign of the beast or worships it is ruined. John adds that this calls for patience on the part of the saints.

(Now ask yourself here...which saints? Those washed clean are in Heaven with God by back in chapter 7. The 144,000 are on Mt. Zion with Jesus and protected from harm by their own seals of God.

So what saints? Clearly somewhere in those masses of the last people below, there must be some last few stragglers who make it, at the 11:59:59 ... to Jesus. John calls these people saints because he knows how they have suffered.)

13 We are given to understand that those who die on God's side now will be blessed, even though they had to be down right stupid stubborn to get to this point.

14-20 Now at last comes the reaping. Those on earth who (after all this) are fit to be taken are reaped by one "Like a son of Man" with a golden sickle. Others are reaped into the "wine-press of God's wrath" by an avenging angel with a silver sickle. The deaths of the latter are pretty darn horrible and leaves a mess for a 180 mile radius. The latter don't appear to be Saved, but they are at least spared the horrors of the last seven plagues. Perhaps they were riding the fence and got a scrap of mercy so they could die early.

Revelation 15

Seven angels with the last 7 plagues (that's right we're not done yet) come out of the Temple.

Revelations 16

The first angel's plague puts boils and sores on those who worship the beast and have his sign.

The second angel turns the sea to blood and wipes life out of the oceans.

The third angel turns all the fresh water in the world to blood and takes the time to say that the wicked deserve to be stuck with only blood to drink since they so thirstily sought the blood of the saints and prophets.

The fourth angel changes the sun so that its fire burns and scorches those on earth.

The fifth angel toppels the throne of the beast and his kingdom into darkness. We are specifically told at this point that men curse God for all this horror but do not repent.

The sixth angel dries up the river Euphrates and levels the battlefield for the last war. This includes an earthquake that levels the cities of the nations of men and splits the Holy City into three parts.

(Just in case you think this isn't really a part of God's plan, do some research on the dormant earthquake fault that runs directly under Jerusalem.)

Three demon-spirits arise from out of the unholy trinity and they gather their forces around them on the battlefield of Armageddon.

God rains hail on the world in a series of quakes and stoms that rain down 100 lb hail stones.

Revelations 17 (more hard stuff)

This chapter describes additional facts about the nature of the beast, and the meaning of the seven heads and ten horns it has. We're also told a bit more about the ***** of Babylon. These things are metaphores for people and places. I don't feel qualified to exactly figure out these people and places, but the angel *does* say that five of the seven kings had already been by the time John was seeing these visions. The angel also says that one was alive then (during John's time) and that one was yet to come. So at best, as we are well past John's day, we only have the one last king and the beast itself to deal with.

Revelations 18

An angel of great authority calls down to the people to get out of Babylon.

Here angels expound on how worthless the riches and the magic and the worldly things of Babylon and those who wanted to live that way really are. It pretty much points out that all these petty things mankind have built will be ruined in about an hour. We are told that God judges Babylon and all those associated with her (the city) by the way she treated God's people and saints.

Revelations 19

There is rejoicing because the last war is to come. Great multitudes (probably the multitude from chapter 7) are praising God.

Jesus appears on a white horse, with all of the armies of Heaven with Him.

The generals and kings and all those who were marked by the beast and gathered by the three evil sprits (back a couple of chapters) are on the field and ready for war.

The beast and his false prophet/beast are captured and thrown into the lake of fire. The remaining wicked people are killed and birds feast on their flesh.

Revelation 20

1-3 And then an angel comes down, grabs Satan (the dragon), and locks him up where he cannot reach or deceive anyone for 1000 years.

4-6 Those who suffered through all this and were killed (John specifically mentions beheading) for refusing to take the sign of the Beast are resurrected at this point -- they reign with Christ on earth for that same 1000 years. They are considered blessed and make up a new Priesthood. Their exact number is not known. Note that these people are separate from the 144,000, and from the sheep collected back in chapter 7. These are the people who had to see all this terrible great wonder to wake up and find the Lord.

7-10 After this 1000 years, Satan is released to try and go make trouble one last time. He is cast into the lake of fire with the Beast and the false prophet and the entire unholy trinity is undone.

11-15 The rest of the dead (those who had taken the seal, or who had died without it but had not died because they were martyred for refusing it) are raised up at this point. These are probably the folks Satan is supposed to try to gather.

Pay special attention to Rev 19:13

13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.

(These people-- and only these people -- are past the point of Grace. This happens *after* Christ and his chosen have reigned on Earth for 1000 years.

These people would not hear God's word, they would not accept God's Grace. After all of this, after seeing the Beast and his false prophet and Biblical plagues we mostly can only imagine, they remained hard hearted. Therefore nothing remains but to judge them by their works.

The reason there are so many of these people is that numbered among them will be the ones who refused to worship the beast -- but for their own reasons rather than for the sake of being loyal to God. The Beast gave instructions to kill anyone who would not take the sign or worship it -- not just those who were refusing for the sake of Jesus.

It isn't enough to stand against Evil -- you must stand *for* the Lord.)

One last check of the book of Life is made, and anyone whose name was not written there is cast into the lake of fire with the devil, the beast, the false prophet, death, and Hades. (I've always rather taken Hades to refer to the rest of the demonic spirits in the devil's employ since there is no "god" Hades)

Revelations 20

Everything is made new and wonderous. I don't think John had the words to really express the beauty to be found here. We are told - significantly - that the old earth and heavens have passed away. So this new dwelling place where man and God can finally be together is beyond anything earthly words would fully express.

Only here does our dear Lamb who died for us say "It is done."

----

So...you may be able to avoid the trials of Revelations. The lambs of God who are washed clean appear before His throne in Rev 7.

The 144,000 refers not to some tiny group of perfect people who are the only ones guaranteed to get into Heaven -- but rather to a select gifted few who are are chosen among the 12 tribes as people who are present on Earth for all of the tribulations and temptations of evil from chapters 8 through 14, to provide guidence and a Godly example to the last stragglers. If you ask for this sign of protection to be placed upon you, make certain you understand what you ask.

Even after they are taken up, there is still time for those last few who are martyred for God's sake when they refuse to take the sign of the Beast.

Even after that last holy priesthood of martyrs is resurrected, God raises and judges the last of humanity the way they themselves have asked to be judged -- by their works.

But woe to those people. Woe to those who stand before the Beast and refuse to worship it only for their own selfish reasons. Woe to those who die defiantly believing that the trials of Revelations are just a bad dream. Woe to the atheist who thinks his lack of belief will protect him.

For how many works will it take to get into the kingdom of Heaven?

At any rate, I hope this has put to rest any fears that the government is going to tag you with a microchip or scramble your credit cards to make you "accidentally" take the sign of the Beast. I hope this has helped you to understand that Revelations does not teach that only a very few will get into Heaven.

Trust the Father's love for you.