When reading the book of Revelation there are 'considerations' in beginning to understand Revelation. It helps (is necessary) first to understand God's appointed times - His Feast Days and to be familiar with Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21. The book of Revelation is Johns revelation of these events in detail. John was 'in the Spirit on the LORD"S DAY'. The 'Lord's Day / Day of the Lord / Day of Wrath' is when Christ returns, AFTER the tribulation. So first consider an understanding of:
- God’s FEAST DAYS which are His appointed times
- Israel / Church / Bride
- Tribulation
- Wrath
1 In Hebrew, the first letter ALEF is numerically 1 – but it is also 1000. So too in the account of creation:
- God created the earth in 7 days, 1 day as 1 day, beginning with evening then morning.
- God also counts days by ‘one day is as a thousand years, a thousand years ‘as a Day’. Psalm 90:4 / 2 Peter 3:8
- God’s salvation appears as an initial 7000 year plan and His appearance is foretold / fulfilled in His Feast Days. Christ will not just appear at any random time – He will appear at his appointed times.
Christ first appeared around 3700 yrs (from Creation / Jewish calendar) and fulfilled Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Shavuot (the spring feasts) consecutively in 50 days. He will return in fulfillment of the fall feasts. The season for the feast days is known. The Day of the Lord, known as ‘the Day of God’s Wrath’ follows the tribulation period, of which Scripture says the good servant is aware: (good servant: 1Th 5:1-16, Mat 24:45-47) - the evil servant unaware (evil servant: Mat 24:48-50, Luke 12:35-47).
1 & 2 Tishrei [Sep/Oct] Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets
Day and hour determined by two witnesses who call out the new moon
(See Revelation 11)
10 Tishrei [Sep/Oct] Yom Kippur (Atonement for the land of Israel
15 Tishrei [Sep/Oct] Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles (the 1000 year Millenial reign).
2 Regarding Israel and ‘the church’ / the bride:
- Jesus Christ is ‘elect’ - the Holy One of Israel – the foundation of the ‘church’ [Isa 42:1; 1 Pe 2:6].
- Abraham ‘fathered’ Israel, Moses delivered Israel, under the leadership of Christ [Acts 7:38; 1Co 10:4] , and the prophets declared God’s Word to Israel (sabras / natural born Jews and proselytes (adopted sons: Exodus 12, Numbers 15; Ezekiel 47; Romans 8).
- Israel has been and IS ‘God’s elect’ [Isa 45:4 ; 65:22; Mat 24:22 & 24; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; Rom 8:33; Rom 11:5, 7, 28; 2Ti 2:10]. The (NT) church is not a ‘replacement of Israel’, but has its beginning and continuation in and with Israel’:
- When considering the bride, God speaks to Israel / Jerusalem as bride: Isa 49:18; 62:5; Jer 2;2; 2:32; 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11
– Revelation 21:9-14.
The BRIDE, the Lamb’s wife, is specifically ‘the great city, the holy Jerusalem,
who is seen AFTER the first heaven and earth pass away.
Revelation 21
12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates,
and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them
were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
BEYT is the 2nd Hebrew letter, numerically 2, meaning HOUSE the expression ‘family relationship’ that is ‘born of’ ONE (ALEF / Jehovah). God created man and woman to be ‘one’, as He and His Father are ‘one’, and Christ and his Church (Israel of God Gal 6:11-16) are ‘one body, one faith’, God being longsuffering that all Jew [Romans 9 thru 11] and Gentile come to Christ. The ‘church’ (body of Christ) embraces the ‘bride’ as ‘one’.
2 Corinthians 11:1-4
1 that you would bear with me in a little folly--and indeed you do bear with me.
2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you
to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 TRIBULATION – BEFORE God’s wrath:
- Mat 24 – the disciples ask, ‘What is the sign of YOUR COMING and the end of the age? He answers them saying:
- Rev 6 – 6 seals are outlined that line up with Matthew 24
MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE REVELATION 6 – SEALS
1. Wars, rumors of wars 1. Conqueror on white horse
[Mt 24:6; Mk 13:7; Lk 21: 9] Zec 9:13; Isa 28:1-6]
2. Nation against nation 2. Peace taken from earth
[Mt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:10]
3. Kingdom against kingdom 3. Scarcity on earth
[Mt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:10]
4. Famines, pestilences, earthquakes 4. Widespread death
[Mt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:10]
5. TRIBULATION 5. MARTYRS
Matthew 24 continues:
Jesus says, THEN they will deliver you up to TRIBULATION and KILL YOU,
THEN many will be offended, will betray one another
THEN many FALSE PROPHETS
In Luke’s gospel tribulation is also BEFORE – which we have witnessed since the time of Christ:
Matthew 24: 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mark 13:8 These are the beginnings of sorrows.
Luke 21:12 But BEFORE all these things,
they will lay their hands on you and persecute you,
delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons.
You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers,
relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
Matthew 24:13-25 warns of the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION and GREAT TRIBULATION as such as not been since the beginning of the world til now. There is a warning: If they say ‘here in the upper room or there is the Christ’ DO NOT BELIEVE IT. (He will return on the clouds and every eye will see Him). Revelation 6 – the 5th seal the MARTYRS cry out, ‘How long O Lord until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? The Lord tells them ‘yet a little while’ as there are more who would be killed as they were.
4. WRATH – comes AFTER the tribulation:
Matthew 24 continues with - IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION,
- the sun will be darkened,
- the moon not give its light
- stars will fall from heaven
- the powers of the heavens will be shaken
- THEN they will see the Son of Man coming on the CLOUDS and he will send his angels with the GREAT SOUND OF A TRUMPET (The trumpet is sounded during Feast of Trumpets / Yom Kippur)
Revelation 6 / SEALS continues:
- Rev. 6:12-13, “and I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo,
- there was a great earthquake; and
- the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and
- the moon became as blood; and
- the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind”.
This agrees with Matthew 24 as does Joel 2:31,
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
BEFORE the great and terrible day of the Lord come“.
[before the DAY of WRATH is AFTER the tribulation]
5. Rev. 6:16-17,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne,
and from the WRATH OF THE LAMB; \
For the GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH IS COME’;
and who shall be able to stand?”.
Revelation 6 is preparing for the 7 trumpets to blow - a beginning - -but a prelude to God's wrath. God's wrath is poured out in full in the 7 bowl judgments.
BELIEVERS in Christ will experience persecution and tribulation / UNBELIEVERS in Christ who have persecuted the believers in Christ will ultimately experience His wrath, particularly at His return.
When Christ returns, he brings the dead in Christ with him and 1Th 4:16 – the dead in Christ RISE FIRST [resurrection of the body] and THEN 1Th 4:17 – we who are alive and remain [rapture] join them in the clouds to be with Christ forever. Revelation 20 states that those who are ‘beheaded for their witness and did not worship the beast or his image, nor receive his mark in their hand’ will be the ‘first resurrection’ and only they will rule and reign for Christ for 1000 years. The ‘rest of the dead’ do not live til the 1000 years are finished.
See link for more detailed Scriptures
Continued with Revelation, Tribulation and the Rapture
http://shalag-alaska.blogspot.com/2014_11_24_archive.html
http://shalag-alaska.blogspot.com/2014_11_26_archive.html
http://shalag-alaska.blogspot.com/2014_11_30_archive.html
http://shalag-alaska.blogspot.com/2014_12_02_archive.html
http://shalag-alaska.blogspot.com/2014_12_15_archive.html
Selah
Shalom
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