MHz,
You depend much on the Book of Revelation, the authenticity of which is doubtful; make a google search about it.
In addition, it is very ambiguous and mysterious.
Hi,
It isn't used as a stand-alone book, It does have the timetable and the sequence of events for some events. The details and such are in other books of the Bible. The whole endtime can be mapped out just using quotes from Jesus.
The Church has added a lot of 'mystery' that was never intended to be here. If a person read nothing but the letters to the Churches it would not be impossible for all the people in the world to be listed. As long as you have heard of God you have a relationship with Him. Nothing wrong with that. But just as making our own covenant with death will be annulled by God so will our relationship will God be moulded into being the way He wants it (stated in prophecy). Say in the world there were 7 religions and in the Christian religion there were 10 denominations, all of those would have slightly different views on how to have a relationship with God. Nothing wrong with that except it doesn't bind God to change things if they do not mesh with what He has said. The 7 letters explain the parameters God used when establishing His relationship with us. If this point is important I don't mind exploring it further. Scripture outside Revelation can establish that Christ come to judge the living and the dead, if He finds you have a positive relationship according to the letters then you are given rewards when He arrives, if not then you receive punishments there is only one set of rules for God. We impose many rules and some of them are quite 'odd' IMO.
If the topic was not end-time related there would be no need to reference it, it would be silly to not reference it extensively when the topic is end time related.
Two verses from Revelation that support what it said in chapter 1 about the 7 letters covering everybody.
Re:7:9:
After this I beheld,
and,
lo,
a great multitude,
which no man could number,
of all nations,
and kindreds,
and people,
and tongues,
stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands;
Re:19:5:
And a voice came out of the throne,
saying,
Praise our God,
all ye his servants,
and ye that fear him,
both small and great.
Re:19:6:
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,
and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
saying,
Alleluia:
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Words that confirm the above are not few in number, this is only one but it would not seem to leave anybody out because mankind is divided into wheat and tares, one group will stay alive and the other will not.
M't:13:41:
The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity;
M't:24:31:
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
To understand the beasts of Revelation you have to separate the passages into 3 piles, one for Satan, one for the Beast from the Pit and one for the False Prophet. Once that is done you do the same for the verses from Daniel that cover the last kingdom before Christ's return and you divide them into the 3 piles you have. In Daniel that would be the iron/clay part of the statue (also mentioned in a few other chapters, 8 & 11), the 4th beast of ch:7 is also about the last time so it also has to be added to the piles. Then you can begin to piece it together, if you don't have all that there will be gaps or blanks or plane misdirection, all of which will muddy the picture. It isn't easy but you only have to do it once.
Dismissing the words of a writer that is being carries around Heaven by Christ is not a good idea at any time, let alone in a book that tell us where we will be when that unfolds. Mankind is in that giant city, 1500 miles per each of the 4 sides, when it descends from Heaven to the New Earth.
I'm not trying to say God is judging us at this time, those letters are only valid during the last 3 1/2 years. In the meantime ....
Ph'p:2:9:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name:
Ph'p:2:10:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;
Ph'p:2:11:
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Ph'p:2:12:
Wherefore,
my beloved,
as ye have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
It is the understanding of the NT that is broken, the Verses are perfectly intact in describing the pig and little pictures of coming events.
Later