This was done to prevent the book from being banished. But as we have seen consistently throughout the New Testament, these writings about current events led to the creation of Biblical masterpieces that can be brought forward in time. Their messages just as relevant to the 21 st century as they are to the 1 st century. God-breathed words, through God created events that created stories and messages that are timeless. Also, included are letters to seven churches. These letters give guidance to these churches as how to become better Christians.
Instructions on how to move closer to Jesus. When you read these letters, you can identify weaknesses in these churches that are not much different than today. Still relevant criticisms that must urgently be addressed. The book also uses extensive numerology to tell its story of good and evil.
The number seven, which for the reader means God or heavenly things, is mentioned well over one hundred times, explicitly or implicitly. In the 1 st century, because so few could read, they received the Bible orally and numerology helped reinforce memory. There is also a sense of immediacy in the book. And you get this from the first line, where it says, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place.
While this call to action was spoken in the first century, it is really an eternal call to respond quickly to evil. And many have misunderstood this to only apply to the time of its writing. We are now in the 21 st century and the battle between good and evil still exists, so its sense of urgency is for all time. In other words, whenever we are engaged or witness good or evil, we must quickly side with good in our actions and deeds.
To do nothing is the same as siding with evil. There is a spiritual war between good and evil waging in the world. Countless beasts and Babylons have risen up and will continue to rise up , but when their wickedness is complete, Jesus brings judgment upon them.
There is absolutely no better way for our Bibles to close than with this great climactic scene at the end of Revelation. Our Bibles began with the forces of darkness leading humanity astray and the world coming under a great curse, but our Bibles end with that curse being completely undone. The last couple of chapters of Revelation are all about the final destruction of all evil, wickedness, and even death itself.
Apocalyptic Literature When reading Revelation, we should notice the similarities with other books in the Bible that use similar types of images, symbols, and metaphors to convey their messages; books like Daniel and Ezekiel. The Seven Churches Many of us have probably spent a lot of time reading and thinking about the specific messages Jesus gives to the seven churches in Asia. Jesus promises those who conquer, things like this: They will not be hurt by the second death They will receive the hidden manna, and a white stone They will receive authority to rule with Jesus over the nations They will be clothed with white garments They will have an important place in the temple of God in the New Jerusalem They will sit with Jesus on his throne These promises to the faithful, that they will live and reign with Jesus, run like a thread throughout the book.
Beyond the Verse. Join the Community Follows. Pin It on Pinterest. If the seven trumpets were scary, then the seven bowls are even more terrifying. While the trumpets are seen as "warnings," or events from which one could recover through redemption, the seven bowls are more final in nature : There is no recovering from these horrifying incidents. When angels pour seven bowls or vials on the earth, they won't be the offerings they appeared to be.
Instead, they will be filled with plagues that destroy pretty much anything and anyone left after the first round of trumpet devastation. The consequences include oozing sores appearing on those with the mark of the beast; the seas and remaining rivers turning to blood and thus killing all sea life ; and then a massive heatwave scorching the earth and causing people to combust on the spot. Next comes darkness and the Euphrates River drying up to allow kings of the world to cross and meet to battle.
Finally, the last bowl brings a massive earthquake yes, another one , and as the Book says , "Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.
No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
Historically, it's important to note that Babylon was commonly used as a symbol for Rome, and giving the city a God's cup of wrath and fury was a politically symbolic of the Christian church's struggle against the Roman Empire. After Earth is basically mowed down by the Heavens you know, in order to punish those straying from Christ , the survivors will receive a new visitor: The Whore of Babylon riding in upon a scarlet beast with seven heads and 10 horns.
Here, the angel tells our prophet the seven heads represent seven hills upon which kings sit, and the 10 horns represent 10 more kings to come. He goes on to explain these kings will wage war against the Lamb a. God , but that God will prevail. This is perhaps one of the most blatantly politically motivated parts of the Book of Revelation, as it is widely accepted among scholars the Whore of Babylon represents the city of Rome ; the seven hills are those of Rome; and the heads representing the 10 kings symbolize the Roman emperors seeking to steer worship towards them and away from the Christian religion.
The plague of locusts comes on the sounding of the fifth trumpet. An angel with the key to the Abyss will fall to Earth. When the Abyss is opened, it will billow out enough smoke to blacken the sun and release a horde of locusts. It is believed it is Abaddon, or God's chosen Angel of Death, who releases the locusts. These aren't just any locusts, either. The Book recalls the author's vision, stating, "The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces At one point in the Revelation, a pregnant woman in white appears in the sky. However, before she has her child, an enormous red dragon with seven heads, 10 horns, and seven crowns on its heads will materialize in the Heavens as well, trying to steal her unborn child.
What will ensue, according to the author's prophetic vision, is a back and forth battle between the Dragon a symbol and messenger of Satan and the woman, who is protected by the Lamb, AKA God. Essentially, it is a tale of good and evil, when taken allegorically.
Historically, one can liken the dragon and the forces of "evil" to that of the Roman Empire and their attempts to persecute Christian worshipers, and the "good" of the Lamb prevails in this case. However, the author warns the dragon will forever be at war with the Lamb, implying Christians will always be at risk to fighting off those who don't share their beliefs. In the Book of Revelation, there is a scroll shown to the prophet, that is our author, John , which has seven seals.
As each seal is broken, something happens or appears, and it is on the sixth seal things start to go south pretty quick.
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