Revelations; Truth & Misconceptions. The Book of Revelations is one of the most, if not the most, misunderstood books in the Bible. There are many Theologians and Ministers that believe and teach that Revelations is fulfilled. Many believe that Revelations is the revelation of John but in fact it is the revelation of Jesus the Christ to John. The Book of Revelations is broken down into what I call sections. Each section holds truths about the next section which culminates at the end with the millennium. Lets look at the sections before we get into great detail. Section 1 includes, Chapter 1:1 thru 1:18. These verses deal with the Author of Revelations Jesus The Christ. Section 2. Chapters, 1:19 thru 3:22. These verses deal with the 7 Churches of Aisa and the 7 Church ages. [The 7 Church ages theory is disputed by some.] Section 3.Chapters,4:1 thru 5:14. John translated into the Throne room of God. Section 4. Chapters 6:1 thru 7:1. The Lamb {Jesus the Christ} opening the seals, only 6 seals are opened in this section. Section 5. Chapters 7:2 thru 7:8 The sealing of the hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Section 6.Chapter 7:9 thru 7:17 The tribulation Saints.
Section 7.Chapter 8:1 thru 10:7 The Seventh Seal opened and the seven trumpets start sounding. Section 8.Chapter 10:8 thru 11:19, Measuring of the temple of God, The Little Book, The 2 witnesses Section 9.Chapter 12:1 thru 12:17, War in heaven Section 10.Chapter 13:1 thru 13:18, The beast Section 11.Chapter 14:1 thru 14:20, The hundred forty and four thousand preach the Gospel to the Jews, Rapture of Saints and destruction of wicked. Section 12.Chapter 15:1 thru 16:21,The seven vials Section 13.Chapter 17:1 thru 19:3, The judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: Section 14.Chapter 19:4 thru 19:10, the marriage supper of the Lamb Section 15.Chapter 19:11 thru 19:21, the supper of the great God;
Section 16.Chapter 19:11 thru 20:15, The binding of Satan, The first resurrection, Judgment, Satan, the beast, and the false prophet cast into the Lake of Fire. Section 17.Chapter 21:1 thru 22:21, The new heaven and a new earth.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
[Ref; Dan_7:8, Dan_7:20, Dan_8:9-12, Dan_11:36; 2Th_2:3-10; 1Ti_4:1-3,
Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:4] This next statement cannot be accurate for the time of the end had not arrived according to the prophecy of Jesus.{This evidently points out the papal supremacy, in every respect diverse from the former, which from small beginnings thrust itself up among the ten kingdoms, till at length it successively eradicated three of them, the kingdom of Heruli, of the Ostrogoths, and of the Lombards.} [Ref;Dan_7:8, Dan_7:20, Dan_8:9-12, Dan_11:36; 2Th_2:3-10; 1Ti_4:1-3]
Many try to use these ancient kingdoms as the ones spoke of by prophecy. [1. The Huns in Hungary 356
2. The Ostrogoths in Moesia 377
3. The Visigoths in Pannonia 378
4. The Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain 407
5. The Vandals in Africa 407
6. The Franks in France 407
7. The Burgundians in Burgundy 407
8. The Heruli and Turingi in Italy 476
9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain 476
10. The Lombards, first upon the Danube, and afterwards in Italy 526
Though the ten kingdoms differed from these in later periods, and were sometimes more or less, yet they were still known by that name.] Chapter 14 of Isa. proves these statements incorrect. Chapter 14 of Isa. hasn’t been fulfilled. Isa 30:31 For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
These next statements are the ones most misunderstood by many Bible studiers.{And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (this is when Jesus died, in the middle of the week, he taught for 3 1/2 years.)} The misconception here is the 3.5 years. Many want to say that the 3.5 years that Jesus taught was the time period mentioned by Daniel. This cannot be for Jesus Himself prophicyed of these events not only in the Four Gospels but also in the Book of Revelations, which, might I add, was not written untill Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Prophecy and History are too different things. Ask yourself this question, Why would Jesus prophecy of events in Revelations that have allready happened? Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Mar 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
Dan 12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Chapter 13 of Revelations proves that these next few statements are also incorrect. Remember Prophecy and History are too different things. Revelations is not History but Prophecy.{and for the over-spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (the desolation (destruction of the temple)}The key word here is “Consummation” which means; An ultimate goal or end. The destruction of the tempel was a prophecy by Jesus, but not the 3.5 years spoken of by Daniel. The ultimate goal or end, was not acquired by the Beast nor antichrist, so this could not be the years spoken of by Daniel.
{Dan11:20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes (Caesar) in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.}
Caesar was not the beast nor the antichrist.
This statement is also incorrect because of the written words of the Ceasers. 21 ¶ And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. [(also Caesar.) The pharasees agreed to be ruled by the Romans as long as they were allowed to keep their temple.] Edict of Augustus on Jewish Rights, 1 BC. Caesar Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding the tribunician power, proclaims: Since the nation of the Jews and Hyrcanus, their high priest, have been found grateful to the people of the Romans, not only in the present but also in the past, and particularly in the time of my father, Caesar, imperator, it seems good to me and to my advisory council, according to the oaths, by the will of the people of the Romans, that the Jews shall use their own customs in accordance with their ancestral law, just as they used to use them in the time of Hyrcanus, the high priest of their highest god; and that their sacred offerings shall be inviolable and shall be sent to Jerusalem and shall be paid to the financial officials of Jerusalem; and that they shall not give sureties for appearance in court on the Sabbath or on the day of preparation before it after the ninth hour. But if anyone is detected stealing their sacred books or their sacred monies, either from a synagogue or from a mens’ apartment, he shall be considered sacrilegious and his property shall be brought into the public treasury of the Romans.
II..Edict of Claudius on Jewish Rights, 41 C Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, pontifex maximus, holding the tribunician power, proclaims: . . .Therefore it is right that also the Jews, who are in all the world under us, shall maintain their ancestral customs without hindrance and to them I now also command to use this my kindness rather reasonably and not to despise the religious rites of the other nations, but to observe their own laws.
Sources: Josephus, The Works of Flavius Josephus, 3 Vols., trans. William Whiston (New York: International Book Co., 1888), Ant. Jud. 16.6.2:162-165, 19.5.3:287-291 Strabo, The Geography of Strabo, 3 Vols., trans. H. C. Hamilton and W. Falconer (London: George Bell & Sons, 1889), III:177-178; Tacitus, The Histories of Tacitus, trans. A. D. Godley (London: Macmillan, 1898). Scanned by: J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. of History, Cal. State Fullerton
