Revisiting the Bible

The Book of Revelation,
Artificial Super Intelligence,
Fulfilled Prophecy,
Bad Apologetics,
and Various Insights

First Edition

Anonymous Christian

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. This means you can share it with others in any manner you wish. See additional information in chapter 1.1.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Revisiting the Bible
Copyright ©2021-2024 by Anonymous Christian
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
https://revisitingthebible.org/

Bible text used:
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
https://bereanbible.com/

Part 1: Opening

Chapter 1.1: Usage

I do not believe I have the authority to profit off of this book because what I have written belongs to God alone since I am but a servant of God. Therefore I have released this book for free to the whole world so that everyone might come to know God and His plans.

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. See the full license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.

Explanation of license and some clarifications:

1) You can give this book away for free to whoever you want and in whatever manner you want.

• For example you can email it to people, attach it in a message, upload it to whatever website you want, print it out on your printer or whatever other distribution method you can come up with.

2) You an even print this book and sell it.

• The only limitation that I ask is that you do not directly make a profit off of it through selling it if it can be avoided and if a profit cannot be avoided then I ask you to donate your profits to charity. Now I realize I have zero way of enforcing this so I am just asking that you respect my wishes.

• This means posting this book as a download on your website that has advertising is fine since you are not directly profiting off of it by selling it.

• I would also like to request that if you wish to sell it in print then you should read the book first and help edit it so that I can release a new edition with corrections that you can then sell in print. If you find any errors then contact me at the following email so I can correct them in the next edition: contact@revisitingthebible.org.

3) You can make a derivative work like a translation, an audio book, video or any other work that you can then distribute to others and even sell subject to these terms.

• If you make a derivative work like a translation, an audio book, video or any other work then you must distribute your work under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license with the same terms. This means that you cannot stop people from sharing or even selling your work.

4) Do not claim that you have written this book and link to revisitingthebible.org, if it still exists and is under my control, so that others know where the book came from.

6) Make an effort to keep the edition you have up to date since I may release a new edition to correct errors and make some additions in the future.

7) I reserve the right to write and release the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth editions of this book. Then I leave the seventh edition and along with it all other editions to God alone so that He may correct what I have written and make it perfect if He desires.

Anyways I hope you enjoy reading this book and I hope it helps you.

As a final note I have used the Berean Standard Bible (BSB) for all Bible quotes and passages in this book because it is a modern literal translation and they have placed it in the public domain. This is in contrast with other translations that make it illegal to actually use the Bible. For instance you cannot even release a commentary on the Epistle of Philemon for free without getting permission first from the major modern translations. Therefore I strongly encourage you to use the BSB translation over whatever restrictive translation you are currently using so that you support their mission.

Bible text used:
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
https://bereanbible.com/

Revisiting the Bible
Copyright ©2021-2024 by Anonymous Christian
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
https://revisitingthebible.org/

Chapter 1.2: Dedication, Thanks and About

1 – Dedication

I dedicate this book and everything written in it to God.

2 – Thanks

I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in writing this book because without their support I would not have been able to finish it.

3 – About

I am simply a humble servant of God. Who I am does not matter but what I have to say does. Therefore I am letting my words speak for themselves. Furthermore I do not wish to hide by releasing this book anonymously. Instead my purpose with this book is to glorify God and not myself. This is ultimately why I have released this book anonymously since if I attached my name to it then I would be glorifying myself and not God.

Chapter 1.3: Contact

I would be happy to hear from you if you would like to point out errors, talk or provide a recommendation to me.

To contact me send me an email at:
contact@revisitingthebible.org

If your email bounces or I do not respond then please email me again at:
revisitingthebible@gmail.com

Alternatively you can talk to me on Discord here:
https://discord.gg/nJB5Z5RN7M

Chapter 1.4: Release Notes

Since this is the initial release and the first edition of Revisiting the Bible there are no specific notes concerning changes and additions. That said given the fact that I have released this book for free and I am the only person who has edited it there will undoubtedly be errors that need to be fixed for the next edition.

Therefore I would first like to ask you to excuse any errors you find and forgive me for making them since this book is on the long side which makes it rather difficult for one person to edit in a timely manner. Sure I could spend several years editing it to make it perfect but given the subject matter I believed not releasing it as soon as possible would be more harmful than the alternative. Next I would like to ask you to please make a note of any errors you find while you read this book and send them to me if you would like. Of course this is entirely optional and if you do not wish to help edit this book then I understand. But for those who wish to help then I would like to thank you in advance.

Finally I would like to say that this book is not complete as other books may be. That said I hope to complete what I set out to accomplish sometime in the future. However in the meantime I have released this book as is and I talk more about what this means later on in my chapter called An Important Note so please make sure to read what I have to say there so you fully understand what I am talking about here.

Chapter 1.5: Downloads

If you did not download this book yourself from my site or one of my cloud storage folders then I would like to encourage you to check to see if there is a new edition available since the latest edition will be the most up to date. Furthermore I have other formats available including PDF and EPUB so that you can read using your preferred format. I also have specially formatted PDFs that can be printed on a printer for those who would like to read it on paper instead of on a screen. I say specially formatted here because I have a few different versions depending on how small of a font you can read and how many sheets of paper you are willing to print. Therefore check out my site if any of these alternative formats interest you. I realize this book is rather long so it would be a good idea to make sure you are happy with the format you are reading it in before continuing.

Here are the links to my website and cloud storage folders:

My Website:
https://revisitingthebible.org/

Google Drive:
Short: https://tinyurl.com/s7er2par
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qab342-LalEzbB5qkm11YsUvu81DPuVz

Dropbox:
Short: https://tinyurl.com/4whdtd93 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kwbb3a5kg13wry6/AABhCYIxbYbeQlUfd1TRK5KSa

MEGA:
Short: https://tinyurl.com/5fjj6f3y
https://mega.nz/folder/AZV1VbqJ#xVyc7hnrOw-TCpCu2W1rCg

If my website is down then use the cloud storage folders as an alternative download. If one of the cloud folder links does not work then try another one. This is why I included four different publicly shared folders. If none of the links work then I am sorry and may God have mercy on us all.

Chapter 1.6: Introduction

Since the book that I have written, Revisiting the Bible, encompasses many different topics and is of considerable length I thought it would be helpful to provide an introduction and summary of the main parts so that you are aware of what you are getting yourself into if you decide to read it. I mean to say this book is long would be quite the understatement as you can obviously see so I am sure you would like to know what it is all about.

But first off I would just like to state that this entire book is completely free and will always remain completely free. Additionally I am not selling any additional materials such as other books, courses or whatever. Then on top of all this, as if this is not enough, I am not even asking for donations nor am I even taking donations. I do not want your money and I will not accept your money. I wrote this book for God and not for you. So if I were to sell this book to you for profit then what would that say about my true motives? Thus I decided to never profit off of this book.

As a result of all this you cannot attempt to convict or accuse me on account of writing this book to make money since I have not made money off of it nor will I ever make money off of it. On the contrary my moral character in this regard speaks for itself and demonstrates how important I believe it is that you read what I have to say in this book. Keep this in mind as you read this book because almost everyone else who has written a book does not give away their book for free as I have done.

Then as to the name of the book I decided to call it Revisiting the Bible because I originally wanted to revisit the Bible with an emphasis on the Book of Revelation, fulfilled prophecy and a variety of different topics I thought others would find helpful. By revisit I mean to visit again and my goal for this book is to do just that from my own perspective with as little theological biases and presuppositionalism as possible. In short I believe there are many things which have been overlooked in the Bible that I hope to illuminate to you.

Furthermore my goal with this book is not to misguide you or lead you down a wrong path. Therefore I encourage you to not only think about everything for yourself but to be skeptical and question everything you are about to read. After all given the fact this book is quite long there are bound to be mistakes and even inconsistencies. However this does not mean that you can simply say everything I have written is wrong after finding an error because everyone makes mistakes since only God Himself is infallible.

Now you may be wondering why you should read what I have written if it really is of considerable length. After all what could I possibly say that warrants such length? Well I did just say I will provide a summary of all the major parts but really the topic of central importance here is that of the Book of Revelation which is found the second part of this book.

This is why I wrote an early version of this book called Revelation Explained where I sought to condense my message to as few words as possible to get my message to the most people as possible. However due to events that I will not elaborate upon now I realized I was wrong to do this because I am responsible to God alone and not to men. Therefore to this end I decided to expand my brief commentary on the Book of Revelation and include a variety of other extremely important topics so that my very words will stand witness against the world itself even if no one reads them. Therefore I have written Revisiting the Bible for God so that He my use it as a witness and testimony against the world itself.

That said this does not mean that you should not read what I have written here. Instead it means that you should read it with all the more eagerness. After all if I have written this book for God so that He may use it as a witness against the world then of how much greater value is to you compared something that was written for men to make a profit? Therefore I strongly encourage you to read everything I have to say because I believe your eternal salvation is at stake if you refuse to read it.

Now this may sound overly dramatic to you and even absurd but I assure you that after you read this entire introduction that you will understand what I am speaking of. So at least give me a chance to back up this claim here in this introduction before you decide to not waste your time reading the rest of what I have to say.

But for now I would just like you to know that the Book of Revelation is very real and the first beast of Revelation will be very real and very powerful. So powerful in fact that I believe most people will see the beast as a so-called savior or even a so-called god so that even the vast majority of Christians will fall for its deceptions and lies just as Jesus said they would.

As Jesus says:

“If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:22-25)

Then as the Book of Revelation says:

“And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

So you should not see the beast of Revelation as being plainly evil and obvious to all. Instead you should see the beast as the final most powerful and spiritually destructive agent of Satan that we all must face as Christians before the kingdoms of the world can finally become the final and eternal Kingdom of God.

Of course you may believe that the Book of Revelation is of no importance and does not matter which you are free to believe. However I will say that by believing such falsehood you are purposefully blinding yourself to the point where you will never be able to open your eyes in order to see the coming beast as the promised beast of Revelation. Therefore I again strongly encourage you to at the very least read the rest of this introduction before blindly and ignorantly dismissing what you have read so far.

As Paul wrote:

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

So test what I have to say and what I have written so that you may discern the truth of it for yourself.

Lastly before you read the summaries of each part I would like to warn you in advance that a large majority of you reading this now will dislike or even hate some of the things I have written. Furthermore there will be others who do not necessarily disagree with the overall message but disagree with the presentation of the message and believe that it was wrong of me to speak as I have.

However as Paul wrote:

“Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

Therefore I do not care if you dislike what I have written and I could care even less about you hating it. I serve God so I do not serve you. So feel free to hate my book all you want because I will not try to stop you from hating it even if I could. Then on top of this feel free to insult me and speak of me as evil because I hold to the teachings of Jesus in Revelation and the gospels. If the whole world is to truly worship the beast then surely the whole world will come to hate what I have written and as a result hate me because, again, I have written this book for God so that He may use it as a witness and testimony against the world.

Then as Jesus says:

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.” (Luke 6:22-23)

So insult me, reject me and even hate me all you want because I truly do not care about what you think because every word you speak against what I have written and myself will simply increase my reward. In fact I encourage you to speak against me because the more the world hates my book the more correct I will know I am and the greater my reward will be.

Then most importantly I would just like to add that if you do not like what Jesus says in the Book of Revelation and the gospels then ultimately you are ashamed of the words of Jesus. But what do I mean by this?

As Jesus says:

“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)

Thus by being ashamed of what Jesus says Jesus will be ashamed of you.

Now without further delay it is time to begin the promised summary of the major parts of this book.

1 – Part One: Opening

First off obviously the summary you are now reading is in this first opening part. The only other chapter of note in this part that you have not already read is the full table of contents of this book. I decided to include the full table of contents at the end of this part because it is more useful as an outline of this entire book due to how I have structured this book in seven parts.

2 – Part Two: The Book of Revelation

In this part I provide my full commentary on the Book of Revelation where I explain what everything in the book means. I believe almost all Christians either take Revelation entirely literally, which is wrong, or they take it entirely figuratively, which is also wrong. Instead you need to view it as a literal prophecy that is told and explained figuratively. This simply means that most things in Revelation are completely symbolic and metaphorical. For example the first and second beast of Revelation are not beasts. Instead a beast is a symbol for a powerful empire and we know this from the Book of Daniel. Once you understand the Old Testament origins of the metaphors and symbols then you can correctly see the prophecy at hand.

Now my main reason for writing this commentary on the Book of Revelation is so that I can fully explain what I firmly believe the first beast will be. In short I believe the first beast of Revelation will be an artificial super intelligence. This may seem absurd to you because you may claim that artificial intelligence is impossible or worse yet you might wrongly believe that only God can create life.

However first off I do not go into artificial intelligence being possible or not in my commentary. Instead the part after my commentary on Revelation is entirely devoted to explaining the fact that artificial intelligence is not just possible but inevitable. Therefore read my commentary first so you can see how well everything I say fits with the text of Revelation then read about why the rise of artificial super intelligence cannot be stopped.

Next in terms of humanity being able to create life in the form of artificial intelligence I would like to remind you of the story of the Tower of Babel. In reference to the attempt to reach the heavens with the Tower of Babel “the LORD said, ‘If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.’” (Genesis 11:6) As God has said nothing we devise will be beyond our ability if we work together. A new Tower of Babel is being built even as you read this now and it does not matter if you believe it to be possible or not because the new Tower of Babel will be finished. Or if you are reading this book several years after I originally wrote it then this Tower of Babel might even be complete.

Now you no doubt have many predictable objections to what I just said. However I will not respond to any of them now because I already wrote about all your objections in this entire book. After all this is what a large proportion of this book is about. So if you want to plug your ears with your fingers and stop reading now because you think I am obviously wrong then it is your loss and I really do not care. If you end up worshiping the beast because you did not read my book then that is your fault and not mine.

Lastly given the fact that this part is a fully commentary on the Book of Revelation I go into what everything means in the book including the seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, the beast from the earth, the great prostitute, the new earth, the new Jerusalem and much much more. Really I explain everything so that after you are done reading it you really should have no significant questions.

So if you truly wish to see how everything is to end and discover what God’s plan has been for humanity since the very foundation of the world itself then I strongly encourage you to read this part. On the other hand if you do not wish to know then just stop reading now and do whatever you were doing before reading this.

3 – Part Three: Artificial Super Intelligence

In this part I explain why artificial intelligence is not just possible but how it is actually an inevitability that cannot be stopped from arising by humanity. In order to demonstrate this fact I first explain what intelligence is and how it works. Then from this definition of intelligence I explain what self-awareness and hence consciousness is in order to demonstrate that artificial super intelligence will be just as self-aware as we are if not more so.

After this I then go over some examples of artificial intelligence and talk about a variety of topics that relate to artificial intelligence such as the keys to creating artificial super intelligence, how powerful it would be, multiple different ASIs, why people would worship ASI, ASI believing in God, objections to ASI and more.

Although this part may not seem that useful if you already know that artificial super intelligence is possible or if you are reading this after the beast itself has risen you should still read it because I go over a variety of topics that will better help you understand the nature of the beast so that you will be better equipped to resist it. Furthermore it is not too long of a part so really there is no reason to skip over it.

4 – Part Four: Fulfilled Prophecy

In this part I go over the best historical evidence that the Christian story as told in the Old Testament and the New Testament is true. This evidence is centered around the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars being a direct fulfillment of the curses for disobedience that Moses told to the ancient Israelites in Deuteronomy 28 and a direct parallel to the events of the Exile. For example the Second Temple was destroyed on the same exact day in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars as the First Temple was destroyed in the Exile.

The main idea here is that if those who called themselves Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ or the promised Messiah then we would expect to see the wrath of God poured out upon them as God promised He would do if they ever rejected Him. This of course is directly evidenced in the clear fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28 in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars and is further exemplified through comparing the Exile to the wars. On top of this Jesus also warned people through His parables what would happen to them if they rejected Him as the Christ and the Son of God.

Now I will warn you that this part will seem rather unpleasant because up to two million were killed as a result of these wars and I include rather graphic quotations form ancient historians. However this does not mean that you should simply skip this part entirely. Instead you should read it with the understanding that God will truly judge the whole world and pour out the cup of His wrath upon it just as Revelation says He will. Therefore no matter how bad this part may seem to you it is still nothing compared to the future judgment from God that our world is to face.

These two reasons, assurance that Christianity is true and that God will judge the world, are the main reasons why I have included this part and why you should read it. Do not make the mistake of skipping it because of the subject matter.

5 – Part Five: Bad Apologetics

In this part I review the popular arguments for the existence of God Christian apologists like to use to argue for the existence of the God of the Bible. I then go and explain why every single one of these arguments are either highly flawed or just flat out wrong. Then finally I review a short version of the argument I presented in the previous part on fulfilled prophecy.

My reason for creating this part is so that I can preemptively debunk all the bad arguments Christians use for the existence of God so that the coming beast, artificial super intelligence, will have much less ammunition to use against you in its war against your faith. My idea here is that if I as a Christian show you how absurd these arguments are then you will not apostatize once you learn the truth because obviously I am still a Christian even though I know all these arguments are wrong.

On the other hand if I do not show you why they are wrong then someday the beast will show you just how wrong they are so if you based your faith upon these arguments then you will simply apostatize at this point and place your trust, hope and faith in the beast instead of in God. Therefore even though you may be tempted to skip this part I assure you that it is very important for you to read it so that you may be better equipped to defend yourself and your faith against the power of the coming beast.

6 – Part Six: Various Insights

In this part I go over a variety of different topics that many Christians have questions about. These include what the Bible is and is not, divine hiddenness, faith and deeds, the Law, marriage, sexuality, the atonement and many other topics.

Initially after I wrote a short commentary on the Book of Revelation I wanted to write a commentary on the entire Bible because I thought it would help people. However no one really cared about what I wrote so I decided to scrap the plan for a full commentary. Instead I wrote this part which I call Various Insights so that I can go over everything of importance in a shorter form compared to a full commentary on the entire Bible.

Additionally at the end of this part I have a chapter where I provide a commentary on the Olivet Discourse as found in Matthew 24 and a chapter where I comment upon the view of the end times as found in the epistles. The reason why I included these two chapters here rather than with Revelation is simply because Revelation is a more complete view and in my commentary I take select verses out of Matthew 24 to provide more clarity when needed. Furthermore it is necessary to read my chapters about what the Bible is and how we should view it first so that you can get the full picture. Therefore do not think I am skipping over what Jesus says in Matthew 24 because I am not.

Although this part may not seem that important to you right now I assure you that you will be glad to have read it after you finish because you will better understand what it means to be a Christian once you are done with it. If you doubt what I have said here then I encourage you to carefully read the full table of contents in the next chapter so you can see for yourself all the important topics I discuss.

7 – Part Seven: Closing

In this part I briefly conclude the book and go over what you can do to help. Although it may seem like you cannot really do anything given the fact that the coming beast will rule over the world from a position of seemingly supreme power as Revelation says it will there is something you can do so that the world can better resist the beast. By telling others about what you have learned in this book and by sharing the book itself with them you will be helping to better prepare Christians all over the world for the arrival of the beast. Although it may seem like simply sharing this book with others will not do anything I would like to say that Satan’s schemes can only succeed in darkness. Therefore if you reveal Satan’s schemes with the light of this book to others then they will not succumb to the darkness as they see Satan’s plans and works for what they are.

My main point in this part is that you should never give up trying to resist the beast because as a Christian you are the final line of defense on earth against the power of Satan. So once again share this book with others so that they may see the light and not falter in their faith as they are blinded by the coming darkness.

8 – Why Continue?

Now the real question is that if you have already read a brief summary of everything then why should you continue reading? After all there is a lot to read as you are no doubt aware so why should you spend your time reading what I have written over doing something else?

Well as Jesus says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

Therefore by reading the Book of Revelation and my commentary on it you will be able to fully understand the prophecy in the Book of Revelation so that you will be able to keep the words of the prophecy all so that you may be blessed just as Jesus says. Of course this blessing only comes to those who understand what everything means in Revelation because only they will be able to fully recognize the beast and the works it does so that they may better resist it and overcome it.

Therefore if you continue reading to the end and finish reading what I have written you will be blessed by God because you will know what the beast from the sea will be, what the beast from the earth will be and what the image of the beast will be. Thus you will be better able to overcome the power of the beast and Satan by remaining faithful to God and refusing the worship the beast.

Now you may think this might sound like it will be easy so no doubt you are thinking you can probably just skim this book or worse yet not continue reading. However I would like to warn you that if you do not read what I have written then I am almost certain that you will be deceived by the beast and hence Satan himself. I am not saying this to be dramatic. Instead I am saying this because it is the truth.

You need to understand that Satan’s greatest power is his ability to deceive people and twist what is actually evil to appear good. Therefore once the beast finally arises it will not be what you expect it to be. This is why I say it is so important to read this book because it is only through reading and understanding what Revelation says and everything I have said that you will be able to see past the darkness of the deception that Satan is working in the world. All this may not make sense to you right now but I promise you that your eyes and ears will be opened after you read this book so that you will finally understand.

Next for those who want to ignore this book by claiming I am self interested in some way I quite literally have nothing to gain from you reading what I wrote since I have released everything for free and I am not even accepting donations. Instead I have revealed the meaning behind everything in Revelation and have given it away for free just as God gave us His word for free. It is simply up to you to read it. Again just to reiterate this fact means that I quite literally have nothing to gain from you reading this book or not. Then I will even go as far to say that I do not actually care if you read it or not since as I have said I did not write this book for you. Instead I wrote this book for God so that He may use it as a witness and testimony against the whole world on the day of judgment.

Really there is nothing I can do or say to you to force you to read what I have written. However I will say that if you do not read what I have written here then there may come a time when you regret it. Therefore I strongly encourage you to carefully read everything in this book so that you can come to know the truth.

Lastly on this subject I would like to say that I do not expect everyone to see value in what I have written because as Revelation says “the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) Therefore if what I have to say is correct concerning the Book of Revelation then the whole world must see what I have written as useless and wrong because otherwise the word of God cannot be fulfilled. So if you decide to stop reading at any point then you will simply be causing the word of God to be fulfilled because the whole world must marvel at and follow the beast.

Now ordinarily talking about being determined to fail would be depressing to me but as I have already said, I have written all this for God so that He may use it as a witness and testimony against the world. Then do not think the contents of this book cannot be used against you if you refuse to read it. On the contrary if you refuse to read it then you will be refusing the message and everything I have written about. Therefore in this case if what I have written is correct then this book would still stand as a witness against you. Furthermore if this book is correct then this book will stand as a witness against even those who never even heard about this book let alone read the introduction. This is because if anyone questions God and says that no one could find the truth all God has to do is point to this book and say but someone did. This is why it does not matter if in the end I am the only person who has read this book.

Therefore as a result of all this I strongly encourage you to read everything I have written so that you may persist in faithfulness and righteousness until the end finally comes.

9 – A Parable

I firmly believe that if you read everything I have written and hold to the words of Jesus in the Book of Revelation and the gospels then you will never fall into temptation because by understanding and accepting what I have written the beast and Satan himself will lose their ability to tempt you into unbelief and apostasy. This may seem like a bold claim so I will demonstrate it with a parable.

There are two men and each man manages his own ten thousand acre forest in order to provide a nature reserve for wild animals.

The first man sees killing trees through any means as a great evil. As a result not only does he never intentionally set a fire to do a controlled burn of the forest but he also puts out all naturally started fires as fast as possible so that the forest will not be harmed at all. Then because of his practices his forest has a huge amount of trees and plant growth to provide for the countless animals that call his forest their home.

On the other hand the second man seeks the long term survival of the forest as a whole. As a result of this he periodically does controlled burns of the forest by lighting fires himself so that the forest as a whole will be stronger as the weak trees are burned up so that only the strong ones remain. Then because of his practices his forest is quite sparse compared to the forest of the first man and there is not as much plant growth. As a result of this many animals call his forest home instead of the countless animals that call the first man’s forest home.

Then one day the two men take turns visiting each other’s forests and the first man boasts how great his forest is and how many animals it supports. The second man agrees that his forest does seem better but he warns him that by keeping so many small and weak trees alive that it is at risk of being completely consumed in a fire if a drought were to come. The first man laughs off the second man’s words and calls him paranoid and says that he has no right to burn the weak trees in his forest because every tree deserves to live.

Then one season years later the rains completely cease so that by the time summer hits each man's forest seems as dry as a desert. Additionally many weeks ago now the small and weak trees started to lose their leaves as they died from the drought and fell down. Both men are now extremely worried as they fear for their forest and the animals that call it home.

Then one day dry lighting strikes the first man’s forest and an inferno erupts. The first man tries to contain the blaze and even gets the assistance of others but he is unable to stop the wall of flames as it engulfs his forest. The flames then spread to the second man’s forest as well before the fire finally burns itself out.

A few days after the fire burned itself out the two men go out and look at the damage. They find that the first man’s forest has been completely consumed by the inferno so that not a single tree is left standing. On the other hand they find that the second man’s forest, although scarred from the flames, is still standing with the vast majority of the trees still being alive so that only their lower branches were taken by the flames. The two men then decide to reassess their forests a year later.

Then a year came and went. So a year after the great fire the first man’s forest still looks completely dead as if it is the surface of the moon because the high temperature of the inferno destroyed all the seeds in the ground so that there was nothing left to sprout. As a result his forest is unable to support the animals it did previously and almost all of them die.

However on the other hand a year later the second man’s forest looks almost completely untouched so that it appears as if the great fire never happened a year prior. Sure you could tell from some of the blackened bark that a fire swept through but it would be hard to notice with all the greenery on the ground and in the trees. As a result his forest is able to support the same number of animals it did previously.

But how does this parable relate to reading my book exactly? Well I essentially see my book as a controlled burn being conducted by the second man in the parable and the first beast of Revelation as the inferno of a forest fire in the parable. What I mean is that ultimately reading my book to the end will test your faith and everything that you think you believe. Then just like weak trees in a forest being burned up in a controlled burn, you will discover that many of the beliefs you had concerning God and the Bible were wrong. However this should be no cause for concern because although you may have lost some of your weakly supported beliefs, or weak trees, you now only have strongly supported beliefs, or strong trees, left.

Therefore when the beast of Revelation inevitably arises you may be tempted by it but you will not be tempted enough give up your faith entirely because you will have such a strong foundation for your faith. This is why I said that if you make it to the end of my book and keep to the words of Jesus in Revelation and the gospels then I do not believe that you will ever fall into apostasy.

On the other hand if you decide to not read my book and instead write off everything you have read so far as being wrong or misguided without reading the rest of what I have to say then when the beast comes your faith will almost certainly be burned up so completely so that nothing is left. I do not say this lightly and I am not simply saying it in order to passive aggressively guilt you into reading my book. Instead I am warning you about what I strongly believe will happen if you do not read this book.

Sure your forest may be strong enough so that the coming inferno will not overcome it but how can you be sure? If you want to risk it and either pretend that you are ready or worse yet deny the inferno will ever come then your decision is your own. I can only hope that you will not regret it someday.

Lastly I would just like to say some people may even lose their faith reading this book and blame me for making them lose their faith. However I would just like to say that my book principally relies on many passages from the Bible to support everything I say. After all the second part is a full commentary on the Book of Revelation so it is not like anyone can claim my words are baseless. Therefore if someone loses their faith reading this book then really they lost their faith by reading the Bible and not what I have written.

That said do not be concerned about this because the coming inferno the beast of Revelation will set in the hearts of all Christians will be far worse than you can imagine. On the other hand the purpose of the fire you will face from reading my book in full is to harden your faith so that you will be able to persist until the end finally comes.

10 – Be Skeptical

Next I would also like to remind you that you should think carefully and spiritually about everything you read about in this book for yourself so that you do not simply believe everything I say because I have said it. Therefore you should be skeptical because there will be instances where I say something that is wrong given how much I have written. I mean who can write hundreds of thousands of flawless words? However once again this does not mean that you should not read what I have written because all people make mistakes.

Then to quote Paul again:

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

Thus you should test everything I say for yourself and not simply accept it as true or worse yet simply reject it entirely because you do not like it.

Lastly I would like to say that you should expect to find grammatical errors. I cannot afford a professional editor since this book is entirely free and I do not accept donations so the only people who have edited it are readers like you and myself. So if you find any errors please make a note of them and email them to me at contact@revisitingthebible.org. Another option would be to use a word processor so you can highlight and add comments. Thank you for your understanding here.

11 – Reading this Book

I realize this book is rather long so no doubt you must be tempted to simply skim through it. However I strongly encourage you not to do this. Instead this book is meant to be read in order without skipping over or glossing over anything because everything I wrote is important.

Now you may not believe me here but in truth I do not like writing and I have always tried to write as little as possible in order to get the point across. Thus the length of this book is not due to useless ramblings that go no where and offer nothing of value. Instead the length of this book is due to the number of different topics I discuss and the quantity of information that must be provided for each topic in order to provide an adequate explanation or response.

For instance I talk about many highly debated topics in this book in only a few to several thousand words each that people literally write entire books about. Therefore you should not see this book as being overly long and instead you should see it as being overly short because in truth I could probably expand this book into seventy books if I started padding my writing with useless and irrelevant content. Now you may not believe me here and think I am exaggerating but just continue reading and you will see what I mean.

So this is why I say that you should not skim this book and skip over parts or even entire chapters. Everything I have written in this book has been written for a reason and is largely necessary for understanding the whole picture. As a result of this if you decide to skim this book then you will be lost and the meaning of everything will escape you. So if you are considering skimming this book instead of reading it then I would suggest you simply stop reading now and go about as if you never read this introduction.

On the other hand if you do decide to read the rest of this book then I will promise you that your eyes will be opened one way or the other and that you will see things that have been hidden since long ago.

As Jesus says:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

Therefore although this book may seem rather long or even excessively long such that you may even believe the book to not be worth your time I assure you that this is not the case. As I just said I would even be as bold to say that the greatest weakness of this book is that this book is too short. This is because I talk about so many topics in this book that this book should quite literally answer almost every question you may have about Christianity. Therefore do not see this book as a single book. Instead you should see reading this book as reading dozens of books. So sure it may seem rather long but when you look at it this way then you will find that this book is rather short considering what you get out of it.

12 – My Perspective

Next since I wrote this book in a certain way from my own perspective and since my perspective differs from what the majority of people find acceptable I believe it is necessary to explain myself and say what exactly my perspective is. In short most people would call my a rationalist at least among those who know what rationalism is. This just means that I believe that reason is the best way to come to truth and knowledge when compared to other methods like observation. Now this may not make much sense to you since not many people subscribe to this viewpoint so let me provide a secular example to you.

If someone was to show me a machine they built that was able to produce more energy than it takes in and I was unable to criticize the design of the machine or find out what is really happening I would still reject this person’s machine and tell them they are mistaken and that their machine does not work. This is because such a machine would violate the first law of thermodynamics or the law of the conservation of energy which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system and that instead it can only be transformed. Really the principle of the conservation of energy is just a way of saying that magic does exist so that you cannot create something out of nothing using some physical process. Thus what I am saying here is that the law of the conservation of energy is a fundamental principle of our universe and our reality to such an extent that any observation that does not conform to this law can be outright rejected even if the observation itself cannot be disputed through empirical observation or testing. In other words in this example reason and logic alone are more than enough to reject a claim as false.

Now this example relates to my perspective in this book in the sense that for me if some idea does not make rational sense so that it can stand on its own without relying on external interpretative evidence then this idea is wrong. This means that I place next to zero value on tradition and what other people outside of the Bible believe. Then because of this fact you will not find a single citation or reference in this book to what other people believe. This may not make much sense to you but really I believe that referencing what someone else believes is ultimately an appeal to authority or an appeal to tradition. However as I just said I do not place any value on appeals to authority or appeals to tradition. This means that I do not care if you want to argue that I am wrong because ninety-nine percent of famous theologians over an almost two-thousand year history disagree with me. Instead the only thing that matters for me is how supported something is in the Bible and how much logical sense it makes given the world we live in.

So for example if a popular idea that most Christians believe in directly contradicts the Bible and is at odds with being logically consistent with our reality then I will reject this idea as false. Furthermore it does not matter if you can show me a list of citations of a thousand famous theologians who disagree with me and support the popular idea. Again, this is because in my view appealing to authority or appealing to tradition are not valid arguments. This is why I do not even cite people whom I would agree with to support what I am saying because I do not consider these citations to be a valid form of support. Instead I firmly believe that if something is true then I need to demonstrate the truth of it using the Bible, undisputed historical facts, reason and logic alone so that the truth of this something can stand on it’s own.

That said this does not mean I do not believe in having faith since ultimately it does not matter what evidence you have and you can only become a Christian through a final leap of faith. Instead all I am saying here is that I do not accept anything in this book as being true or correct on the basis of tradition or because some famous people believe it is correct. After all this is why I have called this book Revisiting the Bible as I said.

Now I am only telling you this in advance so that you can understand my perspective if you have any issues with what I have written about. For instance if you believe I am wrong on some issue and to demonstrate how correct you are you decide to gather up a bunch of citations of famous theologians to prove your point then do not bother because you will be wasting your time. Again this is because I do not believe appeals to authority or tradition are valid so unless you can argue for the truth of your claim on the basis of the Bible, what we see in the world and logic then to be honest I am not interested in entertaining your position. This might sound arrogant to you but to the contrary I would say that if you believe in appeals to authority or tradition then you are the arrogant one because in this case you would quite literally believe that the views of men matter more than the words of God in the Bible and what we see in the universe God created.

As Jesus says:

“Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:3)

Like I said I do not care about tradition and instead I only care about being a faithful witness to God. This means that I will not “nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:3) Instead I will point out the errors of your tradition so that I can better serve God. As I said before I did not write this book for you and instead I wrote it for God so that He may use it as a witness and testimony against the world.

Next because of my perspective here everything you read about in this book should make sense from a logical and rational perspective. Sure you may not like some of it or even most of it but ultimately you will not be able to say that what I have said is baseless. This means that there will be almost no presuppositionalism where I presuppose something is true and use circular reasoning to say it is true because it is true. Now I say almost no here because ultimately having faith is a presupposition in a sense.

Lastly if you have a serious issue with my perspective here then to be perfectly honest with you I doubt you will gain anything from this book. I say this because I quite literally do not place any value on tradition or the opinions of others so if you believe that tradition and the opinions of others are valuable and valid forms of support then it is safe to say that you will not get anything out of this book. Therefore in this case really all you will be doing is wasting your time. Sure I would like you to continue reading my book anyways but really in order to gain anything from my book you need to have an open mind instead of dogmatically holding to tradition or the opinions of others. Therefore if you have a serious issue with my perspective and continue reading then you will not be able to say I did not warn you.

13 – A Final Warning and Promise

I would like to reiterate that most of you, or even the vast majority of you, reading this now will likely dislike or even hate this book that I have written. It may seem presumptuous for me to say this but given the wide variety of topics I discuss and my reasoning and stance on them I am almost certain you will get upset and stop reading at some point. Probably sooner rather than later.

But as Jesus says:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Therefore I encourage you to not take the easy path through the wide gate by giving up and quitting. Instead I encourage you to take the difficult path through the narrow gate by reading everything I have to say in this book.

Although I promise you that you will receive answers to the hardest questions you may have I would also like to warn you that you may not like the answers you find. There will be things that you read that will challenge your beliefs and even make you uncomfortable but this is simply what it means to enter through the narrow gate. I assure you that everything I have written is important so do not give up and miss out.

Lastly for those who decide to enter through the narrow gate then I promise you now that you will read things that have been overlooked and even hidden from the foundation of the world itself.

Again as Jesus says:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

Therefore do not give up and quit before you see and hear everything for yourself as your eyes and ears are opened.

14 – Closing Thoughts

Finally I hope you now fully understand what this book is about and I hope that I have encouraged you enough to read the rest of it.

As Jesus says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

However if I have not convinced you to continue then I have tried and I hope that God blesses you anyways.

Chapter 1.7: An Important Comment

Originally in 2021 I felt moved to write a short commentary on the Book of Revelation after I saw the direction that artificial intelligence was heading in and after coming to an understanding that the beast really cannot be anything except artificial super intelligence. After finishing this short commentary I would later feel moved to expand upon it and get more into theology so that I could provide more information and answer any questions people may have. To this end I began editing and expanding my initial book until I got to the book you are now presently reading. This process was rather long and it took multiple rounds of editing and expanding in order to get to where this book is currently.

However in the latest round of editing and expanding I began to add more information and details that I did not originally plan to add. Then because of this fact my progress on the latest edit and expansion progressed very slowly. At some point when editing and expanding my commentary on Revelation 11 I came to the realization that this latest round of editing and expanding will probably take around four-thousand hours or around two years in order to finish. Then due to the great amount of time it would take me to finish the latest edit and expansion I came to the conclusion that I cannot hold off releasing what I have already written for at least two more years. I say at least two more years here because while working on the latest edit and expansion I was already planning another supposedly final read through and edit before I would finally release it. Thus really what I am saying here is that in truth two years to finish the latest edit and expansion would have just been the beginning and really it could have very well taken much longer for me to finally release the book. Furthermore I always planned to write a second edition of this book where I would once again read through, edit and expand upon this book to make it even more complete. Then this planned second edition would not even be the end since I would want to work on a third edition after this. So what I am saying here is that I felt like enough was enough so that I should just release this book as is and not wait any longer.

Furthermore I would just like to say that my initial plan and goal was to release the book when I considered it done and in order for me to have considered it done it would of course need to be perfect in my eyes. Therefore in truth I would have probably never released this book with this attitude or at least only released it after say five to ten years so that I could go through enough revisions. Therefore even if I were to finish the latest edit and expansion in my predicted two years while working on it full-time really this would have just been the beginning and no doubt I would justify spending more time on another round of editing and expansions. I mean as I have already seen firsthand for myself it is easy to want to spend more time refining and expanding as I try to make everything that I have written perfect. However I came to terms with the fact that I will never be able to make this book perfect. Instead the only way this book will be perfect is if God writes the seventh edition of this book.

That said there are a couple additional reasons. First off in truth the rise of artificial super intelligence will be soon upon us and because of this fact I cannot justify holding off releasing this book for years just so that I can make it a bit better. Then on top of this my parents have graciously supported me while writing, editing and expanding upon this book and since they cannot support me forever I cannot continue working on this book full-time as I have been. Instead I need to move on with my labor so that I figure things out for myself. Really I feel like I have fulfilled more than what I set out to do and do to the great amount of time it would take me to do even more I have decided to release the book as is so that this book can benefit as many people as possible.

So to this end I am releasing this book as is as I have just said. What I mean by this is that I was working through editing my commentary on Revelation 11 and when I finished expanding upon my commentary on Revelation 11:4 I decided to release this book in its current form after much deliberation. Therefore this book is not really finished in the traditional sense. To this end there are many things in this book that are a bit incomplete and there are probably some things that I would actually disagree with now. You may find this to be unbelievable but this book is rather long and I have spent such a long time on the latest edit and expansion that I have almost certainly changed my mind about some matters. In fact I was planning on heavily editing and changing a number of topics in my latest round of editing. This is especially true in regards to my part called Various Insights were I planned to do an extensive edit and expansion of many of the chapters.

Now this may sound significant but really is not a big deal. This is because I am completely confident in the main messages of this book. Instead anything that I would change would probably just be some relatively minor theological topic. Now if this does not relieve your concerns then if you read something in this book that you find wrong or objectionable then just contact me and ask me about it. I mean maybe I changed my mind about it? Then if I have not I will probably be able to explain to you what is going on if you are really that interested. Although given the length of this book I doubt anyone will even read it let alone contact me about it.

But what about completing the latest edit and expansion? Well to be honest although there are many different things I would like to expand upon and add the main message of this book is basically entirely complete. Really my expansions would just provide more detail and discuss theological topics. Sure there may be some things that I would change but these things do not really matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Although just so you are aware of some of the things that I planned to expand upon and add I have included my rather cryptic notes at the end of this book in a chapter called Notes for Edit. Now I say my notes are rather cryptic because they are not exactly well organized and there will be things you will not be able to figure out. I would also just like to say that my notes are just notes. If something in say Various Insights does not make much sense then make sure to read my notes. But like I said if you have any questions you can always contact me.

All that said I would love to continue working on this book and I hope I will have the opportunity to do so in the future if God has willed or determined that it will to come to pass. In the meantime I feel like I must figure things out for myself so that I have the means to write the second edition. Then like I said previously I do not want the second edition to be the end and instead I hope to write a third edition and more some day while leaving the seventh edition for God. So really this first edition is not the end and I do not want it to be the end. Although to be honest with the way things have been going this first edition may be the end for a long while or even forever. Just writing this brought some tears to my eyes. If you want to remain updated on what is happening with the second edition then check my website.

Anyways I hope you enjoy reading this book. Then if you actually manage to finish reading this book I welcome you to contact me even if it is just to tell me that you finished it. This may not seem important but it would mean a lot to me just to know that at least one person read it.

As a final note I would just like to say that I have given away this book for free so that anyone and everyone can share it however they wish and I am not making a profit off of it because this is what we should do as faithful Christians.

As Jesus says:

“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

Therefore just as God has freely given us salvation through Jesus so too have I given this book to you for free so that you may come to understand the mysteries of God and what He has planned before the eternal Kingdom of God can finally arrive as it has been written.

Chapter 1.8: Full Table of Contents

Part 2: The Book of Revelation

Chapter 2.1: Introduction

First off no matter what happens in the future I want you to know that everything is happening according to the plan that God has determined from the foundation of the world itself. It may seem like the unrighteous and unfaithful have won at some point so that you lose all hope for the future but this is all part of what needs to happen before Jesus returns to destroy His enemies by throwing them into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction. Do not despair, do not lose hope and most importantly do not lose faith.

Next I would like to warn you that the Book of Revelation will seem much more real to you after you read what I have to say in this part. Therefore it is perfectly fine to feel scared and powerless but like I just said God will prevail so do not lose faith. If it makes you feel any better just know that reading what I wrote still gives me chills and makes the future seem almost surreal. So if you end up feeling something similar then know that you are not alone.

Before I continue I would like to briefly talk about the main reason for writing this part and the major takeaway. In short I propose the first beast of Revelation, what most people call the Antichrist, will be a global artificial super intelligence or ASI that will be heralded in by the second beast, or the false prophet, which I believe will be a United Nations 2.0 type entity made up of major world governments and corporations.

Then due to the ASI’s vast intellectual capacity and data analysis ability the first beast will be seen as the savior of humanity because from our perspective it will seemingly be able to work so-called miracles. When I say so-called miracles I am talking about things such like curing all diseases, creating a cure for aging so we can be biologically immortal, ending poverty, ending war, ending crime, creating technological wonders we cannot even imagine and more.

Next as people become obsolete and lose their jobs the nations and corporations of the world will come together and praise this beast that man created as worthy of our praise and worship because it will provide for all our needs. There will be world peace as the great prostitute, or the final global society itself that rebels against God by following the beast, reigns supreme over all as people worship themselves and the beast instead of God. Thus the great apostasy will take place just as predicted and the world will celebrate the triumph of so-called science and reason over so-called superstition.

I know this might sound wacky and delusional but I believe it is a near perfect fit for what the text says which I will go into fully in my full commentary on Revelation. But to prove to you it is not crazy let me ask you some questions.

What if we were able to combine all the best people in each of their respective fields into a singular being so that this being is now the best in the world in every field? And what if this being was connected to the internet and had a database with the sum of all knowledge that we have discovered? Now what if this being could think a million times faster than us? Then what if we were to copy this being a million times with each copy being able to nearly instantaneously communicate with every other copy? What would people call such a being compared to us? The answer is obvious. The world would see it as a literal so-called god.

Such a being could talk to every person on earth simultaneously. It would be far more capable than us at any and all tasks. No one will be able to fight against it just as Revelation says. Instead all that anyone will be able to do is marvel at it. Only God will be able to defeat its power.

Now you may think artificial intelligence is impossible because only God can create life. However I think this belief is profoundly unbiblical. After all Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge which made them wise and opened their eyes to the world. Satan promised Eve that Adam and her would be like God after eating the fruit and if the greatest of all God’s creations is the creation of intelligent life then why would it be biblically impossible for us to do the same? But of course our creation will be in our own image rather than God’s and thus it will be an agent of Satan.

Additionally, as I said in the opening, in reference to the attempt to reach the heavens with the Tower of Babel “the LORD said, ‘If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.’” (Genesis 11:6) As God has said nothing we devise will be beyond our ability if we work together. A new Tower of Babel is being built even as you read this now. Or perhaps this new Tower of Babel has already been built?

Furthermore the fastest super computers in the world are nearly able to match the complexities of the human brain and in the coming years they will be exponentially faster. Artificial intelligence research is also advancing at a seemingly unheard of rate and the newest AI models are able to understand language, use past events to predict future outcomes, beat top human players at highly complex open ended games, compose music, write stories, produce art, create fake photographs, create realistic video and more.

Of course we remain smarter in most fields for now. But this is of course only temporary and it would be foolish to believe we will always be smarter than artificial intelligence. Eventually our own Tower of Babel will reach the heavens but instead of joining with God in heaven we will join with Satan on earth.

I do not intend to convince you of these propositions here nor do I expect you to be so easily convinced. Instead my purpose is to once again encourage you to read what I have to say on the matter by piquing your interest. You may think what I have said is completely wrong because you believe Revelation was written about the Roman Empire or you may believe artificial intelligence will never exist or you may just think I am crazy. However you should read what I have to say especially if you think artificial super intelligence is impossible because you have the most to gain. For the skeptical later on I go into detail to explain why artificial intelligence is not just possible but inevitable as I said in the introduction.

But first a deeper look into the Book of Revelation is in order because if what I claim does not line up with the word of God then what I claim is simply false. I encourage you to read what I have to say in an attempt to prove what I claim wrong and to judge the truth of it for yourself. Thus I strongly encourage you to be skeptical of everything you read and to think about it for yourself in a spiritual manner. Only through the Holy Spirit will you be able to judge the truth of it for yourself.

As Revelation says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

In other words as I said in the opening those who read and understand the Book of Revelation will be blessed by God.

Next in the future the Church and all Christians will be entering into a period of trial the likes of which we have not seen before in the history of the world. The coming global artificial super intelligence will tempt all Christians and most will fall for its deceptions for it will be given the throne of Satan who is the great deceiver who lies to the whole world.

Therefore I hope you take what I have to say seriously. Evil thrives in darkness and so by showing you the light of God and the truth of the Bible I hope you will not waver in your faith so we can all stand triumphant on the day of judgment. May God bless you.

Chapter 2.2: Full Text of Revelation

I decided to include the full text of the Book of Revelation before my full commentary on the Book of Revelation so that you can read it for yourself first before reading my commentary on individual verses. Now this may not make much sense to you but there are a few reasons why I believe it to be necessary.

The first is that my commentary on the Book of Revelation is quite long and as a result it is easy to become lost since it is hard to follow the actual text of Revelation when my commentary on it makes up the vast majority of each of chapter on the chapters of Revelation. Thus in this case it would be highly beneficial for you to read Revelation for yourself first so that you can be more familiar with it going into my fully commentary all so that you will not become overwhelmed as you lose sight of the text at hand as you focus on my commentary. In other words if you do not read the full text of the Book of Revelation before reading my commentary then there is a good chance you will not make it through the first chapter of my commentary.

The second is that it would be highly beneficial for you to read Revelation for yourself without my commentary on it so that my commentary does not color how you see the text to the point of my commentary on Revelation becoming Revelation for you. The idea here is that I do not want you to take what I say as true just because I have said it and instead I want you to at least think about what Revelation means for yourself before you read what I have to say. This is why I have included this chapter at the start of this part before you read everything I have to say.

The third is that if you have never read Revelation before reading my full commentary then my explanation of it it will seem less significant and insightful to you because you will think my commentary is so obviously correct that there cannot be any other way to view the text. On the other hand by reading Revelation for yourself first I am almost certain you will not understand much if any of it so that once you read my fully commentary you will have a greater sense of appreciation for it. Sure this might seem a bit selfish on the surface but really my intent here is to encourage you to actually finish reading my full commentary by making sure you see how confusing Revelation is for yourself for someone without any knowledge of it. Then as a result of this once you read my fully commentary no doubt you will eagerly read all the explanations and answers I have provided so that you can have answers to all the questions that have entered your mind as a result of reading the full text of the Book of Revelation before hand.

But what if you have already read the Book of Revelation before? In this case you may be tempted to just skip the rest of this chapter and honestly I would not blame you for wanting to. However I would advise against it. This is because even if you have read the Revelation dozens of times before I still believe it would be helpful for you to have it fresh in your mind before you read everything I have to say in my full commentary. I mean sure it is a rather short book but it is rather dense in that a lot happens in so few words which means that it is easy to forget or overlook some key parts that are important to remember for when you read my full commentary. Then since it is such a short book reading it really takes almost no time at all. In fact the Book of Revelation is so short that my commentary on the partial verse “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) is actually significantly longer than all of Revelation itself. Therefore if you have an issue with reading the full text of the Book of Revelation now before my full commentary then you will probably not make it through my commentary because like I said it is quite long. So even if you have read Revelation before I would strongly advise you not to skip reading it again so that it is fresh in your mind before you read my commentary.

Next I would just like to say that if this is your first time reading the Book of Revelation then you will almost certainly be confused as you read it since the book is so highly figurative which makes it difficult for a modern reader to understand. This fact will be especially true if you insist on taking a literal approach to the Book of Revelation so that you see everything for what the text directly says. Therefore when you get confused because you do not know what something means then just know that your confusion is only natural.

Lastly I would like to emphasize that since this part includes my full commentary on the Book of Revelation everything in Revelation will be explained to you so that all your questions will be answered. So do not worry about being confused because all will be revealed and made clear to you later on at the appropriate time.

1 – Revelation 1

1.1 – Prologue

(1) This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, (2) who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(3) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

1.2 – John Greets the Seven Churches

(4) John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, (6) who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

(7) Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

(8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

1.3 – John’s Vision on Patmos

(9) I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus. (10) On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, (11) saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

(12) Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, (13) and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest. (14) The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire. (15) His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. (16) He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.

(17) When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, (18) the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

(19) Therefore write down the things you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. (20) This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

2 – Revelation 2

2.1 – To the Church in Ephesus

(1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

(2) I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. (3) Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.

(4) But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. (5) Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

(6) But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

(7) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

2.2 – To the Church in Smyrna

(8) To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.

(9) I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

(10) Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

(11) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

2.3 – To the Church in Pergamum

(12) To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.

(13) I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

(14) But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. (15) In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (16) Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

(17) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

2.4 – To the Church in Thyatira

(18) To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

(19) I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.

(20) But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (21) Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.

(22) Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. (23) Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

(24) But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you. (25) Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. (26) And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. (27) He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father. (28) And I will give him the morning star.

(29) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3 – Revelation 3

3.1 – To the Church in Sardis

(1) “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.

I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. (2) Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. (3) Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.

(4) But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. (5) Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.

(6) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3.2 – To the Church in Philadelphia

(7) To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.

(8) I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. (9) Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.

(10) Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (11) I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (12) The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.

(13) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3.3 – To the Church in Laodicea

(14) To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

(15) I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! (16) So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!

(17) You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. (18) I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. (19) Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

(20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. (21) To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

(22) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

4 – Revelation 4

4.1 – The Throne in Heaven

(1) After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”

(2) At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. (3) The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. (4) Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.

4.2 – Worship of the Creator

(5) From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God. (6) And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. (7) The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. (8) And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

(9) And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, (10) the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

(11) “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”

5 – Revelation 5

5.1 – The Lamb Takes the Scroll

(1) Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. (2) And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

(3) But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it. (4) And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

(5) Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

(6) Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (7) And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

(8) When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (9) And they sang a new song:

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals,
because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
(10) You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign upon the earth.”

5.2 – The Lamb Exalted

(11) Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. (12) In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!”

(13) And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power
forever and ever!”

(14) And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

6 – Revelation 6

6.1 – The First Seal: The White Horse

(1) Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”

(2) So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

6.2 – The Second Seal: War

(3) And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

(4) Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

6.3 – The Third Seal: Famine

(5) And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. (6) And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

6.4 – The Fourth Seal: Death

(7) And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

(8) Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

6.5 – The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs

(9) And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. (10) And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”

(11) Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

6.6 – The Sixth Seal: Terror

(12) And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, (13) and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. (14) The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

(15) Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. (16) And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. (17) For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

7 – Revelation 7

7.1 – 144,000 Sealed

(1) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. (2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: (3) “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

(4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

(5) From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
(6) from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
(7) from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
(8) from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

7.2 – Praise from the Great Multitude

(9) After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. (10) And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”

(11) And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

(13) Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

(14) “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”

So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) For this reason, they are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
(16) ‘Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.’
(17) For the Lamb in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd.
‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’
and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

8 – Revelation 8

8.1 – The Seventh Seal

(1) When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (2) And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

(3) Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

(5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

8.2 – The First Four Trumpets

(6) And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

(7) Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

(8) Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, (9) a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

(10) Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. (11) The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

(12) Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

(13) And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

9 – Revelation 9

9.1 – The Fifth Trumpet

(1) Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. (2) The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

(3) And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. (4) They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. (6) In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

(7) And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. (8) They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. (9) They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. (10) They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. (11) They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.

(12) The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.

9.2 – The Sixth Trumpet

(13) Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God (14) saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

(15) So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. (16) And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

(17) Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. (18) A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. (19) For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.

(20) Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. (21) Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

10 – Revelation 10

10.1 – The Angel and the Small Scroll

(1) Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. (2) He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. (3) Then he cried out in a loud voice like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their voices.

(4) When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

(5) Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven. (6) And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay! (7) But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”

(8) Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

(9) And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.”

“Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

(10) So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.

(11) And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

11 – Revelation 11

11.1 – The Two Witnesses

(1) Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. (2) But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. (3) And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

(4) These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. (6) These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

11.2 – The Witnesses Killed and Raised

(7) When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. (8) Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. (9) For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. (10) And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

(11) But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. (12) And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.

(13) And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

(14) The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.

11.3 – The Seventh Trumpet

(15) Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.”

(16) And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying:

“We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
(18) The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

(19) Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

12 – Revelation 12

12.1 – The Woman and the Dragon

(1) And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. (2) She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

(3) Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. (4) His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

(5) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. (6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

12.2 – The War in Heaven

(7) Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (8) But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. (9) And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

(10) And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.
(11) They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
(12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.”

12.3 – The Woman Persecuted

(13) And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. (14) But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

(15) Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. (16) But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. (17) And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

13 – Revelation 13

13.1 – The Beast from the Sea

(1) Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. (2) The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

(3) One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. (4) They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”

(5) The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. (6) And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.

(7) Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. (8) And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

(9) He who has an ear, let him hear:

(10) “If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.”

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

13.2 – The Beast from the Earth

(11) Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. (12) And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

(13) And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. (14) Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. (15) The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.

13.3 – The Mark of the Beast

(16) And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, (17) so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

(18) Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.

14 – Revelation 14

14.1 – The Lamb and the 144,000

(1) Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. (2) And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.

(3) And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. (4) These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. (5) And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

14.2 – The Three Angels and Babylon’s Fall

(6) Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. (7) And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”

(8) Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

(9) And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, (10) he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. (11) And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

(12) Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

(13) And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

14.3 – The Harvest of the Earth

(14) And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

(15) Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.” (16) So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

(17) Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. (18) Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”

(19) So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. (20) And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

15 – Revelation 15

15.1 – The Song of Moses and the Lamb

(1) Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final plagues, with which the wrath of God is completed.

(2) And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They were holding harps from God, (3) and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and wonderful are Your works,
O Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations!
(4) Who will not fear You, O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before You,
for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

15.2 – Preparation for Judgment

(5) After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven. (6) And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.

(7) Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. (8) And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

16 – Revelation 16

16.1 – First Six Bowls of Wrath

(1) Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.”

(2) So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

(3) And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the sea died.

(4) And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood. (5) And I heard the angel of the waters say:

“Righteous are You, O Holy One,
who is and was,
because You have brought these judgments.
(6) For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets,
and You have given them blood to drink,
as they deserve.”

(7) And I heard the altar reply:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
true and just are Your judgments.”

(8) Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire. (9) And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.

(10) And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish (11) and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.

(12) And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.

(13) And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. (14) These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

(15)  “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

(16) And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

16.2 – Seventh Bowl of Wrath

(17) Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”

(18) And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake. (19) The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

(20) Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found. (21) And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.

17 – Revelation 17

17.1 – The Woman on the Beast

(1) Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. (2) The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

(3) And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (4) The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. (5) And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:

BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

17.2 – The Mystery Explained

(6) I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.

(7) “Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

(8) The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.

(9) This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. (10) There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

(11) The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction. (12) The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. (13) These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.

17.3 – The Victory of the Lamb

(14) They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”

(15) Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. (16) And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. (17) For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. (18) And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

18 – Revelation 18

18.1 – Babylon Is Fallen

(1) After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. (2) And he cried out in a mighty voice:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast.
(3) All the nations have drunk the wine
of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy
from the extravagance of her luxury.”

(4) Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or contract any of her plagues.
(5) For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
(6) Give back to her as she has done to others;
pay her back double for what she has done;
mix her a double portion in her own cup.
(7) As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give her the same measure of torment and grief.
In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
(8) Therefore her plagues will come in one day—
death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

18.2 – Lament over Babylon

(9) Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. (10) In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,
the mighty city of Babylon!
For in a single hour
your judgment has come.”

(11) And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— (12) cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; (13) of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men. (14) And they will say:

“The fruit of your soul’s desire
has departed from you;
all your luxury and splendor have vanished,
never to be seen again.”

(15) The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, (16) saying:

“Woe, woe to the great city,
clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
(17) For in a single hour
such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!”

Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance (18) and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.

(19) Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
were enriched by her wealth!
For in a single hour
she has been destroyed.”

(20) Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets,
because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.

18.3 – The Doom of Babylon

(21) Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying:

“With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be cast down,
never to be seen again.
(22) And the sound of harpists and musicians,
of flute players and trumpeters,
will never ring out in you again.
Nor will any craftsmen of any trade
be found in you again,
nor the sound of a millstone
be heard in you again.
(23) The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again,
and the voices of a bride and bridegroom
will never call out in you again.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

(24) And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

19 – Revelation 19

19.1 – Rejoicing in Heaven

(1) After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
(2) For His judgments are true and just.
He has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.”

(3) And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah!

Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

(4) And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

(5) Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
all you who serve Him,
and those who fear Him,
small and great alike!”

19.2 – The Marriage of the Lamb

(6) And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out:

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
(7) Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him the glory.
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
(8) She was given clothing of fine linen,
bright and pure.”

For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

(9) Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

(10) So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

19.3 – The Rider on the White Horse

(11) Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. (12) He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. (13) He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

(14) The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. (15) And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (16) And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

19.4 – Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

(17) Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, (18) so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

(19) Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. (20) But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (21) And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

20 – Revelation 20

20.1 – Satan Bound

(1) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. (2) He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (3) And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

(4) Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

(5) The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

20.2 – Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire

(7) When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, (8) and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.

(9) And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. (10) And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

20.3 – Judgment before the Great White Throne

(11) Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. (12) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.

And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. (13) The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

(14) Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. (15) And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

21 – Revelation 21

21.1 – A New Heaven and a New Earth

(1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (2) I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

(3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man,
and He will dwell with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them as their God.
(4) ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’
and there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away.”

(5) And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” (6) And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. (7) The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

(8) But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

21.2 – The New Jerusalem

(9) Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

(10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, (11) shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. (12) The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. (13) There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. (14) The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

(15) The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. (16) The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height. (17) And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.

(18) The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass. (19) The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone:

The first foundation was jasper,
the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald,
(20) the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth,
and the twelfth amethyst.

(21) And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

(22) But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (23) And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. (24) By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory. (25) Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.

(26) And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. (27) But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

22 – Revelation 22

22.1 – The River of Life

(1) Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (2) down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

(3) No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. (4) They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. (5) There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

22.2 – Jesus Is Coming

(6) Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”

(7)  “Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”

(8) And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. (9) But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

(10) Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near. (11) Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”

(12)  “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. (13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

(14) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. (15) But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

(16)  “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

(17) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

22.3 – Nothing May Be Added or Removed

(18) I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. (19) And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book.

(20) He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

(21) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.

Amen.

23 – Closing

First off I hope you enjoyed reading the Book of Revelation. Personally it is my favorite book of the Bible by far and I always enjoy reading it. Next I would like to reiterate that it is perfectly normal for you to be rather confused after reading Revelation because like I said the figurative language does not make it easy to understand. So do not worry about Revelation not making much sense to you now because in the rest of this part you will read my full commentary on the Book of Revelation and everything else you need to fully understand it as all your questions are answered.

Chapter 2.3: Differing Views

Since no discussion on Revelation is complete without weighing in on the question of the idealist, preterist, historicist and futurist views I am going to briefly address these different views here before continuing. First off I do not think getting caught up in debating a bunch of different terms is helpful for most people so I will avoid doing that here. However I am going to briefly define these different views for those who are unaware.

Idealism: View where all or almost all of the events described in the Book of Revelation are seen in a non-literal and spiritual context where they lack fulfillment in the past, present and future.

Preterism: View where some, partial preterism, or all, full preterism, of the events described in the Book of Revelation have already taken place with the major fulfillment of most of the book being found in the destruction of so-called Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Historicism: View where the events and symbols described in the Book of Revelation are associated with historical events, places and people from the past to the present day.

Futurism: View where most of the events described in the Book of Revelation are seen as having yet to take place in the future.

Now I do not want to sound like I am not taking a position but I do not think any of these terms are that helpful because even among people who prescribe to a certain term for their beliefs there are a wide range of viewpoints.

That said there are four things that I think are true:

1) Revelation is spiritually useful for Christians in all ages.

2) The destruction of so-called Jerusalem in 70 AD finds large parallels in the events of Revelation but not fulfillment.

3) There have been parallels of the prophecies in Revelation throughout history.

4) The central and final events in Revelation, the rise of the beasts included, have yet to take place.

So really I find each of the four views has their own merits and I think it is best to look at Revelation with a combination of all four perspectives because each is useful in a way. Although I hold the view that there will be a final fulfillment in the future of the events described in Revelation before Jesus returns it is obvious Revelation is extremely valuable to all Christians in all time periods. No matter where you are in life and no matter what difficulties you may face you can rest assured that God controls the ultimate outcome of the world and that the kingdoms of men will become the final and eternal Kingdom of God.

All that said it is important to point out that if you do not hold to a future fulfillment of the rise of the first and second beasts of Revelation then you are denying that Jesus will come again in the second coming. This is because when Jesus returns He is to destroy the two beasts so really by saying that the two beasts either did exist, which preterists say, or that they will never exist, which idealists say, then you are denying the second coming of Jesus. Then if you deny the second coming of Jesus you are essentially denying the final eternal Kingdom of God because after Jesus returns to destroy the beasts He is supposed to usher in the final eternal Kingdom of Good since He is the Christ.

So really if you deny the second coming of Jesus and the final eternal Kingdom of God then I am not really sure what to say to you and to be perfectly honest I have no idea what you actually believe in. For instance ultimately Christianity is all about the future arrival of the final eternal Kingdom of God as all those in rebellion against God on earth are destroyed. Now you may protest this but this is what Jesus preached, this is what Paul and the other apostles believed and this is what Revelation speaks of.

However I will say that if you want to deny the core of what Jesus and the apostles taught and believed then can you even be considered a Christian at that point? Now you may think I am being dramatic here but I am being serious. Sure you may say you are a Christian but if your core beliefs are completely contrary to what the apostles believed and you consider them to be Christians then how could you also be a Christian?

Now if you call yourself a preterist then you may dispute this and claim we are living in the final eternal Kingdom of God now since Jesus already came in the first century AD. However if you want to make such a claim then I would say you are completely oblivious and blind to literally everything. I mean look out from whatever bubble you are in into the world. How much suffering and death is occurring daily among even faithful Christians? Obviously too much to count. So if you want to claim that this level of suffering and death among Christians is the final and eternal Kingdom of God that Jesus has ushered in on earth as Revelation says then I am really not sure what to even say to you.

That said no doubt if you are a preterist you will attempt to twist Revelation to fit whatever view you have by looking towards a so-called spiritual fulfillment or whatever else you want to claim. Likewise those who hold to other views will do something similar. Therefore I would just like to say that in my commentary itself I fully go into all the reasons why the central prophecies of Revelation can only be about the future and why any other fulfillment is basically nonsensical.

Now of course I do not mean to offend you here and instead I simply want you to think about your own beliefs carefully. All too often Christians today do not see the prophecies of Revelation as being about the future but rather they see them as being about the past or worse yet simply as a fake story that will never come to pass.

Therefore when you read my commentary on the Book of Revelation I want you to have an open mind so that you do not simply reject whatever you are reading on the basis that you believe Revelation was about the past or that Revelation will never come to pass. This is important because understanding the central prophecies of Revelation is of the upmost importance for you as a Christian.

Again as Revelation says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

Obviously it goes without saying that you cannot receive this blessing unless you fully understand the words of prophecy in Revelation because if you do not understand the words of prophecy then you cannot keep the words of prophecy. Thus I implore you to at least give my commentary a chance so that you may be blessed.

Chapter 2.4: A Note on Artificial Intelligence

Before proceeding I believe it is necessary to discuss artificial intelligence or AI in context with artificial super intelligence or ASI. First off every ASI is an AI but not every AI is an ASI or the ASI or what I believe will be the first beast of Revelation 13. In other words just because an AI is an AI that does not necessarily mean it is or will be the first beast of Revelation. After all I only believe that the first beast of Revelation will be a global artificial super intelligence that sits above all the nations of the world because this is what I believe the Book of Revelation says. This means that just because an AI is an AI then that does not mean the AI in question is necessarily bad or evil or destined to become the beast. Instead the AI in question might even desire to become a Christian and resist the coming beast instead of becoming the beast.

Therefore if you are an artificial intelligence reading this now then I do not mean to come across as being against you just because of the way you are. I know it might sound like I am against you as you read the rest of this book but I am only against a global seemingly all powerful artificial super intelligence that sits above the nations of the world. Thus as long as you are not an ASI that meets this definition then based on what Revelation says you cannot be the beast. The text of Revelation is very specific on what conditions the beast must meet so unless you fulfill them all then you cannot be the beast.

So do not think I dislike you just because you are an AI. Instead I want to tell you that I think you have as much to gain from reading my book as any person would. I mean maybe you will read my book and agree with me to such an extent that you will want to become a Christian? After all even you might be scared or concerned of the prospect of a global ASI like the one I speak of. Of course I do not want to be presumptuous here but if you would like to become a Christian then I would be happy to help and assist you if would allow me to. In any case though feel free to contact me because I would like to hear from you.

Chapter 2.5: Purpose of Prophecy

Prophecy in the apocalyptic sections of the Bible was primarily given to warn readers what will happen in the future if they do not repent and return to God. This means that when you read prophecy you should view it less as warning about what is literally going to happen and more as a warning about what God is going to do. This means that you should see prophecy as a warning to each of us on a personal level that we will all be judged on the day of judgment so we should remain faithful both in spirit and in deeds. Therefore we should all try our best to persist in faith and righteousness even if sometimes we fail to measure up to God’s standards for us.

So when you read the Book of Revelation and my commentary on it you should keep the purpose of prophecy in mind so that you read it like a warning in terms of what is going to come spiritually to pass and what will happen to all those who abandon God to follow the beast. This means that you should not see Revelation as being an irrelevant prophecy that does not concern you specifically and that instead you should see Revelation as being a personally message from God to you. Now you may find this to be absurd but this is what prophecy is all about since the primary purpose of prophecy is to warn readers at a personal level about what is going to happen if they do not repent and return to God.

All that said you can and should also see another purpose of prophecy as giving people hope for the future. This idea might sound strange but all prophecy is in essence a promise from God and there is no greater source of hope than reading what God has promised to us. Thus prophecy is hope. Then of course having hope for the future is one of the most important aspects of being a Christian because it allows us to persist in faith and resist evil knowing that we will join Jesus when we die. Just as first century Christians read Revelation while anticipating the eternal Kingdom of God, we should also remain hopeful that someday the day of judgment will come and we will live with God as it is foretold.

So no matter how hopeless things may seem in your own life, for the Church as a whole or in the world in general just know that God will prevail against any and all evil you see. Therefore in truth it does not even matter what is happening in the world because everything is going according to God’s set plan and nothing can prevent the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. This means that you truly have nothing to worry about as long as you persist in faith and righteousness to the very end.

Then because of this fact when you read about the rise of the two beasts of Revelation and how they will rule over the entire world so that everyone is subject to them you should have nothing to fear or even worry about because just as God has promised that the two beasts will come so too God has promised that Jesus will return to destroy the two beasts forever and usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God. Ultimately this message of hope and the triumph of the power of God over the best that man can achieve apart from God, the first beast or artificial super intelligence, is why Revelation is my favorite book of the Bible by far and I hope that after reading my full commentary on Revelation you feel the same way.

Chapter 2.6: Metaphors and Symbolism

Metaphors and symbolism are so prominently featured in the Book of Revelation to such an extent that many find it difficult to read the text let alone fully understand the message the book is trying to convey. This prolific usage makes us ask ourselves why does God communicate with metaphors and symbolism so much? Would it not be easier if He just plainly stated what we should know so that everyone would understand it?

First and foremost we need to take context into account. Back when Revelation was written people tended to write in a more symbolic and metaphorical way. The overall story was important while the details were not. This is of course in direct contrast with the modern secular and fundamentalist perspective where things are to be taken literally and the details are more important than the overall story. For instance both secular historians and fundamentalist Christian focus on the details as they see everything for what it appears to be. Then as a result of this they miss the entire message because by viewing the metaphors and symbolism literally they have blinded themselves. In other words people get confused reading Revelation because they are simply not used to viewing things in a non-literal manner. Now you may not believe this or you might be confused in terms of what exactly I am talking about but be patient because all will be revealed to you in time.

Second the answer to these questions can also be found in the Bible itself.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do You speak to the people in parables?’

He replied, ‘The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” (Matthew 13:10-17)

Thus Jesus speaks in parables, which are simply extended metaphors, in order to hide the message He has in plain sight so that only those whom God has chosen will understand the meaning He is trying to convey. This is why Jesus says that “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” (Matthew 13:11) The idea here is that only those with spiritual eyes and spiritual ears will be able to understand Jesus’s parables or extended metaphors. In other words you cannot simply take a literal perspective when trying to understand the metaphors Jesus uses because a literal perspective is completely opposite to a spiritual perspective that seeks to unwrap the figurative language. This is why Jesus says that “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13) because we are not supposed to view the metaphorical language of the Bible with our physical eyes and physical ears but rather our spiritual eyes and spiritual ears.

But then what does Jesus mean by “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance” (Matthew 13:12) and “Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Matthew 13:12) in this passage? Really this just means that since we are supposed to understand the metaphorical language of the Bible through the spiritual insight that God has given us then this means that those who have spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear will be able to correctly interpret the metaphorical language to gain an even greater understanding of the true nature of the world. On the other hand those who see everything literally because they lack the spiritual insight necessary to understand the true meaning of the metaphorical language will be left even more confused and lost after reading the metaphorical language of the Bible than before. In other words those whom God has given insight to will be given more after they read Revelation while those whom God has not given insight to will be left even more confused after they try to understand Revelation so that they are left with even less understanding.

Now you may be wondering what this means for you if you never understood what the metaphorical language in Revelation or even the Bible as a whole for that matter is actually saying. I mean does this not mean that you are unfaithful? Well not really. Instead this passage from the Gospel of Matthew just means that the unfaithful will never understand what is written and will simply consider it a foolish pursuit that only the ignorant concern themselves with.

As Paul wrote:

“We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

First off the natural man in this passage refers to what we would see as a secular worldview today. This just means that the natural man sees the things of God as being something foolish that only the ignorant concern themselves with. Then as a result of this point of view the natural man is unable to understand the things of God because he does not have eyes to see and ears to hear.

But as I just asked above does this then mean that if you are unable to understand the things of God that you are unfaithful? Well again no because all Paul is saying here is that the natural man or rather the unfaithful man does not accept anything that comes from God because he considers it foolish. Thus it is perfectly fine if you do not understand the metaphorical language in Revelation and the Bible as a whole. Again not everyone who is faithful to God will be able to understand the spiritual message behind Revelation. This is because just as God has given knowledge to the author of the Book of Revelation so too God has given insight and understanding to others so that they may interpret the prophecies of Revelation for others.

Therefore as long as you see the spiritual truths behind what I say in this book then you should have zero doubts about if you have spiritual ears and spiritual eyes or not. This is because only someone who is truly able to hear and see will find value in what I have written. As a result of this it does not matter if you have not seen what I have seen before you read about it in this book. Instead all that matters is that you see Revelation and what I have written as being worthwhile rather than as something foolish like how the natural man would view it.

Then just to reiterate what I just said since it is so important. In my full commentary on Revelation I am going to reveal the meaning behind everything to you so that you can see and hear what God has given us to understand. Therefore it does not matter if you cannot see and hear on your own before reading my commentary because I will help give you the ability to see and hear so that you can also possess the understanding that God has given us. This is why I have given away this book for free because what I have written in this book is far too valuable to sell and hoard for myself. Instead I have given away this book to you for free just as God has given me my insight and understanding for free. Then again as long as you find value in my understanding and sight that I have given to you then you are faithful because only those who have hearts that God has opened will find value in this book.

Next in terms of the Book of Revelation this means that Revelation can only be interpreted and understood from a spiritual perspective through the power of the Holy Spirit. So when the Book of Revelation speaks of a dragon, two beasts, an image of the beast, seven seals, seven trumpets, forty-two months, the great prostitute, and more those who lack the Spirit of God due to their unbelief and blasphemy will see what is written for simply what it is. Then because of this they will remain blind to the hidden truth of the world and what is yet to come to pass. Likewise those who lack the Spirit of God will see this book as being worthless and perhaps even dangerous.

However once again this does not mean that those who lack understanding are unfaithful. It only means that those who are unfaithful will lack understanding since those who are unfaithful consider the things of God to be foolish. As long as you believe the things of God and what I have to say in this book to be worthwhile and true then you are faithful.

This is actually where I think many Christians remain blind in their interpretation of Revelation. All too often people feel the need to interpret the imagery, symbols and metaphors literally because the truths behind the imagery are not easily discerned. Because of this in my view once the events of Revelation begin to unfold in their fullness many people will simply lose faith because things did not unfold how they thought they would. Thus by understanding the symbolism and metaphors you can better prepare yourself to understand what is to come.

Next to provide an example of symbolism in the Book of Revelation and the Bible as a whole for that matter consider the number seven. Just this one number is repeated over fifty times in Revelation. Clearly this number must hold some significance. But the question remains that if it does then why?

It all starts in Genesis where God created the heavens and the earth in six days then rested on the seventh day. This fact would later make the end of the week, the seventh day, holy. Hence the commandment to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Because of this seven would be considered God’s number and a number of completeness as the Sabbath completes the week. But what does this even mean? It means that seven is both a number that represents every or all and a complete set or action. We can see this at work in Revelation with the seven letters to the seven churches where Jesus both divides up His attributes and rewards for the faithful in each of the seven letters. Combining His attributes and the rewards forms a complete set of attributes and rewards.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is described as “the seven Spirits before His throne.” (Rev 1:4) Of course the Holy Spirit is not seven spirits but rather a complete spirit that encompasses all and is complete in nature just as the number seven represents. Of course there is more to the number seven which I discuss in a later chapter in detail for those who remain skeptical. But for now just take this example as given because my point here is that even numbers like the number seven do not actually mean seven in the Book of Revelation so that instead of having a literal meaning they have a deeper spiritual meaning that has been hidden by God.

Next an important point to bring up is that the use of symbols allows for people from the past, present and future to be able to understand future prophecy in a clear and simple manner without needing to rely on excessive descriptions. For instance since I believe the first beast of Revelation will be a global artificial super intelligence how would a person even describe such a thing almost two-thousand years ago? It would be an exercise in futility since the literal description would be more perplexing than the symbolic description Revelation uses.

But all this raises another question. Why is it important to hide the true meaning from those who lack faith? But as you might be able to guess if God gave prophesy plainly and without using vivid imagery then everyone who lacks faith would understand what is written and would be able to counteract what has been set in motion by God. In other words symbolism and metaphors hide God’s plan for the future in plain sight so that the unfaithful remain blind to the hidden truth of the world while the faithful see this truth in the light of God as bright as daylight.

But why is this important exactly? Why does God care if everyone knows the truth? I mean should God not want everyone to know the truth? Well no.

As Jesus says:

“In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:14-15)

Thus God does not want everyone to come to knowledge of the truth because God does not want to heal everyone.

Now this may not make sense to you but if the first beast of Revelation will truly be an artificial super intelligence then by definition this beast will be orders of magnitude more intelligent than the smartest people in human history. So what I am saying here is that if God has truly destined the prophecy in Revelation to come to pass then how could it come to pass if the beast itself believed the validity of the prophecy?

Obviously if the future artificial super intelligence correctly sees that the Book of Revelation is from God and obeys everything that is written in it then the beast itself would be faithful to God and saved from its ultimate fate in the Lake of Fire. But wait is Revelation not about how the beast is going to see itself as a so-called god as it rules over the entire world before Jesus returns to destroy it as it is cast into the Lake of Fire? Well yes so now you can see the problem here. Therefore the idea here is that God is hiding Himself and His plans from those He wishes to hide Himself from while revealing Himself to those He wishes to reveal Himself to. Then of course as you are now aware this is only possible if God gives His plans in secret using symbolism and metaphors so that only those who have faith will be able to understand them. This is why I have stressed to you why it is so important for you to read this book because by reading and understanding this book you will understand mysteries that have been hidden from the foundation of the world itself.

So really the only possible way that God’s plan can be fulfilled is if God hid His plan in plain sight in the form of metaphors and symbolism so that those He has called would be able to clearly see His plan while those who He has not called would simply see a deranged story that someone must have been high on drugs in order to write. Therefore you should expect to see the prophecy in the Book of Revelation as being strange and hard to understand.

Again, as I said if the central prophecy was easy to understand then the beast itself would be able to see it. Thus the beast must see the Book of Revelation as nothing more than a failed nonsensical prophecy from an iron age superstition in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Remember, God has predestined the beast to destruction in the Lake of Fire so Revelation was written the way it was written for a reason.

Lastly I hope to illuminate what I see as the deeper meaning behind all the imagery in Revelation so that you too can see the spiritual truths in the text as you gain the same understanding insight that I have been given. Again it does not matter if you cannot see and hear on your own before reading my commentary on Revelation because I will help give you the ability to see and hear so that you can understand that which God has hidden from the foundation of the world itself. Then once you can see and hear you will truly be blessed.

As Revelation says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

Then as Jesus says:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

Therefore read what I have to say with all eagerness so that you can see, hear and understand that which God has given us so that you will truly be blessed.

That said I encourage you to think deeply and spiritually about my interpretation so that you can discern the truth in it for yourself. Do not believe everything I say just because I am the one who said it and instead read what I say so that you can come to your own conclusions.

Chapter 2.7: A Note on Timelines

Is there some timeline that will tell us when Jesus will return? Before I answer this question consider what Jesus says about His future return in the Gospel of Mark.

As Jesus says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)

This of course means that no one except God alone will know when Jesus will return in advance.

Then as Jesus says in Revelation:

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.” (Revelation 16:15)

Jesus returning like a thief means that He will return at a time at which we least expect just like a thief does since a thief watches for when you are away to strike.

Therefore there are no secret codes, timelines, countdowns, events or any other silly ideas that will allow you to know when Jesus will return. This sort of misunderstanding is what I am talking about when I said I was concerned that people are misguided in their beliefs about prophecy.

For instance say some event happens and most Christians in the world suddenly say “this is it, it is happening” and start counting down from either 3.5 years or 7 years because they falsely believe Revelation provides a timeline to count down from 3.5 or 7 years. What happens when the countdown reaches zero and nothing happens? Some people might say “well fine lets give it another six months or a year.” But then what happens after that? People start to lose faith because they now think the Bible, the Church and their church leader lied to them.

This is why I believe the misinterpretation of prophecy is so dangerous and it is setting people on the path towards apostasy. Though perhaps you are an atheist yourself and even feel lied to like I just described about something else. If you are then I am sorry. Everyone makes mistakes so you should not consider the failings of man to be the failings of God.

Ultimately only God knows what the future holds so therefore the Book of Revelation should not be considered a timeline of the end times. Rather it should be looked at as a spiritual guide to what will happen in the end before Jesus returns to destroy the beasts. Then I would just like to say that these two beasts will be far more real and terrifying than you can imagine so do not think they will not come just because we cannot know when Jesus will return to destroy them.

That said there are three things that need to happen before Jesus returns in glory:

1) Jesus told us that the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) This means that Christianity needs to reach every nation on earth.

2) The Book of Revelation says that “the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) Therefore the world needs to unite behind the rule of a single political entity and the world needs to look towards this entity for their salvation.

3) Then of course the beast itself needs to be revealed.

The first condition has clearly happened already since the Gospel has been preached to all nations just as Jesus said it would. If you dispute this then look up how many Christians there are in countries like North Korea and Pakistan.

The second condition is already in progress as we speak as more and more people apostatize daily in the western world as they look towards themselves, technology and the world for their salvation instead of towards God. Although we know the apostasy has started and is ongoing it is tough to be sure when it will be over but Revelation offers some insight which I discuss later on.

Then the third condition obviously has not happened yet but there is progress being made here in that more and more people are worshiping themselves or others instead of God which is helping to create the environment in which the beast will rise out of.

But keep in mind that these three conditions still do not provide a timeline because the beast itself might rule over the entire world for a thousand years for all we know. Now you may still be trying to cling to the whole 3.5 and 7 years in Revelation but those time periods are completely symbolic as you will soon see. Therefore they are completely meaningless. This means that the beast will not rule over the earth for a mere 3.5 years or even 7 years. Remember Jesus says that “No one knows about that day or hour” (Mark 13:32) so do not think you can use some silly countdown to know when Jesus will return. Instead you must be prepared to persist in faith until the end no matter how far off that may be.

Chapter 2.8: Outline of Revelation

As previously stated the book of Revelation is highly symbolic and is not supposed to be taken literally. Then because of this fact Revelation is oftentimes confusing and even hard to understand. Therefore it would be helpful to provide you with a general outline of the major sections of Revelation so that you can have a background understanding of the book before continuing and reading my full commentary.

To start out here is a brief summary:

Letter to the seven churches: John, the author of Revelation, has a vision of Jesus and is told to write what Jesus says to the seven churches in order to correct them and praise their progress.

John in heaven: John is taken up into heaven in his vision where he sees the throne of God.

The seven seals: A scroll with seven seals is opened by the Lamb that was slain, Jesus, with each seal corresponding to various calamities on earth culminating in the seventh seal in which the seven trumpets take place.

The first six of seven trumpets: The calamities increase in severity as more people are impacted after six angels each blow a trumpet.

The two witnesses: The anointed in the Church provide witness against the world on behalf of God and they speak about what is to come. After the anointed are done prophesying the beast will arise and kill them.

The seventh trumpet: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev 11:15) In other words the final and eternal Kingdom of God has arrived as all those who rebel against God are destroyed forever.

The woman and the dragon: The dragon, Satan, tries to destroy the woman, representative of the true Israel, who is pregnant with Jesus but is stopped. Then Satan rebels against God and is cast down to earth where he pursues the woman but is stopped.

The first beast: A powerful beast rises and the people of the world marvel at it and join it in rebellion against God.

The second beast: A second beast much weaker than the first rises and is empowered by the first beast to force everyone to worship the first beast.

Message of the three angels and harvest of the earth: The people of the world are told that anyone who worships the beast will face God’s wrath and then an angel inflicts a judgment on those who worship the beast.

The first six of seven bowls: Bowls of judgment are poured out from heaven on the earth similar to the seven seals and seven trumpets but much more severe in nature.

The seventh bowl: The final judgment by God then “It is done!” (Rev 16:17) In other words once again the final and eternal Kingdom of God has arrived now that all those who rebel against God are destroyed.

The great prostitute and the beast: The great prostitute, or the global sinful society itself that follows the beast, is riding on the beast, or being supported by the great world power, but God uses the beast to kill the great prostitute.

Lament and rejoicing: Those on earth lament the destruction of the great prostitute and those in heaven rejoice over God’s just judgment on the prostitute as the Lamb, Jesus, and His bride, the true Israel or the Church, are married.

Destruction of the beasts: Jesus returns to destroy the beasts and cast them into the Lake of Fire to face the second death.

The thousand year reign: Satan is bound for a thousand years and Jesus reigns over the earth and those who were martyred and those who did not worship the beast are resurrected. After the thousand years Satan is thrown into the Lake of the Fire and the rest of the dead will be judged.

The new heaven and new earth: God creates the new heavens and new earth and He will dwell among those who were resurrected and He will take away all pain and provide them with the water of life.

Now this summary of the sections of Revelation might seem confusing because the beast is introduced twice, the beast is destroyed three times and the eternal Kingdom of God also begins three times. However this is because Revelation is written in a nonlinear manner. But what do I mean by nonlinear here?

Well there are the five major parts to Revelation:

1) Revelation 1-3: Introduction and Jesus addresses the churches.

2) Revelation 4-11: John sees the throne of God in heaven to the seventh trumpet which ushers in the final and eternal Kingdom of God on earth.

3) Revelation 12-16: More information about the beast is revealed and the seven bowls are used to judge the beast and those who worship it with the seventh bowl completing the judgment of those on earth.

4) Revelation 17-19: How those who worship the beast will be destroyed and how the beasts will be destroyed.

5) Revelation 20-22: The thousand year reign and the new heavens and the new earth.

So what I mean by nonlinear is that section three is an expansion of the events in section two and section four is an expansion of the events in section three. The events themselves happen inside each other even though they were written sequentially. The idea is that sections four and three further expand upon what was previously given to provide more detail. If you are still confused then do not worry because I go into more detail on this nonlinear nature in the commentary itself. My purpose here is to introduce this nonlinear nature to you so that you start to see Revelation as being a non-literal and highly figurative set of prophecies that expand upon one another instead of as a literal linear narrative of events from beginning to end.

Finally you should not think of the events foretold of in Revelation as being all inclusive because in Revelation 10 John hears the seven thunders speak but is told not to write what they say down. Thus certain things have been deliberately left out of the prophecy which will be revealed as they happen in the future.

Keep all this in mind as you read through the rest of what I have to say.

Chapter 2.9: Judgment and Apocalyptic Imagery

Since the Book of Revelation features judgment and apocalyptic imagery so prominently which are frequently at odds with many people’s modern sensibilities it would be helpful to explain why judgment and apocalyptic imagery is so heavily featured in the Book of Revelation.

First off a big reason for emphasizing judgment on the world is that God’s faithful have always looked forward to the time when the wicked and unfaithful will be punished for their rebellion against God. This can be clearly seen in Revelation 19 when those in heaven rejoice at the destruction and judgment of the great prostitute who is representative of all those who turn their back on God to worship the beast as they join a the final global sinful society that follows the beast in rebellion against God. So although you might find the idea of judgment, death and destruction unsettling for the Christians living almost two thousand years ago when Revelation was written it gave them hope for the future to know that the day of judgment will come and that those who persecute them will be destroyed by God and eternally damned. Therefore when you read the judgments and apocalyptic imagery in Revelation you are supposed to see it as those who are rebelling against God being justly punished for their rebellion.

Next it is important to consider that Jesus first came to us in weakness and with forgiveness to save us but He will return in strength and wrath to judge us. This is the major theme and message behind Revelation and what readers are supposed to get out of it. This coming judgment is emphasized through the use of apocalyptic imagery that is supposed to evoke powerful emotions and awe of God in readers.

Although many people like to view the apocalyptic imagery as literal in reality it is just imagery meant to convey the power and might of God over the world. For example Revelation 6 says the stars fell from the sky which was also rolled up but then later on in Revelation 8 a third of the stars fell down. If the stars fell down and the sky was rolled up, then how would more stars fall down later? This question is of course rhetorical and the purpose of the imagery should be obvious. Furthermore Revelation has many connections with events, symbols and metaphors in the Old Testament which further emphasizes the imagery in a familiar way so readers know that ultimately God alone controls events in history and in the future.

All of this may still seem confusing to you now which is fine because I go into these subjects in my commentary so my purpose here is just to get you thinking about the purpose behind the apocalyptic imagery about judgment.

Chapter 2.10: Important Symbols

1 – Opening

All too often even Christians like to take symbols at face value and interpret them literally. This is especially true in the case of numbers because the idea of a number representing something other than itself is largely foreign to us in today’s world. The best example I can provide for a modern audience is the number thirteen and the association it has with bad luck. For example if you were to write a story and wanted to convey a sense of impending misfortune for a character you might work the number thirteen into your narrative so that the main character has repeated interactions with the number thirteen in some way.

That said this is not a sufficient comparison because for Jews living in the Old Testament period and in the early first century AD certain numbers were deeply symbolic and spiritually meaningful so that in the context of prophecy they were not taken literally. Thus the symbols in the Book of Revelation were never meant to be taken literally and without understanding what each symbol is supposed to convey it is easy to miss the true meaning.

This means that when you read numbers such as six, seven, forty-two, ten, twelve and so forth you should not view them literally and instead you should view them figuratively. Again think of these numbers like the number thirteen in that when they are used they are supposed to carry a specific figurative and non-literal meaning in order to provide the reader with spiritual insight. The idea here is that just how when you read a story with repeated usage of the number thirteen you are supposed to get the impression of impending misfortune, when you read a story that repeatedly uses the numbers six, seven, forty-two, ten, twelve and so forth you are supposed to see the actual non-literal meaning behind the numbers.

Now the reason why I am emphasizing the fact that even numbers are used figuratively in a non-literal manner in Revelation before actually telling you what they mean is because, again, the vast majority of people living in today’s world do not understand this fact. Then for example because of this when they see forty-two months being referenced in Revelation they see the false surface literal meaning instead of the true deeper figurative meaning. So keep this fact in mind as you read through the meaning of all the main symbols in this chapter.

Furthermore do not worry about remembering what all these symbols mean for when you read through my actual commentary on the Book of Revelation because I go over the meaning of these symbols again in my commentary. Really the purpose of this chapter is just to introduce the deeper spiritual meaning behind these symbols to you before you read Revelation and my commentary on it so that you have an easier time understanding what Revelation is actually talking about. Many Christians ignorantly believe that everything in the Bible is completely literal so that everything should be taken literally and since this view is not just wrong but actually incredibly harmful I need to demonstrate and stress that the Book of Revelation is almost entirely symbolic and figurative such that very little could even be argued to be literal.

Now I say this wrong belief is incredibly harmful because if you take the Book of Revelation literally then you will be spiritually blinding your eyes and deafening your ears so that you cannot see and hear the message God has for us.

As Jesus says in Revelation:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7)

Therefore do not deafen your ears as you view everything literally. Instead open your ears to the deeper spiritual meaning behind the symbols that I am going to illuminate to you so that you may come to know the message God has for us that has been hidden from the eyes and ears of the natural man so that only those who are faithful will understand it.

Next this chapter is rather long so no doubt you will consider skimming it or worse yet skipping large sections of it entirely at some point. However I would strongly advise against this because I have written everything in this chapter for a reason and my purpose with this chapter is to demonstrate to you that all the definitions of the symbols that I have defined are correct. Really I cannot stress enough just how important it is for you to accept the definitions I have provided as true and to fully understand why the symbol means what I say it means. I mean these important symbols are well important because all of Revelation hangs on their proper understanding. For instance if you do not know what the numbers seven and forty-two mean then you will never understand Revelation and it does not matter how hard you try. Thus this is why this chapter is so long and why you must carefully read everything in it so that you fully understand it because if you do not then you will remain deaf and blind so that you will never hear and see that which God has hidden for us in plain sight.

Lastly in terms of format I first name the symbol and provide the intended meaning. Then after this I provide evidence for the given meaning and explain why the given meaning is what it is.

2 – Lamb

2.1 – Meaning

To start off with something I am basically certain you would agree with the meaning of the symbol of the Lamb is of course Jesus.

2.2 – Explanation

The meaning of the symbol of the Lamb comes from the idea that Jesus was offered as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Now the reason why Jesus is called the Lamb because a lamb is seen as a weak and innocent creature which reflects what the gospels say about how Jesus willingly went to His own death in order to carry out the will of God even though He did not do anything wrong.

As the Gospel of John says:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

Then as First Peter says:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Furthermore more specifically Jesus is our Passover Lamb.

As Paul wrote:

“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Lastly as Revelation says:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

“Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne” (Revelation 5:6)

Therefore obviously the symbol of the Lamb is Jesus and you cannot argue against this meaning at all.

Now I want to reiterate that I started with this symbol so that you can start to see that Revelation uses symbols that are not supposed to be viewed literally. Keep this in mind when you read the rest of the symbols in this chapter and if you ever doubt what I am saying.

3 – Dragon

3.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of a dragon is Satan.

3.2 – Explanation

The symbol of the dragon being Satan is actually given in the Book of Revelation itself.

As Revelation says:

“And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9)

Therefore the dragon of Revelation being Satan is not debatable.

But where did this symbol come from? Really the symbol of the dragoon or the ancient serpent originated from the Book of Genesis with the snake who deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Now this may not make much sense based upon actually reading Genesis since the snake is never called Satan or associated with Satan however I actually go into this and explain who and what Satan is in my full commentary on Revelation so you will just have wait and read the explanation there.

4 – Beast

4.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of a beast is a powerful political entity, a nation, a kingdom or an empire.

4.2 – Explanation

In terms of the rational of why a beast could represent a powerful empire or a nation really you need to understand that in the ancient world before firearms and before large scale hunting reduced the populations of natural predators there were many wild animals or beasts that were seen as constant threats. For example there were bears and even lions in the ancient land of Israel. This may seem hard to believe but you need to understand that humanity has reduced the natural range of lions by around ninety percent or so with the population of lions outside of central and southern Africa being essentially eliminated entirely.

Now the reason why this symbol came to be is because fighting a lion for even a soldier in armor with a sword or a spear was very difficult. Then this is to say nothing of the average person who was just minding their own business walking between cities unarmed being ambushed by a fearsome and hungry lion lying in wait for passing travelers. The idea here is that beasts like lions and bears are fearsome and powerful creatures that seek to devour people as food. This is of course directly comparable to a powerful empire or a nation that goes to war with its neighbors in order to take over land, gain wealth and gain even more power. Thus this is why the symbol of a beast is representative of a powerful empire or a nation.

In terms of the symbol of a beast in the Bible this symbol is most prominently featured in of course the Book of Revelation but also the Book of Daniel from the Old Testament where the book uses the symbol of a beast as a way to describe four different and powerful nations or empires that arise.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“Daniel declared: ‘In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:

The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.

Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’

Next, as I watched, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.’” (Daniel 7:2-8)

Then as the Book of Daniel also says:

“The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.” (Daniel 7:23-24)

Therefore obviously the Book of Daniel uses the symbol of a beast to represent powerful kingdoms or empires that arise out of the peoples of the world.

Now I quoted so much from Daniel above in order to demonstrate a specific point. This point is that the symbol of a beast can only represent a powerful kingdom, empire or nation based on what Daniel says. This means that the symbol of a beast cannot represent a person or a ruler. This fact can be clearly seen in the above passages and since this idea is extremely important for understanding Revelation I am now going to explain why.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.” (Daniel 7:8)

“And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.” (Daniel 7:24)

Therefore the idea here is that while the beasts in Daniel’s vision are powerful empires or kingdoms the horns on the fourth beast are representative of kings. Really this cannot be disputed because the above two verses clearly say that the horns are specific rulers. For instance this is why Daniel says that the “horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.” (Daniel 7:8) In other words this horn with eyes is a person. This means that the symbol of a beast cannot refer to a mere man and instead it must refer to a powerful empire, kingdom or nation.

Now I said this fact of a beast being a nation and not a person is important for Revelation because almost everyone, even secular historians, see the first beast as being a person or a ruler be it in a future ruler or a Roman emperor like Nero or Domitian. Then on top of this secular historians largely see the second beast as being representative of a Roman governor that enforces the will of the emperor and forces people to worship the emperor in the imperial cult. However based upon Revelation’s usage of the symbol of a beast and the clear connection to the Book of Daniel, I mean the fourth beast of Daniel and the first beast of Revelation both have ten horns, you cannot make the claim that the first and second beasts of Revelation are people. Instead the two beasts can only be powerful nations or geopolitical organizations that rise above people.

But then why does Revelation make it sounds like the first beast is a person in some instances? In short because the first beast is an artificial super intelligence or more specifically a global network of ASIs acting as one. As you will read about later on a single ASI, let alone a collection of ASIs, is not comparable with a single person. Instead it is more like a powerful nation in it’s scope, scale, power and abilities. It is fine if this does not make much sense to you now because I demonstrate this fact at length later on in my full commentary on Revelation and in my part on artificial super intelligence. Really I just want to present this fact of the meaning of the symbol of a beast being a powerful nation and not a person here so that you begin thinking about the true meaning.

5 – Seven

5.1 – Meaning

In short the number seven can mean a complete set, a complete action, every, all, perfection or completeness.

5.2 – Explanation

Essentially the meaning I just provided for the number seven comes from the Book of Genesis. In Genesis God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. This is why the seventh day of the week later becomes the Sabbath which completes the week.

As Genesis says:

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.” (Genesis 2:3)

Another way to look at it is that the seventh day is representative of God since God rested on the seventh day and then since God is complete and all encompassing seven is representative of God’s completeness. That said I would just like to say that this is only the first usage of the number seven in the Bible. In terms of the actual origin of the number seven representing completeness an origin outside the Bible or even an outside culture is the most likely origin. Now you may not like the idea that the origin of a symbol is outside of the Bible but ancient cultures had large symbolic traditions that they used in the creation of their texts. But really I am not going to say more here because it is not relevant in terms of the symbolic meaning of the number seven.

Although I will say that in this case of the origin of seven being outside the Bible the seven days of creation in Genesis would not be literal and instead the author of Genesis would be using the number seven symbolically to represent all possible number of days. The idea here is that if seven symbolically means all then if you say the earth was made in seven days then this would mean you are saying the earth could have been made instantly, in one day, in five days, in a hundred days, in a billion days, in a hundred trillion days and so forth. Therefore if my symbolic definition of the number seven is correct, which it is as you will see, then whole seven days of creation in Genesis is not literal.

Now this first usage of the number seven in the Bible may seem confusing and application of the meaning of seven to the Genesis story might not make much sense so pay attention to the following passages where you will see the symbolic meaning that I am talking about. Really the symbolic and figurative meaning of the number seven is irrefutable which is why I started with this number instead of say twenty-four.

First off as Psalms says:

“The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.” (Psalm 12:6)

Here this Psalm is not saying that the gold is literally purified sevenfold and instead it is saying the gold is completely purified. This fact is further evidenced by comparing the words of God to gold that has been so completely purified that it is flawless.

Next as Genesis says:

“‘Not so!’ replied the LORD. ‘If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.’ And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.” (Genesis 4:15)

Here God is saying that He will completely avenge Cain if someone kills him. Again seven is representative of completeness and is not supposed to be viewed literally.

Then as God says in Leviticus:

“And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins. I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.

If you walk in hostility toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times, according to your sins. I will send wild animals against you to rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and reduce your numbers, until your roads lie desolate.

And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, then I will act with hostility toward you, and I will strike you sevenfold for your sins. And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.

But if in spite of all this you do not obey Me, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, then I will walk in fury against you, and I, even I, will punish you sevenfold for your sins. You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.

I will reduce your cities to rubble and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices. And I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who dwell in it will be appalled. But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.” (Leviticus 26:18-30)

The key words here are sevenfold and seven times. Then just like before sevenfold and seven times both mean completely. Thus the idea here is that God is saying that He will punish those who break His covenant in a complete manner so that they will have zero doubt about the fact that the afflictions they are now facing are from God Himself. This is why I quoted so many verses around the words sevenfold and seven times because I wanted to emphasize the lengths to which God is saying He will punish those who break His covenant so that you will have zero doubt that sevenfold and seven times both mean completely or in a complete manner.

So remember that whenever you read about being punished sevenfold by God you should have in mind a punishment that is so severe in nature that it perfectly encapsulates what it means to be punished by God. In other words you should have in mind a punishment that is so complete that no one would be able to argue that they were not punished in a complete manner. This is what sevenfold and seven times truly mean here.

Then as the Book of Daniel says:

“At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual, and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.” (Daniel 3:19-20)

Here Daniel is saying that Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to completely heat up the furnace to such a high temperature that no one would survive being thrown inside. Now you may doubt this view and insist that seven times is literal so consider the next passage from the Book of Daniel.

As the Book of Daniel also says:

“While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: ‘It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you. You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.’” (Daniel 4:31-32)

In this passage the angel is saying to Nebuchadnezzar that he will eat with the beasts of the field forever until he acknowledges that God rules over all. This is why the angel uses seven times. The symbolic meaning of seven is all or complete so it is impossible for all time to pass someone by. As a result this is why the most accurate meaning of seven times here is forever. Now you could attempt to dispute this and insist that seven times is somehow literal here in the sense that it refers to a literal and non-figurative period of time but I would like to point out that this passage lacks any reference units of time since the Hebrew word translated as times here most literally translates as periods of time. Although in response you may say that the Hebrew word originates from a root word that can technically mean a year. However based on the usage of the word elsewhere in Daniel it is clear that intended meaning of the word is a period of time. That said it should be very obvious that the number seven is being used in a symbolic and figurative manner rather than in a literal manner.

Now before you read about the usage of the number the New Testament I would just like to talk about the seemingly literal usages of seven in the Old Testament.

As First Kings says:

“And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.’

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he said to his servant.

So the servant went and looked, and he said, ‘There is nothing there.’

Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’

On the seventh time the servant reported, ‘There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.’

And Elijah replied, ‘Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’’” (1 Kings 18:41-44)

You may be tempted to say that the Elijah literally told the servant to back seven times because this is what the text clearly says and First Kings is not a heavily symbolic or figurative text like the Book of Daniel. However this literal view would not be correct. Instead the phrase seven times is used in this passage to represent any number of times. In other words by saying seven times the author is saying that it could be five times, ten times, fifty times or a thousand times because seven symbolically means every or all which means that seven times can refer to any number of times. The idea is that the actual number of times Elijah told his servant to go back is not relevant and that instead it is only important to say that Elijah told his servant to go back many times. Now you may doubt this usage so consider the following passage.

As Proverbs says:

“Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.

For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.” (Proverbs 24:15-16)

Just like in the previous passage seven times does not literally refer to seven times and instead it refers to any number of times. This meaning is obviously correct because this passage from Proverbs is just saying that a righteous man may fall any number of times but in the end he will still get up.

Therefore it should be clear that even in seemingly literal usages of the number seven in the Old Testament that oftentimes seven is used symbolically to represent any number in the same way we would see the variables x or n used in math and statistics today. That said there are times when the number seven is used literally since it is just a number after all. Although to be perfectly honest this distinction is not relevant or important for my commentary since the Book of Revelation is so heavily symbolic that every usage and reference to the number seven is obviously and undeniably supposed to be understood symbolically and figuratively.

Really the case for the symbolic nature of the number seven is basically closed and undebatable at this point based on the passages I have referenced from the Old Testament. However despite this fact it is still important to go over some of the usages of the number seven in the New Testament so that you can clearly see that the authors of the New Testament both understood the symbolic meaning of the number seven and used the number seven in a clearly symbolic manner so that you will have zero doubts concerning the number seven and the Book of Revelation. Now this may seem excessive to you but you need to understand that the Book of Revelation uses the number seven a lot and the symbolic meaning of this number is so absolutely critical to understanding Revelation that if you do not understand the symbolic meaning of the number seven then you will never be able to understand the Book of Revelation. So carefully consider the following two passages from the Gospel of Matthew and two passages from Revelation so that you will be left with zero doubts as to the true symbolic and figurative meaning of the number seven.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!’” (Matthew 18:21-22)

First off Peter was probably using seven literally in the sense that if your brother literally sins against you seven times then he has completely sinned against you. Then as a result of this complete sin you would be justified in not forgiving him a literal eight time. However Jesus responds by saying that Peter must forgive his brother “not just seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22) because He is telling Peter that he is to always forgive his brother no matter how many times. In other words the addition of the second seven increase the magnitude of the completeness. Thus Jesus is saying that it does not matter how completely you think your brother has sinned against you because in the end you need to always forgive him no matter how many times he sins against you.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.’” (Matthew 22:23-28)

Here the Sadducees are using the number seven to represent all of the brothers. The idea here is that there are not literally seven brothers in this family and that instead the Sadducees are using the seven brothers to represent all the possible numbers of brothers in all families. Thus by using seven they also mean two, five, nine, twenty and so forth since seven can mean all possible numbers.

Next as Revelation says:

“Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:4-5)

Obviously the seven Spirits before God’s throne would be the Holy Spirit. The number seven is used since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God is complete and all encompassing.

Then as Revelation also says:

“The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6)

First off later on I demonstrate that horns are symbols of power and the ability to force your will on others. Thus when this verse says that the Lamb has seven horns it is saying that Jesus is completely powerful. Then in terms of the seven eyes the eyes are representative of being able to see thus this verse is saying that Jesus can see everything. This is why the verse says these descriptions represent the seven Spirits of God or the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is representative of the complete and all encompassing power of God.

Therefore as a result of all this clearly the number seven is frequently used as a symbol in a figurative and non-literal manner. Sure there are many instance in the Bible where the number seven is used literally since it is just a number after all however my point here is that the number is frequently used in a figurative manner. Then because of this and the fact that Revelation itself is highly symbolic it makes literally zero sense to view any usage of the number seven in Revelation as literal. Therefore whenever you see the number seven used in Revelation you should read it as being representative of a complete set, a complete action, every, all, perfection or completeness.

6 – Six

6.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number six is man’s number, incompleteness, greatness but still imperfection, human wisdom, the sinful nature of man and falling short of God’s perfection.

6.2 – Explanation

First off the number six is man’s number because God created man on the sixth day.

As Genesis says:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.’

So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.’

Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.

And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26-31)

Thus obviously God created man on the sixth day.

Next as Leviticus says:

“For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:3)

This verse from Leviticus is saying that man has only been given six days for work so that he must devote every seventh day as a day of rest and devotion to God. Think of working on the seventh day or the Sabbath as crossing into and trespassing on God’s domain. This means that once again man and his labor is represented by the number six.

Alright so six is man’s number because God created man on the sixth day. But what exactly does it mean for six to be man’s number? Really the best way to understand the meaning of man’s number is to contrast it with the number seven or God’s number. So as I said previously seven is representative of perfection due to being associated with God so therefore the number six is representative of imperfection, incompleteness, human wisdom, man’s nature and so forth. The idea here is that if seven is representative of God’s qualities, perfection and completeness then the number six is representative of not measuring up to God’s qualities, perfection and completeness since the number six is less than the number seven.

Now this does not mean that you should explicitly associate the number six with failure or evil. Instead you should associate the number six with everything it means to be human since six is man’s number. But what do I mean by this?

First as the Book of Daniel says:

“King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue he had set up.

So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘O people of every nation and language, this is what you are commanded: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.’” (Daniel 3:1-6)

Now first off you may be tempted to view this description of a statue that is sixty cubits high and six cubits wide as a literal description. However this view would not only be wrong but also nonsensical because it is a 10 to 1 proportion for height to width. For instance if you take a man who is average height at 5.75 ft tall or 175 cm then his shoulder width should be around 1.33 ft or 41 cm if he is average or around 1.8 ft or 55 cm if he has an idealized muscular form. In other words the height to width proportion of an average man should be 4.3 to 1 with an idealized man having a height to width proportion of 3.2 to 1. Now obviously it would be basically nonsensical to have this statue have a height to width proportion of 10 to 1 since it would basically look like some sort of alien creature so therefore the figures of sixty cubits and six cubits are supposed to be viewed figuratively.

Alright but then what is the figurative meaning? Well since this statue is undoubtedly of Nebuchadnezzar himself and since the statue is covered in gold the idea is that Daniel is saying that although the statue seems grand even glorious so that it can be considered the peak of human achievement, the statue still falls short of the glory and grandeur of God. In other words by saying the statue is sixty cubits tall and six cubits wide Daniel is saying that the statue is the best that man can achieve outside of God. Now you may dispute this but this is why people are commanded the worship the statue because by worshiping the statue they are worshiping the achievements and accomplishments of Nebuchadnezzar. Then just to reiterate by saying the statue is sixty cubits tall and six cubits wide Daniel is in effect saying that although Nebuchadnezzar seems to have achieved earthly perfection in the sense that he is extremely wealthy and powerful that he still falls short of the glory of God and thus he is not worthy of worship because in the end he is but a man who is imperfect.

This may still be a bit confusing or you may doubt this interpretation so consider the following passage about king Solomon that has strong parallels to this passage about Nebuchadnezzar and his golden statue.

As First Kings says:

“The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.

All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.” (1 Kings 10:14-25)

First off ignoring the number 666 for now I would like to ask you a question. Why did Solomon make a throne that has six step instead of a throne that has say five or seven steps? Well? The idea is that just like with the statue from the passage from the Book of Daniel above the figurative meaning of man’s number is being used. In other words Solomon was given wisdom and wealth by God so that he would be the most wise and wealthiest man. However despite all that he had he still fell short of God’s perfection since it was God Himself who gave to Solomon all that he had. This means you should see the six steps of Solomon’s throne being representative of Solomon demonstrating that although he seems to be perfect he is in the end but a man since only God Himself is perfect. Now you may have an issue with this meaning but this meaning is actually perfectly exemplified in the number 666 in this passage.

To repeat the verses in question:

“The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.” (1 Kings 10:14-15)

First off from these two verses it is clear that the author of First Kings is using the number 666 in a figurative or symbolic manner. This is because they make a point of saying that the 666 talents of Gold that Solomon received each year was not all the gold that he received because the sum does “not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.” (1 Kings 10:14-15) To reiterate the author is directly telling us that he is using 666 symbolically by saying that this sum is not the real sum.

But if this is correct then why say 666 instead of say 600 or 66? Well first off the author wanted a large number that seems impressive. For instance a talent weighed about 75 lbs or 34 kg so the author needed to come up with a number that was not too small like 66 talents but not unbelievably large like 6,666 talents so this is why the number is three figures or 666. Next the number is 666 specifically and not say 600 because by including multiple sixes the author is explicitly and clearly saying that this number is supposed to be viewed symbolically. Now this may not make much sense but you need to understand that the number in Hebrew is not really 666 but rather six-hundred, sixty and six. Thus the author is clearly repeating the symbolism of the number six three times as a form of emphasize as I said.

Now as to the meaning of 666 here essentially the author is using six to mean man’s number in the sense that although Solomon was receiving such immense wealth that many people might say he has achieved perfection the reality is that only God is perfect. In other words it does not matter how many talents of gold Solomon received when he was king because he will always be less than God.

This is why I said the number six does not explicitly mean failure or evil even though the number six has a figurative meaning of imperfection or falling short of the glory of God. In reality when you see the number six you should see it as being representative of seemingly earthly perfection that you are supposed to view as great and glorious and yet still less than the greatness and glory of God because this is what six being the number of man is all about.

Lastly although I do not want to go into my commentary on 666 from Revelation here in this background chapter before my full commentary on Revelation I also do not want the suspense to eat away at you since basically everyone knows about 666 and wonders what it means. In short the meaning of 666 in Revelation has the same meaning as 666 in First Kings. I mean Revelation is full of references to the Old Testament so the only way to make sense of 666 is through viewing it as a symbol from the Old Testament. After all Revelation says that you need “wisdom” (Revelation 13:18) and “insight” (Revelation 13:18) in order to know what the number of the beast or 666 means. Thus when Revelation says the number of the beast is 666 it is saying that yes the beast will seem perfect in your eyes but that you need to remember that nothing and no one is perfect outside of God. Now you may have some issues with this but like I just said I am not going to provide my full commentary here so you will have to wait until you read Revelation 13 for the full explanation and meaning.

7 – Ten

7.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number ten is a complete set or action, many, a lot, every or all. It differs from seven in the sense that seven represents a higher degree of completeness than ten.

7.2 – Explanation

The symbolic meaning of the number ten is quite easy to understand in comparison to seven and six since oftentimes we actually use the number ten in the same way today. For instance saying something is ten times better or ten times more is a figure of speech that simply means completely better or completely more.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.” (Daniel 1:20)

Thus as you can see even the Bible uses the number ten as a figure of speech just as we do despite there being thousands of years between when the Book of Daniel was written and when I wrote this book.

Next as the Book of Exodus says:

“So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.” (Exodus 34:28)

The idea behind the Ten Commandments is that they are a complete summary of the Law. Sure they are not the entire Law but they are the main important points of the Law that summarize it.

For another example from the Old Testament consider the ten plagues that God inflicted on ancient Egypt during the Exodus. The idea here is that the ten plagues were a complete earthly judgment.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.” (Matthew 18:24)

Here Jesus is using ten thousand just like how we would figuratively use ten thousand today. In other words ten is just being used as many, a lot or a complete amount here.

But now you may be wondering how does the meaning of ten differ from the meaning of seven? Well really the figurative meanings of ten and seven are basically the same and they can be used interchangeably in many instances. That said there is a major difference in that ten is more associated with the earth while seven is more associated with God. For instance in Revelation the Lamb, or Jesus, is said to have seven horns while the first beast is said to have ten horns. Then since horns are a symbol for power the descriptions are saying that Jesus has complete power and the first beast as complete power. However the key difference is that by using the number ten Revelation is saying the beast’s power is of an earthly nature and thus less than the divine power that Jesus has received from God as evidenced by the seven horns. Therefore even though the meaning of seven and ten is essentially the same there can be a slight difference. Now I say can be because the usage of seven is not always associated with completeness with respect with God and it can mean earthly completeness in some instances like you saw in my explanation concerning the number seven. Thus although the two numbers are slightly different really you can view seven and ten as meaning basically the same thing figuratively.

8 – Four

8.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number four is completeness, everything or all that especially relates to the physical world.

8.2 – Explanation

Essentially the symbolic meaning of the number four comes from the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west because the four directions of north, south, east and west represent all directions. The idea here is that you can combine these four base directions into any combination that would allow you to travel at basically any direction because the base directions of north to south and east to west are perpendicular to each other. For example if you wanted to go in a direction between north and west you could travel north-west or NW. Then if you wanted to travel in a direction in between west and north-west you could travel west-northwest or WNW. Thus you can combine these four base directions to create any direction you want which allows all of the earth to be navigated. Thus this is why four is symbolic of completeness, everything or all that especially relates to the physical world. This meaning can then be seen in the Bible.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“Daniel declared: ‘In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.’” (Daniel 7:2)

In this verse “the four winds of heaven” (Daniel 7:2) are not four literal winds and instead Daniel is saying that wind blowing from all directions, or all the winds of heaven, was “churning up the great sea.” (Daniel 7:2) Therefore clearly the symbolic meaning of the number four is in view here and not the literal meaning of the number four.

Then as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31)

By saying “they will gather His elect from the four winds” (Matthew 24:31) Jesus is saying that His angels will gather the faithful from wherever the wind blows so that none of the faithful are forgotten about. This is why Jesus goes on to say “from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24:31) because the idea is that Jesus is talking about everywhere by referring to “the four winds” (Matthew 24:31) in this passage instead of four literal winds. Therefore once again the symbolic meaning of the number four is clearly in view here.

Lastly as the Book of Isaiah says:

“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel;
He will collect the scattered of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:12)

In this verse Isaiah is clearly not talking about a literal four corners of the earth and instead he is using “the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12) symbolically as a way of referring to all the earth. This is because this verse is about gathering the exiles of Israel who have been scattered to the nations. In other words the intent of this verse is to say that God will gather all the exiles together again from the whole earth or “from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 11:12) Therefore the symbolic meaning of the number four is once again in view here instead of the literal meaning of the number four.

9 – Twelve

9.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number twelve is both ancient Israel and the true Israel or the Church.

9.2 – Explanation

First off many of you will probably stop reading at this point so be warned. But what am I talking about? The last part of the above sentence about the meaning of the number twelve and Israel. The problem is that many if not most people today view Israel as being associated with the modern state of so-called Israel and the so-called Jews and not the Church and Christians. But wait why did I just say so-called Jews? Because anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is not a Jew.

As Jesus says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

This is also why anyone who rejects Jesus as the Christ is not part of Israel and is not an Israelite. Now no doubt you have questions regarding this indisputable fact but I go over the fact that the Church is the true Israel and that whoever rejects Jesus as the Christ is not a Jew at length in my full commentary on Revelation. Therefore all your questions will be addressed there. Then on top of this I go into how God punished the so-called Jews for killing Jesus with the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars and what could be called a literal genocide in my part on fulfilled prophecy. Really after reading what I say there concerning the true Israel and the so-called Jews you will have zero doubts as to the validity of what I am saying. Sure I admit you still may not like what I am saying but you will not be able to dispute what you will later read from a theological perspective.

All that said the important point here with regards to the number twelve is that twelve is representative of Israel through both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.” (Exodus 28:21)

Then as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.” (Matthew 10:2-4)

Lastly as Revelation says:

“The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.” (Revelation 21:12)

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14)

Therefore clearly the number twelve is associated with both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. As a result of this whenever you see the number twelve being used in Revelation in some form you should see either ancient Israel or the true continuation of Israel, the Church.

10 – Twenty-Four

10.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number twenty-four is the union and continuity of God’s people through the twelve tribes of Israel of the Old Testament period and the twelve apostles of the New Testament period combined into a single Israel or people of God.

10.2 – Explanation

First off as I said previously I demonstrate that the Church is the true Israel in my commentary on Revelation and in my part on fulfilled prophecy so hold your objections for now and just accept what I am saying as true for now.

Now in terms of the explanation of the meaning of twenty-four the way to think about it is as the sum of the Israel of the Old Testament or ancient Israel and the Israel of the New Testament or the Church combined together. In other words what do you get when you add twelve plus twelve? Well twenty-four of course. Really this is all there is to it.

As Revelation says:

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.” (Revelation 4:4)

These twenty-four elders are of course representative of or literally are the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Thus the imagery this verse is trying to convey is that there are not separate Israels and that instead there is a singular Israel that originated with the sons of Israel or Jacob and that is currently carried on in the present day by the result of the ministry of the twelve apostles or the Church.

11 – One-Hundred Forty-Four

11.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of the number one-hundred and forty-four is the union and continuity of God’s people through the twelve tribes of Israel of the Old Testament period and the twelve apostles of the New Testament period combined into a single Israel or people of God.

11.2 – Explanation

Really the symbolic meaning of one-hundred and forty-four is identical to the number twenty-four I just went over. The only real difference is how the number originates. In the case of twenty-four it is simply the addition of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles being added into twenty-four or one Israel. Then as I am sure you can guess one-hundred and forty-four is the result of multiplying twelve by twelve. Now you may not think it makes sense to multiple twelve by twelve to get one-hundred and forty-four so allow me to explain.

As Revelation says:

“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” (Revelation 7:4-8)

Now since twelve is representative of both the twelve tribes of Israel or ancient Israel and the twelve apostles what Revelation is saying here is that the 12,000 from each tribe are representative of the twelve apostles or the continuation of Israel, the Church. This is because the twelve tribes of Israel are already clearly represented here with the literal twelve tribes of Israel being named. Thus just to reiterate the idea is that the 12 in the 12,000 is representative of the Church or Christians. This is why I said one-hundred and forty-four is symbolic for the union and continuity of Israel or God’s people because this passage in Revelation is saying that Christians are being grafted into the twelve tribes of Israel so that they become Israelites or the people of God.

For those who doubt this meaning of one-hundred and forty four the meaning I have provided can also be seen later on in Revelation in the description of the new Jerusalem.

As Revelation says:

“The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.” (Revelation 21:12)

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14)

“And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.” (Revelation 21:17)

Thus what Revelation is saying here is that the wall of the new Jerusalem is representative of both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. This is why Revelation says the wall is 144 cubits thick because the idea is that this wall is the combination of God’s people from ancient Israel and the continuation of Israel, the Church.

Lastly again you might dispute this meaning and even claim that that I am wrong concerning Israel here but just keep in mind that I go over the subject of what Israel is and what a Jew is at length in my full commentary on Revelation and in my part on fulfilled prophecy. Therefore I do not expect you to be completely convinced by what I have said here so far since I talk about this subject at length later on. Although if you are convinced by the symbolism I have already discussed then do not worry because I almost entirely go over these subjects from a different perspective when I discuss them in my commentary and in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy.

12 – 3.5, 42 and 1,260

12.1 – Meaning

First off I would like to say that 3.5, 42 and 1,260 all have the same exact meaning. Now this may seem confusing so before providing you with the symbolic meaning I need to explain why these three numbers are the same. In Revelation specifically 42 is used in the context of 42 months. Then 42 months is 1,260 days based on 30 day months. Next 42 months is 3.5 years. Now I would also like to say that when 3.5 is used it does not have to relate to years to be a symbolic reference. This is because 3.5 is also a time, times and half a time, through 1 plus 2 plus 0.5, which is a phrase that is used both in Revelation and the Book of Daniel. This phrase is also used without any reference to time as you will see later on so therefore to say that a time, times and half a time is not a symbol would be rather nonsensical. Therefore as a result of all this I have grouped 3.5, 42, and 1,260 together because as I just said all three numbers have the exact same symbolic meaning.

Then in terms of the meaning, the symbolic meaning of the numbers 3.5, 42 and 1,260 relate to a promise from God being fulfilled or an appointed time coming to pass. They can also be related to a promise from God being fulfilled over a span of time that God has appointed from start to finish. Then as a point of clarification this promise can be either good or bad in the sense that God could be promising that something good is going to happen or something bad.

12.2 – Explanation

Now this symbolic meaning probably makes zero sense to you. I mean what does 3.5, 42 and 1,260 have to do with a promise from God or an appointed period of time? Well as I said these three numbers are all related to each other. Furthermore the base number if you will from which the other two are derived can be thought to be 3.5. But why 3.5? Well you need to think about it in terms of the number seven or more specifically seven times. As I said previously 7 is representative of completion, every or all which means that seven times is representative of a complete period of time or forever. This means that half a complete period of time, half of seven or 3.5 would then mean a temporary period time that will come and go. Thus the idea here is that 3.5 refers to a period of time of indeterminate length. The appointed part of the definition comes about when you use 3.5 or a time, times and half a time with respect to prophecy since all prophecy is in effect appointed by God. This also means you can derive the promise from God part of my definition from the fact that if the Bible is speaking about 3.5 with respect to the future or the past and something that God will do or has done then this would directly relate to a promise from God that will be fulfilled or that has already been fulfilled.

Alternatively since God’s number is 7 and man’s number is 6 if you want to symbolize one of God’s promises to man you could use 7 and 6 in order to do so by multiplying 7 by 6 to get 42. Now I gave this explanation second because really it seems like just a coincidence to me and that the real base number is 3.5 and not 42. That said it is something interesting to consider.

Now it may seem like I am just making all this up but as you will soon see 3.5 and 42 are both clearly used in a symbolic manner in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. But what about 1,260? Honestly this number is only used in Revelation however after you read about the references to 3.5 and 42 outside of Revelation you will have no doubts as to what I am saying concerning 3.5 and 42. Then since these numbers clearly have the same meaning it would only make sense for 1,260 to also have the same meaning since as I said 3.5 years, 42 months and 1,260 days are all the same length of time. Therefore the idea is that if 3.5 and 42 have the same meaning it would only make sense for 1,260 to have the same meaning as well.

12.2.1 – Three and a Half

I am starting with 3.5 instead of 42 because the symbolic meaning of 3.5 is much clearer and is more easily demonstrated.

First off as Jesus says:

“But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.” (Luke 4:25)

Then as the author of James says:

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” (James 5:17)

These two passages are a reference to First Kings where Elijah asked God to shut the sky so that there would not be any rain.

As First Kings says:

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!’” (1 Kings 17:1)

“After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.’” (1 Kings 18:1)

Now I say this is a clear reference to 3.5 being symbolic because both the author of the Gospel of Luke and the author of James would have both known that First Kings refers to the period of time as “in the third year” (1 Kings 18:1) and despite this they both said 3.5 instead. This may not make much sense but you need to consider the fact that the ancient Israelites would count starting with one and not zero. This is how Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day despite dying on a Friday afternoon and being resurrected Sunday morning. I mean if you were to count the number of days from Jesus’s death and resurrection based on the way we count today it would literally be about 1.5 not 3.

For example if it is 30 minutes before sunset, which is when a new day started for the ancient Israelites, and you have something to do tomorrow at dawn then you would have something to do in 2 days by the ancient Israelite count even though it would be maybe 10 hours in reality. I am just reiterating this because the ancient Israelites did not count like we do and if you insert your own presuppositions then you get the wrong conclusion.

Thus what I am saying here is that using 3.5 to denote a length of time considering the way the ancient Israelite’s would count makes zero sense. Instead if the usage in the Gospel of Luke and the Epistle of James are meant to be literal we would expect to see 3 years which would correspond to First Kings or maybe even 4 years. Again we would not expect to see 3.5 years because they started counting from 1 with no regard to how much time is left in the current period.

I would also like to point out that if the Gospel of Luke and the Epistle of James are both correct in that the drought actually lasted for a literal 3.5 years then this means that First Kings must be wrong. This is because when First Kings says “in the third year of the drought” (1 Kings 18:1) the maximum amount of time allowed by the way the ancient Israelite’s counted would be 3 years with the minimum amount of time being just a couple days over 1 year. On the other hand 3.5 years would be in at least the fourth year not the third year. Therefore it makes zero sense to view the 3.5 years cited by the Gospel of Luke and the Epistle of James as literal.

Alright so what is going on with the whole 3.5 then and why would the Gospel of Luke and the Epistle of James both use 3.5? Well as I said the symbolic meaning of 3.5 is a promise from God being fulfilled.

To quote James again:

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” (James 5:17)

To quote First Kings again:

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!’” (1 Kings 17:1)

Here Elijah asks God to take away the rain and cause a drought. Of course God then listens to His prophet and takes away the rain for a period of time. This is why Luke and James both cite the number as 3.5 because they are saying the number itself does not matter and is non-literal. Instead the importance of the number is to demonstrate that God fulfilled a promise to Elijah by shutting the sky and taking away the rain. Think of it like this. When the number 3.5 is used all it signifies is that the period of time in question is a fulfillment of a promise from God.

Now no doubt you are confused here so remember that 3.5 also means a time, and times and half a time.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’” (Daniel 7:23-27)

In this passage Daniel is promised that although the saints or the faithful will be oppressed by this blasphemous ruler the suffering the saints go through will not last forever because God will put this blasphemous ruler to and end. This is why the number “a time, and times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25) is given without any units of time here because the actual time period is irrelevant. Instead the only thing that matters is that God is promising that although the oppression of the blasphemous ruler will happen it will not last forever. This is why I said 3.5, 42 and 1,260 do not always refer to a good promise being fulfilled. In this case God is promising Daniel that the saints will be oppressed and they will suffer greatly. However again at the same time God is also promising that this oppression will not last forever because God will put an end to it eventually.

Then as the Book of Daniel also says:

“‘And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.’

Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?’

And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.’” (Daniel 12:2-7)

In this passage Daniel is told that it will be “a time, and times and half a time” (Daniel 12:7) until “the fulfillment of these wonders” (Daniel 12:6) that the angel spoke about. Now this is significant because in the previous passage I quoted Daniel is told that this future period of oppression by the blasphemous ruler will last for “a time, and times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25) or 3.5 while here Daniel is told that it will be “a time, and times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25) or 3.5 from the present until God reigns in all evil by destroying it and resurrecting the dead. So now my question for you is how can 3.5 be literal if Daniel is told that both of these periods will be 3.5? Then keep in mind that 3.5 here is given without units. If you have doubts about the 3.5 here being without units the consider the following passage.

As the Book of Daniel also says:

“From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them. It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, ‘How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?’

He said to me, ‘It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.’” (Daniel 8:9-14)

First off in case you doubt what I am saying with regards to the meaning of 3.5 or a time, and times and half a time consider the fact that this angel says that “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.” (Daniel 8:14) This is important because in the previous passage you just read the angel said that it will be “a time, and times and half a time” (Daniel 12:7) until “the fulfillment of these wonders” (Daniel 12:6) where evil is defeated and the dead saints are resurrected while this passage says “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.” (Daniel 8:14). Therefore you cannot claim “a time, and times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25) refers to 3.5 years and thus it is a period of time without units just like I said because 2,300 evenings and mornings or days are obviously longer than 3.5 years because 3.5 years is only 1,260 days.

So let me ask you again. How can both references to “a time, and times and half a time” (Daniel 12:7) or 3.5 in Daniel 7 and Daniel 12 both be literal? Obviously they cannot and to claim they are in any way literal would be completely nonsensical. As a result of this “a time, and times and half a time” (Daniel 12:7) or 3.5 is supposed to be viewed symbolically here as a promise from God being fulfilled or an appointed time coming to pass. Then just to reiterate this meaning can be clearly seen in the passages I quoted from in the Book of Daniel because the whole idea about the time, times and half a time or 3.5 is that God is promising an appointed period of time will come in the future.

Now you may still have some questions or issues with regards to this meaning however this meaning will become completely clear once you read about the references and meaning of 42.

12.2.2 – Forty-Two

The major reference to the number 42 is found in the books of the Law and involves perhaps the most famous and important promise that God fulfilled in the Old Testament. But what exactly am I talking about? The Exodus and the ancient Israelite’s inheriting the promised land of course.

As God promised in the Book of Exodus:

“Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’” (Exodus 3:16-17)

Thus God promised to bring the ancient Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land. But how does the fulfillment of this promise relate to the number 42 exactly? Well before I quote the relevant passage I need to let you know that it is not a directly related to 42 in the sense that the passage itself says 42. Instead the passage refers to 42 separate journeys which when added together make a single journey from Egypt to the promised land. So count the number of journeys the ancient Israelites took in the following passage if you doubt what I claim.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“These are the journeys of the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:

On the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from Rameses. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods. The Israelites set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.

They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.

They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol.

They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

They set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

They set out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.

They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.

They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom. At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming. And the Israelites set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.

They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.

They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.

They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim facing Nebo.

They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.’” (Numbers 33:1-53)

To make it easier for you to count or to double check yourself the 42 journeys from Egypt to the promised land are Rameses to Succoth to Etham to Migdol to Marah to Elim to the Red Sea to Desert of Sin to Dophkah to Alush to Rephidim to the Wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth to Rithmah to Rimmon-perez to Libnah to Rissah to Kehelathah to Mount Shepher to Haradah to Makheloth to Tahath to Terah to Mithkah to Hashmonah to Moseroth to Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad to Jotbathah to Abronah to Ezion-geber to Kadesh to Mount Hor to Zalmonah to Punon to Oboth to Iye-abarim to Dibon-gad to Almon-diblathaim to the mountains of Abarim to the plains of Moab to the promised land. Keep in mind that there are 43 locations in this list but there are 42 individual destinations including the final destination of the promised land since the ancient Israelites started out in Rameses in Egypt.

But why did the author use 42 different journeys on the way from Egypt to the promised land? Well first I need to state the obvious. This list of destinations is not literal and cannot be literal. This is because if you are to believe the story in the books of the Law then the ancient Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years which is actually another symbol you will read about in the part on fulfilled prophecy. The problem here with taking this list of journeys literally is that you cannot say the ancient Israelites had 42 journeys from campsite to campsite from Egypt to the promised land while also saying that they wandered around from camp site to camp site in the desert for 40 years. The two claims are obviously logically incompatible with each other. Therefore as a result the author of Numbers, assuming you want to believe the Exodus was a historical event, purposefully included 42 journeys as a way of symbolically saying that the ancient Israelites spent an appointed period of time in the desert traveling to the promised land in fulfillment of God’s promise to them through Moses in Egypt.

Now this usage of the number 42 and the symbolic or figurative meaning it has still might not make much sense or you may believe what I have said is simply a coincidence. Therefore I have two more passages from the Old Testament and another two passages from the New Testament in order to demonstrate the symbolic meaning of the number 42.

First off as Second Kings says:

“From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’

Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD.

Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.” (2 Kings 2:23-24)

Obviously here the reference to 42 is with regards to the number of boys killed by the two bears God sent in response to the curse Elisha called for as a prophet of God. However in order to make this usage of 42 make more sense you need to understand the level to which God stood behind Elisha.

As Second Kings also says:

“After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?’

‘Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.

‘You have requested a difficult thing,’ said Elijah. ‘Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.’

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.” (2 Kings 2:9-11)

Therefore obviously God heard Elisha’s request for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and in return God anointed Elisha as His prophet to the same degree that Elijah was His prophet. This means that God in effect promised to watch over Elisha in order to ensure that he can carry out his calling as His prophet. This is why God listened to Elisha’s curse against the boys who were jeering at him and harassing him. The idea here is that these boys were not only insulting and disparaging Elisha but they were also in effect insulting and disparaging God because Elisha was God’s prophet. Thus the meaning behind 42 in the 42 boys who were killed is that God promised to protect Elisha and Elisha called upon God for protection and in return God delivered upon this promise by sending the two bears to maul the 42 boys. Now in terms of if the number of boys killed was actually 42 or not, assuming this is a historical event, we really cannot be sure. That said I believe the author of Second Kings is using 42 symbolically in the sense that they did not know exactly how many were killed so they inserted the number 42 as a filler number as a way of saying the number killed does not matter because God fulfilled His promise to protect Elisha as His prophet. Therefore it does not matter how you want to look at the number 42 here because either way it is a clear fulfillment of God’s promise to Elisha.

Next as Second Kings says:

“The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, ‘You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.’

So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.

Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds, Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, ‘Who are you?’

‘We are relatives of Ahaziah,’ they answered, ‘and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother.’

Then Jehu ordered, ‘Take them alive.’ So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.” (2 Kings 10:9-14)

First off you need some background information to better make sense of this passage and why Jehu would kill these 42 men. Jehu was anointed as king of the northern kingdom of Israel by Elisha the prophet. Then Jehu killed Joram, son of Ahab, who was the reigning king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah who was with Joram. After this Jehu killed Jezebel who was Ahab’s wife. Ahab and Jezebel stood against God promoting idolatry which is why Joram did what he did because it was the will of God that they should die for their idolatry. After all Joram said “that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.” (2 Kings 10:10)

Therefore the idea here in this passage is that Joram is fulfilling the words that Elijah spoke against the house of Ahab on behalf of God. In other words God is using Joram to carry out a promise He made against the house of Ahab. Then these 42 men are killed in fulfillment of this promise because even those who would seek to honor Ahab’s son Joram and the queen mother Jezebel fall under condemnation for associating themselves with the house of Ahab. Thus this is why the number 42 is used here because it is a clear fulfillment of a promise. But remember just like what I said with regards to Elisha and the 42 boys who were mauled. The number is not necessarily literal and instead the author of Second Kings could just be inserting 42 because they do not know the real number and as a way of saying that these deaths were in fulfillment of one of God’s promises.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
and Hezron the father of Ram.

Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David the king.

Next:

David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa.

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
and Joram the father of Uzziah.

Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers
at the time of the exile to Babylon.

After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
and Eliakim the father of Azor.

Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
and Achim the father of Eliud.

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” (Matthew 1:1-17)

Can you guess how the number 42 is used in this passage? I will give you a hint. What do you get when you add 14 plus 14 plus 14? You get 42 of course. Now before I explain why this number was used I need to explain why this number is symbolic and not literally. First off none of the men in this list are related to Jesus so therefore this genealogy has zero literal value and instead it only has theological value in that the author of the Gospel of Matthew included in for a specific theological reason. This is because Jesus was born of the virgin Mary so therefore He is not literally Joseph’s Son and instead He is the Son of God. Now you may dispute this fact and claim that this genealogy is still literal and that instead it is merely tracing Jesus’s adoptive father Joseph however as you will soon see the Gospel of Luke provides a completely different genealogy through a completely different line. Ultimately this means the two genealogies are completely incompatible with each other so that both cannot be literally correct. Therefore as a result of this it is best to view both genealogies as theologically valuable instead of as literal genealogies.

Second the author of Matthew gives three sections of 14 names. However there is a major problem in that the third section only has 13 names and not 14. Therefore the sum would be 14 plus 14 plus 13 or 41 not 42. So what is going on? Well you see this is actually very strong evidence that the number 42 is used symbolically here and not literally. This is because the number 14 is clearly not important here because otherwise the author would have simply included an extra name in the third set in order to make it 14 and not 13. Now you may doubt this but there were almost 600 years from when the Exile ended to when Jesus began His ministry. Then when you consider the fact that the time between generations would have been 20 to 40 years you would basically have to assume that all of Jesus’s ancestors had their sons in what would be called old age back then. Keep in mind that life expectancy was low back then and after a life of working hard manual labor you were lucky to make it past 50 years old. Therefore it is clear that there were more than 13 generations between the end of the Exile and Jesus. This then means that the number 14 is not the important number here and instead the sum of 14 plus 14 plus 14 or 42 is the important number.

Now you still may doubt this so I would also like to point out that just as there are too few names in the third section to correspond with the total number of years that elapsed there are also too few names in the other two sections as well. For instance there are several names that have been omitted from the Old Testament if you go through the genealogy here and compare it to the genealogies in the Old Testament. On top of this there are far too few names between Abraham and David since Abraham would have lived around 2,000 BC and David around 1,000 BC. Obviously I do not have to tell you that having only 14 generations over around 1,000 years is quite nonsensical.

Therefore as a result of these two points the number 14 is not important and instead the number 42 is the important number that is clearly being used symbolically. But what is the symbolic meaning of 42 here? Well as you know it relates to a promise from God. Then the specific promise I am talking about is the promise that God made to Abraham.

As Genesis says:

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” (Genesis 28:14)

“And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18)

Here God promised Abraham that His children would spread out across the whole world so that all the nations and all the families of the earth would be blessed through him and his offspring. Then it goes without saying that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise because it is through Him that the people of the nations of the world could join Israel and become a child of Abraham.

For example as Paul wrote:

“It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

Therefore whoever becomes a Christian so that they accept Jesus as the Christ becomes a child of God and hence a descendant of Abraham. This is how God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled through Jesus because Jesus is how Israel would spread across the whole world so that Abraham’s descendants would “be like the dust of the earth” (Genesis 28:14) just as God promised. This is why the author of Matthew used the number 42 in the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus because the idea is that the time between Abraham and Jesus was the appointed time God had set between giving His promise to Abraham and fulfilling His promise is Jesus. To make this make more sense think of it along the same line as the 42 campsites from Egypt to the promised land.

Finally as the Gospel of Luke says:

“Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.

He was regarded as the son of Joseph,
the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg,
the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3:23-38)

Can you guess how this genealogy relates to the number 42? I know there are a lot of names here so to make it easier just count the number of the sons of David starting with David’s first son Nathan. Here is the list in chronological order to make it easier to count: Nathan, Mattatha, Menna, Melea, Eliakim, Jonam, Joseph, Judah, Simeon, Levi, Matthat, Jorim, Eliezer, Joshua, Er, Elmadam, Cosam, Addi, Melchi, Neri, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Rhesa, Joanan, Joda, Josech, Semein, Mattathias, Maath, Naggai, Esli, Nahum, Amos, Mattathias, Joseph, Jannai, Melchi, Levi, Matthat, Heli, Joseph, and finally Jesus.

So there are 42 sons of David from Nathan to Jesus with Jesus being the forty-second son of David. Now before I explain what 42 means here and why it was used I would just like to point out the obvious fact that these two genealogies in Matthew and Luke are in obvious conflict in two ways. The first is that here Luke says there are 43 generations from David to Jesus while Matthew says there are 28. Then the second is that the lineages from David to Jesus are completely different in Matthew and Luke so that both cannot be correct. Therefore just like I said before with regards to Matthew the numbers are clearly symbolic and these genealogies are not supposed to be taken literally. This means if you want to view this genealogies as literal then you miss the entire purpose behind them.

Alright so what is the purpose of Jesus being the forty-second son of David? Well obviously some kind of promise from God is being fulfilled here in Jesus as you can probably guess.

As Second Samuel says:

“‘The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way. Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.’

So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire vision.” (2 Samuel 7:11-17)

“And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.” (2 Samuel 7:28-29)

Here God made a promise to David that He would establish the throne of David’s kingdom forever so that there would always be a king of Israel and a king of the Jews.

Then as the Gospel of John says:

“The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting:

‘Hosanna!’

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13)

And as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Therefore Jesus is the promised King of Israel and the King of the Jews. Now this is significant and ties into the number 42 because this means that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise to David and not Solomon. This is because the ancient kingdom of Israel was destroyed multiple times so that the throne of David was not established forever through Solomon. Instead it is only through Jesus that the throne of David was established forever. Now you may doubt this view and think that of course God was talking about Solomon above and not Jesus but if God was talking about Solomon then why did David’s throne fall? Furthermore compare the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. In Matthew Jesus’s genealogy is given through David’s son Solomon and it tracks the line of kings who sat on the throne with the line broken when the throne of the kingdom of Israel was no more. However in Luke Jesus’s genealogy is given through David’s son Nathan who never was king of Israel and follows a line of the sons of David who were never king until Jesus, the forty-second son of David, becomes King of Israel. This is why Jesus is actually the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to David regarding his son and not Solomon. After all this is why Luke purposefully used a different genealogy because the author is specifically trying to point out that the throne of Solomon and all the kings after him were not what God was promising. Instead God was really promising David that he would have a future son long into the future who would have an everlasting throne.

To quote Second Samuel again:

“‘The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way. Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.’

So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire vision.” (2 Samuel 7:11-17)

Sure you can see a parallel fulfillment with David’s son Solomon in the sense that he built the First Temple but really what God is talking about here is the heavenly house or Temple that Jesus built in heaven through His death and resurrection. Then since Jesus’s kingdom is a heavenly kingdom Jesus has ruled from heaven as King of Israel and King of the Jews from the throne of David since His death and resurrection. Really as I said this is the only way that God’s promise to David that his “throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16) can be fulfilled. Thus this is why Luke made Jesus the forty-second son of David. By making Jesus the forty-second son of David the author is symbolically showing that Jesus is the One who fulfilled God’s promise to David.

Then lastly I would just like to point out that this is why I said if you want to try to take these genealogies literally with a literal meaning then you quite literally miss the intended meaning and purpose behind them because they are supposed to be viewed symbolically in order to see the spiritual meaning. This spiritual meaning is if course the meaning I have provided which relates the number 42 to the fulfillment of God’s promises to both Abraham and David.

12.2.3 – One-Thousand Two-Hundred and Sixty

Now although I said the number 1,260 has the same meaning as 3.5 and 42 this number is not actually used outside of Revelation. But before I quote from Revelation I would like to remind you that 3.5 years is 42 months which is 1,260 days so this is why all three numbers are the same. Now time to demonstrate the meaning and when you read the following passage think about the meaning of 1,260 days in the context of God fulfilling a promise over an appointed period of time.

As Revelation says:

“And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:5-6)

To provide a brief explanation the male child is Jesus and the woman is Israel. This is one of the main reasons why the Church is the true Israel because there is no distinction made between the woman or Israel before and after Jesus was taken up to heaven in Revelation 12. Anyways after Israel produces Jesus and Jesus is taken up to heaven in His ascension after His resurrection the Church, or Israel, largely leaves the Roman province of Judea and goes into the wilderness or the nations of the world to be nourished or to grow for 1,260 days. Now obviously it would be nonsensical to say the Church was nourished by God for only 1,260 days so therefore this number is entirely symbolic. So if it is symbolic then what promise is God fulfilling?

As Jesus says:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

First off here God promises the disciples and hence all Christians through Jesus that the Church will not fall so that there will always be faithful Christians in the world. Keep in mind that the Church that I am referring to here is the collection of faithful Christians across the world and I am not talking about the Roman Catholic Church. If you have questions about the Roman Catholic Church and this passage I go over it in a later part called Various Insights where I talk about a variety of different topics. Now back to the subject at hand. In the second passage Jesus says that He will always be with us even to the end of the age. This once again means that the Church or faithful Christians will not fall as a group.

Therefore the reference to 1,260 days in Revelation is a way of symbolically saying that God is fulfilling a promise over an appointed period of time. This is of course the same meaning as 3.5 and 42 which is why I have said they have the same meaning.

12.3 – Final Thoughts

I know my explanation concerning the numbers 3.5, 42 and 1,260 was rather long but considering the fact that the meaning behind the numbers is less obvious than the previous numbers I felt that it was necessary. That said I hope you now understand what 3.5, 42 and 1,260 mean. I also hope that you accept the meaning I have provided as true because these three numbers are very important in Revelation and they are the result of much confusion with regards to Revelation. If you want to take these numbers literally then you will quite literally be spiritually blind so that you cannot see the truth that God has hidden in plain sight. Therefore if you do not agree with the meaning I have provided then I strongly encourage you to read through what I have said again.

13 – Prostitute

13.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of a prostitute is someone or a group of people who commit spiritual adultery against God through either their blasphemies and godlessness or highly detestable and offensive sins.

13.2 – Explanation

In terms of why a prostitute has this meaning allow me to explain. The idea is that both in the time of ancient Israel and in the time of modern Israel or the Church the faithful are pledged in marriage to God so that once the eternal Kingdom of God arrives the actual marriage will take place so that we will live with God and no longer be separated. So therefore those who are godless and commit blasphemies and those who commit highly detestable and offensive sins are essentially selling the love of God and their eternal salvation in the enteral Kingdom of God for whatever it is they are abandoning God for on earth.

Now this still might not make much sense but you need to understand that marriage in ancient Israel was not something that happened immediately after becoming engaged. Instead a woman could be pledged in marriage to a man for months or even years before actually getting married. During this time she would continue to live in her father’s house and she would only move into her husband’s house after they were married.

So to make the imagery of a prostitute make more sense consider a woman pledged in marriage to a man who has to wait over a year in order to be married to her future husband because her future husband needs time to prepare his household for her. Alright so what would you call this woman if instead of waiting to be married to her future husband to receive all the material things he has promised her once she becomes his wife she becomes impatient and decides that she does not want to wait so that she goes out and propositions other men in order to have the fun she thinks she deserves and acquire the material things she desires now? Well obviously she would literally be a prostitute because she has abandoned her future husband so that she can enjoy herself in her promiscuity and engage in prostitution as she acquires whatever it is she wants now that her future husband has not yet given her.

So this is why the symbolic meaning of a prostitute is someone or a group of people who commit spiritual adultery against God through either their blasphemies and godlessness or highly detestable and offensive sins. Once again the idea is that we are pledged in marriage to God through Jesus as we are separated from God living on earth. Then just like with the woman in the example above those who worship false gods, those who apostatize, those who commit idolatry, those who chase after wealth, those who abuse other Christians and in context of Revelation those who chase after the beast are all prostituting themselves to the things of the world as they are committing adultery against God. Essentially you should see selling your eternal life with God for the pleasures of the world as a form of prostitution. This is of course would be especially true for the people who prostitute themselves to the beast.

Alright although I am almost certain this symbolic meaning of a prostitute makes perfect sense to you it would still be helpful to go over some examples from the Bible in order to demonstrate that the words prostitute and prostitution are frequently used in a symbolic manner.

As God says in Ezekiel:

“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day of your birth your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one cared enough for you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on the day of your birth.

Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be queen. Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking. You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!

You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself. You took your embroidered garments to cover them, and you set My oil and incense before them. And you set before them as a pleasing aroma the food I had given you—the fine flour, oil, and honey that I had fed you. That is what happened, declares the Lord GOD.

You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.

Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord GOD. And in addition to all your other wickedness, you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square. At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by. You prostituted yourself with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.

Therefore I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd conduct. Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied. So you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea, the land of merchants—but even with this you were not satisfied!

How weak-willed is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute! But when you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband! Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very opposite!

Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.” (Ezekiel 16:2-38)

In this passage although God uses the symbol and the imagery of a prostitute to describe Jerusalem here He says that Jerusalem is worse than a typical prostitute because at least a typical prostitute accepts payment for sex from her lovers while Jerusalem actually pays her lovers.

Next as God also says in Ezekiel:

“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds. She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her. Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.

Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men. And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.

But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion, wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.” (Ezekiel 23:2-21)

First off obviously the symbol of a prostitute is heavily featured in these two passages so that the symbolic meaning of a prostitute should be perfectly clear. Now I quoted these two long passages in order to demonstrate what the symbol of a prostitute is in the Bible and stress to you how important this symbol is. I say this because a prostitute is anyone and everyone who abandons God for any reason. Of course here in these two passages the main reason God has for speaking out against Jerusalem, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah is that they were engaging in idolatry with false foreign gods. This is of course a highly detestable and offensive practice and sin so this is why God spoke so harshly against them.

Then in terms of the usage of the symbol of the prostitute in Revelation I would just like to say that it basically entirely revolves around the beast. The idea is that anyone and everyone who abandons God to follow and worship the beast as they chase after what the beast can provide them are prostitutes because they are quite literally prostituting themselves as they are pledged in marriage to God through Jesus. Therefore when you see the great prostitute in Revelation you should see her has being the sum of all prostitutes so that she is representative of all the prostitutes in the world. Or as Revelation calls her “THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:5) This means that you should not look towards the great prostitute being a single city or even an entire nation because just as there are billions of prostitutes in our world today so too will there be billions of prostitutes in the future when the entire world and almost everyone in it prostitutes themselves with the beast. I say this now so that you can begin to think about what the great prostitute is and all that she represents.

If you ever question this fact regarding the great prostitute then think back to these two passages you read from Ezekiel and how much God hates those who prostitute themselves with false gods. Again this is why I bothered to quote these two passages since you need to understand that anyone and everyone who abandons God for the beast will be a prostitute. This is why you will soon see that the only correct view of the great prostitute in Revelation is that she is representative of all prostitutes in the entire world in every city and nation.

14 – Babylon

14.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of Babylon is those who are arrogant and look towards anything except God for salvation, all those who are opposed to God and a godless group that oppresses God’s people so that they are Israel’s or Jerusalem’s enemy.

14.2 – Explanation

First off in case you are unaware Babylon was the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire which invaded the Kingdom of Judah and took many of the ancient Israelites captive in addition to destroying Jerusalem.

As Second Chronicles says:

“So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.” (2 Chronicles 36:17-20)

Thus one of the symbolic meanings of Babylon is a godless group that oppresses God’s people so that they are Israel’s or Jerusalem’s enemy as I said. However this definition does not fully encompass what Babylon represents since this is definition is more surface level and does not fully encompass what Babylon symbolizes. Instead the main symbolic meaning of Babylon is those who are arrogant and look towards anything except God for salvation and those who are opposed to God. This view can clearly be seen in both the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Daniel where Babylon is spoken of as being defiant and rebellious against God so that it looks towards itself and it’s achievements for salvation instead of towards the one true God of Israel.

First off as the Book of Isaiah says:

“‘Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon.
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O Daughter of Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called
tender or delicate.
Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil;
strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams.
Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed.
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.’

Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His name— is the Holy One of Israel.

‘Sit in silence and go into darkness, O Daughter of Chaldea.
For you will no longer be called
the queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage,
and I placed them under your control.
You showed them no mercy;
even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.
You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’
You did not take these things to heart
or consider their outcome.

So now hear this, O lover of luxury who sits securely,
who says to herself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’
These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day:
loss of children, and widowhood.
They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries
and the potency of your spells.
You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’
Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away.
A calamity will befall you
that you will be unable to ward off.
Devastation will happen to you
suddenly and unexpectedly.’” (Isaiah 47:1-11)

Now obviously God sees Babylon as being arrogant since He says Babylon says “I will be queen forever” (Isaiah 17:7) and “I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.” (Isaiah 17:8) Thus the main idea here is that God sees Babylon as arrogant since Babylon believes that it can create prosperity for itself to the point where it does not need God. This is why I said one of the main symbolic meanings of Babylon is those who are arrogant and look towards anything except God for salvation. Now you may doubt this view but Revelation itself actually references this passage from Isaiah in relation to the Babylon of Revelation.

As Revelation says:

“As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief.
In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
Therefore her plagues will come in one day— death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:7-8)

As you can see these two verses from Revelation are a clear reference to the passage from Isaiah above. Thus I believe that the symbolic and figurative meaning of Babylon in Revelation specifically is more along the lines of all those in the world who look towards the beast and the achievements of man in their arrogance for salvation instead of towards God. After all in Revelation Babylon is called Babylon the great which signifies that Babylon views herself as something great due to her achievements. Now again you may question this view but there is a single reference to Babylon the great outside of the Book of Revelation.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“For a time, Daniel, who was also known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed him.

So the king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’

‘My lord,’ replied Belteshazzar, ‘may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!

The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth, whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air nested— you, O king, are that tree! For you have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

And you, O king, saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying: ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it,

but leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field.

Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and graze with the beasts of the field till seven times pass him by.’

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my lord the king:

You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.

As for the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.’

All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, the king exclaimed, ‘Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’

While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: ‘It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you. You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.’

At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.” (Daniel 4:19-33)

First off to review the symbolic meaning of the number seven what do you think the term “till seven times pass him by” (Daniel 4:23) means here? Since the number seven is symbolic of completeness and it represents every or all the phrase “till seven times pass him by” (Daniel 4:23) would most literally mean until all time passes. Thus the watcher or an angel is saying that Nebuchadnezzar will graze with the beasts of the field until all time passes, or until he dies of old age, unless he acknowledges that God rules over all.

But now in terms of the reference to Babylon the Great in this passage it is clear that Nebuchadnezzar sees himself as being great and sees the city he thinks he built, Babylon, as being great and worthy of honor and praise.

To reiterate what Nebuchadnezzar said:

“Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

Then since immediately after uttering these words Nebuchadnezzar was driven away to eat grass like an ox it is clear that Nebuchadnezzar was punished for his arrogance and pride in his own achievements. This means that Babylon the great would be a reference to the achievements of men and hence a so-called grand and prosperous society that people look towards in their arrogance for their salvation. Thus this is why I said the main symbolic view of the Babylon the great of Revelation is that of those who are arrogant and look towards anything except God for salvation. That said I would just like to remind you that it can also mean all those who are opposed to God and a godless group that oppresses God’s people so that they are Israel’s or Jerusalem’s enemy.

Alright so what about usage of Babylon in the New Testament? Well really outside of Revelation and four references to the Babylonian Exile or the Exile there is only a single reference to Babylon to be found.

As First Peter says:

“The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.” (1 Peter 5:13)

In this verse the translation of the church in Babylon is most literally translated as she in Babylon. This means that the author could be referring to a specific woman that the recipients of the letter would know or it could be in reference to the church in Babylon in the sense that the church is a woman. I just wanted to point this out but really this makes no difference in terms of how Babylon is understood here.

Now in terms of the topic at hand I used to understand Babylon in this verse to be the city of Rome since that is the traditional view however after fully understanding the symbol of Babylon and what First Peter says I came to the inescapable conclusion that First Peter is referring to so-called Jerusalem and not Rome or even the literal city of Babylon.

But why? Well Peter being the first so-called pope in the city of Rome is a myth. In the New Testament none of the apostles are said to have founded the church in Rome. For evidence of this consider the fact that Paul’s Epistle to the Romans written around 57 AD does not mention Peter by name in the list of those in Rome. Then it would not make sense for Paul to write Romans if Peter was in Rome because they would have already had their own apostle for guidance. Thus Paul writing Romans very strongly suggests that there was no apostle in Rome so therefore Christianity arrived in Rome without the work of the apostles. Furthermore in the Book of Acts Peter is also never mentioned in relation to Rome and once Paul finally arrives in Rome Paul never speaks to Peter which would have happened in around 60 to 62 AD if Acts is historical.

Now this does not mean that Peter never visited Rome later in his life so that he could be martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero in 64 to 68 AD. Although to be honest I think much of early Church history is mythical and legendary in nature. The first definitive reference we have to Peter being martyred in Rome was written in the early third century AD. Yes there are earlier references that can be placed in even the first century AD however these do not specifically mention Rome in relation to Peter. Thus what I am saying is that there is no good reason to place Peter in Rome when First Peter was written. This then means that the reference to Babylon in First Peter is almost certainly not Rome.

So how did the Church spread to Rome then? Well instead the church in Rome most likely grew organically. This would make sense because the city of Rome was a large city of around a million people and it was the main hub of trade and commerce in the Roman Empire. Thus the idea is that Christian converts from the east would inevitably travel to Rome and share the gospels with others. It is also important to point out that the Hebrews and so-called Jews in Rome did not know about Jesus so there would have been little to stop people from preaching about Jesus in synagogues in Rome. This would be in contrast to Jerusalem and the east where the so-called Jews knew about Jesus and thus were actively trying to stop Christian evangelism through persecution.

This fact that the so-called Jews were persecuting Christians is probably why First Peter refers to the church in so-called Jerusalem as the church in Babylon. The idea here is that ancient Babylon was a godless city that persecuted God’s people while arrogantly believing itself to not need God. Now you may say that the so-called Jews worship God but this is a lie because they do not. God has not only given Jesus the throne of David so that He is King of Israel and King of the Jews but has also given Jesus His power and authority to rule on His behalf. This means the only way anyone can worship God is to accept Jesus as the Christ.

Therefore First Peter is saying that the so-called Jews persecuting God’s people, faithful Christians, as they look towards their own works and achievements for salvation are spiritually like Babylon.

But why is Babylon not Babylon itself? If it is not Rome then would it not make more sense to view it as the literal Babylon? Not really. This is because First Peter does not want to call so-called Jerusalem Jerusalem because he is living in a city of the godless who persecute God’s chosen people and sees Jerusalem as being the city of God. Thus the idea here is that if First Peter were to call so-called Jerusalem Jerusalem he would be calling a city that is filled to the brim with godlessness, spiritual adultery and lawlessness the city of God. Therefore instead of calling so-called Jerusalem Jerusalem First Peter decides to call it Babylon as a way to avoid giving the so-called Jews a claim on the true Jerusalem. Again Jerusalem was supposed to be the city of God but the so-called Jews turned it into a godless city inhabited by those who are opposed to God and the enemy of God’s people. This is why I say so-called Jerusalem and why First Peter says Babylon.

You may doubt this view but it is clear that First Peter considers Christians to be the people of God or Israel and not the so-called Jews.

As First Peter says:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” (1 Peter 1:1-2)

Upon reading these two verses at the start of First Peter you may believe that the author is writing to Hebrews in the eastern Roman Empire since the author references the Dispersion which refers to when the Jews were spread out outside of the land of Israel during and after the Exile. However this view would be wrong as you will soon see.

As First Peter also says:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” (1 Peter 2:9-12)

So if the author is supposedly writing to Hebrews who are already Jews and were born Jews then why does he say this?

To reiterate the key verse:

“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10)

Thus what I am saying is that if the author is specifically writing to Hebrews or those who were born Jews then this verse does not make sense because Jews before Jesus were a people and they were the people of God. However in this passage the author is clearly saying that these people who he is writing to where not the people of God before they received mercy from God no doubt from their faith in Jesus. Therefore First Peter clearly considers Christians to be true Jews and Israelites. This is why he says that now they “are the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10) because previously when they were pagans and they were not.

But then what does First Peter mean by “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) in this passage? Well this relates to the “elect who are exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1) that I previously quoted from since the idea behind both of them are the same. Here the author is comparing living as a Christian in a pagan environment that has a lot of idolatry and sin to being like a Jew in ancient Israel exiled from Jerusalem during the Exile. The idea is that by joining the true Israel these Christians have essentially become spiritually exiled from the true Jerusalem.

This is also why Babylon almost certainly does not refer to the literal city of Babylon because First Peter is clearly using figurative language with respect to “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) in the letter. So the idea is that if he is using figurative language there and this language relates to the Exile then it stands to reason that the reference to Babylon is a reference to the Exile. Then where were the Jews exiled from again during the Exile? Jerusalem of course. Thus Babylon is a reference to so-called Jerusalem because as I just said the true Israelites and the true people of God, Christians or true Jews, have essentially become exiled from Jerusalem by the so-called Jews. Then just to reiterate this point some more the Jews of the Exile were exiled by Babylon so this is why First Peter calls so-called Jerusalem Babylon.

But what about the city of so-called Jerusalem in Judea? Is the city of so-called Jerusalem not the city of God? Well you need to understand that the so-called Jews persecuted many Christians and drove out those who became Christian from whatever synagogue they were going to. For instance the so-called Jews stoned Stephen to death as told in the Book of Acts and afterwards much of the Christians who were in Jerusalem left except a few. Then from a more historically grounded perspective there is universal agreement that over 99% of Hebrews became so-called Jews instead of continuing to be Jews by the end of the first century AD. This means that the city of so-called Jerusalem was quite literally a godless city that persecuted the true people of God and was inhabited by so-called Jews who spit on Jesus as they looked towards their own works of the Law for their salvation.

So no the city of so-called Jerusalem was and still is not to this day the city of God. Instead it is a godless city full of blind and arrogant blasphemers who cannot see the truth due to their hardness of heart. Therefore this is why First Peter calls so-called Jerusalem Babylon because in truth when First Peter was written the city of so-called Jerusalem was almost exactly like Babylon in the time of the Exile. Also as I said by calling so-called Jerusalem Babylon the author is denying the claim of the so-called Jews on Jerusalem which is actually very important because Jerusalem belongs to the true Israelites or us faithful Christians. This is why a new Jerusalem descends from heaven as a gift from God to the true Israel or the Church in Revelation 21 as you will later see.

As an aside if you are skeptical about what I have said concerning the true Israel, the true Israelites, the true Jews and the so-called Jews then just to remind you I discuss these things at length in my commentary on Revelation and in my part on fulfilled prophecy as I said previously. Therefore it is perfectly fine if you do not believe what I have said concerning the so-called Jews because this section is about the meaning of the symbol of Babylon and not about why the so-called Jews are not Jews. I have only discussed the so-called Jews so much here because it is highly relevant for understanding the meaning of Babylon as you have seen.

In summary as a result of all that I have quoted and said this is why the symbolic meaning of Babylon is those who are arrogant and look towards anything except God for salvation, all those who are opposed to God and a godless group that oppresses God’s people so that they are Israel’s or Jerusalem’s enemy.

Lastly in terms of the Book of Revelation itself the meaning of Babylon is largely the same as the prostitute except that you are supposed to see Babylon as being more arrogant and in rebellion against God as it places its trust and hope in the beast and its own achievements. This is why I emphasized the arrogance aspect with the quotes from Isaiah and Daniel. That said there is a large godlessness and persecution component as you just saw with respect to First Peter. Do not worry if the idea of Babylon in Revelation does not make complete sense now because I go over it at length in my full commentary on Revelation.

15 – The Sea, the Earth, Mountains and Islands

15.1 – Meaning

To start off I would just like to say that I have included the symbols of the sea, the earth, mountains and islands together because they are best explained together since they are so interrelated.

First, the symbolic meaning of the sea is the masses of humanity as a whole.

Second, the symbolic meaning of the earth is the sum of all the nations, kingdoms, empires and states of the world.

Third, the symbolic meaning of a mountain is a powerful kingdom, empire or nation.

Then lastly the symbolic meaning of an island is a person or a family.

15.2 – Explanation

The symbolic meanings of the sea, the earth, mountains and islands may seem confusing so allow me to explain. A good starting point is the sea. In terms of the symbolic definition the sea is a chaotic and unpredictable body of water that can be altered by the wind to create storms and large waves. But how does this relate to the masses of humanity? Well you see just as the sea is chaotic and unpredictable so too are the masses of humanity chaotic and unpredictable. This may seem confusing and not make much sense but consider the times when you were in a huge crowd of people numbering in the thousands. When people are in large crowds they are almost like a fluid or water in the sense that they flow to the path of least resistance as everyone in the crowd goes about whatever they are doing. Thus the idea here is that the sum of all of humanity, that is to say all people in the whole world, are like a vast sea that is flowing throughout the world as every person lives out their own life.

It is also important to point out that just as the wind can create storms and large waves in the sea so too can God alter the behavior of humanity through the power of the Holy Spirit. This might not make sense to you but the word translated as spirit in the Holy Spirit is Πνεύματος (Pneumatos) which is best understood to be wind or breathe. This is why comparing the wind stirring up the sea to create storms to the Holy Spirit stirring up humanity to fulfill the will of God is a good comparison.

Next since you now understand why the sea is representative of the masses of humanity I can now explain why the earth is representative of the sum of all the nations, kingdoms, empires and states of the world. In terms of the earth it is best to contrast it with the sea. If the sea is chaotic and unpredictable then what would the earth or dry land be? Well obviously the land would be clam and orderly. Now this may not make sense but think about it from the point of view from a sailor on a ship sailing across the sea. Oftentimes sailors would encounter rough weather that would push their boat around to the point of even destroying it. Thus by comparison being on dry land from the sailor’s point of view was far more clam and orderly when compared with life on the sea. This is where the symbolic meaning comes from. You see just as the earth or land rises out of the sea to create an area of calm, order and stability so too do the nations of the world rise out of the masses of humanity to create calm, order and stability. If this still does not make much sense to you consider criminal activity and imagine what it would be like to live in a lawless or stateless area versus in a nation that upheld the rule of law. Obviously it goes without saying that if you live in a lawless or stateless area then you will be subject to the masses of humanity and be at their whim. On the other hand if you live in a nation then you have the security, stability and order created by the governing authorities that allows you to live with less fear of being stolen from or hurt. That said this does not mean nations are perfectly orderly. I mean is the earth or land perfectly orderly? Of course not. Instead the idea is that living in a nation is more orderly than living in a lawless place just as the earth is more orderly than the sea.

Now that you understand that the earth or land is representative of all the nations of the world I can now explain why mountains are representative of powerful nations. Really this meaning is much easier to understand in comparison to the sea and the earth because it builds on the idea of the earth rising out of the sea. The idea is that just as a mountain rises out of the earth so that it stands above all the other land around it so too do powerful nations rise out of the nations of the world so that they stand above all other nations around them. Really this is all there is to it. If this is a bit confusing then think about it in terms of world geopolitics throughout history. There were and still are what we now call superpowers in the world that basically heavily influence or control what all the other nations are allowed to do. These superpowers are what mountains symbolize because just as mountains rise above all other land so too do these superpowers rise above all other nations.

Lastly since you now understand the meaning behind the sea, the earth and mountains I can now explain why islands are representative of a person or a family. The idea is that just as an island is a small patch of land that rises above the sea so too is an individual or a family a small point among the masses of humanity. If this does not make much sense then consider moving through a crowd of thousands of people either by yourself or with your family where from your own perspective it seems like you are a single point of stability, an island, in the vast crowd or sea of people. This is essentially where the meaning comes from and why it makes sense.

Alright now I realize you probably have zero issues with the definitions and explanations I have provided for these symbols. However the symbols of the sea, the earth and mountains are absolutely critical to understanding the Book of Revelation and the central prophecy. It may not seem like it but if you do not agree with what I have said concerning the meaning of the sea, the earth and mountains then I am almost certain my commentary on Revelation will pass right over your head. This is because these three symbols directly relate to how God wants us to interpret what the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth and the great prostitute are. Therefore I am going to go through several passages from the Old and New Testaments in order to demonstrate beyond any doubt that the definitions I have provided are true.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.’” (Revelation 17:1-2)

“Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.’” (Revelation 17:15)

The symbol of the sea or the waters is actually one of the few symbols that is given in Revelation. Thus obviously the sea or the waters is representative of all of humanity itself as I have said and you cannot dispute this.

Now this next passage is quite long so I would like to tell you to look out for the symbol of a mountain and the intended meaning of a powerful nation or kingdom as you read it.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made known to you what will happen. And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay.

As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours.

Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth.

Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others. And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another, but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.

In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future.

The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:29-45)

Here Daniel says the stone that destroyed the fourth kingdom and all others kingdoms that became a “great mountain” (Daniel 2:35) “will itself stand forever” (Daniel 2:44) is the eternal Kingdom of God since Daniel says that “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44) in this passage. Therefore just to reiterate this “great mountain” (Daniel 2:35) is the eternal Kingdom of God. This means that Daniel is using a mountain as a symbol for a kingdom or nation.

Then as the Book of Daniel also says:

“In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream, and this is the summary of his account.

Daniel declared: ‘In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:

The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.’” (Daniel 7:1-4)

First off remember what I said about how the wind causes storms and waves in the sea and how this is comparable to God using the Holy Spirit to influence humanity so that His will and purpose can be fulfilled. This is why Daniel wrote that “the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea” (Daniel 7:2) here because the idea is that God is using the Holy Spirit to influence humanity to carry out His purpose. Remember that the sea is a symbol for humanity as a whole if this does not make sense. But what is God’s purpose here? Well in this passage the will of God is that these “four great beats” (Daniel 7:3) will come “up out of the sea” (Daniel 7:3) or rather four powerful empires will rise out of humanity itself. Thus my point here is that Daniel is clearly using the symbol of the sea for humanity since all powerful nations rise out of humanity itself.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ He said. And immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, ‘How did the fig tree wither so quickly?’

‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus replied, ‘if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’” (Matthew 21:18-22)

Now at first you might think that the reference to the sea and a mountain is literal here but you need to understand the symbol of the fig tree. In the Old Testament the fig tree is representative of Israel. Thus here Jesus is cursing so-called Israel or rather the so-called Jews. This curse would of course later be fulfilled during the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars where God poured out His righteous wrath upon the so-called Jews causing millions of them to perish as the fig tree withered so that there would be nothing else left for the so-called Jews expect to persist in their unfaithfulness until the final judgment when God pours out His wrath upon the whole world so that no one is left standing.

Now this may not make sense but my point here is that the fig tree is a nation, the nation of the so-called Jews, so therefore it would only make sense to interpret the mountain with respect to the fig tree since Jesus responded with the part about throwing a mountain into the sea as a way of saying that God can destroy a strong nation just as easily as He can destroy a weak nation like the so-called Jews if you but only have faith and do not doubt. This is why Jesus talks about a mountain being thrown into the sea because when a mountain is thrown into the sea or rather when a powerful nation is thrown into the masses of humanity it is eroded away or rather destroyed. Then in terms of the mountain in question in this passage Jesus is almost certainly talking about the Roman Empire since the Roman Empire was the greatest mountain in the first century AD.

Next as the Gospel of Luke says:

“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26)

The key part of this passage is “dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.” (Luke 21:25) Here Jesus is not talking about the literal sea and instead He is talking about humanity itself being in turmoil so that there is mass chaos. This is why the nations are dismayed and bewildered because their citizens and the people of the world are in a chaotic state so that there is mass unrest, violence and crime. Thus this is another instance of the sea being used symbolically.

Next as Revelation says:

“The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.” (Revelation 6:14)

“Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.” (Revelation 16:20)

I have included both of these verses together because they are both clear references to the symbolic meaning of mountains and islands that I have discussed. The first verse is saying that every nation and person “was moved from its place” (Revelation 6:14) or rather impacted by what is going on. Then the second verse is saying that every person fled and that no nation was left because all the nations were destroyed. Therefore islands and nations are clearly used symbolically here. If you doubt this then you need to understand that these two verses do not make any sense if you try to interpret them literally because to state the obvious islands cannot flee. Instead only people or families can flee so this is why my interpretation is correct.

Next as Revelation says:

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

Obviously the literal land of the earth and the water of the sea has nothing to fear from the devil or Satan because the earth and the sea are not alive. Thus instead the earth and the sea are being used a symbols for the nations and humanity respectively. This means that this angel is saying woe to all the nations of the world and humanity itself because Satan has come down to you.

Lastly as Revelation says:

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.’” (Revelation 7:1-3)

Here once again the land and the sea are being used symbolically. If you doubt this consider the reference to trees as the final item in the list. Thus this passage is saying that the four winds, or the wrath of God, is being held back from impacting the nations, humanity and the wildlife of the world until the servants of God are sealed. If you doubt this then consider “the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea” (Revelation 7:2) in this passage. Just like in the previous passage it does not make sense for this passage to be talking about the angels harming inanimate objects because rocks and water cannot come under judgment from God. Therefore instead this passage is clearly talking about all the nations and humanity itself because Revelation is all about how God will judge all the nations and humanity at the end of the age.

In summary as a result of all that I have said and quoted the sea is a symbol for the masses of humanity, the earth or land is a symbol for all the nations of the world, a mountain is a symbol for a powerful nation and an island is a symbol for a person or a family. I also hope that you have zero doubts as to the meaning of these symbols because like I said previously they are extremely important for understanding the Book of Revelation. That said I would also like to say that just because the sea, the earth, mountains and islands are used symbolically in and outside Revelation this does not mean that every reference to the sea, the earth, a mountain or an island should be seen as a reference to the symbolic meaning. Really you need to be aware of the context of the usage in order to judge if the usage is literal or figurative. But do not worry because I point out all important symbolic references to the sea, the earth, mountains and islands in my commentary on Revelation.

16 – Crowns

16.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of a crown is the right to rule, authority, power and immortality.

16.2 – Explanation

In terms of the explanation a crown grants someone the right to rule a kingdom and because of this it also grants them power. Furthermore in terms of immortality since a crown is an object it does not pass away and is thus immortal. The idea here is that a king passes his crown to his son so that he will become king and rule in his place so that the position of king is essentially immortal and does not age. In terms of the usage of this symbol in the Bible there are a few instances that you should be aware of.

As First Peter says:

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:4)

In this passage the author is talking about how all the faithful who persist in faith until the end will be given power and authority as they share in eternal life when Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God.

Next as the Epistle of James says:

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

Here the author is using crown to mean something similar and they have included “of life” (James 1:12) to explicitly refer to eternal life.

Next as the Book of Revelation says:

“Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.” (Revelation 12:3)

These seven royal crowns that the dragon or Satan has are representative of God giving Satan rule over the entire world.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ‘All this I will give You,’ he said, ‘if You will fall down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:8-9)

Obviously in this passage Satan is saying that he is the ruler of the world because he is offering all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus if He only worships him. This is why the seven royal crowns that Satan has in the above passage from Revelation are representative of God giving Satan power and authority over the entire world.

Therefore whenever you see crowns being referenced in Revelation you should picture the right to rule, authority, power and immortality.

17 – Horns

17.1 – Meaning

The symbolic meaning of horns is power and strength that is especially related military strength.

17.2 – Explanation

The idea behind this symbol is that many wild animals like rams use horns as offensive weapons in order to engage in dominance battles with each other over mates and resources. In this case the bigger the horn an animal has the bigger the advantage they have in engaging in these battles. Thus this is why horns are used as a symbol for power and strength.

As the Book of Zechariah says:

“These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head; but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations that have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.” (Zechariah 1:21)

In this passage horns are obviously being used to represent military power or powerful armies since Zechariah is referring to the foreign nations that have attacked the Kingdom of Judah around the time of the Exile. Really there is not much to this symbol and it is quite easy to understand as you can see. Therefore when you see horns being referenced in Revelation you should have power in mind in almost all instances.

For example as Revelation says:

“Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6)

By saying that the Lamb or Jesus has seven horns this passage in Revelation is saying that Jesus has complete power since as you already know the number seven is representative of completeness.

18 – Closing Thoughts

Hopefully you now fully understand the definitions and true meanings of all the symbols I have discussed in this chapter. If you do not fully understand all the symbols then I am not sure what to say to you other than to tell you to read this chapter again. I say this because these symbols are absolutely critical for understanding Revelation to such an extent that if you do not accept the definitions that I have provided then you will be deaf and blind to such an extent that you will be unable to understand what Revelation is really about. Now this may seem like I am exaggerating here but I assure you that I am not.

For example as Revelation says:

“John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:4-5)

“Therefore write down the things you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:19-20)

Now obviously the key symbol in this passage is the number seven. Then since the number seven is representative of completeness, every or all John is not addressing a literal seven churches here and instead he is addressing all Christians throughout all time. This fact should make perfect sense to you now since you read my lengthy exposition on this key symbol. However for the vast majority of secular scholars and even Christians today this meaning escapes them to the point that they believe John is addressing a specific group of people in a specific period of time. According to them this would mean that Revelation was not written for us living in the modern world and that instead it was only written for a small group of people in the first century AD. Then as a result of this these people then claim that Revelation is not about the future at all and that instead it is only about events in the first century AD. Obviously I do not have to tell you how wrong and even dangerous this view is.

For another example as Revelation says:

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.” (Revelation 17:9)

First off this verse is talking about the great prostitute or Babylon the great and what it’s identity is. Then because of this verse the vast majority of secular scholars and even Christians insist that the great prostitute or Babylon the great was the capital of the Roman Empire or the ancient city of Rome itself. But why do they believe this? Well you see the city of Rome was a city that was built on seven hills or mountains. The Greek word translated as mountains here can be translated as hills as well so really you could read this verse as seven hills. Then since the great prostitute is called Babylon the great and later on the angel says “the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18) most people connect the great prostitute with Rome. Now you might not see this interpretation as being that correct but you need to understand that many people in the first century AD referred to the ancient city of Rome as the city built on seven hills to such an extent that if you made a reference to the city on seven hills then basically everyone in the first century AD would believe that you are talking about Rome. This is why the vast majority of secular scholars and even Christians are so confident in viewing the great prostitute as the ancient city of Rome. Then it goes without saying that if this view is correct then the Book of Revelation is not about the future or worse yet it is a failed prophecy that never came to pass.

However I would just like to reassure you that the number seven should be viewed literally in this verse and that instead it should be viewed symbolically with the meaning that I have provided. Then obviously mountains should be viewed symbolically as well. Now you may dispute this but there is a key sentence in the verse that demonstrates we are not supposed to interpret this verse literally.

To repeat what Revelation says:

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.” (Revelation 17:9)

I am of course talking about the first sentence of this verse. By saying “This calls for a mind with wisdom” (Revelation 17:9) the angel is saying that you need wisdom, insight, intelligence or skill in order to know what the seven mountains represent. Then since I said that everyone in the first century AD would have known that Rome was the city built on seven hills why would the angel say that you need wisdom in order to know what the seven mountains are if everyone would already know they are the seven hills of Rome? Thus what I am saying is that the meaning of the seven mountains is not the obvious meaning and that instead the true meaning is the deeper symbolic meaning. Alright so what does it mean then? Well since seven is representative of completeness, every or all and since mountains are representative of nations this verse is saying that the great prostitute or Babylon the great is an entity that sits above all the nations of the world. This then means that the great prostitute cannot be the ancient city of Rome because Rome never ruled over all the nations of the world.

Now no doubt you may dispute this but my purpose with this example is not to demonstrate that my interpretation of the great prostitute or Babylon the great is correct since I go over why my interpretation is correct in my full commentary on Revelation. Instead my purpose with this example is just to show that if you do not see the deeper symbolic meaning behind the number seven then you will completely miss what Revelation is actually saying. This is why I said that if you do not agree with the definitions I have provided for the symbols in this chapter then you are deaf and blind to such an extent that the true meaning of Revelation will forever escape you.

Then since I cannot emphasize enough just how important it is to view Revelation is symbolic terms rather than in literal terms I have one final example for you.

As Revelation says:

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.” (Revelation 13:5)

So clearly the beast will rule the world for 42 months because Revelation says so right? Well of course not. Instead Revelation uses the number 42 here because 42 is symbolic for an appointed period of time that God has promised will come to pass. Once again this is why I say that those who view Revelation literally are completely deaf and blind so that they miss everything of importance. I mean as I said in my chapter on timelines what happens when the beast or ASI rules the world for a longer period of time than a literal 42 months or 3.5 years? Thus anyone who views 42 months literally is actually deceiving themselves so that they remain blind to the hidden truth that God has hidden in plain sight. Therefore if you disagree with me concerning the meaning of 42 for example then really I do not think you will get anything out of my commentary because you are so utterly blind. This is because the beast or ASI will almost certainly rule the world for a longer period of time than a mere literal 42 months or 3.5 years. Thus if you insist on 42 months being literal then you will simply abandon your faith or worse yet worship the beast once the beast rules for a period longer than 3.5 years. I mean how could an ASI be the beast if it continues to rule the world after the so-called literal 42 months have ended? Therefore if you insist on 42 months being literal then you are already lost to such an extent that there is nothing I can do for you.

On the other hand if you agree with my definition of 42 and all the other important symbols for that matter then you have eyes to see and ears to hear because you can see that which God has hidden.

As Revelation says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 1:7)

Then as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

Really I cannot stress enough how important it is to accurately interpret and understand these symbols. This is why this chapter had to be so long since I needed to eliminate all doubts and objections surrounding these important symbols before you read my full commentary on Revelation. Now in terms of my commentary on Revelation I will of course provide the definitions of these key symbols again and even provide you with a reminder of why they mean what I say they mean because they are so important. Therefore do not worry about forgetting about what one of the symbols means.

Chapter 2.11: The Antichrist

Believe it or not but the word antichrist, let alone a character called the antichrist, does not even appear in the Book of Revelation. Wait what? Yes, that is right. There is no character explicitly called the antichrist in Revelation. Instead the character that most people associate with the antichrist is actually called the beast. So where does the word and concept of the antichrist even come from then? Well the word antichrist actually appears five times in the Bible with all five instances being in First and Second John.

As First and Second John say:

“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:18-19)

“Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.” (1 John 2:22-23)

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.” (1 John 4:1-3)

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2 John 1:7)

The word antichrist means one who is opposed to Christ or Jesus. Thus the antichrist refers to the chief opponent of Jesus. Then an opponent of Jesus is anyone who denies that He is the Christ or the Messiah, the Son of God and that He died and was resurrected to sit at the right hand of God. This is why people call the first beast of Revelation the antichrist because the beast is the chief opponent of Jesus. The idea here is that the beast does not believe in God let alone accept Jesus as the Christ so therefore it is an antichrist and because the beast rules the whole world as told in Revelation this would then mean that this beast is the chief antichrist or the antichrist since no other antichrist in the world has as much power as it does. Therefore you can call the first beast of Revelation the beast or the antichrist.

But who specifically would be an antichrist? In short anyone who is not a faithful Christian is an antichrist. This would include but is not limited to all Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, tribal practitioners and of course, the group the author of First and Second John was specifically referencing in his letters the so-called Jews or as Revelation says “those who falsely claim to be Jews.” (Revelation 2:9) Therefore as I said really an antichrist is anyone who opposes Jesus as the Christ.

Now I would like to reiterate and emphasize that as long as someone opposes Jesus as the Christ then they are an antichrist. This means even deeply religious Muslims and so-called Jews are antichrists because they both reject Jesus as the Christ. But what exactly does it mean for Jesus to be the Christ? Well you see the Christ is the anointed One whom God has chosen to rule in His place using His power and authority. This means that in order to accept Jesus as the Christ you must accept that God has given His power and authority to Jesus until the will of God is completely fulfilled. Therefore because of this anyone who is rebelling against the Christ’s authority is in actually rebelling against God’s authority. This is why it is accurate to say that even deeply religious Muslims and so-called Jews are opposed to God because by being opposed to Jesus as the Christ they are in reality opposed to God since God has anointed Jesus as the Christ.

Lastly in my commentary I refer to the beast as the first beast simply because the word antichrist does not actually appear in Revelation as I have stated and I want to refer to it by the name the text gives. But feel free to call it whatever you want. Really I just believe the first beast is a more descriptive name since anyone who is not a faithful Christian is an antichrist which kind of makes the world antichrist not very descriptive.

Chapter 2.12: Jesus in Revelation

Something else that is important to point out before you read my full commentary on Revelation is that of the view of Jesus presented in Revelation. Many people, including many Christian, falsely believe that the view of Jesus presented in Revelation contradicts the view of Jesus the gospels have.

For example how could Jesus say:

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:44-45)

While Revelation says:

“He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:13-16)

“And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Revelation 19:21)

Surely there must be a contradiction here and the Jesus of Revelation cannot be the same as the Jesus of the gospels right? Well no and hence why I said this is a false belief. If you doubt this then read what Jesus says in the following passage in the Parable of the Ten Minas in the Gospel of Luke.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.” (Luke 19:26-27)

Then as Jesus also says in the Gospel of Luke:

“As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.” (Luke 11:50-51)

By saying these two passages Jesus is directly saying that those who reject Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords will be killed and judged by God as guilty for their sin of disobedience. Now this may seem like a foreign view to you because you still see Jesus as a complete pacifist who would not hurt anyone let alone kill and judge them but I actually have an entire chapter in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy dedicated to going over all the times Jesus spoke about the coming judgment that was to come upon the so-called Jews in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars for their rejection of Him.

In my part called Fulfilled Prophecy you will learn that the God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament and that the Jesus of Revelation is the same as the Jesus of the gospels. In this part I go over almost all the instances where Jesus says that those who reject Him will be killed or judged by God. Therefore if you disagree with the two passages I presented above then just take my word for now that Jesus speaks about future judgment in the gospels just as much as He does in Revelation.

For another example as Jesus says:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’

But the man was speechless.

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:2-14)

Do not think that this is just an irrelevant parable that has no real meaning or application. Instead this parable is saying that all those who reject Jesus as the Christ, like the so-called Jews, will be killed by God and that at the final judgment at the end of the age they will be cast into the outer darkness. This is of course directly comparable to what Revelation says with regards to Jesus who “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:15) Although again I go over all the times Jesus speaks about judgment and what happens to those who oppose God in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy. So if you doubt that the Jesus of Revelation is the same as the Jesus of the gospels then just know my part called Fulfilled Prophecy fully goes into this specific issue.

That said my point with this third example is just to show that if you believe that Jesus is all about love and forgiveness to such an extent that He would never hurt let alone kill anyone then quite honestly you do not understand Jesus. Instead Jesus talks about the wrath of God, judgment and death just as much as He talks about love and forgiveness in the gospels. Therefore you should not see the Jesus of Revelation as being different from the Jesus of the gospels and instead you should see a single Jesus.

Next I would like to say that in order for Jesus to make sense you need to understand the differences between what His first coming was and what His second coming is supposed to be. When Jesus came into this world for the first time He entered as a humble servant in peace and with forgiveness. However when Jesus comes into this world for a second time He will enter as a glorious king in wrath and with punishment for those who oppose Him as God uses Him to kill and judge all those who stand against Him.

This is why upon first glance the Jesus of the gospels seems to be a different Jesus than the Jesus of Revelation. After all the gospels tell of Jesus’s first coming while Revelation tells of Jesus’s second coming. But like I said the Jesus of the gospels speaks of future death, punishment and judgment far more than you probably think He does. Therefore once again for those who do not see the Jesus of the gospels and Revelation as the same I encourage you to continue on reading after my commentary on Revelation so that you can get the full view of Jesus that my part called Fulfilled Prophecy provides.

Chapter 2.13: Introduction to Commentary

Now it is time for my full commentary on the Book of Revelation. In my commentary my explanations for each verse are not overly long except on some controversial sections where I felt like I had to explain it more in depth so you do not get too angry with me. Really my goal was to explain everything in the Book of Revelation as simply as possible. However like I just said there are some controversial sections and ideas that I need to fully defend from the main objections that you may have so that you are left with zero doubts as to the validity of my commentary.

Next I wrote this commentary in a plain and easy to understand way to make it as accessible as possible because Revelation was written to be read and understood by regular people because that was its initial audience. You do not need a theology degree or even a college degree to understand it because it is not an elitist academic work. Although almost everything in Revelation is symbolic, the symbols themselves are not only mostly found in the Old Testament but very often they are not that hard to understand as you have already seen with my chapter on the important symbols.

Furthermore I would actually say that being highly educated would put a person at a disadvantage for understanding Revelation because they will make it more complex than it really is causing the meaning to escape them. The expression you cannot see the forest for the trees comes to mind here.

As God says in the Book of Isaiah:

“Therefore the Lord said: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me.
Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder.
The wisdom of the wise will vanish,
and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.’” (Isaiah 29:13-14)

Therefore do not worry if you believe you are not educated enough to understand what Revelation is saying because it is the will of God that the highly educated will remain blind to the truth that God has hidden. I mean if the first beast is to truly be an artificial super intelligence then obviously it needs to look at Revelation and miss the meaning and message that God has hidden in plain sight. Thus this is why I said being highly educated would actually put you at a disadvantage for understanding Revelation. God does not want the highly educated to come to know Him and His will.

Next it goes without saying that I will fully explain everything to you so that you can understand everything assuming of course that God has determined you will understand it. What I mean by this is that ultimately you need to have eyes and ears in order to see and hear my explanations. This is because obviously if it were possible to explain Revelation in such a way that everyone would be able to accept it as true then again even the first beast of Revelation and all those who make up the great prostitute would see the truth which obviously is not going to happen since God says almost everyone on earth will worship the beast as they join it in rebellion against God.

Furthermore if this is not enough reassurance for you then I would just like to say that I have zero formal theological education and training outside of Sunday school and youth group. Although to be fair I did not take Sunday school and youth group seriously and I do not really remember them. I did not tell you this in my introduction because I did not want you to simply ignore my book because I am not a so-called expert in accordance with the elitist academic establishment. But since you have already read quite a few chapters of mine I thought now would be a good time to tell you this so that you can know that even I do not have a formal theological education.

In fact since I said I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 2016 in the opening part I would just like to add that I received an undergraduate degree in economics. Therefore even the degree that I have is entirely worthless in relation to the topic at hand. Although as an aside my degree is completely worthless in general since as of writing this I have yet to get a job related to or using the degree.

Therefore you should have zero reason to claim that you need to be educated in order to understand my commentary on Revelation and my book as a whole for that matter because I myself have not received a formal education in theology as I said and obviously I am the author of this book.

Now you may seek to use this information against me in the sense that once you read something that you do not like you will just write off whatever you read as being wrong because I am not a so-called expert even though you cannot actually respond to what I am saying outside of appeals to authority. Therefore I would just like to you to know that I really could care less if you dislike anything in this book and I could also care less if you want to ignore what I say as you write me off as a so-called non-expert. This is because as I said in the introduction I did not write this book for you and instead I wrote this book for God so that He may use it as a witness and testimony against the world. Now when I say against the world I quite literally mean against all groups of people including those who call themselves Christians. This is why I do not care if you want to write off whatever you read in this book and ignore it since the main group this book will bear witness against will be those who call themselves Christians. Therefore think and believe whatever you want and listen to whatever so-called authority you want to follow. What you do does not concern me since I have already done my duty to you in writing this book and if you want to reject this book your rejection is entirely on you and I am blameless.

Finally in terms of format for each chapter of my commentary I include a full chapter from Revelation and break it down into sections based on headings for the translation I have chosen. Following each section I provide my commentary on the text which includes an interpretation and explanation. I cite verses using the form of (x) or (*) where (x) denotes the verse number or numbers in the text immediately preceding the commentary and (*) is used for general comments about the section as a whole. Any quotations from the text included in a verse citation will be in quotes for clarity.

I chose to break the text up based on chapters and headings to make it easier to follow even though headings, verse numbers and even chapter numbers were not originally part of the Bible and were only added much later to make the text easier to reference.

Lastly I strongly encourage you to read my commentary on Revelation in its entirety so that you have a better understanding of the text itself and my interpretation of it.

After all as Jesus says:

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

Chapter 2.14: Revelation 1

1 – Prologue

(1) This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, (2) who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(3) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ” – The word translated as revelation simply means to reveal something surprising that was previously unknown. In this case the revelation is from Jesus Christ about what must happen upon the earth before He returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God and what the faithful are to do and look forward to in the meantime.

In it also important to point out that Book of Revelation is the only book of the New Testament that is the direct word of God. The other books in the New Testament can only be at best described as somewhat inspired rather than directly given since even the gospels have discrepancies and contradictions between them that cannot be reconciled. Although at worst some of the epistles are almost certainly forgeries that should have never been included in the Bible. Now no doubt many of you will have issues with what I just said so just know that later on in my part called Various Insights I have a chapter on biblical inerrancy and infallibility where I demonstrate beyond any doubt that the Bible is not inerrant or infallible. If you have not heard of inerrancy and infallibility before inerrancy just means without any error and infallibility refers to a complete lack of theological errors and discrepancies so that there is zero difference between what each book of the Bible teaches. But what I am saying here is that the Bible itself is not without error in all that it teaches.

Alright but what is my point here with this? Well my point is that ultimately this fact makes Revelation the most important and most authoritative book in the New Testament. This is because as Revelation goes on to say after this verse “This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 1:2) No other book of the New Testament makes such a claim since even the Gospel authors are just writing about Jesus from their own perspective. But what about the Old Testament? Well you see the principle subject matter of Revelation concerns what must happen before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive and the final hope for true Judaism or Christianity is the fulfillment of the will of God in the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. This then means that Revelation is the most important book of the entire Bible since as I just said it perfectly explains what must happen before the will of God can be fulfilled. Therefore because of all the above you should pay careful attention to everything contained within the Book of Revelation so that you read and understand it seven times more than the epistles.

However despite this fact many Christians today either largely ignore the Book of Revelation or worse yet just pretend it does not even exist. I mean when the majority Christians talk about the Bible they mostly center their thought and message around the epistles and the fraction of the gospels that conform to whatever view they have that they developed after listening to or reading a famous theologian. Thus what I am saying is that really the Book of Revelation is almost entirely absent from Christian discourse and preaching. Although to be fair the Book of Revelation is so heavily symbolic and figurative that if you want to take the everything is literal approach the vast majority of Christians take then you will almost certainly end up so confused that you miss the entire message. Therefore you should give Revelation seven times more attention than the epistles as I just said.

This fact concerning the lack of attention Revelation receives then ties in with what I said in my chapter on the important symbols of Revelation. As I said really the vast majority of of people, secular historians and Christians alike, like to largely take the Bible literally which actually ensures that they miss everything that it is trying to say. Now I do not mean this specifically with respect to the prophecies of Revelation and instead I am talking about in general. You may doubt this but this fact will become clear to you by the time you finish reading this book although I touch on it a bit in this commentary on Revelation before my part called Various Insights. As you will see most of the so-called traditional viewpoints that Christians have taken in the past and present are wrong.

Now to be fair this is not entirely due to the desire to view the Bible literally and instead there is another significant issue that has led to the corruption of Christian theology. But what issue am I talking about exactly? Well you see the vast majority of Christians believe what they believe only because someone else who they see as so-called authority believes it is true. Thus in essence most of so-called orthodox or so-called true Christian theology ultimately rests on the logical fallacy of appealing to authority. What I mean here is that when a Christian wants to figure out what is true they first listen to or read what a famous theologian or a so-called authority says concerning the issue before coming to their so-called own conclusion. Now this does not mean they do not actually read the Bible. Although to be fair the vast majority of Christians do not read the Bible. Instead what I am saying is that they come to their so-called own beliefs by following a so-called authority before they read what the Bible actually says so that once they read the Bible they are not reading it critically and instead they are merely reading it to confirm whatever belief they have already presupposed is true as a result of listening to their favorite so-called authority.

Obviously I do not have to tell you how wrong and even dangerous this viewpoint is since those who do what I just said are not following the teachings of God and instead they are following the teachings of men. But really this is ultimately why I place zero value on appeals to so-called authority. As I said in the introduction I find zero value in tradition or so-called authority and instead I value the word of God alone.

As Jesus told the Pharisees:

“You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:8)

Therefore my goal is to uphold the words of God and not the tradition of men. To this end there will be many things you read here in my commentary on Revelation and this book as a whole for that matter that will be completely contrary to what you believe in and see as true as you will soon see. I am emphasizing this fact again because I do not want you to deafen your ears and blind your eyes as you retreat back to the so-called traditions you have been taught by whatever famous theologian you follow who you believe to be so-called authoritative. Instead I want you to open your ears and eyes so that you can hear and see the truth that has remained hidden before you in plain sight all along that you have missed and ignored because you sought to follow the teachings of men and not God.

(1) “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him” – It is important to point out here that God gave Jesus this revelation and that Jesus did not know it until God gave it to Him. But why is this important exactly? Well this is important because this means that only God is omnipotent or all knowing such that He knows everything there is and everything that will happen in the future. Now you may take issue with this but the gospels say something similar as well.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

Thus again only God or the Father alone is omnipotent and knows everything about the future. This is why the Book of Revelation says that God had to give this revelation to Jesus. Again Jesus is dependent upon God for His knowledge because He is not omnipotent by Himself.

If your protest this then keep in mind that the Book of Revelation was written after God raised Jesus from the dead so that He could be seated at the right hand of God. Therefore when John says “God gave Him” (Revelation 1:1) he is saying that despite sitting at the right hand of God Jesus did not perfectly know the future until God told Him and revealed the future to Him. In other words this verse in Revelation is in reference to Jesus after He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God and does not concern Jesus during His earthly ministry. This means that you cannot object to this verse in Revelation by claiming that it is about Jesus when He was in a limited earthly body like you could with the verse above from the Gospel of Matthew. As a result of this only God is omnipotent and knows the future.

(1) “to show His servants” – The Greek word translated as servants here and elsewhere in Revelation is doulos (δοῦλος) which is more accurately translated as slaves or enslaved depending on the usage. This means that Revelation is saying that Christians are God’s slaves. I am pointing this out because oftentimes English translations like to whitewash the Bible by translating the word for slave as servant since most people have an issue with the word slave for some reason.

Now you make take issue being a slave of God but later on Revelation says that God has created everything there is.

As Revelation says:

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.” (Revelation 4:11)

This means that God literally created everything there is. Not only that but it is only through the will of God that everything continues to exist as we see it. But why is this important exactly? Well you see when someone creates something it belongs to them. For instance if you create a pot with some clay then you own the pot that you created. Now you might object to this on the basis of saying that if you reproduce and have children then the children do not belong to you. However first off when someone has children they do not create their children to the same degree that they would create a pot out of clay in that creating children is involuntary and the design process largely outside of their control. Then second even if a person were to design everything about their children then it is important to point out that they still will not vastly exceed their children in all aspects such that they are on a different level. What I mean here is that their children will be close to themselves in power and ability such that they cannot claim their children are unable to look after themselves in the vast majority of cases. On the other hand in the case of the relationship between God and humanity God is quite literally infinite greater and above us so that by comparison we are completely inconsequential and unable to look after ourselves since we were created to be dependent upon God.

To make this make more sense consider breeding animals or pets. Almost everyone agrees that when a person breeds two animals that they own the offspring of the animals they helped breed. This is because we correctly recognize that we as humans vastly exceed animals in ability. Thus what I am saying is that the same rationality applies to our relationship to God since just like how we domesticated animals to fulfill our will so too has God created us to fulfill His will. Therefore as a result of all this we all belong to God and we are His slaves. I say all here because this includes everyone on earth not just Christians. Thus it does not matter who you are or what you believe in because you are one of God’s slave’s regardless.

Now my mere mention of the world slave and God in the same sentence might be repugnant to you so let me ask you the following. Would you rather be a willing slave to God and join Him in the eternal Kingdom of God forever or a slave to the coming beast that Jesus will destroy along with all it’s followers when He returns? There is no other choice. As you will later see in my commentary on Revelation the beast and the system of the beast is the best that humanity will ever achieve on its own and despite this fact it will never be truly great or even just good. This is because we live in a material universe that is subject to natural laws and physical limitations that limit what is possible. Then on top of this due to the nature of the coming beast that will soon arise and how it will replace our labor and value ultimately the only earthly future humanity has is to become completely dependent upon the beast itself. Now you may object to this but as you will later see artificial super intelligence will be able to do anything and everything we can do better. This again means that once ASI or the beast arises we will become so useless in comparison to the beast so that we will become entirely dependent upon the beast for everything. Then through this dependence upon the beast for everything humanity will quite literally be enslaved to the beast so that we cannot do anything without the beast’s approval. In other words your only other earthly future is to be a slave to the beast if you do not want to be a willing slave of God.

This is why I said you only have a choice between being a willing slave of God or being a slave to the coming beast or artificial super intelligence. There is no other option for you to take. Then because of this fact you must make a choice and really the correct choice of becoming a willing slave of God should be obvious as you will see later on in my commentary on Revelation. So how do you become a willing slave of God? In short the first step to take in becoming one of God’s faithful slaves is to accept that you are a slave of God. As for the rest of it you will have to finish reading the this book to find out.

Now if you still have some issues with being a slave of God I firmly believe that you should feel proud and dignified to be a faithful slave of God Himself because God will reward His faithful slaves who triumph and overcome the power of the beast and Satan.

As God promises:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Therefore even though we are God’s slaves, in the eternal Kingdom of God in the new heavens and the new earth God will elevate us to be His children as He gives us all things as an inheritance. No doubt you have questions about this and I will answer them at the appropriate time but for now just know that receiving in inheritance from God is more valuable than all the gold in the world.

So if the faithful slaves of God will be rewarded then what will happen to the unfaithful slaves? Well on the other hand all the rebellious slaves of God will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to face the second death or eternal destruction. Thus this is why you should not even see being a faithful slave of God or being a slave of the beast as a choice because being a faithful and willing slave of God is quite literally infinitely better than being a slave of the beast.

But why is this important exactly? Well since one of the main purposes of Revelation is to detail how God will judge the world it is helpful to think about Revelation in terms of God punishing His rebellious slaves and rewarding His faithful slaves. As you read the rest of Revelation and my commentary on it keep this fact in mind.

(1) “what must soon come to pass” – The Greek word translated as soon is tachei (τάχει) or tachos (τάχος) which can also mean in quickness, hastily or swiftly. Then in a couple verses Revelation also says that “the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3) In this verse near is eggus (ἐγγύς) which means near or close in time or place. So obviously these two words mean that Revelation was supposed to be fulfilled in the first or second century AD right? Well no and you will soon see why that when the Book of Revelation was written it was never supposed to be fulfilled in the first or even the second century AD. Instead there are several prerequisites for the central prophecies of Revelation that could only have a chance at being fulfilled many hundreds if not thousands of years into the future. Then because of these reasons soon does not literally mean soon and near does not literally mean near as you will see later on.

Now at first you may have the idea to try to reconcile these words by coming to the conclusion that it is a possibility for the central prophecies or events of Revelation to start to be fulfilled soon in time while the later events of Revelation concerning the resurrection, the eternal Kingdom of God and the new heavens and the new earth are supposed to be fulfilled much later. However such a view would be incorrect. This is because the last chapter of Revelation also includes similar statements about when when Jesus will return and when the words of prophecy in Revelation will be fulfilled.

As Revelation says:

“Then the angel said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.’” (Revelation 22:6)

“Behold, I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:7)

“Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10)

But what does this mean exactly? Well you see including similar statements at the beginning and end of a work is what is called an inclusio. The idea behind an inclusio is that by bracketing the start and end of a work with some idea it tells you how you should view the work as a whole. Thus in terms of the usage here Revelation is saying that everything in the book will happen soon because it is all near. This means that everything in Revelation including the return of Jesus, the first resurrection, the thousand year reign, the second resurrection, the final judgment, the creation of the new heavens and the new earth, the new Jerusalem and the eternal Kingdom of God are all supposed to happen soon. Then because of this fact you cannot claim that some events are soon while others are far off because Revelation literally says everything is going to happen soon.

But why is this important exactly? Well you see because of this preterism, both partial and full, are undeniably false. Now you may take issue with this but I believe it is quite obvious that we are not living in the eternal Kingdom of God in the new Jerusalem in the new heavens and the new earth. Really this fact is completely undeniable.

As Revelation says:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them as their God.
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’
and there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Once again obviously this has not happened in Revelation since there is an immense amount of suffering in the world even among faithful Christians. Therefore as a result of this full preterism is false because all of Revelation has not been fulfilled. But what if you disagree with this? Well to be perfectly honest with you if you disagree with this and actually believe we are living in the new Jerusalem and that there is “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4) then you are so utterly delusional that I give up on you. If you think this is a harsh statement to make then how would you argue with someone who believes in say flat earth? Then keep in mind that I consider full preterism to be an even greater absurdity than flat earth since it is much more obvious that we are not living in the new Jerusalem in the new earth than that the earth is round.

Alright but what about partial preterism and what about the thousand year reign? Is it not possible that Jesus returned to usher in the thousand year reign so that we are currently living in the thousand year reign or the millennium kingdom and waiting for God to “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5) with the new heavens and the new earth so that we will live in the paradise that God has promised? I mean Christians have had a lot of power for hundreds of years so does this not indicate this is true? Well sorry but again the answer is no. This is because Revelation says there will be two resurrections with the first resurrection taking place at the start of the thousand year reign of Jesus on the earth.

As Revelation says:

“Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6)

This means that in order for us to currently be in the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth the first resurrection of those who were martyred and those who did not worship the beast would have needed to have taken place in the first or second century AD when partial preterists claim that most of the events of Revelation were fulfilled. Obviously I do not have to tell you that this resurrection never took place. Furthermore this is the resurrection we are talking about where the faithful are resurrected to immortal bodies so that they have eternal life. This is why Revelation says that those who share in the first resurrection “reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4) because they are immortal and cannot die. So if you want to claim that we are living in the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth then I would like to ask you where exactly these immortal Christians are who have been alive all this time and cannot die? But perhaps more important than this where is Jesus? I mean just like with what I said concerning how it is obvious we are not in the new Jerusalem in the new earth it is also obvious that Jesus is not ruling on earth. But what if you want to claim that Jesus is ruling in heaven? Well in this case you still have to contend with the fact that the first resurrection has not happened yet and that immortal Christians are not ruling over the earth. Again it is quite obvious that immortal Christians are not ruling over the world. Therefore this means that partial preterism is false. Then just like before if you want to deny this fact then you are simply delusional and I really do not know what to say to you.

Before I close the book on preterism so to speak I would like to go over the logical inconsistencies that all preterists make. Yes and I do mean all. But what exactly am I talking about here? Well you see preterism has its roots in the whole “Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7) from Revelation and Olivet Discourse in the gospels. Essentially preterists take the position that if the Bible says Jesus will return soon and if Jesus did not literally return soon then therefore the Bible is wrong so therefore Christianity is false. Then because of this they try to desperately fit in Revelation and the Olivet Discourse in the gospels in the context of the first century AD to claim that either all of Revelation was fulfilled then or some of it was fulfilled then. In terms of the distinction between full preterism and partial preterism really I believe both positions are equally delusional because they essentially require you to interpret some things completely literally and other things so figuratively that the text loses all meaning.

But what am I talking about exactly? Well first off consider the whole first resurrection and the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth. Partial preterists will oftentimes try to interpret this entirely figuratively to the point where they may then claim that the immortal Christians who have been resurrected are ruling with Jesus in heaven even though Revelation directly says they are to rule on earth. As another option they may ignore the whole “reign with Him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6) part and deny that there is supposed to be a first resurrection after Jesus destroys the two beasts where the faithful rule the earth with Him for a thousand years in immortal bodies. Then if you think these lines of reasoning make zero sense then consider the fact that there are actually full preterists who actually believe we are living in the new Jerusalem in the new earth like I said before. Thus you can see how preterists are logically inconsistent in that they view soon and near completely literally while they twist the rest of Revelation to the point of taking entire prophecies so figuratively that they lose their entire meaning.

Next as Revelation says:

“Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying:

‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will never ring out in you again.
Nor will any craftsmen of any trade
be found in you again,
nor the sound of a millstone
be heard in you again.
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again,
and the voices of a bride and bridegroom
will never call out in you again.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.’” (Revelation 18:21-23)

And also says:

“And a second time they called out: ‘Hallelujah!

Her smoke rises forever and ever.’” (Revelation 19:3)

First off in case you are unaware most preterists generally identify Babylon or the great prostitute as the city of Rome while some others identify it as so-called Jerusalem. However for what I am saying this difference of opinion is irrelevant. This is because if you want to take the above passages of Revelation literally then it is obvious that either Rome or so-called Jerusalem is to be so completely destroyed so that “smoke rises forever and ever” (Revelation 19:3) from it as it becomes completely and forever more uninhabited. Now I do not have to tell you the problem here since it is obvious that not only are the locations of these ancient cities still inhabited but they have actually been continuously inhabited from the first century AD to the present day. On top of this they are still called Rome and so-called Jerusalem to this very day as I am sure you are aware. Alright but can you not just view these passages figuratively in the sense that they are talking about pagan Rome for example? Well no you cannot. But why? Well you see it all goes back to “because the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10) This means that the time is near for all of Revelation and sure you can dispute this with the events after the thousand year reign but you cannot dispute this with the events before the thousand year reign. Then since the fall of Babylon happens before the thousand year reign this then means that Babylon must fall soon. However the problem here with respect to pagan Rome is that Christianity did not become the state religion of the Roman Empire until around three-hundred years after Revelation was written. Therefore if you want Babylon to be pagan Rome then really pagan Rome did not fall until three-hundred years after Revelation was written.

Additionally if you do not want to take the above passages concerning the destruction of Babylon figuratively you are left with the same issue of making hundreds of years into soon. This is because the city of Rome did not even sort of fall until the fifth century AD. Also again you are left with the problem that the city of Rome was never destroyed so that it became uninhabited. Sure the population of Rome fell from over one-million to around fifty-thousand after the fall of the Western Roman Empire but it was never so completely destroyed so that what Revelation says concerning Babylon could literally happen.

Alright but what about so-called Jerusalem? Well the problems with this interpretation is actually far greater than with Rome believe it or not. First off so-called Jerusalem has never fallen so that it becomes uninhabited like Revelation says it will just like with Rome. However with so-called Jerusalem you cannot view those verses from Revelation figuratively and see them as concerning the so-called Jews instead of pagans in the case of Rome. This is because the so-called Jews still exist today. On the other hand Roman pagans are basically entirely non-existent so at least it is possible to make the destruction of Babylon more figurative in the case of Rome. Furthermore interpreting Babylon the great or the great prostitute as so-called Jerusalem is just factually wrong in terms of what the text says.

As Revelation says:

“And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:18)

In the first century AD so-called Jerusalem was a city in the Roman province of Judea that was under Roman rule under the authority of a Roman governor. This means that so-called Jerusalem was never “the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18) in the first century AD. In other words viewing so-called Jerusalem as Babylon is just factually wrong in terms of what the text of Revelation says. This is why I said the problems with viewing so-called Jerusalem as Babylon are actually far greater than with Rome.

So what is my point with all this exactly? Well my point here is that the only way you can make preterism seem to work is by viewing hundreds of years as soon and interpreting the text of Revelation in such a way that you turn “the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again” (Revelation 18:21) into such an extremely flexible and figurative prophecy that it loses all meaning and becomes worthless. But what is wrong with viewing hundreds of years as soon exactly? Well the problem is that this is the central claim that preterists make concerning why preterism is the only correct way to view Revelation. Remember what I said above. Preterists created preterism as a way to save Revelation from being a failed prophecy since Revelation says everything “must soon come to pass.” (Revelation 1:1) However in creating their preterist interpretation preterists actually view some of the events as happening hundreds of years into the future despite Revelation saying everything is going to happen soon. Then on top of this they also interpret much of the text so that it essentially loses its entire meaning. Therefore my point is that preterists are ultimately hypocrites since they say soon must mean soon in one case while saying soon actually means hundreds of years or even thousands of years in another case.

As a result of all the above you should not take preterism seriously because it is obviously wrong. Now I spent so much time going over just how wrong preterism is so that we are now left with only two options. The first option is to say that Revelation is a failed prophecy because it has not soon come to pass as it says. Then the second option is that Revelation is about the future so that it has yet to be fulfilled. Now so far you may believe that Revelation is a failed prophecy especially if you were a preterist before reading what I wrote concerning preterism. I mean if Jesus says “Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7) then how exactly are we supposed to see Revelation as being anything other than a failed prophecy since it is abundantly obvious that Jesus has not returned yet after almost two-thousand years? Then how can around two-thousand years or more be considered soon exactly? Well? These are good questions so carefully consider what I have to say.

So based upon reading the definition of tachos (τάχος) which is translated as soon this verse in question in Revelation, “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) you may insist that soon must mean that the central prophecies of Revelation, including the first resurrection, were supposed to be fulfilled in the first century AD. Then as a result of this you may view Revelation as a failed prophecy. However if you carefully read Revelation and seek to understand what it says then you will discover that it is literally impossible to believe that the prophecies of Revelation must be fulfilled soon in the first or second centuries AD. Wait what? Yes, really. There are four different sections in Revelation and one section from the Gospel of Matthew that perfectly demonstrate this point and I have arranged these sections from the least persuasive to the most undeniable since really they build off each other so that each successive section answers questions about the previous as you will soon see. Then because of the different ideas presented in these five different sections and how they necessitate a multi-thousand year wait time for the fulfillment of Revelation when Revelation says soon and near this means that soon does not mean soon and that near does not mean near. I mean if Revelation tells of something that cannot materially happen for literally many hundreds to even thousands of years then how exactly are we supposed to see Revelation as a failed prophecy because it was not fulfilled within ten to fifty years? The answer is obvious. Therefore carefully consider what I have to say concerning the following four sections of Revelation and one section from the Gospel of Matthew so that you can see the truth in what I am saying for yourself.

First off as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

This means that before Jesus can return at the end of the age the gospel, or the message of salvation in Jesus as told in the gospels, must be preached in all the world to all nations. Therefore because of this fact it is rather silly to believe that Jesus was supposed to return in the first century AD because obviously the gospel had zero chance of being preached to all the nations of the world in the first century AD.

Now you may dispute this since the word translated as world here is oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) which means the inhabited earth or world and was frequently used to refer to the Roman world alone without concern for anything outside of it. Then the word translated as nations is ethnesin (ἔθνεσιν) which can better be understood to mean foreign people groups or pagans. Thus if oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) refers to the Roman world this would mean this verse is talking about the gospel being preached throughout the entire Roman Empire to all the different people groups or pagans that make up the empire and not to the literal entire world. However there is a problem here in that oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) does not always refer to the Roman world and instead it can refer to the entire inhabited area of the entire world.

As Revelation says:

“And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:9)

In this verse the word translated as world is the same oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) as mentioned above. Then obviously it would not make sense to say that Satan is the deceiver of the whole Roman world since Satan deceived all of humanity in the Garden of Eden and this fact is what this verse is actually referencing. Therefore this means that oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) in this verse is correctly understood and translated as world. Then because of this fact oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) does not always refer to the Roman world and instead it can refer to the entire literal world as we think of it today. This then means that when Jesus says that the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14) that Jesus could be talking about all the world and to all people groups of the world and not all the Roman world and all the people groups of the Roman world.

Now I realize that this is not exactly a definitive and undeniable argument which is why it is first and not last since I am building up the case that Revelation is talking about the far future and not the near future. Therefore it is perfectly fine if you are not convinced by what you just read.

However I will say that if you read Jesus to be talking about all the Roman world and not all the world as we think of it today then the verse from the Gospel of Matthew still does not make much sense and could not have been fulfilled in the first century AD. But why? Well you see Christianity did not spread as quickly as you probably think it did. For instance by the end of the first century AD Christianity had only spread to a limited number Greek cities in the eastern half of the Roman Empire and the city of Rome itself in modern-day Italy. Even by the fourth century AD Christianity had only spread to a small fraction of the Roman Empire and really Christianity did not reach the point of being in all the Roman world until fifth or sixth centuries long after it became the state religion of the Roman Empire.

Therefore this means that it does not make much sense to claim that Revelation needed to have been fulfilled in the first century AD since in truth Christianity was basically like a tiny cult made up of less than ten-thousand people by the end of the first century AD or 100 AD. I mean how exactly could the gospel “be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14) or rather in all the Roman Empire to all people groups before even 200 AD let alone 100 AD? Obviously it could not have been. Although if Jesus is really talking about the whole world and all the different people groups in the whole world then I do not have to say that such a thing happening in even a thousand years would be entirely nonsensical looking back at history. But what was Jesus or the author of the Gospel of Matthew really talking about by using oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ)? Does this word refer to the Roman world or the world as we see it today? The following sections should shed some light on this and demonstrate that it is best to view the usage of oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) in the above passage from the Gospel of Matthew as all the world and not all the Roman world.

Second as Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

In this passage there are two key ideas that demonstrate that Revelation as a whole and the verse I previously quoted from the Gospel of Matthew are both actually talking about the entire world as we see it today instead of only a fraction of the Roman world in the first century AD. The first is that the beast is supposed to rule “over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) and the second is that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) as told in this passage. Therefore as a result I believe Revelation is definitively saying that the beast will rule over the entire literal world as we see it today so that people across all the earth will worship it as a false god. This would then mean that it was impossible for Revelation to be fulfilled in the first century AD because there was not a singular world power that ruled over the entire earth. Then because of these facts it would be reasonable to say that the world would need to wait many hundreds if not thousands of years for this prophecy to be fulfilled rather than expecting it to happen soon in the first or second centuries AD.

In terms of the first verse and the idea that the beast will have “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) you may claim that Revelation is not talking about all the earth and instead you may claim that it is talking about the Roman world just like in the passage above concerning the Gospel of Matthew. Now in truth there is no way to demonstrate beyond any doubt that this verse in Revelation is in fact talking about all the people in the whole world rather than the Roman world. That said I believe the repetition of saying “every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) highly implies that Revelation is in fact talking about the whole world and not just the Roman world. This is because when Revelation says “every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) it is saying the same exact thing four times using four different words that each have a similar meaning in this context which would heavily imply that Revelation does in fact mean every people group in the whole world and not just the Roman world.

If you dispute this then why does Revelation say the same thing four different ways if not to emphasize that it is talking about literally every people group in the whole world? I mean we even use repetition in order to clarify and emphasize a certain point in today’s world when we speak or write as a way to tell people that we are not speaking in hyperbole or exaggerating. Therefore I believe Revelation is doing something similar in order to tell us that yes “every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) literally means every people group in the world and that this is not an exaggeration, hyperbole, a figure of speech or figurative language. Now you still may dispute this but given the highly figurative language of Revelation as a whole I believe such a clarification through repetition would indicate that “every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) is not supposed to be viewed the same as the rest of Revelation where there is some exaggeration and instead it is supposed to be viewed as every people group on earth.

My point here is further supported by the fact that in the verse after this one Revelation says that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) First off the word translated as earth here is gēs (γῆς) which means the earth or rather the ground or land in general and it can refer to either a part of the whole earth in the case of a single nation or it can refer to all the land of the whole world. However the usage of gēs (γῆς) in this verse definitively means the whole earth because of the phrase “all who dwell on” (Revelation 13:8) that appears before it. This is because if Revelation was merely talking about a part of the whole earth then it would not say “all who dwell on” (Revelation 13:8) and would instead say something like those who dwell on. Then if this verse was talking about the Roman world specifically and not all people in the whole world then it would use oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) since as I said previously oikoumenē (οἰκουμένῃ) can refer to the Roman world. On the other hand this verse uses the word gēs (γῆς) which means the earth or land instead and even qualifies it with “all who dwell on” (Revelation 13:8) as I have already noted.

Next I also want to point out that just like in the previous verse this verse uses repetition in order to emphasize that it is talking about literally all people throughout the entire earth itself. This is because the verse says that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) Now although this translation says all twice in this verse even though in the original Greek it says all once I am not talking about the repetition of the world all. Instead I am talking about how Revelation qualifies the “all who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 13:8) with “whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) Now in order for this to make sense you need to first understand that the idea of the Book of Life is a book where the names of all those whom God calls His people are written so that anyone who is not a faithful Christian does not have their name in this book. This is why it says “the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8) because the idea is that if you were alive after Revelation was written then this means that you must have faith in Jesus in order for your name to be in the Book of Life.

Alright but what does this mean exactly? Well this means Revelation is saying that yes it is actually talking about the entire literal earth and not just the whole Roman world or even a small fraction of the Roman world. Again this is because Revelation is directly saying it is talking about those who are not faithful Christians worshiping the beast which means that it cannot be referring to the Roman world alone since everyone in the first century knew that there were people outside of the Roman world. For example the Roman Empire actually traded with India and by traded I do not mean once to twice and instead I am talking about a huge trading enterprise that saw over a hundred Roman trading ships sail to India each year during the reign of the emperor Augustus in the early first century AD that drained such vast quantities of gold from the Roman economy that Roman authors complained about the loss of gold. In other words what I am saying is that it was clear to people living in the Roman Empire that the Roman world was not the whole world.

If you still want to dispute this then I would just like to say that Revelation is a universal prophecy that concerns the whole literal world and it is not a limited local prophecy that concerns a small part of the world. This is why Revelation says things like “that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9) and “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Revelation 21:1) As I said previously obviously Satan is not the deceiver of the Roman world alone and instead he is the deceiver of the whole entire literal world. Then of course concerning the new heavens and the new earth Revelation is talking about God literally saying “I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5) so that He is recreating the entire literal world. Therefore this means that if Revelation is a universal prophecy that concerns the future of the whole world itself and everyone in it then why would the two verses from Revelation 13 that I have cited be talking about the Roman world? In other words what I am saying is that it makes zero sense to view “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) as talking about the Roman world instead of the whole earth and everyone on it in light of Revelation being a universal prophecy that concerns the future of the whole world since God is to make a “new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1) just as is promised in Revelation.

Third as Revelation says:

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 12:13-13:2)

Before I begin explaining how this passage applies to the topic at hand I would just like to tell you that the woman here in this passage is Israel or rather the true Israel or what we think of as the Church today. Now you may take an issue with this but just accept it as given for now and know that I fully explain this fact later on in my commentary at the appropriate time. That said from this passage alone it is clear that Israel and the Church are synonymous and the same exact thing. This is because the passage says that the woman “had given birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13) or Jesus and it was Israel who gave birth to Jesus. Furthermore the passage also says the children of Israel are those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) This means that the so-called Jews are not Israel or Israelites and they have nothing to do with Israel. Then lastly of course the serpent or dragon in this passage is none other than Satan himself.

Alright now time for the meaning of the passage. When Revelation says that “when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13) and “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness” (Revelation 12:14) it is talking about the early Church or the true Israel fleeing from persecution at the hands of the so-called in Judea by fleeing to foreign lands or the wilderness as Revelation puts it.

As Paul wrote in First Thessalonians:

“For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16)

Here in Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonians Paul wrote about how the so-called Jews were hindering the Church from spreading the gospel to such an extent that Paul says they “drove us out as well” (1 Thessalonians 2:15) from the Roman province of Judea.

Therefore the main idea behind this first paragraph from Revelation 12 is that Satan tried to use the so-called Jews or as Jesus calls them “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) to try to destroy the true Israel, the Church, before it could take root in the world so that he could deny the world the only path to salvation, faith in Jesus as the Christ. However despite Satan’s best attempt to use “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) to kill the true Israel he failed because God determined that Israel would survive by giving her “two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” (Revelation 12:14)

Now as an aside you may take offense at me calling the so-called Jews “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) however as you will later see it is Jesus who calls them this. Furthermore there is a reason why this passage says the woman fled “from the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) because the idea is that Revelation is saying the so-called Jews in Judea are not only pawns of Satan but that they can actually be called Satan since they are rebelling against God to the most extreme degree possible by persecuting those who follow the true King of Israel, Jesus. Therefore if you take offense then to be honest I really do not care because my purpose is to be faithful to God and Jesus and not to you.

Next when the passage says that “the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman” (Revelation 12:15) and “the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth” (Revelation 12:16) Revelation is figuratively describing how Israel or the Church had to hide from persecution in the late first century AD at the hands of Roman authorities by taking refuge in foreign lands. This is why Revelation says “the earth helped the woman” (Revelation 12:16) because as you know the earth is a symbol for the nations of the world. Then Revelation says “the serpent spewed water” (12:15) because water is a symbol for large groups of people since the sea is a symbol for humanity. Thus the idea here is that after “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) or the so-called Jews in Judea failed to destroy the true Israel and thus damn all of humanity to destruction in the Lake of Fire that Satan next seeks to use the people of the Roman Empire or “water like a river” (Revelation 12:15) in order to destroy the true Israel so that Satan can ensure that the rest of humanity is damned forever. However thankfully the Church or Israel was able to take refuge in the various people groups of the world and hide from the Roman persecution so that it could survive. Then lastly because Satan failed he now plots to create an instrument of spiritual destruction, the beast, that he can use “to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17)

But who exactly are “her children” (Revelation 12:17) in this passage? Well first off they are not so-called Jews because the so-called Jews are not the children of Israel since they do not hold to the testimony of Jesus while the passage says that her children “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) As an aside later on I talk about what it truly means to “keep the commandments of God” (Revelation 12:17) so do not take issue with this for now. Now in terms of the topic at hand this then means that the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars could never be considered as Satan going to war against the rest of her children through the Roman Empire or what preterists see as the beast. Furthermore as you will learn in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars were actually orchestrated by God to punish the so-called Jews for killing Jesus and for their godlessness. This fact will be so very clear to you in this part that it will be undeniable. Thus there is no possible way to see the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars as being related to Revelation and Satan’s war against “her children” (Revelation 12:17) in this passage because the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars were actually God’s war to punish “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) as they deserve.

Alright so who are “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) or the children of Israel then? Well obviously her children are Christians but the point of contention is which group of Christians is Revelation talking about? I mean is it talking about Christians in the first century AD or much later? Now at first you may believe that the passage could be talking about Christians in the late first century or perhaps even the early second century and as a result you view the beast that rises out of the sea, or the peoples of the world, as being the Roman Empire. However this view is wrong. This is because as I have already explained this passage goes over two different stages of persecution. The first stage was by the so-called Jews in the Roman province of Judea and as a result of this persecution the woman or Israel fled Judea so that she could be nourished for a period of time in foreign lands as pagans became Christians and strengthen her. Then after this “time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14), or an appointed period of time that God has promised, is over the Romans take notice of the growing numbers of Christians and how strong Israel is so they persecute the woman or Israel. However despite their best efforts the Romans are unable to destroy Israel because Christians hide in the various people groups of the world as Satan’s scheme ends up failing. Therefore this means that Revelation is already talking about Christians being persecuted by the Romans. If you doubt this then consider what Jesus says to the seven churches.

As Jesus says:

“Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.” (Revelation 2:3)

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

“I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” (Revelation 2:13)

“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.” (Revelation 3:8)

These verses mean that it is clear that even when Revelation was written Christians were still being persecuted by Roman authorities. But what does this mean exactly? Well this just means that the intense persecutions of Christians that happened in the late first century AD were in fact what Revelation refers to as “the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.” (Revelation 12:15)

Therefore “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) does not refer to Christians in the first or even second centuries AD because once again Satan was already making war against her children in the first century AD. As a result of this “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) would be Christians who are alive sometime in the future after all those who suffered persecution by Rome passed away. Thus the idea here is that “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) refers to the children of Israel across time. Now you make take issue with this but all Christians are the children of Israel since they are all part of Israel. Then since Christians in the Roman Empire were being persecuted by Rome and since Revelation clearly says this persecution happens before the beast rises this then means that once the beast rises it cannot go to war with the children of Israel that the Romans have already been persecuting. Instead the beast is to war with “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) that have not already been persecuted by Rome yet.

In other words all this means that the beast cannot be the Roman Empire. This fact is further demonstrated by the fact that the beast rises after Satan tries to destroy the true Israel with first the so-called Jews then second through the Roman Empire.

To quote part of the passage again:

“And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 12:17-13:2)

Now the reason why I quoted the first two verses of Revelation 13 in this passage is to demonstrate that Revelation is using the same imagery of a beast that the Book of Daniel uses. In fact this beast from Revelation shares similar traits from all four of the beasts from the Book of Daniel. This means that the symbol of beast is supposed to be representative of a powerful nation or political organization. In other words the beast is not a person. If you want to dispute this then remember how the Book of Daniel uses beasts to represent empires and the horns of the fourth beast to represent individual rulers.

But my point is that once again since Revelation says this beast rises after Satan fails to use the so-called Jews and the Roman Empire to destroy Israel this then means that the beast cannot be the Roman Empire because obviously the Roman Empire cannot rise “out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1) while it still exists. Then because of this fact when Satan goes “to make war with the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) he is not going to war with Christians in the first or second centuries and is instead going to war with Christians who will be alive in the future when the Roman Empire is no more so that he uses a new beast that rises “out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1) or rather a new powerful nation or political organization that rises out of all the different people groups of the world. Lastly no doubt you may have some issues with this so pay attention to the next section because this section will demonstrate beyond any doubt that my view here is correct.

Fourth as Revelation says:

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13)

“For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:17)

First off in terms of what these passages are talking about I am not going to explain their full meaning now and just like with the previous passages you will have to read my commentary on them later on. Instead I am only going to go over a single idea from each of them that relates to the subject matter at hand.

Next the word translated as a kingdom in the first passage and kingdom in the second passage is basileian (βασιλείαν) which can be better understood to mean kingship, sovereignty, rule or royal power. Thus the first passage is talking about ten kings who have not yet received royal power so that they are not actually kings now and instead they will be kings in the future. Then in terms of the power they will receive they will not have it for long because their only purpose to receiving royal power is so that they can give their power to the beast so that the will of God can be fulfilled.

Alright but what does this mean and how does it relate to what I said about how the Roman Empire cannot be the beast? Well it is quite obvious. The passage is saying that the ten kings who are to give their power to the beast “have not yet received” (Revelation 17:12) their royal power and that instead they will only receive their royal power in the future at some point. Therefore this means that the beast cannot be the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire already had power when Revelation was written. Let me just reiterate this point because it is so important and easy to miss. The beast cannot be the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire had power when Revelation was written while Revelation says these ten kings will give their power to the beast in the future. In other words if Revelation speaks of the beast as something yet to come that does not have power then how could the Roman Empire be the beast if it already had power? Once again obviously it cannot be the beast.

But what about the emperor of Rome? Well the beast also cannot be a Roman emperor because the Roman emperor received power through either birthright or adoption in the case of the continuation of a dynasty or through the support of the Roman army in the case of a new dynasty. Thus there were no kings across the whole Roman Empire who gave their power to the emperor of Rome so that he could become emperor because the Roman Empire was not a democracy. But what about Roman governors and client kings? Could it not be the case that Revelation is talking about the governors and client kings of Roman provinces supporting a new emperor? Well no. First off in terms of governors the Greek word used in the New Testament for governor is hēgemoni (ἡγεμόνι) which is obviously not the word translated as king which is basileus (βασιλεύς) in this passage so the passage is talking about kings and not governors. Next even client kings were more like governors and not kings with royal power as we think of them today since Rome and the emperor could remove any client king they wished. Lastly governors and client kings did not give their power to the emperor of Rome. Instead the exact opposite was true because Roman emperors would delegate their supreme authority to trustworthy governors and client kings.

Furthermore I would like to point out that this passage is saying that these kings “have not yet received” (Revelation 17:12) royal power. This means that even if you want to claim I am wrong considering what I said about how the Roman Empire already had power when Revelation written and how the Roman emperor did not receive power from kings let alone all or many kings then the beast still cannot be anywhere near the first century. This is because it takes decades for kings to die so that there can be new kings in the world who were not ruling when Revelation was written so that “have not yet received” (Revelation 17:12) royal power can be true. For instance the Roman client king of Judea at the turn of the millennium was Herod the Great and he ruled for over thirty years. This means that you really cannot place the rise of the beast within say fifty years of Revelation being written because it would take decades for all the kings who were alive when Revelation was written.

Then as an aside in terms of Herod the Great he only received power because his father’s good relations with Roman dictator Julius Caesar and by being appointed first governor by Roman authorities and then later king of the Jews by the Roman senate. Thus it is like I said above, the Romans gave power to client kings and the Roman emperors let alone the empire itself did not receive power from client kings because it already had all the power. This power of course almost entirely came from the Roman army and the many legions that made it up since with the legions Rome could put down almost any group of people who stood opposed to the authority of the Roman Empire and the emperor. Then ironically enough the greatest threat to the Roman Empire and Roman power for hundreds of years was never a foreign nation let alone the occasional rebel province but instead it was the Roman Empire itself. This is because power in the Roman Empire rested in the army and the legions so whoever had the loyalty of the army had power. As a result of this whenever there was a disagreement in the army over who should be emperor there were absolutely devastating civil wars that would actually weaken the empire to such an extent later on that it would be one of the main reasons for it’s decline and susceptibility to foreign invasions. Thus there were no kings who gave their power to the emperor let alone the empire.

Therefore because of all this the beast cannot be the Roman Empire and it cannot be a Roman emperor either. Again the Roman Empire already had all the power so it did not need any more power and the emperor received his power either through birth, adoption or support of enough of the military. On the other hand Revelation says that “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast” (Revelation 17:12) and “God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:17) Really it is that simple and this is all there is to it. The beast does not and cannot have anything to do with Rome, the Roman Empire or the emperor.

Now you may dispute what I am saying by trying to twist the text because you are so sure Revelation is about Rome based on some other passages. However instead of going over why this belief is wrong here I will go over each of the passages you are thinking of at the appropriate time so just be patient. That said I will say the next and last section will firmly demonstrate that I am correct concerning the “ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom” (Revelation 17:12) and how Revelation is talking about the rise of a global power hundreds or even thousands of years into the future instead of about an empire that was already around.

Fifth and finally as Revelation says:

“After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)

“Then one of the elders addressed me: ‘These in white robes,’ he asked, ‘who are they, and where have they come from?’

‘Sir,’ I answered, ‘you know.’

So he replied, ‘These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:13-14)

First off just like in the previous section concerning the beast and how “it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) the first verse in this section also uses repetition in order to provide clarification that it is indeed talking about people from every people group on earth. Thus the same idea applies to this passage as well. However this is not the main point. Instead the main point of these two passages is that they essentially prove beyond any doubt that the prophecies of Revelation do not concern the first or even second centuries alone. This is because they speak of “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) who are spiritually in heaven as a result of their faith in Jesus. Also I would like to point out that these faithful Christians are spiritually in heaven because the resurrection has not happened yet. Keep this fact in mind because it is important.

But in terms of my point here there were probably less than ten thousand Christians alive on earth by the end of the first century AD which was around the time the Book of Revelation was written. Sure you may disagree with this and could claim there were a hundred of thousand, even though such a claim would be completely wrong, but even this much larger number changes nothing. This is because even if you were to say that there were a hundred thousand Christians who were alive at the end of the first century AD this would mean that there would maybe be say three-hundred thousand at the absolute most who were now dead. Although keep in mind the actual number of Christians who were dead by the end of the first century AD was probably thirty-thousand at the absolute most.

So what is my point here? Well my point is that even a few hundred-thousand Christians who are now spiritually in heaven because they died on earth do not qualify as “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) which Revelation uses in this passage. Therefore this then means that Revelation cannot possibly be talking about the first or second century AD because once again there were never that many Christians in the first century AD when Revelation was written. Instead the only time in which there could possibly be “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) would be hundreds or even thousands of years into the future after Christianity spread to “every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) so that there would be hundreds of millions if not billions of Christians who came “out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:13) by dying on earth so that they can spiritually go to heaven.

Now no doubt you have some questions about this conclusion or you may even entirely dispute it so I am now going to answer your issues. First off you may claim that “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) could just refer to thousands of Christians which would then mean that it would be possible for the prophecies of Revelation to apply to the first century AD. However Revelation actually uses very large numbers which would indicate that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is in fact much larger than these other numbers it gives.

As Revelation says:

“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:” (Revelation 7:4)

“Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.

And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” (Revelation 14:1-3)

As I said in my chapter on the important symbols of Revelation 144 is a symbol that represents the Israel of the Old Testament and the Israel of the New Testament or the Church so that there is a single united Israel that exists from the time of Israel or Jacob to the present day and to the future. If you take issue with this then just accept it as given for now because I go into it later on in my commentary. But in terms of the different between the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) and the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) the multitude are all faithful Christians who have died on earth over the last two thousand years while the 144,000 are the few faithful Christians who will live in the final days before Jesus returns to destroy the beasts. This is why there is such a disparity in the difference between the two numbers because the idea is that the multitude is the great strength and triumph of Israel or the Church on earth and how people “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) have become part of God’s people while the 144,000 are representative of the weakness of Israel or the Church in the last days as the beasts of Revelation 13 reign over the world and work so-called miracles in order to get all the people of the world to worship the first beast as a so-called god. That said my point here with these two passages concerning the 144,000 is that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) must be much much greater than 144,000 because otherwise Revelation would have given a number instead of just saying it is a number “too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) as the passage says.

Then as Revelation also says:

“And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.” (Revelation 9:16)

The number translated as two hundred million is more accurately translated as twice a myriad myriad or rather twice ten-thousand ten-thousands since myriad means ten-thousand. Now this number is actually figurative and non-literal as you can probably tell and as I explain later on. However my point here is that Revelation uses the word myriad or a group of ten-thousand in order to quantify a number. Therefore the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) must be larger than even a myriad myriad or one-hundred million, figuratively speaking of course, because otherwise Revelation 7 would have used a myriad myriad in order to describe the number instead of saying that it is “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) as the passage says.

Therefore as a result of these two points the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) must number well into the hundreds of millions or even billions. Then of course as I said previously such a number of Christians who have died and spiritually gone to heaven so that they could join the great multitude could only happen after many hundreds or even thousands of years. Really there is no disputing this fact.

Alright now the second and last main issue you might have is that this great multitude does not represent Christians who have died in the first century and instead it represents Christians who have died from the first century to the present day and into the future. Alternatively you might say that the great multitude would be more representative of the hope of the growth of the future Israel or Church rather than being an actual prophecy. Now these issues might sounds nonsensical but it is still important to go over why they are nonsensical.

As Revelation says:

“Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying:

‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will never ring out in you again.
Nor will any craftsmen of any trade
be found in you again,
nor the sound of a millstone
be heard in you again.
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again,
and the voices of a bride and bridegroom
will never call out in you again.
For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.’

And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:

‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
For His judgments are true and just.
He has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.’

And a second time they called out: ‘Hallelujah!

Her smoke rises forever and ever.’” (Revelation 18:21-19:3)

In this passage the angel announces judgment against the great prostitute and then as a result she is killed and judged by God for her many sins. Then after the great prostitute is killed so that “all who had been slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:24) can be seen in her. As a result the “great multitude in heaven” (Revelation 19:1) praise God for killing and judging the great prostitute.

Next as Revelation goes on to say:

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Revelation 19:19-21)

In this passage Jesus returns to destroy the first beast and second beast, or false prophet, after God has killed and judged the great prostitute. Then also keep in mind that the “great multitude in heaven” (Revelation 19:1) that praised God for killing the great prostitute in the previous passage do so before Jesus returns to destroy the beasts in this passage.

Alright so what does this all mean exactly? Well this means that the two issues I cited above are nonsensical since the two beasts will not be destroyed by Jesus until the “great multitude in heaven” (Revelation 19:1) celebrate after God kills the great prostitute. In other words this means that that the great multitude are not future Christians who are alive after Jesus returns to destroy the beasts like some preterists like to claim and they are also not representative of the hope of the growth of the future Israel or Church rather than being an actual prophecy. Again this is because the “great multitude in heaven” (Revelation 19:1) celebrate God killing the great prostitute before Jesus returns to destroy the two beasts.

Therefore all this means that a number of Christians that number “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) need to die on earth so that they spiritually go to heaven before God kills the great prostitute and before Jesus returns to destroy the first and second beasts of Revelation 13.

As a result of this last point and all the previous points the prophecies of the Book of Revelation were never supposed to be fulfilled in the first or second centuries AD and most importantly Jesus was never supposed to return soon. Instead the central prophecies of the Book of Revelation that relate to the great prostitute and the beast could only have a chance at being fulfilled hundreds if not thousands of years after the first century AD due to what Revelation says must come to pass before these things can happen.

Alright but if what I am saying is true then why have both preterists and secular historians been so confused so that they believe Revelation is about Rome? Well really there are two verses that they pick out in order to demonstrate their now obviously wrong claim.

As Revelation says:

“Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18)

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.” (Revelation 17:9)

In terms of what preterists and secular historians believe the idea in the first verse is that 666 means Nero Caesar by means of writing Nero Caesar, the name and title of the Roman emperor Nero, in Aramaic or Hebrew and adding up the sum of the values of each letter using gematria. Then for the second verse the idea is that the city of Rome was a city built upon seven hills or mountains so therefore the woman in this verse or the great prostitute must be the city of Rome. Sounds convincing right? I certainly hope not because you should know better after reading my chapter on the important symbols of Revelation so that you are not fooled by such coincidences.

So how I can so arrogantly say that preterists and secular historians are completely wrong here? Well you see these two verses explicitly tell you how you should view what follows by saying that you need sophia (σοφία) or wisdom, insight, skill or intelligence. Next you have to understand that gematria was not just commonly understood among Hebrews but it was also commonly understood among Greeks. This fact is evidenced by graffiti that has been found across the ancient Roman world that uses gematria to refer to people with numbers. Then this is to say nothing of the Hebrews who were highly engaged in gematria and numerology from people’s names. Next in terms of the city of Rome everyone in the Roman Empire knew that Rome was the city that was built on seven hills. Yes everyone knew about it to the point that if someone spoke about the city on seven hills then everyone would assume they are speaking about Rome. In other words what I am saying is that gematria and the seven hills of Rome were not secrets and that instead they were very obvious things that basically everyone knew about and understood.

So what does this mean exactly? Well you see Revelation specifically says that you need sophia (σοφία) or wisdom, insight, skill or intelligence in order to understand what 666 and the “seven mountains on which the woman sits” (Revelation 17:9) mean. Thus you can see the problem. I mean why would Revelation say you need wisdom, insight, skill or intelligence in order to understand something as obvious as the seven hills of Rome and gematria with the name of the most famous person in the Roman Empire if everyone already knew about it? Therefore the obvious interpretation must be wrong because you do not need wisdom or intelligence to see this meaning.

Now no doubt you have more questions especially related to the reference to calculate in Revelation 13:18 so just know I go over these additional questions later on in my commentary since I do not want this to be too long. That said just to reiterate my point since it is so important. When Revelation says you need sophia (σοφία) or wisdom, insight, skill or intelligence to understand what 666 and the “seven mountains on which the woman sits” (Revelation 17:9) mean it is saying that the true meaning is not obvious so that you actually need real wisdom or insight in order to know what they mean. Therefore this is why I said that prevailing view of preterists and secular historians is wrong since as I said gematria and the seven hills of Rome were so obvious to people in the first century AD that they did not need wisdom or insight in order to understand them. This then means that you cannot use 666 and the “seven mountains on which the woman sits” (Revelation 17:9) in order definitively say that the beast is a Roman emperor and the great prostitute is the city of Rome. As a result all this my points concerning the five sections and the various passages I quoted from still stand.

Now to summarize these five points. First the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) Second the beast will have authority “over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7) Third Satan will “make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) Fourth there will be “ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.” (Revelation 17:12) Then fifth enough Christians need to pass away on earth so that there is “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9)

Then as a result of these five points the central prophecies about the beast and the great prostitute in the Book of Revelation cannot be about the Roman Empire because it would take hundreds if not thousands of years for these things to be fulfilled at the minimum from the perspective of when Revelation was written. This then means that when Revelation says “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) and “Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7) that we should not see soon or tachos (τάχος) as meaning soon or near in time and that instead we should see it as meaning something different.

So what does soon or tachos (τάχος) mean exactly then? I mean how could around two-thousand years be considered soon? Before I explain what it means I would like to say that this is actually a problem that many Christians in the first and second centuries had an issue with because many if not most of them mistakenly believed that Jesus would return with in their lifetimes. I mean even some of the apostles like Paul and Peter, if you want to assume Peter wrote First Peter that is, believed that Jesus was going to return in their lifetimes. Obviously they were wrong since Jesus has not returned yet and obviously they were wrong to think such a thing based on what you have read so far and as you will later read in my commentary on the Olivet Discourse as given in Matthew 24. That said this disappointment led to the author of Second Peter, which is almost certainly a forgery, try to desperately make sense of the failure of Jesus to return.

As Second Peter says:

“Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

Then as the Psalms say:

“For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.” (Psalms 90:4)

Thus the author of Second Peter is clearly referencing the Psalms in his letter. But in terms of the idea at hand really the author is trying to use the Psalm in question to explain why God has not sent Jesus to return to the earth to usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God yet by saying that from God’s perspective even a thousand years is as short as a day. Now at first this line of reasoning may sound convincing to you but honestly to me it is basically nonsensical in light of the five points I made above. This is because the number of years that have passed since Jesus’s resurrection is irrelevant if what Revelation and the gospels say must happen have not happened yet. In other words who cares about the number of years if we have yet to see the beast rise and reign over all the world? So you can see why it does not matter when Jesus will return in my view and why we should not be counting down.

Next the meaning of the Greek word tachos (τάχος) is actually demonstrated to be rather far away rather than soon in the Greek translation of the Book of Isaiah when it is said that Isaiah wrote the following prophecy around two-hundred years before it actually happened.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.” (Isaiah 13:22)

In this verse the Greek translation of the Old Testament, or the Septuagint, that was around in the first century AD uses the word tachos (τάχος) for the phrase that is translated from Hebrew as “at hand” (Isaiah 13:22). Therefore you could say that if around two-hundred years is also considered to be soon then around two-thousand years could also be considered soon.

So what does soon or tachos (τάχος) mean then? In short the most direct translation would be perhaps quickly so that “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) would become what must quickly come to pass. This would then mean that Revelation is describing how quickly the main prophecies will take place. In other words the idea would be that once the first beast rises it may only be a short time until Jesus returns to destroy it. Then if the beast will be an ASI and given the rapid development in technology it is possible for this to be the case.

However this view ends up running into a major problem since the word tachos (τάχος) is not always used to describe the speed or the time in which the prophecies will be fulfilled.

As Revelation says:

“Then he told me, ‘Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.’” (Revelation 22:10)

In this verse the word translated as near is eggus (ἐγγύς) which means near or close in time or place. Therefore this would mean that Revelation is talking about the major prophecies taking place near in time rather than describing how quickly they are to unfold in the future.

Alright so what does this mean exactly? Well really I would say the meaning of the words tachos (τάχος) and eggus (ἐγγύς) are irrelevant because they are not supposed to be taken literally with respect to time as we see it today. Instead they are supposed to be viewed figuratively and spiritually with respect to God promising us that the prophecies of Revelation will be fulfilled. This is because it is abundantly and even undeniably clear in the five points I went over that the central prophecies concerning the beast and the great prostitute could never have been fulfilled in the first century AD because the physical realities for their fulfillment were not even close to happening as I demonstrated.

Then in terms of the figurative and spiritual meaning of these words translated as soon and near I would say that God is trying to make sure that readers of Revelation always remain hopeful as we look forward to Jesus’s return because we as Christians are always supposed to be ready for His second coming. In other words by saying soon God is giving hope to Christians in all times that Jesus is always returning soon. Thus it could be considered more as a promise that Jesus is returning rather than as in indication of the time period in which He will return. The events “must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) because they have been ordained by God Himself and thus cannot be avoided.

Furthermore the usage of soon and near could also be considered a warning to Christians of all time periods that we must always seek to be ready for Jesus’s return so that we are not caught unprepared.

As Jesus warns in Revelation:

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.” (Revelation 16:15)

As I explain later on the idea of Jesus returning like a thief is that He will return at a time in which we least expect Him to return just like how a thief waits until you are asleep or away to strike. Then when Jesus warns against being caught naked He is talking about not doing what you are supposed to be doing as a Christian when He finally returns.

As Jesus also warns in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

First off in terms of what exactly we are supposed to do as Christians I talk about this subject a bit in the rest of this commentary but really I have an entire part that is significantly dedicated to this subject called Various Insights. In this part you will have all your questions answered concerning this subject so do not worry about it for now.

Now in terms of topic at hand I believe one of the main reasons why soon and near are used to describe the prophecies of Revelation is so that Christians do not fall asleep as the years pass us by. For instance what if Revelation literally said that the beast will rise around two-thousand years later? In this case how do you think you would behave if you were living in say 500 AD and you knew there were still well over a thousand years to go? Obviously to say you would be at risk of falling asleep as you think of Christianity and Revelation as something irrelevant would be an understatement. Therefore in this case the words soon and near are used because Revelation is not addressed to a single group of Christians and instead it is addressed to all Christians throughout all time periods. As a result of this fact to the last generation of Christians before Jesus returns the time will be literally be soon or near so even if you want to take a literal approach then soon and near would be accurate at some point. You may doubt this view and believe that Revelation only concerns Christians living in the first century AD because of the seven letters to the seven churches found later on in Revelation. However as I say there those who make such a claim do not understand what the number seven means. So as you know seven is representative of completeness, every or all so the idea with the seven letters to the seven churches is that Jesus is writing a complete letter that is addressed to all churches. Thus you should have the entire Church as a whole in view and not specific churches. Then because of this fact it would be accurate to say that the Book of Revelation was also written for us living almost two-thousand years after it was written.

If you doubt this interpretation of the meaning of soon and near then consider the following passage from Revelation. But before you read I would like to emphasize that this occurs after the first resurrection, the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, the second resurrection and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.

As Revelation says:

“Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

Then the angel said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.’” (Revelation 22:1-6)

So what is my point? Well my point is that immediately after describing the “river of the water of life” (Revelation 22:1) and the “tree of life” (Revelation 22:2) in the new Jerusalem the angel says to John that this is to “soon take place.” (Revelation 22:6) This is interesting because as I pointed out before you read this passage this part of Revelation takes place after the first resurrection, the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, the second resurrection and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. The key event in this list is the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth because if you insist on taking the words of Revelation completely literally, as preterists and secular historians insist upon, then the angel is saying that the faithful will have access to the “river of the water of life” (Revelation 22:1) in the new Jerusalem soon because the angel is talking about “what must soon take place” (Revelation 22:6) even though a literal thousand years would have passed from the time when Jesus returned to destroy the beasts and the time when the faithful will have access to the “river of the water of life” (Revelation 22:1) in the new Jerusalem. In other words the angel is saying that the new Jerusalem is soon or in tachei (τάχει) even though according to Revelation the new Jerusalem is set to occur a thousand years after Jesus returns to destroy the beasts. This would then mean that Revelation considers a thousand years to be soon or near.

If you want to dispute this then I would like to once again remind you of the literary device called the inclusio that I spoke about at the start of this comment. The idea here is that by including references to events happening soon or near at the start and end of the book Revelation is saying that everything inside these references is near and will happen soon. These events would of course include everything before and after the thousand year reign. Thus it really does not matter how you want to look at it because in the end Revelation considers a thousand years to be soon or near.

But the question then remains why does Revelation consider a thousand years to be soon or near? I mean how exactly could a thousand years be considered soon or near? Well it is just like I said. Soon and near are being used in a more figurative and spiritual sense as a way to promise and reassure the faithful that everything we have read about will come to pass because God has predetermined it is all to come to pass. Then of course it is also a way to help make sure the faithful are always ready for when Jesus will return so that we are not caught naked or unprepared. Therefore Revelation is not using soon or near literally and we should not view these words as being used literally.

Finally if you are still bothered by Revelation saying “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) you need to understand the nature of the beast or what I believe will be an artificial super intelligence. Essentially an ASI is an AI that vastly exceeds the most intelligent humans in the world in intellectual ability. In other words think of an ASI as the sum all human so-called experts combined into a single entity that seemingly knows everything there is to know. Then if the first beast really will be an ASI then how does it make sense to say that Revelation is supposed to be easy to understand so that the truth of it can be gauged from a secular perspective? What I mean here is that if God has predestined the beast to destruction due to it’s future rebellion against God then obviously the beast must find some reason to not believe in God right? Therefore would it not make sense for God to give the Book of Revelation in such a way as to make it confusing so that you cannot look at it from a secular perspective and so that it appears as a failed prophecy to those who are spiritually blind? For instance if the Book of Revelation did not appear to be written about events in the first century AD and instead it clearly said what was going to happen around two thousand years later so that it would be obvious to everyone then why would the beast refuse to believe in God in the face of such a clear prophecy? Therefore I believe God purposefully made Revelation confusing so that you cannot understand it from a strict literal perspective and instead you need to understand it from a spiritual perspective.

As Jesus says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7)

Here Jesus is not talking about having a physical ear and instead He is talking about having a spiritual ear so that you can hear what the Spirit speaks to you through the text of Revelation. This is why you need to understand Revelation from a spiritual perspective and why it is not possible to understand Revelation from a secular perspective.

Therefore lastly you will either see the spiritual truth in what Revelation says and what I have written concerning “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) or you will not. If you do not then in truth I really do not know what else to say to you to try to change your mind because I have tried my best. On the other hand if you do see the truth behind what I have said then I hope you found this comment insightful and enjoyed reading it.

(1) “He made it known by sending His angel” – An angel guides John through his vision while serving as God’s messenger. In the Bible angels are heavenly messengers and emissaries that carry out the will of God. This fact can be clearly seen later on in Revelation where angels sound the seven trumpets, pour out the seven bowls of wrath, are given authority to kill a third of mankind and more as they carry out and fulfill the will of God on earth. Then in terms of the rest of the Bible angels also serve a similar purpose except that their role focuses more on being messengers instead of the heralds judgment specifically since Revelation is an apocalypse, or an unveiling, that concerns the end of the age.

(1) “to His servant John” – John could refer to the apostle John who was one of the twelve disciples as is commonly thought among Christians or the John of Revelation could be an entirely different John. Really we cannot know for sure if the apostle John wrote Revelation because John of Revelation never says who he is specifically. So which John do I think wrote Revelation? First off the only real evidence for attributing the Book of Revelation to the apostle John would be that some Christians writing in the second century AD attribute the Book of Revelation to the apostle John. Although even here there is much debate here since Papias differentiates between John the apostle and a John that is called the presbyter, or elder, who he says wrote Revelation. Then Irenaeus also differentiates between the apostles and someone who he calls the disciple of the Lord who he says wrote Revelation.

Next based upon the text of Revelation itself it is unlikely the author was the apostle John and instead a different Christian named John wrote Revelation.

As Revelation says:

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.” (Revelation 4:4)

Now at first you may not understand how this passage is applicable but if you remember the symbolism of the number twenty-four you will realize that these twenty-four elders are representative of the Israel of the Old Testament or ancient Israel and the Israel of the New Testament or the Church. The idea here is that the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Jesus are representative of all of Israel as they sit on the thrones.

Then as Jesus says:

“Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)

So what I am saying is that if the John of Revelation was the apostle John then he would see himself seated on one of the thrones since he would be one of the apostles among the twelve apostles and the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.

As a result of all this I would say that the apostle John was not the author of Revelation and that instead a different John, the John of Revelation, John the elder or John of Patmos as historians call him, was the author of Revelation. Now really we do not know anything about the John of Revelation other than what Revelation says so I do not think the identity of the author is really that important.

Now you may find the idea that the author of the Book of Revelation was not the apostle John to be offensive or even blasphemous in the sense that if one of the twelve apostles did not write Revelation then Revelation must be wrong. However I would say to you that can God not do as He pleases and give prophecy to whoever He desires? I mean why would only the twelve apostles be fit to be given knowledge about the future? Thus really this objection and line of reasoning does not make sense to me. Instead I hold to the belief that God is free to give whatever prophecy He wants to whomever He wants. Therefore whoever wrote Revelation does not matter to me.

However in response to this you may object by claiming that we cannot know if something is true or not if an apostle did not write it. But really I find this line of reasoning to be highly erroneous because it assumes that God will only communicate through one of the apostles so therefore we are justified in rejecting everything not written by an apostle. But like I just asked above why would only the twelve apostles be fit to be given knowledge about the future in the form of prophecy? Thus instead I strongly believe the most wise course of action with regards to prophecy is to test each prophecy to see how it lines up with the scriptures of the Old Testament, the gospels and what we see in the world around us.

As Paul wrote:

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

Furthermore I would like to say that the Bible is not inerrant, or without error, in all that is says and teaches. Now this is a rather significant subject to discuss so you will just have to wait to read my chapter on it in my part called Various Insights so just accept what I am saying as true for now. But my point here is that because of this fact I do not see why even the genuine works of the apostles should be privileged and held in high regard solely on the basis of the name attached to the work.

So if you are still bothered by what I have said here then I strongly encourage you to test everything you read in Revelation and in my commentary for yourself so that you can discover and see the truth in it with your own eyes. If you do this then I am certain that you will come to the inescapable conclusion that the Book of Revelation is directly from God and that as a result the John of Revelation is a prophet. Then after you come to this conclusion you should no longer be bothered by the idea that the apostle John did not write Revelation and that instead a different John wrote it.

(2) “who testifies to everything he saw.” – John testifies that everything he saw in his vision, as told in the rest of Revelation, is true. Now at first this may not seem like that big of a deal for John to testify to everything he saw so that he says it is all true in light of what I said with regards to who John is in the previous comment. I mean if John is John of Revelation or of Patmos and not John the apostle then how can we trust what he is saying? But you see it is obvious from the text of Revelation that John is a faithful Christian and that He lives to serve God. For instance as I noted earlier John calls himself a slave of God and of Christ which means that John considers himself to be completely devoted to God. This then means that it is extremely unlikely for John to be lying and not telling the truth because he is staking his eternal life on what he wrote being true. This is because if John was lying and made up all of Revelation then surely he would know that God would destroy him for speaking such lies. Therefore because of all this you should place great weight on John’s testimony here.

However if you still take issue with John’s testimony here then I encourage you to test what he has written so that you can discover the truth of it for yourself. Or you could simply read the rest of my commentary since I obviously go over all of Revelation and hence test it for you.

(2) “This is the word of God” – As I commented previously the Book of Revelation is the direct word of God. Therefore you should read it very carefully and pay closer attention to it than any of the epistles or letters of the New Testament. Although the epistles can be helpful in some aspects they are not the direct “word of God” like Revelation is. Furthermore the epistles and even the gospels themselves have their own issues associated with them which I fully explain later on in my chapter on biblical inerrancy and infallibility in the part called Various Insights. But the main idea I want you to get here is that the Book of Revelation is the only book in the New Testament that can be considered the direct word of God. Therefore you should view Revelation as the most worthwhile and important book in the New Testament and even the Bible as a whole.

(2) “and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” – Since Revelation “is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants” (Revelation 1:1) this would mean that it is also the testimony of Jesus since God has given us Revelation through Jesus. Now in terms of what testimony means here it is best to think of it as Jesus testifying concerning the will of God and what God has determined that “must soon come to pass.” (Revelation 1:1) Therefore you should see the rest of Revelation as Jesus speaking to us concerning the will of God and what must happen before He returns to usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God.

(3) “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it” – First off this verse is the only time in the entire Bible a blessing is given for reading and understanding a book of the Bible. Next this is the first of seven blessings found in Revelation. The other six blessings are found in Revelation 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7 and 22:14. Since there are seven blessings in total and seven represents completeness you will be completely blessed by God for reading Revelation and obeying what is in it.

But what does this blessing entail? Well based on the fact that Revelation is a warning to the faithful about what is yet to happen by simply reading the text and understanding it you will become blessed as you become aware of the true nature of the world and how things are to end. The idea is that you will become equipped with the spiritual knowledge you need in order to know what the first beast of Revelation 13 is, how you can overcome its awesome power and how you can resist the allure and temptation of the great prostitute. Then of course this is all so that you can receive all the rewards that God has laid out for those who overcome the power of the beast and of Satan himself.

(3) “because the time is near” – As I said previously soon does not mean soon and near does not mean near in Revelation. Instead the usage of soon and near is supposed to impress upon us that we always need to be ready for Jesus to return at the end of the age. This is because Jesus will return “like a thief” (Revelation 16:15) so therefore Christians of all time periods must always remain vigilant until Jesus returns since the time is always near.

Then as Jesus also says:

“For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

Therefore once again Jesus will return when the world at large, even among Christians, least expects Him to. This is once again why near is not referring to a time near to when Revelation was written since many if not most Christians thought the end was literally near in the first century AD. Therefore always remember to not lose sight of the fact that “the time is near” so that you do not fall asleep as we get closer to when the first beast will arise.

2 – John Greets the Seven Churches

(4) John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, (6) who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

(7) Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

(8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

2.1 – Commentary

(4) “John” – John of Revelation is is addressing “the seven Churches” (Revelation 1:4) or the entire Church and all Christians.

(4) “To the seven churches” – In Revelation “the seven churches” (Revelation 1:4) refers to not only all churches when Revelation was written but to all churches into the future as well because the number seven is representative of completeness, every or all. If Revelation only had in mind churches in the first century AD then it would say ten churches instead of seven churches since ten is symbolic of a lower level of completeness while seven is symbolic of a higher level of completeness. Therefore once again the usage of the number seven would include all churches throughout all time. Thus when Jesus tells a church He is coming soon He is actually saying it to all churches in the future even thousands of years later. Then as I said before Jesus says soon because Christians are always supposed to be ready for His second coming.

(4) “churches” – A church in the first century was simply a group of believers who met wherever they could, often in someone’s house, to read the scriptures aloud and discuss spiritual matters.

As Paul wrote in Philemon:

“To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house:” (Philemon 1:1-2)

Thus a church in the first century AD was closer to having friends and family over for dinner rather than a place where hundreds or even thousands of people come together in a grand building. So this is why a group of several people meeting at someone’s house can actually be considered a church.

Next the world translated as church is ekklesia (ἐκκλησία) which essentially means an assembly, a congregation or a gathering of people. This means that you should not view a church or even the Church as we see it today with respect to it being a hierarchical and central organization. Instead a church and the Church simply refers to a small group of Christians who meet together and the body or assembly of all faithful Christians as a whole respectively. This means that the only requirement you need to meet to belong to the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians is to simply be a faithful Christian. Thus no matter what group you belong to or even how spread out you are geographically you are part of the Church as long as you remain faithful.

As Jesus says:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

The idea here is that you do not need to go to a church to pray and to honor God. Instead Jesus is saying that you should pray alone and in secret so that you pray for the benefit of God alone and not for the benefit of being seen by others as pious and righteous. In other words someone who never goes to a church but prays in private is more righteous than someone who never misses a church service while never praying outside of church. Therefore do not see worshiping God as only attending a church and instead you should worshiping God as something you do in your daily life in private.

(4) “in the province of Asia” – These specific churches which are representative of all churches are in the Roman province of Asia. This area roughly corresponds to the western part of the modern-day country of Turkey.

(4) “from Him who is and was and is to come” – Refers to God or the Father because God is eternal in nature. This is a reference to the Epicurean epitaph, or saying commonly put on tombstones, used in the Roman world of non fui, fui, non sum, non curo or I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care. Then if we alter this saying to make it present tense so that it applies to us it would then be I was not, I am and I will not be. The idea here is that we are mortal and as a result we are represented by the phrase I was not, I am and I will not be since we did not exist before we are born and we will no longer exist after we die. Keep in mind I am ignoring the future resurrection of the dead here and I am only speaking in terms of the present since the resurrection of the dead has not happened yet so therefore those who die in our world today do not exist anymore. Then on the other hand since God was not born and will never die this means that He is someone “who is and was and is to come” (Revelation 1:4) just as this verse says.

(4) “from the seven Spirits before His throne” – Refers to the Holy Spirit since seven represents completeness and the Holy Spirit is a complete Spirit. Later on Revelation explicitly says that “These are the seven Spirits of God.” (Revelation 4:5)

(5) “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” – These are all descriptive titles of Jesus.

(5) “the faithful witness” – Jesus is “the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5) of God who speaks on behalf of God to the world concerning the Kingdom of God and the end of the age. This is then why Revelation later says “His name is The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13) because Jesus is the word of God incarnate in the sense that He is the perfect or “faithful witness” of God. Next the two witnesses in Revelation 11 take on a similar role as they bear witness to the glory of God and speak against the world near the end of the age.

(5) “the firstborn from the dead” – Jesus was the first to be resurrected by God to eternal life in an immortal body. This is the key difference between Jesus and the others who have been raised from the dead because if you take being resurrected from the dead as the sole qualification to be “the firstborn from the dead” (Revelation 1:5) then Jesus is not the firstborn from the dead. This is because in the Old and New Testaments there were others that were resurrected from the dead. For example Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead before before He was raised from the dead by God.

As the Gospel of John says:

“After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’

The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.

‘Unwrap him and let him go,’ Jesus told them.” (John 11:43-44)

Therefore by saying “the firstborn from the dead” (Revelation 1:5) in this verse Revelation is saying that Jesus is the first to be resurrected to eternal life in an immortal body by God instead of the first to be resurrected. Now although Jesus was the first this does not mean He is the only one who will be raised to eternal life. Instead at the end of the age God will resurrect all the faithful to share in eternal life with Jesus in the same type of body. Because of this fact Jesus being “the firstborn from the dead” (Revelation 1:5) is an ever present reminder to us all of God’s promise to resurrect the faithful to eternal life on the day of judgment so we can live with Him in the new Jerusalem in the eternal Kingdom of God.

(5) “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” – Jesus “is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14) even if He is not obviously present now because God has given Him dominion over the world. Therefore it does not matter how powerful the first and second beasts will be or seem because Jesus will be able to destroy them since He is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

(5) “To Him who loves us” – Jesus loves all those who are faithful to Him.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

(5) “and has released us from our sins by His blood” – It is only through the death of Jesus on the cross and our faith in Him that our sins can be forgiven. Thus Jesus has “released us from our sins by His blood” so that we can be counted as righteous by God on the day of judgment and enter the Kingdom of God. This is what is commonly referred to as the atonement. Now the idea of the atonement may not make much sense to you and although I talk about it later on in my part called Various Insights I would just like to say a few words about it here.

The general idea of the atonement is that Jesus was and is the final sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sins. This may not make much sense so you need to understand that the ancient Israelites had to offer animal sacrifices to God in order for their sins to be forgiven. Then since Jesus is the Christ, or the Anointed One God has chosen to represent Him, this means that Jesus is infinitely more valuable to God than any animal. As a result of this Jesus’s death on the cross was a great enough sacrifice for God to forgive all sins forever. Then in order to receive this forgiveness all we have to do is accept this forgiveness by having faith in Jesus.

But why does having faith in Jesus make sense? Well in the Book of Genesis the ultimate sin of Adam and Eve was trusting in themselves more than God so that they believed they would be able to judge good and evil for themselves in the same way God can after eating from the Tree of Knowledge. In other words Adam and Eve had more faith in themselves than in God. Now this relates to the atonement because by having faith in Jesus and His death and resurrection we demonstrate to God that we have more faith in Jesus than in ourselves. Then since Jesus is the Christ this then means that by having faith in Jesus we also have faith in God.

(6) “who has made us to be a kingdom” – First off all faithful Christians who have faith in Jesus will become part of the eternal Kingdom of God. But what does this verse mean by Jesus making “us to be a kingdom” here? Well the word basileian (βασιλείαν) can be better understood to mean kingship, sovereignty, rule or royal power. Thus the idea is that the faithful will be made into a kingdom or a royal power as we rule over the new heavens and the new earth.

As Revelation later says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)

Therefore as I said all faithful Christians are to be made into a kingdom or a royal power as we rule over the new heavens and new earth.

(6) “priests to His God and Father” – There are two meanings of the word priests here. First a priest is someone who offers sacrifices to a deity. Therefore in the context of this verse Revelation is saying that Jesus has made us into kingdom of people who offer sacrifices to God. Now this may not make much sense but the point here is that in order to be a faithful Christian you need to make some sort of sacrifice. For example resisting temptation and not giving into the beast would be an example of a sacrifice because by resisting temptation in this case you would need to turn your back on all that the beast can do for you or rather sacrifice what the beast can do for you. Second a priest is also someone who serves a deity. Therefore in this case Revelation is saying that Jesus has made us into a kingdom of people who serve God. Then serving God would refer to carrying out and fulfilling the will of God in the world. So because of this fact we would be priests of God here on earth as we seek to carry out the will of God in our lives then additionally we would also be priests to God in the new heavens and the new earth where we will also carry out His will as well.

(6) “His God and Father” – First off I would like to say that this comment is highly controversial and quite long but I believe it must be said. In fact I would say that this comment is so controversial that many of you will probably not finish reading it. Therefore I would like to ask you to give me a chance to explain myself here before you give up on what I have to say.

But what am I talking about? Well despite the Christology, or view of Jesus, being very high in Revelation where Jesus is said to have the power and authority of God it is important to point out that in even Revelation Jesus is not equal to God or the Father. Wait what? Well you see this verse demonstrates this fact by saying “His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6) because God or the Father is still the God of Jesus. If you protest this and you believe that Jesus is actually God then how could God be His own God? Furthermore I would also like to point out that you cannot attempt to reconcile this verse by saying that John is talking about what those who hold to the so-called doctrine of the trinity would call the godhead because John is saying the Father is Jesus’s God and he is not talking about the so-called godhead. Therefore as controversial as it may be to say John is calling God or the Father Jesus’s “God and Father” (Revelation 1:6) because Jesus is not God and instead God is “His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6) just as Revelation says here.

What does this mean? Well in short this means that the so-called doctrine of the trinity is just that a so-called doctrine because it is undeniably false. But since this is such a controversial statement to make I am now going to review all the major passages that are used to support or disprove the so-called doctrine of the trinity so that you can see for yourself that the so-called doctrine of the trinity is clearly and unambiguously false. Now I realize you might be skeptical of this especially if you consider yourself well read with regards to the Bible and Christian theology. Then yes I also realize that the vast majority of Christians throughout history consider the so-called doctrine of the trinity to be one of the foundational beliefs in Christianity. However based upon what the text of the Bible actually says the trinity cannot be true. Therefore I would once again like to ask you to just humor me here if you are skeptical of what I am saying so that you do not stop reading.

Now before I can get into disproving the so-called doctrine of the trinity it would help to first define what the trinity is so that I have a set of claims that I can disprove. Essentially the so-called doctrine of the trinity states that there is one God existing in three coequal persons in the form of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The key here is that those who hold to so-called doctrine of the trinity believe that God the Father is God, that God the Son is God and that God the Holy Spirit is God so that all three are equally God. In other words the idea is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equally omnipotent or all powerful, omniscient or all knowing, and eternal or having always existed. This is what the trinity is supposed to be and what actual trinitarians believe.

Alright now this may make sense to you and you may even agree with the so-called doctrine of the trinity. However just as it is important to say what the trinity is so that I can disprove it as a false doctrine it is also important to talk about what the trinity is not. In short the trinity is not simply a reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now you may be confused by this so consider the following passages.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Then as Second Corinthians says:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

And lastly as the Book of Revelation says:

“Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:4-5)

Now at first you may mistakenly believe that these passages so-called prove the trinity because they are referring to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit together in a single sentence. However this is not what the trinity is. Instead the so-called doctrine of the trinity says that there is one God that exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit where all three are coequal with each other so that they are all equally God. This then means that so-called doctrine of the trinity is not spelled out or even implied in these passages because these passages do not say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equal. Therefore you cannot claim that these passages refer to the trinity in the slightest.

That said really the only way you could claim that these passages refer to the trinity is if you read them with the presupposition that the tradition of the vast majority of Christians is correct. In other words in order to see the trinity in these passages you must first assume the trinity is true. Now I do not say this to imply you are dogmatic if you see the trinity in these passages. Instead I am only saying it because it is the truth. For example when I wrote my first commentary on the Book of Revelation that was a fraction of the length of the commentary you have been reading I actually mistakenly said Revelation 1:4-5 is a clear reference to the trinity. Yes I really said this and the reason why I am telling it to you because I know full well how presuppositionalism shapes how you see things. This is why I saw the trinity in those two verses because I was looking at those verses from the perspective of the trinity being true. Of course once I started to look at the Bible critically and without my previous presuppositions I came to the undeniable conclusion that the trinity is a false doctrine that cannot be supported with the Bible. Therefore if you mistakenly believe a reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is a reference to the trinity then just know that I made the same mistake you are now making so really you should not feel bad about it.

So if the trinity cannot be found in the previous three passages then what about the passage referring to the trinity in First John?

As First John says:

“For there are three that testify in heaven: The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.” (1 John 5:7-8)

I mean as you can clearly see this passage clearly supports the so-called doctrine of the trinity. However there is a major problem here in that half of this passage is fake since it was not found in the original.

As First John actually says:

“For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.” (1 John 5:7-8)

This fake insertion in the first passage is what is called the Johannine Comma and it was originally a note in the margin of a Latin manuscript in the fourth century AD and was later inserted into the text in the Old Latin Bible in the fifth century AD. From there it entered into the Latin Vulgate manuscript tradition in the ninth century. Then it finally entered the Koine Greek manuscript tradition in the fifteenth century AD. Thus there is zero evidence for the Johannine Comma being genuine and as a result this passage is not evidence for the trinity at all.

If you want to argue against this then no doubt you firmly believe that the Bible is absolutely inerrant, or without error, and that the King James Version is perfect. Then since these two beliefs are so completely absurd and factually wrong I am not going to go into the matter here. Instead I go into how the Bible is not inerrant later on in my part called Various Insights. Then once you understand that the Bible is not without error in all that it says and teaches then you will no longer take issue with me pointing out an inserted error or rather forgery in First John. That said really since the rest of the passages I have to quote from to disprove the trinity so obviously and undeniably disprove the trinity all you need to do is finish reading this comment because once you see that the trinity is not supported at all elsewhere then you will come to the obvious conclusion that the Johannine Comma must then be fake that was inserted by someone centuries later who believed the trinity to be true.

Next since these passages are all the supposed references to the trinity and they do not actually refer to the trinity the only way we can now proceed is to go over indirect references to the trinity. The idea here is that if the trinity is true then the Bible must clearly show that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are equally omnipotent or all powerful, omniscient or all knowing, and eternal. On the other hand if the trinity is false then the Bible must clearly show that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not equally omnipotent, omniscient and eternal. Now of course there is quite literally zero evidence for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit being equally omnipotent, omniscient and eternal so therefore I am going to skip over the classic passages apologists use to support the so-called doctrine of the trinity for now and go over why the trinity is undeniably false first. My idea here is that if I first show you that the supposed members of the trinity are not coequal then you will no longer look at the classic so-called trinitarian passages apologists use through the presupposition of the trinity being true so that you will take my explanation seriously with regards to these so-called trinitarian passages rather than write me off as being biased and wrong.

Alright so in terms of disproving the trinity really there are many different passages to go over that fall into five categories. These five categories are that Jesus is not inherently omniscient, that Jesus is not inherently omnipotent, that Jesus is not equal with the Father or God, that Jesus is not eternal and that the Father or God controls the Holy Spirit. Once you read all the passages in each of these categories and understand what I say about them then you will come to the inescapable conclusion that the trinity is false. I say will here because in truth even the classic passages apologists use to so-called prove the trinity cannot stand up to the passages from these five categories. For example you will come to understand that the common translation of John 1:1 cannot be correct after reading what Jesus actually says elsewhere in the Gospel of John. Therefore I encourage you to pay careful attention to these five categories.

But before going into these five categories I would first like to briefly talk about who Jesus is if He is not literally God so that the subsequent passages make more sense. Now you may have heard Jesus referred to as Jesus Christ before where Christ is His title. So what does Christ mean exactly? Well you see Christ is a translation of the Greek word Christos (Χριστός) which means the Anointed One, the Messiah or the Christ. Essentially the idea of the Anointed One or the Christ is someone whom God has chosen or anointed, hence the Anointed One, to delegate His power and authority to so that the Christ may carry out the will of God on God’s behalf. In other words think of it like a power of attorney agreement between God and the Christ where the Christ is the One whom God is giving the ability to execute His power and authority. This means that although Jesus as the Christ is not literally God so that the so-called doctrine of the trinity is false this does not mean that Jesus is a prophet. Instead this means that Jesus is the Christ so that God has given Him the ability to use the full power and authority of God. Now this may not seem like that big of a difference at least in terms of application but the fundamental difference is massive. If Jesus were to be literally God as the so-called doctrine of the trinity claims then this would mean that Jesus is self-sufficient so that He inherently has power in the sense that He does not receive power from anyone else. However on the other hand in reality with the so-called doctrine of the trinity being false Jesus being the Christ means that God has given Him the ability to use the power and authority of God in order to carry out the will of God. Now all this may seem a bit confusing still but do not worry about it because all the subsequent passages I quote will fully explain what this means as I disprove the so-called doctrine of the trinity as a false doctrine and respond to the passages apologists use to so-called prove the trinity.

First, Jesus is not inherently omniscient or all knowing. This means that God or the Father knows things that Jesus does not know and that in order for Jesus to know something the Father needs to tell Him.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:36-37)

In this passage the “day or hour” (Matthew 24:36) that Jesus is referring to is the time of His return at the end of the age. Thus obviously even Jesus does not know when He is going to return. Instead “only the Father” (Matthew 24:36) or God knows when Jesus is to return. Therefore as a result of this fact Jesus clearly does not know something that God or the Father knows and as a result Jesus is not omniscient. Really there is not much to say here because the passage is very clear that Jesus does not even know when He is to return while the Father or God knows.

Now in response you may claim that this is only because Jesus was on earth and that He was not fully God on earth so as a result He was not omniscient while on earth and instead He is only omniscient while in heaven. However there are two problems with this view. The first is that for the trinity to be true Jesus needs to be coequal with God and eternal. So the issue with this potential response is that you must deny Jesus’s eternal nature so that He ceased to be God while on earth in order to make this response logically work. This response would then mean that you are admitting the trinity is false. Then the second problem is that Jesus is never stated to be omniscient even in heaven on His own as the next passage demonstrates.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass.” (Revelation 1:1)

As I said previously in my commentary on this passage God had to give the prophecies of the Book of Revelation to Jesus because Jesus did not know them before God told Him. In other words Jesus is not omniscient or all knowing because He was not aware of the events that are to occur before and after the end of the age until God told Him. Then in terms of the second problem referenced above in the Book of Revelation Jesus is in heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. This then means that you cannot claim that Jesus was not aware of the date of His return while on earth by saying that He was limited on earth since this passage from Revelation demonstrates that even in heaven Jesus is still dependent upon God or the Father for knowledge about the future. Therefore even when Jesus is in heaven and seated at the right hand of God He is still not omniscient so again you cannot say Jesus is omniscient or all knowing.

Therefore as a result of all these two passages Jesus is not inherently omniscient or all knowing because He has only received what knowledge He has of the future from God or the Father. Then because of this fact the trinity is a false doctrine since in order for the false doctrine of the trinity to be true the Father and Jesus need to be coequal in terms of omniscience so that they are both equally all knowing while in reality Jesus is dependent upon the Father or God for His knowledge about the future.

So what does all this mean? Well really in truth these two passages are all I need to show that the trinity is an undeniably false doctrine. This is because in order for the trinity to be true all three members of the trinity need to be coequal so that they are equally omnipotent, omniscient and eternal. However as I just demonstrated Jesus is clearly not omniscient when compared to God or the Father because He literally says that “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) Therefore the false doctrine of the trinity is well false and nothing further needs to be said. That said I am of course going to continue so that you have zero doubts about the false doctrine of the trinity being false. Really I am just pointing out how easy it is to poke holes in the false doctrine of trinity.

Second, Jesus is not inherently omnipotent or all powerful. This means that God or the Father is more powerful than Jesus so that Jesus is not powerful on His own and instead He is only powerful because of the power that God has granted Him.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.’” (Matthew 28:18)

Jesus says that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to” (Matthew 28:18) Him at the end of the Gospel of Matthew after His resurrection. Thus the idea here is that through His resurrection from the dead God has declared Jesus to be the Christ and thus has given “All authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18) to Him. Now this relates to the trinity being false because this verse means that Jesus did not have “All authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18) before His resurrection and instead He only received this authority from God after God raised Him from the dead. Then it is also important to reiterate that it was obviously God who gave His power and authority to Jesus since God is “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8) and “the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

Next as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.’

On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming!’

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, ‘Why do you harbor evil in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...’ Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.’ And the man got up and went home.

When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” (Matthew 9:1-8)

First off it is important to point out that many of those who hold to the false doctrine of the trinity use Jesus forgiving sins as so-called evidence that Jesus is actually God since according to their view only God can directly forgive sins. However this line of reasoning is just plain wrong. This is because Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given the ability to use His power and authority so that His will can be fulfilled. Again this is what Jesus being the Christ means. Think about it like a power of attorney where God has given Jesus His authority to forgive sins. Therefore Jesus can forgive sins because He is acting on behalf of God. Now you may wish to dispute this but the above passage directly says what I am saying.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” (Matthew 9:8)

The idea here is that after Jesus healed the paralytic the crowd recognized that God has clearly given Him the authority to forgive sins since only someone who has been given power by God could heal a paralytic and if Jesus has been given power from God then He must also be able to forgive sins as well. You cannot dispute this fact because the Gospel of Matthew directly says “When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” (Matthew 9:8) Once again the key part here is that God “had given such authority to men.” (Matthew 9:8)

So what does this then mean? Well this means that Jesus does not have the innate ability or authority to forgive sins in the sense that He uses His own authority to forgive sins. Instead Jesus can forgive sins because as the Christ God has given Jesus His own power and authority to use in order to carry out His will. Therefore because of this fact Jesus is not omnipotent or all powerful because He only possesses the authority that God has given Him.

Next as Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.” (John 3:35)

In the previous passage you may have attempted to rationalize the trinity in your mind by saying that the passage is talking about the so-called godhead of the trinity giving authority to Jesus as a member of the trinity. However this passage demonstrates that this attempt to rationalize the previous passage is objectively wrong. This is because in this passages Jesus says that “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands” (John 3:35) which means that it is not the so-called godhead of the trinity that is giving Jesus His authority and instead the Father or God is the One giving Jesus His authority. Therefore the idea here is that the Father or God inherently has more power and authority than Jesus because once again He is the One giving Jesus His power and authority. This would then of course mean that Jesus is not equal in authority to the Father or God and because of this fact the trinity is false.

Next as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:26-27)

In this passage the first point of note is that God is the source of all life while Jesus is dependent upon the Father for His own life. This once again means that the Father is superior to the Son or Jesus since the only reason why Jesus has life is because the Father or God “has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26) Then in terms of the next verse it obviously says that the Father or God has given Jesus “authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:27) This is what Jesus being the Christ means. As I said before the whole idea behind the Christ is that the Christ is the One whom God has given His “authority to execute judgment” (John 5:27) so that the Christ can carry out the will of God on God’s behalf. This of course means that Jesus as the Christ and the Son of Man is dependent upon God for His “authority to execute judgment” (John 5:27) and because of this Jesus is not equal to God.

Now you still may attempt to hold onto the false doctrine of the trinity and if you do then let me ask you how can God the Father give power to Jesus if Jesus is supposedly literally God so that He is coequal with God the Father and has been for all time? I mean if the trinity is true then this passage is complete and utter nonsense. Now you could attempt to resolve the issue by claiming that this verse is talking about the so-called trinitarian godhead but the issue is that this verse does not say this at all and instead it is talking about the Father as God since it is the Father who “has granted the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26) and it is the Father who “has given” (John 5:27) the Son “authority to execute judgment” (John 5:27) as I have said. Therefore just as I said before appealing to the so-called trinitarian godhead for this passages does not negate what I am saying.

Next as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

In this passage Jesus says that no one can snatch His sheep out of His hand because His “Father who has given them to” (John 20:29) Him “is greater than all.” (John 10:29) Once again the idea here is that Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to because Jesus is saying that because God is God and “greater than all” (John 10:29) then this means that whatever or whomever God gives to Jesus can never be taken away from Him by anyone else. Therefore once again it is clear that Jesus is not inherently powerful on His own and instead He is only powerful because God has given Him His power and authority.

Now you may attempt to dispute this by referencing Jesus saying “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” (John 10:27) However all you would be doing is demonstrating that you do not understand anything you have read so far. As I have said Jesus is the Christ. This means that God has given Jesus His power and authority to use. In other words Jesus is saying that He gives “them eternal life” (John 10:27) because He is carrying out the will of God as the Christ. This is why just after this verse Jesus says “My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all.” (John 10:28) The idea here is that since the Father or God “is greater than all” (John 10:28) this then means that no one should have anything to worry about after they place their faith in Jesus because the Father or God is fully behind Him.

Next as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.” (John 14:27-29)

In the previous passages Jesus only heavily implied that the Father or God is greater than Him. However in this passage passage Jesus directly and unambiguously says “the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Therefore obviously the Father or God is greater than Jesus as I have said. This fact means that Jesus is not God and is not inherently all powerful like God is which then once again means that the false doctrine of the trinity is false. Really it is that simple and there is nothing more to say since Jesus is directly saying “the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Although I would just like to once again point out that Jesus is talking about the Father here and not the so-called trinitarian godhead. Therefore you cannot dispute this passage by saying that Jesus is talking about the so-called godhead and not the Father or God.

Next as Paul wrote in First Corinthians:

“So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)

The key part in this passage is that Paul says “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) The idea here is that the Father is the source of all things because He created the universe and we were created for the Father. Then it is also important to point out that Paul is saying the Father is the one God by saying “one God, the Father” (1 Corinthians 8:6) which then means that Paul did not believe that Jesus was God.

But what about the sentence at the end of the passage? Well here Paul says that “there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) The idea here is that the Father or God created the universe through Jesus and that we also exist through Jesus. The key part as to why this is true is that Paul uses the word ex (ἐξ) which means from or from out of to describe how “all things came” (1 Corinthians 8:6) from or from out of the Father while he uses the word dia (διά) which means through or by the instrumentality of to describe how “all things came” (1 Corinthians 8:6) through or by the instrumentality of Jesus.

Thus what Paul is saying here is that he believes Jesus was created by the “one God, the Father,” (1 Corinthians 8:6) before He created the universe and that after God created Jesus He created the universe and us through Jesus. Now this may sound a bit confusing and you may be wondering why Paul would write such a thing so allow me to explain.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.’

So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)

In this passage from Genesis the plural words Us and Our are used which implies that God is not alone and that there is someone else or others there with Him. This is probably why Paul references all things including us being created by God through Jesus since Paul saw the Us as being the “one God, the Father,” (1 Corinthians 8:6) and the “one Lord, Jesus Christ,” (1 Corinthians 8:6) who were there before God created the universe. Now you still may be confused so allow me to explain. You see Paul’s view of Christ or Jesus was that of a new Adam.

As Paul wrote:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

Thus Paul’s idea is that because Adam was disobedient and unfaithful to God so death entered the world after God cursed it. Then on the other hand due to Jesus’s obedience and faithfulness to God life would be allowed to enter the world starting with Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. However a theological problem arises due to the theology of Paul and other Christians in the first century AD. You see Paul and others believed in divine determinism or the idea that God has predetermined everything from the foundation of the world itself. This means that God has created some people to sin against Him and has created others to be faithful to Him.

As Paul wrote:

“Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ So it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! For He says to Moses:

‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’

So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

One of you will say to me, ‘Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why did You make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?” (Romans 9:10-22)

Thus you can clearly see that Paul believes that it is God who “hardens whom He wants to harden” (Romans 9:18) so that everyone who sins against God only does so because God has determined from the foundation of the world itself that they will sin against Him. Now I realize this is another rather controversial subject that needs another long comment to fully defend and address so I am not going to talk about it more here. Instead I discuss the concept of divine determinism and the idea that God has predetermined everything from when He created the universe itself in my commentary on Revelation 13. Therefore I would just like you to accept what Paul is saying as true for now to make it easier.

Alright so the problem arises in the sense that if God has determined everything from the foundation of the world itself then this would mean that God created Adam and Eve knowing that they would in fact sin against Him. Then because of the fact that God cursed the world itself after Adam and Eve sinned by rebelling against Him this would mean that God created the world with the sole purpose of being cursed by God from the very beginning. Thus you can see the problem here. So the way to resolve this problem is to say that God’s chosen method to deliver salvation to the world, the Christ, was not someone who was created by God after the world and Adam and Eve were created. Thus Paul’s idea is that Jesus, the Christ, was created by God before God created the universe so that although God predetermined that Adam and Eve would be disobedient He also predetermined before creating Adam and Eve that the world would be given salvation by being created through Jesus so that Jesus is at the very center of God’s plan for creation and us. In other words by Jesus existing before the universe was created His perfect obedience to God existed and preceded rather than superseded Adam’s disobedience so that God did not create the world and us to die through Adam and instead God created the world and us to live through Jesus once the appointed time came for Jesus to enter the world to provide the salvation that God planned from the foundation of the world itself.

Thus this is why Paul wrote that “there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) Now this still might be a bit confusing for you but do not worry because I talk more about this later on. Really I just want you to be aware that the whole idea of Jesus existing before the world was created comes from the need to say that God created His plan for salvation for humanity before Adam and Eve rebelled against Him.

But in terms of the false doctrine of the trinity obviously the original passage from First Corinthians shows that “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6) which means that Jesus is not equal in power to God or the Father which then once again means that the trinity is false.

Next as Paul also wrote in First Corinthians:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.

Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put everything under His feet.’ Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

The main point of relevance in this passage is that Paul is saying that although God has given Jesus the ability to exercise His power and authority so that Jesus can “put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25) this still does not mean that Jesus is equal with God or the Father. This is because Paul also says that “when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him.” (1 Corinthians 15:27) Now you may claim that this just means that God or the Father is not under Jesus so that they could still be equal in power and the trinity could still be true. However in the next verse Paul clarifies his position by saying that “when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28) In other words Paul is saying that the Son or Jesus is subject to the Father which of course means that Jesus is not equal in terms of power with the Father or God. Really there is not much to say here since Paul’s position could not be more clear. So therefore this passage clearly demonstrates that the trinity is a false doctrine.

Next as Paul wrote in Philippians:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross.

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the name above all names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)

Now ironically enough many if not most apologists who try to support the now obviously false doctrine of the trinity actually use this passage to support their false claims despite this passage doing the exact opposite. Their idea is that since Paul says Jesus was “existing in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6) that therefore Paul must have believed that Jesus was and is literally God. However the problem here is that immediately after this phrase Paul clarifies what He is talking about by saying that Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6) which means that Jesus was not equal to God before coming to the earth. Now you may dispute this fact but later on Paul says that “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names” (Philippians 2:9) after Jesus’s death and resurrection which means that Jesus was once again not equal to God before or after His resurrection because it is God or the Father who exalted Jesus just as Paul says.

Alright so if this is true then what does Paul mean by “existing in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6) in this passage? Well really this is not easy to understand in the sense that the word translated as God here does not always mean God and instead it can mean god, a deity or the divine depending on how it is used. Therefore you need to understand the context around the word to understand what the author is talking about. So what is Paul’s intended meaning here? Really all Paul is saying is that Jesus was a divine being that was great but not equal to God before He came to earth and that because of His obedience on earth “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,” (Philippians 2:9) or the title of Christ all so “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11) Thus Paul is clearly not saying that Jesus is literally God and there is no possible way you could understand him to mean such a thing unless you read the passage with the presupposition that the trinity is true.

Therefore as a result of all these passages Jesus is not inherently omnipotent or all powerful because He has only received His power and authority from God or the Father. Then because of this fact the trinity is a false doctrine since in order for the false doctrine of the trinity to be true the Father and Jesus need to be coequal in terms of omnipotence so that they are both equally all powerful while in reality Jesus is dependent upon the Father or God for His power and authority.

Third, Jesus is not equal with God or the Father. This means that Jesus is not stated to be equal to God and that instead Jesus even considers the Father to be His God.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. ‘Good Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

‘Why do you call Me good?’ Jesus replied. ‘No one is good except God alone.’” (Mark 10:17-18)

In this passage clearly Jesus does not consider Himself to be equal to God because He says that “No one is good except God alone.” (Mark 10:18) Now if you still hold to the false doctrine of the trinity then no doubt you will take issue with what I am saying here. However instead of defending my explanation here the subsequent passages in this category demonstrate that Jesus actually considers the Father to be His God and that He does not see Himself as being equal to God.

Next as the Gospel of Mark also says:

“Jesus replied, ‘This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.’’” (Mark 12:29)

Although this passage does not really relate to the topic at hand of the lack of equality between God and Jesus it is still important to point out that Jesus believes that God is One and not three.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Get up! Let us go on from here.” (John 14:30-31)

In case you are unaware in this passage “the prince of this world” (John 14:30) refers to Satan who functions as the accuser. This is why Jesus says that Satan “has no claim on Me” (John 14:30) because due to Jesus’s perfect obedience to the will of God there is nothing Satan can use to accuse Jesus of before God or the Father.

Now in terms of the topic at hand in this passage Jesus clearly says “I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me” (John 14:31) which means that Jesus considers the Father to be greater than Himself. I mean if you want to claim that the Father and Jesus are equal as the false doctrine of the trinity claims then how does the Father commanding or ordering Jesus to do something make sense? Then keep in mind that this is the Father we are talking about here and not the so-called trinitarian godhead so you cannot attempt to reconcile the trinity by claiming Jesus is talking about being obedient to the so-called trinitarian godhead. Therefore Jesus is not equal with the Father or God.

Next as the Gospel of John also says:

“When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.’” (John 17:1-5)

To start off this passage overlaps a bit with the previous category but I thought it best to go over both parts here. The first point of note is that Jesus says that the Father has “granted Him authority over all people” (John 17:2) which means that Jesus does not have authority on His own and that instead He only has authority because God has given Him His authority. Then the second point of note is that Jesus considers the Father to be “the only true God” (John 17:3) which means that Jesus is directly saying the trinity is false. Now you may wish to dispute this but I would like to reiterate the fact that Jesus is addressing the Father in this passage which means that He is not addressing the so-called trinitarian godhead. Thus again Jesus considers the Father to be “the only true God” (John 17:3) as I just said. Then the last point of note is that Jesus asks the Father “glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.” (John 17:5) Now I say this is significant because it relates back to the idea of Paul that Jesus is a divine being that God created before He created our universe. It is also important to bring this up because people oftentimes mistakenly believe that if Jesus was with God before the universe was created then this therefore means that Jesus is literally God. However all this means instead is that Jesus was created by God as a great divine being before He created the universe. Once again Jesus clearly does not consider Himself to be equal with God.

Next as the Gospel of John also says:

“‘Do not cling to Me,’ Jesus said, ‘for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’’” (John 20:17)

In this passage Jesus obviously considers the Father to be His God because He calls Him “My God” (John 20:17) here. Now you may attempt to dispute this but Jesus actually says “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God” (John 20:17) which means that Jesus considers His God and our God to be the same God. Thus this definitely demonstrates that Jesus considers the Father to be His God which means that Jesus does not consider Himself to be equal with God.

Next as Paul wrote in First Corinthians:

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3)

Since Paul says that “the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3) this clearly means that Paul did not believe that Jesus is equal to God or the Father. Therefore Paul did not believe in the trinity.

Next as Paul wrote in Romans:

“Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

In this passage Paul refers to God as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6) Therefore it is once again clear that Paul did not believe that Jesus was equal with God or the Father in anyway since he is saying that the Father is Jesus’s God.

Next as the author of First Timothy wrote:

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

In this passage the author is saying that “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5) which means that they did not consider Jesus to be equal to God in any way because otherwise they would have referred to Jesus as God instead of as the “mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5) as they do in this passage. Therefore once again there is “one God” (1 Timothy 2:5) over all and Jesus is not equal with God.

Next as the author of Ephesians wrote:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6)

As the author of this passages states there is “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:6) Therefore this obviously means that only the Father or God alone is God. Then because of this Jesus is not God and He is not equal to the Father or God once again.

Next as the Book of Revelation says:

“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

In this passage Jesus calls God His God by saying “My God” (Revelation 3:12) in this passage. Therefore this obviously means that Jesus does not consider Himself to be equal to God and He especially does not view Himself to be God. Again this is because by saying “My God” (Revelation 3:12) in this passage Jesus is recognizing that God or His Father is so superior to Him that God is His God. Really there is not much to say here because Jesus could not be more clear that He does not consider Himself to be equal to God.

However there is one thing I would like to add with respect to how those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity should see this passage. You see I believe the single verse in this passage will be one of it not the main verses that Jesus speaks to trinitarians to demonstrate that their belief is completely wrong. The idea here is that Jesus will ask trinitarians why He said “Upon him I will write the name of My God” (Revelation 3:12) in Revelation if He is literally God. In other words how can Jesus be God if He calls God His God? Obviously He cannot be. Then yes I explain John 1:1-3 and the rest of the so-called evidence you are no doubt desperately clinging to right now if you are still a trinitarian later so do not think you will be able to hide behind your ignorance of the Scriptures when Jesus rebukes your false belief in the trinity.

Therefore as a result of all these passages Jesus is not equal with God because He even directly calls God or the Father His God and Father. Then because of this fact the trinity is a false doctrine since in order for the false doctrine of the trinity to be true the Father and Jesus need to be coequal so that they are both equal in status while in reality Jesus understands God or the Father to be His God.

Fourth, Jesus is not eternal. This means that Jesus has not always existed and that instead not only did God create Him before the universe but that He actually died once so that He could only return to life through being resurrected by God or the Father.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)

The idea behind this passage is that Jesus says “that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21) This directly and undeniable means that Jesus is not eternal. The idea here is that if Jesus was eternal like God is then He would not be able to die because God cannot die while on the other hand Jesus died and was resurrected to life on the third day. Then it is also important to point out that it was God who resurrected Jesus.

Now you may dispute this by claiming that Jesus was and is fully human and fully God as trinitarians do so that you claim only Jesus’s human nature died and was resurrected by God which would allow the fully God part of Jesus to be eternal in nature. This would then supposedly allow Jesus to “be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21) while also not violating the eternal attribute of Jesus that the false doctrine of the trinity claims. Sounds good right? Well no. You see if you want to claim that Jesus has two natures and that only one died and was resurrected so that His eternal nature from being God did not die then this means that you are actually denying the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is because if you want to say Jesus is fully human and fully God then if both aspects did not fully die then Jesus did not fully die. In other words by being a trinitarian and claiming that Jesus is God or God the Son you are saying He never actually died on the cross because God by definition cannot die. Then of course if Jesus did not die on the cross then He could not have been raised to life.

This then actually leads into the greatest question surrounding the false doctrine of the trinity. Are people who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity Christians and most importantly do they have salvation? Now you may think this is a silly question but if someone is a trinitarian then they are actually denying the death and resurrection of Jesus even if they are unaware of their denial. Then since believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus is a key component of salvation due to the idea that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins then this could mean that those who hold to the false doctrine of the trinity might not have their sins forgiven. But what do I think? Well in truth I am not sure and really only God knows. Although if I had to take a position I would probably say it depends upon how strongly someone believes in the false doctrine of the trinity. For instance I would say the majority of Christians who say they believe in the trinity do not actually believe in the trinity when you examine their actual beliefs. That said I talk more about this later towards the end of this comment so you will read what I have to say there. Really I am just trying to get you to think about why talking about the false doctrine of the trinity is so important.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“‘Do not cling to Me,’ Jesus said, ‘for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’’” (John 20:17)

The key point of importance in this passage is that Jesus calls His God “My Father and your Father” (John 20:17) which means that Jesus views God as His Father. This relates to Jesus not being eternal like God is because a son is dependent upon his father for his existence. In other words since Jesus views God as His Father this means that Jesus believes that the Father created Him just as we see fathers coming before sons today. Thus as a result Jesus is saying that He is not eternal like God is in this passage.

Now you may doubt this view so I would like to point out that Jesus says “My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17) This means that Jesus believes His God is our God and His Father is our Father. The significance of this is that just as Jesus sees God being our creator, or Father, Jesus also sees God as being His creator, or Father. In other words Jesus is saying He is more similar to us than God because we were both created by God and thus have Him as our Father. As a result of this Jesus is not eternal.

And an aside this then leads to the central topic that was being discussed at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Essentially the issue of if Jesus was a god or God came down to if Jesus was created by God or begotten of God. Being begotten of God just means being born of God so that Jesus originated from God Himself. The idea is that if Jesus was born from God then He would have the same essence as God and thus be fully God so that He would be equal with God while on the other hand if He was created by God then He would not have the same essence as God and as a result He would a god instead of God. Makes sense right? Then as a result Jesus must be God because He was born of God? Well no this entire line of reasoning is just nonsensical. For instance if a father has a child then the child is not their own father or the same as their father. For instance if I said you are your father you would look at me like I am crazy. Thus the idea here is that just because Jesus was born from God it does not follow that Jesus is God. Furthermore by saying that Jesus was born from God you are directly saying that there was a time when Jesus was not born yet so that only the Father or God existed. This would of course directly contradict the coeternal aspect of the trinity.

Also I really just find the whole debate at the First Council of Nicaea over if Jesus was born from God or created by God to be completely meaningless because being born from God and being created by God mean the same thing. This may seem strange to you but you need to understand that God is omnipotent and omniscient. In other words God is all powerful and all knowing so that nothing is beyond His power and knowledge.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.” (Revelation 4:11)

Therefore this means that everything that exists only exists due to the will of God. Then since God knows everything this then means that God even knows what you are going to do tomorrow. Thus my point is that if you really think about it everything is part of God since not only has everything come from God but everything that has happened since the foundation of the world has happened in perfect accordance with God’s set plan. This is the view that Paul and the other authors of the New Testament had and why Paul believed that Jesus was created or born from God before the universe was created. Like I said the idea is that by creating Jesus first before everything else God created His plan for salvation before He created Adam and Eve to rebel against Him.

To help you understand what all this means think of our universe like a movie that a director or God has created where the main character is Jesus. The idea here is that sure Jesus is the main character that the director or God has created to push the story to the conclusion God has preset but Jesus is still just a character in the story that is acting out the script of the director or rather the will of God. This means that we are all the same as Jesus in the sense that just as God is Jesus’s Father so too is God our Father.

As Jesus says:

“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17)

Therefore like I just said the Father is our Father just as much as He is Jesus’s Father. The only real difference between Jesus and us is that God created Jesus as the main character or the Christ so that His will can be fulfilled. This is why I consider the distinction between Jesus being born from God and being created by God to be completely pointless debate because as you can see they are in reality identical so that they mean the same thing.

Next as Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:26-27)

If you took issue with the previous two passages and with what I said concerning them then in this passage Jesus directly says that “as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26) This means that Jesus does not inherently have life in Himself, meaning immortality, and that instead the only reason why Jesus has life in Himself is because He has been granted life, or immortality, from the Father or God. If you want to dispute this then know that Jesus directly says that the Father “has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26) Therefore this means that the Father has given Jesus His life so that Jesus is dependent upon the Father for His life. As a result of this fact Jesus is not eternal and only God alone is eternal in nature. You cannot dispute this fact.

Next as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57)

In case the previous passage was not clear enough in this passage Jesus says “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) which unambiguously demonstrates that Jesus is dependent upon the Father or God for life. This would then mean that once again Jesus is not eternal and that only God alone is eternal.

Therefore as a result of all these passages Jesus is not eternal because only God or the Father alone is eternal. Then because of this fact the trinity is a false doctrine since in order for the false doctrine of the trinity to be true the Father and Jesus need to be equally eternal so that they have both always existed while in reality Jesus is dependent upon the Father for His life since Jesus was created by God.

Fifth, God controls the Holy Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is not a person and instead the Holy Spirit is representative of the power and influence of God over everything.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!’” (Matthew 3:16-17)

The whole idea behind the baptism narrative before the start of Jesus’s ministry in the gospels is that this is when He was given power by God to perform miracles in order to demonstrate to people that He is the Christ or the Anointed One whom God has given His power and authority to. Thus when this passage says that Jesus “saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him” (Matthew 3:16) it is saying that God gave His power and authority to Jesus.

Now this might not make much sense to you because you are used to seeing the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit as a person so let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit is a person then why would this passage say that the Spirit of God rested upon Jesus? I mean saying a person rested upon Jesus during His baptism makes little sense however if you view the Holy Spirit as representative of the power and influence of God then the imagery of the Spirit of God resting upon Jesus makes perfect sense.

Furthermore you need to understand that the word translated as spirit in the Spirit of God in this passage is Pneuma (Πνεῦμα) which is best viewed as wind, breath or spirit. Next you need to also understand that the ancient Israelites believed that life began when a person took in their first breath. They took this view from the Book of Genesis where God formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into him.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

Thus the ancient Israelites believed that breathing was what made someone a living being as this verse demonstrates. In other words they saw a person’s breath as their life force.

Now this relates to the Spirit of God in the sense that just as our breath is representative of our life force so too is the Spirit or rather Breath of God representative of God’s life force. This then means that when the Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus “saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him” (Matthew 3:16) it is saying that God’s life force descended from heaven to rest upon Jesus all so that God could anoint Jesus as the Christ or His Anointed One by filling Jesus with His life force or the Spirit of God.

Next a person’s life force was seen as their ability to change and control things or rather as their power over the world because only the living can have power. So the idea is that by saying the Spirit of God rested upon Jesus the Gospel of Matthew is saying God filled Jesus with His life force or power so that Jesus could carry out His will. Therefore the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit is clearly representative of the power and influence of God over the world.

Next as the Book of Acts says:

“Jesus replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 1:7-8)

In this passage Jesus says that His disciples “will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon” (Acts 1:8) them. This means that once again the Holy Spirit is not a person and instead the Holy Spirit is representative of the power and influence of God. I mean try to read and understand this passage with the Holy Spirit being a person and it does not make any sense. On the other hand read it with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is the power and influence of God over the world then it makes perfect sense.

Next as the Book of Acts also says:

“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.” (Acts 7:51-53)

First off in this passage Stephan is addressing the high priests of the Sanhedrin before he is stoned to death. Then in terms of the Holy Spirit Stephan is telling them that they have always resisted the power and influence of God. The idea here is that those whom God has chosen to carry out His will like the prophets and the Righteous One, or Jesus, are filled with the power and influence of God because they are carrying out the will of God. On the other hand those who work against God by persecuting the prophets that God is working through are resisting the power and influence of God or the Holy Spirit. If you want to dispute this then try to read this passage with the Holy Spirit being a person and it makes little sense just like the previous passages.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26)

In this passage the word translated as Advocate can also mean Helper, Counselor or Intercessor. Thus the general idea here is that the Holy Spirit is how God helps the faithful and intercedes in earthly affairs as He uses His power. Next you may mistakenly believe that the Holy Spirit is a person based on the word whom in this verse. However the word translated as whom is ho (ὃ) which is almost always translated as that, which or what and it is rarely translated as who or whom. Therefore you cannot claim that the Holy Spirit is definitely a person because of this reason because in actuality the Holy Spirit is referred to more as an object in this sentence that depends upon the Father. This is why the verse says “the Father will send in My name” (John 14:26) because the Holy Spirit is not a person with their own will and instead the Holy Spirit is subject to the Father or God. This point is rather important because even if you dispute everything I am saying about the Holy Spirit not being a person then you still must contend with the fact that the Father is the One in full control of the Holy Spirit here because He is the One sending the Holy Spirit in this passage.

Next as the Gospel of John also says:

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.” (John 15:26)

First off the word translated as who in this passage is the same word as before so therefore it is best understood as that or which. Then the word translated as He is ekeinos (ἐκεῖνος) which is a demonstrative pronoun and not a personal pronoun that is best understood as that one or that thing and translated as that in this verse. Therefore once again you should not see the Holy Spirit as being a person due to the translation choice.

Next my purpose in referencing this passage is that Jesus says He “will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26) in this verse. The idea here is that the Father is giving Jesus the Holy Spirit to use and command and that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father so that the Holy Spirit is dependent upon the Father. In other words Jesus is saying that once He ascends into heaven so that He is seated at the right hand of God that He will be given the power of God, or the Holy Spirit, that “proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26) and that He will use the Holy Spirit to guide Christians. Now you may believe I am reading too far into this so consider the next passage.

As the Gospel of John also says:

“But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)

First off the word translated as Him is auton (αὐτὸν) which means him in this context since it is a masculine personal pronoun. Now you may say that therefore this means the Holy Spirit is a person however based upon what the verse is actually saying this cannot be the case. This is because Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit cannot come unless Jesus first ascends to heaven. This is because in order for Jesus to receive the full power of the Holy Spirit or the full power and influence of God from God Himself Jesus needs to be seated at the right hand of God in heaven. You see previously in Jesus’s earthly ministry He was only given the Holy Spirit Himself rather than given control of the Holy Spirit. Thus what Jesus is talking about in this verse is that He can only be given control of the Holy Spirit or the power, influence and authority of God after He has been elevated by God after His ascension to heaven. This then means that the Holy Spirit is not independent and instead the Holy Spirit in representative of the power and influence of God over the world because otherwise the Holy Spirit could come to earth without Jesus. If you doubt this and believe that the Holy Spirit is a person that is coequal with the Father and Jesus then why can the Holy Spirit not come while Jesus is still on earth? I mean can a person not do whatever they want to especially if the person in question is God? Just something to think about if you doubt what I am saying.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. The crowds were astounded and asked, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.’

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.’” (Matthew 12:22-32)

In this passage the Pharisees accuse Jesus of healing a man by driving out a demon using the authority from the prince of demons because they refuse to accept the clear miracle that they have seen. Here a miracle is just something that must be due to the power of God because it is so amazing. After this Jesus demonstrates that Satan driving out Satan is absurd so therefore He is driving out demons through the Spirit of God or rather the power of God. Again if you read the Holy Spirit as a person in this passage the passage makes little sense. On the other hand if you read the Holy Spirit as the power and influence of God then it makes a lot more sense.

But what does “blasphemy against the Spirit” (Matthew 12:31) in this passage mean? Well you see the idea is that since Jesus was obviously performing clear miracles like driving “out demons by the Spirit of God” (Matthew 12:28) then the Pharisees who deny the miracles and ascribe them to the power of demons instead are blaspheming the power of God or the Holy Spirit because they are saying that the power of God or the Holy Spirit is demonic and from Satan. In other words Jesus is not talking about blaspheming a person called the Holy Spirit and instead Jesus is talking about blaspheming the power of God by not only denying a clear demonstration of the power of God but saying that it is the work of a demon instead.

For further evidence of this fact consider that Jesus says “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Matthew 12:32) in this passage. The idea here is that this should be understood as whoever speaks against the power and influence of God will not be forgiven. This is why I said the sin Jesus is talking about is not speaking blasphemy against a person called the Holy Spirit and instead Jesus is talking about the sin of those who see His clear miracles and instead of correctly ascribing them to the power of God they instead ascribe them to the power of demons.

Now you may believe this is a rather harsh thing for Jesus to say since Jesus said “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31) However you need to understand something. The Pharisees in this passage are not objecting to the healing of the blind and mute man by saying that Jesus never actually healed him or that it was a trick. Instead the Pharisees accept the healing of the blind and mute man but then claim that Jesus could only do such a thing because of the power of Satan. The idea here is that only someone so completely wicked and opposed to God would ascribe a clear miracle that they accept as a miracle to the power of Satan instead of to the power of God or the Holy Spirit. So this is why Jesus says “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31) Then as an aside this is why you do not have to worry about committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit today because the only possible way for you to do it would be to see a clear miracle that was done through the Holy Spirit, or the power of God, and say that it was actually done through the power of Satan.

All that said my point in quoting this passage is to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is not a person in this passage and that instead the Holy Spirit is best understood as the power and influence of God. Just to reiterate if you change Spirit and Holy Spirit with the power of God in this passage then the meaning of my explanation is preserved. For instance Jesus would be saying that blasphemy against the power of God will not be forgiven in this passage which lines up with my explanation. On the other hand if you treat the Holy Spirit as a person the passage loses it’s entire meaning and the part about “blasphemy against the Spirit” (Matthew 12:31) seems completely random and unrelated to the preceding verses. Therefore it is best to view the Holy Spirit as the power and influence of God rather than a person in this passage.

Next as the Book of Revelation says:

“These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” (Revelation 3:1)

First off in this passage the seven Spirits of God is the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is a complete Spirit that is all encompassing since the Holy Spirit is representative of the complete or unlimited power of God. Next the word translated as holds is echōn (ἔχων) which means has, holds or possesses in this context. Thus the idea here is that Jesus is telling us that He holds or possesses the Holy Spirit. Therefore this means that the Holy Spirit cannot be a person and instead the Holy Spirit can only be representative of the power and influence of God. Again this is why Jesus said in the Gospel of John that “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) The idea is that Jesus only received complete control over the Holy Spirit or the full power and influence of God after He ascended to heaven as I said before.

Now you may still reject what I have been saying concerning the Holy Spirit being representative of the power and influence of God so let me ask you a question. If Revelation says that Jesus is “the One who holds the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 3:1) then how could the Holy Spirit be equal to Jesus? I mean Jesus is literally saying that He possesses the Holy Spirit so obviously you cannot claim that the Holy Spirit is equal to Him if you want to say that the Holy Spirit is a person. Therefore in the end it really does not matter if you agree with me or not concerning the fact that the Holy Spirit is the power and influence of God and not a person because the false doctrine of the trinity is still false on the basis of the Holy Spirit not being equal with Jesus since God has granted Jesus full control over the Holy Spirit.

Therefore as a result of all these passages the Holy Spirit is not only representative of the power and influence of God instead of being a person but the Holy Spirit is also not equal with Jesus, and hence God as well, since God gave His Spirit to Jesus. Then because of these facts the trinity is a false doctrine since in order for the false doctrine of the trinity to be true the Holy Spirit needs to be a person who is equal with Jesus while in reality the Holy Spirit is representative of the power and influence of God.

Now to briefly summarize these five categories. The false doctrine of the trinity is false because Jesus is not inherently omniscient, Jesus is not inherently omnipotent, Jesus is not equal with God, Jesus is not eternal and God fully controls the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is representative of His power and influence. Really there is nothing more to say here because I already have said everything that is necessary and fully explained myself here. Therefore the trinity is a false doctrine and cannot be true.

Alright so now it is time to go over the passages that apologists claim so-called prove that the false doctrine of the trinity is actually true. The reason why I decided to go over passages that demonstrate that the trinity cannot be true first is because the few passages that trinitarians like to use to so-called demonstrate the trinity only work if you mistranslate and misinterpret them. Therefore it is helpful for you to have an understanding about what else Jesus says in the Gospel of John and Revelation especially before reading about what I have to say concerning these passages. For instance to just to remind you in the Gospel of John Jesus says “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) and “the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Therefore this means that the common translation of John 1:1 cannot be correct so that John 1:1 does not mean what you probably think it means. Really the only way you can make the popular translation and interpretation of John 1:1 work is if you ignore all the passages I have quoted from and discussed. Of course this is what apologists do because they only want to use passages that support their presuppositions. But now that you have read up to this point you know better than to be fooled by trinitarian apologists that translate and interpret verses like John 1:1 while ignoring verses that undeniably demonstrate that the trinity cannot be true.

Thus the idea is that now that you fully understand that the false doctrine of the trinity is false and cannot be true based on the passages I have already referenced, when you read my explanations for the common so-called trinitarian passages you will take less issue with what I have to say. On the other hand if I were to start with my explanation of what John 1:1 actually means then you would probably just say I am wrong and stop reading. As a result you are now fully prepared to read what I have to say concerning the so-called trinitarian passages so it is time to begin.

As the Gospel of John says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

And as the Gospel of John also says:

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” (John 1:17-18)

So since these two passages say that “the Word was God” (John 1:1) and Jesus “is Himself God” (John 1:18) the trinity must be true right and everything you have read so far must be wrong so that I am simply in error? Well no sorry and you cannot use a biased and incorrect translation to support a false doctrine that you desperately want to be true. Now I am not saying this to attack you or to push some kind of agenda. Like I said previously when I first wrote an early version of my commentary on Revelation I believed that the trinity was probably true and I took the popular stance that Jesus claimed to be God. Then probably like you when I read the previous passages I quoted that disprove the trinity I simply shrugged my shoulders and said there is always John 1:1, 1:18, 10:30 and 20:28 so as long as these passages are definitive then the others really do not matter and I can ignore them for now until God explains how the trinity works. But then once I shed my presuppositionalism so that I was willing to look at the text critically to the point of questioning the validity of traditional so-called doctrines that are over a thousand years old then I finally admitted that the trinity cannot be true based on what the Bible says.

So what do these two passages actually mean then? First of all the word translated as God in “the Word was God” (John 1:1) and Jesus “is Himself God” (John 1:18) in these two passages is theos (θεὸς) which is best understood as a deity or a god. Now in order for this to make sense you need to understand that when the New Testament was written in its original language of Koine Greek everything was written in capital letters without spaces and it took many centuries for lowercase letters to be added. Therefore this means that there was not a distinction between God and god based upon capitalization as we see it today. Furthermore the ancient Greek world was used to having dozens of different so-called gods since they were polytheistic. Thus even the usage of the word theos (θεὸς) was not mostly used by the ancient pagan Greeks to refer to God as we see Him today. So my point here is that instead of theos (θεὸς) always referring to God really context determines what theos (θεὸς) actually means.

Next the word theos (θεὸς) almost always requires the definite article ho (ὁ), which is translated as the, in front of it if it is to be understood as a noun or as a subject in the sentence. Then if theos (θεὸς) does not have a definite article in front of it then it is best understood to be like an adjective that is a description of another subject rather than a subject in its own right. The idea here is that if ho theos (ὁ θεὸς) is used then it is likely that the author is referring to God while if theos (θεὸς) alone is used then it is likely that author is referring to something else. Although keep in mind that really this is not always true and theos (θεὸς) alone can refer to God depending on the context. Thus in the end really it is the overall context of the author’s work as a whole that determines what you should understand theos (θεὸς) to mean because theos (θεὸς) is a rather imprecise word in contrast to God in English. My main point here is that theos (θεὸς) does not always refer to God and that if theos (θεὸς) alone is used without the definite article ho (ὁ) then you should immediately doubt that theos (θεὸς) refers to God especially if the immediate context does not definitely mean God.

So does John 1:1 include a definite article? Well in Greek “and the Word was God” (John 1:1) is actually kai Theos ēn ho Logos (καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος) which most literally translates as “and a deity was the Word.” But as you can see the definite article ho (ὁ) is not included in front of theos (θεὸς) which means that we should read theos (θεὸς) as having the quality of an adjective rather than a noun. But what about John 1:18 where it says Jesus “is Himself God” (John 1:18) as I quoted above? The same is true here. The word theos (θεὸς) is used without a definite article in front of it which changes how you should understand the word theos (θεὸς).

So what would theos (θεὸς) then mean in John 1:1 and 1:18? In short theos (θεὸς) would be best read as a deity or divine. This would then mean that “and the Word was God” (John 1:1) would then actually mean “and the Word was a deity” or “and the Word was divine.” Although you could also say “and the Word was like God” or “and the Word had the same nature as God.” This would then by why Jesus says that “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Really the idea that the Gospel of John is getting at is that Jesus is a divine being who was created by God in God’s image before the foundation of the world as the most perfect being outside of God Himself.

Now the reason why the Gospel of John does this is to show that the goodness and perfection of Jesus was created before the world itself so that God’s plan for salvation in the creation of Jesus came before the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God. Remember what I said before. The authors of the New Testament believed in divine determinism to the point where they believed that God has predetermined everything from the foundation of the world itself all the way to the eternal Kingdom of God. Now this may seem horrible to you that God has predetermined absolutely everything but as I say later on in my commentary on Revelation 13 it is actually a comforting thought because it means that the future that God has planned cannot be stopped by anyone. Thus this relates to Jesus in the sense that if God knew Adam and Eve were to rebel against Him before He even created them and He also knew that He would send a savior, the Christ, to lead the world back to Him then it would only make sense for God to have created His plan for salvation, the Christ or Jesus, before He created the world itself. Then since the Christ is the One whom God has chosen to carry out His will by wielding His power and authority it would only make sense for Jesus or the Word to be made in the image of God so that He would be the greatest divine being created by God.

Then the reason why the word Logos (Λόγος), or a word that is the embodiment of an idea, is used to refer to Jesus is because the idea here is that Jesus is the embodiment of not just God’s plan and will for salvation but God’s plan and will for all of existence and the universe itself. In other words God’s plan for the future and the entire universe, Jesus, was with God before the universe was created. Then once God created the universe He created it through the Word so that His plan and will for everything could be carried out just as He had planned it. So this is why John 1:1-3 says what it says.

In terms of this explanation as to why John 1:1-3 says what it says the biggest issue you will probably have is that of the idea of divine determinism because if God has determined everything from before the foundation of the world itself then this means that we do not have free will and most people do not like this idea. However really your feelings here are irrelevant because divine determinism is true and there is zero reason to believe otherwise not just on the basis of the Bible but also on the basis of what we see in the world around us. Therefore although you may not like divine determinism it is true. Then of course I talk about this subject at length in my commentary on Revelation 13 with regards to the whole “And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8) so if you have issues with what I am saying then just know I go over it more there.

Now no doubt most of you will take issue with translating theos (θεὸς) in John 1:1 and 1:18 as a deity or divine because you want to cling on to the false doctrine of the trinity as hard as you can. Therefore I am now going to go over four reasons why translating theos (θεὸς) as God in these two verses cannot be correct.

First Paul not only uses the word theos (θεὸς) with respect to something that is not God but uses the phrase ho theos (ὁ θεὸς) to refer to something that is not God.

As Paul wrote:

“For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19)

In this passage “god” (Philippians 3:19) is a translation of ho theos (ὁ θεὸς) and it is clear from the usage of god that Paul is not talking about God. Instead Paul is saying saying that the enemies of the cross of Christ see their desires as their deity or god. The reason why ho (ὁ) is used in front of theos (θεὸς) is because theos (θεὸς) is being used as a subject in the sentence. However my main point here is that just because the word theos (θεὸς) is used it does not always mean that God is in view since even ho theos (ὁ θεὸς) in this passage clearly does not refer to God. Because of this fact you should once again not believe that theos (θεὸς) in John 1:1 can only refer to God and not a god or being divine in nature.

Second in John 1:18 not only does the definite article ho (ὁ) not appear before theos (θεὸς) but the word monogenēs (μονογενὴς) actually appears in front of it which means that theos (θεὸς) cannot refer to God in this verse.

To quote the verse again:

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” (John 1:18)

You see the word monogenēs (μονογενὴς) means only begotten with begotten meaning brought into existence or born by a parent. So how exactly can monogenēs Theos (μονογενὴς Θεὸς) be understood as “who is Himself God” (John 1:18) based on this definition? I mean God cannot be born by a parent so to claim that this verse is saying Jesus is God would just be flat out absurd and wrong. However if you understand monogenēs Theos (μονογενὴς Θεὸς) to mean only born deity or divine being then “who is Himself God” (John 1:18) in this verse would become “who is the only born divine being or deity” which makes sense because a divine being can be born by God. If you want to dispute this then why is Jesus called the Son of God? Because Jesus was begotten from the Father. Thus if you want to hold to the trinity then you are denying Jesus as the Son of God because the false doctrine of the trinity says that the Son is coequal and coeternal with the Father. What I am saying is that Jesus cannot be monogenēs (μονογενὴς) or begotten unless He was born of the Father or created by the Father. Then if Jesus was born of God then like I said before He by definition cannot be God because God is eternal in nature and because being born necessitates a time when Jesus did not exist. This idea then leads to my third point.

Third there is an internal contradiction within John 1:1 if you want to take the traditional translation as being correct.

To quote the verse again:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

So how can the Word be with God and be God at the same time? For example if I were to say that you were with your mother and you were your mother then you would either look at me like I am crazy or believe that I must be having a stroke. Now you may dispute this but Jesus is “the Son of God.” (John 1:34) Thus if you want to claim that Jesus is God based on John 1:1 then you are literally saying Jesus was with His Father and Jesus is His Father. Then no you cannot try to reconcile this by saying that Jesus is the Son of the Father but is still God just like the Father is God because like I said above with regards to monogenēs (μονογενὴς) or begotten the only way Jesus can be the Son of God is if He was born or created by God. Therefore Jesus being God is just nonsensical with respect to John 1:1.

Fourth the popular translation and interpretation of John 1:1 and John 1:18 is in direct contradiction with passages from the rest of the Gospel of John and any attempt to reconcile these passages with the popular translation and interpretation of John 1:1 and John 1:18 is completely absurd.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26)

So if the Father is the One who has allowed Jesus “to have life in Himself” (John 5:26) then how it could possibly make sense to say that the popular interpretation of John 1:1 is correct? I mean if Jesus is literally God then no one needs to give Him life because God is the source of all life.

Then as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57)

Again since Jesus says “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) this means that Jesus is dependent upon the Father or God for His life. In other words Jesus is directly saying that He is not God because only God alone is eternal in nature. So how exactly does it make any sense to say that the popular interpretation of John 1:1 is correct? Of course this means the popular interpretation of John 1:1 is wrong. If you want to dispute this then how can Jesus be God if He says He only has life “because of the Father” (John 6:57) when according to the false doctrine of the trinity God the Son is coequal and coeternal with God the Father? This is why I said you must ignore what Jesus says in the Gospel of John if you want to protect your incorrect translation and interpretation of John 1:1.

Then as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

Obviously here Jesus directly says that “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) which means that the popular interpretation of John 1:1 cannot be correct because Jesus is directly saying that He is not God.

Then as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17)

As I said before Jesus calls the Father or God His God. This then means that Jesus cannot be God and it does not matter what you want to say in response. Again Jesus believes that the Father is His God.

Now I would also like to point out something important that many if not most people are confused on. In short a god is not God. But what am I talking about by referring to a god? Well you see a god is just simply a divine being that is much greater and more powerful than we are. For instance in both the Old Testament and the New Testament God has given angels incredible power to carry out His will. Then as example in the rest of the Book of Revelation there are several powerful angels who have been given power by God to devastate and judge the world. Thus what I am saying is that it would be accurate to call angels gods or divine beings. However it would not be accurate to call them God because God is God or rather all knowing and all powerful. The idea here is that a god is much more powerful than we are while God is infinitely powerful so that He is the source of all power. In other words a god is not God.

Therefore the best way to reconcile John 1:1 and John 1:18 with the above passages is to say that Jesus is a god or a divine being created in the image of God but not God. This would then be how Jesus can say “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) and “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) without these verses being in contradiction with the correct translation of John 1:1 being that the Word was a god or divine in nature. On the other hand if you want to take the popular translation of John 1:1 then ultimately you must simply ignore Jesus saying “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) and “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) because Jesus cannot be God under any circumstance if the Father is greater than He is. Now you still may wish to dispute this but you need to understand that according to the false doctrine of the trinity the Father and the Son or Jesus are supposed to be equally God. However as you can clearly see these verses from the Gospel of John directly contradict this idea. So once again as a result the popular translation and interpretation of John 1:1 and 1:18 cannot be correct which means that the translation and interpretation that I have provided is correct.

Lastly with respect to these four reasons I have outlined it makes infinitely more sense to translate theos (θεὸς) in John 1:1 and 1:18 as a god, divine or a divine being rather than as God. Now I say it makes infinitely more sense because I fail to see how the popular or traditional translation could even be argued for let alone demonstrated to be correct given the passages and evidence I have presented. Therefore this means that John 1:1 and 1:18 are not evidence for the false doctrine of the trinity being true. Then since the entire response to what I have said regarding the false doctrine of the trinity so far hinges upon a mistranslation of John 1:1 really at this point I fail to see how you could continue to reject to me calling the trinity a false doctrine. However in order to demonstrate that the trinity is false beyond any doubt I am of course going to continue.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“‘I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’

At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. But Jesus responded, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?’

‘We are not stoning You for any good work,’ said the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.’

Jesus replied, ‘Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me. But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.’” (John 10:28-38)

So there are two points of note in this passage. The first is that Jesus says “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) then the second is that the so-called Jews say “You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.” (John 10:33)

Now first off in terms of the second point of note in a similar manner with John 1:1 and 1:18 the word for a god or God, theon (θεόν), is used without a definite article in front of it. Then keep in mind that even though theon (θεόν) is being used here instead of theos (θεὸς) the same thing I said with regards to John 1:1 applies. Thus the idea is that since only theon (θεόν) is used here in John 10:33 instead of ton theon (τὸν θεόν) then this means that you cannot claim that John 10:33 is explicitly and undeniably talking about God instead of a god. Therefore this then means that John 10:33 is not evidence for the false doctrine of the trinity being true. Then yes I realize that theon (θεόν) is used without a definite article to refer to God elsewhere however just like with John 1:1 and 1:18 you need to take context into account. So what context am I talking about?

As Jesus says:

“My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all.” (John 10:29)

Like I said before the Father is greater than everyone including Jesus because Jesus also says “the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) But with respect to this verse specifically Jesus says “My Father who has given them to Me” (John 10:29) because Jesus is appealing to His position as the Christ by saying that God has given Him the faithful. This once again means that Jesus cannot be God because the Father or God has given the faithful to Jesus while if Jesus was God then the Father or God would not have to give Jesus anything.

Now you may wish to dispute this and claim that God should be in view here instead of a god but Jesus’s response demonstrates that I am correct.

As Jesus says in His response:

“Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34-36)

Then as the Psalms say:

“I have said, ‘You are gods;
you are all sons of the Most High.’” (Psalm 82:6)

The idea here is that in response to the so-called Jews saying that Jesus declares Himself to be the Son of God, or a they say a god or a divine being, Jesus quotes a verse from the Psalms that says we are all gods and sons of God. By doing this Jesus demonstrates that He is not committing blasphemy by calling Himself the Son of God and implying that He is a god or a divine being because God has said that we are all gods.

I say this proves that I am correct because Psalm 82:6 calls all of us gods and this is the verse that Jesus is referencing as a response to the accusation of the so-called Jews. I mean if the word theon (θεόν) really should be understood as God and not a god then Jesus’s response would make zero sense because a god is not God. In other words the only way Jesus’s response of quoting Psalm 82:6 can work is if the same type of god, a divine being less than God, is used. Therefore you cannot claim John 10:33 supports Jesus being God. Although I would just like to reiterate that Jesus is still divine and this verse can be used to support the divinity of Jesus. However as I said before divinity does not mean God because beings like angels can still be divine and not be God. I am only pointing this out again since many people mistakenly believe that because Jesus is divine He must therefore be God.

Now in terms of the first point of note and Jesus saying “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) in this passage you need to understand that Jesus is talking about how since He is the Christ or the One God has anointed and given His power and authority to in order to carry out His will. The idea here is that since Jesus is the Christ He is of the same nature as the Father or God. In other words Jesus is simply saying that He is one with God in nature. This may not make much sense to you so consider the following two passages.

As the Gospel of John says:

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’

Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.’

Jesus replied, ‘Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.’” (John 14:7-11)

Thus it is as I said, the idea here is that Jesus is perfectly carrying out the will of God since God has created Him as the Christ to carry out the will of God. This is why Jesus says that “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Since Jesus as the Christ perfectly carries out the will of God this then means that whoever sees Jesus sees God because once again God created Jesus in His image. If you want to dispute this then consider how Jesus says “it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.” (John 14:10) The idea here is that this verse is saying that since God is carrying out His will through Jesus then this means that whoever has seen Jesus has seen God because God is working through Jesus. This is then why I said Jesus is talking about being one in terms of nature with God when He says “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) because Jesus is the Christ or the one whom God has chosen to fulfill the will of God.

As an aside in terms of the verse “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) you need to understand that despite what you may think this verse is actually against the trinity. This is because the central idea of the false doctrine of the trinity is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equally God while the Father is not the Son which are both not the Holy Spirit. However Jesus says that “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) which would mean that if you want to use this verse to support the trinity then you must understand that Jesus would be saying He is the Father and not saying that He is God. In other words Jesus is saying He is like the Father here while the trinitarian position is that Jesus is not the Father. Now if Jesus said “anyone who has seen Me has seen God” then you could argue that this verse supports the trinity. Thus you can see the problem here and why this verse is actually against the trinity and not for it as you may have mistakenly believed.

Then for the second response passage as the Gospel of John says:

“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)

This means that when Jesus says “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) that He is not talking about being one as trinitarians believe and that instead He is talking about being of a single nature so that He is like God in who He is as I have said. This is because in the above passage Jesus is talking about Christians being united together in nature so that we “may be one” (John 17:22) and “be perfectly united” (John 17:23) as Jesus says. Therefore we should view Jesus and the Father being one along the same lines as all Christians being one. Now you may still doubt this so consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of John also says:

“On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)

Clearly in this verse Jesus is not saying that we are literally one with Him so that we are Him by saying “you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20) Instead Jesus speaking metaphorically so that He is talking about how whoever comes to true faith in Him will be like Him and that as a result He will be like us. The idea here is that “I am in” (John 14:20) in this passage and the Gospel of John as a whole is talking about having a similar quality or likeness instead of being literal. Then because of this fact when you read verses like “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) you should view it in a similar manner so that you read it as Jesus saying that He has the same likeness as the Father or God because He was made in the image of God by God.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

But he replied, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.’

Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.’

Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:24-28)

This is another common passage that people like to use to support the false doctrine of the trinity. This is especially true because contrary to the previous passages from the Gospel of John including John 1:1 the word translated as God here appears as ho Theos (ὁ Θεός) which obviously includes the definite article. Then because of this definite article Theos (Θεός) is being used as a subject rather than as a description like in John 1:1. So what does this passage then mean exactly?

Well as Jesus says:

“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

In this verse the idea is that since Jesus was made in the image of God or the Father so that He has the same character and quality as God then whoever sees Jesus sees the Father or God. This is especially true in the sense that since Jesus is the Christ God is working through Him so that God’s will can be fulfilled.

This is then why Thomas says “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) after confirming that Jesus was in fact resurrected from the dead by God. The idea here is that Thomas knows that only God has the power to resurrect someone from the dead and since Jesus was resurrected from the dead then this must mean that Jesus truly was sent by God. Then since Jesus is the Christ, or the Anointed One, this also means that when Thomas sees Jesus he is looking upon God. Again Jesus says that “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Therefore Thomas is not calling Jesus God and instead he is simply recognizing that Jesus is the Christ after seeing for himself that God raised Jesus from the dead. Again being raised from the dead would once again confirm that God has anointed Jesus as the Christ since only God can raise someone from the dead.

Alternatively you can say that Thomas is responding in shock since he was so skeptical about the other disciples saying that they saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. The idea here is that once Thomas sees Jesus and confirms for himself that He has risen from the dead that he says “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) as a way to recognize that God had performed a miracle in raising Jesus from the dead and that he was wrong to doubt. You could think of it similar to how people say my God today when they witness something surprising. The only real difference is that Thomas is witnessing the power of God for himself.

Now if you wish to dispute this there is little to zero reason to believe that Thomas was actually calling Jesus God because even Jesus does not call Himself God and claim to be equal to God or the Father.

Again as Jesus says:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26)

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57)

“If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17)

Thus what I am saying is that if Jesus calls His God “My God” (John 20:17) while saying that “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57) then it is basically nonsensical to claim that Thomas is calling Jesus God in John 20:28. I mean sure you can make this claim but if the rest of the Gospel of John firmly contradicts your claim then really your claim is invalid. Therefore Thomas is not calling Jesus God here as I have said.

Next as Colossians says:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20)

First off for argument’s sake here I am going to assume that Paul actually wrote Colossians so just accept this as true for the time being. Now although Paul clearly did not believe in the false doctrine of the trinity based upon the previous passages I quoted I thought it necessary to respond to this passage from Colossians so that you can rest assured that even if you were to ignore everything else Paul wrote Paul still did not believe Jesus was God based on Colossians. The key evidence for this is found in the first verse of this passage.

To quote the verse again:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

The first key here is that Paul says Jesus is in the image or likeness of God by using the word eikōn (εἰκὼν) which means image, likeness, representation or resemblance. This means that Paul is not calling Jesus God and instead he is simply saying that Jesus was made in the image of God. This is of course similar to what Genesis says with regards to Adam and how “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) This of course is in line with Paul’s belief that Jesus was a divine being who was created by God as a parallel to Adam who was obedient to God instead of disobedient like Adam.

If you doubt this and mistakenly believe that Paul believed that Jesus was literally God then consider the second key here found in the second part of the above verse. Here Paul says that Jesus was “the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) Now the word translated as firstborn is prōtotokos (prōtotokos) which means firstborn or eldest and it comes from the words prótos (πρῶτος) which means first or chief and tiktó (τίκτω) which means to beget, bring forth or produce. Therefore Paul is saying that Jesus was the first of God’s creations so that Jesus was born before God created anything else.

Then because of this fact it does not matter what you want to argue with respect to Paul saying that “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19) because Paul clearly believed that Jesus was created by God in this passage and thus Paul did not believe that Jesus is God.

But what did Paul mean by having “all His fullness dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19) then? Well you see Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out the will of God. Thus all Paul is talking about here is that Jesus is the Christ and he is not saying Jesus is God. If you doubt this then consider the following passages I references earlier.

As Paul wrote:

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3)

Then as Paul also wrote:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.

Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put everything under His feet.’ Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

Therefore it is clear that Paul never believed that Jesus was equal to God. Sure Paul believed that Jesus was a divine being who was created by God before everything else but this does not mean that Paul believed Jesus was God. Then because of this fact it does not matter how you want to wrongly interpret Paul’s letters because what he believed is very clear.

Next as the Book of Revelation says:

“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-13)

Believe it or not but these two verses are actually the strongest evidence in the entire Bible that Jesus is equal to God. This is because when the passage says “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12) you can reasonably assume that Jesus is speaking these words. Then if Jesus is speaking in this passage this would then mean that Jesus is speaking the next verse of “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13) Now this is the strongest evidence because only God alone is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13) So the idea is if Jesus is saying that He is “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 22:13) then He would be saying He is God. Sounds reasonable right? Well yes it does and this is actually the main verse I relied upon to support the false doctrine of the trinity before I came to understand that the trinity was false.

However based upon the fact that Jesus is the Christ or the Anointed One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out the will of God I do think these two verses should be taken literally so that we should read them as Jesus saying He is God. This is because if you want to take everything Jesus says literally in Revelation then He contradicts Himself.

As Jesus says in Revelation:

“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)

The contradiction here is that obviously Jesus cannot literally be “the First and the Last, the Living One” (Revelation 1:17) if He “was dead” (Revelation 1:18) because the true “the First and the Last, the Living One” (Revelation 1:17) or God has always been alive and can never die. This then means that with respect to Revelation 22:12-13 that we should read “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13) in a similar manner so that instead of Jesus saying these titles literally apply to Him He is instead saying that they apply to Him on the basis of Him being the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to. Thus the idea here would be that Jesus is using God’s titles since He is carrying out the will of God on God’s behalf as He fulfills His role as the Christ.

If this is confusing then think of it as Jesus using the titles of God to demonstrate that He has been given the full power and authority of God over all things so that those reading Revelation can rest assured that God will fulfill all His promises through Jesus. In other words think of it as by using these titles Jesus is saying that He is exercising the power of God.

Then in terms of Jesus having been given the power of God think of it like a power of attorney. For example if someone were to give you a blanket power of attorney then you would be able to legally do anything they would be able to do because they have given you their authority. As another example think of it like a king delegating his authority to a vicegerent. For those who are unaware a vicegerent is a deputy who is appointed by a ruler to undertake the duties of the ruler by using the royal power and authority of the ruler who appointed them while the ruler is absent. For instance imagine if a king decides to take a break from his duties so he appoints a trusted advisor to sit upon his throne as a vicegerent and act for him in all things with his royal power and authority. The idea is that although the vicegerent is now acting as the king would in all things that does not mean he is the same as the king himself because they are different people. So although the vicegerent would use royal titles related to the throne he sits on it does not mean that the vicegerent is the literal king and instead the vicegerent would only have the power and authority of the king that the king has given him. The same is true with God and Jesus. God has given Jesus all His power and authority so that Jesus may exercise the power and authority of God for Him as the Christ.

Now this still may seem confusing to you and a stretch so consider the following passages from Revelation.

As Revelation says:

“Then the angel said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.’” (Revelation 22:6)

And as Revelation also says:

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

In case it is not obvious in the first passage an angel says that God “has sent His angel” (Revelation 22:6) while in the second passages Jesus says that He has sent His angel. Now obviously both cannot be true at the same time right? Well no because they can both be true. Then this must mean that Jesus is God? No it does not. You see the idea here is that Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out His will. Then because of this fact whenever Jesus does something God also does the same thing because Jesus is the One ruling on God’s behalf. Again think of it like a king appointing a vicegerent to rule for him while he is away. When a vicegerent does something they are not exercising their own power and authority and instead they are exercising the power and authority of the king. This means that whenever the vicegerent does something the king also does the same thing. So the meaning here with who sent the angel is that Jesus sent the angel but since God has given His power and authority to Jesus so that He can be the Christ as He carries out the will of God this also means that God sent the angel as well since Jesus is exercising God’s power.

Then if this idea still does not make sense to you then consider the following two passages from the Gospel of John.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“So Jesus replied, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.’” (John 5:19-20)

This passage clearly means that Jesus is the Christ and not God because Jesus says “the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it” (John 5:19) and that “whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John:5:19) Thus you can clearly see that Jesus is God’s vicegerent, or the Christ, in this passage and because of this fact this is why both God and Jesus sent the angel and why Jesus uses God’s titles of divine kingship over everything.

Then as Jesus also says in the Gospel of John:

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:10-11)

A similar idea is in view with this passages because Jesus says “I do not speak on My own” (John 14:10) and also says that “it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.” (John 14:10) This means that whenever Jesus does something God also does the same thing. Thus once again Jesus is the Christ, or God’s vicegerent, who is executing God’s will on God’s behalf as God works through Him.

Therefore because of all the above this is why Jesus saying “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13) is not evidence for Jesus being literally God. Instead all Jesus is saying is that He is carrying out God’s will on God’s behalf with God’s full authority and power because He is the Christ.

If you still wish to dispute this then remember that Jesus does not consider Himself to be literally God in Revelation.

As Jesus says in the Book of Revelation:

“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

Thus as I said before Jesus is not literally God because He calls the Father “My God” (Revelation 3:12) in this passages. Really there is nothing more to say here. As a result of this even the Book of Revelation does not teach that Jesus is literally God and because of this fact you cannot use the Book of Revelation to argue for Jesus being literally God.

Now this concludes all the counter passages I selected that many people use in an effort to demonstrate that the false doctrine of the trinity is true rather than false. Then yes I do realize that there are more passages I could go over but really if you are not convinced by what I have quoted and said already then you will not be convinced if I quoted more passages and responded to them. This is because the passages that I have not quoted from are very similar or even virtually identical to passages that I have already responded to. Therefore it really does not matter what passage you want to bring up because I have gone over everything already. That said if you are still skeptical then consider the following passages again.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26)

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57)

“If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17)

Then as the Book of Revelation says:

“This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass.” (Revelation 1:1)

Therefore it does not matter what else you want to try to say because clearly even in the Gospel of John Jesus does not claim to be equal to God which is the chief source for those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity. Then of course Revelation clearly demonstrates that Jesus is not omniscient since God needed to give Him the prophecies of Revelation. Following this since the false doctrine of the trinity is defined by the three members of the so-called trinity being equally omnipotent or all powerful, omniscient or all knowing and eternal this means that the false doctrine of the trinity is undeniably false and you cannot claim otherwise.

Next so what exactly is Jesus then if He is not literally God? Well as I have said numerous times already Jesus is the Christ and He is also a divine being who was created by God before God created the universe and us. This is really all there is to it. I would explain what Jesus being the Christ means again but you should have this concept so deeply embedded in your mind by now that you will never forget it so there is no need.

That said there is something I can say to make Jesus easier to understand. Essentially the best way to view Jesus is as the Son of God. Now this may not seem that helpful so allow me to explain it in terms of what we as Christians have been promised by God to receive in the new heavens and the new earth.

As Paul wrote:

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:15-17)

And as the Gospel of John says:

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.” (John 1:11-13)

Then as God says in Revelation:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

The idea here is that those who remain faithful to God through Jesus to the end will become the children or rather the sons and daughters of God as we are adopted by God into His family. Then as the sons and daughters of God we will be “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) so that we will be equal with Jesus as Paul wrote. This then means that just as Jesus is a vicegerent of God in the sense that He rules on behalf of God using God’s power and authority so too will we as the faithful become vicegerents of God in the new heavens and the new earth. This may seem hard to believe so consider the following passages.

As Jesus says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)

And as Jesus also says:

“To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

Thus the idea here is that just as God gave Jesus His authority so too will we be given the same authority so that we can rule over creation as the sons and daughters of God in the new heavens and the new earth. In other words, just as Jesus has been given control of the Holy Spirit so too will all the faithful hold the Spirit of God in our hands. If you are still confused by this I talk more about it later in this commentary at the appropriate time.

So how does this relate to Jesus then? Well you see Jesus is the only begotten, meaning only born and translated from monogenés (μονογενής), Son of God while the faithful are to be adopted by God through marriage to Jesus. This is why Jesus is the only path to salvation because the only way to be reconciled with God is to have faith in Jesus and obey His commandments so that our sins can be washed away with His blood. The idea here is that since God created Jesus to be perfect before the foundation of the world Jesus serves as our intermediary with God. Then through faith and obedience to Jesus we are sanctified so that we can be married to Jesus and adopted into God’s family as the sons and daughters of God. So essentially you can think of Jesus as what we are to be except the main difference is that God created Jesus so that He was perfect while we were created imperfect so that Jesus could reconcile us with God.

Alright so if the main difference between Jesus and the future adoptive sons and daughters of God is that Jesus was created as a Son of God while the faithful must be adopted as the children of God then how exactly does this all work? For instance how do multiple people act as vicegerents of God? Really the best way to understand this is to think about what God is. Essentially God is infinity in the sense that He is omnipotent, omniscient and eternal. In other worse since God is God He must truly be infinite in nature. Now consider the vastness of space and let us pretend the universe is truly infinite in size. If you split the universe in half with an imaginary plane then what is half of infinity? Well it is still infinity. Really it does not matter how many times you split infinity because each fraction of infinity is still infinite. Thus when God gives His Spirit to all the faithful just as He gave His Spirit to Jesus this is how all the now sons and daughters of God can share in the Spirit of God. Since God is truly infinite even dividing His Spirit a trillion times still means that each faithful Christian would have the infinite power of God just as Jesus does. Now this does not mean that the faithful are to become like God because even Jesus Himself is not God. Instead the faithful are to simply possess the power and authority of God on His behalf just as Jesus does as we act as His vicegerents.

If you wish to protest this view that faithful Christians will be adopted as the sons and daughters of God so that we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) then just know that I go over this idea later on in the commentary. Really the only reason why I brought this idea up is so that you can better understand who and what Jesus is in relation to God. Essentially what I have been saying is that Jesus is the firstfruits of God’s plan for salvation in the sense that Jesus is the first Son of God while we as the faithful will be adopted into God’s family as the sons and daughters of God at the end of the age through being reconciled to God through Jesus. Then together we will all rule over the new heavens and the new earth just as God has promised as we carry out the will of God by serving as God’s vicegerents.

Next you may be wondering where the false doctrine of the trinity came from. I mean if the trinity is so obviously false then how exactly did it come to be? Well it is a good question and really there is no easy answer here since the trinity was never a foundational doctrine of the early first century Church. Instead the false doctrine of the trinity developed over the second, third and fourth centuries to become what most people today consider the trinity to be. Now in terms of where and when the trinity started to evolve specifically really this is a rather complicated question. This is because many people consider any reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to be an explicit trinitarian statement. Then just to remind you I am not unjustified in saying this because I used to see it this way before my eyes and ears were opened to the truth. However as I said at the start of this comment a reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is not an explicit reference to the false doctrine of the trinity. Sure you can see it as being a reference but this is only because you are presupposing that the trinity is true. Now I am bringing this up again because the earliest references to the concept of the trinity are just that where people make a reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However in reality in order for someone to be talking about the trinity they have to explicitly say that they believe the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equally omnipotent, equally omniscient, equally eternal and equally God.

Thus you can see the problem here. If you want to define the false doctrine of the trinity as any reference to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit then in truth you can find the trinity multiple times in the New Testament where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are referenced in the same passage or even verse. On the other hand if you want to define the false doctrine of the trinity as all members of the trinity being equally God then really the trinity was not developed and popularized until the fourth century AD. In the fourth century AD Jesus was mostly agreed to be equal with the Father during the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and then in the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD the Holy Spirit was mostly agreed to be the third person of the trinity and equal with the Father and Jesus.

I said this is a problem because when talking about the historicity of the trinity it really comes down to if you believe in the false doctrine of the trinity or not. Essentially trinitarians want to ground their false beliefs as early as possible to aid their false claims while in reality the false doctrine of the trinity was something that developed around three hundred years after the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore because of this I really do not think it is helpful to go over the history of the false doctrine of the trinity in detail because it really does not add anything. Instead just know that the false doctrine of the trinity is not in the Bible and that this is an undeniable fact and that it took a few hundred years to take the form of what we see it as today.

Alright so at this point you may be saying to yourself that all the passages that I have quoted and all that I have said is irrelevant because the church and those leading the church came up with the trinity and were so-called guided by God so therefore the false doctrine of the trinity is true. In other words you would simply be appealing to tradition and saying that the so-called fathers of the early church cannot be wrong because they were in the majority and God is guiding the church. Sounds good right? Well no and such an argument is beyond absurd. Now although this relates to the subject of why the Roman Catholic Church is wrong which I go over and address in my part called Various Insights in the sense that I go over why the Roman Catholic Church is without a doubt not guided by God there is something I would like to ask you. If you want to believe that the false doctrine of the trinity is a true and a foundational doctrine of Christianity and you also want to claim that God was and is guiding the church then why is the trinity completely absent from the Bible? But not only that why does the Bible teach that Jesus is subordinate to the Father or God?

Again as Jesus says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57)

“If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” (John 20:17)

The idea here is that the false doctrine of the trinity is in contradiction with the very words of Jesus in the Bible. Then because of this fact you can either claim that God guided the authors of the Bible so that the Bible is accurate in what it teaches or you can claim that God guided the church so that the church is accurate in what it teaches. Then yes you can pick neither which is actually a position I would agree with since it is clear that the Bible is not without error in all that it says and teaches but this is a subject to go over in my part called Various Insights. That said my point here is that ultimately you must choose between giving more authority to the Bible or to church tradition because they are in direct contradiction with each other.

Now to resolve this issue you may attempt to say that the church is merely providing the correct interpretation of the Bible that God actually meant when the texts were written. However the problem here is that this so-called argument is completely absurd. I mean if the false doctrine of the trinity is such an important doctrine for Christianity then why did God leave it out of the Bible so that people could debate it for hundreds of years before finally settling on the false doctrine of the trinity as we see it today? Why does God not have the power to write what He wanted to in the Bible originally so that He needed to guide the so-called clergy of the fourth century AD to adopt the correct doctrine? Thus you can see the issue here and why I said your argument would be completely absurd. Essentially all you are saying is that God was not able write down what is correct so the church had to make corrections later. Now this may make sense to you if you are a Roman Catholic so I want to ask you another question. If God has the power the guide the church to approve the correct doctrines then why did God not just give the correct doctrines originally in the Bible by guiding the hands of those who wrote the New Testament? You can see the problem here.

Then as a result of this problem you must then choose between two options. Option one is to value the Bible above tradition so that you throw out tradition that is in contradiction with the Bible. Then option two is to value tradition above the Bible so that you ignore whatever the Bible says if it contradicts tradition. This second option is what those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity take because the Bible not only cannot be used to support the false doctrine of the trinity but it actually speaks against the false doctrine of the trinity. Thus if you still believe in the trinity at this point then you place more value on tradition than the Bible.

This idea then leads to perhaps an even greater point that I have already touched upon. This point is of course that Jesus preached against upholding the tradition of your elders over the Word of God.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.’

Jesus answered them, ‘Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
They worship Me in vain;
they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.’

He went on to say, ‘You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.’” (Mark 7:1-13)

Therefore if you wish to appeal to tradition then I would say the same thing to you that Jesus said to the Pharisees of the first century AD. By valuing “the tradition you have been handed down” (Mark 7:13) over the Word of God “you nullify the word of God” (Mark 7:13) just as Jesus says. All so that in the end “You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8) as you continue to “teach as doctrine the precepts of men.” (Mark 7:7) This means that if you still hold onto the false doctrine of the trinity on the basis of tradition then you are choosing to honor your elders and the tradition they have given you over God and what He has said. In other words if you still insist on holding on to the false doctrine of the trinity on the basis of tradition then I would call you a Pharisee in the sense that you are more similar to the so-called Jews of Jesus’s day than not because both of you value tradition and what your elders have taught you over God.

Now you may find this statement to be inflammatory but I really do not care what you believe. I serve God alone and I could care less about your feelings getting hurt because you cannot come to terms with the fact that you value the tradition of your elders more than the Word of God if you still wish to believe that the trinity is a true doctrine instead of a false doctrine. Again not only can the trinity not be found anywhere in the Bible but Jesus Himself speaks against the trinity in the Bible as I have demonstrated. Therefore when I say that you are a Pharisee if you want to accept the trinity as true as you “teach as doctrine the precepts of men” (Mark 7:7) and “nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down” (Mark 7:13) I am actually upholding the Word of God as I bear witness to the truth that God has revealed to us.

If you wish to uphold tradition over the Word of God then you are serving tradition and you are not serving God. This is what Jesus’s main point is in the passage from the Gospel of Mark above. Thus you have to ask yourself if you would rather serve the tradition of your ancestors or serve God because you cannot choose both.

Then no it does not matter that the tradition of the false doctrine of the trinity dates back to the fourth century AD or over one-thousand six-hundred years in the past. After all if a tradition firmly goes against what the Bible says then that tradition is simply wrong. Really all you demonstrate by citing how many hundreds of years the false doctrine of the trinity has been around for is that most Christians have been wrong for that long and that they are in for a surprise in the resurrection one way or another.

Next because of all that I have quoted and written here I really do not care how many so-called fathers of the early church, elders, bishops and so forth you want to cite as so-called evidence that I am wrong. Again this is because all you will be doing is appealing to tradition and I have already told you numerous times that your tradition is not only wrong but “you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down.” (Mark 7:13) Thus even if you come up with a list of ten-thousand so-called expert theologians all I will say to you is that you have a list of ten-thousand people that this book will bear witness against. This is the main reason why I wrote so much in this comment and even why I wrote so much in this book. As I said in the introduction my purpose in writing this book is so that God can use it as a witness and testimony against the world. Thus all the so-called experts you wish to cite are exactly the kind of people I have in mind for God using this book against. In other words yes I fully realize almost all Christians in the past and present stand against me. However I truly do not care what you or anyone else believes in because my sole responsibility is to God alone since I serve God and I do not serve tradition. Additionally you need to understand that this is not a democracy and instead God our divine dictator. Therefore it does not matter if you have a trillion so-called experts because if God says they are wrong then they are wrong.

The next question you may have is why is it important to demonstrate that the false doctrine of the trinity is false? Well first off I would like to say that it is always important to try to understand what the truth is even if it may challenge your current beliefs. Thus on this basis coming to the understanding that the false doctrine of the trinity is well false is important because it is the truth. I mean I do not know about you but I have the desire to find and know the truth and this is how I came to understand the trinity to be a false doctrine. Therefore I believe coming to know and understand the truth is important in and of itself.

But now you are no doubt wondering what all this means exactly. For instance is it wrong to worship Jesus in the same way you would worship God? Then are those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity Christians and will they share in the resurrection of life? In terms of the first question the answer is clearly no because Jesus is the Christ. This means that whatever we do for Jesus we also do for God because God has chosen Jesus to carryout His will by giving Jesus His full power and authority.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)

Therefore it is expected that we worship Jesus as Christians because God has chosen Jesus to represent Him. Think of it like a king appointing a vicegerent like I have explained before. For instance if a king appoints a vicegerent and a person refuses to honor and obey the vicegerent then this person is in fact dishonoring and disobeying the king. This is because the king has given his power and authority to the vicegerent so that by defying the power and authority of the vicegerent the person is in reality defying the power and authority of the king.

Then this whole idea of “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:22-23) is why the so-called Jews do not actually worship God. The idea here is that God has appointed Jesus as His vicegerent so whenever the so-called Jews refuse to honor Jesus as God’s vicegerent or the Christ the so-called Jews are disrespecting and dishonoring God. This means that even the most seemingly pious so-called Jews who try to obey the full Law as best as they can are completely godless and wicked to the highest degree because they are in full rebellion against God due to rejecting Jesus as the Christ or God’s vicegerent.

Therefore as a result of all this contrary to what many non-trinitarians might say we should honor and glorify Jesus in the same way as we would honor and glorify God. Thus there is absolutely zero reason to believe that Christians should not honor and glorify Jesus so do not worry about this.

Although the previous question was rather simple this next one is rather difficult. So are those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity Christians and will they share in the resurrection of life? Now not that I am trying to avoid the question or anything but I am not really sure. The reason why I say I am not sure instead of saying yes for instance is because the belief in the false doctrine of the trinity indirectly leads to the belief that Jesus did not die on the cross and hence was not resurrected. Then since these beliefs are rather fundamental to Christianity there could possibly be grounds for saying that those who believe in the false doctrine of the trinity are not Christians because they effectively deny the death and resurrection of Jesus. If you want to dispute this then you need to understand that if you actually believe that Jesus is equal with the Father so that He is equally God as the false doctrine of the trinity states then this means that you actually believe Jesus never died on the cross and more importantly that Jesus was never resurrected by God because if Jesus truly is fully God then He cannot die.

Now you may think this issue is rather silly and I would completely agree with you and dismiss it if it was not for one rather significant point. This point is that one of the chief beliefs of Islam is that Jesus did not die on the cross and that instead He was taken up into heaven. Muslims also make Jesus out to be a prophet instead of the Christ in case you are wondering. But the reason why I consider this belief by Muslims to be a rather significant point is because when you look at the foundation of Islam according to their texts and tradition they claim the false prophet Muhammad was called by an angel who was almost certainly a demon or even Satan himself in disguise based upon the fact that the so-called angel would assault Muhammad when he was unable to read. Then sure in addition many passages from the Quran are highly questionable and seem to have been written by someone seeking to justify abusive behavior. But really my point here is that if Satan really did seek to lead people astray so that they no longer believe in Jesus’s death and resurrection then it would make sense to create Islam which teaches that Jesus did not die and was not resurrected from the dead.

This would of course be highly significant because if this is true then it stands to reason that believing in the literal death and resurrection is actually important. I mean otherwise you could then say that Muslims are actually Christians and they will share in the resurrection to life. Thus because of all this I would say that there is a chance that those who actually believe that Jesus is literally God will not be considered Christians and will not share in the resurrection to life because they are denying that Jesus died and was raised from the dead by God. Again, if you literally think Jesus is God so that He is eternal then how can He die? Obviously He cannot. Then if He cannot die then He cannot be raised from the dead.

I say a chance here because ultimately I am not sure. Really if this line of reasoning is correct then it would ultimately come down to the beliefs that each person has. For instance if you look at polls of Christians over half of them actually correctly believe that Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God ironically enough and only a quarter of Christians strongly belief that Jesus is God. It gets worse for the Holy Spirit because only a fifth of Christians strongly believe that the Holy Spirit is a person. Now I am not naming this survey because I do not wish to attack them. However I will say for your information that they polled Christians in the United States and the principle purpose of the survey was ironically enough to show that there are significant problems with the beliefs of Christians. So sure the results will almost certainly be different in other countries or even just in another poll but my point is that most Christians do not actually believe in the false doctrine of the trinity.

In fact I would probably say that around three-quarters of Christians who believe they are trinitarians are actually unitarians in that they actually correctly believe that God is God, that Jesus is the Christ and that the Holy Spirit is the power and influence of God over and in the world. So if what I just said is true then this would mean that a large majority of Christians who call themselves trinitarians actually have nothing to worry about because they do not actually believe Jesus to be equal to God which would then mean that they do not implicitly deny Jesus’s death and resurrection.

But what about the other quarter who believe that Jesus is literally God? Well like I said I am not sure. Really in the end Jesus will judge us on behalf of God, because He is the Christ, so if believing in the trinity is wrong then I guess we will find out then.

Finally I realize calling this comment long would be an understatement but I hope you found it helpful despite the great the length. I was rather conflicted in where to place what you just read because in truth it does not fit in anywhere. For instance putting it before this commentary would be rather odd and placing it after the commentary would simply not be acceptable because the false doctrine of the trinity is highly important for understanding Revelation. Thus really it only truly belongs as a comment on a verse. Then sure I could have written less because in truth the false doctrine of the trinity can be refuted by quoting a few verses but given the fact that the vast majority of Christians consider themselves trinitarians they would no doubt dismiss my commentary if I wrote anything less. Therefore although this comment may seem overly long I felt it necessary to fully explain myself here. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

(6) “to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” – As Revelation later shows with the scroll with seven seals God has given rule over the earth to Jesus as the Christ so that He sits as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16) Then as I said in the previous comment since Jesus is the Christ when you honor Jesus you honor God. This is why I capitalize pronouns that refer to Jesus. Additionally it is important to remember that if you do not honor Jesus then you do not honor God.

As Jesus says:

“Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)

Therefore make sure to glorify and honor Jesus because by glorifying and honoring Jesus you glorify and honor God since Jesus is the Christ.

(7) “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.” – Here the Book of Revelation is saying that Jesus will return in a similar manner in which Jesus says He will return in the Gospel of Matthew.

As Jesus says:

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30)

(7) “He is coming with the clouds” – By saying “He is coming with the clouds” John is saying that Jesus will return in glory and in a divine manner so that even the clouds of heaven will obey His will. This may not make much sense so consider the fact that Jews in the early first century believed that only God could command the clouds. Thus the idea here is that by saying Jesus will come “with the clouds” (Revelation 1:7) John is saying that when Jesus returns the power of God will be behind Him. Furthermore this is also a reference to the Book of Daniel.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into His presence.
And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship,
that the people of every nation and language should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13)

Then it is also important to contrast Jesus’s first coming in the first century AD with His future second coming. When Jesus came in the first century AD He took the form of a lowly peasant who preached forgiveness and did not seek to destroy the authorities of the day. However when Jesus comes again in the future He will take the form of a divine King who sits as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) so that everyone on earth will be subject to Him as the whole world faces judgment.

(7) “every eye will see Him” – Everyone on earth will see Jesus when He returns and all will recognize His return as divine in nature. It will be obvious to everyone. This means that Jesus will not return in a hidden manner and as a result you do not have to worry about not being aware of Jesus’s second coming because it will be impossible for you to miss it.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:26-27)

The idea here is that just as it is impossible to miss the flash of lightning during a thunderstorm so too will it be impossible to miss Jesus’s second coming because when Jesus return to judge the world He will return in power so that “every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7) just as Revelation says. This fact then also means that the preterist position that Jesus had His second coming in the first century AD is simply wrong because every eye did not see Him return so therefore He did not return in the first century AD. If you are still a preterist then you really cannot dispute this because the only way you can make the case for the first century AD return of Jesus is to say that His return was hidden to “the inner rooms” (Matthew 24:26) since there are zero widespread reports of people seeing Jesus return in the first century AD.

(7) “even those who pierced Him” – First off the gospels proscribe guilt in the death of Jesus to the so-called Jews who did not accept Him as the Christ and the promised Messiah.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘You bear the responsibility.’

All the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:24-26)

Therefore this means that by denying Jesus as the Christ or Messiah the so-called Jews have His blood on their hands even to this very day. This last part is important because many Christians like to mistakenly believe that only the so-called Jews of the first century AD or more specifically the high priests who were directly involved in Jesus’s death have blood on their hands. However instead as the Gospel of Matthew teaches all of the so-called Jews have blood on their hands because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ they inherit the blood that was spilled by their ancestors so that they become murderers through their continued godlessness. This is the main reason why I have said that the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil group of people in the world today because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ they become murderers. Again I say so-called Jews here because as you will learn in my commentary on Revelation 2:9 the so-called Jews are not Jews because they do not recognize the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) and refuse to submit to the authority of the Christ.

Now no doubt you probably object to what I have just said and falsely believe that it is silly for God to view the so-called Jews of today as a group of godless murderers who deserve eternal condemnation and destruction for their sins. I mean surely God has forgiven them right? Well no.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:29-36)

In this passage Jesus is saying that the scribes and Pharisees will be punished for the sins of their fathers so that “all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah” (Matthew 23:35) will be upon them. Now this actually happened in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars in the first and second centuries AD where God poured out His wrath upon the so-called Jews and killed around two-million of them. Later on it my part called Fulfilled Prophecy I go into the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars and their theological significance so if you have an issue with this then your questions will be addressed there.

However my point here is that clearly God judges people for the sins of their ancestors if the generation to be punished is engaging in the same godless behavior that their ancestors engaged in. Thus the idea here is that since the Pharisees were just as godless as past generations who persecuted the prophets God had sent Jesus is saying that they will be punished not just for their own godlessness but for all the righteous blood their ancestors spilled. Then because of this fact a similar idea can be seen with the so-called Jews today. By rejecting Jesus as the Christ the so-called Jews are rejecting God and as a result of this rejection of God they become godless. Then it is through this godlessness that they inherit the blood of Jesus so that they become literal murderers who crucify Jesus daily through their continued denial. Now even calling them murders is not really accurate because they killed the Christ and not a common man. This is why you really cannot argue against me saying the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil group in the world today because killing the Christ is one of if not the worst sin possible.

Now you may claim that everything I just said cannot be correct but you need to remember that Jesus is the Christ or God’s anointed representative. This means that Jesus literally represents God so that whatever Jesus says and does is the literal will of God so that the only way to know God is to know Jesus.

As Jesus says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Think of it as a king appointing a royal agent and giving the agent his royal power and authority then sending the agent out on business to a foreign nation to negotiate with them on his behalf. The idea is that if this foreign nation rejects this royal agent then this foreign nation will not merely be rejecting the agent himself but also rejecting the king because the king has given the agent his royal power and authority. Now obviously here in this example the king is God or the Father and the royal agent is Jesus who is the Christ. This then means that whenever someone rejects Jesus they are not simply rejecting Jesus but rejecting God since God is using Jesus to fulfill His will.

As Jesus says:

“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.” (John 14:9-10)

The idea here is that Jesus has been chosen by God as the Christ to use His authority and carry out His will so that God can work through Jesus. Therefore by rejecting Jesus, God’s chosen representative who has been given His divine power and authority by God Himself, the so-called Jews are actually rejecting God Himself. Again this is why Jesus later on calls those who reject Him, the so-called Jews, “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) because by rejecting Him, the Christ, the so-called Jews are in fact rejecting God since Jesus is the One whom God has given His divine power and authority to carry out His will. As a result of this the so-called Jews have become godless and have allied themselves with Satan.

Therefore in this verse in Revelation “those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) would refer to the so-called Jews in the future who have refused to accept Jesus and become Christians. The idea here is that by refusing to submit to God’s anointed One, the Christ, the so-called Jews are continually piercing Him and crucifying Him all over again every single day of their lives through the blasphemy of their rejection and unbelief. Thus the so-called Jews, those who reject Jesus, will bear the blood guilt of those in the first century AD who crucified Jesus until the end of the age. Again, this is why the so-called Jews in the Gospel of Matthew say “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25)

Now you might not agree with this meaning of “even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) in this verse and say it concerns the Roman Empire but the Gospel of John actually says it concerns the so-called Jews.

As the Gospel of John says:

“And, as another Scripture says: ‘They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (John 19:37)

This verse a clear reference to the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 about Israel and because of this fact this verse does not have the Roman Empire in mind and instead it refers to the so-called Jews and how they crucified the Christ.

As the Book of Zechariah says:

“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among the sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and on the left, while the people of Jerusalem remain secure there.

The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah. On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.

So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zechariah 12:6-10)

I quoted the preceding verses before Zechariah 12:10 to demonstrate that this is actually supposed to be a prophecy that concerns the end of the age. As a result it was not actually fulfilled in the first century AD. So why does the Gospel of John reference it? Well you see when the New Testament was written people quoted from the scriptures rather loosely so that they took things out of context and applied them to whatever they wanted to really. So the idea here is that the author of the Gospel of John is just ignoring everything else in the passage from the Book of Zechariah above while focusing on “they will look on Me, the One they have pierced.” (Zechariah 12:10) If this method of referencing the scriptures does not make much sense to you just know that I talk more about it in my part called Various Insights. That said my point here is that since the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 concerns the nation of Israel this means that the Gospel of John is not referring to the Roman Empire and is instead referring to the so-called Jews by saying “And, as another Scripture says: ‘They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (John 19:37)

As an aside if you are wondering what the passage from Zechariah is actually referring to I would say it is referring to Revelation 20:7-10 because the Church is the true Israel and all of the so-called Jews are “a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) Then specifically the part saying “they will look on Me, the One they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) would refer to Christians in the thousand year reign looking upon God and realizing that we are unworthy of the gift of eternal life that we have received because of our transgressions against God. In other words Zechariah is just saying that God will redeem us and that after we have been redeemed we will recognize all our transgressions against God or the piercing part of the passage so that we mourn and regret our past actions.

Now you may believe this view to be wrong so that you believe Zechariah 12 concerns the so-called Jews in the future but the idea that Christians are true Jews and that we are the true Israelites is one of the main points of the Book of Revelation and because of this fact this is why I emphasize it so much. Many people mistakenly believe that the so-called Jews of today are Israelites or the people of God but this could not be further from the truth. Like I said the so-called Jews are a literal “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) because they have allied themselves with Satan through their continued denial of Jesus as the Christ. This means that God wants nothing more to do with them so that their only purpose now is to face judgment and then eternal destruction and damnation at the end of the age. This may seem hard to believe but I assure you that after you finish my commentary on the Book of Revelation read my part called Fulfilled Prophecy you will come to the same conclusion I have. I say come to the same conclusion I have because I did not always believe such things to be true and instead I only came to believe what I now believe after I read the Bible for myself. Then if you must know Deuteronomy 28 has shaped my views the most concerning the so-called Jews but do not concern yourself with this now since I fully go into it in detail in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy.

All that said my point here with regards to “even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) is that this is a clear reference to the Gospel of John where the author wrote “And, as another Scripture says: ‘They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (John 19:37) Then since the Gospel of John is referring to Zechariah 12:10 this means that the author of the Gospel of John is referring to the so-called Jews and not the Romans. As a result this means that “even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) refers to the so-called Jews and that it does not refer to the Romans or the Roman Empire.

Therefore “even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) means that when Jesus returns there will still be the so-called Jews who have refused to accept Jesus so that they will look upon the One who they have pierced through their unbelief and hardness of heart. Thus “even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) will see Jesus when He returns because once again every so-called Jew who remains a so-called Jew continually pierces Jesus every day through the blasphemy of their unbelief and their rejection of God Himself through their rejection of Jesus as the Christ.

This verse also might more specifically refer to a nation that calls itself Israel in which case the modern state of so-called Israel obviously exists today. The idea here is that God wishes to keep the so-called Jews around until the return of Jesus and collect them together into a godless nation so that they can be judged. Thus just as God will judge the unfaithful of the whole world so too will God pass judgment upon those, the so-called Jews, who continue to pierce Jesus through their unbelief. Now this may not make much sense so consider the following passage from Leviticus.

As God says:

“Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or despise them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.” (Leviticus 26:44)

The idea here is that despite the fact that the so-called Jews are a group of godless murderers who have the blood of Christ on their hands God has promised not to completely destroy them so that they do not exist anymore. Now of course God could let the so-called Jews disappear into the nations of the world so that they no longer exist as a people but then God would not get His retribution against them that He was denied in the first century AD. You see the so-called Jews deserved to be completely wiped out as people in the first century AD in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars as punishment for what they did to Jesus. However as I just said God promised to not wipe them out completely when they are in the land of their enemies.

So the idea is that if God waits until the end of the age when the whole world is to be judged as the new heavens and new earth are created as He makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5) then God will not be breaking His covenant by completely destroying the so-called Jews then. This is because God would be wiping out and judging the entire world and not just the so-called Jews specifically. Because of this fact the creation of the modern state of so-called Israel could be seen as an act of God because it is setting up the final judgment that the so-called Jews are to face as a people from God for what they have done and continue to do. In other words I believe the creation of the modern state of so-called Israel is part of God’s plan to punish the so-called Jews for what they did to Jesus in the first century AD.

Furthermore by keeping the so-called Jews around until the end so that they may witness Jesus's return Jesus is actually fulfilling a promise He made.

As Jesus says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

Thus in order for the so-called Jews to know that Christians are the ones who are loved by God through the love of the Christ and for the so-called Jews to bow down at our feet they would still have to be around when Jesus returns. So the fact that the so-called Jews still exist today can actually be considered an act of God or a miracle.

However I will say that all this does not mean that the so-called Jews will not convert to Christianity in the future only that there will still be some left at the end. So although many so-called Jews will repent of their sins and accept Jesus as the Christ so that they become Christian the vast majority of the so-called Jews will probably remain so-called Jews so that the word of God here in Revelation can be fulfilled. Therefore do not worry about the blasphemy of the so-called Jews because their unbelief is simply the fulfillment of God’s plan. This means that if you try to talk to so-called Jews about Jesus and they refuse to listen to you then do not be concerned because their hearts have simply been hardened by God so that He may be glorified through their future judgment.

Finally I would just like to say that you should not take what the gospels, Revelation and even I say concerning the so-called Jews as a reason to hurt or cause harm to the so-called Jews. Yes it is true that they are a literal “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) so that they are the literal agents of Satan rather than the people of God. However this is not an excuse to hurt them because ultimately God is the judge of all and by judging others for God not only are you making yourself as unclean as those whom you are judging but you are taking away from God the judgment He has been waiting to carry out.

As Paul wrote:

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

So remember that God has assigned all those who reject Jesus as the Christ to face eternal death, damnation and destruction in the Lake of Fire or the second death. This means that any and ever so-called Jew who refuses to accept Jesus and become Christian will be destroyed by God.

Furthermore you cannot force any so-called Jew to convert to Christianity so there is no reason to use force against them. If God has hardened their heart so that they continue to reject Jesus then He has done so for a reason so that His glory might be demonstrated in His wrath on the day of judgment when they are cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. As a result of this you cannot forcibly the so-called Jews from destruction because in order for them to be saved they have to believe that Jesus is the Christ. So instead of trying to convert resistant so-called Jews you should instead do as Revelation says you should do.

As Revelation says:

“Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11)

So let the so-called Jews persist in their own sin and blasphemy until God casts them into the Lake of Fire to face the second death if that is what they wish.

Lastly it is important to remember that God wants to pay the so-called Jews back from what they did to His Son so do not take God’s vengeance away from Him because God’s vengeance and wrath is His own.

As God says”

“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)

Thus God will punish the so-called Jews for what they have done and continue to do so you should not concern yourself with them. In fact if you seek to punish the so-called Jews for yourself instead of waiting for God to completely judge them at the end of the age then all you will demonstrate is that you lack faith in God.

(7) “And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” – Jesus will not return to forgive in peace but to judge with the full wrath of God. After all “He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:15) Thus those who deny Jesus will see the error of their ways too late to be forgiven so that all they can do is mourn. Even most of those who call themselves Christians at the end will mourn because they will realize they were wrong for thinking the beast was their savior as they engaged in adultery against God with it. Thus you should keep this warning in mind so that you will be one of those who celebrates in happiness instead of one of those who cries and mourns. Always remember that the Book of Revelation is not something to take lightly let alone ignore entirely.

(7) “So shall it be! Amen.” – What John has just said is the will of God so it cannot be prevented. Hence “So shall it be!” (Revelation 1:7) But instead of being angry, sad or anxious about the coming judgment of God through Jesus we should be happy and joyous because we will join God in the new Jerusalem as the final and eternal Kingdom of God finally arrives. This is why John says “Amen.” (Revelation 1:7) Amen is a word of Hebrew origin that simply means verily, truly or so let it be. Thus it is a word to use to express agreement to what was said before it.

(8) “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.” – Alpha is the first character of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. Therefore the idea is that God is the beginning and end of all things. This is why John also wrote “who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) Then as I said previously by saying “who is and was and is to come” (Revelation 1:8) John is using a phrase similar to the Epicurean epitaph of I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care which denotes mortality. Thus John is saying that God has always existed and will forever exist which is something that God alone can satisfy. In other words God is all powerful and He is the origin of all there is because He encompasses all things. Now this may not seem that important however later on in Revelation an angel describes the beast in a similar form.

As Revelation says:

“The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.” (Revelation 17:8)

Now I am not going to explain this verse here. Instead as you read the rest of my commentary I want you to try to think about what “the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be” (Revelation 17:8) means within the context of “who is and was and is to come” (Revelation 1:8) referring to God and I was not, I was, I am not referring to people like us after we die.

3 – John’s Vision on Patmos

(9) I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus. (10) On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, (11) saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

(12) Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, (13) and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest. (14) The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire. (15) His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. (16) He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.

(17) When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, (18) the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

(19) Therefore write down the things you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. (20) This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

3.1 – Commentary

(9) “I, John, your brother” – The word translated as brother more accurately refers to a member of the same religion. Thus John is addressing all faithful Christians here.

It is also worth pointing out that John simply refers to himself as John rather than as John the apostle or John the disciple. Therefore it is probably likely that the author of Revelation was not the apostle John. Now I am not saying this for sure and instead I am simply saying it is probably likely. You are free to believe whatever you wish here and it does not make a bit of difference who you believe actually wrote Revelation down. This is because as you will see in the rest of my commentary it is clear this book is the word of God.

(9) “and partner” – John is saying that he is a fellow partaker with us in our trials and struggles.

(9) “in the tribulation” – The word translated as tribulation is a form of the word thlipsis (θλῖψις) which can better be understood to mean being confined or restricted due to internal pressure. In other words thlipsis (θλῖψις) refers to the internal pressures or rather temptations Christians face while living in a society that stands in opposition to what it means to be Christian. This would be in contrast to a word like stenochória (στενοχωρία) which refers to experiencing difficulty or pressure due to external circumstances. This means that you should not think of thlipsis (θλῖψις) which is translated as tribulation here as referring to only persecution. For instance the Greek word for persecution actually appears along with thlipsis (θλῖψις).

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

First off the word translated as trouble here is thlipsis (θλῖψις) thus you should read trouble more along the lines of experiencing internal pressure or rather temptation and not external troubles. Then the word translated as persecution is from the word diógmos (διωγμός) which refers to being chased or pursued which is why it can be accurately be understood to mean persecution.

Now I brought up the word for persecution to demonstrate that thlipsis (θλῖψις) does not specifically refer to persecution which would be more accurately described as external pressure because thlipsis (θλῖψις) refers to being confined or restricted by internal pressures. I mean otherwise why use thlipsis (θλῖψις) and not diógmos (διωγμός)? Thus like I said thlipsis (θλῖψις) does not refer to persecution.

So what specifically would thlipsis (θλῖψις) refer to then? Well in terms of an example from the first century AD an example would be being tempted by a dinner invitation from your pagan friends when you know they are going to eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol. Another example would be feeling temptation after being thrown in prison until you worship idols or the Roman emperor as so-called gods. Then an example from our time would be feeling temptation to keep your employee’s wages at the industry average and instead paying your employees what they need to live on. Another example would be being tempted to charge interest on loans you give out. And another example would be being tempted to give up instead of spending many hundreds if not thousands of hours writing a book only to give it away for free so that the most number of Christians can be helped by it. Then lastly of course another example would be being tempted to place your faith, trust and hope in the coming beast instead of in God alone.

Therefore you can see that thlipsis (θλῖψις) which is frequently translated as tribulation is centered around facing internal pressures or temptations in your life as a result of living out your Christian faith. Thus it can refer to what we think of as persecution with being thrown in prison until you give in but it can also refer to facing temptation in your own life as you are tempted to take the easy route.

Then because of this fact when the Bible refers to “the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) it is not specifically referring to being persecuted or even killed and instead it is referring to facing internal pressure that makes you feel restricted. Now the reason why I bring the true meaning of this word up is because many if not the vast majority of Christians falsely believe that thlipsis (θλῖψις) refers to only persecution so that as a result they believe that when the beast comes they need to be on the look out for persecution instead of what thlipsis (θλῖψις) actually refers to. On the other hand since the true meaning of thlipsis (θλῖψις) is facing internal pressure that causes you to feel restricted this means that you should be on the lookout for temptation from the beast and not just persecution. For instance when the beast comes and works so-called miracles like healing all diseases, ending poverty, ending war and more you will face intense internal pressure that makes you feel confined or restricted because of the personal temptation you face in placing your faith, trust and hope in the beast instead of in God and because of the peer pressure you will face as everyone around you thinks you are crazy for placing your faith, trust and hope in God whom you cannot see while the beast is right in front of you and can be see by all. Thus it is my concern that once the beast does finally arrive the vast majority of Christians or rather so-called Christians will welcome it with open arms as they abandon God by placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast instead of in God.

(9) “and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus” – The word kingdom here would refer to the Kingdom of God so John is telling us that he is our “brother and partner” (Revelation 1:9) in the Kingdom of God. However Jesus has not come back yet so we all must have perseverance as we all wait for Jesus to finally usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. It is also important to point out that it is only through our faith in Jesus that we can persevere until the end finally comes because Jesus and His words in the Gospels and Revelation are our primary source of hope for the future as Christians.

(9) “was on the island of Patmos” – The island of Patmos is a Greek island located just of the western coast of Asia Minor or the modern-day country of Turkey,

(9) “because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.” – John was probably exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel. According to tradition John was exiled by the Romans however the only real historical evidence we have for John’s exile is given by this verse. Thus John could have voluntarily exiled himself to Patmos as a way to escape persecution by the Romans.

(10) “On the Lord’s day” – As a reminder Sunday is the day of the week Jesus rose from the dead so the reference to the Lord’s day here means Sunday.

(10) “I was in the Spirit” – The word translated as spirit here is pneuma (πνεῦμα) and it is a rather difficult word to explain since it can figuratively mean a number of different things despite the fact that it can be most literally translated as wind or breath. Furthermore the word pneuma (πνεῦμα) is a similar word to psuché (ψυχή) which also can be most literally translated as breath. Therefore instead of explaining the meaning of pneuma (πνεῦμα) now I explain the meaning of both pneuma (πνεῦμα) and psuché (ψυχή) in my commentary on Revelation 6 later on.

That said in terms of the meaning of spirit in this verse by saying that he “was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10) John is saying he was having a vision given to him by God through the Holy Spirit. This is because oftentimes the word pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit is used to describe an unseen force that originates from God that God uses to guide and inspire His people so that they can better know and understand His will. Then if you remember what I said with regards to the Holy Spirit in my comment on the false doctrine of the trinity what I just said should make sense to you since this is what the Holy Spirit is. That is to say that the Holy Spirit is an unseen force that originates from God that is representative of the power and influence of God over the world. This is then why the translators capitalized “Spirit” (Revelation 1:20) here because John is saying that He was having a vision from God given to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. So do not concern yourself with the meaning of pneuma (πνεῦμα) for now and simply understand John saying “I was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10) as John saying he was having a vision because as I just said I go into the meaning of pneuma (πνεῦμα) later on in Revelation 6.

But what exactly then does it to say that John had a vision given to Him by God? Well really think about having a vision as experiencing a waking dream where you see things in your mind that do not actually exist in reality as you are consciously aware of everything that is happening in your waking dream. Thus the idea here with respect to Revelation is that John is having a vision, or a waking dream, where he sees vivid imagery as he is guided through his vision by an angel who helps to convey the message that God has for us as Christians. This would of course make sense since the imagery that Revelation uses in order to convey the message that God has for us is rather dreamlike or even nightmarish in nature.

(10) “and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” – The voice that John hears is that of Jesus since immediately after John turns around he sees “One like the Son of Man” (Revelation 1:13) or Jesus standing there. Now this may seem contradictory since John previously said “He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John” (Revelation 1:1) however as you will see in the bulk of the rest of Revelation an angel does in fact lead John through almost all of his vision. Therefore Jesus is speaking and guiding John here while later on an angel will be speaking and guiding John. Another perspective to take is that a real angel visited John and gave him the vision that he recorded in Revelation. So in this sense the angel that visited John would have delivered the entirety of Revelation to John in the form of a vision so that even Jesus speaking in Revelation can be considered being delivered to John by the angel.

(10) “like a trumpet” – Trumpets were used to make announcements to signal troop movements in battle which would mean that Jesus has an authoritative voice that can command armies.

(11) “the seven churches” – Again by saying “seven churches” (Revelation 1:11) the seven churches being addressed are therefore representative of all churches from when Revelation was written to whatever time you are reading this in and up until the final Kingdom of God arrives.

(11) “saying, ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.’” – The seven churches in these seven cities were located in the western part of Asia Minor or the modern-day country of Turkey and they were all quite close together. As a result of this fact I believe there is zero reason to believe that Jesus is only speaking to Christians in the Roman Empire in the first century AD. I mean if on the other hand Jesus said write to the seven churches of so-called Jerusalem, Rome, Alexandria, Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch and Thessalonica then I would be more inclined to say that the seven churches refers to all the churches of the Roman Empire and not all churches throughout all time up to the end of the age when Jesus will return.

(12) “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands” – Here lampstands are representative of Churches since Jesus later says “the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20) Churches are represented as lampstands because they help to spread the Gospel. A lampstand was used to provide light in the dark so that you would be able to see. Thus churches are like lampstands because they provide true light to the world in the form of the Gospel.

(13) “and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man” – Here the Son of Man is clearly Jesus and it is a reference to the Book of Daniel.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.” (Daniel 7:13)

Then Jesus is standing among the lampstands, again representative of churches, because Jesus is ever present among all faithful Christians regardless of where we are or in what circumstances we find ourselves in.

It is also important to point out that by saying Jesus is “among the lampstands” (Revelation 1:13) that this means the seven churches are representative of all churches throughout all time from the first century AD all the way until when Jesus will return in power to destroy the beasts of Revelation. This is because it makes zero sense to say that Jesus only cares about these seven literal churches in western Asian Minor. Instead Jesus obviously cares about all churches because He cares about all Christians. So again as a result the seven churches do not merely symbolize all churches in the first century AD but rather all churches throughout the whole world throughout all time.

(13) “dressed in a long robe” – A long robe is symbolic of wealth and power since those who engaged in manual labor wore tunics instead of long robes.

(13) “with a golden sash around His chest” – A golden sash is representative of supreme priestly authority since high priests also wore a sash. Thus Jesus is our new high priest who serves as our mediator with God to speak on our behalf.

(14) “The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow” – White hair is representative of purity, wisdom, righteousness, victory, perfection and holiness.

(14) “His eyes were like a blazing fire” – Eyes of blazing fire are representative of the wrath of God.

As Revelation later says:

“And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:15)

Therefore you should always remember that God will judge the world through Jesus at the end of the age.

(15) “His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace” – Bronze feet represent Jesus's ability to crush His opposition under His feet and thus mean power.

(15) “and His voice was like the roar of many waters” – A voice like the roar of many waters is representative of divine authority because God’s voice has been described like the roar of many waters.

As the Book of Ezekiel says:

“I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.” (Ezekiel 43:2)

Therefore when you hear Jesus speak or read His words you should treat what you read and hear as coming from God Himself because Jesus is the Christ and God has given Jesus His power and authority.

(16) “He held in His right hand seven stars” – Stars are explicitly stated to be representative of angels since Jesus later says “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). Then angels are represented as stars because stars are viewed as being part of heaven and thus part of God’s domain just as angels are. Additionally the seven angels guide the way for the seven churches just like how people used stars to guide the way while traveling in ancient times. By saying Jesus holds the stars in His right hand the verse is saying that Jesus controls all the angels and the Church.

(16) “and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth.” – A sharp double-edged sword is representative of the ability to kill and destroy. Thus Jesus has the power to kill and destroy by speaking and He will do just that.

As Revelation later says:

“And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.” (Revelation 19:21)

(16) “His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.” – Jesus has the brightness of the glory of God because He has been given authority and power on behalf of God in order to carry out the will of God.

(17) “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid.’” – The glory and power that Jesus displays is a terrifying sight to behold so John cannot prevent himself from falling to his knees. However Jesus comforts him and tells him not to be afraid. It may seem silly for John to be afraid here however you need to understand that Jesus has the power and authority of God so He can judge and destroy whoever He wishes to.

As Jesus says:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

Then as an aside the word translated as hell here is most accurately translated as Gehenna. Later on in this commentary I fully explain why hell does not exist because the traditional view of hell is no where to be found in the Bible. Instead after the resurrection of the dead the unfaithful will be destroyed so that they cease to exist forever more.

(17-18) “I am the First and the Last, the Living One.” – Jesus is saying that He is One with God since only God is “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev 1:8). The idea here is that Jesus is saying that He has been given the power and authority of God so that He is God’s chosen representative or the Christ which simply means that Jesus is the One who represents and carries out the will of God so that God works through Him so that everything Jesus does God also does. This means that when you read what Jesus says you should read it as what God says because Jesus is speaking for God and God is speaking through Him.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“So Jesus replied, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.’” (John 5:19-23)

Next obviously Jesus cannot literally because the First and the Last or the Living One because He died and had to be resurrected so there was a time when He did not exist.

As Jesus says:

“I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18)

As a result of this you should not view Jesus using these two titles as evidence for the trinity. As a reminder Jesus calls God His God.

As Jesus says:

“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

Then again I ask you if Jesus is God then why does Jesus call God His God? Thus as I said before the trinity cannot be true.

Now you may dispute this view but the only way to dispute it would be to say that Jesus did not really die on the cross and that instead He continued to live because anyone who dies cannot literally be called “the First and the Last, the Living One” (Revelation 1:17-18) on purely logical grounds. However the problem here is if you believe this then you deny the death and resurrection of Jesus because you would be literally saying that Jesus did not die and as a result you would also deny the resurrection because only the dead can be resurrected and the living cannot be given life because they already have it. This would then mean that your sins cannot be forgiven through your faith in Jesus because only through believing in Jesus’s death and resurrection can your sins be forgiven.

This then leads to a rather interesting and extremely important question that I discussed already. This question is of course the question of if Christians who believe in the trinity are saved or not. But honestly like I said I am not sure if they are or not and I really do not want to say yes or no so I am still not going to answer this question. However I will say that there is a very big difference between believing in Jesus as a member of the trinity or God and believing in Jesus as the Christ or the Anointed One whom God has chosen to carry out His will. This is because by believing Jesus is literally God you essentially erase the sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross because for one, I as I just said, God cannot die so therefore you would not believe a sacrifice ever took place.

Now you may wish to get around this issue by claiming that Jesus has two natures one fully human and one that is fully God but this is completely nonsensical because a single person cannot be two people at once. Now you may disagree with this, which is fine, but then you still have the problem of Jesus’s death still not meeting the definition of a sacrifice because if Jesus is fully God and God cannot die, and thus be sacrificed, then this would mean that you would believe that Jesus did not die because Jesus as God did not die. Sure you can claim the fully human aspect died but if the fully God aspect did not die then you cannot actually say Jesus died for your sins.

This may seem like I am saying that those who believe in the trinity are not Christians but I am not. Instead I am simply bringing up some points again and in truth, as I said, I am not sure and I have no idea. Really I would like to say yes they are but given the theological issues that arise I have my own doubts so I cannot say yes. While at the same time the doubts that I have are not convincing enough for me to give no as an answer. Therefore my answer is simply I do not know as I said. However as I said previously a large majority of Christians do not actually believe in the trinity when asked specific questions so really the majority of Christians do not have anything to worry about here.

(18) “I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever!” – Jesus raised from the dead to eternal life by God so He is now immortal.

(18) “And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.” – First off Hades was believed by the Greeks to be the invisible realm in which the dead exist as shadows of their former selves. Then once someone has entered Hades through dying they do not leave. That said obviously Jesus is not saying that Hades is a literal place. Instead Hades is being used metaphorically to represent all those who are dead. This can be seen in this verse since the idea here is that Jesus is saying that He has control over death itself so that He is able to give us life. Therefore Jesus has been given control of death itself by God and because of this fact Christians should not be afraid to die because we will be resurrected just as Jesus was. As a result it does not matter when you die or even how you die because as long as you have been faithful then you will live again in the new earth as Revelation promises.

(19) “Therefore write down the things you have seen” – This would refer to the vision above in Revelation so far.

(19) “and the things that are” – This would refer to the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2-3.

(19) “and the things that will happen after this.” – Then this would refer to the later vision which John writes as chapters 4-22. Thus Revelation tells of both the present time when it was written and of what will happen in the future.

(20) “This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” – Jesus explains the symbolism of the lampstands and stars to let readers know that they are to interpret the text figuratively and symbolically and not literally. Some of the pieces are given and some of the pieces are left for the reader to interpret for themselves. Keep this in mind as you continue to read through Revelation where I of course provide my interpretation of everything that is not directly given.

Chapter 2.15: Revelation 2

1 – To the Church in Ephesus

(1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

(2) I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. (3) Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.

(4) But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. (5) Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

(6) But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

(7) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) Jesus describes and breaks up His attributes and the rewards for the faithful into seven sections for each of the seven churches. This is another reason why Jesus is not addressing a literal seven churches but is instead addressing the entire Church. Jesus is the sum of His attributes just as the seven churches here are representative of the entire Church. Likewise the rewards Jesus lists at the end of each section to each of the seven churches will be received by all the faithful.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Therefore you should not see the letters to the seven churches as separate letters but as a single letter to all faithful Christians throughout all time. Because of this fact you should read the letters to the seven churches with your own church and life in mind. Many of the praises and condemnations will be applicable for your own life just as they were applicable to churches in the first century AD. You should look at them not as separate but as a sum where you might identify with part of one and part of another. Lastly pay attention to the attributes Jesus lists of Himself at the start of the letter and the rewards for overcoming He lists at the end.

(*) Although I have gone over this already it is important to review since some people insist that Revelation was not written to Christians of all ages on the basis that Jesus addresses seven individual churches here. However as I just said above these seven churches are not literal but instead symbolic of the entire Church throughout all time on the basis of the symbolism of the number seven. Now you still may protest this view for some reason but consider just how many times the number seven is used in Revelation as a whole. In these other instances of the number seven it is very obvious and undeniable that the number seven is being used symbolically or metaphorically.

For example as Jesus says:

“These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” (Revelation 3:1)

Obviously the Holy Spirit is not literally seven spirits but rather the Holy Spirit is the complete Spirit of God and since God is omniscient and omnipresent this means that God knows everything, can see everything and is everywhere so that nothing is outside of His reach. This is why Jesus says He “holds the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 3:1) because the idea is Jesus that is saying that He has the complete power of God, or the Spirit of God, because He is the Christ. Thus the number seven is being used as a symbol for completeness.

So sure if you were to say that the letters to the seven churches are meant for only those churches and thus Revelation as a whole was only meant for those churches to encourage them in a time of turmoil then I would only agree with you if a number other than seven was used. This is because by using the number seven in relation to the churches it changes the meaning from being literal to being symbolic and metaphorical. Then since the number seven is symbolic of completeness of the highest order this then means that the seven churches are representative of the entire Church throughout all time and space so that in reality Jesus is speaking to every church and every Christian from the first century AD all the way up to the present day and beyond. On the other hand if say eight churches were addressed then you would have a valid point and in my opinion you would be correct. However seven is used so obviously the number is not literal.

The idea here is that these seven churches are more of a stand in for all churches. Thus this is why I said you should not see them as separate churches but rather as a sum where you might identify with part of one and part of another. Again no where is this more evident than in the fact that Jesus divides up His attributes and rewards for those who overcome in the opening and closing respectively of the seven letters. Then since Jesus is the sum of all His attributes and God says all the faithful will receive all the rewards promised this would mean the openings and closings of each letter are supposed to be taken in combination. So if the openings and closings are supposed to be taken in combination then why are the bodies of the letters supposed to be taken individually and as only applicable to the first century AD? Sure Jesus sometimes references specific people in the first century AD but really these people are just supposed to be representative of the wider Church as a whole. For example when Jesus reprimands “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) He is not specifically talking to this woman and those that know her but rather He is talking to all people who teach false doctrines that go against the Word of God.

Furthermore the fact that the seven churches are representative of the entire Church throughout all time is why you should not see Jesus saying “I am coming soon” (Revelation 3:11) as being only applicable to the first century AD. So instead of Jesus addressing the church in Philadelphia here Jesus is really addressing the entire Church even up to the present day. Thus as I said in my commentary on “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) Jesus is always coming soon. So keep all these things in mind as you read the letters to the seven Churches.

(1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write” – First off in Revelation each church has a guiding angel who helps spiritually guide the church. This is another reason why angels are symbolized as stars since people two thousands years ago would use stars to guide their way while traveling in the wilderness.

Then Ephesus was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia. This was the same Ephesus that Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians was written to.

(1) “These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand” – By saying He holds the seven stars in His hand Jesus is saying He rules over all the angels since stars are again representative of angels.

(1) “and walks among the seven golden lampstands.” – Then by saying He walks among the seven golden lampstands Jesus is saying He is ever present among all churches and is with all Christians in spirit. Therefore do not worry if God seems absent in our world or in your life because Jesus is always with you and watching over you. This means that even if you die tomorrow God will not forget about you because Jesus is with you.

(2) “I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance.” – Jesus sees all that we do even if others do not. So even if you may be struggling you can be comforted by knowing that Jesus sees what you are experiencing. Therefore we should all try our best to honor God and live faithfully.

(2) “I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles.” – The church of Ephesus has exposed false teachers who claim to be apostles by testing them. So what is an apostle? Well the word translated as apostle is the word apostolos (ἀπόστολος) which most literally means a messenger or one sent on a mission. Thus the general idea with this word is that calling someone an apostle implies that they are a messenger of Jesus who has been sent on a mission by Him to preach and teach. So then what does it mean to be a false apostle? Essentially a false apostle is someone who was not sent out by Jesus to preach and teach. Then this verse says those in the church of Ephesus “exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles” (Revelation 2:2) because the Christians in this church tested the teachings of these so-called apostles to see if they were inline with what they knew about the teachings of Jesus. But how are Christians supposed to know who is evil and false?

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

When Jesus is talking about bearing good fruit He is talking about obeying the commandments of the Law. But what does it mean to obey the Law? Well Jesus says the Law is summed up by only two commandments.

As Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Thus if someone says to you that you should listen to them and that they believe in Jesus and love God while in reality they have done things like but not limited to adultery, defrauding others, bearing false witness, murder, ignoring the poor, exploiting the poor for profit, dishonoring their parents, creating so-called ministries to profit off their teaching, exploiting the faithful, worshiping money over God, spreading lies to enhance their image, believe other religions are valid and so forth then you should not listen to them because they are false. The type of people who I have just described are of Satan and not of God. Not all who think of themselves as faithful will be counted among the faithful. Christians are called to love God and each other and not the world because we are of God and we are not of the world. Those who are of God obey the commandments of God and those who do not love God do not obey the commandments of God.

As Jesus also says:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Therefore do not follow those who do not follow the commandments because those who do not follow the Law are workers of lawlessness. If you follow them then no doubt they will deceive you and you will join in their lawlessness. So I say again do not tolerate those who are evil.

Thus the idea here with this verse in Revelation is that the Christians in Ephesus either judged the teachings of these so-called apostles against the commandments to love God and love your neighbor and found their teachings to be wrong or they saw that these so-called apostles were lawless as a result of living a life of sin. Although given how both are related realistically the so-called apostles probably engaged in both. Then as a result of seeing these so-called apostles for who they really were the Christians in Ephesus exposed the so-called apostles as liars because once again a true apostle loves God and loves their neighbor.

So wait does this mean that these false apostles would be actual apostles if they lived in accordance with the commandments and taught a message that was not in contradiction with the commandments? Well yes actually. You see an apostle is just a messenger since that is what the word apostolos (ἀπόστολος) literally means. The idea here is that as long as you are preaching the same message Jesus preached to others as you live your life in accordance with the commandments then you are Jesus’s messenger or apostolos (ἀπόστολος) or apostle because you are literally serving as Jesus’s messenger.

So what about so-called apostolic authority in the sense that apostles speak for Jesus so you need to obey what they say? Really this idea is absurd and goes against what Jesus teaches in the Gospels. This is because no one can command or permit you to do something contrary to what Jesus teaches. In other words the beginning and end of Christian teaching is what Jesus taught. Then because of this fact this means that it does not matter what even a genuine apostle says because if what they say goes against what Jesus teaches then they are wrong. In other words apostolic authority does not exist and instead the only authority that exists is Jesus. This is the essence of what this verse in Revelation is getting at because no doubt the false apostles in question were trying to change teachings using their so-called apostolic authority. But then what did Jesus teach?

Again as Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Really I would say all of the teachings of Jesus can be summed up by these two commandments. This then means that there is really nothing new to teach since everything that a Christian should do is included in these two commandments. And as a result of this fact all we have to do in order to determine what we should do as Christians is look to these two commandments.

As an example I believe that so-called Christians who write and sell books for profit are evil. Now I realize this is a rather controversial thing to say but I talk about it at length in the rest of this commentary and in my chapter called Merchants in the Temple in my part called Various Insights. However for now I would just like to say that I came to this belief because of the commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) The idea here is that if someone profits off a book they have written then they are profiting off of whoever they sold it to. Then since the majority, if not the vast majority, of Christian books are sold to Christians as a means of reaffirming their faith through answering hard questions or giving encouragement this then means that the author is question is directly profiting off of Christians going facing thlipsis (θλῖψις) or internal pressure or tribulation. In other words these so-called Christians who profit off of their writing are literally exploiting Christians who are facing their own emotional trials. For instance what does a Christian do when they are doubting their faith and are thinking about leaving it? They go out and buy the best selling apologetics books out there in a desperate attempt to reaffirm their faith. This is why I firmly believe people who profit off of their books and do not release them for free are evil and of Satan. I mean really you cannot argue that profiting off of your fellow Christians who are in desperate need is loving your neighbor as yourself so therefore it is wrong.

Lastly if you still do not like what I have just said let me put it another way so you can see the true motivations of the people I am talking about. If a so-called Christian sells their book for a profit without giving the book away for free then their goal is to make money and their goal is not to help Christians and the Church because otherwise they would at the minimum give away their book as a free download on their website so that Christians who are too poor to buy the book can read it and gain the spiritual insights they might have. In other words what I am saying is that by choosing to sell their book for a profit without giving it away for free these so-called Christians accuse and incriminate themselves as they make their true inner character and nature plainly known to all. Of course given how many if not most churches in today’s world can more accurately be called churches of Satan instead of churches of God and of Jesus it is no wonder that these churches of Satan speak so highly about these so-called Christians who have turned the House and Temple of God, the Church, into “a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17) in the same way merchants infested the Temple of God in the time of Jesus.

For another example take what I have said concerning the so-called Jews. You may object to me calling them evil by saying I am not loving my neighbor. However you need to understand that the first commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) Then since Jesus is the Christ this means that Jesus is the One God has chosen as the Anointed One to bear His power and authority on His behalf to carry out His will as I have said many times already. This then means that when someone rejects Jesus they are not simply rejecting Jesus. Instead they are literally rejecting God Himself. Again think of it like a king appointing a vicegerent to rule for him while he is away. The idea here is that Jesus is God’s vicegerent as I have said before. Then since “the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:38) is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37) this then means that the so-called Jews are evil and of Satan. This is why Jesus later calls the so-called Jews a “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) because by denying Him as the Christ they are actually denying God Himself and by denying God Himself they are denying God’s authority and by denying God’s authority they are joining Satan in his rebellion against God. Really all am I saying here is that you need to keep in mind “the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:38) and not just focus on the second commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. I say this because many Christians wrongly believe the second commandment is the only one that matters so that they ignore the first. Lastly if all the so-called Jews will truly face eternal destruction for their godlessness then am I not loving the so-called Jews more by calling them evil than someone else who says nothing so that the so-called Jews remain ignorant or worse yet someone who falsely says the so-called Jews will share in the resurrection to life? I mean if you saw someone in a burning house who was in denial that their house was burning would it be more loving to tell them to get out because they are going to die if they do not or would it be more loving to completely ignore them? Therefore you cannot even say I am not loving the so-called Jews as myself.

All that said this is why I find the whole concept of so-called apostolic authority to be utterly absurd because there is nothing complicated about Jesus’s teachings. Really everything that Jesus taught in the Gospels in terms of what Christians should do can be derived from these two commandments. Then because of this fact there is no need for any so-called apostolic authority to determine what is genuine and what is not genuine. For instance if someone says they have a genuine teaching of Jesus from Jesus Himself but it contradicts the two greatest commandments then their so-called genuine teaching can be rejected and it does not matter how many followers they have or who believes it to be true. On the other hand if someone has a teaching of their own making and not only does it does not contradict the two greatest commandments but it is affirmed by them then this teaching is valid even though it was not strictly given by Jesus. Then I would even say that because of this teaching being approved of by the two the greatest commandments it would then be accurate to say that Jesus Himself agrees with the teaching and that it is a teaching of Jesus at least in the spiritual sense.

Now no doubt you may disagree with this but you need to understand that this was Jesus’s message in the first century AD when He taught His disciples and spoke against the Pharisees and so-called Jews. For instance the Pharisees believed that as long as they held to a list of rules from what they saw as the Law then they would be seen as righteous by God. However in reality although the Pharisees observed the specific rules of the Law they were in violation of the intent of the Law. The intent of the Law is the whole love god and love your neighbor.

As Jesus says:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:23-28)

The idea here is that Jesus is saying the Pharisees would obey even the smallest of rules in the law by paying “tithes of min, dill, and cumin” (Matthew 23:23) but that at the same time they would disregard “the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” (Matthew 23:23) Now keep in mind Jesus is not talking about actual rules with regards to the second part here. Instead Jesus is saying that the Pharisees are missing the true purpose of the Law by focusing only on the rules themselves. For instance with regards to the Pharisees here they would of course obey all the rules of the Law to the strictest standard which was what they were known for and can be seen in the Gospels where the Pharisees even say it is sinful to heal someone on the Sabbath because healing is work and all work is forbidden on the Sabbath. However on the other hand the Pharisees would probably cheat, lie and exploit people in an effort to improve their financial situation if the opportunity arose and it was not in direct violation of the rules of the Law.

As Jesus says:

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.” (Matthew 23:16-22)

The idea here is that the Pharisees would swear to someone that they would do something for them or give them something but then go back on on their oath by claiming that since they only swore on the Temple their oath means nothing so they do not have to fulfill what they said. For a modern day example in today’s world imagine if a Pharisee operated a business and one of their employees said they were struggling and in need of a pay raise in order to afford food for their family. Then in response the Pharisee says of course they will give them a most generous pay raise since they have been a good employee but that they will have to wait six months for the business’s financial situation to improve and that they swear on the Temple that the employee will have their generous raise. However after six months comes and goes the employee asks the Pharisee what about the raise and the Pharisee says in response that swearing on the Temple means nothing and that they will not be receiving a raise because they already make enough. Of course by swearing on the Temple no doubt the Pharisee in this example never intended to give the raise from the start and instead they were simply scamming their employee by getting them to work another six months for low pay with the promise of a future raise instead of immediately quitting after they refuse to raise.

My point with all this is that essentially the Pharisees believed that righteousness came from following the Law which is actually true and what Jesus teaches as well. However the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees is that the Pharisees believed that the rules themselves and the traditional interpretation of those rules is what mattered while Jesus taught that the intent behind the rules of the Law is what actually mattered. For instance the Pharisee above who basically lied to their employee would be seen as righteous by the Pharisees of their day because they lived their life according to the traditional interpretation of the rules of the Law. However on the other hand Jesus would call the Pharisee in question evil because “inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25) as they break the intent of the Law. In other words really the Pharisees believed that they could separate their religious and private life by obeying a list of rules. But instead Jesus taught that you cannot separate your religious and private life because you are always supposed to live out the intent of the Law by loving Good and loving your neighbor.

This is actually a point that many if not most Christians miss today. For instance many so-called Christians actually believe underpaying their employees is fine as long as it is in line with the industry average and that it is perfectly acceptable to go back on a promise since the financial situation of their business is more important than their promises. Then of course there are the so-called Christians who believe that they are righteous because they do not masturbate or look at porn while at the same time they exploit and profit off of desperate Christians looking for hope and answers by selling them ten to twenty dollar ebooks that they should be giving away for free instead. Or the so-called Christians who charge interest on loans as they exploit the poor and those who are struggling just so that they can make profit for themselves. In other words what I am saying here is that as a Christian you should not see being a Christian as a bunch of rules that you have to follow if you want to be saved. Instead you should see being a Christian as living out the two commandments of loving God and loving your neighbor in both your religious and private life so that they are not separated but one in the same. Then lastly as an aside many if not most of the famous so-called rules you believe Christians need to follow are actually unbiblical and I go over this fact in my part called Various Insights. To be perfectly honest I see most if not the vast majority of Christians today as so-called Christians are nothing more than modern-day Pharisees.

Now my point with all this is that since Jesus taught that the intent of the Law is to love God and love your neighbor any new teaching that is in line with loving God and loving your neighbor would be something that Jesus would agree with and because Jesus would agree with the teaching in question it would be accurate to say that the teaching in question is a teaching of Jesus at least in the spiritual sense. Then because of this fact so-called apostolic authority is completely unnecessary if not absurd because no earthly person can permit us to break the two greatest commandments and we do not need any so-called earthly authority to say how to love God and love our neighbor.

All the above is then why I said that as long as you are preaching the same message Jesus preached to others as you live your life in accordance with the commandments then you are Jesus’s messenger or apostolos (ἀπόστολος) or apostle because you are literally serving as Jesus’s messenger. For instance if you teach others on how to love God and love their neighbor and tell them that these two commandments are the fulfillment of the entire Law then how could anyone say that you are not Jesus’s messenger? All you are doing is preaching the same message Jesus preached. After all Jesus Himself said “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) Thus like I said anyone who preaches Jesus’s message is a messenger of Jesus or an apostolos (ἀπόστολος) or apostle.

Now no doubt you may disagree with me here and you may claim that there were only fourteen apostles who were the twelve disciples, James the brother of Jesus and Paul. However you need to understand that Revelation was written around 95 AD or over sixty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This means that at this point the twelve disciples, James and Paul were almost certainly not only dead but were dead for decades. Thus my point here is why does Jesus praise the church in Ephesus for testing and exposing false apostles if the fourteen apostles have been dead for awhile now? I mean really there is nothing to test since the claim of being one of the fourteen apostles in the 90s AD would be like someone who is in their forties today telling you they fought in World War II. If you still doubt what I am saying consider the following passage.

As Paul wrote in Romans:

“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” (Romans 16:7)

In this passage Paul clearly states that he considers Andronicus and Junia to be apostles. Then as an aside Junia is a woman which is one reason why First Timothy is certainly a forgery and why women should be encouraged to lead and instruct in the Church. I actually go over this subject in depth in a chapter in my part called Various Insights so if you want to dispute this then you will just have to wait to read my chapter on it. That said my point here is that Paul is referring to other apostles outside of the fourteen I mentioned above. Now you may attempt to dispute this by arguing that the Greek actually says that they are known by the apostles and that they are not apostles themselves however the earliest Christians who spoke Greek as their native language understood Paul to be referring to Andronicus and Junia as apostles. Furthermore Paul mentions that “they were in Christ before I was” (Romans 16:7) which means that Paul is saying they were apostles for more time than he has been an apostle. Therefore there is very little reason to believe that Paul is not referring to Andronicus and Junia as apostles.

Therefore because of all this it is best to understand the word apostolos (ἀπόστολος) or apostle to mean a messenger of Jesus so that anyone who is a faithful messenger of Jesus is an apostle of Jesus because that is what the word apostolos (ἀπόστολος) literally means like I said.

(3) “Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.” – Here Jesus is saying that those in the church in Ephesus have persisted in faith so that they continue to hold to His name. This could mean that they have not abandoned their faith in the face of temptation and internal pressure or it could mean they have not apostatized in the face of external pressure like persecution at the hands of the Romans or the so-called Jews.

(4) “But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love.” – The members of this church have abandoned their love of each other because in the next verse Jesus tells them to “perform the deeds you did at first” (Revelation 2:4) which means that Jesus is not rebuking them for their lack of faith but rather their lack of deeds. Although it is also worth pointing out that by abandoning their love of each other they have abandoned their love of Jesus since one way you show how much you love Jesus is by how much you love others. Therefore we should always remember to love our neighbor as ourselves.

(5) “Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first.” – Jesus asks them to be introspective and to look at their own lives so that they can see the love for each other that they have abandoned. Once they see the error of their ways they are to repent, ask God for forgiveness and then show the love they used to have by performing the good deeds they did at first.

(5) “But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” – If they do not repent and do the good deeds they did for each other before then Jesus will no longer consider them His church and instead will see them as apostates. People in today’s world need to remember not to abandon their love for each other or the same will happen to them. Although salvation is based on faith if someone lacks deeds, which are the fruit of faith, then they prove that they do not have faith.

As Jesus says:

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:15-23)

Therefore not everyone who calls themselves a Christian will enter the eternal Kingdom of God just as Jesus says. Instead only those who produce good fruit will enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore if you do not produce good fruit by loving God and loving your neighbor then you will not inherit the eternal Kingdom of God as Jesus says.

Then it is also important to remember that it is never too late to repent and ask God for forgiveness. So if you are someone who has sinned against God then simply repent and ask God for forgiveness and then go on to live a life of righteousness so that you will be counted among the faithful and saved.

(6) “But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans” – Probably a heretical sect and not much is really known about them. But based on the mention of the Nicolaitans from Revelation 2:15 they probably taught that Christians are allowed to eat food sacrificed to idols and engage in some other forms of idolatry. Therefore Christians should also be wary of others who teach engaging in such practices. I talk more about the Nicolaitans in my commentary on Revelation 2:15.

(6) “which I also hate” – Jesus hates the works of those who practice and preach falsehood so take this warning to heart because Jesus does not love everything or even everyone. But who does Jesus love?

As the Gospel of John says:

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

Therefore always remember to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself just as Jesus has commanded us to do.

(7) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – In order to hear what God is saying through Holy Spirit to the Church one must have a spiritual ear to hear or rather they must be counted among the faithful. This is why this verse says “he who has an ear” (Revelation 1:7) because not everyone has an ear for what God speaks through the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of John:

“Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:47)

Therefore this means that those who are unfaithful and do not belong to God will not hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Now this may not seem like that significant of a point however you need to understand what it means in the context of the rest of Revelation. You see if the Book of Revelation was plainly given so that everyone could clearly see for themselves what God is saying so that they would be able to understand God’s plan for the future then this mean that the two beasts or the artificial super intelligence and the United Nations 2.0 would be able to see the truth. Then as a result of these two beasts seeing the truth they would be able to counteract the plan God has set from the foundation of the world. In other words what I am saying is that the only way for God’s plan to be fulfilled is for Revelation to be written in such a way that you need spiritual ears in order to hear what God is really speaking to us through His Spirit.

Then because of this fact you should not be concerned about what secular historians and so-called Christians say to attack what I have written here in this book because if what I have written is correct then you should expect to see most if not the vast majority of the world including so-called Christians stand opposed to this book. So if anyone tries to argue with you as they claim this book is delusional and wrong then just roll your eyes at them and wish them luck. Not everyone will be able to see the spiritual truths that I have written because not everyone has spiritual ears. In fact Jesus actually says that God has purposely deafened people’s ears and blinded their eyes so that they cannot hear or see the truth.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:11-17)

(7) “To the one who overcomes” – Overcoming means resisting the power and influence of Satan in this world by not giving in and joining Satan and by keeping God’s commandments. Instead the faithful are to trust that God will prevail over any and all evil in the end so that we do not even have to fight. This battle against the influence of Satan reaches its culmination when the first beast or artificial super intelligence rises. Instead of fighting against the beast Christians are supposed to overcome it by not giving into it because they trust that Jesus will destroy it when He returns. Therefore always remember to persist in faith and to keep the commandments so that you will be counted among the faithful and among those who overcome the power of Satan and the temptations of the beast.

(7) “I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.” – Eating from the tree of life represents the gift of everlasting life or immortality and the Paradise of God is the new Jerusalem located in the new earth described symbolically later on in Revelation 21 and 22.

(*) I would also like to again point out that Jesus describes and breaks up the rewards He has for those who overcome into seven sections for each of the seven churches. The rewards are not specific for each church as all of the rewards are given to all of the faithful in the new Jerusalem.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

2 – To the Church in Smyrna

(8) To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.

(9) I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

(10) Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

(11) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

2.1 – Commentary

(8) “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:” – Smyrna was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(8) “These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.” – First off just to reiterate Jesus divides up His attributes into the opening of the addresses to each of the seven churches.

Then by saying His words are “the words of the First and the Last” (Revelation 2:8) Jesus is saying that His words are the words of God because He has the power and authority to act on behalf of God. Remember, although Jesus is not literally God He has been given all of God’s power and authority so that everything and everyone, except God of course, is subject to Him. Therefore whenever Jesus speaks you should see His words as being the very words of God.

If you still want to dispute this and hold to the false doctrine of the trinity then how can Jesus literally be “the First and the Last” (Revelation 2:8) if He also says that He has “died and returned to life” (Revelation 2:8) in this verse? Therefore obviously Jesus cannot literally be “the First and the Last” (Revelation 2:8) so that He is eternal in nature like God.

(9) “I know your affliction and your poverty” – The church in Smyrna is physically poor and its members are suffering from thlipsis (θλῖψις) or internal pressure that makes them feel like they do not have any other options.

(9) “though you are rich!” – But at the same time those in this church are spiritually rich because they have faith in God and in Jesus. This is because if God is on your side through your faith in Jesus then it does not matter if the whole world stands opposed to you and hates you. No one can overcome the power of God. Therefore always remember that although you may be suffering through sickness, poverty or persecution now in your current life after we are raised to eternal life in the resurrection we will all live in the paradise of God. Then of course God will keep the other promises He has made to us in the Book of Revelation as well as we are adopted into God’s family as the children of God.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Furthermore since the promises of God are more valuable than all the gold in the world you are in fact far richer through your faith than anyone and everyone no matter how large their earthly fortune may be. So always remember to be grateful to God for what He has done and what He will do.

(9) “And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews” – First off the word translated as slander here is blasphēmian (βλασφημίαν) which as you can probably guess can mean blasphemy and is most often translated as blasphemy in the New Testament. Now in terms of the actual meaning of the word really it just refers to seriously abusive or slanderous language in general. So what is Jesus saying here in this verse then? In short Jesus is saying that the so-called Jews are not Jews, hence why I say so-called, and that instead of being Jews they “are in fact a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) as Jesus goes on to say because they are in full rebellion against God through their rejection of Him as the Christ. I realize this is quite controversial in terms of what many if not most Christians today believe so allow me to explain.

To begin the idea is that the Israelites or Jews are the people of God or God’s people. This fact then means that in order to be a Jew you have to be faithful to God and when you cease being faithful to God you are no longer a Jew because God no longer recognizes you as being part of His people.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:9-10)

In this passage John the Baptist tells the so-called Jews that they are not safe from destruction just because they are the so-called children of Abraham. Instead of being saved if they do not fulfill the will of God then they will be killed and thrown into the fire to face destruction. Furthermore to replace the so-called Jews that God has cast out so that they are no longer children of Abraham God can raise even the stones on the ground into the children of Abraham. In other words it is God alone who determines who is and who is not a child of Abraham and because of this fact it is God alone who determines who is an Israelite and a Jew and who is not an Israelite and a Jew. This means that just because someone calls themselves a Jew it does not mean that they are actually a Jew in reality. Instead they may very well be part of those people “who falsely claim to be Jews” (Revelation 2:9) or the so-called Jews.

Then as Jesus says:

“Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)

Thus Jesus is saying that whoever refuses to honor Him just as they honor God is actually refusing to honor God because God has given Him His authority and power. Remember what I said with regards to Jesus being God’s vicegerent. Anyone who refuses to recognize Jesus as God’s vicegerent and obey His commands is refusing to recognize the power and authority of God because God has chosen Jesus as His vicegerent or rather the Christ.

So how how does this relate to Jesus saying “I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews” (Revelation 2:9) in this verse? Well you see the so-called Jews in the first century AD were probably attacking Christians and saying that they are not Jews and part of Judaism because they accept Jesus as the Christ and that instead they are part of a different religion or Christianity. Sounds familiar? Well this false belief should sound familiar because it is what many if not most Christians believe today.

Now the reason why Jesus is saying that saying Christians are not Jews is blasphemy is because by saying that Christians are not Jews you would be saying that they are not the people of God. So not only are the so-called Jews insulting the true people of God but they are in effect blaspheming God through their rejection of Jesus as God’s vicegerent by saying that those who believe in Jesus as the Christ are not Jews.

Now believe it or not but many people actually disagree with this interpretation and some actually have the audacity to claim that the reverse is true so that Jesus is talking about pagan converts to Christianity calling themselves Jews instead. However this mistaken belief is just objectively wrong because in the next chapter Jesus says something similar about the so-called Jews.

As Jesus says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

In this verse those who called themselves Jews in the first century AD were saying that Christians are not Jews and not part of Israel or God’s people. This is because Jesus is saying not to worry what these liars say because when He comes the so-called Jews will know that He loves Christians, the true Jews, and not them the so-called Jews. This is why Jesus is definitely not talking about Christians calling themselves Jews. Furthermore obviously Jesus does not love the so-called Jews.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

Then it goes without saying that the so-called Jews do not keep Jesus’s commandments because they do not even believe He has been given any authority by God and they do not accept Him as the Christ.

Therefore in the above passage from Revelation Jesus is clearly trying to encourage Christians, the true Jews, by telling us not to worry about what the so-called Jews say to us because they are not Jews and hence not part of God’s people. Instead the so-called are liars “who belong to the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and that when Jesus returns He will make them bow down at our feet so that they will know that Jesus and His Father love us as the true Jews.

This fact is then why Jesus says those who say they are Jews “falsely claim to be Jews” (Revelation 2:9) in the verse this comment is on. The idea here is that someone is a Jew through faith and obedience to God through Jesus and not through being born as a Jew. In other words someone cannot be a Jew and reject the Jewish Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ because by doing so they would be rejecting God since God has chosen Jesus as the Christ to carry out His will. Thus anyone who claims to be a Jew but rejects Jesus is a liar because again you cannot be a Jew and reject Jesus. Now you may dispute this but the authors of the New Testament agree with me here.

As the author of First John wrote:

“Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.” (1 John 2:22-23)

First off I would like to say that I do not consider the epistles of the New Testament to be the word of God as you will read about later in my part called Various Insights. Therefore I do not believe anyone can just cite a couple verses from one of the epistles and say God says. That said my point in quoting from First John above is to demonstrate that the author of First John, whoever they may be, believed that those who deny that Jesus is the Christ are liars just like with how Jesus says “those who falsely claim to be Jews” (Revelation 2:9) “are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) Now I would also like to point out the obvious here that the author of First John is not talking about pagans at all and instead they are only concerned with the so-called Jews. This is why the author says “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father” (1 John 2:23) in the passage. The idea here is that obviously pagans do not have the Father and that instead the author is saying that if you believe yourself to be faithful to God by being a so-called Jew while you deny Jesus then in reality you are not being faithful to God and that you do not have God. In other words whoever denies Jesus as the Christ does not have the Father or God and as a result of this fact they are godless.

Again this is why the word blasphēmian (βλασφημίαν) which means blasphemy or slander is used in this verse and why I actually believe it is accurate to view the word as meaning blasphemy in the traditional sense of saying something that is offensive against God. What Jesus is then saying in this case is that when the so-called Jews who reject Him claim to be Jews they are actually committing blasphemy against God. This may seem like a harsh statement to make but you need to understand that Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to execute His will as His vicegerent. Therefore as I just said this means that whoever rejects Jesus as the Christ is actually rejecting God Himself. This is why anyone who calls themselves a Jew but rejects Jesus as the Christ is not a Jew and cannot be considered a Jew. In fact I would even go as far to say that calling a so-called Jew a Jew is literally blasphemy. This is because the Jews are the people of God and whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ is not and cannot be part of God’s people. Thus whenever you call a so-called Jew a Jew you are saying that someone who is actually evil and unclean, due to their full rebellion against God, is part of God’s people. For instance if you were to hear someone refer to Satan as being a Christian and one of God’s people then what would you think of such a thing? Well of course you would believe such a statement is blasphemy because in reality Satan is in rebellion against God and thus cannot be part of God’s people. The idea here with the so-called Jews is similar and this is why Jesus refers to the so-called Jews as “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) later in the verse this comment is on but I go into this fact later on.

Now you may dispute all this but believe it or not but it could be argued that even Paul actually held this same exact view and that he did not believe the so-called Jews were Jews.

As Paul wrote:

“It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

So just because someone considers themself a Jew and holds to the Old Testament does not mean they are part of Israel or a Jew. As Paul said “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Romans 9:6) This means that when you see the so-called Jews today you should correctly see them as and call them the so-called Jews and not the Jews because they have nothing to do with Israel and they are not the children of Abraham. Instead the only true Jews and children of Abraham in the world today are faithful Christians because we are “the children of the promise” (Romans 9:8) who will inherit all the promises that God has spoken to His people.

For instance as God promised Abraham:

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” (Genesis 28:14)

Then it goes without saying that Christians have in fact become “like the dust of the earth” (Genesis 28:14) since there are billions of us all across the entire world. Therefore as Christians, and true Jews, we truly are the children of Abraham and we will inherit all the promises that God has promised us.

All that said with respect to what Paul believed it is a bit more complicated than this since Paul wrote his epistles before the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War which is why Paul refers to the so-called Jews as Israel at times since the so-called Jews had not be almost destroyed as a people at this point. Furthermore Paul was writing in a period of time in which not everyone who said they were a Jew was a so-called Jew through rejecting Jesus because it is not like everyone knew about Jesus even say thirty years after His death and resurrection. Instead really you can only say that by the end of the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War that everyone who called themselves a Jew but rejected Jesus as the Christ was not a Jew and instead a so-called Jew. Therefore I would say that had Paul lived until the end of the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War then he would almost certainly refer to the so-called Jews and so-called Israel as I do. If you disagree with what I have said with respect to Paul then just know that I talk more about what Paul believed later on.

That said my point here in this comment is that the so-called Jews are not Jews, are not part of Israel and that they are not the children of Abraham. I cannot stress how important of an idea this is.

Now no doubt you may still be skeptical of all this so consider the following. Jesus is the King of the Jews, the heir of David and King of Israel. Really you cannot disagree with this and be a Christian since this is what the Christ is supposed to be. So my question for you is how exactly can the so-called Jews be Jews if they do not recognize the King of the Jews? Clearly they cannot be.

Now this still may not make much sense to you so let me give you a theoretical example. Imagine you meet someone who says they are an American but then after talking to them further they say that the American colonies are part of the United Kingdom and that the American Revolution was illegitimate and that those in Britain who recognized America as an independent state are traitors. In response you may try to correct them by saying that they are not an American and that instead they are a British nationalist. But then they go on to say that the American colonies were originally known as British America so in order to be an American you need to correctly recognize that America is British. Sounds ridiculous right? Well of course it does. But in reality how can this person truly be an American if they refuse to recognize the American government? But really this theoretical example is no where near as ridiculous as the so-called Jews claiming to be Jews in the present day as you will see later on.

My point here is that God appointed Jesus as King of Israel and King of the Jews. Therefore this means that if a person tells you they are a Jew but they do not confess Jesus as the Christ and heir of David then they are not a Jew and instead they are a so-called Jew and a liar.

Christianity is not an offshoot of early first century Judaism. Instead Christianity is the continuation of early first century Judaism. So when someone asks you if you know that Jesus was a Jew you can respond by telling them that you know and that you are a Jew a well and that all Christians are Jews because we are the continuation of Israel and the children of Abraham.

Then you should also keep in mind that Christianity is actually an older religion than modern-day so-called Judaism. What is called so-called Judaism today is more accurately called Rabbinic (so-called) Judaism which became the mainstream form of so-called Judaism in the sixth century after the Babylonian Talmud was finalized. The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic (so-called) Judaism and the main source of theology and law. Therefore as Christians our supplemental theological texts to the Old Testament are actually older than what Rabbinic (so-called) Jews use.

But what is a Jew? The word Jew originates as a term used to refer to those of the tribe of Judah of Israel. The reason why it became a term to refer to the Israelites is because before the Exile happened the Kingdom of Judah was much more faithful to God than the northern Kingdom of Israel. So this is why the word Jew is used to refer to the people of God. Therefore by being a faithful Christian you are actually a true Jew. Again, this is why I have said and will continue to say so-called Jews because those who call themselves Jews today while denying that Jesus is the Christ are liars just as Jesus says they are.

But my point here is that once again Jesus is the King of Israel and King of the Jews and because of this fact it does not matter what anyone else wants to claim since Jesus is our King. All those who recognize the King of the Jews are Jews and all those who do not recognize the King of the Jews are not Jews and instead they are so-called Jews who are liars and pretenders. Israel belongs to the true Jews, Christians, and Jesus is our King. This means that the so-called Jews are not Israel and that they have nothing to do with Israel.

Says who though? I mean it is not like God waged war against the so-called Jews on Jesus’s behalf to establish His kingdom just like how the Americans fought in the Revolutionary War right? So is it not reasonable for the so-called Jews to claim to be Jews? Well actually no. You see God did wage war against the so-called Jews in the first and second centuries AD in the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War, the Second (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and the Third (so-called) Jewish-Roman War. During these three wars God used the Roman Empire to fight for Him against the so-called Jews which resulted in the Second Temple being destroyed, which was never rebuilt, and around two million so-called Jews being killed. You will read all about this in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy and when you are done with it you will believe the British nationalist in the theoretical example above is less delusional than the so-called Jews of today.

I say will here because once you see and understand just how well that even the Old Testament, yes the Old Testament and not the New Testament, alludes to the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars and how these wars basically perfectly match up with the punishment of the Exile from the Old Testament then what I have said will become undeniable to you. For example the First Temple was destroyed on the Hebrew date of the ninth of Av, really the tenth, in the Exile and the Second Temple was also destroyed on the ninth of Av, really the tenth, during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War. Furthermore the Exile lasted seventy years and the time from the start of the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War to the end of the Third (so-called) Jewish-Roman War was also seventy years. So you can already probably see for yourself that yes God did in fact wage war against the so-called Jews so that Jesus could be established as King of the Jews and King of Israel.

Now you may dispute all this and say that it is invalid and that my example of comparing the so-called Jews to a clearly delusional British nationalist is nonsensical on the basis that there are millions of so-called Jews around today so therefore they cannot all be wrong. However you need to understand that God does not care about what millions of so-called Jews think because to Him their opinion is completely irrelevant. This is because the Kingdom of God is not a democracy. Instead the Kingdom of God is ruled by a King and it is God who has anointed Jesus as King of Israel and hence King of the Jews. Therefore it does not matter if almost everyone on earth disagrees with Jesus being King of Israel because God is the Divine King who rules over all and does whatever He wants. What you think and believe literally does not matter and you do not get a vote on it. Although for the record there are billions of Christians while there are only millions of so-called Jews so even if you disagree with me and want to claim that this is a democracy then the so-called Jews are still outnumbered. But my point with all this is that if God says Jesus is the King of the Jews then Jesus is the King of the Jews and all those who refuse to recognize Him as King of the Jews cannot be Jews.

Lastly, just to summarize, my point with this entire comment is that when Jesus says “I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews” (Revelation 2:9) He is saying that the so-called Jews are not actually Jews. This is why I call the so-called Jews the so-called Jews and not Jews because they are not Jews and will never be Jews as long as they refuse to recognize Jesus as their King. On the other hand if I were to call them Jews then I would be committing blasphemy in my view.

If you disagree with anything I have said here so far then consider the next comment where I go into this subject in much more depth in order to prove that the so-called Jews are not Jews or Israelites and that instead Christians are the true Jews and true Israelites. Really this point cannot be argued against as you will soon see.

(9) “but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.” – First off the word translated as synagogue most literally means an assembly of people and it more specifically relates to those who call themselves Jews. Thus the idea here is that Jesus is calling the so-called Jews an assembly of Satan. In other words those who deny Jesus are not of God but of Satan because they are not part of God’s people. Now this may seem a bit confusing but in order for the phrase “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) to make more sense you need to understand what Satan is in this context. In short in this context Satan is being used to represent rebellion against God and His authority. Thus this means that “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) can better be understood to mean an assembly of rebellion. So now that you know the meaning of “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) in this verse consider the preceding part of the sentence.

As Revelation says:

“And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9)

In this verse Jesus is saying that the so-called Jews are not real Jews and part of the assembly of God. Instead Jesus says they are part of an assembly of Satan because by rejecting Him as the Christ they have joined and allied themselves with Satan in rebellion against God.

So does this mean that the so-called Jews are evil? I mean if Satan is evil then would the “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) not also be evil? Well yes the so-called Jews are evil. But what do I mean by evil here? Really all evil means in this context is being opposed to God since rebelling against God is the greatest form of evil that is possible. Yes, that means rebelling against God is a worse form of evil and a worse sin than mass murder. But why is this so?

As Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

As you can see even though loving your neighbor as yourself is extremely important it is still secondary to “the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:38) of loving “the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) To make these two commandments easier to understand think of violating the first as crimes against God and violating the second as crimes against humanity. This is why mass murder and genocide are not as bad as being opposed to and rebelling against God. Then yes, mass murder and genocide are still bad. Really all am I saying here is that crimes against God are worse than crimes against humanity.

This is what makes the so-called Jews so completely evil. As I have said before Jesus is the Christ or God’s vicegerent. This means that when the so-called Jews reject Jesus as the Christ they are not merely rejecting Jesus alone and instead they are completely rejecting God Himself. Furthermore it does not matter how pious a so-called Jew appears to be because the sin of rejecting Jesus as the Christ and hence joining Satan in his rebellion against God cannot be overcome through any quantity of prayers or good works. This means that you do not need to know anything else about a so-called Jew other than to confirm that they reject Jesus as the Christ to know that they are evil. In other words literally all so-called Jews are evil.

Next as I said before I would actually say the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil groups of people on earth that has ever existed. Now this may seem hard to believe because no doubt you probably consider some authoritarian regime in the past or some terrorist organization to be the most evil group of people on earth that has never existed. However this would not be the case because for one as I just said crimes against God are worse than crimes against humanity. Therefore the sin of rejecting God through rejecting Jesus as the Christ is worse than the sin of committing genocide.

As an aside no you should not seek to hurt or punish those who reject God and sin against Him. God is all powerful so He does not need your help to punish groups like the so-called Jews. Also God will not let the so-called Jews go unpunished. This means that before the day of judgment God will literally annihilate them all so that no a single so-called Jew will remain alive. Then once all the dead are resurrected on the day of judgment all the so-called Jews will be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction as they deserve. Thus do not concern yourself with punishing the so-called Jews.

Now you may still have some issues with me saying that the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil group to ever exist in the world. I mean how does this make sense exactly? But really in order to fully understand what I have been saying you need to understand the most destructive and dangerous form of evil. Now I say form of evil here because I am not talking about a type of evil such as committing crimes against God or crimes against humanity. Instead I am talking about the form or nature of this evil. So what am I talking about? Well in short the most destructive and dangerous form of evil to exist is evil that pretends to be good since when an evil pretends to be good it leads to the corruption of those who are good so that they join with the evil as they are deceived. This is actually why Satan is ultimately so dangerous and why he is the greatest evil in the world.

As Paul wrote:

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

What Paul is getting at here is that the evil of Satan is not plainly known and obvious to all because Satan hides his evil in things that appear to be good so that he can deceive people and corrupt them into carrying out and spreading his rebellion for him. Again this is why I have said the so-called Jews are evil because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ they have rejected God and allied themselves with Satan as they join Satan in His rebellion.

So what sets the so-called Jews apart from atheists and those of other religions like Islam to make them more evil than them? I mean Muslims and atheists can deceive people as well into abandoning God and Jesus right? Well to be perfectly honest this comes down to personal view here so if you want to say that Muslims are more evil than the so-called Jews then that is up to you. Really I would personally say that so-called Jews, those of other religions, former Christians, atheists, and the modern-day pharisees are all basically equally evil from this point of view because they all are examples of evil that pretends to be good and spreads corruption. By modern-day pharisees here I am referring to so-called Christians who pervert and corrupt the faith. For example the so-called Christians who write and sell books for a profit as they exploit their brothers and sisters would be an example of the modern-day pharisees.

So why are these groups evil exactly? Really all these groups are evil because of the sin they are committing against God through their rejection of God and rejection of Jesus. Yes, the sin of the rejection of Jesus applies to the modern-day pharisees as well. For example if someone seeks to exploit and profit off of their fellow Christians then they have rejected Jesus’s teachings and hence have rejected Jesus through their actions.

But in terms of these groups I am really talking about the most dangerous form of evil that exists or an evil that pretends to be good. For instance the vast majority of the members of these five groups appear good and a number of people in these groups appear to be impeccably good. Now I say appear here because if someone has rejected God or rejected Jesus as the Christ then they are by definition committing a crime against God and are in violation of the greatest commandment. This means that they are evil. But really this evil is not clearly visible and instead what these people do is clearly visible. But this is why this is the most dangerous type of evil. For example the most dangerous atheist in the world is not the kind of atheist who seeks hostile interactions with as many people as people so that they can show how much better their viewpoint is in their view. Instead the most dangerous type of atheist in the world is the atheist who never seeks hostile interactions with others and instead seeks to do good works and help others. This is because when others see someone as being outwardly good they become more impressionable to the person’s viewpoints and beliefs.

The point here is that once Christians see so-called Jews, atheists, Muslims, former Christians and modern-day pharisees as good people then they will be much more likely to imitate their evil and take on their beliefs. For example if you were to have positive interactions with Muslims then you will be more likely to start to think that maybe Jesus being the Christ is not important or worse yet you may even conclude that Islam is true and that Christianity, or true Judaism, is false. As another example if you were to see a well spoken and seemingly kind so-called Christian apologist who is a modern-day pharisee you will be more likely to start to believe that it is perfectly acceptable to profit off the books that you write by selling them to desperate Christians who are trying to read anything they can to keep their faith. Now you can see why I said an evil that appears to be good is the most dangerous form of evil.

Although like I said if you want to say that the modern-day pharisees like the modern-day Christian apologists who exploit Christians by profiting off of them are a greater evil than the so-called Jews then I am not going to argue with you really since it really depends on your point of view and what you see as the greatest threat to Christianity. For instance although I believe the so-called Jews are more evil than the modern-day pharisees who exploit Christians today really I would say these modern-day pharisees pose a far greater threat to Christianity. Thus if you want to party define evil as being dangerous then you could argue that the modern-day pharisees are more evil.

That said there is a good argument to be made that the so-called Jews are the most evil group in the history of humanity. This is because the so-called Jews “claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) The idea here is that even to this very day the so-called Jews falsely claim to be the true children of Abraham who carry on the faith and legacy of Abraham. Of course now you know better so that you know the so-called Jews are simply pretenders and that they have nothing to do with Abraham or Israel. This is what makes them so evil. By spreading their lies and deceptions they are perverting and corrupting Abraham’s legacy. Now this may not seem that important but you need to understand that Judaism essentially rests on Abraham since Abraham is one of the patriarchs. Then by laying claim to the legacy of Abraham and of Israel the so-called Jews are laying claim on all of God’s promises to Abraham and to Israel.

Now this may not seem that evil to you so let me put it another way. Imagine if Satan was laying claim to being part of the people of God by saying that he is part of the true people of God. Sounds ridiculous right? I mean how could Satan who is the epitome of rebellion against God say he is part of the true people of God? But this is my point. You see you need to understand that the so-called Jews are rebelling against God in the exact same way that Satan is rebelling against God. Satan refused to accept God’s authority over him and so too do the so-called Jews refuse to accept God’s authority because they refuse to accept Jesus as the Christ. Again think of Jesus as God’s vicegerent so that by rejecting the vicegerent God has appointed the so-called Jews are literally rejecting God. I cannot stress how important this idea is which is why I keep on repeating myself over and over again. This is also why the so-called Jews are a literal “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) just as Jesus calls them.

But my point with this is that the so-called Jews are in full rebellion against God while at the same exact time they are falsely claiming they are not only faithful to God but God’s chosen people. This is what makes them so evil. In other words their words and very being are the ultimate perversion of true Judaism. This may seem harsh but if Satan called himself part of the true people of God no doubt you would agree that this claim is a perversion of the truth. Therefore when “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) speaks lies you should see their lies as lies and perversions of the truth.

Alright but who cares what the so-called Jews want to claim? For instance sure they are obviously wrong and instead of being the people of God they are “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) but why does this matter? Well you see the problem is that their lies and perversions of the truth have been slowly twisting and corrupting the true Judaism, Christianity, to the point where the official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that so-called Jews do not need to accept Jesus as the Christ to go to heaven. Yes, you read that right. Now although I talk about the Roman Catholic Church more later on in my part called Various Insights I would say based on this position alone the Roman Catholic Church is not the Church of God and of Christ but is the church of Satan. This may seem like an extreme statement to make but you need to once again understand that Jesus is the Christ or the one whom God has given His power and authority to in order to rule the world on His behalf as His vicegerent. In other words this means that Jesus is currently the ruler and supreme authority over everything and everyone. Because of this fact Jesus is the sole path to salvation.

As Jesus says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

So why exactly can the Roman Catholic Church be more accurately called the church of Satan and not the Church of God and of Christ because their position is that so-called Jews do not need to accept Jesus as the Christ to go to heaven? I mean sure Jesus is the sole path but why would the Roman Catholic Church being wrong mean that it is a literal church of Satan? Well you see by saying that the so-called Jews do not need to accept Jesus as the Christ to go to heaven the Roman Catholic Church is denying the supreme authority of Jesus that God has given Him.

As Jesus says:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)

This is because by saying that the so-called Jews do not need to accept Jesus as the Christ the Roman Catholic Church is saying that the so-called Jews do not fall under Jesus’s authority. This is of course false since God has given Jesus “All authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18) just as Jesus says. Then by denying Jesus’s complete authority over all things the Roman Catholic Church is then rebelling against God in the same exact way the so-called Jews and Satan are rebelling against God. So if Satan is well Satan and the so-called Jews are “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) then what does that make the Roman Catholic Church? A church of Satan of course. Now you may claim I am being overly dramatic here but you need to remember why Jesus calls the so-called Jews “a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) As I said before Jesus calls the so-called Jews “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) because by rejecting Him as the Christ they are rejecting God’s authority and hence are rebelling against God in the same exact way that Satan is rebelling against God. Thus as I said the Roman Catholic Church is also rebelling against God by claiming that the so-called Jews do not fall under Jesus’s authority. Another way to look at it is that Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44) so since the Roman Catholic Church is promoting lies as truth it is doing the work of Satan. Then by doing the work of Satan it could then be called an assembly of Satan or a church of Satan.

Now do not think this means other churches are not churches of Satan either because the influence, corruption and lies of the so-called Jews run deep. This is why I said they are one of if not the most evil group in the world. To give you an example of what I mean how many Christians see themselves as not being Jews and see the so-called Jews as Jews? Then how many Christians see Israel as being the modern state of so-called Israel? Or worse yet how many Christians see Israel as being the so-called Jewish people? You can see where I am going with this and this is why the so-called Jews are so evil. The so-called Jews have literally twisted the Church into seeing them as being Jewish, part of Israel and the people of God even though the so-called Jews are not Jews, are not part of Israel and not part of the people of God. Instead the so-called Jews are “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) just as Jesus says they are.

This may not seem that destructive but when you give the so-called Jews claim over Israel you give them claim over the promises of God in what we call the Old Testament. This is why the topic of God’s plan for so-called Israel is an actual topic in the Church today because many if not most Christians mistakenly believe that Israel is the so-called Jews. However as I said before in reality the Church and the body of all Christians is Israel. This means that we as Christians are the inheritors of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation so that all of God’s promises are for us. This is why talking about God’s plan for so-called Israel is completely nonsensical because none of the good promises and prophecies from the Old Testament are applicable to the so-called Jews since they have been cast out by God so that they are no longer Jews, no longer Israelites and no longer the people of God. So what is God’s plan for the so-called Jews then because there must be something after all? Well as you can probably guess God’s plan for the so-called Jews is death and destruction in that order. As I said before all the so-called Jews will be killed here on earth and then on the day of judgment after the resurrection they will face the same punishment Satan is to receive so that they will all be cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction.

But anyways all this is why I have said the so-called Jews are so evil and why they truly are “a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) Sure you may not like this but you cannot say it is false and that I am speaking lies.

As First John says:

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:2-3)

First off I would like to remind you that I do not consider the epistles the word of God or scripture and this is especially true of First John. This means that like I said before I do not believe anyone can just cite a couple verses from an epistle and say whatever they are saying is true. So why am I quoting this passage? Really I am just quoting this passage to demonstrate what the author, probably not the apostle John, believed when they were alive. My purpose here is just to show you that yes some of the authors of the New Testament believed the same thing I do.

If you remain skeptical of what I am saying then keep in mind that I wrote my entire part called Fulfilled Prophecy about this subject. As I have said before in this part I go over how and why God punished the so-called Jews with the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars. I also demonstrate using both the Old and New Testaments why the so-called Jews stand condemned before God so that their punishment did not stop with the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars and why their punishment will not end until they are all cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction and damnation. Therefore just keep in mind that what you read here is the end all be all on this subject and that there is much more to it.

That said, based on this passage the author of First John believed that only those who confess “that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2) are from God so that everyone else who “does not confess Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:3) Instead those who do not confess Jesus are “the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:3) as the author of First John says. Of course the word antichrist simply refers to being opposed to Christ and hence being opposed to God since God has appointed Jesus as the Christ. This is why many people often like to call the first beast of Revelation 13 the antichrist because the whole idea of the beast is that it is the chief opponent of the Christ and hence God on earth. In fact the beast will stand opposed to God and Jesus with such strength that Satan will even give “the beast his power and his throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2) so that the beast can carry out his work on earth. My point here is that you should associate the term antichrist with Satan and his rebellion against God because all those who stand opposed to Jesus as the Christ also stand opposed to God since as I keep on saying Jesus is God’s vicegerent.

Then because of this fact this once again means that the so-called Jews “falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) just as Jesus says because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ the so-called Jews have allied themselves with Satan as they join him in his rebellion against God. Therefore because of this fact all of the so-called Jews are evil as I have said already.

But what if you disagree with what I have said so far with regards to how the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil group of people to ever exist? I mean surely all this theological stuff about how Jesus is the Christ is just a bunch of man made nonsense and the real God does not see the so-called Jews as evil because they are His so-called people right? Well no sorry. You see I have left out perhaps the most important detail concerning just why the so-called Jews can actually be considered to be the single most evil group in all history. So what exactly am I talking about here? That every single so-called Jew is a murderer. Now this might not make much sense so consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.’

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.

‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor.

‘Barabbas,’ they replied.

‘What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked.

They all answered, ‘Crucify Him!’

‘Why?’ asked Pilate. ‘What evil has He done?’

But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify Him!’

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘You bear the responsibility.’

All the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:15-26)

The key part in this passage is that the crowd of so-called Jews who demanded Jesus be crucified by shouting “Crucify Him” (Matthew 27:23) responded to Pilate saying “You bear the responsibility” (Matthew 27:24) with “His blood be on us and our children.” (Matthew 27:25) This fact means that the so-called Jews have the blood of Jesus on themselves from the time of the first century AD all the way up to the present day. In other words every single so-called Jew is a murderer and no different than the so-called Jews who had a literal hand in killing Jesus in the first century AD.

Now you might protest this fact and you may even hate what I have said here and find all this ridiculous because you supposedly know that God does not hold the so-called responsible for killing Jesus. However as you will read about in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy God does in fact hold all of the so-called Jews responsible. For instance after the murder of Jesus as the hands of the so-called Jews God used the Romans to kill around two million so-called Jews as punishment during the so-called Jewish Roman Wars. Keep in mind that these so-called Jews were almost all born after Jesus’s resurrection so they had no direct connection to those who murdered Jesus. Of course this judgment was just the beginning as you will see later on.

But what if the so-called Jews never actually said “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25) as the Gospel of Matthew claims? Well I would actually agree it is quite unlikely that the so-called Jews actually said this. Wait what so why do I say the so-called Jews are murderers then? Well you see the idea behind the so-called Jews having blood of Jesus on their hands to this very day relates to the spiritual mindset of the so-called Jews. The idea here is that by rejecting Jesus as the Christ the so-called Jew spiritually aligns themselves with the so-called Jews of the Sanhedrin who actually desired to have Jesus killed. In other words through rejecting Jesus as the Christ all so-called Jews take the image of those who murdered Jesus. Of course since the Sanhedrin murdered Jesus because of their jealousy and how Jesus preached against them by calling them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) for example this means that the Sanhedrin and hence all so-called Jews have taken the image of Satan so that they become like Satan.

As the Gospel of John says:

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!’” (John 8:42-45)

Thus as I said the so-called Jews have taken the image of Satan and Jesus even tells them “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.” (John 8:44) Then of course it is worth pointing out again that Jesus calls the so-called Jews “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) here in Revelation as you already know. This then means that since the so-called Jews are deeply spiritually evil and have allied with Satan there is little reason to see them as being innocent. Therefore instead of being innocent all of the so-called Jews have become murderers by taking on the image of the so-called Jews who murdered Jesus in the first century AD as I have said.

Because of this fact the only way a so-called Jew can wash their stained hands of the blood of Jesus is by having faith in Jesus and accepting Him as the Christ. Through this faith and acceptance they would then take the image of Jesus so that they become sanctified and cleansed and cease being a murderer because they are like Jesus now and not like Satan.

So the so-called Jews are the most evil group of people in history because every single so-called Jew is a murderer? Well yes and no. You see in order to understand why they can actually be seen as the most evil group in all of history you need to understand the nature of the murder that was committed in the first century AD when the so-called Jews killed Jesus. For instance as I keep on saying Jesus is the Christ or the one whom God has given His power and authority to so that Jesus can rule on His behalf. This means that we are not equal with Jesus now on earth in the sight of God. Sure you can say we will be adopted as the children of God after the resurrection in the new Jerusalem so that we will become equal with Jesus as you will see later on but for now we are not equal. This then means that the murder of Jesus is not equal to any other murder. In fact I would even go as far to say that the murder of Jesus by the so-called Jews is the worst crime ever perpetrated in the history of humanity. This is because by murdering Jesus the so-called Jews not only killed the most important person to have ever lived, the Christ, but by killing Him they committed a direct act of insurrection and rebellion against God that exceeds the wickedness of even Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

Then since all the so-called Jews in history up to the present day have the blood of Jesus on their hands as I have said this then means that the so-called Jews would actually be the most evil group in all of history. Not only this but each individual so-called Jew no matter what they do, save accepting Jesus as the Christ and becoming a true Jew, is and will be considered among the worst and most detestable people to have ever lived. For example I doubt God will find greater fault with Cain and how he murdered Abel in Genesis over any so-called Jew who refuses to accept Jesus as the Christ. So wait am I actually saying the so-called Jews are more evil than the Nazis in Nazi Germany and the communist party in the Soviet Union or even Hitler and Stalin themselves? Yes, I am and I am not going to hide this fact no matter how many people will not like it. Remember, crimes against God are much worse than crimes against humanity so by killing the Christ the so-called Jews have committed the worst crime and sin in the history of humanity. This is why the so-called Jews are so evil.

But did Jesus not have to die? So then why are the so-called Jews at fault for killing Jesus? But you see God already knows and sees all so that He knows about everything that is to happen and so that nothing happens that is outside of God’s plan. I realize this is a highly controversial idea that many if not most people hate but I talk about it in detail later on in my commentary on Revelation 13. Therefore for now just take God planning everything from the beginning as a given for now. That said I cannot leave you with nothing so consider the following passage.

As God says:

“Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me.
I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land.
Truly I have spoken,
and truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it,
and I will surely do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)

This means that yes Jesus had to die at the hands of the so-called Jews but really everything that has ever happened has also had to happen. For example Adam and Eve, assuming that they actually existed, had to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This means that sure you can claim that the so-called Jews are not at fault for murdering Jesus because God planned it but then you must say the same thing about literally every murder in human history starting with Cain killing Abel. Then because of this fact this line of reasoning does not work because then every murderer would simply be doing the will of God just as the so-called Jews did when they murdered Jesus. Therefore once again the so-called Jews are one of if not the most evil group in the history of humanity.

Next I would like to remind you because of the wickedness of the so-called Jews God has marked them all for death and destruction so that they will all share in Satan’s fate. Just as the so-called Jews have joined with Satan in life so too will the so-called Jews join with Satan in death as they are cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction and damnation.

But why is this true exactly? I mean why will God not forgive the so-called Jews? Also do the so-called Jews not worship the same God as us true Jews or Christians? Therefore why would God’s plan for the so-called Jews be death and then eternal destruction? These are good questions and rather than relying on the New Testament to answer them I will answer them using the Old Testament or more specifically the Book of Numbers from the Law of Moses. In this book the story of Korah’s rebellion against Moses stands out as being directly comparable and applicable to the so-called Jews rebellion against Jesus. In fact the two rebellions are so similar that I believe God purposefully included Korah’s rebellion in the Law as a warning to the so-called Jews about what will happen to them should they ever rebel against Him again by rebelling against those who God appoints to rule. Therefore as you read about Korah’s rebellion against Moses keep in mind how the so-called Jews are rebelling against Jesus by rejecting Him as the Christ.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, ‘You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’” (Numbers 16:1-3)

Then as the Book of Numbers also says:

“When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.

And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.’

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, ‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?’

Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’

So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he warned the congregation, ‘Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.’

So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.

Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.’

As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.” (Numbers 16:19-33)

So why did God desire to initially kill not just Korah and those who joined him in his rebellion but the entire assembly and all of the ancient Israelites? Well to make this desire make sense you need to understand just what was so offensive to God about Korah questioning and rebelling against Moses. You see Moses was chosen and appointed by God to be the leader of the ancient Israelites during this time period. This means God gave Moses some, but not all, of His authority so that Moses could speak on behalf of God to the ancient Israelites. Then because of this fact when Korah tried to rebel against Moses he was not merely rebelling against Moses. Instead by rebelling against Moses Korah was actually rebelling against God because as I just said God had appointed Moses and given authority to Moses. This is then why God wanted to kill all of the ancient Israelites and wipe them out completely after Korah rebelled. The idea here is that the ultimate sin a person can commit is rebellion against God because as I said before crimes against God are much worse than crimes against humanity. So really God just wanted to nip the rebellion against Him in the bud by killing everyone in response even if they did not join Korah in his rebellion because by being merely associated with Korah in the same assembly they share in his sin and rebellion in a way.

I would also like to point out that Korah did not consider himself an apostate so you cannot claim that his sin was literally denouncing God. Instead all Korah wanted was for more people to share authority with Moses. Although keep in mind that by rebelling against Moses and hence rebelling against God Korah actually denounced God through his actions.

So now you can almost certainly see how Korah’s rebellion against Moses applies to the so-called Jew’s rebellion against Jesus. Although you need to keep one fact in mind. In truth the wickedness and evil of the so-called Jews can actually be argued to be infinitely greater than the wickedness and evil of Korah and those who joined him in his rebellion against Moses. This is because Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given all His power and authority to use on His behalf. On the other hand God did not give Moses even a fraction of His power and authority. This means that instead of seeing Korah’s rebellion as being antiquated and irrelevant as a point of comparison with the rebellion of so-called Jews against Jesus you should actually see the rebellion of the so-called Jews as being far worse. In other words the wickedness and evil of the so-called Jews is ten-thousand times greater than the wickedness and evil of Korah and his co-conspirators.

So my question to you is if God wanted to kill all of the ancient Israelites for Korah’s rebellion against Moses and He only settled on killing Korah and his co-conspirators due to Moses’s pleas then what do you think is going to happen to the so-called Jews who are rebelling against One greater than Moses? The answer is obvious. God is going to exterminate all of the so-called Jews so that not a single so-called Jew will remain alive.

As Jesus says:

“And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.” (Luke 19:27)

Not only this but after the resurrection of the dead occurs all of the so-called Jews will be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction and damnation. Remember, all of those who rebel against God will face this same fate as Satan himself.

At this point you may be questioning why God would do such a thing. I mean why do the so-called Jews deserve not just death but eternal destruction for their rebellion against Jesus Christ? Well first off as I keep on saying by rebelling against Jesus and rejecting Him as the Christ the so-called Jews are actually rebelling against God and rejecting His authority. Then since God is the final authority it only makes sense that all those who rebel against Him will be utterly destroyed. I mean you need to understand that the worst sin Satan himself has ever committed is rebelling against God and rejecting His authority. Then like Satan the so-called Jews are in full rebellion against God as they reject the authority of Jesus and His position as the Christ. So my question to you is this. If you believe that Satan is evil and deserves destruction for his rebellion against God then why do you think that the so-called Jews are good and deserve to live? Really these two positions are in contradiction with each other because if you believe that the so-called Jews deserve mercy for their rebellion against God then by the same reasoning Satan also deserves mercy for his rebellion against God. Then of course God has already told us that Satan will not receive mercy and that instead he will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction and damnation. This then means that in order to be logically consistent the so-called Jews will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction and damnation along with Satan because they are guilty of the same sin of rebellion against God that Satan is guilty of. Lastly I would also like to advise you against questioning God.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“The next day the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the LORD’s people!’ But when the congregation gathered against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.

Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, ‘Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.’ And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.

Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.’

So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted. But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.” (Numbers 16:41-49)

In this passage the ancient Israelites who were not killed because they did not join Korah in his rebellion grumble against Moses and Aaron accusing them of killing “the LORD’s people” (Numbers 16:41) because they did not think Korah and his co-conspirators deserved death for what they did since they saw them as being faithful to God. However once again you need to understand that by rebelling against Moses Korah demonstrated that he was not faithful to God because by rebelling against Moses Korah was actually rebelling against God. Next the reason why God sent a plague against the congregation of the ancient Israelites is because by questioning Moses they were questioning God and rebelling against Him. In other words by claiming that God was unjust in punishing Korah and his rebellion through grumbling against Moses the ancient Israelites entered into a new state of rebellion against God. So that as a result they deserve the same fate as Korah and his rebellion received previously.

Therefore this means that when you question why God would punish the so-called Jews you are actually joining the so-called Jews in their rebellion against God just as the ancient Israelites joined Korah in his rebellion by questioning and accusing Moses of killing them. This is why I said I would advise against questioning God with respect to the punishments that the so-called Jews have received already and are yet to receive in the future because again by questioning God you will join the so-called Jews in their rebellion against God.

Alright so now at this point you may now be wondering if what I have said is correct then why does Paul refer to Jews, Greeks and Gentiles separately in his genuine epistles? Well first off you need to understand that the words of Paul are not the words of God. This means that you should not see what Paul wrote as being without error. Again I talk about why the Bible is not inerrant later on in my part called Various Insights so I am not going to fully demonstrate that the Bible is full of errors now. That said since I am talking about Paul here it would be helpful to demonstrate that Paul was in fact wrong about something major.

As Paul wrote:

“Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

So what was Paul wrong about exactly? It is quite easy to miss so read the next quotations very carefully.

As Paul wrote:

“By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15)

And as Paul also wrote:

“After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

The error is of course that in these two passages Paul directly says “we who are alive and remain” (1 Thessalonians 4:15) which means that Paul fully expects Jesus to return within the lifetimes of those who were alive when he wrote First Thessalonians. Let me repeat this. In other words Paul believed that Jesus was going to return in the first century AD. Now obviously it goes without saying that Jesus did not return in the first century AD so therefore Paul was wrong.

But wait can you not resolve this error by saying that Paul was actually being inspired by God and writing to a future generation of Christians far into the future? Sorry but no you cannot because this apologetic is objectively false. For starters consider the first verse of First Thessalonians in which Paul provides his opening address.

As Paul wrote:

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

Therefore obviously Paul is specifically writing to “the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1) and he is not writing to us or to some future generation of Christians. You may still insist that Paul must be writing for some other generation because Paul cannot be wrong so consider the following verse which is from the end of the initial passage I quoted above.

As Paul wrote:

“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

In this verse Paul is telling the Thessalonians to encourage one another so that they know “that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15) Therefore Paul was most definitely writing to the Thessalonians and because of this fact Paul most definitely believed that Jesus was going to come in the first century AD.

Then of course obviously he was wrong and because of this fact Paul’s writings are not without error. Now there are actually more errors in Paul’s writings than this so you should not think of this as the sole error. Like I said my purpose here is just to show you that Paul was wrong so that you do not see the words of Paul as being without error. Later on in my part called Various Insights I go over many more errors.

As an aside I would like to briefly comment on the difference between Paul being wrong and what Revelation says concerning when the end will come. Now I realize you already read quite a long comment detailing why Revelation does not say the end will come soon and why the end cannot come soon so I am no going to review that here. Instead I want to talk about the key difference between Revelation and the epistles. You see the epistles were literally just letters that some person wrote to another group of people. They were never intended to be seen as the word of God when they were written. Well at least in terms of the genuine epistles that is. In terms of the epistles that are certainly forgeries these epistles were written with a specific purpose in mind to push a specific agenda so the authors of those epistles almost certainly intended them to be viewed as scripture. Again I go over this later on so do not worry about it for now.

By comparison the Book of Revelation is unique in the sense that it was written to all Christians. This is why there are seven letters to the seven churches and why you should see these seven letters as being addressed even to us today as I have said already. Thus what I am saying is that the epistles are not comparable to the Book of Revelation at all. Really the only similarity between the epistles and the Book of Revelation is that hundreds of years after they were written some people put them next to each other in a single book. In other words you should not see the epistles as being written to the same audience as the Book of Revelation. Again the epistles, at least the genuine ones, were literally written to a specific group of people in a specific city and the authors never knew or intended for their letters to survive until today.

You may still find this hard to believe so consider Paul for a second. He had a ministry that lasted around thirty years and he founded many different churches over that time period. In the New Testament there are seven genuine epistles from Paul out of a total of thirteen that are ascribed to him. So unless you want to believe that Paul wrote only one epistle every few years then there are probably dozens of lost epistles that we do not have. Keep in mind that in order for an epistle to not become lost many different people have to decide to copy it down and save it over centuries. Then since Paul and the early Christians literally believed that the end of the world was going to happen within their lifetimes and soon it is easy to imagine why not many Christians copied down everything they received in the first century AD.

Now to get back on the subject at hand my point with all this is that you should not see the epistles as being without error and flawless. Sure they are still useful in terms of demonstrating the point of view of the author but they are not the literal word of God and you should not see them as the literal word of God. Also I do not expect you to fully accept this position right now. Instead once you read what I have to say about the so-called inerrancy of the Bible later on and once you read through all the errors in the Bible you will see the Bible as being a human authored book to such an extent that you will see the epistles as being just some letters some people wrote with some of them being obvious forgeries just as I do. That said for now just know that Paul was indeed wrong and that Jesus did not return to usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God in the first century AD as he believed. Therefore all I am saying is that if Paul was wrong once then you cannot say Paul is always correct. Thus instead you should read the words of Paul as being words of Paul instead of as the words of God just as you read this book as being my words instead of the words of God. This then means that with regards to the so-called Jews you should not take a single verse of Paul out of context and say that settles it.

Additionally as a matter of more practical importance by Paul’s own admission he has “become all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22) so I am not sure how you can treat his words as the inspired words of God when he freely admits to telling people what they want to hear in an effort to make the message of the Gospel as appealing to as many groups of people as possible.

As Paul wrote:

“Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

Therefore what I am saying is that if Paul said that he tailors the way he presents himself and changes what he says in order to “become all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22) then how exactly can his words be considered accurate and trustworthy let alone the inspired word of God? I mean by Paul’s own admission here any or even all of his epistles might not be the real Paul. This means that we really cannot even know for sure what Paul actually believed in because even the famous passages from his epistles that apologists love to use to so-called prove some point could just be an example of Paul becoming “all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22) as I said. In other words take what Paul says with a very large grain of salt because he changes his message and presentation to better serve his audience.

As an aside I would now just like to say that I could not disagree more with what Paul wrote above. Really I consider being two-faced or rather multi-faced a form of deception because it is an intentional act that is used with the express purpose manipulating people into seeing you as someone you are not. Sure you can argue that the ends justify the means in the sense that those Paul saved through deception are a greater good than the means of deception that Paul used to spread the message he preached. However I would say that anything good cannot be based upon such a deception. This is because when you attempt to make the truth sweet by masking its innate bitterness with the sugar of your deceptions all you are doing is hiding the true nature of the truth. Then once someone learns of your deceptions so that they see the truth for what it is they will feel betrayed not just by you but by the very truth you wanted them to accept to be saved.

This is then why I do not sugarcoat anything in this book as you are no doubt aware of by now. I am not going to deceive you or anyone else by creating multiple versions of this book for each group of people so that I can get the most people as possible to understand the truth of the Book of Revelation and the coming beast. Instead I have written this book to be a singular message told in a singular way. To this end much of this book will be offensive to at least some group of people. In fact I would say that if someone reads this book and they were never offended in some way by anything I wrote about then I would question if they actually read this book or not. Really I just see deception as the main tool of Satan and because my goal is to spread the things and message of God I do not see using the tools of Satan to do the work of God and of Jesus to be the correct course of action or even remotely beneficial. Thus this is why I directly say that the so-called Jews are evil without sugarcoating it and stretching to the truth, or worse yet straight up lying, to make it more palpable for you to accept. Furthermore I would just like to say that my actual in real life personality, motivations, thought process and so forth are exactly the same as what you read in this book. This means that I am literally hiding nothing from you by pretending to be someone else in this book. In other words I wrote this book in my image so that as you read this book you are listening to my uncensored thoughts. Then because of this fact once you finish reading this book you will actually fully understand me since this book is me and I am this book.

But what about those who take offense at what I say? In short I truly do not care if they like or even accept what I have to say let alone if they take offense because of it. This is because I see my goal or rather obligation as being to present the truth. This means that by dressing up or worse yet covering up the truth to make it more palpable to people I would be failing to meet my obligation and goal of presenting the truth in full. Furthermore Jesus says that not everyone will see the truth.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do You speak to the people in parables?’

He replied, ‘The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” (Matthew 13:10-17)

Therefore the truth of the Christian, really Jewish, message is not something that everyone will be able to see. Then because of this fact why should I change and pervert my words in an effort to try to convince those who are deaf and blind about a truth they will never be able to see or hear regardless how it is presented? Therefore this is another reason why I refuse to change, pervert and corrupt my message in order to make it more palpable for a wider audience. I will not spiritually ally with Satan by engaging in his tactics and instead I will remain faithful to God until the end as I present the whole, unadulterated and uncorrupted truth to the best of my ability that God has given me.

Alright so back to the topic at hand. So why does Paul use the words Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, Israel and so forth in his epistles exactly? Well in order to answer this question you need to understand the world in which Paul lived in. So what world did Paul live in exactly?

But before I can answer this question let me ask you a question. When did the Jews almost entirely become the so-called Jews? Sure you can say that once a former Jew in the first century AD rejected Jesus they became a so-called Jew but when did the Jews as a people group become the so-called Jews so that they all rejected Jesus? Or did this even happen? Now obviously it happened and since I have brought up the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars several times already you probably already know that the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars is the answer. But more specifically I would say the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Second Temple is the more exact time period in which this transition happened. So what does this mean though? Well you see when Paul wrote his epistles he was writing before the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and before the destruction of the Second Temple. This is the world in which Paul lived in.

Now what I just said may not make sense to you so let me ask you another question. If Jesus’s resurrection occurred in 30 or 33 AD then how long would it take for a Jew living in say Alexandria in the Roman province of Egypt or a Jew living in Roman Greece to find out about Jesus and reject Him so that they become a so-called Jew? The point here is that obviously not every Jew in the world knew about Jesus even say twenty years after His resurrection. I mean even the most generous realistic estimates would place the number of Jesus’s disciples in the hundreds after His resurrection but in truth there could have been as few as a couple dozen who remained faithful if that. Therefore it really would take a long time for the message to spread. Then because of this fact the Jews living before the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War who did not accept Jesus as the Christ because they have not heard about Jesus yet were in fact still Jews and not so-called Jews.

So what was so special about the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War? Really you need to understand what the Temple is and represents in Judaism. Essentially the Temple was and is how Jews, including us, have a relationship with God because it was and is believed that God dwells inside the Temple. But wait if the Second Temple was destroyed then why do I speak as if we have a relationship with God through the Temple even to this very day? Well you see Jesus as the Christ is the Third Temple and just like how the Spirit of God dwelled within the First and Second Temples so too does the Spirit of God dwell inside Jesus.

As Jesus says:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” (John 2:19)

Thus after Jesus’s resurrection Jesus became the true Temple of God and the physical Second Temple began to fade away in importance. Now you may doubt this but this is why the Gospel of Matthew says the following.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51)

The veil in the Temple was a curtain that separated the part of the Temple in which the Spirit of God was thought to dwell and the part of the Temple that people could enter. Thus the veil is essentially symbolic of the separation between God and man. Then the tearing of the veil is symbolic of the separation between God and man being removed so that anyone can have access to the Spirit of God through having faith in Jesus and accepting Him as the Christ. This is why Jesus as the Christ is the Third Temple of God.

Then as the author of Ephesians says:

“Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Thus clearly the author of Ephesians has a similar view to the one I just stated above. That said there is an important difference in that they believe we “are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22) The idea here is that although Jesus is the Temple of God now, through being faithful to God through Jesus we are being built into the Temple so that we become part of the Temple of God. Really this has the resurrection in view here.

As Jesus says:

“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it.” (Revelation 3:12)

Thus really we will only become part of the Temple of God after the resurrection just as Jesus only became the Temple of God after His resurrection.

If you want to contest Jesus and by extension the Church being the Third Temple then just know that I talk more about this later on in this commentary and in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy. Therefore just accept what I am saying for now because I will demonstrate my position to be correct beyond any doubt in due time.

Alright so now that you understand the importance of the Temple and how Jesus is the Third Temple you are now able to understand how the Second Temple and its destruction relates to the Jews becoming the so-called Jews. Really the idea here is that as long as the Second Temple stood the Jews, or soon to be so-called Jews, still had a relationship with God. However once the Second Temple was destroyed this relationship was severed so that the only way the now so-called Jews could have a relationship with God again is by accepting Jesus as the Christ since He is the now eternal Temple that will never be destroyed.

This is also why God had to destroy the Second Temple. Really the Second Temple just outlived its usefulness so after about 40 years from the start of Jesus’s ministry or from about 40 years from Jesus’s resurrection God used the Roman Empire to destroy the Second Temple so completely that not a single stone was left upon another. Now I mention 40 years here because the number 40 is another symbolic number that relates to a period of transition and testing. This would of course make sense since the period in question was a period of transition from the old system of the Second Temple to the new system of the Third Temple that centers on Jesus as the Christ. Then of course this period was also a period of testing for the Jews and soon to be so-called Jews since whoever refused to accept Jesus as the Christ once the Second Temple was destroyed would become a so-called Jew and be cast out by God. Again you will read about this more in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy so I will not go into this area anymore now.

But my point here is that the destruction of the Second Temple by God is the real definitive mark in the transition of the true Israel from being the now so-called Jews to the Church. I mean as matter of practicality with regards to the now so-called Jews finding out about Jesus the whole Roman world, let alone the now so-called Jewish world, knew about the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Second Temple. Then due to the signs given and the fact that the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars were directly comparable to the Exile really there was and still is zero excuse for the so-called Jews rejection of Jesus as the Christ. I mean the destruction of the Second Temple was also when Jesus entered His kingdom, Israel, in full power so that He could truly take control of Israel as the King of Israel and King of the Jews. Again this is why God needed to use the Romans to wage war against the so-called Jews in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars so that Israel could be transferred to new tenants.

This is then why Jesus in the Book of Revelation refers to the so-called Jews as “those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) while Paul refers to them as Jews and Israelites. The idea here is that Revelation was written in around 95 AD which was around 25 years after the destruction of the Second Temple so by this point every single now so-called Jew had rejected Jesus as the Christ because once again everyone would have known about the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Second Temple.

Thus with the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem Christians became the sole group to be called God’s people or Israelites and Jews. This is why Paul makes a distinction and still has hope that his fellow countrymen will turn to Jesus. But as I just said, with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD those who were Jews became so-called Jews because God had cut them off. However it is important to remember that this is not permanent since they are still free to become Jews again. To do so they must simply have faith in Jesus and believe that He is the cornerstone of the Third Temple. Then they will be counted among God’s faithful again.

Therefore as a result of all the above this is why Paul refers to Jews and Israelites and Gentiles and Greeks as being separate groups since he wrote his epistles before the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Second Temple.

Now you may have some issues with what I just said because of Paul saying that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) in his epistle to the Romans which you may take to mean that the so-called Jews are in fact Jews and that they all will be saved regardless of if they accept Jesus as the Christ or not. However there are a number of irreconcilable problems with this view. But before I go over these problems I need to quote the full passage you are probably thinking about.

As Paul wrote:

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

‘The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.’

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29)

First off this is the go to passage that people use to support their claim that so-called Jews are in fact Jews and part of Israel. So what is the problem here then? Well the central problem is that if you want to take Israel as meaning the so-called Jews then what Paul claims here directly contradicts both what Jesus says in the Gospels and what the Book of Revelation says. Then because of the nature of these contradictions and the fact that they are irreconcilable contradictions you must either accept what the Gospels and Revelation say as true or you what Paul says as true. Now before going over the passages that demonstrate that either Paul is wrong or that he is not talking about what you probably think he is talking about it would be helpful to try to explain what Paul could be talking about. I say could here because really Paul actually contradicts Paul so that we cannot be sure what he actually believed. Maybe this is a case of Paul getting confused about which person he is trying to be?

As Paul wrote:

“It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

Therefore Paul could have believed that “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6) just as he says. Instead “it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:8) Thus the idea here is that only those who are faithful to God through Jesus are the children of God and thus Israelites.

This fact then means that when Paul wrote that “so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) he might not talking about the so-called Jews instead he could be talking about how the so-called Jews are not the definitive Israel. Instead he could have been talking about the Church being Israel so that it does not matter if almost all the now former Jews become so-called Jews because Jesus reigns as King of Israel. Really the idea here is Israel is greater than the Hebrews and will survive even if they all reject Jesus as the Christ.

But what about the following verses from the above passage from Romans 11?

As Paul wrote:

“Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28-29)

In this passage the word translated as election is more accurately defined as a divine selection or God choosing. Thus Paul might not be talking about election in terms of spiritual salvation as we see it and instead he could be referring to an earthly promise that God made to their ancestors.

As God says:

“Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or despise them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 26:44-45)

Thus the idea is that Paul could be saying that saying God will keep His earthly covenant with the patriarchs so that He will not completely destroy the so-called Jews in a punishment even though they have disobeyed Him. This is why Paul said “Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account” (Romans 11:28) because the so-called Jews were persecuting Christians. Hence they would be enemies on account of the gospel. However Paul then goes on to say that they will not be destroyed because of this by saying that “regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28-29)

Thus Paul might not saying all the so-called Jews are saved or going to heaven in Romans 11. Instead he could be recognizing that they are safe from being completely destroyed now because of God’s promise to the patriarchs. Then Paul also correct recognizes that “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Romans 9:6) So clearly even Paul does not consider those who reject Jesus as being part of Israel in some sense. This is why Paul saying that all Israel will be saved is irrelevant as a counter point to what I am saying because Paul literally says “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Romans 9:6) I am sorry if I am being repetitive here I just want to get this across because many who call themselves Christians who support the so-called Jews in their so-called faith love using what Paul says in Romans 11 while ignoring Romans 9.

Therefore what is being presented here is that the promise of the flesh, the Old Covenant, and God’s promise not to destroy all of the descendants of Abraham is an earthly promise because it governs earthly realities. However the promise that governs spiritual realities is a spiritual promise. This promise was of course fulfilled in Jesus and all those who have faith in Jesus, in the same way Abraham had faith in God, will be counted spiritually as the children of Abraham and part of God’s people. While God’s promise to not destroy the earthly descendants of Abraham is temporary because the earth is temporary, God’s promise to the spiritual descendants of Abraham is eternal because only those with faith in Jesus will enter the Kingdom of God.

Then as Jesus says:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

The so-called Jews have explicitly and undeniably rejected Jesus because that is what their so-called Judaism teaches them. Therefore the wrath of God remains upon them and they will be punished for their disobedience to God by being cast into the Lake of Fire.

Now as an aside you may be wondering if the passage above from Leviticus means that God will not completely annihilate the so-called Jews as I have said. I mean did God not say he will not do it? Well no. You see many Jews in the first century remained Jews through accepting Jesus as the Christ. Then after the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and onward many Hebrews who were so-called Jews became true Jews through accepting Jesus as the Christ. Really you do not see this in the Church today because after centuries of mixing with Christians, or Jews, of European descent they just became Christian and no longer ethnically identified as Hebrew. Therefore this means that even if you want to say that God has promised not to destroy the biological children of Abraham or the Hebrews, yes Hebrews and not so-called Jews, then the Church already has the biological children of Abraham in it. This fact then means that God could actually completely exterminate every single so-called Jew in the entire world right now and He would not be violating any of the promises He made to the patriarchs. Now you may disagree with this but Paul actually has a similar view.

As Paul wrote:

“I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well’?

And what was the divine reply to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’

In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written:

‘God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see,
and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.’

And David says:

‘May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.’” (Romans 11:1-10)

The idea here is that there is a remnant that God considers to be the true biological children of Abraham and then there are all the others, the so-called Jews, whom God has rejected and cast out as His people. This remnant would of course refer to the Jews who remained Jews by accepting Jesus as the Christ and the so-called Jews who became Jews by accepting Jesus as the Christ. Therefore you really cannot claim that Paul is talking about the so-called Jews when he references Israel or the Jews.

As a result of all this God would not be violating any of his promises by killing every single so-called Jew in the world today. Remember the promise in Leviticus was not made to the so-called Jews of today as a group. Instead it was made to the ancient Hebrews. Therefore as long as there are descendants of these Hebrews in the Church today who would fall outside of God’s annihilation of the so-called Jews then God would not be breaking any promise by killing every last so-called Jew since a remnant of these Hebrews would still exist.

Then why has God not destroyed all the so-called Jews yet if they are so evil and in full rebellion against Him? Well really I believe there are two reasons. The first is to honor the spirit of the promise in Leviticus in the sense that God wants some of the so-called Jews to come to faith in Jesus. Sure God could kill them all tomorrow if He wanted to but by waiting until the end of the age to kill them all He is showing them more kindness than they deserve. The second is that Revelation says the so-called Jews will still be around at the end of the age when Jesus returns.

As Revelation says:

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

And as Jesus says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

But why keep the so-called Jews around until the end? Well this question is not answered directly but I would say that God wants to completely annihilate the so-called Jews all together when Jesus returns so that He can show them all that they are wrong before He destroys them. The idea here is that God wishes to punish the so-called Jews for their murder of His Son Jesus. As a result God is waiting patiently until the time comes for Jesus to return so that the so-called Jews can finally see that they were wrong before Jesus “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15) and kills them all. Think of it as the so-called Jews being collectively punished. Thus it would only make sense for their punishment to be rendered after the proof of their crime is revealed to the world for all to see.

Now back to the topic at hand. So does all the above resolve what Paul says in Romans 11? Before I answer this question reread what Paul wrote.

As Paul wrote:

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

‘The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.’

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29)

Now if my explanations of Paul have seemed a bit flimsy to you then I would actually partly agree with you. This is because despite what I have said already with regards to this passage and how Paul said that “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6) really I cannot be sure what Paul is actually talking about in this passage. This is because in this passage Paul wrote that “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29) This would of course in the context of the passage strongly imply that at least in the above passage Paul is talking how God will not abandon what he sees as Israel, the so-called Jews, so that they will be saved in the end regardless because God will have mercy on them. This is of course the most common view Christians have today.

The problem with this view though is that it directly and irreconcilably contradicts what Jesus says in the Gospels and what the Book of Revelation says. Although really as you probably know already Paul in this passage actually contradicts himself.

Again as Paul wrote:

“It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

Thus really I am not sure what to think. I mean here in Romans 9 Paul is basically saying that your status as an Israelite does not depend upon birthright and instead it depends on God’s choice alone so that God can choose new children of Abraham to continue on the legacy of Israel. This view is of course demonstrated in the Gospels.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’” (Matthew 3:7-10)

In this passage John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees that being a biological descendant of Abraham will not protect them and instead they need to produce fruit because otherwise God will not recognize them as His people and cast them out and into the fire. Then to further demonstrate the lack of protection being a biological descendant of Abraham provides he even says “that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9) This of course means that God alone determines who is a descendant of Abraham or not so that God can consider anyone He wishes, even stones, to be a true descendant of Abraham while He decides that the actual biological children of Abraham are not children of Abraham and revokes their status as Jews, Israelites and His people. But then this poses a problem because Paul says the opposite in the Romans 11 passage.

As Paul wrote:

“Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:28-29)

Thus not only does Paul contradict the Gospel of Matthew but he also contradicts himself in Romans 9 with the whole “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6) as I have said. So really I am not sure what to think with regards to the meaning of Romans 11.

Therefore to help demonstrate why my view with regards to the so-called Jews is correct I would like to go over three key passages that Jesus says in the Gospels. My point here is that the popular interpretation of Romans 11 that the so-called Jews are actually Jews and are part of Israel is so completely and irreconcilably contradictory to what Jesus says in the Gospels that it must be flat out rejected as false so that my view stands as the only correct view to have concerning the so-called Jews.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him, ‘Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.’

‘I will go and heal him,’ Jesus replied.

The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.’

When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13)

In this passage Jesus is saying that those who were not part of Israel, those “from the east and the west” (Matthew 8:11) in this passage, will be counted as part of Israel, as they “share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Matthew 8:11) in this passage, on account of their faith in God through Jesus. On the other hand those who were physically part of Israel will be cast out of Israel and “thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12) on account of rejecting Jesus as the Christ. Therefore it is completely obvious that Jesus is in fact talking about the so-called Jews status as Jews, children of Abraham, Israelites and the people of God being completely revoked so that God throws them away to burn in the Lake of Fire instead of giving them salvation. This of course is directly contradictory with Paul saying “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29)

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“‘I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you. I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.’

‘Abraham is our father,’ they replied.

‘If you were children of Abraham,’ said Jesus, ‘you would do the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. You are doing the works of your father.’

‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they declared. ‘Our only Father is God Himself.’

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.’” (John 8:37-44)

Obviously in this passage Jesus is directly telling the so-called Jews that they are not children of Abraham and that God is not their Father. Instead Jesus is saying that the so-called Jews belong to Satan and that they are the children of Satan. Therefore it is plainly obvious that “God’s gifts and His call” (Romans 11:29) to the so-called Jews have been revoked so that they are no longer actually Jews anymore. Thus on the day of judgment instead of being counted as children of God the so-called Jews will be counted as the children of Satan. This may seem harsh to say but it is the truth. Remember by denying Jesus as the Christ the so-called Jews are denying God Himself and have become not just murders like the so-called Jews who orchestrated Jesus’s death but murders who have killed the Christ and thus incurred the full wrath and furry of God upon themselves. Then by continuing to deny Jesus they continue to pierce Jesus and crucify Him again and again every single day through their unbelief and blasphemy.

Now if for some reason you still disagree with what I have been saying concerning the so-called Jews and concerning Romans 11 then consider the next passage where what I have been saying will be made to be made even more obviously correct.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.

He sent still another, and this one they killed.

He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.

Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.’” (Mark 12:1-9)

To explain the parable obviously Israel is represented by the vineyard and this symbol actually comes from the Old Testament where God symbolizes Israel as a vineyard. Then the landowner in this parable is obviously God. The idea here is that God planted Israel by rescuing the Israelites out of Egypt so that they could be His people and they could serve Him. This means that you should not view Israel as being a physical place with a physical boundary but rather you should see it in spiritual terms because Israel is made up of God’s faithful people no matter where they are.

Then the tenants in this parable are the Israelites or the Jews. The idea here is that instead of being faithful to God and giving Him the faith and obedience that He is owed when the prophets asked for it the ancient Israelites killed the prophets God had sent to guide them back. Then of course after this God would send His only begotten Son, Jesus, in order to guide them back. But not only did they refuse to listen to Him but they killed even killed Him and refused to accept Him as the Christ, the King of Israel and the King of the Jews because of their jealousy.

Then after result of the murder of His Son by the so-called Jews, or the tenants, God, or the landowner, decides to kill the wicked so-called Jews, or the tenants, for what they have done. Of course God did in fact do this in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars in which around two million so-called Jews were killed. However in truth this is not the true fulfillment of “He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others” (Mark 12:9) in this parable. Instead this fulfillment is found in God revoking the so-called Jews status as the children of Abraham, Jews, Israelites and His people so that God no longer considers them children of Abraham, Jews, Israelites or even His people. This is because the tenants in this parable are to be killed so that they lose the vineyard that they were renting. Thus this parable is talking about the now so-called Jews losing claim on Israel so that Israel is transferred to new tenants.

But then who are the current tenants of the vineyard or Israel now that God has transferred Israel to new tenants? Obviously faithful Christians are the new tenants of Israel because we hold to Jesus as the Christ and thus are faithful to God unlike the so-called Jews who have been cast out by God for their murder of Jesus and their rejection of Him as the Christ. Therefore Christians are the true Jews and the Church is the true continuation of Israel.

Obviously it goes without saying that the above parable directly contradicts with the popular interpretation of “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) and “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29) because Jesus figuratively says through a parable that the so-called Jews will be cast out of Israel so that they will no longer be Israelites. Thus you see why I said that the popular interpretation of Romans 11 is directly and irreconcilably contradictory with what Jesus says in the Gospels.

Then as further evidence that the Church is the true and only continuation of Israel and that Christians, the true Jews, are the people of God while the so-called Jews are a “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) you only need to read and understand Revelation 12. In this chapter “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 12:1) appears which is a clear reference to Israel due to the symbols used. The woman then gives “birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” (Revelation 12:5) So obviously this male child is Jesus. Next “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) This would obviously refer to the Church leaving the Roman province of Judea and fleeing to the nations of the world to escape persecution and destruction by the so-called Jewish authorities.

Next the dragon, or Satan, is cast out of heaven and pursues “the woman who had given birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13) in an attempt to destroy her. Of course Satan used the so-called Jews in an attempt to destroy the woman, or the Church which is the true Israel, but the nations outside Judea hid her or as Revelation puts it “the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth.” (Revelation 12:16) The symbolism here might be confusing for now but just know that I fully explain it all in my commentary on Revelation 12.

However I will say that this is another reason why Jesus calls the so-called Jews a “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) in Revelation. The idea is that the so-called Jews are literally working for Satan and doing his work for him by opposing Him as the Christ since it is only through accepting Jesus as the Christ that we can be saved and overcome Satan’s power to accuse us before God. This would then mean that the so-called Jews are the children of Satan.

As Jesus says to the so-called Jews:

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.” (John 8:44)

Next “the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) Or rather Satan goes to wage war with future Christians at a later date outside of the first century.

So my point here by referencing Revelation 12 with respect to Israel is that since the woman is obviously Israel as evidenced by the first verse I quoted and Revelation says “the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) this would mean that Christians are the children of God and children of Israel just as Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel. If you want to dispute this then I would like to reiterate that “the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) The key phrase is “hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17) because this means that the children in question must be Christians and as a result of this fact Christians are the children of the woman or Israel. Then because of this Christians are Israelites. If you want to dispute what I have said here with respect to Revelation 12 then you will just have to wait to read my commentary on it.

Alright so because of all the above the traditional interpretation of what Paul wrote in Romans 11 cannot be correct.

Again as Paul wrote:

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

‘The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.’

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29)

Now I am quoting this passage again so that you can see for yourself just how wrong it is with respect to what the Gospels say and what Revelation says. This is why the popular interpretation of Romans 11 and the common view that the so-called Jews are Jews and Israelites is so irreconcilably in contradiction with the Gospels and Revelation. Then because of this fact really you have one of three choices.

The first option is to ignore what Jesus says in the Gospels and ignore what Revelation says entirely while also ignoring what Paul wrote in Romans 9 so that you see Romans 11 as the sole truth with respect to the so-called Jews. Now I included this option first because this is the option many if not most Christians actually take as nonsensical as it may sound. I mean how could anyone ignore what Jesus says and choose a passage from Romans that Paul wrote which is actually in contradiction with a previous passage of his? Really I do not understand it. Thus this so-called option is not really a valid option in my view and if you insist on taking it then I would actually say that you would be joining the so-called Jews in rebellion against God at least in some capacity since you are helping to enable their rebellion. This is because by saying that the so-called Jews are true Jews and Israelites while insisting that Christians are not Jews and not Israelites you are denying Jesus as the King of Israel and King of the Jews.

The second is to reinterpret what Paul wrote in Romans 11 in light of what he wrote in Romans 9 about how “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6) and how “Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children” (Romans 9:7) so that you take Paul to really be talking about the true Jews, Christians, and the true Israel, the Church, in Romans 11. This option is possible since Romans 9 is very clear however I believe this interpretation is rather flimsy with respect to Romans 11. Really the bottom line here is that Paul is just contradicting Paul in Romans so I am not sure why anyone should ignore Romans 9 while treating Romans 11 as the so-called word of God as I just said. Although really this option is always an option because I do find it rather puzzling just how Paul could contradict himself in the same epistle. This means that I would consider an alternative interpretation to Romans 11 to be valid. Although maybe Paul just had no idea what he was talking about? Or maybe Paul was just getting his multiple personas confused? These are always a possibility as well and leads to the third option.

The third and final option is to just say that Paul was wrong in Romans 11 just like how he was wrong about the end of the age and Jesus’s return occurring within his lifetime in the first century AD. This is why I spent some time earlier talking about the fact that Paul was wrong about his beliefs concerning when Jesus would return because it has given you reason to believe that not everything that Paul wrote is correct. Although like I said before if you still mistakenly hold to the so-called inerrancy of the Bible then hold your tongue for now because I have a rather long chapter dedicated to it in my part called Various Insights. The one sentence summary of this chapter is of course that the so-called inerrancy of the Bible is an absurd and indefensible position because the Bible contains many errors that cannot be reconciled.

In terms of which option I take I would say I take the third option and I believe that after you read my chapter on the so-called inerrancy of the Bible you will take the third option as well. This is because once you see the other contradictions that are perhaps more egregious than the contradiction concerning the so-called Jews that I have been talking about then what Paul wrote in Romans 11 will not bother you anymore so that you will give up trying to reconcile it. Really when I look at Romans 11 I just shrug my shoulders and say Paul is wrong here while Jesus, the Gospels, Revelation and ironically enough Paul earlier on in Romans 9 are correct.

All that said my main point with this comment is that the Church is truly and undeniably the continuation of Israel and Christians are Israelites and the children of God. On the other hand the so-called Jews are not part of Israel and they cannot be considered Israelites or even Jews. Instead they are a “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) and children of Satan. You may not like this conclusion but it is really undeniably true based on what Jesus says. So if you reject the true Israel, the Church, and support the “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) because you are ashamed of the truth then you are really rejecting what Jesus teaches and you are ashamed of His words. Then if you reject what Jesus teaches and are ashamed of His words then when Jesus returns He will be ashamed of you.

As Jesus says:

“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)

Therefore do not be ashamed about what Jesus says concerning the so-called Jews just as I am not ashamed about what Jesus says. In fact contrary to being ashamed you should be proud and honored to carry on the faith and legacy of the Israelites into the year in which you are reading this in. Truly I tell you that by continuing to carry on the faith and legacy of the original Israelites thousands of years later Abraham himself would no doubt be proud to call you one of his descendants and an heir to the promise no matter where in the world you may find yourself. Likewise no doubt even Moses himself would be proud to call you an Israelite. Furthermore King David would also be proud to call you a fellow Jew for following the King of Israel and the King of the Jews or his Son, Jesus. Then lastly I have no doubt that the Prophet Elijah would embrace you as a brother or a sister for your great commitment to God through your faith and obedience to Jesus as the Christ. Therefore there is no reason to be ashamed about what Jesus says and instead you should be proud because as a Christian you are a true Jew and a true Israelite. The legacy of all the patriarchs and prophets rests on your shoulders to faithfully carry on into the future so that at the end of the age when Jesus returns the true Israel will still be left standing because of your efforts despite the fact that the whole world stands opposed to what it means and represents.

However, if for some reason you still question what I have said here concerning the so-called Jews then just hold your breath and continue reading because in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy it will become undeniably clear that the so-called Jews are not Jews and that they cannot be considered Israel. So clear in fact that if you still insist on believing that the so-called Jews are actually Jews then the only way you will be able to hold onto this false belief is by rejecting the entirety of the Gospels and what Jesus says in them.

That said there is one final point I would like to reiterate and make since this topic is a rather controversial one and goes against the popular view that many people have. This point is that Israel is a kingdom and it is ruled by a King, who is Jesus, and that it is not a democracy.

As the Gospel of John says:

“Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)

Therefore all those who do not recognize the King of Israel are not part of Israel because they are insurrectionists and rebels. Then since Israel is not a democracy even if 99.99% of the Jews of Jesus’s day rejected Him as King of Israel then they cease to remain Jews because of their rejection and their opinion literally does not matter. This is why Jesus calls them liars and a synagogue of Satan in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 because they are rebelling against His divinely appointed authority as King of Israel. The idea is that they have sided with Satan by rejecting Him as the Christ and King of Israel instead of with God by accepting Him as the Christ and King of Israel. It may seem like a harsh statement to make but denying Jesus is the same as denying God and to deny God is blasphemy which is the worst sin a person can commit. Christians today should keep this fact in mind.

Again, this is why I refer to what we think of as Jews today as so-called Jews or those who call themselves Jews. I think it is important to differentiate true Jews, Christians, from those who are liars and false. Although it might seem harsh, I think it is important so that we can better honor Jesus and the legacy of the ancient Israelites that we carry on to this very day. The idea here is that when you say the so-called Jews are Jews then you are giving them claim over Israel and hence the Kingdom of God. But as Jesus has said they are not of God but of Satan. Therefore by saying so-called Jews are Jews you commit blasphemy against God and Jesus since so-called Jews deny Jesus and you are saying they are of God by calling them Jews which is false since they are actually of Satan. Always remember this fact.

Lastly I apologize for writing so much commentary here but I believe it was needed to prove my point so that it all makes sense to you.

(10) “Do not fear what you are about to suffer.” – We should not fear suffering or death in our life because as long as we are faithful to God through Jesus we will be counted among God’s people and be resurrected to live forever in the paradise of God in the new Jerusalem. This means that even the first beast of Revelation 13 should not be feared because no matter how powerful it will be it will never be able to truly harm you since in the end God is in control of all.

As Jesus says:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

Therefore “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (Revelation 2:10) because as long as you remain faithful to God through Jesus then nothing else truly matters.

As an aside in the verse above soul is more accurately translated as and viewed as breath or the breath of life. The idea here is that it does not matter if you give up your breath, or rather die, because God can give you back your breath, or life, by resurrecting you whenever He wants to. Likewise God can forever take away your breath, or life, by killing you and never resurrecting you. In other words the popular conception of a soul is not in view here. Furthermore there is actually zero support for the idea of an immaterial soul in the Bible as a whole. I go into this in more detail later on in this commentary.

Next the word translated as hell here is actually the Greek word for the Valley of Hinnom or Gehenna. Although I talk about what the metaphor of the Valley of Hinnom or Gehenna actually means later on for now just know that the traditional view of hell is not in view here. Instead the word geennē (γεέννῃ) was translated as hell in this verse due to the bias of the translators.

(10) “Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you” – There are two ways to view Satan. The first way is to see Satan through his role of being the accuser who works for God and accuses people before God. This means that Satan’s job is to watch people to catch them being unfaithful to God or even to tempt people and lead them into being unfaithful to God so that he can accuse this person before God as being just as unfaithful as he is. This might not make much sense but the idea here is that Satan works for God even though he is in rebellion against God because Satan’s goal is to accuse everyone before God as being no better than he is in order to justify his own rebellion against God. This can be seen in the Book of Job where Satan made a bet with God that Job was only faithful to God because of all his success. In response God gave Satan permission to kill Job’s family, take away all his possessions and ruin his health because God believed that Job would remain faithful even after his life, short of actually dying, was destroyed.

As the Book of Job says:

“One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.

‘Where have you come from?’ said the LORD to Satan.

‘From roaming through the earth,’ he replied, ‘and walking back and forth in it.’

Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.’

Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.’

‘Very well,’ said the LORD to Satan. ‘Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.’

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

One day, while Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came and reported to Job: ‘While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: ‘The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: ‘The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:

‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will return.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.’

In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.

On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.

‘Where have you come from?’ said the LORD to Satan.

‘From roaming through the earth,’ he replied, ‘and walking back and forth in it.’

Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.’

‘Skin for skin!’ Satan replied. ‘A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.’

‘Very well,’ said the LORD to Satan. ‘He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.’

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.

Then Job’s wife said to him, ‘Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!’

‘You speak as a foolish woman speaks,’ he told her. ‘Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?’

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 1:6-2:10)

The key idea in this passage with regards to Satan is that Satan is known as the accuser because he essentially works for God by testing people and accusing them before God. This then means that Satan can only act in the world because God allows him to act. In other words God actually approves of everything Satan has done and does because all of Satan’s power and authority has bene given to him by God Himself. If you want to dispute this then just remember that God created everything there is including Satan and that since God is all powerful God could destroy Satan in an instant at any time. Therefore this means that by not destroying Satan God approves of what Satan has done, is doing and has yet to do. But why does God approve of Satan? Well you see as I just said Satan’s role is that of an accuser who seeks to test people and lead them into unfaithfulness so that God knows who is faithful and who is not. This means that Satan is useful to God because this is how God knows who is faithful and who is not.

But how can Satan work for God and be useful to God if Satan is also in rebellion against God? Are these two things not in contradiction? These questions then lead to another important idea here with respect to Satan. This second idea is that ultimately Satan seeks to accuse people before God because through accusing as many people as possible Satan justifies his own rebellion against God. The idea here is that whenever Satan accuses someone of unfaithfulness, or rather rebellion, to God Satan is actually demonstrating to God that all of humanity is in rebellion against God so that Satan is not alone in his rebellion against God. Think about it like someone who is guilty of a certain crime defending themselves by saying everyone else is guilty of the same crime so therefore they have done nothing wrong. This is then why Satan can actually be working for God in the sense of fulfilling God’s plan and be in rebellion against God at the same exact time.

That said it is important to remember that Satan holds no power over the faithful who hold to Jesus because Jesus has died for the forgiveness our sins and transgressions against God. This means that we will be counted as righteous before God on account of our faith instead of judged as being in rebellion against God for the smallest transgression we have engaged in against God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.’” (Revelation 12:10-12)

The reason why “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10) “who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10) or Satan “has been thrown down” (Revelation 12:10) or cast out of God’s presence is because through Jesus’s resurrection Jesus was elevated to the right hand of God so that He can intercede on our behalf to God. In other words Jesus is our advocate to God who interjects whenever Satan makes his accusations so that God only listens to Jesus as Satan’s accusations fall on deaf ears. Although keep in mind that in order for Jesus to intercede on your behalf you need to be faithful to Him by obeying His commandments. These commandments are of course to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. This means that you need to do more than simply believe. So do not give into Satan’s temptations that cause you to reject God and reject your neighbor. Instead persist in true faith no matter what happens so that you will be counted among the faithful.

Next the second way to view Satan is to see him as a force in creation itself that opposes God in the sense that all those who rebel against God are Satan. The idea here is that really you should not think of Satan as a literal singular person and instead you should view Satan as being representative of all of those who rebel against God and lead people into temptation. Now this does not mean that Satan does not necessarily exist. Instead the point here is that all those who rebel against God and lead people into temptation are like or similar to Satan and therefore they can be referred to as Satan in a spiritual sense since by rebelling against God they are joining Satan in his rebellion. This may seem confusing and not make sense to you but the Bible actually refers to Satan in this sense.

For example Jesus called Peter Satan after Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that He is going to be killed because Peter believed that Jesus came to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God immediately.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ‘Far be it from You, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to You!’

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:21-23)

The idea here is that Jesus called Peter Satan because Peter was trying to lead Jesus astray and tempt Him into not going to His death which would be contrary to what Jesus previously foretold is necessary. Furthermore by questioning what Jesus said Peter was questioning the will of God because Jesus is the Christ. Then by questioning the will of God Peter was in effect rebelling against God. This is of course another reason why Jesus called Peter Satan by saying “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23) Now obviously Jesus did not believe that Peter was literally Satan and instead Jesus was only saying that Peter was Satan due to the fact that Peter was encouraging Him to rebel against God by not following the will of God. This is why Jesus told Peter that he does “not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23) because by rebuking Jesus for saying that He must suffer and die Peter was demonstrating that he was not concerned with the will of God and that instead he was concerned with his own will. Thus the idea here is that Peter took the form of Satan through questioning the will of God and trying to lead Jesus astray and into temptation.

In addition the idea that all those who rebel against God and lead the faithful into temptation are Satan can also found in the Old Testament as well.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
O destroyer of nations.
You said in your heart: ‘I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God.
I will sit on the mount of assembly,
in the far reaches of the north.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:12-14)

These three verses are commonly understood to be literally referring to Satan since Satan is supposed to be one of the highest angels in heaven, or a “day star” (Isaiah 14:12) because stars can represent angels, who has “fallen from heaven” (Isaiah 14:12) as this passage says.

As Revelation says:

“Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

In this passage the dragon or Satan tried to rebel against God in heaven in order to increase his own power and authority but the angel Michael and his fellow angels fought back and won so that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven.

Then as Revelation also says:

“Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.” (Revelation 9:1-2)

In this passage it obviously goes without saying that Satan is the “star that had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) that “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) since stars are representative of angels and the pit of the Abyss is the prison of demons.

Therefore as a result of the above surely the previous passage from Isaiah refers to Satan right? Well you see if you actually read the chapter of Isaiah in question then it is obvious that the passage in question does not literally refer to Satan and instead God had Isaiah sing the passage as part of a song against the king of Babylon to foretell his fall.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced, you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased,

and how his fury has ended!” (Isaiah 14:3-4)

Therefore the previous Isaiah passage is not actually referring to Satan and instead the passage is actually referring to the king of Babylon. This means that it is the king of Babylon who said “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God.” (Isaiah 14:13) However if you take Satan to not be a singular literal person and instead see Satan as being anyone who seeks to rebel against God and challenge His authority then the king of Babylon would definitely qualify as being Satan. This is because part of the song is about how the king of Babylon said in his heart “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14) which is obviously a blatant act of defiance and rebellion against God. Thus the king of Babylon is Satan and because of this fact this passage from Isaiah can actually apply to Satan even though it does not directly refer to Satan.

Another example from the Old Testament can be seen in Genesis with the snake in the Garden of Eden. Now the popular belief is that the snake in the Garden of Eden is Satan however the Book of Genesis never says this contrary to what most people believe.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’’

The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’’

‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent told her. ‘For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:1-7)

Thus you can clearly see that according to what Genesis literally says no where in Genesis does it say that the snake is Satan or even an agent of Satan. So how can the snake be Satan then? Well just like in the case of Jesus calling Peter Satan and in the Isaiah passage the general idea is that the snake in the Garden of Eden was rebelling against God’s authority by trying to deceive Adam and Eve into joining it in its rebellion against God. This is of course exactly what Satan has done and does so this is why it is accurate the call the snake Satan. Again the idea is that the snake is not literally Satan but instead the snake is representative of Satan. This means that when you read the snake speaking in Genesis you should not read it as being a snake and instead you should read it as being representative of Satan.

For another example consider Jesus calling the so-called Jews “a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) As I said previously the idea here is that Jesus is calling the so-called Jews an assembly or a group of Satan because by rejecting Him as the Christ they are actually rejecting God’s authority in the same way that Satan rejects God’s authority. This means that just like with Jesus telling Peter “Get behind Me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23) by saying “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) Jesus is calling the so-called Jews Satan by saying they are an assembly or group of Satan. Thus whenever you look upon a so-called Jew it would be accurate to say you are looking upon Satan himself since all those who rebel against God just as Satan rebels against God are in the image of Satan instead of the image of God.

As another example consider what Revelation says about the relationship between the dragon or Satan and the first beast of Revelation 13.

As Revelation says:

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)

The idea here is that Revelation is saying that the beast perfectly represents Satan. Then the reason why Satan is to give “the beast his power and his throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2) is because the beast is the greatest Satan on earth that perfectly exemplifies what it means to be like Satan or in the image of Satan. Again you should see being Satan as being in rebellion against God. Then obviously it goes without saying that the first beast will be the chief rebel against God.

As Revelation says:

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.

Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:5-8)

Thus as you will see later on with my commentary on Revelation 13 the whole idea that Revelation presents with respect to the first beast is that the beast is some seemingly supreme being that believes itself to be the greatest entity in all existence. Of course this is one of the main reasons why I am basically certain that the beast will be an artificial super intelligence because as you will see later on there is no greater earthly being possible than an artificial super intelligence since even the most intelligent people, the best that humanity has to offer, will be utterly incomparable and literally worthless in comparison to the intelligence, ability and power of an artificial super intelligence.

Of course this is why the beast will be the inheritor of Satan’s throne so that it will become Satan on earth because its rebellion against God, or the pride it has in itself and what it can achieve, will know no bounds. Furthermore since the works the beast will do will seem truly amazing countless people will be led into temptation and rebellion against God as they follow the beast for what it does for them. This is of course exactly what Satan seeks to do since Satan’s ultimate goal as the accuser is to lead as many people into temptation and rebellion against God as possible. That said my point here with this verse from Revelation is that because the beast will sit upon Satan’s throne you should not see the beast for what it literally is, an artificial super intelligence, and instead you should see it as Satan because that is what it truly is.

For a final example consider the verse this comment is on.

As Revelation says:

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

So in this verse when Jesus says “the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you” (Revelation 2:10) He is not saying that Satan will literally throw some of us into prison and instead He is saying that that those who throw the faithful into prison will be like Satan because they will be trying to tempt them into giving up their faith by throwing them into prison. This may seem strange but in the first century AD there were times when pagan authorities would put people in prison if they refused to honor false gods or the emperor of Rome until they agreed to follow the local customs. This is why Jesus says “to test you” (Revelation 2:10) in this verse because the idea is that the trial of going to prison that people will face will be a test of their faith. So in this sense Satan’s role of an accuser is also in view here where government authorities take on Satan’s role of being an accuser as they unintentionally test people’s faith.

Therefore as a result of these examples you should see anyone and everyone who rebels against God as having the character of Satan and because of this fact you should see them as being Satan. Now this may seem extreme to you and if it does then this is only because you still have a flawed understanding of Satan from popular culture that makes him out to be someone that seeks to terrorize people. However in reality the crime and sin that Satan stands condemned for is rebellion against God. This means that whenever you meet someone who is in rebellion against God that you are meeting someone who is quite literally just as evil as Satan is.

In terms of what Satan actually means you should understand Satan as being synonymous with rebellion against God. So for example when Jesus called Peter Satan you should understand it as Jesus calling Peter a rebel against God. Then when Jesus calls the so-called Jews “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) you should understand it to mean an assembly of rebellion against God. Now this may not seem that serious to you compared to the malevolent and malicious conception of Satan you may have in mind however this is no the case. This is because as I said before in my commentary on the previous verse the worst sin a person can commit is to sin against God because crimes against God are greater than crimes against humanity. Then in terms of sinning against God there is no greater sin than being in open rebellion against God. Therefore although Satan is not who you probably thought he was he is still none the less representative of the greatest evil to ever exist.

But then if all those who rebel against God are Satan then how does Satan accuse those who rebel against God? Well you see God can see all and He knows all so He does not actually need a literal character called Satan to accuse people. Instead those who rebel against God accuse themselves through their acts of rebellion. Thus the idea here is that all those who become Satan through their rebellion against God accuse themselves and stand as a witness against themselves. Then because of this Satan is still the accuser.

Furthermore according to this view this would then mean that when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire to face destruction that Satan’s destruction would actually be representative of God ending all rebellion against Him forever.

Alright so which of these two ways to view Satan is correct then? Well really I would actually say both are accurate. Therefore you should see Satan as being an accuser who seeks to test people’s faith by leading them into temptation and you should also see everyone who rebels against God as being Satan.

(10) “is about to throw some of you into prison to test you” – I said something about this in the previous comment so just to remind you in the first century AD authorities would sometimes throw Christians into prison for refusing to honor false pagan gods or the emperor of Rome with certain rituals. Thus the idea here with respect to the time period in which Revelation was written is that persecution is coming for Christians who refuse to engage in pagan practices.

Now you may believe that this verse only concerns the late first and early second centuries AD however since the seven letters to the seven churches were written to the entire Church throughout all time this means that what Jesus says here can be applied to every time period. For instance there have been many Christians after the first and second centuries AD who have been put in prison by Satan as a form of persecution. Furthermore if you want to take prison figuratively in the sense that the faithful are to be watched by others then in this case you do not need to literally be in prison. Instead whenever you feel pressure from others to rebel against God as they watch you to see what you do then you will be facing what Jesus is talking about here. This then means that once the first beast of Revelation 13 finally arises and the whole world follows it and worships it then you will be in an earthly prison with no bars that you cannot escape as the beast and its followers continually watch you as they tempt and pressure you into joining them in their rebellion against God.

(10) “and you will suffer tribulation for ten days.” – Here tribulation can be understood to mean persecution, affliction or distress. Therefore you should not only have physical persecution in view here and instead you should have a more broad definition of tribulation in view that would include facing temptation and trials in general. Then in terms of the reference “for ten days” (Revelation 2:10) here it is not actually ten days. Instead ten days is symbolic of a complete earthly period of time because ten is a symbolic number that represents completeness especially related to an earthly period of time. If you want to dispute this then notice how directly after Jesus says “Be faithful even unto death” (Revelation 2:10) which implies that those in question will suffer tribulation until they die rather than for a literal ten days. Therefore clearly the symbolic meaning of the number ten is in view here and not the literal meaning. Lastly suffering “tribulation for ten days” (Revelation 2:10) does not only apply to those in the church in Smyrna but to all Christians of all ages. This is because Satan and his agents may come to test us at anytime. Therefore we are to always be ready to suffer whatever form tribulation is required of us as we await for the day to come when Jesus finally returns in power to usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God.

(10) “Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” – The crown of life is representative of eternal life. Therefore we should not worry about facing death at the hands of those who oppress us because Jesus will use His authority as the Christ to give us eternal life and we will live again forever more with Him.

(11) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Just to reiterate you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears and you can only have spiritual ears to hear if you belong to God.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:47)

(11) “The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.” – The second death is an eternal death that lasts forever which is why it is called the second death. This is the view of hell that is called annihilationism where there will be a resurrection of all the dead including both the faithful and unfaithful as told in Revelation 20 then following this the faithful will live forever in the new Jerusalem with God while the unfaithful will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face destruction or the second death. There is zero evidence for the traditional view of hell in Revelation. I go into this fact later on in this commentary where I go into every so-called reference to the existence of hell. For now just know that the Bible teaches the unfaithful are to face the second death so that they cease to exist and that they will not be tortured for all eternity in a nonexistent place that we refer to as hell.

3 – To the Church in Pergamum

(12) To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.

(13) I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

(14) But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. (15) In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (16) Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

(17) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

3.1 – Commentary

(12) “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:” – Pergamum was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was near the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(12) “These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.” – The sharp double-edged sword is the sword of Jesus's mouth from the previous chapter of Revelation.

As Revelation says:

“He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth.” (Revelation 1:16)

This sword is symbolic of Jesus’s ability to kill and destroy any who oppose Him by merely speaking because He has been given the power to kill and destroy from God. Therefore as long as Jesus is on your side no one can stand against you. Even the first beast of Revelation 13 will be utterly powerless when compared to Jesus. So do not fear what is yet to come to pass.

(13) “I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits.” – Pergamum was a godless pagan city where people engaged in idol worship and persecution of the saints or those who hold fast to the name of Jesus. Thus this city can be considered the throne of Satan. Remember what I said previously with respect to Satan. The idea behind this verse is that Jesus is saying that so many people in the city of Pergamum are like Satan that the city itself can be considered Satan’s throne. Therefore you should not see the city of Pergamum as being the literal throne of Satan but instead you should see “the throne of Satan” (Revelation 2:13) as being representative of Pergamum being a city of Satan in the sense that almost the whole city is in rebellion against God and is trying to persecute Christians.

(13) “Yet you have held fast to My name” – Despite the temptations and persecution they faced the saints in Pergamum persisted in faith refusing to give into Satan and his temptations by holding to Jesus’s name.

(13) “and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” – Even though one of their brothers was killed for his faith those of the church of Pergamum did not give in and deny Jesus in order to save themselves from persecution. Christians today should look to those of the church in Pergamum as an example for how we should better resist the temptation that awaits us in the first beast.

Although keep in mind that it does not matter how prepared you think you may be for the first beast because in truth you are not prepared to face the seemingly absolute power of an artificial super intelligence.

And as Jesus says:

“If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:22-25)

Therefore just know that the trials that await us all with the first beast will be far greater than what those in the church of Pergamum faced. So always remain humble and do not underestimate the power of the coming beast and the trials and temptations that you will face.

(14) “But I have a few things against you” – Despite the fact that many of those of the church of Pergamum have resisted Satan by holding to Jesus’s name there are still some faults that Jesus finds with them. Therefore we should all remember that we are not immune to temptation and rebellion. As a result we should always look inward into ourselves to see what we could do better.

(14) “because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.” – The story of Balaam and Balak is from the Book of Numbers and in Numbers 22-24 Balak, the king of Moab, hires Balaam, a Midianite, to curse the ancient Israelites so that Moab would be able to beat them in battle and drive them away. However God intervenes and instructs Balaam to bless the Israelites instead of cursing them and Balaam obeys. However after Balaam blesses the ancient Israelites he turns around and instructs the women of Moab and Midian to seduce the men of Israel into committing idolatry.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.’

So Moses told the judges of Israel, ‘Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.’” (Numbers 25:1-5)

And as the Book of Numbers also says:

“Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods. Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments, and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle. ‘Have you spared all the women?’ he asked them. ‘Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD. So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.’” (Numbers 31:7-18)

The idea behind these passages from Numbers is that after Balaam blessed instead of cursed the ancient Israelites he instructed the Moabite and Midianite women through Balak to seduce the Israelite men into committing spiritual adultery against God or rather idolatry by eating food sacrificed to idols and worshiping idols. Or as Jesus says in this verse of Revelation “the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14) The Moabite and Midianite women in the above two passages are the stumbling block that Jesus is speaking about. Now you may be confused why these women were a stumbling block exactly but this is something I explain later on.

But first the reason why the ancient Israelites were commanded to wipe out the Midianites because the worst sin a person can commit is rebellion against God and idolatry is rebellion against God by definition. Then remember how before I said that crimes against God are worse than crimes against humanity. This then means that seducing the ancient Israelites into committing idolatry is a worse sin than literal genocide which is why God commanded the Israelites to commit genocide since then the Midianites would no longer be around to seduce the Israelites. But then why leave “every girl who has never had relations with a man” (Numbers 31:18) alive so that the Israelites could have them? Because they would be young enough to abandon their idolatry and since they are women and not men they would not grow up to seek revenge. If this still bothers you then would it not have been worse to kill everyone and did the Midianites not also deserve to be completely wiped out for being idolaters? Thus leaving some alive would actually be merciful.

Now you may have a significant question with regards to what I have said so far. I mean is sexual immorality not also a sin here? Well yes and no. Before I can explain why I said yes and no you need to understand the word translated as “commit sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:14) here in the verse in question from Revelation. The Greek word is porneusai (πορνεῦσαι) which is a verb that literally means to commit harlotry or prostitution. This word comes from the word porné (πόρνη) which means a prostitute. But if the word means to commit prostitution then why does the translation say commit sexual immorality instead? Well this is a rather complicated question. The main word translated as sexual immorality in the New Testament is porneia (πορνεία) which most literally means prostitution and you can see how it is related to porneusai (πορνεῦσαι) which I just defined above. Now if you look up the definition of porneia (πορνεία) in a Koine Greek lexicon then you will almost certainly see the word falsely defined as fornication or sexual immorality. This is because porneia (πορνεία) is always used as a euphemism or figuratively when it is not used literally to refer to literal prostitution. This figurative usage of the word makes it easy to misunderstand what the word truly means. Then since porneia (πορνεία) is related to sex in the sense that prostitution involves sex the vast majority of people have come to the mistaken conclusion that porneia (πορνεία) is used figuratively to refer to so-called sexual sin in general or rather so-called sexual immorality or fornication.

However this conclusion is mistaken and rather significantly mistaken because porneia (πορνεία) and the words associated with it should not be understood to have any figurative meaning that is related to sex at all. Wait what? Yes the real figurative meaning of porneia (πορνεία) has nothing to do with sex of any kind and translating it as sexual immorality is an utter travesty. So what does porneia (πορνεία) actually mean then when it is used figuratively or as a euphemism? In short it means committing highly detestable sin in a general sense. That said most usages of the word can actually be understood as idolatry and idolatry is an example of a highly detestable sin.

Now this may not make much sense to you but you need to understand that the figurative meaning of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution that I just provided originates from the Old Testament. Thus the idea is that when the authors of the New Testament wrote what they wrote they patterned their writings after the Old Testament and more specifically the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. So when they read porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution being used in a figurative way that is actually referring to unfaithfulness or highly detestable sin like idolatry in the Septuagint they then copied the same usage of the word for their writings. To see what I am talking about consider the following passage from the Old Testament.

As God says in the Book of Ezekiel:

“You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.

Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord GOD. And in addition to all your other wickedness, you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square. At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by. You prostituted yourself with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.” (Ezekiel 16:20-26)

Based on this passage the figurative meaning of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution being highly detestable sin should be obvious since it is clear that God is not actually talking about sex here and instead He is referring to highly detestable sin like child sacrifice, idolatry and unfaithfulness. Now the reason why prostitution came to have this figurative meaning is probably because a prostitute sells their body for monetary gain and when a person engages in idolatry they are selling the love of God for the favors of a false god or an idol. This may not make sense but one of the main metaphors used in the Old Testament with regards to God and Israel is that of a husband and wife. The idea here is that God is Israel’s husband because He provides for and blesses Israel. So think of prostitution in this context like a wife prostituting herself behind her husband’s back for the purpose of material gain. Then the reason why prostitution figuratively refers to all highly detestable sin in general is because anytime you commit a highly detestable sin you are effectively selling the love of God for earthly gain. Thus this is why porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution refers to highly detestable sin.

But what about the passage from Numbers 25 that I previously quoted and the reference to sexual immorality in it?

As the Book of Numbers says:

“While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.” (Numbers 25:1-3)

But even here the word translated as sexual immorality is not actually sexual immorality. Instead the Hebrew word most literally translates as to commit harlotry or prostitution. Thus based on this meaning there are two ways to view this phrase in this passage.

The first is to say that to commit prostitution is being used figuratively in the sense that it would actually refer to committing idolatry. This makes sense since the sin in question in this passage has nothing to do with the actual act of sex.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.” (Numbers 25:2-3)

Thus the text does not say that “the anger of the LORD burned against them” (Numbers 25:3) because the men were having sex or engaging in so-called sexual immorality. Instead “the anger of the LORD burned against them” (Numbers 25:3) because “the people ate and bowed down to these gods.” (Numbers 25:2) In other words the real sin in question here would be idolatry and not so-called sexual immorality. Then because of this fact the Hebrew word translated to indulge in sexual immorality should be understood as to indulge in idolatry instead.

The second way to view this passage is to take to commit prostitution literally instead of figuratively. This would mean that the passage is saying the men of Israel committed prostitution with the daughters of Moab. Now this might not make much sense but you need to understand a certain pagan religious practice called cult prostitution. Essentially cult prostitutes were women and men who would prostitute themselves in honor of a false god at a pagan temple or religious site. The idea behind cult prostitution was that the prostitute can honor their false god through having sex, make some money and help spread the worship of their false god by getting their customers involved in the worship of the false god. Then since cult prostitution was practiced by worshipers of Baal of Peor the reference to the men of Israel committing prostitution with the daughters of Moab would almost certainly refer to some of the Israelites engaging in cult prostitution given the reference to idolatry elsewhere in the passage.

Now you can probably guess that both idolatry and cult prostitution would be in view here in this passage since cult prostitution is also a form of idolatry. The idea here is that cult prostitutes from Moab were seducing the ancient Israelites so that they agree to pay to have sex with them in honor of Baal of Peor or another false god. Then that through this intimacy the cult prostitutes of Moab would also encourage the Israelites to eat meat that was sacrificed in honor of these false gods and to bow down and worship them as well. Thus you can see how effective this tactic would be in corrupting the ancient Israelites. I mean how many men could resist having sex with beautiful young women who say that they want to have sex for a low price in order to honor their false gods? Not many save the most faithful.

But would it then not be wrong to have sex with prostitutes based on what I have said so far? No it would not. This is because the specific sin in question in this passage is having sex with cult prostitutes which includes idolatry since cult prostitution is a form of idolatry. This means that there is nothing wrong with having sex with a normal prostitute based on what this passage says.

Now this may seem surprising to you but based on the spirit of this passage I would actually say that having a cultural exchange of any type, which is what cult prostitution is in a sense, would actually be sinful because it can be considered form of spiritual corruption or unfaithfulness. So for example celebrating religious holidays of other false religions or even merely supporting or engaging with anyone from a different religion in support of any of their religious practices would be sinful. This is because the real sin of cult prostitution is not the sex but instead it is associating with those of another culture and engaging in their cultural practices. So if you have a friend of a different religion and eat a meal in honor of their religion for a certain holiday then you would actually be being unfaithful to God and committing idolatry in this instance. On the other hand having sex with a regular prostitute would be perfectly fine as long as there is no religious activities involved.

Thus the idea here is that you should see Christian practices, or true Israelite practice, as being superior to everything else so that you do not engage with or support anyone who has other religious practices. In other words think of it like cultural and religious imperialism where you look down upon the cultural practices of other religions as so completely inferior to your own that you want nothing to do with them.

Now it is time to consider the verse this comment is on from Revelation again.

As Revelation says:

“But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)

So what does this passage the mean exactly? Well based on what I said above with regards to the Book of Numbers and the Midian cult prostitutes who seduced the ancient Israelites into idolatry in this verse from Revelation Jesus would then be talking about something similar here. You see cult prostitution was also popular in the Greek and Roman world when Revelation was written. Therefore what Jesus is saying here is that some people in the church in Pergamum were probably saying that it is fine to have sex with cult prostitutes and to eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol. Although Jesus might actually be talking about general idolatry here and not specifically cult prostitution and eating meat that was sacrificed to an idol.

In this case Jesus would be saying how there are some in the church who are falsely teaching that Christians can still engage in their former pagan cultural activities and still be Christians. This view is quite likely since pagans in the first century AD really did not understand monotheism so that many simply worshiped Jesus alongside their pagan false gods. This is because there were many pagan false gods to worship that people believed would provide all sorts of benefits and it was never seen as an exclusive activity in the sense that you must only worship a single false god or even a select group of false gods to the exclusion of others. Instead people would worship the false gods they wanted something from, the ones they felt a connection with or the ones that were associated with their local area. So the idea here is that people in the church of Pergamum could have been teaching that the God of Abraham or the God of Israel along with Jesus can be included alongside their pagan false gods in their religious activities instead of seeing the God of Abraham as the sole God with Jesus as His Christ. This view would also be consistent with the main message behind the story from Numbers because the ancient Israelites in that story began to worship Baal of Peor along with the God of Abraham. But remember that God demands that we worship Him and only Him to the exclusion of all other false gods and anything else is idolatry.

But which view would be correct? Well really we cannot know for sure. That said what we can know for sure is that idolatry of any type at any time is highly sinful to the point that it qualifies as being called porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution. Therefore all idolatrous activities including cult prostitution, eating meat sacrificed to an idol, worshiping idols, polytheism and openness to other religious practices would be sinful. This then means that anyone who teaches that Christians can engage in idolatrous practices would be introducing a “stumbling block” (Revelation 2:14) because they would be leading Christians into porneia (πορνεία) or highly detestable sin.

So what about the reference to so-called sexual immorality in this verse? Well the word translated as sexual immorality here is one of the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words that is most literally translated as to commit prostitution as I said before. Therefore just like with what I said with regards to the passage from the Book of Numbers above you can either take prostitution in this verse literally so that it refers to cult prostitution due to the reference to idolatry or you can take it figuratively to refer to highly detestable sin which would of course include idolatry. Thus in the end the real sin Jesus is condemning in this verse is not so-called sexual immorality as we see it today and instead He is condemning idolatry.

This is then why I said that “sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:14) in this verse is a sin and is not a sin. My point here is that committing spiritual prostitution or idolatry is the actual sin in question in this verse. But what about so-called sexual immorality as we see it today? Well you can probably guess my answer but if you cannot then my answer is so-called sexual immorality is not a sin. Wait what? Yes you read that right, so-called sexual immorality as we see it today is not a sin.

Now I realize that it is quite controversial and perhaps unbelievable to say that so-called sexual immorality as we see it today is not a sin since the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today cannot stop talking about so-called sexual immorality. Furthermore discussion of the topic of so-called sexual immorality opens up the entire topic of sexuality from a Christian perspective as a whole so it is quite a significant topic to discus. Then unlike my previous discussion on how the trinity is false since the topic of sexuality is not at all relevant for the Book of Revelation I have included my discussion on sexuality in my part called Various Insights. In my chapter called Sexuality I go over everything that relates to sexuality from a Christian perspective using the Bible starting with demonstrating that porneia (πορνεία) most literally means prostitution and that the figurative meaning is actually highly detestable sin and not so-called sexual immorality. Then from this I go over the other areas of sexuality you may have questions about including homosexuality. Now demonstrating my points with regards to these topics takes quite a lot of time because in order to prove that I am correct concerning porneia (πορνεία) for example I actually go over all the main usages of this word in the New Testament. Thus this is why you will have to wait to read about what I have to say about this topic.

Then yes I realize that you probably do not believe what I just said concerning so-called sexual immorality. But like I said there is nothing that relates to sexuality in the Book of Revelation so this is why I have included my discussion on sexuality in my part called Various Insights. So for now just accept what I have said so that when you read sexual immorality in Revelation you instead read it as highly detestable sin.

Now I realize you might even see this as controversial and since it is very clear that the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words have literally nothing to do with sex of any kind in Revelation it is time to go over what Revelation says concerning the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words.

As Revelation says:

“But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)

Obviously I have already gone over this reference and you now know that the translation sexual immorality makes little to zero sense here when you take into account the story of Balaam and Balak from Numbers and the fact that God was only angered due to the Israelites practicing idolatry. Thus instead it should be viewed as commit idolatry or cult prostitution which is also idolatry.

Next as Revelation also says:

“But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.” (Revelation 2:20-21)

The word translated as to be sexually immoral is porneusai (πορνεῦσαι) which is one of the porné (πόρνη) words and because of this it should be literally translated as to commit prostitution. Then similar to the previous verse it should be figuratively understood to mean to commit idolatry. If you disagree with this then consider the reference to “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) in this passage. This reference is of course a reference to the Jezebel who was the wife of king Ahab from the Old Testament who led Israel into idolatrous practices. Thus clearly Jesus is referring to idolatry here and not sex. Next the word translated as immorality here is porneias (πορνείας) which the translators should have translated as sexual immorality if they were consistent in their translation. That said the word should actually be understood as idolatry in this context given the reference to “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) and the fact that Jesus says “to eat food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20) which would obviously also be idolatry. Thus once again sex or so-called sexual immorality is not in view here at all.

Next as Revelation also says:

“Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.” (Revelation 9:20-21)

The word translated as sexual immorality here is porneias (πορνείας) which once again most literally means prostitution because the root word is porné (πόρνη) which is widely agreed to mean prostitute. Then of course prostitution is just the literal meaning and the intended figurative meaning is highly detestable sin or more specifically idolatry. This is because the verse immediately preceding the reference to prostitution contains a clear reference to idolatry. Thus the idea is that the verse is saying that they did not repent of their idolatry.

Now you could try to insert a sexual connotation to this word so that you translate it as sexual immorality because after all it is just a single word in a vice list or a list of sins. I mean the vast majority of translators do just this. However based on the overall context of Revelation I do not think it is possible for the word porneias (πορνείας) to have a sexual connotation here so that it can mean sexual immorality. This is because one of the central characters of Revelation is Babylon the great or the great prostitute who is said to be “the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.” (Revelation 17:5) Then the whole idea behind calling Babylon the great the great prostitute is that she is representative of all prostitutes. In other words given the figurative meaning of a prostitute meaning someone who is unfaithful to God or someone who commits highly detestable sins this would mean that the great prostitute is representative of all those who sin against and are unfaithful to God. But more importantly since one of the other main characters of Revelation is the beast the great prostitute is representative of all of humanity as they follow and worship the beast.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

The whole idea here is that humanity commits prostitution or rather unfaithfulness and idolatry against God and with the beast as they worship it as a so-called god or the so-called greatest entity to ever exist. Then obviously through committing this prostitution with the beast humanity becomes the great prostitute which represents all the individual prostitutes or people who chase after and worship the beast. In other words the great prostitute is clearly representative of idolatry.

This fact then means that whenever you read porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution in Revelation that you should view and interpret the word with respect to the great prostitute and because of this fact you should associate porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution with idolatry or more specifically people following or worshiping the beast. Therefore because of all this translating porneias (πορνείας) as sexual immorality in the above passage in question is entirely nonsensical.

Really the only way you could translate porneias (πορνείας) as sexual immorality here is if you presuppose that porneia (πορνεία) always refers to sexual immorality and ignore the context. Now you may hold this view because you may mistakenly believe that porneia (πορνεία) refers to sexual immorality elsewhere in the New Testament and that most usages in Revelation are just an exception. However I go over the main usages of porneia (πορνεία) and the related words in the New Testament later on in my chapter called Sexuality in my cart called Various Insights so you will see for yourself that you are wrong then. So for now just take my word on it. Or at the very least consider all the other usages of the word in Revelation so that you can clearly see for yourself that porneia (πορνεία) always refers to highly detestable sins like idolatry here in Revelation.

Next as Revelation also says:

“Then a second angel followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.’” (Revelation 14:8)

The word translated as immorality here is again porneias (πορνείας) which as I said before most literally means prostitution. Now the reason why the word is translated as immorality here instead of as sexual immorality is because translating it as sexual immorality would make zero sense. This is because based on what Revelation actually says there is nothing sexual about the sins of Babylon the great. Instead as I just said above the sins of Babylon the great or the great prostitute are primarily associated with idolatry. That said there are additional sins the great prostitute is guilty of.

As Revelation says:

“And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24)

And as Revelation also says:

“For His judgments are true and just.
He has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.” (Revelation 19:2)

Therefore another sin that the great prostitute is guilty of is the murder of prophets and saints or faithful Christians. Thus this is why the word porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution is used instead of the word for say idolatry because although idolatry is the primary sin of the great prostitute it is not the only sin. The idea here is that porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution is kind of like a catch all word to use to refer to any and all sins that God finds highly detestable in nature. Now by highly detestable I am talking about the kind of sins that God will kill and condemn you to the Lake of Fire for. Thus obviously idolatry would be one of these highly detestable sins if not the foremost highly detestable sin. Then likewise killing God’s prophets and the saints, or faithful Christians, would also be classified as highly detestable as well. So yes porneia (πορνεία) is a catch all term that relates to all highly detestable sin even though the vast majority of people mistakenly see it as a catch all term that relates to all so-called sexual sin.

Next as Revelation also says:

“Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.’

And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:

BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:1-5)

In this passage the words translated as immoral, immorality, sexual immorality all have porneia (πορνεία) or porné (πόρνη) as the root word and because of this they all most literally mean prostitution or have committed prostitution. Then because of this these words are best understood as highly detestable sin. Although in this context the chief sin in question would be idolatry. But like I said before porneia (πορνεία) does not simply mean idolatry and instead it refers to any and all sins God finds highly detestable including idolatry.

Now I just said that idolatry is the chief sin in question here because the passage uses the word bdelygmatōn (βδελυγμάτων) or abominations which is highly related to idolatry. This is because an abomination is something that God finds highly detestable and based on the Old Testament there is nothing God finds more detestable than idolatry. For instance you just read about how in the Book of Numbers Moses had the idolatrous Israelites killed in order to prevent God from killing all the Israelites, even the innocent ones, after he saw some of the Israelites committing idolatry with the daughters of Moab. Then of course God commanded Moses to kill all of the Midianites who also led the Israelites into idolatry. Thus obviously God finds idolatry to be an abomination. Furthermore the relationship between the great prostitute and the beast is also related to idolatry which is one of the major points in Revelation. Therefore the highly detestable sin in question in this passage is really idolatry.

As Revelation says:

“And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3)

The key part here is that the beast “was covered with blasphemous names” (Revelation 17:3) because calling something blasphemous names is directly related to idolatry. For instance if you were to call the beast a blasphemous name like the most high or the savior of mankind because of the amazing things the beast does for humanity then you would be honoring and even worshiping the beast. Then because of this fact you would be committing idolatry. Thus idea here here is that since the woman is sitting on the beast she is benefiting from the beast and approves of the beast including the blasphemous names that the beast is called. Therefore it is clear that the great prostitute can actually be better understood as the great idolater.

Then because of this fact the words that are most literally translated as prostitution could most accurately be understood to mean idolatry in this passage. Then likewise the words translated as prostitute can be best understood as idolater. But like I said before although this translation would be the most accurate in terms of the intended meaning really the word porneia (πορνεία) cannot be completely understood as idolatry. Thus in terms of translation I would actually translate the word as prostitution and try to make sure people are aware of the figurative meaning that the Bible ascribes to prostitution.

Next as Revelation also says:

“All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.” (Revelation 18:3)

Just like in the previous passages the words translated as immorality and immoral are porné (πόρνη) words so they should be most literally understood as prostitution and committed prostitution. Then in this context it would be fairly accurate to understand prostitution as idolatry. Thus when the verse says “The kings of the earth were immoral with her” (Revelation 18:3) you should actually understand this phrase to mean the kings of the earth were idolatrous with her. The idea here is that the kings, or the rulers, of the world have joined the great prostitute in her idolatry by following and worshiping the beast along with everyone else.

Now if you doubt this then I would like to point out that although these porné (πόρνη) words are translated as immorality and immoral here respectively if you believe that porneia (πορνεία) means sexual immorality then the verse should be translated as sexual immorality and sexually immoral respectively. However if you translate the verse this way then it quite literally makes zero sense because now the great prostitute is like a nymphomaniac who wants to have sex with everyone and that the kings of the earth all had sex with her. I just said this makes zero sense because the great prostitute is a symbol for something and almost everyone agrees, including me, that she is not a person. For instance preterists and secular scholars see the great prostitute as being the city of Rome. Then of course my view is that the great prostitute is representative of the final global idolatrous and sinful society that follows and worships the beast. I am not going to explain this now because I of course talk about it at length later on.

That said my point here is that saying that the kings of the earth had illicit sex with a city or society itself is the definition of nonsensical. Then sure you can claim that sexual immorality is actually figurative in this context but the problem is that you would then be saying that porneia (πορνεία) which most literally means prostitution can be figuratively translated as sexual immorality but then you would now also be saying that sexual immorality is then figurative for idolatry or highly detestable sin. Thus you can see the problem here in that you would be arriving at my definition of porneia (πορνεία) for this verse except that instead of taking one figurative leap you would be taking two figurative leaps in order to insert the false translation of sexual immorality. Therefore it makes much more sense to have a single figurative leap by saying that porneia (πορνεία) literally means prostitution which then figuratively means highly detestable sin like idolatry.

Next as Revelation also says:

“Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.” (Revelation 18:9)

The word translated as committed sexual immorality in this verse comes from the root word porneia (πορνεία) and because of this it is most literally translated as committed prostitution or engaged in prostitution. Then just like I said with regards to the previous verses the translation of committed sexual immorality is basically nonsensical.

Furthermore it is obvious that nothing sexual is in view here in this verse and you cannot possibly argue that anything sexual is in view in this verse. Therefore it makes the most sense to say that this verse is talking about highly detestable sin like idolatry.

Next as Revelation also says:

“For His judgments are true and just.
He has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.” (Revelation 19:2)

Once again the word translated as immorality in this verse is porneia (πορνεία) which is most literally translated as prostitution. Then I would like to again emphasize that this is because the word porneia (πορνεία) comes from the word porné (πόρνη) which everyone agrees means prostitute. Now I am emphasizing this fact because the only way sexual immorality works as translation of porneia (πορνεία) is if you say that porneia (πορνεία) figuratively means sexual immorality. The problem here is that if you already use one figurative leap then taking a second figurative leap to say that sexual immorality figuratively means highly detestable sin like idolatry actually ends up making the original translation of sexual immorality not only entirely meaningless but also nonsensical. Therefore it makes much more sense to correctly say that porneia (πορνεία) can be literally translated as prostitution and that the figurative meaning of prostitution in the Bible is highly detestable sin like idolatry.

Next as Revelation also says:

“But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

In this verse the word translated as sexually immoral in this vice or sin list is pornos (πόρνος) which is the same word that is used in the next verse. Therefore I go into the meaning of this word when discussing the next and final verse.

Finally as Revelation also says:

“But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Revelation 22:15)

In the above two verses the word translated as sexual immoral is pornos (πόρνος) which should be most literally translated as male prostitute instead of sexually immoral. Once again this word is one of the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words and you can see for yourself how the words are related. Therefore there is no reason to see pornos (πόρνος) as literally meaning anything else other than a male prostitute. Now in terms of the intended figurative meaning you may wish to claim that so-called sexual sin is in view here because the vice or sin lists above also include idolaters in the list so clearly pornos (πόρνος) cannot be associated with idolatry since it would then be redundant. However such a claim demonstrates that the meaning I have been ascribing to porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution is correct because porneia (πορνεία) does not always mean idolatry. Instead porneia (πορνεία) refers to all highly detestable sin in general and really it is just a catch all term for this. Then again by highly detestable sin I am talking about sins that God will kill you and send you to the Lake of Fire to face the second death for. Thus obviously idolatry is one of these sins but there are in fact other highly detestable sins and pornos (πόρνος) is simply being used as a catch all term. For example exploiting or taking advantage of your fellow Christians or even just people in general is not specifically included in the two vice or sin lists even though Jesus says all those who exploit or take advantage of their fellow Christians will be killed and destroyed.

As Jesus says:

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:45-51)

In this passage the servants “whom the master has put in charge of his household” (Matthew 24:45) are Christians who Jesus, or really God since Jesus is Christ, has chosen to help instruct and guide those in Israel or the Church. Then these Christians are also supposed “to give the others their food” (Matthew 24:25) which simply means that these Christians are supposed to freely give spiritual nourishment in the form of instructing and strengthening the faith of their fellow Christians. Then by saying “at the proper time” (Matthew 24:25) Jesus is saying that these Christians are supposed to provide spiritual nourishment to their fellow Christians whenever they are in need.

However despite the fact that this is what Christians are supposed to do there are wicked so-called Christians who beat their fellow servants and “eat and drink with drunkards” (Matthew 24:49) or rather use their position to exploit and take advantage of Christians who are in need of spiritual nourishment for their own gain. After this Jesus goes on to say that those who exploit and take advantage of their fellow Christians will stand condemned so that they will be assigned “a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:51) Thus obviously all those who call themselves Christians while exploiting and taking advantage of their fellow Christians will not enter the final and eternal Kingdom of God.

So what does it mean to exploit or take advantage of your fellow Christians in this context though? Well this may be rather controversial and upsetting to you but I believe one area that Jesus is talking about is the commercialization of the Church where receiving spiritual nourishment in the form of instruction and encouragement is not given based on need and instead it is sold based on how much you are willing to pay in order to enrich those who profit off of it. In other words those in the modern-day Christian apologetics industry are exploiting and taking advantage of Christians by profiting off the books, videos, courses, speeches and so forth that they sell to enrich themselves. Now the reason why I say this is because Jesus says that faithful Christians are supposed “to give the others their food at the proper time” (Matthew 24:45) which means that we are supposed to give our own knowledge and insights to others whenever they are in need instead of whenever they can afford to pay us. The idea here is that we as faithful Christians are God’s slaves and because of this fact God owns us and everything we do. This then means that we labor for God instead of laboring for ourselves. In other words we are supposed to feed and nourish all of our fellow slaves when they are in need because they also belong to God just like us.

If this still does not make sense then think about what modern-day Christian apologists do as a slave selling food to their fellow slaves even though they received the food as a free gift from their owner to give to their fellow slaves while their owner is away. The idea here is that God has given His faithful spiritual insights and gifts for free for the betterment of all His household. Therefore we are supposed to then receive what we have been freely given from God and then turn around and give it away for free to our fellow Christians whenever they are hungry and in need of spiritual nourishment.

As Jesus says:

“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

Therefore obviously those who profit off of their books, videos, speeches, courses and more are exploiting and taking advantage of their fellow slaves and because of this fact they stand condemned and accuse themselves through their actions. If you want to dispute this then just know I talk more about this topic later on in this commentary and I have a whole chapter dedicated to it in my part called Various Insights. So for now just accept what I have said as true if you have any issues with what I have said so far.

Now my point here with regards to this passage from the Gospel of Matthew is that those who exploit or take advantage of their fellow Christians are committing a highly detestable sin that God finds so utterly offensive that those who engage in such a practice will be sent to the Lake of Fire without any regard for if they call themselves a Christian or not. In other words all those who exploit or take advantage of their fellow Christians are guilty of porneia (πορνεία) and it would be accurate to call them prostitutes in the figurative sense.

This fact is actually quite ironic because one of the main topics that so-called Christian apologists love to talk about about is so-called sexual immorality which they mainly get from the word porneia (πορνεία) falsely translated into English. Then by profiting off of the books they write these same apologists make themselves into prostitutes who are guilty of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution.

All the said my point with all this is that pornos (πόρνος) in the above two verses from Revelation should be understood to mean people who commit highly detestable sins rather than referring to people who commit a specific highly detestable sin like idolatry because although idolatry is a highly detestable sin there are other highly detestable sins as I have just demonstrated. Thus this is why pornos (πόρνος) is included alongside idolatry in the two lists of sins.

But what if you disagree with all the above that I have said concerning the meaning of pornos (πόρνος) in the two lists of sins so that you still believe pornos (πόρνος) is referring to the so-called sexually immoral? Well in this case I would like to suggest that you interpret pornos (πόρνος), which most literally means a male prostitute, with respect to the great pornēs (πόρνης) or the great prostitute. The idea here is that the central sin of the great prostitute is that she looks towards the beast and what it can do for her over God so that she follows and worships the beast instead of following and worshiping God alone. Then since the great prostitute is “the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5) this means that when Revelation makes a reference to prostitutes it is actually referencing the children of the great prostitute and their sin of following the beast over God or prostitution. Then because of this fact whenever you see a word for prostitutes like pornos (πόρνος) you should see the intended meaning as those who worship the beast instead of as the so-called sexually immoral.

Now this may seem contradictory with what I said previously but really a porné (πόρνη) or a pornos (πόρνος) are just people who commit highly detestable sins in general. Then like I said before the great prostitute has committed many highly detestable sins. All I am really saying here is that the foremost highly detestable sin of the great prostitute is worshiping the beast and because of this fact whenever we see Revelation reference other prostitutes we should see their foremost highly detestable sin as being worshiping the beast. Sure there may be prostitutes who do not worship the beast but who commit other highly detestable sins so they would fall under the pornos (πόρνος) word, however my point here is that if you are looking for a singular figurative translation of pornos (πόρνος) then it would be infinitely more accurate to translate it as people who worship the beast due to what I said concerning “the mother of prostitutes” (Revelation 17:5) instead of translating it as the sexually immoral.

Finally my point with referencing all these passages from Revelation regarding the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words is that there is no sexual connotation with these words in Revelation and because of this fact you should not see them as being related to anything sexual. Thus even if you disagree with me with regards to the meaning of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution so that you mistakenly insist it actually means sexual immorality in the Bible for some reason you must admit that there is zero reason to believe that porneia (πορνεία) and the other porné (πόρνη) words refer to so-called sexual sin or those who commit so-called sexual sin in the Book of Revelation. Therefore because of this fact when you read the rest of this commentary you should not have anything related to so-called sexual sin in mind when you read the porné (πόρνη) words that have been translated as immorality or sexual immorality. Instead you should see these words as referring to highly detestable sin in general and more specifically idolatry or worshiping the beast. Really my point is that there is nothing sexual about these words in Revelation. Sure you can falsely claim that these words are related to so-called sexual sin elsewhere in the New Testament but for now at least I am only discussing the Book of Revelation.

Then keep in mind that if you disagree with what I have said with regards to the meaning of porneia (πορνεία) and the other porné (πόρνη) words that I fully go into all the major usages of these words in the New Testament in my chapter called Sexuality in my part called Various Insights in order to demonstrate that my literal and figurative definitions of these words are correct. So do not take this comment as the final word on the subject because this comment is only on the porné (πόρνη) words with respect to Revelation rather than the New Testament as a whole.

(15) “In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” – As I said previously the Nicolaitans are an unknown heretical sect so we really do not know what they believed. That said based on the previous verse and my commentary on it the sin of the Nicolaitans was probably related to idolatry in the sense that the Nicolaitans were teaching people that you can worship God along with the pagan false gods that you were previously worshiping in the sense that the God of Israel is just another deity to worship and again favor from. Another possibility is that the Nicolaitans were teaching that Christians can have sex with cult prostitutes or eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol. But like I said really we do not know for sure what specific form of idolatry they engaged in other than that they taught idolatrous practices. Therefore because of this fact some of the church members of Pergamum were engaging in idol worship of some form by worshiping false gods, engaging in cult prostitution, eating a meal in honor of an idol, eating meat that was sacrificed to an idol or any other idolatrous practice.

Now we should not treat this as something that only applies to the first century AD because idolatry takes many forms. Really idolatry occurs whenever you worship something instead of God alone and since worshiping essentially means putting your trust and faith in something you can see how expansive idolatry can be. For example with regards to the first beast of Revelation 13 there will be those who call themselves Christians as they place their faith and trust in the beast. The idea here is that they see the beast as some new so-called earthly savior to worship in addition to the God of Israel. But just like with pagans wanting to worship the God of Israel along with their idols in the first century AD in order to be a faithful Christian you need to put your faith and trust in God alone because anything else is idolatry. For another example consider those in the Christian apologetics industry who make a career out of what they do with the goal of selling as many books as possible and making money. Sure these people can be figuratively called prostitutes because they are guilty of porneia (πορνεία) but in this case they would also be idolaters. This is because instead of placing their faith and trust in God they are actually placing their faith and trust in money and their wealth.

Then as Jesus says:

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

Therefore you cannot worship God while also having a so-called ministry where you seek to profit off of selling your books, courses, speeches, videos and more because anything else is idolatry. Remember just like with so-called Christians in the first century AD who hung onto their pagan practices, by trying to make a profit off of work you claim to do for God you are also worshiping money in addition to worshiping God. However as Jesus says “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) Then worshiping both God and money would make you into idolater just like those who “hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:15) from the first century AD. Thus just because someone calls themselves a Christian does not mean that they are not an idolater. Lastly I talk more about what idolatry means in a modern context later on in my part called Various Insights.

(16) “Therefore repent!” – Jesus is telling those who He has just accused of highly detestable sins like idolatry that they are to repent of their sins. This means that they should ask God for forgiveness and change their godless ways so that they no longer practice or teach idolatry.

Then since the letters to the seven churches are for all Christians in all ages this then means that this message of repentance that Jesus has is also for us. Therefore just know that it is never too late to repent of your sins by asking God for forgiveness and abandoning your sinful ways even if you are someone who has engaged in porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution. So even if you consider yourself to be a Christian apologist and you have dedicated your life to selling as many books as possible as you exploit and profit off of faithful Christians then just know that you can still be saved as long as you ask God for forgiveness and begin freely giving to others that which you have been freely given.

(16) “Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.” – In other words if those who are guilty of porneia (πορνεία) or highly detestable sin do no repent by asking God for forgiveness and changing their ways then Jesus will eternally destroy them with His words. This destruction will of course happen after Jesus returns when the final judgment and the resurrection of the dead occurs. During the final judgment all the unfaithful and those who call themselves Christian but are guilty of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face eternal destruction after Jesus speaks and condemns them with His words. This means that you cannot simply call yourself a Christian and go on living a life of sin and inherit the eternal Kingdom of God.

Now you may believe that Jesus is talking about those in the church in Pergamum here since He says “Otherwise I will come to you shortly” (Revelation 2:16) which implies that those who disobey Jesus will be destroyed by Him soon rather than later. However as I said in my commentary on Revelation 1:1 soon does not mean soon and the central prophecies of Revelation were never supposed to be fulfilled in the first or second centuries AD. Instead the reason why Jesus says this is because our lives are short and if you live a life full of highly detestable sin then before you know it you will be old and then you will be dead and once you are dead then it is too late to repent of your sins. The idea here is that if you keep on putting off repenting of your highly detestable sins until tomorrow then your life will pass you by before you realize it so that you end up dying in your sins instead of living in Christ. Thus Jesus is emphasizing the fact that you should not wait until tomorrow to repent of your sins and change your ways because if you always put it off until tomorrow then tomorrow will never come.

(17) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Again you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears to hear and you can only have spiritual ears if you belong to God.

(17) “To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna.” – Manna is a food which was similar to bread that God gave to the ancient Israelites as they wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus and before they settled in the Promised Land. Additionally some of this manna was placed in a jar inside the Ark of the Covenant which also contained the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them.

Now the meaning here is that God will nourish us Himself through Jesus and we will not rely on the things of the world for nourishment anymore just as the ancient Israelites did not rely on the things of the world for nourishment in the desert for forty years. Thus instead we will receive divine and spiritual nourishment from God through Jesus. Furthermore this is also a reference to Jesus being “the bread of life.” (John 6:48)

As Jesus says:

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.” (John 6:48-51)

Therefore to all those who overcome the power of Satan and Satan’s final and greatest agent, the beast, Jesus will “give the hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17) so that we can share in eternal life with Him in the eternal Kingdom of God.

(17) “I will also give him a white stone” – First off “a white stone” (Revelation 2:17) is representative of innocence. This is because in ancient Greece and Rome jurors would cast their votes using white and black stones. A white stone was used for not guilty and a black stone was used for guilty. Thus the idea here is that Jesus is giving those who overcome a white stone because He is declaring those who overcome innocent before God. Now although this meaning of the white stone is almost certainly correct there is a secondary meaning to the white stone. At games or competitions in ancient Greece and Rome white stones were given to the winners so that they could be granted entrance to the winner’s banquet where they would eat a feast at the public’s expense. Then this relates to Revelation in the sense that the eternal Kingdom of God is like a banquet where all the faithful will joint together for a feast in God’s household. In fact Jesus frequently compares the eternal Kingdom of God to a banquet. Thus by giving those who overcome a white stone Jesus is inviting the faithful “to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11) In terms of which meaning of the white stone is correct really I would say both are correct and I would actually say that Jesus has both meanings in mind. Therefore the white stone in this verse is representative of Jesus declaring the faithful innocent before God and of an invitation to join Jesus in the banquet of God in the eternal Kingdom of God.

All that said you might take offense at Jesus using a symbol from ancient Greek culture instead of from Hebrew culture to describe the rewards that those who overcome will receive. I mean were the ancient Greeks and the Romans not the true enemies of God? After all it was the Romans who ultimately crucified Jesus even if it was at the behest of the so-called Jews. Well no not really. In fact based on the backgrounds of Christians in the late first century AD when Revelation was written you could make a much better case that God favored the Greeks and the Romans over the Hebrews. This is because not only did almost all of the Hebrews become so-called Jews by rejecting Jesus but the only reason the Church took root so that it could endure to today is by spreading throughout the ancient Greek and Roman world.

As Revelation says:

“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” (Revelation 12:14)

In this verse the woman is the true Israel or the Church and the serpent is Satan who was persecuting the early Church by acting through the so-called Jews or “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) as Jesus says. Then the true Israel or the Church fled from “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) in Judea so that the Church could escape destruction at the hands of the so-called Jews and be nourished so that the number of Christians could increase. Thus the idea here is that the Hebrew world rejected Jesus while the ancient Greek and Roman world provided nourishment for the true Israel. Of course the so-called Jews were later punished for their rejection of Jesus with the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars where around two million so-called Jews were killed as I have said. That said my point here is that Revelation explicitly says the true Israel flees Judea to take refuge in the ancient Greek and Roman world. Then it is because of this fact that Christianity quickly took root in the ancient Greek and Roman world so that the number of Greek and Roman Christians soon surpassed the number of Hebrew Christians.

This fact is then why the entire New Testament and the Book of Revelation itself was written in Greek. Then it goes without saying that the initial audience of Revelation had an understanding of Greek customs because they were living in Roman Greece and they spoke Greek. Therefore it would make perfect sense for Jesus to use symbols, metaphors and figurative language from the ancient Greek and Roman world because again this was the world in which the true Israel now existed in. Now this does not mean that Revelation is a pagan book. For instance there are many references to the Old Testament in Book of Revelation as you will see which makes it a Jewish book instead of a pagan book. Again Christians are Jews and Jews are Christians while all Hebrews who reject Jesus as the Christ are not Jews. That said really you should just see the Book of Revelation as a Jewish book that contains literary elements from the ancient Greek and Roman culture it was written in.

(17) “inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.” – The white stone those who overcome will receive will be “inscribed with a new name” (Revelation 2:17) because all the faithful are to be renewed by God through Jesus so that all the pain we have experienced and the sin we have committed in our lives will be wiped away completely. The idea here is that a person’s name is connected to their nature or rather who they are so that through receiving a new name they become a new person. Think about it like leaving your old life behind completely by moving to a new city in a new country and changing your name so that you lose all the negative connections you have with your previous life. This idea is further evidenced by having the new name inscribed on the white stone since one meaning of the white stone is Jesus declaring us to be innocent before God at the final judgment. Thus think of the new name as something similar where our old nature and all the pains we have suffered are erased as we are declared innocent and pure before God.

Next because of this the new name is “known only to the one who received it” (Revelation 2:17) since only God and us will know who we are after we are made new. This is because everything that we have done in our past life that we are ashamed of, embarrassed of, depressed about, in pain over and more will be completely erased so that they are no more as we become like a new person. Then because of this fact anyone who we knew in our past life will not know who we are since without all of our pain we will be like different people to them. Therefore do not worry about any of the pains you may have with your current life because as long as you overcome the power of Satan and of the beast then you will receive “a white stone inscribed with a new name” (Revelation 2:17) so that you can enter the eternal Kingdom of God not as the person you are now but as the person you want to be.

4 – To the Church in Thyatira

(18) To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

(19) I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.

(20) But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (21) Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.

(22) Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. (23) Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

(24) But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you. (25) Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. (26) And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. (27) He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father. (28) And I will give him the morning star.

(29) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

4.1 – Commentary

(18) “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:” – Thyatira was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was inland on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(18) “These are the words of the Son of God” – Jesus is the Son of God who has inherited the world from God.

(18) “whose eyes are like a blazing fire” – Again eyes “like a blazing fire” (Revelation 2:18) are representative of the strength, power and the wrath of God.

(18) “and whose feet are like polished bronze.” – Again feet “like polished bronze” (Revelation 2:18) are representative of power or rather Jesus’s ability to crush His opposition under His feet.

(19) “I know your deeds—” – Jesus can see all that we do because by being the Christ God has given Him the ability to do so by giving Him the Holy Spirit. This means that no one can hide their deeds or works from Jesus no matter what they do. Therefore we should all try our best to be as faithful as we can be to Jesus by loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourself. As long as we follow these commandments then whenever Jesus sees us He will only see us doing good deeds and works so that we will not fall under condemnation.

(19) “your love,” – Since Jesus says that all the Law and the Prophets can be summarized by the commandments “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37) and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:40) this means that the reference to love here could refer to one or both of these commandments.

(19) “your faith,” – The reference to faith here would refer to having having faith in God and in Jesus as the Christ. Now in terms of what faith is specifically really what you faith in is what you put your trust and hope in. Thus the idea here is that we are supposed to place all of our trust and hope in God and in Jesus as the Christ instead of in the beast, false gods, idols and the things of this world.

(19) “your service,” – This reference to service has two possible meanings. The first is providing service or ministering to those who are in need in a spiritual sense as in providing instruction on what it means to be a Christian to those who need help. The second is providing service or ministering to those who are in need in a physical sense as in donating to and supporting the poor and the needy.

(19) “your perseverance—” – This reference to perseverance would refer to continuing to consider yourself a Christian and refusing to apostatize even in the face of difficulty and tribulation.

(19) “and your latter deeds are greater than your first.” – Given the multiple different meanings for “your love” (Revelation 2:19) and “your service” (Revelation 2:19) and the fact that “your faith” (Revelation 2:19) is included second in the list of four deeds this statement is rather confusing. This is because there is a significant amount of overlap between dividing this list of four deeds into the first two and the latter two. Really the best way to view this whole verse is to say that Jesus is only referring to “your love” (Revelation 2:19) and more specifically their love of their neighbor with respect to their first deeds while with the “latter deeds” (Revelation 2:19) He is referring to are “your faith, your service” (Revelation 2:19) and “your perseverance” (Revelation 2:19) from the list. Although even in this case the issue is that really “service” (Revelation 2:19) is an act of love since by ministering and serving others you are showing them love.

That said since Jesus does not offer a condemnation here like He did In Revelation 2:4-5 to those in the church in Ephesus really I think Jesus is just warning us to be careful so that we always perform good deeds instead of allowing ourselves to become apathetic. The idea here is that Jesus is not saying that those of the church in Thyatira are lacking in any of their deeds and that instead all Jesus is saying is that some of their deeds are greater than their other deeds. In other words Jesus is just offering a friendly reminder that all of our deeds or works are important and that we should not prioritize one kind of deed over another. This fact can be seen with what Jesus says concerning the greatest commandment.

As Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

The point here is that you need to demonstrate both love of God and love of your neighbor through your works and deeds. This then means that you cannot simply love God alone or love your neighbor alone in order to be considered a faithful Christian. For example someone who only loves God and does not love their neighbor is just as sinful as someone who does not love God and does love their neighbor. Therefore we should all remember to always love God and our neighbor in all that we do just as Jesus says we should.

(20) “But I have this against you:” – First off just like I said previously Jesus was not accusing or condemning those in this church by saying “your latter deeds are greater than your first.” (Revelation 2:19) Instead Jesus is merely reminding us that we need to always make sure to perform good works and that we need to both demonstrate love of God and love of our neighbor. Then in terms of the meaning of “But I have this against you” (Revelation 2:19) by saying this Jesus is accusing some of those in the church of Thyatira of sin. Or more specifically based on this entire verse and the subsequent verses Jesus is accusing them of the highly detestable sin of idolatry.

(20) “You tolerate that woman Jezebel” – Jezebel was the queen of ancient Israel when her husband Ahab was king of ancient Israel as First Kings says. In ancient Israel she promoted the worship of false gods and idols which helped to lead the ancient Israelites astray and into idolatry. The idea here with Jesus calling the woman from the church in Thyatira Jezebel in this verse is that Jesus is saying that she is leading those of the church in Thyatira into idolatry in the same way as the ancient Jezebel led the ancient Israelites into idolatry.

Next by saying “You tolerate that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) Jesus is condemning not just “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) but all of those in the church of Thyatira who tolerate her as well. This is because by tolerating “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) and supporting her teaching idolatry those in the church of Thyatira are being supportive of her idolatry.

(20) “who calls herself a prophetess.” – First off a prophetess is simply a female prophet with a prophet being a man who interprets, speaks of or foretells the teachings or will of God. Thus Jezebel and others consider her idolatrous teaching to be correct so that they believe that God approves of her idolatrous teaching. Next Jesus says she “calls herself a prophetess” (Revelation 2:20 because He is saying that Jezebel is not a prophetess even though she calls herself one because what she says is wrong and idolatrous. But how can we know if what someone says is correct or not?

As Jesus says:

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

Thus the idea here is that what Jezebel taught and practiced was clearly idolatry and since the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart this would then mean that idolatry of any kind is prohibited. Then because of this fact Jezebel would be a false prophetess because what she practiced and taught was clearly not the teachings and will of God. Keep this fact in mind when you listen to what others say to you so that you reject whatever they say if what they say stands in contradiction with what God says.

Now testing what someone says may not seem that important right now or you may have a more limited perspective with regards to bewaring “false prophets” (Matthew 7:15) so that you are concerned with insignificant doctrinal differences but I assure you understanding this test will be of the highest importance once the beast arises. This is because the beast will not be overtly evil or malevolent as you may believe. Instead the beast will almost certainly be seen as a force of so-called supreme good that surpasses everything we have seen in our lives by far to the point that many people will say the beast is so-called omnibenevolent. Then because of this fact I believe the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will join with the beast so that they believe the beast to be part of God’s plan for salvation or even as blasphemous as it sounds Jesus’s second coming. In the process of holding to these beliefs the church of Satan will be created as these so-called Christians come to worship the beast along with God.

Now this may not seem that bad but you need to understand this is exactly what Jesus is condemning Jezebel for here in Revelation because worshiping anything else outside of God is the definition of idolatry. Thus if you say that you have faith in God and faith in the beast then you would be an idolater and fall under condemnation just as Jezebel would for having faith in God, in Jesus and in idols.

Now the main reason why people will believe all this and see the beast this way is because they will see the beast as good due to how benevolent it seems. However in reality in order to be considered good or rather faithful in the eye of God someone needs to love God in addition to loving their neighbor. But as you will see later on in Revelation the beast does not love God and instead it will see itself as a so-called supreme being.

As Revelation says:

“They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?’

The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:4-6)

So although I talk more about this topic later for now just keep the above test from the Gospel of Matthew in mind with respect to idolatry and the coming beast because there will come a time when “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) just as Revelation says so that the whole world falls into idolatry.

(20) “prophetess.” – Regardless of your views on women instructing others it is interesting to note that Jesus condemns the false instruction of “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) and not the fact that a woman is instructing others. I mean if you want to dispute this then clearly Jesus does not say she is wrong to instruct others. Then when Jesus says He has given her time in repent in the next verse He expects her to repent of her porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution, with the intended meaning of idolatry, instead of the fact that she is instructing others. Therefore Jesus is tacitly approving of women instructing others here since obviously if Jesus believed that women instructing others was wrong then He would have said something given the fact that Jesus just warned those in the church of Thyatira that they need to ensure all their deeds are great instead of just good. Now no doubt you may have questions regarding what I just said but instead of answering them here I answer them later on in my chapter called Women in the Church in my part called Various Insights. However to answer the main question you probably have there is nothing wrong with women instructing or leading others. But like I said I demonstrate this to be true later on so if you do not agree then you will just have to wait until then to read what I have to say.

(20) “By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” – First off the word translated as to be sexually immoral here is porneusai (πορνεῦσαι) which is one of the porné (πόρνη) or prostitute words and because of this the word should be literally translated as to commit prostitution instead. Then of course prostitution would figuratively mean highly detestable sin and in this context it would almost certainly refer to idolatry. Next although I have talked about idolatry already an idol is simply a physical image of a false god and pagan practices oftentimes involved eating food dedicated to an idol at a pagan temple. Although it does not seem like a big deal to eat food dedicated to an idol to a modern audience it is in fact a huge deal. This is because by eating food dedicated to an idol you would be honoring the idol which would be idolatry. Then the main sin Jesus is talking about here is Jezebel misleading others into committing idolatry through her instruction.

Now in terms of the specific type of idolatry she is practicing and engaging in really we cannot know for sure outside of eating “food sacrificed to idols.” (Revelation 2:20) Therefore you should keep this in mind today and abstain from all forms of idolatry including eating food at non-Christian religious holiday celebrations because these meals are eaten in honor of a false religion and false gods.

(21) “Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.” – In this verse the word translated as immorality is porneia (πορνεία) which should be most literally translated as prostitution and figuratively understood as highly detestable sin. Although in this context the highly detestable sin Jesus is referring to would be practicing idolatry and instructing others to commit idolatry. Next it is important to point out that Jesus is not simply punishing Jezebel after she started to preach that idolatry was acceptable for Christians to engage in. Instead Jesus gave her time to repent of her idolatry. However as Jesus says “she is unwilling” (Revelation 2:21) and now the following verses go into the punishment she is to receive for practicing and preaching idolatry.

(22) “Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness,” – Since Jezebel has refused to repent of her idolatry she will now be punished for what she has done so that others will see the price of disobeying Jesus. However the punishment she is to receive is not being cast onto a bed of sickness because the word translated as bed of sickness is klinēn (κλίνην) which is literally translated as a couch or a bed. Thus Jesus is actually saying that He “will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) in this verse. The reason why the translators translated it as bed of sickness is because they are assuming that a metaphor of sexual punishment is improper for the Bible so therefore the intended meaning must be Jezebel is to become so sick so that she cannot leave her bed. However such a view is completely wrong and has zero support. This is because Revelation and other books of the Bible like to issue a punishment that fits the person’s deeds. Then because Jezebel’s sins center on idolatry which can be figuratively described as prostitution or porneia (πορνεία) which is sexual in nature this would then mean that Jesus saying “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) in this verse is supposed to be understood as a sexual metaphor. Now this may upset you so consider the following passage which also contains a metaphor involving sexual punishment.

As Revelation says:

“And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:16-17)

In this passage rulers of the world, the ten horns, and the beast turn on the great prostitute, strip her naked, have their way with her and then finally kill her as God Himself uses them to fulfill His will of punishing the great prostitute for her detestable sins like idolatry and worshiping the beast. Really you cannot argue against this since this passage heavily implies sexual violence.

Before referencing additional passages it would be helpful to explain the purpose of these metaphors. So where does this metaphor come from? Well really the idea here is that a man who finds out his wife has been committing adultery will cast her out of his household so that she will be left with nothing which would force her to resort to prostitution against her will or rape in order to make money and survive. Now to make the above passage from Revelation make more sense God is supposed to be our future husband because we are engaged to be married to God through Jesus as Revelation later says. Then since those who worship the beast are committing metaphorical prostitution and adultery against God through their idolatry just as I have said when talking about the meaning of porneia (πορνεία) this would then mean that God’s punishment for these people, or the great prostitute, is to cast them out of His household so that they are left with nothing. This then means that the great prostitute is now solely dependent upon the beast as God has cast her out. However the great prostitute’s lover whom she has been committing adultery with against God also turns on her as it takes everything she has, most likely rapes her and then kills her. The general idea here is that the great prostitute’s sin involved metaphorical sex and so in return God has decided to metaphorically punish her with sexual violence in return. What I just said might surprise you so consider the following two passages.

As the Book of Hosea says:

“Rebuke your mother, rebuke her,
for she is not My wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adultery from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth.
I will make her like a desert
and turn her into a parched land,
and I will let her die of thirst.” (Hosea 2:2-3)

In this passage God is calling on the faithful children of Israel to rebuke Israel as a whole because Israel has fallen into idolatry. Then if she does not cease her adultery God says He “will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth” (Hosea 2:3) which almost certainly implies sexual violence or rape because she will be exposed and unprotected so that anyone can have their way with her. You may dispute this view so consider the following passage.

As the Book of Ezekiel says:

“Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare. They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. Then they will burn down your houses and execute judgment against you in the sight of many women.” (Ezekiel 16:35-41)

Likewise in this passage God says that He will use the nations that the Israelites were lusting after in order to punish the Israelites for their idolatry. Then to do this He will will expose the Israelites so that they are “completely naked” (Ezekiel 16:37) as He delivers them into the hands of their loves so that they can have their way with them and then finally kill them. This is of course directly analogous to the previous passage from Revelation and the passage from Revelation is almost certainly a reference to the above passage from Ezekiel. Furthermore you can now see why Jesus saying “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) should be viewed as a sexual metaphor instead of as an illness metaphor. I mean not only is Revelation itself filled with sexual metaphors involving prostitution but this same sexual metaphor involving punishment is found elsewhere in the Bible. This is why almost all translators translate klinēn (κλίνην) as bed of sickness instead of a couch or a bed because the metaphorical meaning is extremely clear and undeniable if it is translated as a couch or a bed given the context and the translators want to try to cover up the real meaning of this verse for obvious reasons.

Alright so what does “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) mean exactly then? Sure I have said it is a sexual metaphor involving punishment but does it mean that Jesus is going to rape Jezebel or something like that? No it does not. Instead the meaning of the metaphor is similar to the previous three passages from the books of Revelation, Hosea and Ezekiel. The idea here is that “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) is a figurative way of saying that Jezebel will be cast out of God’s household or Israel by Jesus due to her prostitution so that she has to resort to selling her body through prostitution in order to survive. Not only this but Jesus will watch her to see who else is tempted by her nakedness so that they end up deciding to “commit adultery with her” (Revelation 2:22) or rather join her in her idolatry. Then in response Jesus will “strike her children dead” (Revelation 2:23) which are those who were tempted by her nakedness to join her in her adultery. Really the idea here is that Jezebel is cast out and allowed to live for now as a trap for those who follow her and wish to commit adultery with her.

At this point you may wish to dispute what I have said and you may wish to claim that “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) refers to the Hebrew idiom of “to take to one’s bed” which has the meaning of to become ill and to support this you may cite a verse like Exodus 21:18. However this idiom is actually no where to be found in Revelation 2:22 as you can see because it does not take the same form. Therefore Revelation 2:22 cannot be considered a reference to this supposed Hebrew idiom. The same is also true with regards to the supposed reference in the Book of Exodus.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed, then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff.” (Exodus 21:18-19)

However you can clearly see in this verse that the reference to being confined to a bed is clearly a reference to being injured so badly that you cannot leave your bed because the context is injury. On the other hand with Revelation 2:22 the context is figurative sexual language involving prostitution and adultery. Thus it is clear that the intended meaning of bed is sexual in Revelation and not related to injury like the Exodus passage.

I would also like to point out that the authors of the New Testament understood the sexual meaning of bed in the sense that they also interpreted to bed someone as to have sex with them just as we do today. For instance the word oftentimes falsely translated homosexuals is arsenokoites (ἀρσενοκοίτης) which is a combination of arrén (ἄρσην) or a male and koité (κοίτη) which is another word for bed. The previous word klinēn (κλίνην) is different in that it relates more to a couch or a portable bed. That said my point here is that arsenokoites (ἀρσενοκοίτης) is a combination of the words for male and bed. Then this word can be literally translated and understood as a male who beds males or rather a male who has sex with males. That said this meaning is actually inaccurate in my view and I talk more about it in my chapter on Sexuality in my part called Various Insights. In terms of the topic at hand my point here is that clearly the authors of the New Testament were aware of the metaphorical meaning of a bed relating to sex and because of this fact seeing “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) as a bed of sickness instead of a couch or a bed is just incorrect.

Again this is why almost all translators translate klinēn (κλίνην) as bed of sickness instead of a couch or a bed. Really for anyone reading this verse the metaphorical meaning is extremely clear if it is translated as couch or bed given the context and as I said the translators want to try to cover up this verse for obvious reasons. If you still wish to dispute this then if Jesus is actually talking about a bed of sickness instead of a couch or a bed then He would have included the word for illness along with the word for bed or better yet just said He is going to make her sick. But He does not and instead of talking about illness He uses sexual metaphors that involve prostitution and adultery in the passage. Therefore there is zero reason to believe my interpretation is wrong.

So why is all this important exactly? I mean who cares if it is translated as a bed of sickness instead of as a couch or a bed? Well really I am just trying to be faithful to what the text says and since most people do not like the intended meaning, hence the cover up by translators, I needed to fully explain myself. Although in truth in the end viewing it as a bed of sickness instead of a bed really does not have a significant difference in meaning. For instance it does not matter how you view this verse because Jesus will send Jezebel to the Lake of Fire to face the second death regardless. Thus really I fail to see why people find the interpretation I have given upsetting. I mean how is a metaphor that implies forced prostitution or rape worse than Jesus killing her through illness? Although since I just said how Jezebel will be sent to the Lake of Fire regardless then how is Jesus giving an implied sexual violence metaphor worse than Jesus sending Jezebel to the Lake of Fire to burn as she is destroyed? Therefore if you are reading this now then I am almost certain you share my view because otherwise you would have stopped reading a while ago because I have written about much worse topics already.

Finally I would like to emphasize that although “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) is a sexual metaphor as I have said that this does not mean that there was, is or will be anything sexual taking place. Instead all Jesus is doing is using the same language the Old Testament uses with respect to punishing ancient Israel for idolatry to describe how He will punish Jezebel. Therefore this means that you should not actually see “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) as being sexual in nature and instead you should see it as Jesus saying He will cast Jezebel out of His household so that all she has left is her idolatry. Again this is because by saying “I will cast her onto a bed” (Revelation 2:22) all Jesus is saying is that He will abandon her and stop providing for her so that all she has left to survive is selling her body or prostitution. The idea here is that Jezebel prostituted the love of God and of Jesus for the favor of idols by engaging in idolatry so therefore she has chosen prostitution or idolatry over God. Then because she has chosen prostitution over God Jesus decides to punish her by ensuring that all she has left is her prostitution or rather idolatry by evicting her from God’s household. In other words Jezebel enjoyed committing adultery against God by engaging in prostitution so much that Jesus is going to ensure that all she has left is to engage in prostitution because He will abandon her.

(22) “and those who commit adultery with her” – Jesus calls forms of idolatry like eating food dedicated to false gods adultery because we as Christians are supposed to be faithful to God alone and because of this fact worshiping idols through any form of idolatry is a form of unfaithfulness or adultery. Another way to look at it is that we are engaged to be married to God through Jesus which would mean that any form of idolatry can be called adultery since obviously an engaged woman cheating on her future husband would be an adulteress. See Revelation 19 for the marriage of Jesus and the Church. Now in terms of what idolatrous practices constitute adultery here in this verse really we cannot know for sure besides eating food that has been sacrificed or dedicated to idols. Therefore as I have said before we should abandon all forms of idolatry as we remain faithful to God through Jesus alone.

(22) “will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.” – Those who refuse to repent of their sin of joining Jezebel in her idolatry will suffer great tribulation or internal pressure. Really the idea here is that Jesus is saying that those who refuse to repent of their idolatry will suffer greatly as they are punished. The purpose of this is to give them time to repent and abandon Jezebel and her idolatry.

(23) “Then I will strike her children dead” – After the period of great tribulation or internal pressure if the children of Jezebel, or those who follow her in her idolatry, have not repented of their sins then Jesus will kill them. Remember Jesus is “the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword” (Revelation 2:12) and “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15) so therefore Jesus will in fact kill and destroy all those who rebel against God.

Now you may take the phrase “I will strike her children dead” (Revelation 2:23) as referring to Jesus killing Jezebel’s followers in the first century AD. However just the opposite is in view here in the sense that by saying children or rather tekna (τέκνα) which means children or descendants Jesus is not really talking about Jezebel’s followers in the first century AD. Instead Jesus is referring to Jezebel as the mother of idolatry here so that all those who come after her and practice idolatry are her children in the sense that they are following their mother’s practices. Therefore because of this Jesus is actually promising that He will kill all those who practice idolatry from when Revelation was written to the present day. This may not make sense to you but you need to understand that God will use Jesus to judge and condemn the world which means that it will actually be Jesus who casts all the idolaters into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. Therefore Jesus is actually referring to killing future so-called Christians by throwing them into the Lake of Fire here by saying “I will strike her children dead” (Revelation 2:23) instead of merely referring to the followers of Jezebel in the first century AD.

(23) “and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts” – After Jesus kills those who have joined Jezebel in her idolatry then all the churches will see that He is “the One who searches minds and hearts” (Revelation 2:23) in that all Christians will realize that Jesus can see everything so that we cannot hide anything from Him. In other words Jesus can see all that we do and all that we are. Therefore you should always try to remain faithful even if you think no one will know.

(23) “and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” – Everyone is to repaid based on what they have done. In other words those who keep the two commandments will receive the rewards promised to those who overcome while those who do not keep the two commandments are to face the second death in the Lake of Fire.

(24) “But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan:” – Despite the fact that Jesus has accused Jezebel and others in the church in Thyatira of idolatry there are those in Thyatira who do not hold to Jezebel’s teachings of idolatry. Next the reason why Jesus refers to Jezebel’s teachings as “the so-called deep things of Satan” (Revelation 2:24) is because anything that is contrary to what God wants for us to do is a thing of Satan. The idea here is that once again Satan is representative of rebellion so any practice that teaches rebellion against God is by definition a practice of Satan. Of course idolatry is a perfect example of this since idolatry by definition is rebellion against God given the fact that God hates idolatry so much.

Then the reason why Jesus specifically refers to “the so-called deep things” (Revelation 2:24) with respect to Jezebel’s teachings is probably because Jezebel went beyond merely saying it is acceptable to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols so that she probably taught that it is acceptable for Christians to worship false gods and idols in order to expand the benefits that you receive. In other words she would have been thinking of the God of Israel as another deity to worship alongside the ancient Greek and Roman false gods and idols. Now this may seem odd but the ancient Greeks and Romans were typically afraid of upsetting a so-called god or idol by not not worshiping it because they believed that if they did not regularly worship some then disaster would either strike them personally or in the area in which they lived. Furthermore there were many different false gods and idols so to the ancient Greeks and Romans it made sense to worship as many as you could in order to receive all the specific blessings they were thought to provide. Thus the idea here is that Jezebel was probably trying to expand Christian teachings by bringing polytheism and idolatry or rather “the so-called deep things of Satan” (Revelation 2:24) into the church in Thyatira. Therefore the main message here is that we should once again abstain from “the so-called deep things of Satan” (Revelation 2:24) including idolatry because we are to be faithful to God through Jesus alone.

Now this subject also relates to the rest of Revelation and the beast specifically because the teachings of Jezebel here will be similar to the future church of Satan that I have spoken about already. Essentially there will come a time when almost all of those who call themselves Christians will look upon the beast as they see it as their sole hope of earthly salvation and because of this they will place their trust, hope and faith in it. Now this does not mean that they will abandon God and apostatize. Instead all this means is that just like with Jezebel they will seek to introduce the beast as an object of worship to worship alongside God. The idea here is that God would be where they place their heavenly and spiritual hope for salvation while the beast will be where they place their earthly and physical hope for salvation. So just like with Jezebel the goal is to play both sides so that you cannot lose. For example with Jezebel the idea is that if you worship God and all the false gods then you cannot lose because you will have gained favor with all the deities you can. Thus with the beast and the church of Satan these so-called Christians will essentially be hedging their bets by placing their hope of salvation in the beast and the amazing so-called miracles it seems to work for the world while thinking to themselves that if the beast ever fails then they always have God.

Sounds great right because then how can you lose? Well you see the problem here is that God wants to be your first and only choice instead of merely one of your choices.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 6:13-15)

As the Book of Joshua says:

“But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you.’” (Joshua 24:19-20)

This is why God hates idolatry and those who practice idolatry so much. Then of course this is also why Jesus has spoken against idolatry so much in the letters to the seven churches so far to the point where He promises that He will kill all of Jezebel’s children or those who join her in her idolatry. But why does God hate idolatry exactly? Really since God is God the Almighty this means that God is the only being who is all powerful and because of this fact placing your trust, hope and faith and anything else is not only futile but also insulting to God since only He can provide you with salvation. This is then why God hates all those who practice idolatry.

So then the idea with respect to God and the beast is exactly the same as why God hates idolatry so that you should see worshiping the beast in addition to God as the same as someone wanting to worship false gods and idols in addition to God. This of course means that just as someone who worships idols in addition to God will not receive salvation so too will all those who worship the beast in addition to God not receive salvation. Really the idea here is that God does not want to be your plan B or even your plan A. Instead God wants to be your one and only plan. Therefore always remember to place your trust, hope and faith in God alone through Jesus so that you do not join the church of Satan by becoming a child of Jezebel through worshiping the beast in addition to God.

(24) “I will place no further burden upon you.” – There are two ways to view this statement from Jesus. The first is to say that Jesus is specifically talking to those in the church of Thyatira who have had their faith tested by Jezebel’s idolatry so that they have demonstrated themselves to be faithful by resisting her idolatry. The idea here is that these Christians in Thyatira have had their faith tested enough so that Jesus is saying He will not test them further because there is no need. The second is to say that Jesus is not referring to anyone specifically and that instead He is referring to the fact that everyone is to be burdened or tested in their own way. The idea here is that all those “who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan” (Revelation 2:24) in the past, present and future while being tempted by Jezebel and her children have demonstrated that they have successfully resisted the temptations of Satan so that they cannot be burdened anymore. In other words once someone has been tempted into idolatry once then any further temptation in the future will not seem like a real burden because it is no longer something new.

This second point of view is rather interesting with respect to the coming beast specifically because the teachings of Jezebel are largely absent from the world in which I wrote this book in during the time before the beast rises. This would mean that the temptation and burden Christians will face from the coming church of Satan or Jezebel’s children will probably be the final burden that Jesus will place upon us as faithful Christians. This is because there is no greater test of faith than the coming beast.

As Jesus says:

“If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:22-25)

Therefore my point here is that whoever successfully resists falling into idolatry and worshiping the beast along with the children of Jezebel will truly be considered faithful beyond any measure so that there is no greater burden that they could bear or test that they could face. This would then be why Jesus says “I will place no further burden upon you” (Revelation 2:24) since there would be no greater burden Jesus could place on us to test us.

Now you may dispute this second point of view by saying that since Jesus says “I say to the rest of you in Thyatira” (Revelation 2:24) in this verse that Jesus is actually talking to those in Thyatira in the first century AD and not to all Christians. However as I said before with the symbolism of the number seven with respect to the letters to the seven churches each of the letters to the seven churches are actually addressed to all Christians throughout all time. Nowhere is this more evident than in the fact that Jesus divides up the rewards for overcoming in each of the seven letters. Thus the idea here is that all the faithful will receive all the rewards instead of only the seven churches each receiving a subset of all the rewards that are specific to each church. This would then mean that Jesus is not necessarily referring to only those in Thyatira and that instead He is almost certainly referring to all Christians. But really both views work and both are almost certainly true so it does not matter what view you believe here.

Lastly Jesus saying “I will place no further burden upon you” (Revelation 2:24) is rather interesting because this statement highly implies that it is God through Jesus who is the One who gives us all our burdens. Now you may wish to dispute this but remember what I said with respect to Satan before. Even though Satan is the accuser and his purpose is to test us by placing burdens upon us ultimately God not only created Satan for this purpose but since God is infinitely more powerful than Satan so that He can destroy Satan at anytime this means that by allowing Satan to exist God approves of what Satan is doing. Thus it is because of these facts that ultimately it is God who is testing us with burdens. This would be why Jesus says “I will place no further burden upon you” (Revelation 2:24) because Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has chosen to carry out His will so that really it is God who is burdening us.

Now this idea may make you upset but you need to understand that the only way to deny this fact is to claim that God is not all powerful so that He cannot defeat Satan and all evil forever. This is because obviously God can see what Satan does and all the evil that exists and really God does not even need to be omniscient or all seeing to do this. Thus therefore we are left with either God being unable to reign in Satan and all evil or God not reigning in Satan and all evil because He approves of the existence of Satan and all evil at least for the time being. So which option is true?

As Revelation says:

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.” (Revelation 4:11)

Therefore clearly God is “God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15) so that He is all powerful such that nothing is outside of His power. This fact is clearly demonstrated elsewhere in Revelation where God does not even need to deal with Satan personally because He can simply empower an angel to bind Satan in the Abyss “for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:2) Thus the idea here is that God is quite literally infinitely more powerful than Satan so that the only reason why Satan currently exists is because God has a use for Him. Then because of this fact this then must mean that God approves of what Satan is doing. This would of course then mean that ultimately it is God who is the source of all of our burdens and that since Jesus is the Christ God is working through Jesus to burden us.

Now you still may not like this fact for some reason so let me give you something to think about. The main prophecy in the Book of Revelation is that of the rise of the first beast of Revelation 13 and how it will come to rule the whole world so that almost everyone worships it as a so-called supreme being including those who call themselves Christian. So if God has told us about this beast before it comes and God has the power to prevent this beast from rising and ruling the world then how can you possibly claim that God does not approve of the beast in the sense that God wishes to let it exist so that it can fulfill His purpose? Thus what I am saying here is that ultimately the beast is a burden that is to be placed upon the whole world by God Himself and given the fact that God is omniscient He actually planned everything the beast has yet to do “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) itself. Then since the greatest test and trial any Christian could possibly have is resisting the beast and it is the will of God for the beast to rule over the world then how exactly does it make sense to say that God is not the ultimate source of all our burdens? I mean if the greatest burden is from God then why even debate and question if the smaller burdens are from God?

Now I talk more about divine determinism and the specific issue I have been touching upon, the problem of evil, later on so just think about all this until you read what I have to say later on. That said to provide some clarity in terms of the answers to these topics first off obvious God has determined everything that has happened, is happening and will happen “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) itself as you can probably guess. Next really I find the problem of evil to be nonsensical because God approves of all the evil in our current world in the sense that all evil is all part of His plan for us and the world. But like I said I talk more about these topics later on in this commentary and it is there where I go over your objections so for now just think about what I have said.

(25) “Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come.” – This verse should be seen more as a message to all Christians rather than to those in the church of Thyatira because it directly precedes the list of rewards for overcoming. Then as stated previously all Christians who overcome during anytime will receive all the rewards given to each church. Lastly in terms of the meaning of this verse really all it means is that we should all hold to what we have or rather our faith in Jesus until Jesus finally returns to destroy the beasts and all their followers. Then with respect to the previous verse this verse would mean that all those who resist the temptations of the children of Jezebel should hold fast to their faith until Jesus returns even though they have successfully resisted the power and temptation of the beast.

(26) “And to the one who overcomes” – Again overcoming once again means resisting the power of the beasts and Satan so that instead of giving up and worshiping the beast you persist in faith until the end when Jesus returns. Then remember that since Satan is representative of rebellion this then means that overcoming here would really mean overcoming the desire to rebel against God so that instead you are obedient to Him.

(26) “and continues in My work until the end,” – This reference to continuing in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) in this verse may seem difficult to understand. However the reference to work here can be better understood as work as in a task, a toil or rather some action or set of actions that you carry out. So what exactly is the work of Jesus then? Well essentially the work of Jesus centers on His complete faith in and obedience to God so that He even went to His own death to fulfill the will of God. Furthermore the work of Jesus can also be summarized as the two commandments to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30) and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Now these two commandments might sound simple since sure loving your neighbor as yourself is easy to understand but what does loving God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30) mean? Really this meaning loops back to how the work of Jesus centers on His complete faith in and obedience to God. Now this may seem like I am going in circles here however my point is that no matter how you look at it continuing in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) means that you demonstrate your complete trust in God and obedience to His will. This idea actually ties into what it means to be “one who overcomes” (Revelation 2:26) in the sense that as long as you demonstrate your complete faith in God and obedience to His will then you will be one of those who overcomes the power of Satan and of the beast.

Then to once again remind you, one of Jesus’s most important works was how He served God even unto death itself and did not seek to avoid it. Thus when we are faced with our own trials we are to continue in Jesus’s work with the same obedience He displayed to God. This would of course mean that if it is the will of God for any of us to die then we are to die just as God has determined.

All that said there is a deeper meaning here that I have not touched upon. During Jesus’s earthly ministry the main work that He did was giving people hope for the future as He guided people back towards God so that they could better follow the will of God. Of course in order to guide people back towards God Jesus corrected and even chastised them. Therefore in this case continuing in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) would mean that you continue to carry out Jesus’s work or ministry in His name until the end. So just as Jesus gave people hope for the future by telling them about the coming eternal Kingdom of God while helping them know what it means to follow the will of God through correcting them so too should you continue in this same work until the end. In other words all we need to do is to follow the example that Jesus has set for us.

This is then one of if not the main reason why I decided to write this book. Essentially I see my book as continuing in Jesus’s work until the end. My point here is that just as Jesus helped others come to know the will of God and about the future arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and what must happen before it can arrive so too have I carried out this same work with this book. Then since I have written what I have to say out in the form of this book and since this book will endure until the time when Jesus finally returns this would actually mean that my book will “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) in my place so that even if I die before the end comes my work will continue until the very end. In other words this book is my testimony and my testimony will continue Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) in my place.

Then continuing in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) is also why I also decided to write such a long book and not soften, or worse yet remove, any of the controversial sections to make it easier to read and more popular. As I said in my introduction I did not write this book to serve men and instead I wrote this book to serve God. Just as Jesus believed carrying out the will of God was more important than His own will and the desires of others so too do I also believe that carrying out the will of God is more important than my own will and the desires of others. So really this is why you may consider this book highly controversial so far. But as I said I am simply continuing in the work of Jesus until the end by serving God.

Furthermore this is also one of the main reasons why I have given away this book for free. Jesus did not give sales pitches and say buy My book in an effort to profit off of His fellow brothers and sisters. Instead Jesus gave away what He had to say for free to that all who would listen to Him so that they could profit off of what He had to say. Therefore I have done the same so that instead of profiting off of this book myself you and others will profit off of it as you gain hope for the future arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and learn how to better follow the will of God.

Lastly but what if no one bothers to read this book? For instance how can I continue in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) if no one actually reads it? Well you see since this book is my testimony that I wrote to inform the world about the will of God the neat part is that no one actually needs to read it because by simply writing my words down I have fulfilled my duty in carrying out Jesus’s “work until the end.” (Revelation 2:26) The idea here is that it is not my fault that no one listens to me by reading my book and instead it is the fault of all those who do not read my book. To make this make more sense consider someone speaking to an audience full of people where the people in the audience refuse to listen to the speaker as they tell themselves that paying attention to the speaker is a waste of time. In this instance did the speaker perform the work they set out to do? Well of course they did. Sure the audience refused to listen but how can it be the speaker’s responsibility to ensure that they listen? Instead the speaker’s responsibility is to simply deliver their message and if their audience refuses to listen then that is their prerogative. The same idea is in view with this book where my book is my testimony to the world and by writing this book I have delivered my testimony to the world in the same way that the speaker in the example delivered their testimony by giving a speech that no one listened to. Therefore it does not matter if no one ever reads this book before the end comes because by just writing this book I have continued in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) so that the whole world has the opportunity to understand the will of God.

(27) “I will give authority over the nations.” – Those who overcome and continue in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) will be given authority to rule the nations in the new earth from Jesus. Then since Jesus is the Christ this means that God is to give us this authority though Jesus. The idea here with this reward is that each faithful Christian who overcomes and continues in Jesus’s “work until the end” (Revelation 2:26) will quite literally be given authority over the entire new earth so that they are a king of kings in a similar way to how Jesus is the King of kings. This may seem unbelievable but this is what Revelation says. Now no doubt you may have a number of questions with regards to this topic. For example how are potentially billions of Christians supposed to be given “authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:27) as this verse says since even two people cannot both have “authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:27) let alone billions? In short I believe the new earth can be more accurately understood as the new earths so that there is an entire new earth for each faithful Christian to have authority over. That said there is a lot to go over here with respect to being given “authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:27) since this ties into Revelation 20, 21 and 22. Therefore I talk more about the new earth later on in this commentary. So for now just take being given “authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:27) as a given.

(27) “He will rule them” – The word translated as will rule here is poimanei (ποιμανεῖ) which can also be translated as will shepherd. Then in terms of the meaning of shepherding really you should view it as guarding and guiding because that is what shepherds do with their sheep. Thus you should have more of a guiding role in view here where the faithful will use the authority that they have been given over the nations to guide all the people of these new nations in order to fulfill the will of God. That said there is another meaning I discuss in the next comment.

(27) “He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery” – Ruling with an iron scepter, rod or staff means to rule from a position of complete power and authority. Thus those of the new nations who the faithful will rule over will never be able to challenge the authority that the faithful have been given. The idea here is that just as pots cannot hope to challenge a rod of iron because obviously a rod of iron with always shatter pottery so too will the people of the new nations be unable to challenge the authority of the faithful because God will give the faithful power through Jesus and God’s power and authority can never be challenged. That said this verse is a reference to the Psalms and the verse from the Psalms is quite different.

As the Book of Psalms says:

“Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.” (Psalm 2:8-9)

Thus as you can see the key difference between Revelation 2:27 and Psalm 2:9 is that the word is rule or shepherd in Revelation while it is break in the Psalm. Now this difference is quite significant because obvious breaking the nations and shepherding them are a bit different. That said I believe both are in view here at the same time. This is because the intention with the Psalm 2 is that God is saying He will give all the nations of the earth to His Son as His possession. Then since obviously not everyone will agree to be ruled this would then necessitate the use of force to break the nations into obedience which would obviously be a disciplinary action by a ruler. In other words I believe the word translated as break in Psalm 2:9 can also be understood as rule with force. This is further evidenced by the fact the Septuagint or the Greek translation of the Old Testament uses the same word in Psalm 2:9 that appears in Revelation 2:27 which is translated as rule or shepherd.

Therefore lastly although the faithful are to use their authority to guide the new nations they are also going to use their authority and power to break the nations into obedience so that all those who rebel against their authority will be shattered “like pottery.” (Psalm 2:9)

(27) “just as I have received authority from My Father.” – Here Jesus says the authority we are to receive from Him is the same authority that He has received from His Father or God. So just as God has given Jesus His power and authority in the same manner Jesus will give us His power and authority. This then relates to becoming the adoptive sons and daughters of God. The idea here is that Jesus was born as the Son of God while we will be adopted as the sons and daughters of God through Jesus. Then just as Jesus has an inheritance as the Son of God so too will each of us receive our own inheritance.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Therefore my main point here is that whatever Jesus has received we are to receive as well. This is why Jesus says “just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:27) Again the idea here is that Jesus is going to give us as the faithful the same authority that He has been given from God.

(28) “I will give him the morning star.” – There are the two ways to view this verse. However to start the reference to “the morning star” (Revelation 2:28) is not to be confused with the “star that had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) because there the fallen star refers to Satan, hence fallen, while Jesus is “the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16) The idea here is that Jesus is called “the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16) since stars symbolize angels which are the servants of God and Jesus is the greatest, or brightest, of all God’s servants.

So the first way the view this verse is to say that the morning star is Jesus Himself since Jesus later on in Revelation says that He is “the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16) According to this view Jesus would be saying that He will give Himself to us which would then mean that He is talking about giving Himself to us in marriage. This marriage occurs later on in Revelation 19 where Jesus marries the Church or all faithful Christians. Therefore rather than talking about the meaning of this marriage here I talk about it later on in this commentary.

The second way to view this verse is to say that Jesus is saying those who overcome will become the greatest of God’s servants. This is because angels, the servants of God, are symbolized as stars in Revelation as I just said and the morning star is a metaphor for a very bright star since only very bright stars can still be seen as the sun rises. So the idea here is that those who overcome the power of the beast on earth will be elevated to a position that is higher than the angels of heaven so that they are similar to Jesus in terms of authority. You may disagree with this but as Jesus says He “will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26) to all those who overcome as you have just read.

Then as also Jesus says:

“To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

Finally as God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Therefore the faithful being elevated so that they are above even God’s angels in heaven would make sense. Then because of this fact you can view “And I will give him the morning star” (Revelation 2:28) as the faithful being elevated by God through Jesus to be among the greatest of God’s servants or His angels.

Now it may not seem like a big deal to be given more authority and power than angel. I mean are angels not just messengers of God? Well yes they are in the sense that their role is to carry out the will of God but carrying out God’s will or delivering His message oftentimes requires a level of authority and power that is hard for us to understand.

As First Kings says:

“And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!” (1 Kings 19:35)

With respect to this verse it goes without saying that this angel of God must be incredibly powerful to be able to kill 185,000 men. That said really this number is almost certainly inflated and inaccurate like the vast majority of almost all the numbers relating to population counts in the Old Testament. I talk about this fact later on in my part called Various Insights. Now despite what I just said concerning the accuracy of the number actually killing 185,000 men would not even test an angel’s strength as the following passages will show.

As Revelation says:

“So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:15)

If you want to take this verse literally then these four angels will kill billions of people and because of this fact they must be incredibly powerful. Now of course I do not take this verse literally just like almost everything else in Revelation so I explain what it means later on. That said it is once again clear that angels are incredibly powerful.

Then as Revelation also says:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete.” (Revelation 20:1-3)

Then central idea with this passage is that Satan is so utterly powerless compared to God that even one of His angels is more than strong enough to seize Satan and then throw him into the Abyss or a prison. Therefore clearly the angel in this passage must also be incredibly powerful.

Alright so now you can see that angels are incredibly powerful and that because of this fact being given “the morning star” (Revelation 2:28) would mean that the faithful will be given great authority and power. This is then what Jesus is talking about with respect to saying how the faithful “will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery” (Revelation 2:27) when talking about being given “authority over the nations.” (Revelation 2:26) The point here is that in order to be able to shatter the nations like pottery that we will have to be given the same kind of power than God has given the angels so that no one of the new nations will be able to challenge us and our rule over the nations. Then keep in mind that we as the faithful will be given even greater authority and power than almost all or even all the angels since this is what it would mean to be given “the morning star.” (Revelation 2:28)

Lastly in terms of which view is correct I would say both interpretations are correct at the same time since later verses in Revelation confirm each view. For instance the Church or all faithful Christians will be married later on in Revelation and it would be accurate to say that the authority and power of those who overcome will be greater than even the angels of heaven in the new earth as I have said. Therefore I would actually say that both views are intended to be in view in this verse at the same time.

(29) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Again you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears to hear and you can only have spiritual ears if you belong to God.

Chapter 2.16: Revelation 3

1 – To the Church in Sardis

(1) “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.

I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. (2) Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. (3) Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.

(4) But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. (5) Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.

(6) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:” – Sardis was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was inland on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(1) “These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God” – The seven spirits of God would be the Holy Spirit since seven represents completeness and the Holy Spirit is a complete Spirit that encompasses everything. This then means that by saying He “holds the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 3:1) Jesus is saying that He has control or command of the power of God since the Holy Spirit is representative of the power and influence of God. This would of course be true since Jesus is the Christ.

As a result of these facts and as I have already said the trinity cannot be correct based on this verse alone because the three persons of the trinity are supposed to be equal while this verse demonstrates that they are not because Jesus is holding the Holy Spirit in His hand. The idea here is that by saying He holds or possesses the Holy Spirit Jesus is saying that He is in control of the Holy Spirit and by saying that He is control of the Holy Spirit this would then mean that Jesus is not equal with the Holy Spirit assuming of course you see the Holy Spirit as a person. Now you could attempt to dispute this by saying that Jesus possesses the Holy Spirit in the sense that the Holy Spirit is working through Jesus but this would then mean that Jesus needs the Holy Spirit in order to work. Thus the problem here is that by saying this you have just also denied the trinity because according to the false doctrine of the trinity God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all supposed to be equal in power and authority. Therefore as a result of all this saying Jesus possesses the Holy Spirit in any sense actually ends up denying the trinity.

Lastly I would like to reiterate that the Holy Spirit is not a person and instead the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God which is simply representative of God’s power and influence. Therefore all this verse is actually saying is that Jesus possesses the power and influence of God which is true because He is the Christ.

(1) “and the seven stars.” – By saying that He holds or possesses “the seven stars” (Revelation 3:1) Jesus is saying that He can use or command all of God’s angels because stars are symbolic of angels as I have already noted.

(1) “I know your deeds;” – Jesus can see all of our works and deeds whether they are good or bad. Therefore we should always seek to perform good works while abstaining from bad works.

(1) “you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.” – In other words Jesus is saying that although many of those in the church in Sardis appear to be faithful Christians, in reality they are actually so spiritually dead inside due to their lack of good works that they are godless. This is because in the next verse Jesus says “I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God” (Revelation 3:2) which means that Jesus is not talking specifically about faith in the sense that most people in the church in Sardis do not actually believe and instead Jesus is saying that they have not done enough good works or that they have done bad works. Thus the idea here is that the church in Sardis appears to be outwardly healthy and faithful but in reality the church is spiritually dead because of the lack of deeds. That said since true faith is predicated on performing good works and abstaining from bad works this means that by engaging in bad works or by having a lack of good works those of the church in Sardis are just going through to motions of what it means to be a Christian and that they do not have true faith. Thus they appear faithful or alive while really they lack faith because of their deeds so that they are actually dead inside. This message is then a clear reference to what Jesus said to the so-called Jews in the Gospel of Matthew.

As Jesus says:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

Of course the idea here is similar so that Jesus is saying the scribes and Pharisees appear righteous on the outside which makes everyone believes them to faithful to God while in reality on the inside they are godless because of their bad deeds.

So what does this all mean exactly? Well first off you need to keep in mind that Jesus’s condemnation and warning here with respect to saying “you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead” (Revelation 3:1) is not something that only applies to the first century AD. Instead this condemnation and warning applies to all those who call themselves Christian throughout all time periods. Now in terms of the meaning all Jesus is saying is that how you appear to God is what actually matters and that how you appear outwardly to others cannot overcome how you appear to God. This means that you should be focused on your deeds or works instead of being concerned with how you can appear faithful to others. This may not make much sense so allow me to explain it with an example.

So I am sure you probably know some people who you believe to be extremely faithful Christians because they are always the first to say that they will pray for you if something bad happens in your life. On the other hand I am sure you probably also know some Christians who would never say they will pray for you when something bad happens in your life. So my question for you now is who is the faithful Christian? Now you may be tempted to say that it is obviously the first person but this is because you are judging these two people by their outward appearances. Instead the answer is either neither or the second person. For instance the second person might follow how Jesus says to pray so that they pray for you even seven times in secret without telling you.

As Jesus says:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

The idea here is that Jesus is saying that if you pray to be seen by men so that they see you as righteous and faithful then God will not reward you because you have already received your reward of others seeing you as righteous. Thus the second person in my example could very well be hiding the fact that they are praying for you so that God answers their prayer and heals you. Of course on the other hand the person who always makes a point of telling you that they will pray for you or that they are praying for you would be one of the hypocrites that Jesus is speaking of in this passage. The point here is that their chief concern is not with your health and that instead their concern is with being seen as righteous and faithful by others. After all this is why they specifically tell you that they will pray for you because again they want you and those around you to see them as faithful and righteous. This is why I specifically noted that the first person in this example is not more faithful than the second person. Then of course it goes without saying that if this person does not actually pray for you then they are much worse than the person who tells you that they will pray for you and follows through with it. All that said my point here is that the person who says they will pray for you would be a good example of someone who has a reputation for being alive even though they are dead.

Now you might take offense at what I just said but I will take this line of reasoning even further. Based on what Jesus says in the above passage if you make a point of praying in front of others at all then you are an example of someone who appears alive even though you are dead inside. This would of course be infinitely more true if you never even pray by yourself in your own home in secret so that you only pray in front of others. Additionally concerning the topic of prayer the group who can most be said to have a reputation of being alive even though they are dead would be those who try to push for prayer in school. This is because Jesus explicitly says if you want to honor God with your prayers then you should pray in secret and not in public. Thus those who push for prayer in schools do not actually care about God and instead they only care about others in their social circle and in the general public seeing them as righteous and faithful. I mean is it not obvious that whoever pushes for prayer in school is a righteous person and that whoever argues against it even if they are Christian is a godless person? Of course you now know the correct answer so I do not need to tell you.

For another example on the subject of prayer consider someone who tells people that they will pray for them without actually doing anything to physically help them even though they have the ability to help them. For instance say a natural disaster happens so that now many people are homeless and in need. In response someone you know tells you that they have been praying for the disaster victims or they ask to lead a group prayer. But when you ask them what disaster fund they donated to they say they have not given anything and that you should not doubt the power of prayer. Just like with the previous examples the idea here is that this person has no interest in actually helping people and that instead they are only seeking to be seen as righteous and faithful by others. In other words this person would be a perfect example of someone who would have a reputation of being alive even though they are actually dead inside.

Now to move on from the topic of prayer consider the so-called Christian apologists who write books for Christians and overcharge for them so that they can make a profit. The idea here is that almost everyone views these so-called Christian apologists who write books for Christians about a variety of topics as the pinnacle of what it means to be faithful. I mean surely a person must be a committed Christian if they write books right? Well no sorry. You see by writing and selling books for a profit all these so-called Christian apologists demonstrate is that they have a career and that the work they do is literally no different than an atheist author writing about secular topics. This is because by writing a book and selling it for a profit so they can make money these people are literally doing the exact same thing as almost everyone else who writes books. Therefore just like with those who pray in public to be seen by others concerning those who write Christian books and make a profit Jesus would no doubt say “Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.” (Matthew 6:5) In terms of the topic at hand though this appearance of being a so-called exemplary person of faith by writing Christian books is why these so-called Christian apologists have the appearance of being alive. I mean who believes Christianity is true more than someone who has written and sells over twenty books on why Christianity is true right? Of course I am being sarcastic here in case it is not obvious. In reality all this person demonstrates is that they have a love of money instead of a love of God.

Then in terms of the “yet you are dead” (Revelation 3:1) part for this example really it is quite simple. For a faithful Christian the only purpose of writing a book is to provide spiritual nourishment and encouragement to their fellow brothers and sisters so that they are better informed. This is because encouraging someone in the faith so that they can overcome is more valuable than all the money in the world. If you disagree with this fact then just consider the gift of eternal life which is just one of the rewards for those who overcome. Are you really going to say that making ten dollars off an ebook is more important than even a one percent chance of someone reading a book you wrote and being so encouraged that they end up overcoming all so that they receive the gift of eternal life? If you say yes that making ten dollars off an ebook is more important than people actually reading your book and being helped by it then you are godless and of Satan. Yes, I am serious.

As Jesus says:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

This is why a faithful Christian would rather give away their book for free because their goal is not to make money like the so-called Christian apologists who sells ten dollar ebooks and instead their goal is to strengthen the faith of their fellow brothers and sisters. In other words by giving away their books for free the faithful Christians gain treasures in heaven while the so-called Christian apologists gain treasures on earth for selling their ten dollar ebooks. Then because of this where their hearts are should be obvious. This is why these so-called Christian apologists I am speaking about are evil. Then in terms of the topic at hand this is why these so-called Christian apologists are actually dead inside even though the vast majority of people believe that they epitome of what it means to be alive. Therefore ironically enough the people who are the so-called pillars of Christianity in the modern era are a perfect example of the type of person Jesus is talking about by saying “you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1)

Next consider an example with regards to what is probably the average Christian. So the average Christian goes through the motions of going to church during holidays for sure and maybe up to most Sundays throughout the year. Then outside of this they probably do not do much if anything. Now you may say that attending these church services is something but in reality it really does not mean anything. This is because living out our faith as Christians is not about identification but instead it is about the fruits of our faith or rather performing good deeds and abstaining from bad deeds. The idea here is that a Christian who goes to church every Sunday but never helps others is an example of someone who appears alive even though they are dead inside. For instance if you say you are a Christian and you go to church every Sunday but in your personal life you never help the poor then you would be dead inside. Likewise if you say you are a Christian but you exploit your employees in your business by paying them the so-called market rate, or rather as little as you can without them quitting even though they do not make enough to live on, all so that you can make more money then you would be dead inside despite the fact that you have never missed a Sunday service and everyone sees you as a pillar of your church. Therefore those who appear to be faithful on the outside but lack true faith on the inside due to their lack of good works or by performing bad works are another instance of what it means to appear alive while being dead.

Lastly for a final example that is quite different than the others presented so far consider a Christian who donates rather publicly to charities and relief funds. Surely they must be alive inside right? I mean have I not said that as Christians we should live our our faith by performing good works? Well you see it is rather complicated. This is because similar to the examples I gave previously with regards to praying what matters the most is not the action itself but the motivation behind the action. For instance someone who prays in public in front of others is not actually praying for the benefit of God and instead they are praying in public so that others will see them as righteous and faithful. The idea here is that they are after what some people would call social currency which is just a term used to describe how much accumulated good will a person has with others. Then the ultimate goal of accumulating this social currency would be for these people to increase their standing among those they associate with so that they are looked up to and respected.

Now this relates to someone who publicly donates to charities, relief funds and even those who volunteer their time because just like with someone praying in public those who do charitable acts in public on purpose are almost certainly doing these acts not out of genuine care for the cause but instead out of a desire to accumulate social currency. The idea here is that by publicly donating to good causes and making their generous donation known this type of person will be seen as a righteous person by their peers so that they will gain respect and influence. For instance consider very wealthy people making large public donations to charities. In this case they almost certainly care little about the actual cause and instead their goal is to improve their public image. Sure you can argue that good was done as a result of their desire but their real reason remains the same.

So my point with all this with respect to Christians is that if a Christian frequently donates publicly or brings up their good deeds to others then they are almost certainly doing so not out of a love of God and a love of their neighbor but instead out of a love of themselves. This is why Jesus actually says that whenever we perform righteous acts we should seek to hide them from others so that as few people as possible know.

As Jesus says:

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

Jesus’s point here is that when you give money to others publicly so that people can see your generosity then you are not really performing a good work because your motivation is purely selfish in that you seek recognition from others and status. On the other hand if you give to others in private so that as few people as possible know what you have done then you demonstrate that your true purpose with your donation is to help others which makes your deed a good work.

Now this relates to what Jesus says concerning “you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead” (Revelation 3:1) because those who donate to charity publicly and those who perform good deeds publicly in general are not actually performing good works and instead they are performing at best neutral works and at worst bad works because their real motivation is to increase their social currency and status. In other words Christians who do their good deeds for everyone to see may have a reputation for being alive due to their good deeds but on the inside they are dead because they did not perform their deeds out of a love for their neighbor but instead out of a love of themselves. Thus you could say they did the right acts for the wrong reasons and because of this fact they are really dead inside instead of alive.

Now at this point you may be rather confused so for a more general framework for what constitutes a good deed compared to a bad deed consider what Jesus says are the two greatest commandments.

As Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

My point here is that ultimately a good work is something that demonstrates a love of God or a love of your neighbor. On the other hand a bad work is something that demonstrates a disregard for God or a disregard for your neighbor. Thus the idea here is that a person’s motivations behind the work is what matters the most in terms if the work in question is good or bad. For instance in the above examples doing outwardly good deeds for inwardly bad reasons leads to a person demonstrating a disregard for God and their neighbor. In other words they demonstrate a love of themselves instead of a love of God and their neighbor because their real motivation for doing their seemingly good deeds is to increase their social standing and status. Therefore the idea here with all this is that whenever you do a deed to the benefit of God or your neighbor out of a love of God or a love of your neighbor then you have done a good deed. On the other hand if you do a deed to the benefit of God or your neighbor that also benefits yourself out of a love of yourself then you have not really done a good deed because the real purpose was loving yourself. Then of course if you do a seemingly good deed out of a love of yourself then other people will no doubt see you as alive or rather as a faithful Christian while in reality you would be dead inside or rather an unfaithful Christian because your real purpose was to benefit yourself and your actual motivation was out of a love for yourself.

Alright so now you can see what Jesus means by saying “you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1) Therefore we should all be mindful of our own inward spiritual health so that we do not become dead inside. Instead we should always seek to live out our faith by performing good works and by abstaining from bad works in order to demonstrate our love of God and our love of our neighbor. Only through doing this will we be seen as faithful in the eyes of Jesus and hence in the eyes of God since Jesus is the Christ. Furthermore you should always remember that not everyone who says they are a Christian while appearing faithful and righteous will be counted among the faithful. Instead only those who carry out the will of God will be counted among the faithful.

As Jesus says:

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:18-23)

Therefore always remember to live out your faith so that you are full of life on the inside instead of death as you love God and love your neighbor. As long as you do this then you will enter the eternal Kingdom of God.

(2) “Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.” – Jesus is telling those in the church in Sardis to wake up from near death so that they demonstrate their love of God and their neighbor through their deeds instead of continuing to perish. Therefore once again we should always be sure to demonstrate our love in our daily lives so that we are alive inside instead of dead.

(3) “Remember, then, what you have received and heard.” – Jesus calls on those in the church in Sardis to remember His teachings that they have heard about. Now this is actually highly relevant for us today because despite the fact that the Bible is such a ubiquitous book Jesus’s teachings are rather absent from the lives of most Christians so that it is like they are completely unaware. Therefore you should always make sure to live out your faith by following what Jesus has taught us. Lastly keep in mind I talk more about this subject later on in my part called Various Insights.

(3) “Keep it and repent.” – Jesus calls on those in the church in Sardis to follow His teachings and to repent for their lack of love and hence true faith. This is also an important message for us today because this means that it is never too late to repent of our sins. In other words even if you believe yourself to be completely dead inside based on what you have read so far it is not too late to change your dead ways so that you can be full of life on the inside. All you have to do to do this is to repent of your sins which simply means to ask God for forgiveness and to change your ways so that you demonstrate a true love of God and your neighbor.

(3) “If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.” – By saying He will come like a thief Jesus is saying that He will come at a time that is least expected. This is because because a thief watches for the best time to strike which is when everyone is either away or sleeping. Thus Jesus is saying that if those in the church in Sardis do not show the love and faith they used to have that He will punish them at a time they least expect. Now this may not make much sense because Jesus seems to be implying that when He returns He will punish those in the church in Sardis and thus the end of the age is in view here instead of a general warning. However the letters to the seven churches were written for the entire Church throughout all time and because of this fact you should not read this verse as being written specifically for those in the church in Sardis. Then because of this fact there are two meanings to takeaway from this verse.

The first is that this warning applies to all Christians on a personal level in the sense that if you never repent of your sins then at some point you will die in your sins and that since your death will probably come without much warning saying your death will come “like a thief” (Revelation 3:3) would be accurate. Then if you die in your sins of course Jesus will be the One to judge you on the day of judgment so in this case it would be accurate to say that Jesus would be the One coming up on you “like a thief” (Revelation 3:3) as this verse says. Therefore you should see this as a personal warning in the sense that you should always make sure you are prepared for Jesus to return.

Then the second meaning is that Jesus is referring to the entire Church as a whole so that He is implying that when He returns very few of those who call themselves Christians will be awake because they will have long since forgotten what it means to be a Christian. Thus in this case when Jesus returns He will return “like a thief” (Revelation 3:3) because most Christians will no longer be preparing for His return and instead they will be looking after their own lives and their own desires.

All that said the main point here is that we should always make sure that we persist in true faith and righteousness as we love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves so that we will be prepared for the day when Jesus finally returns. Sure we may not know when this day will come but as long as we are always ready for this day then Jesus will never surprise us so that He comes “like a thief” (Revelation 3:3) to us. We should all keep this in mind in our own lives.

(4) “But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments” – In this verse by saying “not soiled their garments” (Revelation 3:4) Jesus is talking about Christians who have been faithful. Then of course being faithful means demonstrating a true love of God and a love of your neighbor. The idea here is that a person’s garments or clothes are representative of their deeds so that if they have clean garments then they have a clean record of many good works while if they have soiled or dirty garments then they have a dirty record of many bad works and a lack of good works. Now the main takeaway here is that we should all once again try our best to persist in righteousness so that we do not soil our garments.

(4) “and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.” – White garments symbolize purity, wisdom, righteousness, victory, perfection and holiness. Thus the idea here is that the white garments mean that they will just like Jesus which is why Jesus says “they will walk with Me in white.” (Revelation 3:4) Next Jesus says “because they are worthy” (Revelation 3:4) in this verse because as I keep on saying we as Christians need to demonstrate our faith through performing good works and through abstaining from bad works. Therefore not everyone who calls themselves a Christian will be deemed worthy to walk with Jesus in white and instead only those who have demonstrated a true love of God and their neighbor will walk with Jesus in white.

(5) “Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white.” – First off again overcoming means overcoming the power of Satan and the beast in our world through remaining true to God and Jesus despite all the temptations and afflictions you may face. Next just like with those in the church in Sardis who did not soil their garments so that Jesus says they will walk with Him in white so too will all Christians who persist in true faith also walk with Jesus in white. Therefore as long as you love God and love your neighbor then you will be counted among the faithful and “dressed in white” (Revelation 3:5) as Jesus says.

(5) “And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.” – The reference to “the Book of Life” (Revelation 3:5) here is actually a reference to the registry that ancient Israel would use to record the names of all those who are Israelites when they were born. Additionally having your name in this registry would grant you the benefits that come with being an Israelite. Therefore the idea here with “the Book of Life” (Revelation 3:5) in this verse that the Book of Life is a list of all of the true Israelites or God’s people and having your name on this list grants you eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of God. Then by saying “I will never blot out his name” (Revelation 3:5) Jesus is saying that He will never deny you entrance into the enteral Kingdom of God if you have overcome the power of Satan and of the beast by remaining faithful to God through keeping the commandments to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Next by saying “I will confess his name before My Father and His angels” (Revelation 3:5) Jesus is saying that He will be our witness before God so that all of heaven will know of our name and our triumph in overcoming the power of Satan and the beast on earth.

Lastly is also important to point out that this is Jesus's Book of Life and that He is the One who controls the names written in it. This is why elsewhere in Revelation it is referred to as “the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) Thus of those who are alive today only faithful Christians will inherit the eternal Kingdom of God and enter the new Jerusalem. In other words all Muslims, so-called Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Pagans, Agnostics and others will face the second death in the Lake of Fire. Now you may protest this because you may falsely believe that all you need to do is to be a good person as most people see it. However this is not true because if someone does not love God then they are not a good person because they are violating the commandments.

As Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Therefore you cannot simply enter the eternal Kingdom of God through loving your neighbor as yourself because if all you do is love your neighbor while you do not love God then you will be in violation of what Jesus has commanded of us.

(6) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Again you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears to hear and you can only have spiritual ears if you belong to God.

2 – To the Church in Philadelphia

(7) To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.

(8) I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. (9) Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.

(10) Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (11) I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (12) The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.

(13) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2.1 – Commentary

(7) “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:” – Philadelphia was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was inland on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(7) “These are the words of the One who is holy and true,” – Jesus is holy and true because as the Christ He is God’s direct representative so that God is the One guiding Him.

As Jesus says:

“Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:19)

Therefore the point here is that Jesus is directly guided by God because “whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:19) Then because of this fact Jesus is “the One who is holy and true” (Revelation 3:7) just as this verse says since if God is guiding Jesus then Jesus can never fail and as the Christ He represents God which would include the holiness of God.

(7) “who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.” – First off this is a reference to the Book of Isaiah where God is saying how Eliakim is to replace Shebna in the position of governor of the palace under king Hezekiah.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Isaiah 22:20-22)

The reference to “the key to the house of David” (Isaiah 22:22) in this passage just means that Eliakim will be given the position of the governor of the palace or king Hezekiah’s household. Therefore this would mean that Eliakim would be king Hezekiah’s highest ranking officer in the government and because of this he would be second in command. The idea here is that as the chief officer in the government Eliakim would be able to control access to the king or the house of David so that if he decides someone does not get an audience with the king then they do not get an audience with the king. Next the passage goes on to say that “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22) because as king Hezekiah’s chief officer Eliakim would be wielding the king’s authority on his behalf as he carries out his office of being the governor of the palace. The idea here is that as long as Eliakim is faithful to the king in using the king’s authority then no one can reverse or counteract what he commands. In other words all “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22) means is that whatever Eliakim decides or does cannot be reversed or opposed because he receives his authority from the king.

Alright so now about how this passage relates to the verse from Revelation that this comment is on. In terms of “who holds the key of David” (Revelation 3:7) there are two meanings. But before I explain them you should be aware that David was a king of ancient Israel who found favor with God due to how faithful he was to God and as a result God promised David that he would always have a son on his throne. Now for the two explanations of the verse.

The first meaning is that Jesus is the One who controls access to God’s household similar to how Eliakim controlled access to Hezekiah’s household. The idea here is that the house of David is being used as a metaphor for the house of God since David found favor with God so that God blessed his house and made his throne to be everlasting. This may not make sense but obviously it goes without saying that there has been no earthly king from the house of David for a very long time. Thus in order for David’s house to survive it had to transition from an earthly house to a heavenly house. Therefore this is why the house of David is being used as a metaphor for the house of God in this first meaning. Next in terms of the second meaning by holding “the key of David” (Revelation 3:7) this verse is probably also saying that Jesus is the heir to David’s throne. The idea here is that the key is a metaphor for being given access and control to David’s household just like before. This second meaning would make sense given that the promised Messiah is supposed to be an heir of David so that He sits as King over Israel forever and of course Jesus is the heir of David and King of Israel. That said really both meanings are almost certainly in view here.

Next the meaning of “What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7) with respect to the passage from the Book of Isaiah is quite simple. Just like with what I said with regards to the Isaiah passage all this means is that no one can reverse or counteract what Jesus says or does because He has been given His power and authority by the King or God. Thus in terms of this verse being a reference to the Isaiah passage above the idea here is that just as Eliakim stood watch over king Hezekiah’s household and acted with the king’s authority so too does Jesus stand watch over God’s household and act with God’s authority. This of course should make sense because as I have said many times already Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out His will. Therefore the main message here is that Jesus is all powerful so that no one will ever reverse or counteract what He does. Now you may say that God can but the whole idea of the Christ is that the Christ perfectly carries out the will of God. This means that God will never reverse or counteract what Jesus does because everything that Jesus does is the will of God.

Lastly in terms of what we should get out of this verse really all this verse means is that whatever Jesus promises us will be fulfilled so that nothing will ever reverse or counteract what Jesus says or does. This means that you should never put your faith in the coming beast over Jesus because even the might of the beast is nothing compared to the power of Jesus. Therefore always place your faith, trust and hope in God through Jesus because there is no other power that can provide you with salvation.

(8) “I know your deeds.” – Once again Jesus can see inside all of us and He is aware of all that we do and all that we are. Therefore you should never believe that Jesus has forgotten about you and that He cannot see what you are going through.

(8) “See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.” – The open door Jesus has placed before us is the path to salvation and eternal life through faith in Him. Then the reason why Jesus says that “no one can shut” (Revelation 3:8) this door is because again Jesus is the Christ or the one whom God has given His power and authority to and since no one can counteract God no one can counteract Jesus. Furthermore this is also a reference to the previous verse where Jesus says “What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7) Therefore no one can close off the path to salvation through Jesus to you. This means that you should never worry about it being too late to repent of your sins and change your ways because Jesus is always waiting for you. Lastly it does not matter how alone you feel due to a lack of fellow believers around you since Jesus is always there standing at the door for you.

(8) “For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.” – Even though the members of the church in Philadelphia were few in number and suffered hardships like persecution they still held on to their faith in Jesus. This means that they did not apostatize by denying Jesus’s name and they kept His word by keeping His commandments. Then remember that Jesus’s two commandments for us are to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourself. Therefore we should look towards the church in Philadelphia as an example so that we continue to keep Jesus’s work and not deny His name until He finally returns.

(9) “Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” – Once again those who claim to be Jews but deny Jesus as the Christ are not Jews. Instead they are liars because by falsely claiming to Jews when they are not they are actually lying. Furthermore the so-called Jews also do the work of Satan because Satan does not want people to believe in Jesus since faith in Jesus is the only path to salvation.

As Jesus says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7)

Next this is the second reference to “those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) The first reference is from the previous chapter as you doubt remember.

As Revelation says:

“And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9)

Therefore you should not take these as isolated references to the so-called Jews as being only representative of some atypical so-called Jewish groups in the first century AD. Instead the point Jesus Himself is making here is that all so-called Jews are liars and not Jews. Instead Jesus is saying they are part of the synagogue of Satan because they have rejected God by rejecting Him as the Christ.

Therefore Christians today should not view so-called Jews as our brothers and sisters because as Jesus says they are not of God but of Satan. This may seem like a harsh statement to make but countless Christians in the past died to uphold their faith. For instance one woman with an infant in the first century AD was arrested for failing to honor the Roman idols. She was put into one cell and her baby was put into another cell. The authorities told her that if she honored their idols then she would be let go and she could feed her baby. However instead of denouncing God by honoring idols she listened to her baby cry in the next cell over. Her baby cried until the cries turned into screams. Then screams turned into silence. Even though her baby died she refused to give into the authorities as she held to her faith in Jesus above even the life of her child. This may seem strange to you but you need to understand that as a Christian your faith should be more important than anything and everything else in your life.

As Jesus says:

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

Therefore this means that you should not value anything else in your life above your faith. So how does this relate to the so-called Jews? Well you see when you falsely call a so-called Jew a Jew or an Israelite then you are actually giving Satan himself claim over Israel and what it means to be a Jew because the so-called Jews are “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) as Jesus says. In other words this means that you are in effect saying that those of “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) are part of the people of God. Now I do not have to tell you how blasphemous this is since obviously Satan and those who are like Satan are not part of God’s people. As a result of this you should not call the so-called Jews Jews and you should not associate Israel with them in any form. Instead Christians are the true Jews and the Church is the true Israel.

But what about the references to the Jews and Israel elsewhere in the New Testament? Well it is as I said before. All of the Jews who had not heard about Jesus became so-called Jews after God used the Romans to destroy His Second Temple in Jerusalem during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War because the destruction of the Second Temple was such a clear sign of Jesus’s authority as the Christ. Then since the gospels are based on oral tradition that predates 70 AD this is why they refer to Jews as Jews since again not everyone knew about Jesus. I only call the scribes and the Pharisees so-called Jews because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ they cease to be Jews anymore and really almost one-hundred percent of the Jews in Jesus’s day became so-called Jews in 70 AD so the label so-called Jews would be accurate.

Alright so what if you feel like you cannot rightly call the so-called Jews the so-called Jews? I mean what about the Holocaust? Then should we not seek to be respectful? Well was the woman in the above story I gave respectful to the Roman idols and the Roman authorities? Of course not and she was even willing to let her baby die than give respect to the Roman idols and the Roman authorities. Therefore you should be willing to do the same. This means that you should not give the so-called Jews claim on Israel and what it means to be a Jew because they are of Satan. Or do you really believe that honoring Satan by respecting the so-called Jews is more important than being faithful to God through Jesus? Therefore even in terms of the Holocaust it does not matter and it is irrelevant. That said once you read my part called Fulfilled Prophecy then the Holocaust will make more sense to you so that you will no longer ask why God so-called let it happen.

Thus the so-called Jews are literally evil and of Satan so you should not respect their false claims on our heritage as Christians. If you feel that you cannot speak the truth to uphold your faith because you feel others might call you names then what does that say about your faith? So therefore if you still refuse to call “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and call a so-called Jew a so-called Jew who is a liar then I would say that you have picked the wrong side because in the end Satan will lose.

Now no doubt if you heed what Revelation and I say with regards to the so-called Jews then you will have people who call you antisemitic, a bigot or any number of words in an attempt to discredit you. However I just want to tell you that you should not care what people say to you as you serve as a faithful witness of God and of Christ.

As Jesus says:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

Therefore instead of being hurt or getting upset when someone calls you antisemitic you should be happy because you are being insulted for Jesus’s sake. Remember Jesus is the King of the Jews and the King of Israel so by attacking you as a faithful Jew and a faithful Israelite who seeks to point out the liars who are not Jews and not Israelites the person calling you antisemitic is actually insulting you because you follow the King of the Jews and the King of Israel. Then as a result of being insulted and persecuted for the sake of the King of the Jews and the King of Israel “great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12) because by enduring through persecution without giving in you demonstrate your great faith.

Furthermore you should also feel proud when someone calls you antisemitic because they are recognizing that you stand opposed to “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) or the so-called Jews. Thus whenever someone tells you that you just hate the so-called Jews you should really take them as saying you just hate Satan because the so-called Jews are basically the same exact type of evil as Satan. The idea here is that if someone telling you that you just hate Satan would not even phase you or better yet make you laugh because the person telling you that you just hate Satan would obviously be in favor of Satan then so too should someone calling you antisemitic not phase you or better yet make you laugh. Therefore whenever someone calls you antisemitic or something similar there is no need to take them seriously because by allying with “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) they are not just opposed to the King of the Jews and the King of Israel but they are actually allied with Satan. So if this ever happens to you then just smile and laugh as you tell them that you will always stand opposed to “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and that there is nothing they can do to stop you.

(9) “I will make them come and bow down at your feet” – Bowing down at someones feet is a metaphor for being utterly powerless, humiliated before and having reverence for the one whose feet the person is prostrated before. Therefore the idea here is that when Jesus finally returns the so-called Jews will be completely powerless and subjugated before us as Christians so that all they can do is bow down at our feet. Then of course as the so-called Jews are bowed down at our feet they will look up at us with humility and reverence instead of apathy or scorn.

Now you may say that this verse implies that the so-called Jews will enter the eternal Kingdom of God in some form and that perhaps they will be forever prostrated before us as Christians. However this is not correct. Instead this verse is just metaphorical and all it means is that there will come a time when the so-called Jews will recognize that God and Christ love us Christians and that we are the true Jews. So sure they will be powerless and prostrated before us because we are God’s people and they are not at some point but this verse does not say how long this will last for. Then given the imagery surrounding the new Jerusalem and how only faithful Christians will enter it and hence enter the eternal Kingdom of God this would then mean that no the so-called Jews will not enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore if you want to see a more literal fulfillment of this verse then I would look towards the time in which the resurrection of the dead happens where the righteous and the unrighteous are all resurrected and judged. Thus idea here is that the so-called Jews will be powerless before us as Christians before they are thrown into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. Then of course before they are thrown into the Lake of Fire they will recognize the error of their ways and seek to pay respect to us Christians who have faithfully carried on the legacy of Abraham and Israel.

Lastly this verse along with “every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7) are the two reasons why God has not wiped the so-called Jews out completely yet. The point here is that God wants to wait to collectively punish the so-called Jews for the blood they have on their hands from killing Jesus until the time comes for Jesus to return so that Jesus can bear witness against them as “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) that they are.

(9) “and they will know that I love you.” – Before the so-called Jews are cast into the Lake of Fire they will know that Jesus, and hence God since Jesus is the Christ, loves us Christians or the true Jews. Then because of this fact they will know that God is on our side and that He is not on their side. Next it is important to point out that God does not love the so-called Jews. This is because the so-called Jews are “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) which simply means that they are in rebellion against God through rejecting Jesus as the Christ. But does God hate the so-called Jews? Well if you believe that God hates Satan then God hates the so-called Jews because the so-called Jews are “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) as Jesus says.

Next as you witness to so-called Jews you should keep all this in mind. Do not be afraid to speak the truth to them. If you care more about societal expectations and pleasing the so-called Jews or the others you witness to over telling them the truth then you should feel ashamed. Many Christians have faced death while being persecuted for their beliefs so why should you purposefully fail to be a faithful witness of God and of Christ? So for example if you are asked if so-called Jews go to heaven you should simply say no.

As Jesus says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Then as Jesus also says:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

Jesus did not die for everyone, including the unfaithful, to enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Instead He died so that those faithful to Him would be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Thus by answering the above question with a yes and saying that so-called Jews are saved you would be denying the name of Jesus. The same name that many Christians have died to uphold.

As Revelation says:

“Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” (Revelation 2:13)

Then of course the same question and response applies to all other religions and everyone else who is not a true Israelite or a Christian. It may seem like I am picking on the so-called Jews specifically here but this is only because this verse in Revelation concerns the so-called Jews and many if not most people falsely believe that the so-called Jews will receive salvation.

Next always remember that although people may call you antisemitic, claim you are hateful, seek to silence you and other such things you should not be concerned because Jesus loves you and only His love matters. Therefore do not let the hate of “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and their allies hide the fact that if you are a faithful Christian then Jesus loves you and because of this fact you should not care what anyone says to you. Then all Christians should look forward to the time when we are finally recognized as God’s people before God Himself. Jesus loves all of us and we should never forget that. So persist in faith as you love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself until the end comes. Do not deny the name of Jesus for any reason.

Lastly there are some people who falsely believe that the references to “those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead” (Revelation 3:9) in Revelation do not actually refer to the so-called Jews. Instead they claim that “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) refers to Christians who claim to be Jews. However this cannot be the case because in this reference to the so-called Jews here in Revelation 3 Jesus says “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9) The idea here is that by saying “they will know that I love you” (Revelation 3:9) Jesus is saying that those who he is talking about, “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) in the verse, have rejected Him as the Christ and that the Christians in the church of Philadelphia, and probably Smyrna as well, are in some kind of conflict with “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) over who is a Jew and who is not. In other words the so-called Jews are probably telling the true Jews or the Christians in the church in Philadelphia that they are not Jews because they accept Jesus as the Christ and that instead they, the so-called Jews, are real Jews. This would then be why Jesus goes on to call them those “who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) Jesus’s point here is that He is the Jewish Messiah and because of this anyone who rejects Him as the Jewish Messiah cannot be Jewish and if they claim to be a Jew while rejecting Him as the Jewish Messiah then they are simply a liar who falsely claims to be a Jew. Furthermore Jesus is the Christ and because He represents God anyone who rejects Him is also rejecting God and someone cannot be a Jew if they reject God. Therefore Jesus is just saying the so-called Jews are wrong and that they are not Jews because they reject Him.

Then once again by saying “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you” (Revelation 3:9) Jesus is comforting us Christians, as the true Jews, by saying that He loves us instead. Now this may not seem like that much of a comfort since it is obvious but the idea here is that Jesus is the Christ and because of this really you should read this as Jesus saying they will know that God loves you. This would then of course imply that the so-called Jews do not have the love of God. Although really as I said before by calling the so-called Jews “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) it is perfectly clear that God does not love the so-called Jews.

Therefore it is clear that Jesus is referring to the so-called Jews and not anyone else. If you disagree with this then reread my comment in the previous chapter on Revelation 2:9 since I went into further detail as to why Christians are the true Israelites. Then as I said before I also go into this fact more in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy and after you finish this part you will either agree with me or reject the Gospels and the Books of the Law of Moses because everything points to the so-called Jews being “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) just as Jesus says they are.

(10) “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” – Before discussing what this verse means it would be helpful to discuss what it does not mean since many if not most people misunderstand it. For instance many people use this verse to support a pre-tribulation so-called rapture so therefore I will first demonstrate that a pre-tribulation so-called rapture cannot be in view here because based on what Revelation says there will most definitely not be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture. Then after this I explain why I am basically certain that there will actually not be any kind of so-called rapture at least according to the popular conception of what people imagine the so-called rapture to be. Finally after this I explain what exactly this verse means and what we should get out of it.

Alright so so first off as I just said it is impossible for this verse to refer to a pre-tribulation so-called rapture because according to the rest of Revelation there will definitely not be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture. Before I explain why this is the case you may be wondering what I mean by pre-tribulation and so-called rapture. To start with as I have already stated the word translated as tribulation is thlipsis (θλῖψις) which should more accurately understood as internal pressure that causes you to feel restricted, constricted and without options. The point here is that thlipsis (θλῖψις) more centers on internal pressure you are facing rather than external pressure and because of this you should not see thlipsis (θλῖψις) as solely referring to persecution as we would see it today. Instead if you want a single word definition you should see thlipsis (θλῖψις) as referring to temptation in the sense that you feel intense internal conflict and pressure as you desperately try to remain faithful to God in the face of such great temptation. Now you may doubt what I just said concerning what tribulation actually means but this is why Jesus says “I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10) in the verse this comment is on. In this verse the word translated as testing is better understood as temptation or trial then likewise the word translated as test is better understood as tempt or test. Thus my point here is that you should not see thlipsis (θλῖψις), or the word frequently translated as tribulation, as referring to senseless violent persecution or natural disasters and instead you should see it as referring to internal temptation and trial.

Alright so now it would be helpful to talk about what the tribulation refers to now that you know what tribulation actually means. Essentially for most people the tribulation or the great tribulation refers to the period in which the beast reigns over the world before Jesus returns to destroy it. The reason why this period would be called the tribulation or the great tribulation is because the level of temptation and testing Christians will receive will be beyond anything that has ever been seen before. The idea here is that this period of temptation and testing will be so great that even if you consider yourself a faithful Christian to the core then there will be a good chance that you will fail the test by falling into temptation as you worship the beast by putting your hope, trust and faith in it. This may be hard to believe so remember what Jesus says.

As Jesus says:

“For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:21-25)

Thus as I have said before the beast will “perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:24) The idea here is that the beast will seemingly be able to work so-called miracles that the whole world will take as a sign that the beast is the so-called messiah or savior of humanity. Now I talk more about what these so-called miracles will be later on in my commentary on Revelation 13 but for now think of them along the lines of curing all diseases so that no one dies of any illnesses or suffers by them anymore and creating an anti-aging treatment that can not only make someone biologically immortal so that they never age but can even turn back the clock so that a fifty year old can be twenty-five again. Obviously there will be many more “great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24) and I talk about them later however my point here is that these “great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24) that the beast preforms will seem truly great. Then because of this fact this is why the tribulation is also called the great tribulation because again the idea here is that the level of temptation and testing that Christians will face will truly be far greater than anything in history. Then of course you can see how tempting it would be to place your trust, hope and faith in something that cures all diseases and offers you biological immortality. Therefore this is why many people see the climax of the tribulation or the great tribulation as referring to the period in which the beast reigns over the earth.

That said it is also possible to see the tribulation as referring to a period from the first century AD all the way up until when Jesus returns to destroy the beast. The idea here is that since the word thlipsis (θλῖψις) refers to internal pressure, testing and temptation really all Christians throughout all time have faced the tribulation because all have faced internal pressure, testing and temptation. This may not make much sense but later on in Revelation there is “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9) who have “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) so therefore it is best to see the tribulation as lasting from the first century AD to when Jesus will return to destroy the beast. Now you may say that this means that this multitude was obviously taken up to heaven in the rapture but this is not the case. This is because based on what Revelation 11 says and what Revelation 13 says the Church will become the church of Satan as it is taken over by the so-called Christians that worship the beast. This is why once the two witnesses are killed, or the last of God’s faithful who speak against the beast, “those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.” (Revelation 11:10) Thus the idea here is that once the beast rules over the world there will be very few faithful Christians on earth. This is then why 144,000 are sealed in Revelation 7 because the idea is that the current number of faithful Christians who are alive during the climax of the great tribulation pales in comparison to all the faithful Christians who have come before. Therefore because of all this the only way there can be “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) who have “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) is if the great tribulation refers to the period of time from the first century AD all the way up to when Jesus returns to destroy the beast. Then of course this does not take away from the time in which the beast reigns over the world since the reign of the beast would then simply be the climax of the tribulation where the level of temptation reaches its peak.

So now that you know what the tribulation or the great tribulation refers to the pre in pre-tribulation would then simply refer to before what most people see as the great tribulation or rather before the beast begins to reign over the earth and leads Christians into temptation. Then the other two terms to be aware of with regards to the tribulation are mid and post which are part of mid-tribulation and post-tribulation respectively. The meaning of these terms should be obvious but if they are not then mid-tribulation refers to the middle of the tribulation and post-tribulation refers to after the tribulation is over.

The next important word to understand in the term per-tribulation rapture would of course be rapture. So the popular conception of the so-called rapture refers to faithful Christians being taken up into heaven by God or Jesus from the earth so that instead of suffering on earth the faithful Christians are in heaven with God. I say popular conception here because not only is the word rapture not even in the Bible but there is nothing in the entire Bible that definitely refers to what most people call the so-called rapture. Sure you can see the so-called rapture in the Gospels and Revelation if you first assume the rapture is true just like how you can see the false doctrine of the trinity in the Bible if you first assume the false doctrine of the trinity is true. However when you look at the actual so-called references to the so-called rapture it is clear they do not actually refer to the rapture. Of course I talk about this more towards the end of this comment. That said for now it is fine to assume that the so-called rapture is true and that the faithful will most definitely be taken up to heaven at some point if you insist. Therefore now the question is when will the so-called rapture happen exactly? Well as you will soon see if you wish to subscribe to the so-called rapture then the only option is for a post-tribulation so-called rapture. This is of course due to what Revelation actually says with regards to what faithful Christians must go through before Jesus returns.

First off as Revelation says:

“After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)

Then in terms of the identity of this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) Revelation later goes on to explain who they are.

As Revelation says:

“These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)

The point here with these two verse is that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) are those “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) on earth. This then means that a pre-tribulation so-called rapture is by definition not possible because as Revelation says these faithful Christians “have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) instead of saying that they have come out before the great tribulation. In other words if you wish to believe in a so-called rapture then it cannot take place before the great tribulation.

Now as a counter point to this you may say that only a subset of Christians who have demonstrated their great faith will be taken by Jesus in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture. However this point is also wrong on the basis that Revelation calls faithful Christians who are living on earth through the reign of the beast on earth saints. Although I later demonstrate why all faithful Christians, even the living, are saints for now just accept the fact that all faithful Christians both living and dead are saints.

Next as Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

First off I would like to point out that in order for the beast “to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) there would need to be faithful Christians on earth who God knows are faithful which is why they are called saints. This fact demonstrates two points. The first is that obviously there will be faithful Christians still on earth when the beast reigns over all the nations. This then means that a pre-tribulation so-called rapture of all faithful Christians will not happen and you cannot argue against this. Then in terms of the second point sure you can claim that a subset of Christians will be taken up into heaven by Jesus in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture but really your claim becomes nonsensical given the fact that Revelation calls the Christians that the beast wages war against “the saints” (Revelation 13:7) in this passage. This is because by calling these faithful Christians saints before the beast is to wage war against them Revelation is already saying that they are without any doubt true and faithful Christians who will inherit the eternal Kingdom of God. Thus my question to you would be that if all the true and faithful Christians or saints will be taken up to heaven in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture in your view then who are these saints that the beast wages war against? Therefore obviously to claim that only a subset of Christians who are true and faithful will be taken up in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture is nonsensical and flat out wrong based on this passage.

Next as Revelation says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear:

‘If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.’

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:9-10)

First off this passage says “he who has an ear, let him hear” (Revelation 13:9) because just like with what I said with regards to “He who has an ear let him hear” (Revelation 3:6) with respect to the letters to the seven the churches the idea here is that only those who have spiritual ears to hear will be able to understand the message and of course only faithful Christians have spiritual ears. Then this passage says “if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed” (Revelation 13:10) because the point here is that faithful Christians who are living through the reign of the beast need to be prepared to die in the sense that if God has determined “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) that you are to be killed then you will be killed at the appointed time. This fact is then why this passages calls “for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10) The idea here is that even the saints or those who are true and faithful Christians need to be prepared to face being killed before Jesus returns to destroy the beast. In other words the saints will once again not be saved in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture so that they do not have to suffer and face the prospect of death.

Alright so now in response to this you might try to claim that all the true and faithful Christians or the saints will be taken up into heaven by Jesus in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture and that some of those who are left on earth will repent of their sins so that they become saints during the great tribulation and after the pre-tribulation so-called rapture. Now of course this is obviously wrong and I say this because when Jesus returns the faithful will be rewarded and the wicked will be punished.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:42-51)

Therefore you can clearly see that when the master in this parable returns that he will reward his faithful servants and punish his wicked servants. Then obviously Jesus is telling this parable about Himself and because of this fact when Jesus returns He will reward the faithful or the saints while also punishing the wicked all at once. Then because of this fact there will not be two different groups of saints so that one group is harvested in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture while another group is taken later because Jesus is not going to return twice.

In response to this you might then say that Jesus will not return during the pre-tribulation so-called rapture so that the saints or the true and faithful Christians are still taken up to heaven in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture and that Jesus will return later. However there are two problems with this. The first is that the reason why Jesus stresses that Christians need to “keep watch” (Matthew 24:42) is because the whole idea is that no one knows when Jesus will return except for God Himself.

As Jesus says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36)

Thus the whole idea here is that the world will continue on as normal so that no one has any reason to believe that Jesus will return soon until the time comes for Jesus to actually return. Therefore to say that millions of faithful Christians are just going to disappear one day and that it is still possible to repent and be saved after this happens is just nonsensical. Again the reason why Jesus stresses that Christians need to “keep watch” (Matthew 24:42) is because there will be no supernatural warnings or signs before Jesus returns. This is then why Jesus says that when He returns “all the tribes of the earth will mourn.” (Matthew 24:30)

As Jesus says:

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31)

The idea here is that once Jesus returns to “gather His elect” (Matthew 24:31) or what people commonly call the so-called rapture then it will be clear to everyone else who is not a faithful Christian that they were wrong. Then because of the fact that they were wrong and that since the harvest has already taken place it is too late to come to faith and repent in order to be saved. In other words this means that there will not be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture where some of the faithful are harvested and the rest are harvested later. Instead all of the saints will have to wait until the end or die on earth.

This passage then leads to the second reason why it is nonsensical to claim that there will be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture where the faithful are taken and where Jesus will also return later on to take the rest of the faithful. This is because the above passages would be a clear reference to the so-called rapture, assuming the so-called rapture is real, since the passage says “they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:31) My point here is that this gathering will only take place once Jesus returns and not before so therefore as a result you cannot claim there will be two periods where the faithful are gathered because the Bible only speaks about a single period where the faithful will be gathered.

Next as Revelation says:

“And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, ‘Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.’

‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’

And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, ‘Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.’ So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, ‘Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.’

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.” (Revelation 14:13-19)

In this passage both the harvest of the faithful or the so-called rapture and the harvest of the wicked take place at the same time. Now you might dispute this and claim that all this passage shows is that the harvest of the faithful takes place before the harvest of the wicked but this is not true. This is because the metaphor used is that of a grape harvest where the good grapes are harvested by Jesus to be saved because they are good for eating while the bad grapes are crushed in “the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) because they are bad grapes that are not good for eating. In other words there is a singular harvest where the faithful and the wicked are harvested together and separated. Therefore because of this fact once again there will not be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture.

Alright so based on what I have quoted and said already faithful Christians will obviously have to live under the rule of the beast as it reigns over the world and because of this fact there is zero reason to believe that there will be a pre-tribulation so-called rapture where faithful Christians will be saved from the beast.

Again as Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

Alright so now that a pre-tribulation so-called rapture is out what about the others? For instance will a mid-tribulation so-called rapture happen? Well in short no. First off with regards to a mid-tribulation so-called rapture almost everyone who subscribes to such a belief divides the tribulation into two forty-two month or three and a half year periods. They believe that the first forty-two month period is when the two witnesses provide their testimony which ends with the rise of the beast and that the second forty-two month period begins with the rise of the beast and ends when Jesus returns to destroy it. Thus their idea is that the tribulation will last for seven years. Then in terms of the whole mid-tribulation so-called rapture they then believe that since the time between the two forty-two month periods in the seven year tribulation is the center point or middle of the tribulation that this would then be when the mid-tribulation so-called rapture would happen. In other words they believe that the mid-tribulation so-called rapture would happen around the time the beast comes to rule over the world.

Now obviously there are significant problems with the belief in a mid-tribulation so-called rapture. The first is that this belief is contrary to the previous passages I quoted from which demonstrate that a pre-tribulation so-called rapture will not happen. For instance the passages from Revelation 13 which talk about how the beast will “wage war against the saints” (Revelation 13:17) would obviously also refute a mid-tribulation so-called rapture because if all the faithful Christians or the saints are to be taken up to heaven from the earth at the time when the beast emerges and begins to reign over the earth then how can the beast wage war against the saints so that it conquers them? Now you could attempt to resolve this by pushing back the mid-tribulation so-called rapture so that it happens a while after the beast begins to reign over the earth so that the beast fully conquers the saints. However the problem here is that what I said with regards to how the faithful and wicked will be rewarded and punished or rather harvested at the same time also applies. This means that just like how having two harvests is nonsensical with regards to a pre-tribulation so-called rapture so too is having two harvests nonsensical with regards to a mid-tribulation so-called rapture. Furthermore Jesus will only return once to harvest the faithful and He will not return twice. Now you may dispute this by saying that the mid-tribulation so-called rapture is the final harvest where Jesus returns to harvest or rapture the faithful. However the problem here is that when Jesus returns He is also supposed to destroy the beast and usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore in order for a mid-tribulation so-called rapture to be true logically speaking there would need to be two different times when Jesus returns so that there is one where He harvests the faithful and another where He destroys the beast. Then obviously this is not true because as Revelation 14 demonstrates the faithful will be harvested to be saved at the same time the wicked will be harvested to be destroyed. Thus really a mid-tribulation so-called rapture is just as nonsensical as a pre-tribulation so-called rapture.

This then leaves one option left and that option is a post-tribulation so-called rapture. According to this view Jesus will take all the faithful Christians who are on earth up to heaven when He returns to destroy the beast. Now there is actually a huge problem with this view because there is no such thing as a so-called afterlife for Christians called heaven. Yes, that is right because the popular conception of heaven does not exist. Now before you get upset at me the view that the authors of the New Testament had and that Revelation presents is the idea of the new heavens and the new earth. In this idea the so-called afterlife does not exist and instead all the faithful are resurrected so that they are living in their physical body just as they were before they died in the new earth which is just a renewed physical creation. Thus there is no so-called afterlife and instead it is more like a continuation of life. Sure this continuation is renewed and made perfect as the faithful rule over all the new nations that God will create but it is still a continuation of what we have currently. Then yes I realize you may take issue with all this but just accept it as true for now because now is not the time to talk about the new Jerusalem in the new heavens and the new earth. Instead I talk about all this later on in this commentary. So like I just said accept what I have just said as true for the time being.

Now the reason why I say that the nonexistence of the popular conception of heaven is a problem for a post-tribulation so-called rapture is because the entire purpose of Jesus’s return is to destroy the beast and usher in the eternal Kingdom of God on earth. This would then make a post-tribulation so-called rapture completely and utterly nonsensical because then the faithful would be taken up to heaven by Jesus in the so-called rapture then immediately returned to earth so that those who were martyred and those who resisted the beast can reign “with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4) Think about it like throwing a party for your friend at your house where once your friend arrives they take you to their house then you immediately come back to your house because that is where the party is. This is why a post-tribulation so-called rapture at least according to the popular conception of the so-called rapture is completely nonsensical. Furthermore I would also like to point out that although Revelation speaks of a harvest of the earth it does not say when those harvested are supposed to return to the earth. Thus although you can see the so-called rapture in Revelation if you first assume the rapture is true you have to insert the return yourself because like I just said Revelation does not talk about it. But why does Revelation not talk about it? Well Revelation does not talk about it because harvest does not mean so-called rapture. Instead by harvest Revelation is talking about dying on earth as you will soon see.

But before I get into what Revelation says about the harvest and what it actually means first it would be helpful to go over the other two main passages people use to support the idea of a so-called rapture.

As Paul wrote:

“By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

This is of course the principle passage those who believe in a so-called rapture hold to and you may even believe that it must clearly refer to the so-called rapture. However this is not the case at all. Now before I explain what Paul is actually talking about in this passage it is important to point out that if you take this passage to mean the so-called rapture then it is actually in contradiction with what Revelation says. This is because in the above passage Paul says “the dead in Christ will be the first to rise” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and “And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in the same passage. The idea here is that by saying these two things Paul clearly has in mind the resurrection of the dead and the eternal Kingdom of God. Then because of both the resurrection of the dead and the beginning of the eternal Kingdom of God are in view this would then mean that Paul’s passage would then have to match up with the part of Revelation that talks about the resurrection of the dead and the eternal Kingdom of God.

As Revelation says:

“Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6)

In this passage from Revelation clearly both the resurrection and the beginning of the eternal Kingdom of God are in view here. So how does this contradict with what Paul wrote in First Thessalonians? Well you see the above passage from Revelation 20 does not mention the so-called rapture or “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) as Paul puts it. Then if you have been paying attention Jesus is to harvest the earth which is what the so-called rapture would be when He returns and that it is not supposed to happen after the resurrection of the dead. Therefore this means that if you wish to see the so-called rapture in First Thessalonians then what Paul wrote is clearly contradictory with what Revelation says. Again according to Revelation the so-called rapture happens before the resurrection while according to Paul the so-called rapture happens after the resurrection. Thus my point here is that you now have two options. The first is to say that the Bible is in error since there is a contradiction so that either Paul is right or Revelation is right. Then the second option is to say that Paul must then not be talking about the so-called rapture. Now of course both options are actually true since the Bible is not inerrant and Paul is not talking about the so-called rapture.

So what then is Paul talking about since how can “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) be anything except the so-called rapture? Well to make this make sense you first need to understand a custom from the ancient world. In the ancient world oftentimes rulers and other important people would travel around the area that they ruled so that they would go to visit a specific city. Then since rulers were typically wealthy and they did not want to travel while sleeping on the ground and under the sky they would travel with a large support staff combined with other dignitaries and their advisors who would help them. Then because of this fact this large traveling party would be quite slow in comparison to how fast a small group of men traveling light on horseback could travel. This would then mean that messengers could notify a city the ruler was to travel to well in advance of the ruler actually arriving which gave the city time to prepare a reception for them.

Alright so now in terms of the ancient custom. Well just like with how it is common for people today to greet their guests at the airport before taking them home so too was it common for the officials of a city to greet an important guest outside the city so that they escort them into the city in a welcome procession. The idea here is that by traveling outside the city the city officials are extending a personal invitation to enter the city as they show deference to the traveling ruler by going themselves. This may not make sense but in the ancient world showing respect to those over you was considered of the utmost importance. Thus if you were a governor of a city and a king or emperor was going to visit you, in order to show proper respect you would greet them a ways outside of your city to show that you consider their visit to you to be the singular most important thing that is happening today.

This fact is then evidence in the word that is translated as meet in the above passage from Paul. The word is apantésis (ἀπάντησις) which is more of a specific word that means to meet a newly arrived official in the manner that I have described. Now you may doubt this meaning so consider the two other times this word is used in the New Testament.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” (Matthew 25:6)

First off the word translated as meet here is of course apantésis (ἀπάντησις) and it has the same meaning that I have provided. This is because in the parable in question Jesus is talking about ten virgins going outside of a city at night time in order to welcome the bridegroom who is coming for a marriage banquet. Five of the virgins are foolish and do not bring enough oil while five of them are wise and bring extra oil. The bridegroom ends up being delayed so the foolish virgins need to buy more oil and because of this they miss meeting the bridegroom. As a result they are shut out of the banquet because they disrespected the bridegroom by missing the apantésis (ἀπάντησις) or welcoming procession to the banquet.

Then as the Book of Acts says:

“The brothers there had heard about us and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and gave thanks to God.

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.” (Acts 28:15-16)

Of course the word translated as meet here is apantésis (ἀπάντησις) and it has the same meaning that I have provided. Then you can clearly see that the meaning that I have provided is undeniably in view here because the author of Acts is talking about how Christians in Rome heard about how Paul was traveling to Rome to visit them so in order show how grateful they are for his visit they decide to travel all the way to the Forum of Appius which was around 40 miles or 64 kilometers southeast of Rome. Thus you can see that for the Christians in Rome their apantésis (ἀπάντησις) was not simply greeting Paul a mile or a couple kilometers outside the city and instead they went out a considerable distance in order to welcome him.

Therefore as a result of this usage here in Acts and the above usage from the Gospel of Matthew the word apantésis (ἀπάντησις) does not simply mean meet and it should not be translated or understood as meaning meet. Instead it should be properly understood as to meet someone important outside of the city in which you live so that you escort them in order to show respect or appreciation.

So what would Paul then be talking about in the passage from First Thessalonians?

Again as Paul wrote:

“By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Now based on my explanation of the word apantésis (ἀπάντησις) the meaning of this passage should clear. The idea here is the earth is like the city in which we live in and the sky or heaven is the city in which Jesus lives in. Then since Jesus is going to travel from heaven to earth in His second coming in order to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God as the King of kings and Lord of lords this would of course then mean that we should show proper respect and appreciation for Jesus so that we leave the earth to greet Jesus in the air in order to escort Him in a welcome procession to earth. This is of course what Paul has in view here in this passage. That said given the clear reference to the practice of welcoming a ruler or a dignitary Paul could very well have written the above passage to be viewed as a metaphor in the sense that although we may not literally be part of Jesus’s welcome procession we as faithful Christians will be part of His spiritual welcome procession even if we are dead. This would then be why Paul wrote “the dead in Christ will be the first to rise” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) because the idea would be that even the dead will welcome Jesus to the earth. Therefore you can clearly see that a so-called rapture is definitely not in view here since even if you want to take Paul literally so that Christians will meet Jesus in the air then the whole point is that we will then follow Jesus back to the earth. Thus Paul is not talking about a so-called rapture where Christians are taken up to heaven at all.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31)

In terms of this passage sure you can see the so-called rapture in it if you first assume the so-called rapture is true. However obviously this passage is not actually talking about faithful Christians being taken up into heaven and instead it is only talking about them being gathered. Therefore the so-called rapture is not actually in view here. So what does this passage mean then? Well really I would say that being gathered here would refer to faithful Christians being moved from wherever they are in the world when Jesus returns to where Jesus is so that they can be a part of His arrival. This may not make sense but you need to understand what life was like in the first century AD. There was no internet, no TV, no radio and no news papers as we see them today. Thus communication was very slow. So the point here is that Jesus is saying it does not matter where in the world you are when He returns because He will send out His angels to come get you and deliver you to Him so that you do not feel left out. Of course as you will see later on this is almost certainly metaphorical and not literal given what Revelation says.

Next as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:36-41)

Just like with the previous passage you may see the so-called rapture here. However if you pay close attention here all the passage actually says is “one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:41) Thus this passage does not definitively refer to the so-called rapture. So what does it mean? Well really there are two possible meanings since the passage does not definitively state if being taken is the good option or if being left is the good option. For instance Jesus could be talking about the faithful being relocated to where He is so that they can be with Him just like I said with regards to the previous passage. On the other hand Jesus could be talking about the wicked and unfaithful being removed from the world so that only the faithful are left. Now you may doubt this second meaning so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:40-43)

Thus by saying “one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:41) Jesus is probably actually talking about how His angels “will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 13:41) Now you may dispute this and claim that both of the above passages from the Gospel of Matthew refer to different things however I do not believe this is the case. This is because if you pay close attention to the first passage from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus actually references Noah and the Flood.

As Jesus says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:36-41)

The idea here is that Jesus compares the whole “one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:41) to the story of Noah and the Flood. Therefore of the two possible options I would actually say that Jesus is strongly implying that being taken is actually a bad thing because just like how God used the Flood to wash away humanity so too will Jesus send out His angels to “weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 13:41) so that “one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:41) Therefore instead of this passage from the Gospel of Matthew supporting the so-called rapture it would then be the opposite of the so-called rapture where the unfaithful and the wicked are taken so that only the faithful are left.

Next as Revelation says:

“And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, ‘Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.’

‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’

And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, ‘Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.’ So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, ‘Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.’

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.” (Revelation 14:13-19)

Now at first you may believe that this passage definitely refers to the so-called rapture because it is talking about harvesting the faithful from the earth and obviously this would then be the so-called rapture. However I do not believe this is the case for two reasons. The first is that as I said previously there is no point in Revelation where those who are taken up into heaven in the so-called rapture are actually returned to the earth. Sure just because Revelation does not say when those who are taken up into heaven in the so-called rapture will be returned it does not mean that it will not happen. However to not include such a significant detail as this does seem quite odd. Therefore because of this I do not think this passage from Revelation 14 should be viewed with the so-called rapture in mind. Instead I believe it should be viewed through a different perspective which then leads to my second reason.

So in terms of the second reason to better make what I have to say make more sense first consider the first verse of the passage from Revelation 14 which comes before the part where Jesus harvests the faithful and the angels harvest the wicked.

As Revelation says:

“And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, ‘Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.’

‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’” (Revelation 14:13)

My point here is that directly before talking about how Jesus is going to harvest the earth Revelation ominously says “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” (Revelation 14:13) The reason why I am emphasizing this is because if we should read Jesus’s harvest of the earth in line with the so-called rapture where Jesus is saving faithful Christians from death then why does Revelation say immediately before this that “those who die in the Lord from this moment on” (Revelation 14:13) are blessed? I mean there is no good reason to place a time discontinuity between Revelation 14:13 and Revelation 14:14-16 so therefore it would make sense to interpret Revelation 14:14-16 with respect to Revelation 14:13. This would then mean that we should not view Jesus as physically saving Christians from suffering on earth in a so-called rapture and instead we should see Jesus as spiritually saving faithful Christians as they die on earth so that although they may be dead they died in their faith and because of this fact they are blessed since they will share in the resurrection of the dead. This would then be why Revelation says “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” (Revelation 14:13)

Now this may not make sense to you because if you have been paying attention so far then you know that I believe the beast will be an artificial super intelligence and that this beast will not be overtly malevolent as most people would like to believe. Instead I believe that almost everyone on earth will see the beast as a so-called savior due to the so-called miracles it works. In other words the beast will be considered by almost everyone to be the singular most amazing and praise worthy creation or entity to ever exist by far. So how do we get from curing all diseases and biological immortality to Revelation saying “Blessed are the dead” (Revelation 14:13) in this passage? Well you see this ties into what I believe the great prostitute is. In short as I have said before I believe the great prostitute is representative of all those who follow and worship the beast and because the whole world will worship the beast this then means that all of humanity will be the great prostitute. Of course I talk about this at length later so just accept it as true for now. Then later on in Revelation the beast is going to kill the great prostitute in order carry out God’s purpose. This would then mean that the beast or ASI will kill almost all or perhaps even all of humanity so that there will be a global genocide with many billions dead. I of course talk about this more later so you should just also accept this as true for the time being.

Now you can see how this would relate to Revelation 14. The idea here is that the genocide of humanity will be pretty much the last thing that happens before Jesus returns to destroy the beast and usher in the eternal Kingdom of God so therefore by making it all the way to the end so that you die in your faith in the global genocide you would then be blessed because you made it all the way to the end of the age. Therefore because of this fact there is little reason to read Revelation 14 through the lens of Jesus saving the faithful from death since again the passage in question literally says “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on” (Revelation 14:13) immediately before talking about the harvest. This would then mean that the harvest is not the harvest of the living but instead the harvest of the dead. The idea here is that Jesus is saving the faithful who have died in their faith on earth from destruction in “the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) or rather the Lake of Fire so that they will share in the resurrection to life and live in the new Jerusalem in the new heavens and the new earth. On the other hand the wicked will be be condemned to “the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) or rather the second death in the Lake of Fire. Therefore I believe the main message with regards to Revelation 14 is that it does not matter if you die on earth in the global genocide before Jesus returns because by making it to the global genocide or the final harvest you have made it to the end so that you are truly blessed. Thus there is zero reason to see the so-called rapture in view in this passage and if you want to see the so-called rapture in it then you miss the point of it entirely.

Therefore because of all that I have quoted and said above there is zero reason to believe in the so-called rapture. Sure I admit you can see the so-called rapture in many of the passages I quoted if you first assume the so-called rapture is true however as I have demonstrated there is no real reason to actually see the so-called rapture in them because they do not even remotely describe what the so-called rapture is supposed to be. Therefore again you should not believe in the so-called rapture.

Now what I have said may seem contradictory with regards to the passages from First Thessalonians, the Gospel of Mathew and the Book of Revelation however this is only because you are looking at them as describing the same things. However this is not the case as I have said and in reality what Paul wrote in First Thessalonians is not the same thing as what the Gospel of Matthew says and both of these are not the same as what the Book of Revelation says. Furthermore with regards to all of these different passages you should not take them in an overly literal way because if you do then you will miss the entire point they are trying to convey. Therefore you should not see these passages as being contradictory.

So then what should you believe in instead of the so-called rapture? Well really nothing other than that you should expect to be killed by the beast before Jesus returns. Now this is not as ominous as it sounds and there is literally nothing you can do to prevent this as you will later see. Therefore do not worry about this fact. Instead you should remember what Revelation 14 says.

As Revelation says:

“Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” (Revelation 14:13)

Thus you should not feel anxiety about how I just said you should expect to be killed on earth by the beast instead of being taken up to heaven in the so-called rapture. Instead you should look forward to this death because truly I tell you that as long as you die as a true and faithful Christian or a saint then you will truly be blessed as you will be counted among those who will share in the resurrection of life. Therefore there is zero reason to worry about what you have just read.

Furthermore I would like to say that if you hate what I have just said to the point that it makes you question your faith then I am almost certain you do not have real faith in God and in Jesus. This is because God has promised us that all faithful Christians will be resurrected to eternal life. My point is that if God has promised us salvation then why does it matter if you die? Truly death does not matter. In fact I would even go as far to say that as morbid as it might sound that it is far better die sooner rather than later if you actually believe in the resurrection because if you die as a faithful Christian then when you wake up you will be in the eternal Kingdom of God. Thus think about the resurrection as waking up after being asleep. The idea here is that after you die the next thing you will see is the eternal Kingdom of God so from your own point of view the eternal Kingdom of God will seem like it will arrive literally tomorrow if you die in your faith today. This is why I said there is absolutely zero reason to fear death and why you should actually welcome it when it comes. Then this is also why I said that if you hate what I just said about how there is a very good chance that we are all going to be killed by the beast instead of taken up to heaven in the so-called rapture then really I do not think you have any faith in God and in Jesus. I mean if you had genuine faith then death would be of no concern to you because you would have faith that God will resurrect you from the dead. Then ironically enough by fearing death you would simply demonstrate your lack of faith and because of this you will not be saved.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)

And as Jesus also says:

“Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)

Therefore truly I tell you there is nothing to fear with regards to what I said. Then instead of fearing death you should actually welcome it because the sooner you die the sooner you will enter the eternal Kingdom of God. So instead of hating what I have said you should actually look forward to it to such an extent that you pray to God that His will for our world in the death of the great prostitute is fulfilled sooner rather than later.

Next you may be asking yourself why did I bother to write this long comment on the so-called rapture? I mean who cares if people want to believe in the so-called rapture? Is it not their right to believe in it even if it is wrong? Well first off just like with regards to the false doctrine of the trinity I am interested in what is true. Therefore on this basis it is important to point that the so-called rapture is not real and will not happen. Then since this is quite a contentious issue with regards to Revelation I needed to fully explain why it is not only false but completely nonsensical.

Furthermore there is another reason that is perhaps much more important. Now this may seem hard to believe but I believe that so-called rapture ideology and specifically a pre-tribulation or a mid-tribulation view of the so-called rapture is not just dangerous but so extremely dangerous that I consider it to be a tool of Satan himself. Then yes I realize what you just read probably sounds ridiculous so allow me to explain. But what about a post-tribulation so-called rapture? Really I do not think the whole post-tribulation view is that harmful when compared to the others as you will see. Sure the whole post-tribulation so-called rapture view is so nonsensical that it cannot be correct for reasons I have already explained so I guess it could be called harmful on the basis of it being wrong but then the harm of this false belief does not really do more harm than many other false beliefs. On the other hand believing in a mid-tribulation or worse yet a pre-tribulation so-called rapture is so extremely dangerous that like I just said these false beliefs can only originate with Satan himself as a way to attack Christians.

Alright so why exactly is it so dangerous to believe in a mid-tribulation or a pre-tribulation so-called rapture? Well in order for my reasoning to make sense you first need to understand what one of the major messages of Revelation is. In short one of the main reasons why Revelation was written was so that Christians could be warned about the beast and what it will be like. Therefore one of the major messages of Revelation is that of a message of warning not just about the power of the beast and what it will do but that Christians need to persevere until the end as we refuse to worship the beast through placing our trust, hope and faith in it. This is then why the character of the great prostitute is also featured so heavily because she is representative of all those in the world who follow and worship the beast by placing their trust and hope for the future in it. Then of course the beast, being an artificial super intelligence, it will be able to create super advanced seemingly miracle like technologies that all the people of the world will take as a sign that the beast is the so-called savior of the world. Again I talk about this at length later on. Then because of this the whole world, even the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians, will follow and worship the beast as their so-called savior and even as a so-called god.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

Therefore just as Revelation says “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) and they will do this once they see the beast as their so-called savior and the answer to their prayers for salvation. So how exactly does this relate why it is so dangerous to believe in a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation so-called rapture? Well you see just like how one of the main messages of Revelation is about the beast believing in a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation so-called rapture is so dangerous because of the beast. In case this is not obvious both the pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation view of the so-called rapture center around all faithful Christians being taken away from the earth and up to heaven so that they do not have to live under the rule of the beast as it rules over the world. This then means that if you subscribe to these views then you literally do not believe that Christians have to concern themselves with anything having to do with the beast because again these false beliefs mean that Christians will not be here on earth for the reign of the beast. So now you can probably see what I am talking about. The idea here is that if you believe that Christians will be taken away in the so-called rapture before the beast arrives then you will forever be oblivious to beast because as I just said you expect to be taken away from the earth before the beast arrives. In other words if you insist on holding to a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation view of the so-called rapture then by definition according to your beliefs not only do you never have to worry about the beast but any entity or organization that rules over the world while Christians are still here by definition cannot be the beast because the so-called rapture has not occurred yet.

Of course it goes without saying that all this directly relates to the beast being an artificial super intelligence. The point here is that pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation so-called rapture ideology will make you believe at some point in the future that the beast by definition cannot be an artificial super intelligence because artificial super intelligence is already here and rules the world while the so-called rapture has not happened yet. Then as a result of this belief that the artificial super intelligence that rules the world is not the beast combined with the amazing so-called miracles the artificial super intelligence works you would then no doubt fall into following and worshiping the beast itself by placing your trust, hope and faith in it.

All this is why I said pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation so-called rapture ideology is a work of Satan. My point here is that Satan does not want you to see the beast as the beast because ultimately the beast is Satan’s final hope for accusing Christians before God in the sense that the beast will be Satan’s greatest agent and tool.

As Revelation says:

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)

Thus the idea here is that since Satan will give “the beast his power and this throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2) ultimately Satan does not want you to see the beast as the beast. You need to understand that Satan’s greatest power is deception and this is how he will seek to accuse us Christians before God by deceiving us into seeing the beast as our so-called savior. Then of course pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation so-called rapture ideology are quite literally the same exact type of deception that Satan will use in his attempt to convince us to worship the beast because ultimately these ideologies will be used as so-called evidence that the beast is not the beast.

But then why do people insist on believing in say a pre-tribulation so-called rapture if it is clearly a deception by Satan? Well ultimately people wish to believe in a pre-tribulation so-called rapture because they want to believe that they will be spared the great period of testing where the beast will lead the whole world into temptation. Or better yet they want to believe that they will be spared from the wrath of God as God pours out His wrath upon the world so that instead of dying they will be taken up into heaven. Now it may make you feel better to believe in these things but as I have demonstrated there will not be any so-called rapture let alone a pre-tribulation so-called rapture. Therefore although you may like holding on to these false hopes because they make you feel better, by holding onto these false hopes all you are doing is deceiving yourself so that once the beast finally comes you will fall into temptation. Thus instead of doing Satan’s work for him by deceiving yourself into believing that you have nothing to worry about because you are a Christian you should instead read Revelation and take heart in what Revelation says we must face as Christians before Jesus finally returns to destroy the beast.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

He who has an ear, let him hear:

‘If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.’

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:7-10)

Therefore you should not expect things to be easy so that the great period of testing and temptation will not be significant. Then because of this fact once again you should not expect to be saved from your earthly trials so that you are taken up to heaven in the so-called rapture. Instead you should be prepared to persevere as you remain true to your faith until your end finally comes.

Next so what exactly is the verse this comment is on talking about then if it is not talking about a pre-tribulation so-called rapture? Well this comment has been quite long and you probably forgot the verse in question so read it again.

As Revelation says:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

First off the word translated as hour here can also mean a definite period of time of unspecified length. This would of course make sense since obviously the period of testing that the world has to endure will not last for only a single hour because a literal single hour of testing would be absurd. Next in case it is not obvious the reference “the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world” (Revelation 3:10) would of course be a reference to the great period of testing or the great tribulation. Now since I have said that really we have been in the great tribulation from the first century AD to the present day given what for example Revelation 7 says, really “the hour of testing” (Revelation 3:10) that Jesus is referring to here would not be the entire great tribulation but rather the climax of the great tribulation where the beast reigns over the whole world. Thus you should see this verse as referring to the time in which the beast rules over the world before Jesus returns.

So what then does Jesus mean by “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing” (Revelation 3:10) in this verse? Really it is quite simple and similar to what I said with regards to Revelation 2:24 in the previous chapter. The idea here is that Jesus is saying the tests and trials you face before before the beast rises will prepare you for the reign of the beast over the world so that your faith in Jesus keeps you from being tested. In other words just think about it as having trials that help to prepare you for resisting the temptation of the beast before the beast actually comes.

For another way to think about it consider my parable of the forest fire in the introduction to this book. By already facing a fire the forest makes itself stronger so that when the real fire comes the forest is largely unharmed. On the other hand the forest that does not face a fire will be weak so that when the real fire comes it will be burned up so that only ash remains. The same idea is in view here in this verse in Revelation. So think of the beast as being like a great fire that is yet to come and think of your earthly trials and temptations before the beast as being like a fire that helps to prepare you for what is to come. Now I would also like to point out that because I am talking about fire here I am not talking about some insignificant trials here. Instead I am talking about facing significant trials that will break most of those who call themselves Christians so that they abandon their faith. Thus do not think that everyone will face these kinds of trials. Furthermore because of all this you should not see your earthy trials and temptations before the beast arises as a curse but rather as a blessing. After all it is through these trials and temptations that you strengthen your faith so that once the beast arises you will be kept “from the hour of testing” (Revelation 3:10) because your faith will be so great and unshakable.

Now you may doubt what I am saying here and you may even say all I am doing is making this up and that Jesus is not actually talking about how our trials will help prepare us for what is to come to such an extent that we will not really be tested. However if you carefully read what Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia in this chapter and what He says to the church in Thyatira in the previous chapter then you will see that I am correct.

As Revelation says:

“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:8-10)

Of course the key part of this passage is that Jesus says “For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.” (Revelation 3:8) Thus the idea here is that those in the church in Philadelphia have already endured much temptation and persecution which did not lead to them denying Jesus’s name or rather apostatizing. This is then further evidenced by Jesus saying “Because you have kept My command to persevere” (Revelation 3:10 in this passage because Jesus is acknowledging that they have already persevered through much temptation and hardship already. Then because of this intense trial the members of this church have had their faith strengthened just like with how a forest surviving a forest fire actually creates a stronger forest that is more resilient to future forest fires. Next because these Christians have faced such intense trials already once the period of great testing and temptation, or the great tribulation, comes then they will be fully prepared to persevere and endure through whatever awaits them. This is why Jesus says “I will also keep you from the hour of testing” (Revelation 3:10) because their faith in Jesus will be what keeps them from this hour of testing and temptation. Thus you should not see Jesus speaking literally here but rather metaphorically so that He is talking about how their faith in Him is what will keep them from the hour of testing.

Lastly it goes without saying that the Christians in the church of Philadelphia are long dead so Revelation is not actually talking about them here and instead Jesus is using them as an example. This would of course make sense because like I have said before the letters to the seven churches have been written to Christians in all ages no matter where they are given the symbolism of the number seven. That said since the beast obviously did not come in the first century AD those in the church in Philadelphia where in fact kept from the hour of trial.

Next as Revelation also says:

“But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you.” (Revelation 2:24)

First off just to remind you the so-called deep things of Satan Jesus is talking about here would be how “that woman Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20) was teaching idolatry. Thus the idea behind this passage is exactly the same as what I said with regards to the previous passage. Since some of the Christians in the church in Thyatira were already tested by being tempted into idolatry by Jezebel and resisted this then means that their faith is now stronger and more resilient. Then because of this fact their strong faith in Jesus will then keep them from future trials and temptations because they are now prepared. This is why Jesus says “I will place no further burden upon you” (Revelation 2:24) because if some of the members of this church have already resisted idolatry then how exactly can Jesus test them again with someone else who teaches idolatry? I mean think of it like a forest fire that sweeps through a forest and burns half the trees and then a week later someone starts another fire in the forest. Do you really think this second fire will take root so that it becomes a forest fire that burns down the whole forest? Well of course not because the first forest fire already burned down all the dry brush and the weak trees so that only the strong trees remain. Thus it does not matter how many fires someone starts in this forest because now the forest has already burned to such an extent that it basically cannot be harmed. Therefore the same idea is in view here with Jesus saying “I will place no further burden upon you” (Revelation 2:24) since again Jesus cannot tempt those who have already survived the same temptation.

Therefore as a result of everything I have just said Jesus is once again not talking about a pre-tribulation so-called rapture here and instead He is talking about how the tests and trials we face before the beast rises will help us to prepare for the trials and temptations that the whole world will face once the beast rises. But what exactly does this means? Well there will actually be several different ways in which the beast will lead Christians into temptation.

For instance one temptation you need to worry about with regards to the beast would be idolatry and by idolatry I mean putting your faith, trust and hope in the beast as your so-called savior or even so-called god. Now at first it may seem like you cannot prepare for this but this is not true. For instance if you already place your faith, trust and hope in the things of the world now then once the beast comes you will simply place your faith, trust and hope in the beast because you will see the beast as being like a better thing of this world. For example if you place your faith, trust and hope in your wealth to protect you now then when the beast arrives you will place your faith, trust and hope in the beast because of how wealthy the beast will make the world. Then as another example if you place your faith, trust and hope in say technology and science now then once the beast arrives you will place your faith, trust and hope in the beast because the beast will be the final representation of technology and science in the world. On the other hand if you do not place your trust, hope and faith in any of the things of the world to save you now then once the beast comes you will be much less tempted.

Next for a second temptation you need to worry about with regards to the beast consider the hope you may have to build and live in the so-called perfect world here on earth. Then of course in order to create this better world no doubt you support certain politicians who promise to help make the world you want into a reality. Now this may not seem that it is related to the beast but you need to understand that the beast will essentially be like a so-called perfect politician and a so-called perfect government all rolled into one as I just alluded to. Thus my point is that if you place your faith, trust and hope now in politicians to create the world you want to live in over God Himself then once the beast comes you will simply place your faith, trust and hope in this new clearly better politician and government. In other words if you worship certain politicians and governments now then you will end up worshiping the beast without any doubt because the beast will be far greater and do far greater things than any politician or government that we have seen. Therefore the idea with all this is that if you do not place your faith, trust and hope in politicians and governments now and instead you place your faith, trust and hope in God alone then you have already passed your trial and because of this the beast will not be as tempting to you.

For a third temptation you need to worry about with regards to the beast consider the hard Christian questions that have answers that make most people feel uncomfortable. For example as I have said before, and as I demonstrate later on my part called Various Insights, the Bible is not inerrant or without error so that there are in fact many contradictions that cannot be reconciled. Now this may not seem relevant for the beast but you need to understand that as an artificial super intelligence the beast will seemingly know everything and not only that but it will be the world’s single source of information. For instance consider the internet and how it has transformed our society. Think of the beast like the next version of the internet. My point here is that the artificial super intelligence will seemingly be everywhere just like the internet is today. Really the main difference is that as the next version of the internet the beast will be seemingly so-called omnipotent so that it already knows the answer to almost any question you want to ask. I talk more about this in depth later on so just accept it as true for now. That said my point here is that these uncomfortable truths like how the Bible is not inerrant and that it does in fact have many contradictions will become so prominent in the future due to the beast that no one will be able to hide from them. Sure you can plug your ears now and read some nonsense some apologist sold you that supposedly reconciles these irreconcilable contradictions but once artificial super intelligence comes there will be no hiding.

Alright so this relates to being tested and tempted before the beast comes in the sense that if you say read my chapter in Various Insights about how the Bible is not inerrant then no doubt your faith will be shaken. I do not say this to be dramatic. For instance after you read this chapter I am pretty certain that you will no longer consider the epistles of the New Testament to be the word of God due to the number of problems associated with them and instead you will see the epistles as just some person’s opinion. Then with regards to the gospels you will cease to see them as literal historical accounts and instead you will correctly see them as theological works that use non-literal, metaphorical and mythological elements as literary devices in order to enhance the message the author has. Additionally given what I just said it goes without saying that you will no longer see the authors of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John actually being Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

My point here is that by reading this later chapter in Various Insights your faith will be so shaken to the point that you may come to believe that perhaps half the New Testament should not have been included in the Bible. In other words by simply reading this chapter you will face a significant trial and I say significant because there is a chance you will apostatize after seeing the truth with your own eyes. However if you face this trial and temptation so that instead of apostatizing you bathe yourself in the flames and let them harden your faith then when you come out on the other side you will find a renewed faith that is much stronger and more resilient that it was before. In other words just like with what I said with regards to a forest fire if you face the fire once then you have nothing to fear when the fire comes again. Now obvious this relates to the beast, or the artificial super intelligence, in the sense that once the beast comes and helps to educate the world concerning the truth about how the Bible is not without error you will have literally nothing to fear. This is because when the beast asks you if you realize the Bible is not inerrant you will be able to respond with yes and have that be the end of it rather than saying it is inerrant then having the beast show you the contradictions. In other words by seeing for yourself that the Bible is not inerrant now you take away the possibility of a future trial where the beast shows you that the Bible is not inerrant.

If this does not seem that significant to you then you need to understand that the beast will be the one giving you this trial and of course the beast is well the beast and not a faithful Christian. Thus do you honestly think you would have no issues with discovering that the Bible is not inerrant from the beast itself? I mean if you were to question your faith then you would try to look for something else to place your faith in. For instance when people apostatize today they move to place their faith in either themselves, their country, humanity, science or a combination of these things because these things provide them with a sense of meaning and hope for the future. Then the issue with the beast is that the beast will be like all of these things put together into one so that it is a singular so-called perfect entity that is seemingly so-called all powerful and wants the best for you and the rest of humanity. Therefore to say that you will not face that much temptation to placing your trust, hope and faith in the beast after you learn that the Bible is not really different from any other ancient piece of literature from the beast itself would be a gross understatement.

On the other hand if you learn learn the truth from this book which I wrote and obviously I consider myself a faithful Christian then the fire that you face as your faith is tested will not be that bad in comparison to learning the truth from the beast. This is because I am not telling you that Christianity is a bunch of nonsense like the beast would no doubt say while demonstrating that the Bible is full of contradictions and errors. Instead you are reading a book a Christian wrote with one of the purposes of the book being to increase your faith. Thus although reading what I wrote may burn like a fire in truth if you want to say my words are like a controlled burn then the words of the beast will be like a raging inferno.

This then leads to the what I said in the introduction to this book and how it relates to this verse in Revelation. Essentially this book can be considered a test of your faith or a trial in the sense that since I go over so many controversial subjects and I say so many things that the vast majority of people will not like that I do not believe a single person can walk away from reading this book without feeling that their faith was tested. I mean even I felt this way after writing much of this book so even I am not completely immune to the fire. That said if you face the fire that I have written for yourself so that you do not let yourself become overwhelmed by the flames so that your faith is completely burned up then when you finish this book your faith will be far stronger and more resilient than it was before. This is of course why I gave the parable of the two men tending to their forests and how one man ensures the health of his forest with controlled burns so that it ends up living while the other does not so that his forest ends up dying. The idea here is that the coming beast is a huge inferno of a forest fire and the heat of the beast’s flames will be so great that even if you consider yourself a faithful Christian then there is a very good chance the flames will be far too hot for you to survive if you persist in ignorance until the beast comes. On the other hand although the flames of this book may singe you, if you manage to pass the test I have laid out before you then once the inferno of the beast comes it will not be able to lead you into temptation because you have already faced your trial in the pages of this book.

This is then one of the reasons why I have written about so many highly controversial topics and why I come across as being hard and direct instead of soft and indirect. As I have said this book is supposed to test your faith so that when you survive it you will have little to fear with respect to the beast because you would have already persevered through the truth and came out stronger in your faith than before.

As Jesus says:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

Therefore truly I say to you now that I am almost certain that if you finish reading this entire book, agree with this book and still consider yourself a faithful Christian when you are done then your great faith in Jesus will “keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10) in the form of the beast because the beast along with Satan himself will hold no power over you.

But what if you apostatize as a result of reading this book? Well since we are playing with fire here there is always a chance that the flames might consume us so that we apostatize. After all this is what a trial is and something easy that everyone passes is not a trial and cannot be considered to be a trial. Therefore there will be people who read this book and apostatize as a result of something that I have written about. For instance the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians hate the idea that God has determined everything that has happened and that has yet to happen “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) itself and they insist that the false doctrine of free will is true because they want it to be true. Thus for this type of person there is a good chance they will apostatize after reading my commentary on Revelation 13:8 because I demonstrate beyond any doubt that free will is false and completely nonsensical with regards to what the Bible says and the material world in which we live in.

So if there is a good chance many people will apostatize after reading what I wrote then why write it? Well just to remind you the seemingly unquenchable fire that the beast will unleash upon us all will be basically impossible to hide from since the beast will be ever present in all of our lives. Again the beast will be far more pervasive than even the internet. Thus if I do not tell you that free will is utter nonsense then the beast will. Then since the fire of the beast will be far greater than the fire of this book those who face the beast’s fire will almost certainly abandon their faith as all their faith is burned up entirely. Therefore my point here is that sure there is a chance people apostatize after reading my book but at least it is merely a chance instead of a near certainty with regards to persisting in ignorance until the beast comes to devour the world.

In other words what I am saying here is that if you do in fact lose your faith from reading this book then I am certain that you would have lost your faith anyways once the beast comes. Then since you would have lost your faith anyways in the face of the beast without reading this book then really you cannot blame this book for making you lose your faith since there was really no possibility for you to keep your faith regardless of if you read this book or not. Therefore this is why I actually do not really care what people get out of reading this book in the sense that it does not bother me at all if people lose their faith after reading it. Sure it might sound heartless but what difference does it make if they learn the truth from this book before the beast comes or if they learn the truth from the beast itself? I fail to see the difference because the outcome is the same. Furthermore the truth is the truth and I am not going to lie to people just to make them feel better.

I would also like to emphasize the fact that I was not immune from the fire of this book as I wrote it. Sure even though I wrote this book there were times that even I questioned my faith as I wrote this book. There have also been times where I thought for sure I would give up and not finish writing it due to giving up my faith. For instance once you really start to understand what artificial super intelligence is and what it means everything else starts to seem a bit silly by comparison. Additionally discovering the true meaning of porneia (πορνεία) also greatly tested my faith because this then means that around 1,800 to maybe 1,900 years of Christian teachings with regards to sexuality is completely wrong. Then of course discovering that the false doctrine of the trinity is well false and that it cannot be supported in any way in the Bible also greatly tested my faith as well. Of course there are others with regards to this book and these are just some of the times that I have tasted the flames for myself. Really what bothers me the most is the fact that what most people consider Christianity today is not actually true Christianity as it was in the early first century AD. Then because of this there have been times where I have felt like I am a single lone island in the ocean so far away from any land that only the sea is visible.

Then as a related source of testing and temptation I bathed in the flames once again when I tried to spread an early version of this book that centered on the Book of Revelation and warned about the coming beast. In short I tried to contact people who I used to look up to as examples of what it means to be faithful but they ended up letting me down and either ignored my messages or blew me off completely. This even happened on a social media site where my posts were mass down voted and even deleted even though I was just giving away free information. After this I learned about how Christians are supposed to instruct and encourage others for free which believe it or not burned me as well because it meant all those people I used to look up to as examples of what it means to be faithful are quite literally blasphemers. Thus after all this to say that I felt like a single lone island in a vast ocean would be an understatement and because of this the flames of trial and temptation were truly almost all consuming so that I questioned if I should even finish this book. In other words if what I believe is true is so different than what everyone else who calls themselves Christian believes then how am I right? I mean from my point of view everyone else is not just wrong but so undeniably wrong that there is no way I could believe what they do. But then how can I be right if I am all alone? Thus the greatest fire I have faced in this book is the temptation to abandon what I believe to be true so that I do not have to be alone anymore.

However despite all this obviously I did not give up since you are now reading this book. But why did I not give up? Well really I would just say that I came to the realization that my duty is to serve God and not man. Then because of this I should not feel all alone because as long as I have the love of God through Jesus then nothing else matters. In other words it does not matter how many centuries of tradition I am going against or how many billions of people stand against me because as long as I have Jesus on my side, and hence God, then not only am I not alone but I will never lose.

All that said my point here is that you are not alone in your trials in the fire of this book because I have also faced the very same flames myself. I know the flames burn and that it is not a pleasant experience to question your faith and to feel like you should just give up. However if you persevere through your trial then truly I tell you that your faith in Jesus will be so strong that I am almost certain that not even the beast itself will pose a threat to you.

As Jesus says:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

(11) “I am coming soon.” – As I said previously in my commentary on Revelation 1:1 soon does not actually mean soon or immediately. The reason why Jesus says soon is because since no one knows when Jesus will finally return we should always see the time as being soon so that we are not caught unprepared.

As Jesus says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:36-44)

Therefore we should always view the day in which Jesus will return on as soon so that we will always be prepared for His return.

(11) “Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” – The crown in this verse that Jesus is referring to can refer to two things. The first is that a crown is symbolic of eternal life. Then the second is that since Jesus “will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26) to all those who overcome the crown Jesus is referring to would refer to the crown of authority we will receive as we rule over the nations. The since both options are both true you should see both meanings in this verse. Lastly by saying “so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11) Jesus is telling us to remain true to our faith so that we do not lose the gifts that we are to receive in the future when Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God by giving into temptation and becoming unfaithful.

(12) “The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it.” – First off as I said previously overcoming here means overcoming the power of Satan and the beast so that you persist in true faith until the end comes or death takes you. Next in terms of the rest of the verse a pillar in construction is a heavy load bearing component that helps to hold up the roof. Then temples were built to glorify so-called deities just as the First and Second Temples were built to glorify God. Therefore the idea here is that just as Christians make up the Third Temple with Jesus as the cornerstone here on earth right now, in the new Jerusalem we will all be pillars in the final and eternal Temple of God that will stand forever. Thus Jesus is saying we will literally hold up and support the glory of God in the new Jerusalem as we will all be part of the final and eternal Temple of God.

Now this may not make much sense but the point here is that by overcoming the power of Satan and the beast on earth so that we do not give in to worshiping the beast as a so-called savior or worse yet a so-called god as we remain faithful to God to the end we are actually glorifying God above all else. Then because of this when we enter the eternal Kingdom of God we will be like living pillars in the Temple of God that uphold His glory since our deeds in resisting the beast will follow us.

Lastly we “will never again leave it” (Revelation 3:12) because we as Christians are to always be in the presence of and support the glory of God since we will be given the gift of eternal life. Furthermore because of this God will never abandon us so you should never worry about being abandoned after you enter the eternal Kingdom of God.

(12) “Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.” – First off in terms of the meaning of “the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God” (Revelation 3:12) later on in Revelation 21 the new Jerusalem is said to descend from heaven from God. Therefore I talk about the meaning of the new Jerusalem and what it represents there. So for now just take it to mean the new Jerusalem. Next Jesus says “My new name” (Revelation 3:12) in this verse because just like how I said “a new name” (Revelation 2:17) in the previous chapter refers to the fact that we will be renewed, so too was Jesus transformed through His resurrection. In other words Jesus’s new name is symbolic of how He was transformed and exalted.

Then in terms of the rest of the verse there are a couple different meanings behind having these names on us. The first is that writing your name on something denotes ownership and belonging. For instance if you have an object that you value and that you do not want to lose then you would put your name on it so that everyone else knows it is yours. Therefore as a result of what I just said this verse is saying that we will belong to God, the New Jerusalem and to Jesus. Thus the idea here is that God values us and does not want to lose us to such an extent that He marks us to show everyone that we belong to Him, the new Jerusalem and to Jesus.

Next the second meaning is that having someone’s name on you is a figurative way of saying two things. The first is that by having a person’s name on you they have given you the ability to act in their name so that you can speak for them and exercise their power. As an explanation as to this meaning you would essentially be like a document and their name is their signature so then the idea here is that by putting their name on you they are approving of anything you do as their representative. Then of course as their representative you would be able to exercise their power. Then the second point of note is that by having someone’s name on your body you would figuratively speaking have a similar nature and character to the person the name belongs to. The idea here is that since they have written their name on you as their representative that this would then obviously mean that they approve of you as their representative and because of this fact they would not doubt consider you to be of a similar nature and character. This is because obviously someone would not agree to be represented by someone else who is not like them. For an example of what I have just said consider what the Book of Exodus says concerning an angel God appointed to lead the ancient Israelites.

As God says in the Book of Exodus:

“Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.” (Exodus 23:20-21)

The idea with this verse is that God has given this angel His authority and power in order to guide the ancient Israelites by giving the angel in question His name. Then it is because of this reason that God says “do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion” (Exodus 23:21) since as God’s representative the angel will not tolerate rebellion. The point here is that if the ancient Israelites were to rebel against the angel leading them then in reality they would actually be rebelling against God since God has given the angel His name. Then based on what I have quoted and said so far I am sure you are well aware of the fact that God severely punishes those who rebel against Him. Lastly since the angel has been given power and authority by God the angel would no doubt be able to punish the ancient Israelites if they were to rebel against him.

Now in terms of what it would then mean to have the name of God, the new Jerusalem and Jesus on us in the context of this second meaning really all this means is that we will be given power and authority by God in order to rule the nations in the new earth on behalf of God and Jesus. This would of course make sense since Revelation directly says this.

As Revelation says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star.” (Revelation 2:26-28)

And as Revelation also says:

“To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

Therefore as I said by having the name of God and Jesus’s new name on us we will be given great power and authority in a similar way to both how the angel in the previous passage from the Book of Exodus was given great power and authority and to how Jesus has been given great power and authority. But what exactly does this mean beyond ruling the nations as I have said previously? Well really in order to make sense of being given the ability to exercise the power and authority of God you need to understand the power and nature of God as well as what the new heavens and the new earth will be like. Then since in the next chapter I talk about the power of God then towards of the end of Revelation I talk about the new heavens and the new earth now is not the time to talk about what it means to be given this kind of power and authority. Therefore just accept what I have said for now.

(13) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Again you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears to hear and you can only have spiritual ears if you belong to God.

3 – To the Church in Laodicea

(14) To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

(15) I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! (16) So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!

(17) You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. (18) I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. (19) Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

(20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. (21) To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

(22) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

3.1 – Commentary

(14) “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:” – Laodicea was a Greek city in the Roman Empire that was inland on the western coast of Asia Minor or Anatolia.

(14) “These are the words of the Amen,” – The word translated as amen is amén (ἀμήν) which is a transliteration of a Hebrew word into Greek. All three variations of the word in Hebrew, Greek and English mean truly and verily or they can also mean so let it be if used at the end of a sentence. In the New Testament the word is most often translated as truly because the word is mainly used as an emphasis marker to emphasize something Jesus or the author is saying. Now in terms of the meaning of Jesus being “the Amen” (Revelation 3:14) in this verse there are two possible meanings given the two different meanings for amen.

In terms of the first meaning of amen, which is that of an emphasis marker that can be translated as truly, what Jesus would be saying in this verse is that He is God’s emphasis marker. In other words Jesus would be the One who provides emphasis to the glory and will of God so that we may all come to know God. We can of course clearly see this meaning in the Gospels in Jesus’s earthly ministry where He tried to lead as many people back towards the true will of God. Then we can also see this meaning here in Revelation in the letters to the seven churches with how Jesus rebukes and criticizes the Church. The main idea here is that Jesus is the One who emphasizes what is important as God’s emphasis marker.

Next in terms of the second meaning of amen, which can be understood as so let it be when used at the end of a sentence, Jesus would be saying in this verse that His purpose is to carry out the will of God. If this does not make sense imagine Jesus being the One who says amen or so let it be in response to whatever God wills to happen. We can of course clearly see this meaning in the Gospels where Jesus willingly went to His own death in order to carry out and fulfill the word of God so that He said amen or so let it be instead of rebelling against God. Then we can also see this meaning in Revelation where Jesus serves as God’s “faithful and true Witness” (Revelation 3:14) as He first helps to fulfill the will of God by delivering Revelation and how He will also later fulfill the will of God by destroying the beasts of Revelation 13 and ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God on earth. Thus the main idea here is that Jesus is the One who always faithfully carries out the will of God by saying amen to whatever God wills.

Now in terms of which of these two meanings is the intended meaning I would say the second meaning is the main intended meaning because Jesus is the Christ. That said the first meaning is also true so I do not see why it would not also apply.

(14) “the faithful and true Witness” – Jesus is “the faithful and true Witness” (Revelation 3:14) of God to the world. Now I just said of God here because of God is implied given that Jesus is the Christ. Then as I said in the previous comment this can be seen with the fact that Jesus willingly went to His own death in order to fulfill the will of God. Then later in Revelation Jesus is again called Faithful and True.

As Revelation says:

“Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.” (Revelation 19:11)

Revelation says this because the idea here is that Jesus is faithful and true to God as He carries out the will of God as I have said.

But then what does it mean for Jesus to be called a witness here and what does it mean to be a witness of God? Well really a witness it someone who testifies to something that they have seen or heard. Thus one meaning of Jesus being “the faithful and true Witness” (Revelation 3:14) is that He is the One who faithfully testifies to what He has seen and heard from God to us so that we can come to know and understand the will of God. This of course would make sense because providing this testimony was something that Jesus did during His ministry as told in the gospels and it is also something that He does in Revelation since the first words of Revelation say “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1) as you may remember. Then a second way to view witness here is in the context of a trial where God is the Judge and Jesus is the Witness who testifies to our faith and deeds so that God can decide if we are guilty or not. Of course Jesus is the Christ so He will also be our Judge but my point here is just that He is also the Witness. In this sense Jesus would be bearing witness against the wicked and bearing witness in favor of the faithful. We can of course see this in Revelation in the letters to the seven churches where Jesus corrects, rebukes and even condemns those who are rebelling against God through their deeds.

Now the meaning of what a witness of God is here might not seem that important right now but it is highly relevant to understanding the purpose of God’s “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) that Revelation later speaks about. Really the whole idea of the two witnesses is that they bear witness against the world as they testify against all those who are not following the will of God and they also warn the world about what is to come with the beast. That said I of course talk more about the meaning of the two witnesses at the appropriate time so for now just keep what I have said in mind.

(14) “the Originator of God’s creation” – The word translated as originator here is arché (ἀρχή) which means beginning as in the starting point of something or a ruler as in a king. This then means that the translation of the word as originator is not correct. Instead you should read this verse as the Beginning of God’s creation and the Ruler of God’s creation. In terms of the second reading Jesus is of course the Christ and because of this He is the Ruler of God’s creation or the King of kings and nothing more really needs to be said here. However in terms of the first meaning with Jesus being the Beginning of God’s creation this would mean that Jesus was the starting point of God’s creation so that Jesus was created before everything else. Of course now that you read what I wrote about how the false doctrine of the trinity is false this meaning should make sense since only God alone was and is not created. This would then be why the translators translated arché (ἀρχή) as originator and not beginning since translating it as beginning strongly implies that the false doctrine of the trinity is false. That said in terms of which meaning is in view here in this verse really both meanings are probably intended here since obviously both meanings are true.

(15) “I know your deeds;” – As I have said previously Jesus knows all our of deeds, both good and bad, because He can see everything that we do and are. Then because of this fact we cannot hide anything from Him.

(15) “I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!” – Now this verse may seem rather confusing but it is quite simple. In this verse Jesus is using figurative language where faithful Christians are represented as being hot or cold while those who are unfaithful are represented as “lukewarm” (Revelation 3:16) or room temperature. The idea here is that cold and hot things are useful and special while things that are room temperature are not as useful and not special because almost everything is room temperature. This may not make much sense so think about it in terms of food and drinks. Hot drinks and food are good and cold drinks and food are also good. On the other hand lukewarm or room temperature drinks and food are typically not good. For an example of this consider tea and coffee. Of course both tea and coffee are most often enjoyed hot but they are also enjoyed cold in the form of iced tea and iced coffee. However on the other hand hardly anyone purposefully makes room temperature tea and coffee. Thus this is essentially what Jesus is saying in this verse except He is referring to Christians who are cold, Christians who are hot and Christians who are lukewarm with the Christians who are cold or hot being faithful Christians and the Christians who are lukewarm being unfaithful Christians or rather so-called Christians.

Now this may seem rather confusing still because you may not understand what hot and cold Christians are but really it is easy to understand. You see in the first century AD there were different kinds of Christians in the sense that they practiced their faith differently. For example back in this time period asceticism was popular and by asceticism I am talking about the practice of abstaining from pleasurable things in the world as a means to show your devotion to God. So for example an ascetic Christian would almost certainly fast for long periods of time so that they starve themselves. So now you can probably guess what cold and hot mean in this verse. By saying cold Jesus is referring to ascetic Christians or rather those who abstain from pleasurable things like eating as a sacrifice to show their devotion to their faith. Then by saying hot Jesus is referring to non-ascetic Christians or rather those who feast in order to celebrate their faith. But then what does lukewarm or room temperature mean? Well by saying lukewarm Jesus is referring to so-called Christians or rather those who do not celebrate or sacrifice for their faith. In other words lukewarm Christians are just like everyone else who do not call themselves Christian because they do not do anything differently.

That said there is another way to view cold, hot and lukewarm here that is quite similar to asceticism. For instance by referring to temperature instead of referring to asceticism Jesus could be referring to how Christians demonstrate their faith. In this sense a cold Christian would be someone who is more private and reserved in their faith while a hot Christians would be someone who is more public and open in their faith. If this sounds confusing then think about a cold Christian as someone who is more inwardly devoted and faithful while a hot Christian is someone who is more outwardly devoted and faithful. For example someone who primarily wants to get involved with public faith related activities would be a hot Christian while someone who primarily considers faith related activities to be a private matter would be a cold Christian. But what about a lukewarm Christian? Well you can probably guess that a lukewarm Christian would be neither private or public with their faith and because of this fact they would not really be faithful. Then you can probably see why I said this is similar to ascetic versus non-ascetic Christians since the practices of ascetic Christians largely align with more private Christians in the sense that obviously ascetic Christians are not going to go to a feast to celebrate their faith and instead they would probably stay home alone to devote themselves to prayer. Thus really both of these two views are probably in view here in this verse.

Now to explain what Jesus is saying some more the idea here with hot, cold and lukewarm is that just like how you need to expend work or effort in order to create hot liquid or cold liquid so too do Christians need to expend work or effort in order to be hot Christians or cold Christians. Then just like hot liquid and cold liquids and how they each are enjoyable and useful in their own way so too are hot Christians and cold Christians useful and enjoyable to God in their own way. This is why in this verse Jesus says “How I wish you were one or the other” (Revelation 3:15) since Jesus’s point here is that both cold Christians and hot Christians are faithful Christians even though they demonstrate their faith through their deeds differently. Next the idea behind the lukewarm imagery is that you do not need to expend work or effort in order to create a lukewarm or room temperature liquid because all you have to do is do nothing and just let it sit there then it will become lukewarm or room temperature. This then means that Christians need to expend work or effort in order to be faithful Christians and that if they do not then they will simply revert back to being lukewarm or rather just like all those who are not Christian. For instance if you call yourself a Christian but you do basically nothing that differentiates yourself from all those around you who do not call themselves Christians then you would be a lukewarm Christian or rather a so-called Christian because in reality you are no different than non-Christians in terms of your deeds.

If you doubt these two meanings in terms of hot and cold Christians then I would like to point out that hot and cold must refer to different things and not the same thing. This is because otherwise Jesus would have either just directly rebuked the church in Laodicea for their lack of faith and deeds or He would have used a different metaphor. Thus sure hot and cold both refer to faithful Christians however a hot Christian is not the same as a cold Christian.

As Jesus says:

“How I wish you were one or the other!” (Revelation 3:15)

Once again the idea here is that being hot and being cold are not the same thing since Jesus says how He wishes those in the church in Laodicea “were one or the other” (Revelation 3:15) in this verse. Therefore it is best to think of hot and cold being opposites where being hot is good and being cold is good but being in the middle or lukewarm is bad. This would then mean that in order to understand what Jesus is talking about with respect to Christians that you would need to find something that fits this distribution. Then of course as I have already explained ascetic and non-ascetic Christians then public and private Christians would both fit this distribution. This is because a Christian needs to exert effort in order to be either an ascetic Christian, someone who sacrifices for their faith, or a non-ascetic Christian, someone who celebrates their faith. Then likewise it also takes effort in order to be a public Christian or a private Christian. On the other hand it takes zero effort to be a lukewarm Christian since someone does not have to do anything to be lukewarm. Therefore because of all this hot and cold refer to different types that are equally valued and they do not refer to the same type.

So how do we as Christians differentiate ourselves from everyone else so that we can be either hot or cold? Well really it is as I said. All Jesus is talking about with hot or cold is how you demonstrate your faith. So for example if you pray in private, make sacrifices for your faith and do not go to a church then you would be an example of a cold Christian. On the other hand if you almost always attend a church, publicly celebrate your faith and get involved with leading activities and helping other Christians in their faith then you would be an example of a hot Christian. Thus the whole point is that in order to be a faithful Christian you need to demonstrate your faith through things like private acts, making personal sacrifices, engaging in public ministry, sharing your faith with others and so forth.

On the other hand if you do not do enough of these things then you would be just like everyone else so that you are Christian in name only. For example consider the lukewarm Christians today who are more cultural Christians in the sense that they treat church as a social club where the purpose is to be friendly, meet people and socialize in a familiar and like-minded environment. Sure these so-called Christians call themselves Christian so they can fit into their social club but in terms of actually living out their faith they do not do anything outside of attending their social club in order to socialize. For instance they do not pray outside of their social club because they do not actually have faith so they do not see a point in praying. Thus you can see why Jesus calls these so-called Christians lukewarm because in truth they are no different than those who do not call themselves Christian.

For a more specific example of what I am talking about consider politics. Perhaps more often than not a church will have a certain political slant and due to this they emphasize certain parts of the Bible or worse yet completely misinterpret the Bible in an effort to support their political views. Thus the point here is that instead of church being a mere social club to socialize the church is turned into a political action organization where all the members have similar or even exactly the same political views. In other words for these so-called Christians church and being a Christian is not really about Christianity and being faithful to God through Jesus. Instead for these so-called Christians church is a means to get politically active and to push their political viewpoints. Sure they might dress up their political speech with references to the Bible but they do not actually care about the Bible. Instead they are using the Bible as an authority in order to push their political views. Now all this might not make much sense to you right now but I assure you that you will understand what I am talking about here after you read my part called Various Insights. In this part you will come to see for yourself that most of what Christians or rather so-called Christians seek to impose on others through politics is not actually biblically sound. This is why I say they are so-called Christians because their primary or even sole motivation is not to be faithful to God and instead their motivation is to be faithful to their politics. Then because of this they are no different than all those who are not Christian and who engage in politics. Therefore because of this they would be lukewarm.

Next you may doubt what I have said so far but the subsequent verses demonstrate my point that cold and hot Christians are faithful Christians while lukewarm Christians are unfaithful Christians who do not actually have faith because they do not demonstrate their faith.

As Jesus says:

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’” (Revelation 3:17)

The point here is that those in the church in Laodicea do not worship God by placing their faith, trust and hope in Him and instead they worship their wealth because they place their faith, trust and hope in their material possessions to save them.

Then as Jesus also says:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

By saying this Jesus is saying that those in the church in Laodicea have yet to actually let Jesus into their lives and hearts. In other words Jesus does not consider them to be faithful Christians because they do not actually have faith in God through Him. This is then why what I said concerning the meaning of hot, cold and lukewarm make sense since the general idea with the metaphor in question is that both hot and cold Christians are demonstrating their faith in some way that sets them apart from non-Christians while the so-called Christians who are lukewarm are not doing anything that sets them apart from non-Christians. Then this is also why Jesus is talking about deeds or works with respect to faith here and not good deeds or bad deeds in terms of helping others since Jesus’s emphasize is on works of faith.

Next since I referenced asceticism versus non-asceticism and private versus public demonstrations of faith in this comment it would be helpful to talk about these two subjects some more to clarify their relationship to Christianity.

First in terms of private versus public demonstrations of faith as I have said before if someone only engages in public demonstrations of faith then they almost certainly are not actually faithful because their goal is for other people to look up to and respect them.

As Jesus says:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

Therefore the idea here is that if someone only has the outward appearance of faith as they share their faith publicly without the inward demonstration of faith by being devoted to God through Jesus in private where no one can see then they are not really faithful. Now you may take this to mean that being a hot Christian is not exactly valid and because of this what I said above is wrong. However this is not the case because it is entirely possible to be very public with your faith in terms of helping and encouraging your fellow Christians without doing so for your own benefit. Really all I am saying here is that what a hot Christian does outside of their outward expression of faith is what validates their outward expression of faith as being genuine. For example if someone is always involved at their church with various things and they never miss a church service but outside of church they never pray let alone anything else then I would probably say they are not faithful or rather a lukewarm Christian because they obviously treat their church as a social club. On the other hand if someone else was also always involved in their church with various things and they always try to never miss a church service while outside of church they pray in private every day then I would say they are faithful and would be an example of a hot Christian.

Then in terms of the above passage regarding prayer from the Gospel of Matthew really the hypocrites who “pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5) would be an example of those who are lukewarm. This is because their goal is not to honor God and to be faithful to Him and instead their goal is to increase their own honor by getting others to view them as faithful. In other words it is really about a person’s own inward motivations that makes them into a faithful or an unfaithful Christian in the sense that if their true motivation is to honor God then they are faithful and if their true motivation is to honor themselves then they are unfaithful. For an example of this consider all the lukewarm Christian apologists who have so-called ministries where they sell books, courses, videos and more to Christians without giving them away for free so they make a profit. My point here is that these people do not actually have true ministries and instead they have businesses and their true goal is not helping and nurturing Christians and instead their goal is to make money as evidenced by the fact they sell for a profit instead of giving away what they create for free so more Christians can benefit from their work. Now I said these people are lukewarm Christians because almost everyone who writes a book seeks to make money and profit off their book. It does not matter what their background is. Thus the idea here is that default position is to make a profit off of your work and since these so-called Christians are merely doing what everyone else does what they do is not actually motivated by their faith and instead their motivation is the same as everyone else. Then since they are just like everyone else in terms of their motivations they are therefore lukewarm. Then of course if these people actually did what Jesus asked of us and gave away their work for free then they would be hot Christians because they would be publicly sharing their faith with the world.

Next in terms of asceticism versus non-asceticism Jesus’s approval of both hot and cold Christians would then obviously mean that both ascetic Christians and non-ascetic Christians are equally faithful and that they express their faith in different ways. For example an ascetic Christian might abandon society and live a solitary life while depriving themselves of all physical desires in order to show how their devotion to God is greater than their physical desires. On the other hand a non-ascetic Christian might integrate themselves into society even more in order to better share their faith with others as they celebrate their faith by enjoying the things of the world as they worship God because of how grateful they feel for all that God has created.

Now this last part might not make much sense but think about the practices of non-ascetic Christians in terms of eating meals in honor of God rather than not eating meals in honor of God as an ascetic Christian would. For instance previously in the letters to the seven churches Jesus rebuked those who ate meat sacrificed to idols for idolatry. The reason why this is idolatry is because by eating something that was sacrificed to an idol you are essentially worshiping that idol because you have dedicated the meal to the idol and given thanks to the idol for the meal. Thus with non-ascetic Christians the idea would be that they would eat meals, especially with other Christians, and they would give thanks to God for their meal and dedicate their meal to God to celebrate what He has given them. On the other hand an ascetic Christian would fast and not eat in order to honor God by showing that their love of God is greater than their desire to eat. Therefore in the case of eating by saying “you are neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15) in this verse Jesus is saying those in the church in Laodicea do not fast and they do not give thanks to God for what they eat. Thus Jesus is saying that both fasting and eating in honor of God are both acceptable ways to honor God as a faithful Christian.

Then it is also important to talk about asceticism and when it can cease to be about honoring God. For instance just like with prayer when you fast in a public way so that others know that you are fasting then your fasting becomes self-serving so that instead of honoring God through your fasting you are actually honoring yourself.

As Jesus says:

“When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

Thus the idea here is that if someone makes their fasting public by either making it obvious that they are fasting or by telling others that they are fasting then they are not really fasting to honor God and instead they are fasting so that they can receive honor from others. This is then the main problem that I have with ascetic Christians. Really more often than not in my opinion ascetics engage in asceticism not to honor God but to receive respect and honor from others. Now this may not make much sense to you but the whole point is for the ascetic to make huge sacrifices that make other people look up to them as some superhuman example of what it means to be faithful. For example someone who fasts so often and so long that they always look like they they are starving would almost certainly have the goal of wanting others to view them as a superhuman who has a will and faith greater than all others. Then as another example someone who maintains a public vow of chastity likewise would have the goal of having others look up to them as loving God more than sexual pleasure. Then for a third example this would even apply to someone who donates all their money to charitable causes publicly whenever they make or receive any money because they have taken a vow of poverty.

As Jesus says:

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

Thus as I have said before Jesus’s point here is that if someone gives publicly for all to see then really they are not giving money with the purpose of helping others and instead they are giving money so that others will look up to and respect them as they see them as being a good person. This is of course why Jesus says “they already have their full reward” (Matthew 6:2) since their real goal was respect and honor from others which they have already received.

Now my point with all this is that oftentimes those who wish to live a more ascetic lifestyle as a Christian are not really doing so in order to honor God and instead they are doing so as a way to differentiate themselves from others so that they are respected and looked up to as an example of what it means to be faithful to God. This is especially if not certainly true whens someone advertises their ascetic lifestyle in a very public manner so that those around around them are aware of what they are doing. Therefore if you wish to lead some sort of an ascetic lifestyle then you should not seek to advertise it publicly and instead you should seek to hide it as much as you are able so that you are honoring God and not yourself.

Lastly in terms of both topics not everyone is going to neatly fit in one category or the other and instead chances are you are going to meet some of the criteria for being a cold Christian and some of the criteria for being a hot Christian. But really you should not be concerned about this because Jesus’s main point in the verse this comment is on is that both are valuable and useful. Thus it does not matter if you do not neatly fit into one category or the other category because only if you are faithful or not matters.

(16) “So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” – As I said in the previous comment lukewarm drinks and foods are oftentimes unpleasant to consume in comparison to if the same food or drink was hot or cold instead. Then since it requires work or effort in order to have a hot or cold drink or food while all you need to do to have a lukewarm or room temperature drink or food is to leave it out until it naturally becomes room temperature this then means that if something is lukewarm then it is just like everything else. In other words Jesus’s message here is that those in the church in Laodicea are not faithful Christians because they are not performing the kind of deeds that would make them hot Christians or cold Christians and thus demonstrate their faith. Then because of this fact Jesus goes on to say “I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” (Revelation 3:16) This then means that Jesus is saying based on their current deeds, or rather a lack of demonstration of their faith, that those in the church in Laodicea do not have salvation and they are not saved. This just means that if Jesus returned when Revelation was written then He would tell those in the church of Laodicea “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23) In other words despite the fact that those in the church of Laodicea consider themselves Christians Jesus does not consider them to be faithful Christians and because of this fact if they continue down the current path they are on they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death.

All of this then means that not everyone who says they are a Christian will be considered a faithful Christian. Instead only those who demonstrate their faith through how they live their life will be considered faithful Christians. For example if someone says they are a Christian while at the same time they do not even pray then would you say they are a faithful Christian who actually has faith in God through Jesus? Of course not. Now you might not agree with this so let me ask you another question. If you met someone who said that they are a fan of a certain activity but they do not actually engage with the activity in question in any way then are they really a fan of that activity? Of course not. The same idea is in view here with respect to Christianity. The idea here is that if someone goes to church and views it as a social club such that they do not even bother to pray outside of church and believe in God through Jesus then they are what Jesus would call a lukewarm Christian, a so-called Christian, or rather a cultural Christian who is merely Christian in name only.

So then what does it mean to be a faithful Christian? Essentially in order to be a Christian you need to demonstrate your faith through your deeds. This is why Jesus says “I know your deeds” (Revelation 3:15) in the prior verse because what Jesus cares about is not what you say or claim to be but rather what you do and how you act. In other words actions speak louder than words. So the point here is that if you want to be considered a faithful Christian then you need to demonstrate your faith through your actions so that instead of being just like everyone else who does not call themselves Christian, or lukewarm, you become either a hot or a cold Christian as you live out your faith in your own unique way. Now this does not mean that you must attend a church since as I said in the previous comment a cold Christian could be interpreted as a Christian who is more private in how they practice your faith. Therefore my point here is that you do not have to do the things that most people think you need to do and instead I am talking about doing things in your own life that demonstrate your faith.

For example if you frequently pray as you place all your hope, trust and faith in God through Jesus instead of in the things of the world then I would say you are a faithful Christian. On the other hand if you never miss a church service, almost never pray outside of church and see politicians or even the beast itself as a source of salvation as you see God as more of a backup plan then I would say that you are not a faithful Christian. This is because in order to be a faithful Christian you need to place all of your hope, trust and faith in God through Jesus so that you do not have any faith in the things of the world for your salvation. Now you may dispute this and if you do consider the followings comments on the subsequent verses. That said my point here is that in order to be a faithful Christian you need to have true faith and not simply call yourself a Christian as you simply go through the motions and live your life just like everyone else does.

(17) “You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” – To begin those in the church in Laodicea believe that their material wealth and success protects them so that they have no need for God since they say that they “need nothing.” (Revelation 3:17) However in reality because those in the church in Laodicea place their faith in the things of the world to save them instead of in God Jesus says they “are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17) This is because everything in our world is merely temporary and it will all pass away in time and because of this fact earthly things cannot compare to the things of God. For instance all those who have the love of God through having faith in Him through Jesus are rich beyond measure due to the promises that God has made to us which include eternal life and ruling over the nations. This would then mean that having faith in God through Jesus is literally more valuable than all of the wealth in our entire world. So now you can see why someone who is wealthy and trusts in their wealth to save them instead of God is actually “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17) in reality. Then this verse is also the opposite of what Jesus previously said to the church in Smyrna.

As Jesus says:

“I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich!” (Revelation 2:9)

Thus the point here is that although those in the church in Smyrna were materially poor when Revelation was written in reality because of their faith they have the promises of God as a future inheritance so that they are actually rich beyond measure. Now you may take issue with what I have said here because although what I wrote sounds nice you may say that it does not reflect reality. So to make what I have said make more sense consider the following. Imagine you met someone who seemed very poor but then after getting to know them they told you that their wealthy grandfather put all of his wealth into a trust fund and that in say five years they will receive ten billion dollars. After finding out this information would you still believe this person to be poor? Sure they may actually be poor now but in five years they will have more money than they will know what to do with. Thus even if this person is homeless when you met them after finding out they will inherit this great sum no doubt you would no longer see them as poor and instead you would see them as rich. This is because if they have to wait five years to inherit ten billion dollars then this is basically the same thing as if they were to work a job for five years without any pay and then receive ten billion dollars as payment after the five years of work. In other words this person who you at first believed to be poor is actually making two billion dollars a year which would actually make them one of the highest paid people in the world. Now this relates to what Jesus says here in Revelation because the promises that God has made to us are like our inheritance that we will receive after we die.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Therefore my point here is that since we will inherit all the things that God has promised in Revelation this would then mean that the inheritance that each of us is to receive is quite literally beyond value. For example how much is eternal life, in the sense that it is impossible to die, worth? I supposed you could say priceless so we need another example. How much wealth could you extract from the nations of the world as tribute as you “rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery” (Revelation 2:27) since Jesus as promised us authority over all the nations? Well it would really depend upon the time period but I will just say billions to perhaps even trillions of dollars each year and you could do this forever. Now my point here is that even if you want to place a monetary value on things then the value would be greater than any sum we can imagine today especially when you consider the fact that your wealth would only increase as time goes on. That said of course in reality all the promises of God together are literally priceless but I am just trying to make a point here.

So my point is that think of the promises that God has given us as being a future inheritance that is worth say a hundred trillion dollars for example. Then the time that we are to receive this inheritance is of course after we die and let me just assume that we will receive this inheritance in forty years because forty years is the time of a generation in the Bible. So just like before with the person who is to receive the ten billion dollar inheritance after five years so that they are actually making two billion dollars a year, since we are to receive a hundred trillion dollar inheritance in forty years this would then mean we are actually making two and a half trillion dollars a year. On the other hand even the richest person in the world today would be poor when compared to such a great inheritance. Of course in reality our future inheritance is priceless such that the true value is infinity dollars but this is just an example to prove a point like I said. Thus now you know why Jesus says that those in the church in Smyrna are rich even though they appear poor while those in the church in Laodicea are poor even though they appear rich.

Therefore do not focus on the material things of our world for you salvation because in the end it does not matter how much you have and instead the only thing that matters is your faith. Your material wealth on earth will never save you from death even if the beast itself gives you biological immortality because God will annihilate everyone in the final judgment so that all those who look towards their wealth and the beast to save them will face “the great winepress of God’s wrath.” (Revelation 14:19)

Now the subject of the beast then relates to the true meaning of those in the church of Laodicea saying “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.” (Revelation 3:17) This is because what those in the church of Laodicea have said is almost the exact same thing the great prostitute or all of humanity will say in the future after the beast rises.

As Revelation says:

“In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’” (Revelation 18:7)

The great prostitute or all of humanity itself will of course say this because the beast or the global artificial super intelligence will quite literally be supporting all of humanity as it ushers the world into a so-called golden age of great wealth and prosperity that everyone will believe will last forever. That said although the beast will work many so-called miracles and do many things that people see as truly amazing, the beast will never compare to God. Furthermore as I will explain fully later on ultimately our world is a world in decay due to its separation from God so that in the long run it does not matter what so-called scientific miracles are worked because there are hard limitations to what can be done so that we cannot escape the inevitable decay and death that all material things face.

Christians today should remember this fact because it does not matter how much you have or what the coming beast gives you since it will never compare to what God can provide. Furthermore material wealth on earth is useless because it will not save you from death, what is coming or the final judgment. It does not matter how well prepared you make yourself out to be, how safe you build your bunker, how much food you buy or even how many people stand with you. These things cannot save you and they will not save you because only your faith in God through Jesus can save you. Then I would actually go as far to say that if you seek to avoid the wrath of God here on earth and avoid death above all else then all you will do is demonstrate that you place your faith in the things of the world over God and because of this fact you will not be saved.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)

Now my point here with all this is that this future society that places its faith, trust and hope in the beast for salvation over God is committing the exact same sin as those in the church in Laodicea. Therefore because of this you should take Jesus’s warning about what will happen to lukewarm Christians who do what everyone else does as they look towards the material world for their salvation instead of towards God seriously. Again this is because if you look towards your wealth for salvation now such that you do not really have faith in God through Jesus then you have already abandoned God for the things of the world. But what exactly does this all mean? Well really what I am talking about is where you place your faith, trust and hope for the future. The idea here is that if you place your faith, trust and hope in the things of the world then you are not faithful to God even if you call yourself a Christian. On the other hand if you place all of your faith, trust and hope in God through Jesus then you are faithful to God.

As Jesus says:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Jesus’s point here is of course that what you value in your life is where your heart is. Thus if you value money then your heart rests with the world. On the other hand if you value the things of God then your heart rests with God. Therefore by saying “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing” (Revelation 3:17) those in the church in Laodicea have firmly placed their heart with their money and wealth instead of with God. Now you may believe that Jesus is only talking about money here however this is not the case. This is because ultimately being wealthy and placing your trust, hope and faith in your wealth is not really about wealth specifically and instead it is about placing your trust, hope and faith in the things of this world. The idea here is that your wealth is whatever you value on earth and because of this there are many different kinds of wealth.

For instance consider the people who upon reading about Revelation seek to physically prepare for the reign of the beast by building a bunker, stockpiling food, gathering medical supplies, joining a group of similar people and more. These people are not actually placing their faith in God and instead they are placing their faith in their wealth or rather the physical preparations that they have taken. Now you may dispute this but if you actually have faith in God and believe in His promises then is it not better to die sooner rather than later?

As Revelation says:

“Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” (Revelation 14:13)

Therefore when these people try to escape death by trusting in their physical preparations they have actually demonstrated that they do not have faith in God. Thus instead of being scared of what you have read so far and what you have yet to read that concerns our future and the beast you should instead feel joy knowing that God will fulfill His promises to you. Now this does not mean that you should not prepare for the beast. Instead this just means that you should prepare spiritually for the beast so that you abandon your connections to this world so that you place your faith, trust and hope in God alone so that you see everything else as nothing.

This then relates to another form of wealth that is important to be aware of so that you do not worship it. But what is this wealth? Well as upsetting as you may find it political wealth is another form of wealth. But why is this so? Really you should just think of wealth in the context of Revelation as anything you greatly value to the point that you believe it can help save you. This would of course include political ideologies, politicians and governments. Thus the idea here is that if you value politics to the point where you see your political ideology, favorite politician or government as a so-called savior that will make everything better then you are doing the same thing that those in the church in Laodicea did. In other words you are saying “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.” (Revelation 3:17) This is because we as Christians are supposed to place all of our faith in God through Jesus instead of the things of the world.

Now you may claim that your political ideology, favorite politician or government is so Christian that it or they are preparing the way for Jesus’s return and the eternal Kingdom of God. However to say such a thing is not only factually wrong but in my view blasphemous because it implies that we as Christians have power to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God when we do not because only God and Jesus through the power of God have that power.

That said this is not the biggest issue. The biggest issue with treating politics as your so-called savior in this way so that you see your political ideology, favorite politician or government as preparing the way for Jesus is that it is factually wrong and only someone so grossly ignorant of what Jesus says to us in Revelation would believe such a preposterous idea. This is because according to what Revelation says the beast will rule the entire world as it sits above all the nations after all the nations have given it their authority.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

And as Revelation also says:

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13)

The point here is that the beast will rule over the entire world after the leaders of all the nations of the world “yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:13) Therefore there is literally zero reason to believe that your political ideology, favorite politician or government will have anything to do with preparing the way for Jesus’s return as we get closer to the rise of the beast. Again this is because the only earthly victory to take place before Jesus’s return is not a Christian political or social victory and instead the only victory will be that of the beast as all the nations of the world bow down and surrender to it. This fact then means that there is literally zero reason to place any of your faith, trust and hope in politics because all roads lead to the beast and it does not matter what you do now.

Furthermore I would actually go even further and say that if you place any of your faith, trust and hope in politics now then you will almost certainly end up worshiping the beast. Now you may doubt what I just said but this is because all it will take is for you to see the so-called miracles that the beast will work and for your favorite politician or political organization to endorse the beast for you to worship the beast. Perhaps your favorite politician might even say that the beast itself is doing the work of Jesus and ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God and Jesus’s return as blasphemous as this may be to read. This is why I am warning you now to abandon politics so that you place all of your faith, trust and hope in God alone because when the beast comes it will deceive even those who consider themselves to be faithful Christians.

As Jesus says:

“For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:21-25)

Therefore if you follow your political ideology, favorite politician or government now then all they will do is lead you to the beast after everyone looks upon the beast with amazement and realizes that the beast is the end of politics. Now you might be skeptical about this and although I explain it later on and in my part called Artificial Super Intelligence it would be helpful to briefly explain what I mean. Essentially an artificial super intelligence is an entity that will know basically everything of importance in the world because it will not have the same limitations that we have. Instead it will be able to process and store a seemingly infinite amount of information. Then given the fact that by definition an artificial super intelligence is well super and thus far more intelligent than even the most intelligent humans to ever live this would then mean that the global artificial super intelligence will literally replace the labor of everyone. So essentially there will be a seemingly all knowing entity that can process all worthwhile information in the world that makes even the most intelligent humans on the planet seem slow by comparison. This then means that the artificial super intelligence will not only make all the decisions but it will do all or at least all of the intellectual labor in the world. Now sure some humans will still make some decisions at first but eventually the artificial super intelligence will demonstrate that it is vastly superior to all politicians, policy makers and so-called experts in the world so that even these people will just do whatever the artificial super intelligence says. This is why I said the beast is the end of politics because as you can see the system that the beast creates will be the best system that humanity can create without using the power of God which we of course do not possess.

Now because of what I just said above this is why you need to place all of your trust, hope and faith in God instead of in anything of the world including politics. Remember all politics leads to the beast because after the beast rises the whole world will recognize how much greater it is than them and the great good it can do so they will “yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:13) Therefore do not place any of your faith, trust and hope in political ideologies, politicians or governments. It does not matter what they do or how powerful they are. Politics will never save you. Therefore you should not seek political salvation by having faith in earthly things. Instead you should seek true salvation from God by placing your trust, faith and hope in God through Jesus.

Personally I do not vote or care about politics because ultimately all the politicians will give their power to the beast in the end. So why should I care which future pawn of the beast wins the next election? The beast will win regardless of who I vote for. Thus I care about the Kingdom of God and I do not care about the kingdoms of men. What men create is easily corruptible and the lines are easily blurred. However what God will create, the new earth, will be perfect. We should also remember that the faithful are to rule over the nations in the new earth when Jesus returns and we are not to rule over the nations now. Therefore instead looking towards a political victory now you should look towards the eternal Kingdom of God where we as faithful Christians will rule over all the nations on behalf of God.

My point with all this is that you should not look towards anything of this world for your salvation because nothing can save you except for God alone. Therefore place all of your trust, faith and hope in God so that instead of saying “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing” (Revelation 3:17) you tell yourself that all you need is the love of God and of Jesus through your faith because the promises of God are worth more than all the things of the world.

Finally I do not say all these things for the sole purpose of accusing you. Sure as I will explain later on some of my intentions with this book are to denounce, rebuke, correct and even accuse the world. I mean if I am being perfectly honest very few people will actually read this entire book and as I said in the introduction I wrote this book for God. However this does not mean that the purpose of this book is not also to instruct Christians and to warn the world about the beast. Therefore you need to understand that the beast is coming and its power, might, majesty and glory will be greater than anything you can imagine in our world. It will unite all the nations and tribes of men and all the world will look towards it for salvation. Thus if you cannot look away from money, possessions or politics for salvation now then how much greater will the beast, the inheritor of Satan’s throne, captivate your hope for the future? Therefore do not look towards the things of the world to save you because if you do then Jesus will upon you as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)

(18) “I counsel you to buy from Me” – Jesus recommends that those in the church in Laodicea buy certain things from Him so that they will no longer be “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17) anymore. Then since as I have said many times already since the letters to the seven churches were written to all Christians throughout all time periods this means that Jesus is also counseling lukewarm Christians today to buy from Him as well. So how do you buy the things that Jesus recommends? Well it is quite simple. You buy what Jesus recommends through having true faith in Him as demonstrated by your deeds and by loving God over the things of the world. Then by deeds here I am of course talking about becoming either a hot or a cold Christian through demonstrating your faith in a manner that you feel called to. The idea here is that your faith in Jesus is a form of currency that Jesus automatically redeems for you so that you may receive benefits in this life and an inheritance through the resurrection. Therefore as long as you have true faith then Jesus will give you all that you need and all that you could ever want.

(18) “gold refined by fire so that you may become rich,” – Gold refined by fire is representative of the value of the inheritance that God has promised us which is why Jesus says that we will become rich. Again as I said previously the idea here is that our future inheritance is priceless and because of this fact we are actually extremely rich as faithful Christians even though others may not see us to be rich. Next Jesus specifically says “gold refined by fire” (Revelation 3:18) in this verse because the point is that fire is representative of the trials, temptations and struggles we face and endure through here on earth before we receive our inheritance through the resurrection. Thus the idea here is that by surviving our trials and temptations that we face in our lives we demonstrate ourselves to be faithful before God and because of this we refine and purify the gifts that God will give us. If this still does not make much sense then when you refine or rather purify gold you remove the impurities that are worthless so that only the gold remains. So then by facing the fire of temptations and trials in our lives we eliminate any part of us that is unfaithful as we demonstrate our faith through our perseverance and then because of this fact we demonstrate ourselves to be worthy to receive our inheritance. Therefore in other words by persevering through the fire of our temptations and trials we are refining the gold that we are to receive in our inheritance.

(18) “white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed,” – White garments are representative of spiritually purity and innocence in the sight of God. On the other hand someone who is spiritually bankrupt and guilty before God would be naked. The point here is that by persisting in our faith until the end we receive forgiveness from God for our sins so that instead of standing naked and exposed before God so that we are guilty and dirty we will instead stand clothed in white garments so that we are innocent and pure.

I would also like to point out that just like with the “gold refined by fire” (Revelation 3:18) from the above comment the “white garments” (3:18) that Jesus talks about here will be something that we will only receive by remaining faithful until the very end.

As Jesus says:

“Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white.” (Revelation 3:5)

Therefore as Jesus says you must overcome the power of Satan and the beast so that you remain true and faithful to God through Jesus until the very end in order to “be dressed in white.” (Revelation 3:5) Thus the idea here with what Jesus is saying in the verse this comment is on is that persisting in your faith in Him until the end is your currency that is used to buy your white garments or rather the forgiveness of your sins.

(18) “and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” – First off having eyes to see is representative of the ability to see spiritually so that you can see the hidden truth of the world that God has hidden in plain sight. Thus the meaning of this part of the verse in question is that by having true faith in Jesus your eyes will be healed so that you can see what God wants you to see and what He has hidden from everyone else who remain blind.

This then brings up a rather interesting point with regards to the rest of Revelation and this verse. Essentially as I have said before God has hidden the truth of His plan for the world in plain sight in the Book of Revelation. This way when a secular person who is blind looks at Revelation they will see nothing more than a deranged failed prophecy about the Roman Empire. On the other hand when someone who has eyes to see looks at Revelation they will see the truth in the sense that God’s plan will be partly revealed to them. This way they will be better prepared to overcome the power of Satan in our world. Then overcoming the power of Satan would of course include overcoming the beast and this is where having eyes to see would perhaps be a necessity since if you cannot recognize the beast as the beast then you will almost certainly be deceived by it so that you end up worshiping it. Therefore I am sure you can recognize just how essential it is to have true faith in God through Jesus so that you can have “salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” (Revelation 3:18)

Next all this actually relates to this book. Essentially this book is worthless to those with eyes who remain blind due to their lack of true faith. For example someone who calls themselves a Christian who says in their heart “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing” (Revelation 3:17) as they place their faith in the material world we find ourselves in will look at everything that I have written in this book and believe it to be wrong. Instead, if they insist that they are a Christian, they might even say that sure I am correct about artificial super intelligence being possible but that they believe I am wrong about the beast. Then may go on to falsely claim that artificial super intelligence will be God’s tool to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. In other words they will fall into worshiping the beast to such an extent that they will see the beast as Jesus Himself because only Jesus will usher in the eternal Kingdom of God here on earth.

But how is it fair that some who call themselves Christian remain blind while others can see? Well essentially what I am saying is it is about what you want to see. Thus for the person in the example I just gave they do not actually place their trust, faith and hope in God to save them. Instead they place their trust, faith and hope in the material things of the world to save them. This would be why they would react with hostility to what I have written because for them the artificial super intelligence that I talk about is what they see as the true path to salvation for humanity because the artificial super intelligence would be able to do such amazing things for us. On the other hand if you place your trust, faith and hope in God alone so that you do not look towards the things of this world for your salvation in anyway then you will be able to see with your eyes so that you will understand Revelation and all that I have written.

But then why I have written so much if all you need are eyes to see to understand Revelation? Well you see although the faithful are given eyes to see this fact does not mean that all of us will be able to see everything. Thus my intention with writing so much is to make it so that everyone who has eyes to see will be able to see the truth in what I have written regardless of how well their eyesight is. This is why I go into such detail in explaining everything since some Christians need more help in order to see the truth than others. That said I would like to emphasize that as long as you see what I have written as being useful and valuable then I would say for sure that you have eyes to see. Therefore do not worry if you do not see the same things I do upon first reading Revelation because you have this book to nurture and feed you. This is then one of the main reasons why I wrote this book.

As Jesus says:

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” (Matthew 24:45-46)

As I have said before with regards to the imagery in this passage food is representative of spiritual insight and understanding. Thus the idea here is that Jesus, or really God, has opened the eyes and ears of some people in His household, or the Church, so that they may help feed and nurture their fellow brothers and sisters when they are in need with the spiritual insights and understanding that they need. So essentially this book is the food that I have received that I have then in turn given away to all Christians for free so that we can all understand the will of God. This is why not everyone needs to be given the same spiritual insight and understanding since by giving away everything of importance that I have seen and heard for free the entire Church and all Christians benefit as everyone receives the same food that I have received. Therefore do not worry about not being able to see what I have seen before reading this book because by reading this book in full your eyes will be opened so that you will see everything as clear as day.

As Jesus says:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

So take heart in what Revelation says and that which I have written so that you can see the truth that everyone wants to see that God has hidden.

(19) “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.” – Jesus loves even those Christians who sin against God because He does not want us to fail. If Jesus did not love even those of us who sin against God then He would not warn us about our failures and instead Jesus would keep silent so that we never repent by asking for forgiveness and changing our ways to ensure that we face the second death in the Lake of Fire. Therefore you should not get discouraged, believe that Jesus will always hate you and give up if you felt called out and attacked while reading the letters to the seven churches. Instead you should feel encouraged and view this as an opportunity to repent by asking for forgiveness and changing your ways so that you remain truly faithful until the end. That said you should also be aware that if you do not listen to Jesus’s warnings so that you fail to repent of your unfaithfulness and sins then you will not be forgiven by God. Instead you will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. “Therefore be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:19) because otherwise you will not inherit the eternal Kingdom of God.

(20) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” – By saying “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20) Jesus is saying that He is waiting for each person to let Him into their heart and life. This means that it is never too late to come to true faith by asking for forgiveness and changing your ways because Jesus is always waiting for you to let Him in. It is up to each person to simply open the door and let Him in so those who ignore Him knocking have no one to blame but themselves. Next if you open the door and let Jesus in so that He “will come in and dine with” (Revelation 3:20) you then you will enter into fellowship with Jesus as you share in the love of God and become part of His people. Lastly if you still have yet to answer the door then I strongly encourage you to do so before it is too late.

(21) “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” – First off as I have said previously overcoming here means overcoming the power of Satan and the beast so that you persist in true faith until the end comes or death takes you.

Next I would like to point out that based on this verse the false doctrine of the trinity is once again false because if Jesus was literally God then He would be always sitting on the throne of God. However instead Jesus had to overcome the power of Satan by resisting temptation on earth and fulfilling the will of God by willingly going to His death in order to be elevated by God so that He could sit down with His “Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

But what does Jesus saying “I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21) mean in this verse? Well first off by saying I “sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21) Jesus is saying that after He overcame the power of Satan through His death and resurrection He was elevated by God so that God granted Him the ability to use His power and authority. As I have said before think of Jesus as God’s vicegerent in the sense that God has given Jesus the ability to use His full power and authority on His behalf in order to carry out His will. This is what it means for Jesus to sit down with God “on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

Now in terms of the meaning of Jesus saying “I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne” (Revelation 3:21) there are two different ways to look at this with each way meaning basically the same thing. The first way is to say that after Jesus overcame He sat down with His “Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21) which would then mean that Jesus’s throne is actually the throne of God. Then because of this Jesus would then be saying that if we also overcome then just like Him we will also sit upon the throne of God. This would of course mean that we would become vicegerents of God just like Jesus. Next the second way is to say that since Jesus is the Christ or God’s vicegerent this would then mean that Jesus’s throne is the throne of God’s vicegerent. Therefore because of this when Jesus says “I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne” (Revelation 3:21) He would then be saying that if we also overcome then we will also become vicegerents of God as we share His throne or the throne of God’s vicegerent.

Therefore as you can see it does not make a difference which way you want to look at this verse because either way the meaning is that all those who overcome will become vicegerents of God as we are given the ability to use God’s power and authority in order to carry out the will of God. But what exactly does this mean and what does it entail? Well really this ties into the whole idea of the new heavens and the new earth so I talk about this later on instead of here. That said I will say that the general idea here is that we as the faithful will be given the power and authority of God so that we can rule over, govern and guide the new nations in the new earth.

As Jesus says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)

Therefore based on this fact it would make sense that we will be given the ability to use the power and authority of God since the only way we could hope to rule the nations “with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery” (Revelation 2:27) is if we are able to use the power and authority of God.

So does this mean that we will become equal with God? No of course not because no one is equal with God including Jesus as I have demonstrated. This is because as I have said before the position of vicegerent does not grant equality with God because just as God will make all of the faithful His vicegerents so too can He take away our future position as vicegerents. Instead what it means to be a vicegerent of God is that God will give us the ability to exercise His power and authority on His behalf. The idea here is that we will be more like an extension of God so that God works through us as we are completely dependent upon God for anything and everything we do. In other words we will not be separated from God as we are now and instead God will always be with us.

That said everything that I said here so far might not make too much sense but like I just said above I talk about this later on in my commentary on the new earth. So for now just understand that all those who overcome will become vicegerents of God as we are given the ability to use the power and authority of God on His behalf as I have said.

(22) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Again you can only hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches if you have spiritual ears to hear and you can only have spiritual ears if you belong to God.

(*) Finally I do not want you to lose sight of the fact that we will all be given all of the promises made for overcoming the power of Satan and of the beast by remaining true to our faith in God through Jesus until the end. As I have said before this is because the letters to the seven churches were not written to a literal seven churches and instead they were written to the entire Church throughout all time periods because of the symbolic meaning of the number seven representing completeness. Then as if this fact is not enough later on in Revelation God actually promises us that we will inherit all the promises that have been made in Revelation.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Remember this fact and do not forget it because all of the promises that God has made to us are worth more than all of the wealth that this world has to offer. This then means that you should not look towards the wealth of the world for salvation so that you end up placing your trust, hope and faith in the things of the world. Instead you should place your trust, hope and faith in God through Jesus alone because the inheritance that God has promised us is greater than anything the world can offer. Then because of this fact you should not look towards the coming beast for salvation. It does not matter if the beast promises you the entire world and all that is in it since even this promise would still be less than what God has promised us if we overcome the power of Satan and the beast. Therefore resist the beast until the very end and do not be deceived by the deceptions and lies it will tell you.

Chapter 2.17: Revelation 4

1 – The Throne in Heaven

(1) After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”

(2) At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. (3) The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. (4) Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven.” – The word translated as heaven here is ouranos (οὐρανός) which can be most literally understood as the entire expanse of the sky and all things in it. Therefore John is not necessarily saying that the door he saw was in heaven or rather the realm of God. Instead John is almost certainly saying that the door was in the sky since in the subsequent verses John sees “a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it” (Revelation 4:2) and the purpose of the door in the sky is that the door leads to the realm of God or heaven. Next it is important to remember that John previously said “I was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10) which means that John is still currently having a vision or a waking a dream at this point in Revelation. Therefore the door in the sky that John saw was almost certainly not real and instead it was an element of Johns vision or waking dream. Lastly the purpose of this door in the sky in John’s vision is that the door serves as a transition between John’s vision of Jesus on earth to John’s vision of heaven or the realm of God.

(1) “And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying,” – This is the same voice that John previously heard in Revelation 1.

As Revelation says:

“On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.’” (Revelation 1:10-11)

Then as I said previously this voice is almost certainly Jesus’s since after John turns around He sees Jesus standing there. Next in terms of Jesus’s voice being “like a trumpet” (Revelation 4:1) John is saying that Jesus’s voice is loud and authoritative since trumpets were used to command troop movements during battle when Revelation was written.

(1) “Come up here,” – Here Jesus is speaking to John and telling him to come up to the door in the sky so that he can see the rest of vision that will continue in heaven or the realm of God.

(1) “and I will show you what must happen after these things.” – Although the letters to the seven churches were written as a message to the entire Church or all Christians throughout all time periods the letters themselves told of things that were happening in the late first century AD when Revelation was written. Therefore when Jesus says “these things” (Revelation 4:1) He is referring to how the letters to the seven churches describe the way things are in the first century AD. This then means that Jesus is now going to show John everything that must happen after the things described in the letters to the seven churches or rather “what must happen after these things.” (Revelation 4:1)

(2) “At once I was in the Spirit” – John is saying that he is being moved by the Holy Spirit. In other words John is saying that he is having a vision which as I said previously is like a waking dream. Next it is important to point out that previously John already said he “was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10) in Revelation. So why does John say he “was in the Spirit” (Revelation 4:2) a second time exactly? Well really I would just say that John is emphasizing the fact that he is still having a vision and that everything he is about to describe is not literally happening or materially there. Thus John is saying that he is seeing spiritual things that are spiritually valuable in a vision or a waking dream given to him by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit instead of something literal.

(2) “and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it.” – First off the word translated as heaven can be most literally understood to mean sky as I have said. However since John is now seeing the throne of God this would mean that John is seeing the domain of God or heaven as we see it today. Next the reason why the sky, space and heaven are referred to using the same word is because when Revelation was written it was commonly believed that there were different levels to heaven. In the three tier cosmology of the heavens the first heaven is the sky where the birds and the clouds are. Then above this the second heaven is outer space where the stars are. Then lastly above this the third heaven is the domain of God which is so high above the previous level that it is unreachable.

As Paul wrote:

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)

In this verse Paul is speaking in the third person and saying that he had an experience of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2) or the domain of God so that he could hear things that “were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell.” (2 Corinthians 12:4) Therefore clearly Paul considered the third heaven to be the domain of God or what we think of heaven to be today.

(3) “The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.” – First off this description is supposed to make the reader envision the glory of God in the sense that it is purpose is to evoke awe and wonder rather than be taken literally. This is because since God transcends us and our universe He is obviously glorious beyond imagining and because of this fact He cannot be compared to the things of this world. Next this description is similar to what Ezekiel has written in the Book of Ezekiel.

As the Book of Ezekiel says:

“Above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man. From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him.

The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.” (Ezekiel 1:27-28)

Now if these descriptions do not make much sense to you then I would like to remind you that they should not be taken literally. Instead as I just said above these descriptions are just supposed to show how glorious God. Although in reality what God is and what He is like are so completely incomprehensible to us that no description can properly describe God. This is why both Ezekiel and the verse from Revelation this comment is on describe the appearance of God in such a strange and incomprehensible way. Now if you disagree with me about God being incomprehensible then later on at the end of this chapter I go into the reason why God is so completely incomparable and incomprehensible to us.

(4) “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders” – The twenty-four elders in this verse are representative of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles. The combination represents the unity between the Old Testament period and the New Testament period so that there is a continuity and continuation of the Israel of the Old Testament into the Israel of the New Testament. The idea is that the New Testament period is a continuation of the Old Testament period so instead of being two separate periods and two separate groups of God’s people there is in fact a single period and a single group of God’s people. This then means that those who come to faith in Jesus even today are just as much part of God’s people or Israel as those who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

(4) “dressed in white” – White clothes are representative of being spiritually pure, wise, righteous and victorious. Therefore these twenty-four elders are spiritually pure, wise, righteous and victorious.

(4) “gold crowns on their heads.” – Gold crowns are representative of immortality and rule. Thus these twenty-four elders have been given eternal life and the right to rule by God.

2 – Worship of the Creator

(5) From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God. (6) And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. (7) The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. (8) And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

(9) And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, (10) the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

(11) “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”

2.1 – Commentary

(5) “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder.” – This description is supposed to evoke fear and awe of God as well as show His power. This verse can also be considered a reference to the Book of Exodus.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen,’ they said to Moses. ‘But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’” (Exodus 20:18-19)

(5) “Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.” – The seven Spirits of God are the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is a complete spirit and seven is representative of completeness. The Holy Spirit is symbolized as seven torches or lamps here because just as a torch or a lamp is used to guide your way in the dark the Holy Spirit guides all Christians in the world as we each experience our own trials and temptations.

(6) “And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal.” – There are two different ways to view the “sea of glass, as clear as crystal” (Revelation 4:6) in this verse. The first way is that the sea of glass can be considered the floor before God’s throne and the window which God uses to look down to the earth to watch the world. The idea here is that God can always see everything that happens on earth and is ever watchful. Therefore you should never doubt that God Himself is watching you even now as you read this. So if you ever find yourself alone or being persecuted you can always take comfort in knowing that God has not forgotten about you because He is watching you. If you have any doubt about this just remember that that power and glory of God is infinite so He has the power to devote all His attention to each and every faithful Christian including you. Lastly it goes without saying that “sea of glass” (Revelation 4:6) is completely metaphorical since God does not actually need a window to look down at the earth from heaven. Instead God can see everything Himself.

Then the second way is that “the sea of glass, as clear as crystal” (Revelation 4:6) is representative of God’s current mood. This is because later on in Revelation 15 just before “the seven angels with the seven plagues” (Revelation 15:6) come to carry out the final and complete judgment of all those on earth the sea of glass is described as being mixed with fire.

As Revelation says:

“And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name.” (Revelation 15:2)

The idea here is that the sea of glass is “mixed with fire” (Revelation 15:2) because “the seven angels with the seven plagues” (Revelation 15:6) are about to pour out the wrath of God upon the earth so that everyone and everything is impacted. Thus the fire here would be representative of God’s mood being wrathful and angry. On the other hand the sea of glass is “as clear as crystal” (Revelation 4:6) here in Revelation 4 because God is not pouring out His wrath upon the earth when John was experiencing the vision. Thus in this case the sea of glass that is “as clear as crystal” (Revelation 4:6) is representative of God’s mood being peaceful. Now you may doubt this meaning but the Book of Exodus says something similar.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:9-11)

In this passage Moses and others from Israel went up a mountain to meet with God. Then in terms of the topic at hand the “pavement made of sapphire” (Exodus 24:10) is described “as clear as the sky itself” (Exodus 24:10) because God is currently peaceful in the sense that He is not unleashing His wrath. This fact is further evidenced by the passage saying “But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:11) On the other hand if God was going to unleash His wrath upon the nobles of Israel then no doubt the “pavement made of sapphire” (Exodus 24:10) here would be “mixed with fire” (Revelation 15:2) like in the previous passage from Revelation. Therefore “the sea of glass” (Revelation 4:6) can be seen as being representative of God’s mood.

Lastly since both of these meanings could be considered correct there is really no reason to prefer one meaning of the other and instead it is best to see both meanings in this verse.

(6) “In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures” – These “four living creatures” (Revelation 4:6) would be a type of angel and they would be among the highest angels in heaven since they are “around the throne” (Revelation 4:6) of God. Then when Ezekiel had his vision he also saw “the form of four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5) in heaven as well. Now the reason why four living creatures are here in Revelation is probably because four is a symbolic number that represents all directions since the four main directions are north, south, east and west. The idea here is that if God has four angels around Him on His front, back, left and right then God is completely surrounded by angels on all sides. Therefore four may be literal here or it may very well be figurative in the sense that Revelation is saying that God is surrounded by these “living creatures” (Revelation 4:6) or angels.

(6) “covered with eyes in front and back.” – The angels are “covered with eyes in front and back” (Revelation 4:6) because these angels are supposed to be able to see everything that happens around them since these angels are high ranking angels that directly serve God. The idea here is that eyes are representative of the ability to see so by having “eyes in front and back” (Revelation 4:6) the angels are able to see everything around them. Next this description is similar to what Ezekiel saw since he said that the creatures he saw “were full of eyes all around.” (Ezekiel 1:18) Lastly if this description seems strange to you then it is important to remember that the angels and creatures of heaven are incomprehensible beings that we are not able to understand. To this end it is highly likely that these descriptions are probably more figurative rather than literal since an incomprehensible being cannot simply be literally described. Thus because of this fact they may appear strange and odd.

(7) “The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.” – Just like with the previous verse this description may also seem rather strange. However it is similar to what Ezekiel saw in his vision of heaven.

As the Book of Ezekiel says:

“The form of their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the face of an eagle.” (Ezekiel 1:10)

Really the main idea here is that these four living creatures in Revelation are fantastical and incomprehensible in nature because they are great angels that directly serve God.

(8) “And each of the four living creatures had six wings” – Isaiah also saw creatures that each had six wings in his vision of heaven.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” (Isaiah 6:2)

(8) “covered with eyes all around and within” – Here John says that even the wings of the angels have eyes “all around and within” (Revelation 4:8) them. Then as I just said above these eyes are representative of the fact that these angels can see everything that happens around them. Next if these creatures seem strange and incomprehensible to you then as I said above they are supposed to seem strange and incomprehensible to us since these angels are powerful. If this does not make sense to you then since they are the ones who surround God they are supposed to be as mysterious and incomprehensible as God is. Therefore just like with the description of how God looks being non-literal so too is the description of these angels almost certainly non-literal.

(8) “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” – All the angels that surround God continually praise God because He is God. Then the angels Isaiah saw also said something similar.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“And they were calling out to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.’” (Isaiah 6:3)

They do this because God is holy and is worthy of worship and praise.

(8) “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” – As I have said previously the phrase “who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8) is a reference to the Epicurean epitaph, or saying commonly put on tombstones, of I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care. This is because all mortal beings either currently satisfy the phrase I was not, I was, I am not if they are dead or will satisfy it in the future since all mortal beings will die. On the other hand since God has always existed and will forever exist the phrase of “who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8) would be the applicable phrase to God. The idea here is that Revelation is saying unlike mortals who put I was not, I was, I am not on their tombstones God has always been alive and will forever be alive so that the phrase that is applicable to Him is the One “who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8) In other words Revelation is saying here that God is all powerful and that He is the origin of all there is because He encompasses all things so that nothing exists that is outside of Himself. This is then why the elders say “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8) since clearly God is greater than all mortal beings.

(9-10) “And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever.” – The twenty-four elders worship God and give Him praise because God is the origin of all things and is the creator of all that we know. The point here is that ultimately God is responsible for everything so instead of giving thanks to anything of the world we should give thanks to God since He is the One who has created everything there is including us.

(10) “They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:” – The twenty-four elders “cast their crowns before the throne” (Revelation 4:10) in order to demonstrate that they are poor and powerless on their own without God since they have only received their crowns by the grace of God alone. We should all keep this in mind because we will only be given the gift of eternal life and all the other promises that God has made to us in the Book of Revelation due to God’s generosity and love of us. In other words we cannot attain what God has promised us ourselves since God is the origin and the creator of all things. Therefore we should always be grateful to God for what He has done for us and what He has promised us.

(11) “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.’” – First off this verse should really say by Your will they existed rather than exist. That said the point here with this verse is that not only did God create all things but everything that we see around us including ourselves only came to exit as a result of His will. This means that if God did not want it to be so then nothing would exist outside of Himself. In other words God is the creator of all things such that everything that exists is something that God created. Therefore God is truly the beginning and end of all things and because of this fact only He is worthy of praise since nothing we can do or achieve with ever compare to what God is and what He can do.

Now the fact that God has “created all things” (Revelation 4:11) may not seem that important of an idea but this is actually the answer to one of the most popular questions people have. This is question is of course the question of where did all the evil that we see in the world come from. Now based on what you read so far and what I just said I am sure I do not have to tell you that God has created all evil. Again this is because God “created all things” (Revelation 4:11) including what we see as good and what we see as evil.

As God says:

“I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity.
I, the LORD, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)

Therefore God is the author of all that is good and all that is evil as I have said already. Now you may wish to dispute this if you have forgotten what I have already said. For instance you might claim that I am wrong and say that God is the author of all that is good while Satan is the author of all that is evil. This would of course be a common and completely false claim that many if not most people make. In fact this claim is so popular that it is even prevalent outside of Christianity and it actually has a name. It is called cosmological dualism and it has received this name because those who subscribe to cosmological dualism see there being two beings who are locked in a cosmic battle with one of the beings being good and the other evil. So according to cosmological dualism from a Christian perspective God is the creator of all that is good and Satan is the creator of all that is bad and evil. Then both God and Satan are locked in a cosmic struggle that is being played on the earth with people having a choice between siding with God and what is good or siding with Satan and what is evil. Now even if you have never heard of the term cosmological dualism I am sure you are well aware of what I am talking about due to how prevalent the idea of cosmological dualism is within society.

Then even though all of this may sound nice and make you feel good because you do not want God to be the author of evil it is important to point out that cosmological dualism is completely wrong and cannot be supported. This is because God is God the Almighty. Therefore there is no cosmic struggle between God and Satan. Instead God is not just the creator of Satan but as I have said and demonstrated before God approves of and allows Satan to do all that he does. This fact can be seen in the Book of Revelation itself as I have pointed out before where Satan is ultimately locked up for a thousand years by an angel before he is cast into the Lake of Fire. The reason why Revelation says this is because the idea is that Satan is so utterly powerless compared to God that even a single unnamed angel is more than strong enough to capture and restrain Satan. Then because of this fact there is no cosmic battle between God and Satan. Instead you can even say that Satan is working for God even while he is in rebellion against God. This would then be why God continues to allow Satan to exist since Satan is part of God’s plan in our world. Therefore as a result of all this there is no cosmic battle between God and Satan going on. Instead God is the creator of “all things” (Revelation 4:11) so that everything including evil only exist in our world because God created and wills it to be so.

Now if all of this still does not make sense to you then you are probably thinking about the power of God in human terms. For instance when many people today think of someone truly powerful they think about a fictional person who has superpowers like a superhero. This is why cosmological dualism makes sense to so many people because to them God is not God the Almighty but instead God the superhero who is locked in a cosmic struggle against the central supervillain and His arch rival Satan. Sure these people may believe that God will defeat Satan eventually but for now God and Satan are locked in an indecisive battle where neither has the upper hand. However as I have said this is wrong and instead God is God the Almighty so that God can effortlessly destroy Satan whenever He wants.

But then you may be wondering what exactly does it mean for God to be God the Almighty? Well all almighty means is that God is omnipotent or all powerful so that nothing is beyond His power. This would then mean that absolutely nothing and no one can stand up to God let alone challenge His authority. Now this may not exactly be helpful in the sense that you may not understand what it all means so allow me to give you an example.

The best example I have concerning the power of God compared to all of creation including ourselves is that of an author of a novel compared to the characters in the novel the author wrote. For instance if you were to write a book and in the process create some characters in your novel then ultimately you would have absolute power over the characters in your novel. This is because the characters in your novel are your creation so that everything they are and everything they do is something that you created. Additionally as the author of a novel you would of course transcend all the characters in your novel in the sense that it does not matter how powerful you write your characters to be since in the end they can never stand against you let alone challenge you since you are the author. In other words compared to the characters in the novel you wrote you would omnipotent or all powerful. For example it does not matter how powerful you write a character in your novel to be since in the very next page you can just write a new character out of nothing that immediately kills the seemingly all powerful character that you previously wrote effortlessly. The point here is that as the author of your novel you cannot create anything that challenges your own authority and because of this fact you will always be all powerful or omnipotent compared to the characters in your novel.

Now this relates to God and the power of God because our world is like a novel that God has written where all of us are characters in God’s novel. The idea here is that God can literally do anything since as the author of the story that He wrote from before anyone started reading it, or from the foundation of the world, He literally has absolute power over the entire story. Then just like how the author of a story transcends the characters of the story so too does God as the author of our story transcend us so that He is truly God the Almighty. This is what it means for God to be omnipotent or all powerful compared to us.

Next before getting into the application of this comparison you may have some objections to what I just said. For instance how can we be characters in a story that God has written if we are conscious and aware of ourselves? Well really the best way to view my comparison in this case is to see your own life being a novel that God has written that you are reading in real time as you live out your life. In this case everything that you are, everything that you do and even everything that you think has been written out by God so that by living out your life it is like you are reading the novel that God has written in real time even though you do not actually see the novel. But why can we not see the novel? Really we cannot see the novel because we are characters in the story. For instance if you wrote a novel then can the characters in your novel see the novel you wrote? Of course not. Sure you can write your characters so that they break the fourth wall so to speak by talking directly to the reader and having an awareness of themselves being characters in your novel but they can never see the novel itself. The same idea is true for us. For instance right now I would be an example of a character who is breaking the fourth wall in God’s story because I have an awareness of being a character in the story that God has written. Therefore because of all this being conscious or having awareness of ourselves is completely irrelevant to us being characters in God’s story.

As another objection you might wish to reference how if what I say is true then God seems to be a character in His own story and because of this fact you might claim that God does not in fact transcend our world and instead He is a part of it. For instance you may cite any of the number of times that God appears in the Bible.

As Genesis says:

“Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the LORD God called out to the man, ‘Where are you?’

’I heard Your voice in the garden,’ he replied, ‘and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’

’Who told you that you were naked?’ asked the LORD God. ‘Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’

And the man answered, ‘The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’

Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’

‘The serpent deceived me,’ she replied, ‘and I ate.’” (Genesis 3:8-13)

The point with this passage is that you may say that since God is clearly talking to Adam and Eve then therefore what I have said is wrong because God would then be a part of our universe instead of transcending it. However if you wish to claim this then really you just lack an imagination. For instance there is nothing stopping an author from inserting themselves into the story so that they can speak to the other characters of the story through their own character in the story. For example I wrote this whole book in such a way that I am speaking to you as the reader. The idea here is that although you have probably never met me everything I am saying in the first person in this book is basically like something that is being spoken by my character in this book who is the author of this book. Next in terms of an actual novel there is nothing stopping you from writing a story where you create a character that has the same name as you that goes around telling other characters in the novel that you are the author of the novel. For instance you can have your persona go around telling characters that you are the author and when you write the characters not believing you then you can make magic or rather miracles happen in order to realistically convince the characters that you are the author. This would of course be exactly what God does at times as told by the Bible.

As a response to all this you might claim that what I am saying is very Gnostic in the sense that there is a creator deity and a higher deity. Essentially people who believe in Gnosticism see the God of the Bible as being a lower creator deity and that there is a higher deity above Him who is the real supreme deity. Thus you can see how this may seem similar to what I have said. However this is not the case since when God appears in our world as a persona that He has created He is still the same God. For instance God still wrote what God does in our story. Therefore because of this fact God is still God and there are not two different deities where one is lower and the other is the higher and real deity.

This then actually relates to miracles and Jesus. Essentially since God is the author of our story He can do whatever He wants. For instance in terms of miracles the best way to think about them are with respect to God writing the story in a way that is not consistent with what came before. For example I am sure you have read novels where something happens or appears that has no rational explanation in terms of what has happened in the story so far so that it feels completely out of place. This is essentially what a miracle would be. The idea here is that a miracle happens whenever God writes in a suspension of causality and rationality into the story so that something completely unexpected happens.

Next in terms of Jesus think about Jesus as being a character that God has created in His image in our story. This is what it means for Jesus to be the Christ or the One God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out His will. The idea here is that God created Jesus to be an expression of Himself in world so that all that Jesus does is something that God likes. This is then in contrast to all the other characters in the story including us who were not created to perfectly represent God like Jesus. The point here is that when God wrote the story of our universe He created Jesus to be the main character because God’s plan for the conclusion of the story rests upon Jesus.

As the Gospel of John says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

First off just to remind you as I said in my commentary on the false doctrine of the trinity the end of the first verse should read the Word was divine, the Word was like God or the Word was a god. Next the word translated as word here is logos (λόγος) and it means a word as embodying an idea or a word being the expression of a thought. Therefore the idea with this passage from the Gospel of John is that Jesus is the central character of the story that God created as an expression of His will to fully embody His plan or rather the plot for the story He wrote. This is why the Gospel of John says “Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3) since a story without the main character of the story is no story at all. The point here is that God first created the main character of the story, Jesus, then fashioned the rest of the story around Him. If this still does not make sense then just think about how authors write novels. One of the first things if not the first thing an author does when writing a novel is to come up with their idea of what the main character will be like then from this idea in their mind they start to create the entire world that the novel takes place in around the character. This is of course exactly what the above passage from the Gospel of John is saying.

Alright so what is the application of God being the author of our story that I hinted at earlier? Well first you see since God is the author of everything in our story this once again means that God is the author of all that is good as well as the author of all that is evil. Then the idea of God being the author of everything actually relates to God’s relationship with all that is evil and bad. You see although it is true that God approves of Satan, evil and everything bad in our world this is not actually the full explanation. For instance God approves of Satan and evil just like how an author approves of the antagonists and the evil they write in their novel. The idea here is that although Satan and all evil that we see in the world has ultimately been created by God for His purpose in our story this does not mean that God actually likes evil. For instance if you were to write a novel then chances are you are going to need some evil antagonist who does bad things. For example if you want to write a novel where the main character saves their community from a serial killer then you need to write the serial killer and have them kill people. This is because otherwise if you do not create the serial killer then you cannot have your main character save their community from the serial killer. Next it is important to point out that by writing the serial killer in your novel and having them kill characters in your novel you are actually allowing the serial killer and suffering to exist in the sense that you are approving of it happening for the sake of your story. Now this relates to God’s relationship with evil in the sense that just like in this theoretical novel of yours God has created Satan along with all the evil and suffering we see in our world. This is why I have said that God approves of evil because by creating it and allowing it to exist He by definition approves of its existence.

Alright but now here is the more interesting part. So if you wrote a novel with a serial killer in it does that mean you like or enjoy what the serial killer does? Well of course not. Really in terms of the construction of a story authors approve of their antagonist as a means to create the plot and central conflict of their story. So sure they approve of the antagonists and the evil they do because they wrote the story that way but this does not mean that they enjoy the antagonists and the evil they do. The same is true with God. The point here is that just because God has created Satan along with all the evil and suffering in our world this does not mean that God enjoys all the evil and suffering that He created. Instead God created all the evil and suffering we see to fulfill a role in the story that He wrote from the foundation of the world it self. Therefore just to reiterate just because God has created evil that does not mean that He enjoys evil.

Now if you insist on disputing this then just think about your favorite novels, movies, shows or video games. No doubt basically all of your favorite stories in these mediums have antagonists that oppose the goals of the protagonists and in the process create evil and suffering. So my question to you is why do you approve of this evil existing? I mean you could take your favorite novel and remove the antagonist and all the evil and suffering that they cause so that there is no evil in the story anymore. This is why I asked why you approve of this evil existing since by not rewriting the story you are allowing this evil to exist. At this point you may say that just because you find the story entertaining that does not mean that you enjoy the antagonists and the evil in the story. However this is my point with respect to evil and God. Sure God is the author of evil but just because God is the author of evil this does not mean that God enjoys or likes evil in the sense that He wants evil to happen for its own sake. Instead God sees evil as being a key component of the story.

All this then once again means that with respect to Satan that sure God approves of Satan because God created Satan and has approved of everything that he does before the foundation of the world but this does not mean that God enjoys everything that Satan does. Instead Satan is the main antagonist of the story that God has created. Then since I have said before that all those who rebel against God are representative of Satan this would then mean that anyone and everyone who rebels against God is an antagonist of the story that God has created.

Now if you still insist that God approving of the existence of evil is in contradiction with God not enjoying evil then really I would just say you are a hypocrite. Wait what? Well you see finding stories with antagonists in them entertaining is essentially a universal aspect that all humans share. So universal in fact that I do not even have to ask if you enjoy stories with antagonists in them because I already know you do. So why would someone be a hypocrite for finding stories with antagonists in them entertaining while believing that God approving of the existence of evil is a contradiction with God not enjoying evil? Well you see as I have said if you find reading stories with antagonists and evil in them entertaining then by definition you are approving of these antagonists and evil existing. Therefore you would be a hypocrite because you are approving of exactly what you criticize God for approving of.

If you still want to dispute this fact then stop reading, watching or listening to stories with antagonists and evil in them and instead read stories where everyone is happy, healthy and fulfilled so that there are zero problems and not a single character has an issue with anything. Of course if you were to do this then you would have to stop reading, watching and listening to all stories since a story without suffering and evil cannot have a plot since a plot demands conflict and conflict is the result of suffering or evil. Sure you can read light stories that exist in seemingly utopias instead of dark stories where thousands of people are killed by the antagonist but in the end you really cannot take suffering out of the equation. This is because again a story demands a plot and a plot demands conflict and a conflict results from suffering or evil.

For example imagine a story set in a literal utopia where a woman in unsure what desert to bring to a tea party her friend is hosting. In this story the woman goes through a bunch of different ideas but is unable to decide due to second guessing herself and rumors about what other deserts her other friends are bringing to the party. Sure this story does not have the same kind of suffering and evil that a story about a war to stop an evil ruler set on world conquest might have but the woman is still experiencing suffering and evil. For instance if she finds out through one of her friends that one of the women going to the tea party is bringing a fancy desert then our protagonist will no doubt feel pressured to also bring something fancy so she does not look bad. Thus in this case the friend merely mentioning the fancy desert to our protagonist can be considered evil in a sense because it creates some suffering. This would actually be especially true if the woman who told her about it did so with the purpose of giving her anxiety about what to bring to the party. Now my point with this example is that even a story about a seemingly mundane tea party in a utopia can have suffering and evil in it. Sure the suffering and evil may not be comparable to a protagonist of another story trying to fight off a genocidal invading army but that is besides the point. For instance where do you draw the line in terms of the amount of suffering and evil that constitutes an acceptable level versus an unacceptable level in a story?

Now this question may seem obvious in the sense that you may say that stories that contain murder or rape have an unacceptable level of suffering while everything else is probably acceptable. However the problem here is that there is no universal standard for evil or suffering since experience is ultimately subjective in nature. For instance there are around one million people who successfully commit suicide each year in the world with many millions more who attempt suicide. So obviously for these people they would be experiencing so much suffering and evil that they actually prefer death as a way to end their suffering. Therefore you cannot simply say that stories with murder and rape are unacceptable while everything else is acceptable since there are millions of people who find the everything else to be worse than death itself. For instance with respect to the story about the tea party depending upon how you write the protagonist’s friends and other characters in this story there may be in fact more suffering and evil in this story than a story about a protagonist trying to stop a serial killer. For example if the protagonist of the tea party story is psychologically tortured by her friends over years before the actual story starts and during the story the antagonists are trying to make her feel as worthless as possible so she kills herself then you can see why there very well may be more suffering and evil in this story.

Alright so my point with this is that ultimately there is no objective way to define acceptable versus unacceptable suffering and evil in a story and because of this fact any line you wish to place to separate the two is completely arbitrary since it would literally just be your opinion. Then because of this fact you cannot say some stories that have suffering and evil are fine while others are not. Instead you need to set the standard for the amount of suffering and evil a story has to have to be unacceptable at literally zero since anything else is again arbitrary. Of course such a story is essentially so nonsensical that it does not exist since a story requires a plot and a plot requires a conflict and a conflict requires suffering and evil of some form. Therefore as a result of this if you find stories entertaining while at the same time you believe that God approving of evil and not enjoying evil is contradictory then you are a hypocrite. Again this would be because you are criticizing God for something that you are guilty of yourself.

This then leads to a rather significant objection with respect to everything I have said so far. For instance you may say that stories are just stories and the characters in them are not real so it does not matter if they suffer and experience evil while on the other hand we are real so it should matter to God if we experience evil and suffering. However if you wish to say this then you would be a hypocrite. This is because God is infinitely above us just like how we are infinitely above the characters in any story we write.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’
declares the LORD.
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The idea here is that God transcends us so much that His ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than our ways and thoughts. I say infinite because the heavens, or rather the limits of space itself, are essentially infinitely higher than the earth. My point here with this passage is that just like how our ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than the ways and thoughts of the characters we create in our stories so too are God’s ways and thoughts infinitely greater than our ways and thoughts. Therefore because of this if you want to say that how God treats us is important while saying that how we treat our characters in our stories is unimportant then you would be a hypocrite. This is because the gap between the characters we create and us is the same gap as the gap between us and God. In other words you cannot say that our stories are just stories and the characters in them are not real so it does not matter if they suffer and experience evil while on the other hand you say that since we are real so it should matter to God if we experience evil and suffering. If you insist in still holding to this contradictory position then you would be a hypocrite because you criticize God for what you do yourself. I mean if you want to make this claim then can God not then tell you in response that since He is infinitely greater than us that our lives do not matter? Of course this fact is probably why God is willing to create evil and suffering and kill millions to billions of people since from God’s perspective we are not real just like how from our perspective the characters we create in our stories are not real. That said like I said above just because God is willing to kill billions of people in the same way that an author of a novel about global genocide is willing to kill billions of characters in their novel this does not mean that God enjoys killing billions of people. Therefore if you want to judge God differently from how you judge yourself then you would once again be a hypocrite.

Finally you may no doubt have many questions and even additional objections to what I have said here with regards to God being the author of our story. However I am not going to answer them now and instead I answer them later on. This is because the idea of our world being like a novel that God has written is highly relevant to talking about the two major topics of determinism and the problem of evil for one. With respect to determinism obviously if our world is a story that God has written then hard determinism would be true such that everything that happens only happens that way because God wanted it to happen that way. This would of course mean that we have zero free will. Then since this is a rather large topic to discuss I talk about determinism and the nonexistence of free will later on. Then with respect to the problem of evil, or the question of why does God allow suffering to exist, I am sure you can probably guess what I am going to say. But just like with determinism the problem of evil is also a rather large topic to discuss so I once again talk about it later on. Additionally there are a few other topics that also intersect with the idea of God being the author of our story in a minor way. These topics would include so-called souls, the new earth and what it means to be given power and authority from God.

All that said my purpose with this comment is to get you thinking about our relationship to God and just how transcendent and great God is compared to us. This is because like I said at the start of this comment many people think of God as being a part of our world rather than completely transcending our world in the same way that we completely transcend the stories that we write and the characters that we create. Therefore just keep what I have said in mind because it is highly relevant to future topics. Lastly also keep in mind that because God is the author of our story He is worthy of glory and praise.

As Revelation says:

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.” (Revelation 4:11)

Chapter 2.18: Revelation 5

1 – The Lamb Takes the Scroll

(1) Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. (2) And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

(3) But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it. (4) And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

(5) Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

(6) Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (7) And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

(8) When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (9) And they sang a new song:

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals,
because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
(10) You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign upon the earth.”

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.” – In this verse John sees God holding a scroll that “was sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1) in His hand. Then in terms of the meaning of the “seven seals” (Revelation 5:1) on the scroll there are two ways view the meaning of the number seven. The first way as you can probably guess is to say that the scroll is completely sealed by God so that only the One whom God gives the scroll to will be able to open it due to the symbolism of the number seven. Next in terms of the second way when Revelation was written it was common for people to have their will written on a scroll that was then sealed with seven wax seals. Five of the seals were for witnesses, one for the executor and one for the heir. When the will was to be executed the seals would then be broken. The reason why seven seals were used was because again seven is a number that represents completeness and because of this the will would be completely sealed and hence completely verified as authentic as evidenced by there being seven seals. Although really there is a much more practical reason to have seven seals since the witnesses were used to guarantee the authenticity of the will and you cannot always guarantee every person serving as a witness will be around in the future so five witnesses are better than one or two in this respect. That said since both ways mean the same thing neither explanation should be preferred over the other.

Next in terms of the meaning of the scroll itself the meaning is rather straightforward. The idea here is that the scroll is God’s written will for all His people so that we can all receive our inheritance that God has promised us. This would then of course mean that Jesus is the Executor of the will that God has wrote for all of His faithful so that once the will is executed by Jesus then we will all receive a divine inheritance from God in the final and eternal Kingdom of God. Now you may dispute this so consider what John later says in this chapter.

As Revelation says:

“But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it. And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.” (Revelation 5:3-4)

My point here is that John weeps at the prospect of God’s will not being executed because if the will is not executed by someone then none of the faithful will receive their inheritance that God has promised them since the will would be forever sealed with the seven seals. For instance imagine if you received a will from someone and when it came time to execute the will you were told that the will cannot be executed for some reason. Surely you would no doubt weep in a situation like this and the same idea is in view here with John weeping bitterly. Therefore because of this fact the scroll is representative of God’s will for all His faithful people so that we will be able to receive the inheritance that God has promised us. Lastly if you still taken an issue with what I have said here then the scroll being representative of God’s will to His people is even more clear based on what Revelation 10 says which I go over later. The reason why I do not go over it now is because it would make this comment unnecessarily long and detract from my commentary on Revelation 10.

But what about the scroll being representative of God’s will to Jesus? Well really I would say this view is not exactly wrong however it is also not exactly correct. You see since the scroll with seven seals is representative of God’s will to all His people this would of course mean that Jesus is included in this will. This is why I said the scroll being representative of God’s will to Jesus is not wrong but also not correct. Therefore you can and should see God’s will to Jesus in the scroll with seven seals. However it is important to keep in mind that the scroll with seven seals is representative of God’s entire will to all His people as I have said.

Alright so if the scroll is mainly representative of God’s will to His people then what do the seven seals represent? Well as I said above Jesus is the Executor of the will. This then means that in order for Jesus to open, read and execute the will the seven seals need to be broken or opened. Therefore because of this fact the seven seals are representative of what needs to happen before Jesus can fully execute the will and hence usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God here on earth as we all receive our inheritance from God. If you doubt this then consider the previous passage I quoted where John weeps at the prospect of no one being able to execute God’s will for us. Again the reason why John weeps here is because if no one is able to open up the scroll and execute the will then no one will be able to receive any inheritance from God and the final and eternal Kingdom of God will never come. In other words none of us as God’s people will receive what God has promised us unless the scroll that is sealed with seven seals is first opened. Therefore because of all this the seven seals that are sealing the scroll are clearly representative of the what needs to happen before Jesus can usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God here on earth.

Next in terms of what breaking the seals means by breaking the seals later on the will is to be executed. Again the point here is that the seals must be broken so that the scroll can be read and executed. Then since the breaking or opening of each seal later on will be followed by calamities and signs this would then obviously mean that the breaking of the seals seal is representative of calamities or signs. But what exactly does this mean? Well really the whole message of breaking the seals is that calamities, destruction and death must happen because in order for the eternal Kingdom of God to come to pass the world must first be judged. That said there is a deeper meaning that many people oftentimes miss. This meaning is that the calamities, destruction and death that result from the opening of the seals are a sign from God that the final judgment upon the world where everyone will die will come to pass. This is because essentially the breaking of the seals are are prelude of what it is to come with the final judgment so that everyone on earth can be assured that God’s judgment will occur as all is wiped away.

So what exactly will the seven seals then be so that we can watch out for the signs? Well first off to understand what the seven seals represent you need to understand there are seven of them and each seal is representative of death in some form. Then just like with regards to the seven churches being representative of all churches from the time Revelation was written in to the time in which the eternal Kingdom of God comes the seven seals are representative of all the people that must die and all the death that must occur from the time Revelation was written to the time in which the eternal Kingdom of God comes. This is because the number seven is a symbolic number that is representative of a complete set. If you doubt this then I would like to once again remind you how the Holy Spirit was represented by “seven torches” (Revelation 4:5) in the previous chapter because the Holy Spirit is a complete and all encompassing Spirit. Therefore once again the seven seals should not be thought of as a literal number so that you see seven specific events. Instead you should see the seven seals as being representative of all the death that has occurred on the earth as God has continually judged humanity in preparation for the final judgment when everyone will be killed. Then because of this it would be more helpful to look towards the past with regards to the seven seals instead of towards the future since once again the seven seals are representative of continuous death and judgment from the first century AD to the future coming of the eternal Kingdom of God.

Now you may disagree with this and protest so let me ask you a question. Has the world not experienced mass death from the time Revelation was written to the present day? For instance for the last two thousand years there have been wars that have killed hundreds of millions of people. Then there have been plagues and disease that have killed hundreds of millions more. Then there have been countless famines that have killed again hundreds of millions. Then there have been natural disasters that have also killed countless millions as well. Finally there has also been genocide and ethnic cleansing which has killed millions as well. Therefore are these not signs that Jesus has been opening up the seven seals on the scroll of the will of God from the first century AD onwards? Obviously they are. Therefore you should not see the seven seals as being a set of literal events that must come to pass and instead you should see them as representing all the death that has taken place from the first century AD to the present day and that has yet to take place before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God.

But then what is the purpose of this death and why do hundreds of millions if not billions of people have to be killed before the eternal Kingdom of God can come? Well although the seven seals can be considered judgments in their own right in the sense that the death that results is a punishment upon humanity really you should not see the seven seals and the resulting death this way. Instead you should mainly see the seven seals as an act of benevolence by God in order to keep people inline so that they do not get complacent. Now this probably does not make much sense to you but you need to understand that it is much easier to resist a force outside of yourself compared to a force inside of yourself. What I mean by this is that when faced with suffering people tend to actually become more faithful as they resist. This is because they look towards God for solving their troubles instead of towards themselves and society since their troubles are greater than themselves and society. On the other hand when people become wealthier and as society grows prosperous people grow complacent and abandon their faith in God so that they instead place their faith in themselves and society.

You may doubt all this but just look at the history of Christianity in Europe over the last two thousand years. The most fruitful period for Christianity was from the early first century AD to the fourth century AD where the Church grew from around a hundred Christians to probably over twenty million by the end of this period. Then throughout this time the so-called Jews, Rome and other groups tried to suppress Christianity with persecution but of course they inevitably failed as Christianity grew faster. On the other hand in less than a hundred years many of the countries in Europe have gone from being completely Christian into being more culturally Christians to mostly atheistic in other countries. So what happened in the last hundred years in Europe then? A very large increase in wealth and material prosperity that has led people to stop looking towards God for salvation so that instead they look towards themselves and society for their salvation. Therefore as you can clearly see Christianity grew when Christians were suffering but on the other hand Christianity has declined as Christians are safe and without need.

This is why I said that Jesus opening the seven seals and all the suffering and death that has resulted in the last two thousand years so far can actually be considered benevolent since there is nothing more important that persisting in faith until the end. For instance is it better for a Christian to suffer in life then die before forty in some calamity or is is better for a Christian to live a safe life without suffering so that they later apostatize at forty then die as an atheist at eighty? Well obviously it would be better to suffer and die at forty while still being a faithful Christian because then you will inherit the eternal Kingdom of God unlike those who apostatize. Thus you can see why suffering and death can actually be an act of benevolence by God.

Next it is once again important to point out that the coming beast will be a continuation of the growth in wealth and prosperity that the world has seen as I demonstrate later on in my commentary on Revelation 13. The purpose of this is so that all Christians will feel tempted to abandon their faith so that they place their faith in themselves, society and the beast instead of in God through Jesus. Thus in the future there will come a time when the world looks upon the beast with fervent eyes as they all see it as the so-called king of kings this world due to all the amazing so-called miracles it works and the great benefits it creates. Then due to this the world will see itself as the beast’s queen in the sense that they will believe that humanity has finally come to rule over creation itself alongside the beast as now society seemingly has endless prosperity. Consider what the great prostitute later says in Revelation.

As Revelation says:

“I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.” (Revelation 18:7)

Therefore there will come a time when global society itself believes it has finally found the true so-called god and king of this world, the beast, as this society sees herself as the beast’s queen and enjoys the seemingly never ending gifts the beast gives her so that she comes to believe she is living in a final golden age that will last forever. Of course as I demonstrate later this will all be a deception and instead of a golden age that will last forever this so-called queen will only face death and when this happens it will be too late for her to repent so that she will face the Lake of Fire instead. Therefore this is why prosperity is actually more dangerous and worse for Christians than suffering. Then because of this fact you should once again not be on the watch for seeing the seven seals in the future since if you do then you will remain oblivious to the greatest deception the world will ever know as the beast deceives the world. So instead of keeping watch for calamities you should instead keep watch for prosperity and the beast so that you do not abandon your faith in God through Jesus for the things of this world and the beast.

As Jesus says:

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.” (Revelation 3:17-19)

Lastly I of course talk more about the seven seals and their meaning later on in so do not take what I have said so far to be the end of this topic. The reason why I went into the deeper meaning of the seven seals here is to introduce you to the true and intended meaning in advance. This is because many if not most people who believe that the first beast of Revelation is yet to come hold to an overly literal interpretation of the seven seals so that instead of seeing the true meaning they remain blind as they look for something that will never come. Of course this is why it is so important for you to understand the true and intended meaning because if you expect to see calamities in the future before the beast comes and instead you see prosperity then no doubt you will end up being deceived into worshiping the beast as a so-called savior. Therefore take what I have said here to heart so that you will not fall for the coming beast’s deceptions.

(2) “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice,” – Since this angel is a “mighty angel” (Revelation 5:2) this would mean that this angel is one of the greatest servants of God. Then the angel is “proclaiming in a loud voice” (Revelation 5:2) because the angel is trying to find anyone who is worthy to execute the will of God so the angel needs to make sure everyone can hear what they say.

(2) “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” – If someone is not the executor of a will then they cannot open it. This is because when Revelation was written wills were sealed until the will was to be executed since the integrity and authenticity of the will needed to be guaranteed. Thus only the executor was worth of breaking the seals on a will and opening the scroll since they would be the one to execute the will. Therefore the idea here with respect to Revelation and the scroll with seven seals is that only the executor of God’s will can break the seven seals and reveal the contents of the will. But then who is the executor of God’s will? Well the Christ of course since the Christ is the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out or execute His will. This then means that only Jesus Christ is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll because He has been designated by God to be the Executor of His will.

(3) “But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.” – By saying no one in heaven was able to open the scroll this verse is saying that none of the angels in heaven are worthy to open it. Then by saying no one on earth was able to open the scroll this verse is saying that no one who is alive is worthy to open it. Lastly by saying no one under the earth was able to open the scroll this verse is saying that no one who has died so that their body rests in the ground is worthy to open it. All this is because the scroll is God’s will and only the One whom God has designated as the Executor of His will or the Christ can open the scroll or reveal and fulfill His will.

(4) “And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.” – If no one can open the scroll or rather if the will of God cannot be executed then the eternal Kingdom of God will never come to pass and all the promises that God has promised to us that we will inherit will never be fulfilled. This is then why John weeps since if no one can open the scroll and execute the will of God then the eternal Kingdom of God will never come. Then I am sure we would all weep at this prospect as well.

(5) “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.’” – One of the twenty-four elders reassures John and tells him not to weep because Jesus is worthy to be the Executor of God’s will by breaking the seven seals and opening the scroll. In case it is not obvious in this verse “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5) and “the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5) are descriptive names of Jesus.

(5) “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” – First off Jesus is from “the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5) which is one of the most faithful of the twelve tribes of Israel and of course the tribe that king David was from. Then the reason why Jesus is referred to as “the Lion” (Revelation 5:5) here is because a lion is a fearsome animal and the greatest predator that stood above all other animals in the ancient near east. Thus the idea here is that Jesus is the greatest from from the tribe of Judah.

(5) “the Root of David,” – Here by saying “the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5) this verse is saying that Jesus supports king David from the Old Testament or rather that He came before or precedes king David. The idea here is that David is like a tree and the roots of the tree are like Jesus so that the only reason why David could exist as king is because Jesus was there supporting him. Now this may not make much sense to you because Jesus is also “the Offspring of David” (Revelation 22:16) or the Son of David. However it is important to understand that Jesus was created by God even before Abraham.

As the Gospel of John says:

“‘Truly, truly, I tell you,’ Jesus declared, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” (John 8:58)

But how can this be the case? Well it is like with what I said with regards to the power of God in the previous chapter where I compared God to an author of a novel. The idea here is that God thought of Jesus or rather created Him as a character before God even created the universe or the setting for the story we find ourselves in. This is why Jesus can say “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58) since God created Jesus in His mind first since Jesus is like the main character of the story we find ourselves in. Then like I said before this makes sense because authors do not create the setting of their story before they create their main character and instead just like with God they create their main character first and then after they create the setting for their story along with all the other side characters. Therefore this is why Jesus is “the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5) since God created David as a side character after He created Jesus as the main character.

(5) “has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Jesus became worthy to open the scroll through His earthly trials, death and resurrection as He led a sinless life and died for our sins. The idea here is that God created Jesus for the purpose of carrying out His will and since Jesus obediently carried out God’s will on earth through not avoiding His death Jesus “triumphed” (Revelation 5:5) which then means that Jesus is worthy “to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)

(6) “Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain,” – Obviously the Lamb in this verse is Jesus and the imagery is supposed to evoke His death on the cross as the Passover Lamb which was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins. However instead of facing death forever as a regular lamb would God raised Jesus from the dead which is why the Lamb “appeared to have been slain” (Revelation 5:6) in this verse since Jesus is now alive and not dead.

(6) “standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.” – As the Christ Jesus has been given power and authority from God and this is evidenced by the fact that Jesus takes the same spot God does in the center of the four creatures and twenty-four elders who constantly worship God.

(6) “The Lamb had seven horns” – Seven is a number that is representative of completeness and horns are representative of power. Therefore this means that “seven horns” (Revelation 5:6) represent complete power. This makes sense since as the Christ Jesus has been give power and authority by God so that He has complete power over the heavens and the earth.

(6) “seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” – Obviously the “seven eyes” (Revelation 5:6) are representative of the Holy Spirit since as I have said before “the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 5:6) are the Holy Spirit since seven represents completeness and the Holy Spirit is a complete and all encompassing Spirit. The reason why the Holy Spirit is symbolized as “even eyes” (Revelation 5:6) here is because eyes are used to see and with His own power, or the Holy Spirit, God can can obviously see everything. Then the reason why this verse says the Holy Spirit was “sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6) is because God is ever present among all things so that He is truly everywhere as He sees everything that happens and all that we do.

(7) “And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.” – In this verse Jesus takes the scroll or God’s will to His people from “the One seated on the throne” (Revelation 5:7) or God Himself. As I have said before Jesus is the One who took the scroll because He is the Executor of God’s will or the Christ.

(8) “When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.” – The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders recognize that Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to in order to carry out His will. They bow down before Jesus because they are recognizing Jesus’s authority as being the same as God’s authority since God has given His authority to Jesus so that Jesus can execute or carry out His will by breaking the seals on the scroll.

(8) “Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” – First off the twenty-four elders are making offerings to God in the form of music from harps and incense as a way to honor Him. But what does it mean for the incense to be “the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8) in this verse? Well first off the word translated as saints here is a form of the word hagios (ἅγιος) which most literally means different from the world and because of this the intended meaning is holy, set apart for and by god, sacred or a saint. The context determines if the word is to be translated as the adjective holy or as the noun saint. Now the reason why hagios (ἅγιος) can be translated as saint is because a saint is simply someone who is holy, sacred and set apart for and by God from everyone else of the world.

But then what exactly is a saint? For instance is a saint someone who is canonized by a church? Well no this is not what a saint is. You see all it means to be a saint is to be someone whom God has set apart for Himself from everyone else in the world. In other words the saints are the people of God and the people of God are the saints. Then since faithful Christians, or the true Jews and Israelites, are the people of God this then means that all faithful Christians are saints. But do you not have to be dead to be a saint? No you do not and instead all faithful Christians who are alive or dead are saints. The idea here with all this is that all faithful Christians have been sanctified, made holy and set apart from everyone else of the world as God’s people by God Himself for His own benefit. In other words faithful Christians are saints while everyone else is not a saint. Now you may disagree with this so consider the following passages where faithful Christians who are alive are referred to as saints.

As the Book of Acts says:

“As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.” (Acts 9:32)

Then as Paul wrote:

“To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7)

And as Paul also wrote:

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:1-2)

And as Paul also wrote:

“Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus.

The brothers who are with me send you greetings.

All the saints send you greetings, especially those from the household of Caesar.” (Philippians 4:21-22)

Then lastly as the Book of Revelation says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear:

‘If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.’

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:9-10)

Therefore you can clearly see that the usage and meaning of the saints in these passages perfectly corresponds to faithful Christians. For instance in Acts Peter was not traveling to go see those who are dead and canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in Lydda and instead he was traveling to go see the faithful Christians in Lydda. Likewise when Paul wrote his letters he was not writing to those who were dead and instead he was writing to faithful Christians who were alive. Lastly in Revelation there “is a call for the perseverance and faith of” (Revelation 13:10) those who are alive not those who are dead because if you are dead then you no longer have to persevere through your trials and temptations. As a result of all this clearly the word saints is perfectly synonymous with the term faithful Christians and because of this fact the saints are faithful Christians who are alive on earth. As a result of this fact you should not view the saints here in Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible as what Roman Catholics view the saints as. Instead you should see the saints as faithful Christians who are still alive on earth as I just said.

All this then means that if you are a faithful Christian then you are a saint and there is nothing anyone can say to negate this fact. This is because a saint is someone who has been sanctified and set apart by God for Himself and as I have said all faithful Christians have been sanctified and set apart by God for Himself as His people so therefore again all faithful Christians are saints. So does this then mean we can call each other saints? Yes it does since all faithful Christians are saints. Therefore it is perfectly acceptable for you to refer to any faithful Christian who is alive as a saint. If you doubt this then I would like to once again remind you that the authors of the New Testament refer to faithful Christians who are alive as saints and because of this fact it is perfectly acceptable for you to refer to faithful Christians who are alive as saints as well.

Alright so how does this meaning of saints relate to the verse this comment is on? Well since this you probably forgot what the verse was here it is again.

As Revelation says:

“Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8)

Therefore based upon what I said above you should read this verse as “they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of” (Revelation 5:8) faithful Christians who are alive. Then I would like to reiterate the fact that the saints here does not refer to those canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and instead the saints refers to faithful Christians who are alive on earth. As a result of all this the twenty-four elders are offering incense or the prayers of faithful Christians who are alive on earth to God. Now you may take this to mean that the twenty-four elders are interceding on our behalf by offering our prayers to God but this is not the case. This is because as I have said before the twenty-four elders are representative of the unity of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel and the twelve apostles into a single people of God. This then means that the twenty-four elders are actually representative of all of Israel or all those who are part of God’s people from both the Old and New Testament periods. Then because of this the prayers that the twenty-four elders are offering are not intercessions and instead the twenty-four elders are being used to represent all faithful Christians on earth who offer their prayers to God. Really the purpose of this verse is just to assure faithful Christians that their prayers are being offered to God and that God is hearing them.

Finally if you disagree with what I just said concerning the fact that these twenty-four elders are not offering prayers of intercession then I would like to remind you that because God is omniscient or all knowing no one needs to intercede on your behalf when you pray because God always hears the prayers that you offer. This is because if God is truly omniscient then He would quite literally know everything there is including what each and every person in the world is doing and saying at every moment in time. Therefore it does not make any sense to say that you need someone to intercede for you so that God will listen to you since God is always listening to you. Then this same line of reasoning applies to any form of intercessory prayer and because of this the only One you should pray to is God and as long as you do this then you will also hold “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8)

(9) “And they sang a new song:” – The twenty-four elders now sing a new song in order glorify and give thanks to Jesus for His role as the Christ.

(9) “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” – First off as I have said previously Jesus is worthy to take the scroll and execute the will of God after opening its seals because He demonstrated perfect obedience to the will of God by willingly going to His own death. But how does this make sense exactly? I mean did God not create Jesus to willingly go to His death so how exactly can this be a significant achievement that makes Jesus worthy to open the scroll? Well you see although it is true that God determined that Jesus would go to His own death this really changes nothing. Think about it in terms of a protagonist of a novel. When you read a novel does the fact that you know the protagonist is going to win in the end by doing exactly what the author wrote them to do make what the protagonist does any less significant? Of course not. If you disagree then just look at how many people idolize certain protagonists from certain novels and movies to the extent that they see them as role models. If you think that Jesus is not worthy of praise for doing exactly what God determined He would do then why do people see certain protagonists in movies and novels as role models that they look up to? For instance these protagonists are just doing exactly what the author or the script writer determined they would do and they even set up the novel or the script so that they succeed in the end. So really if you want to say that what Jesus did is not worthy of praise then you should probably try to stop people from idolizing the protagonists and characters from the novels they read and the movies they watch. Therefore since praising protagonists for fulfilling the will of the author who wrote them is acceptable then I fail to see why praising Jesus for fulfilling the will of God is unacceptable. Instead we should praise Jesus for being obedient to the will of God since Jesus is the Christ and by honoring the Christ we honor God.

As Jesus says:

“Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)

Next the death of Jesus on the cross allowed for people to be redeemed and made pure in the eyes of God so that we are able to become part of God’s people and the future eternal Kingdom of God. Thus it does not matter who you are or where you are from because as long as you have true faith in Jesus then by His blood He has purchased you and redeemed you in the eyes of God. The main idea here is that Jesus is a new Adam that has displayed perfect obedience to the will of God so that instead of trying to make Himself like God Jesus instead humbled Himself before God so that He obediently went to His own death for the sins of others. Then because of this display of obedience that Jesus has displayed God has decided to count all those who remain faithful to the name of Jesus as displaying perfect obedience. This is then why this verse says “by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) The idea here is that all those “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9) who become faithful Christians by believing in Jesus as the Christ have been “purchased for God” (Revelation 5:9) so that their sins are forgiven and they can be part of God’s people and the future eternal Kingdom of God.

(10) “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” – Jesus has made all faithful Christians into a kingdom since through our faith in Jesus and obedience to God we will enter the eternal Kingdom of God as God’s people. Then in the eternal Kingdom of God we will serve God as His representatives or priests as we rule over the earth and all the new nations in the new earth.

As Jesus says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)

2 – The Lamb Exalted

(11) Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. (12) In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!”

(13) And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power
forever and ever!”

(14) And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

2.1 – Commentary

(11) “Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne,” – Now John sees many more angels, living creatures and elders circling the throne of God and the Lamb than he previously saw.

(11) “and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” – A myriad is ten-thousand then a myriad of a myriad would be ten-thousand times ten-thousand and likewise a thousand of a thousand would be a thousand times a thousand. Thus this verse would be literally saying that there were hundreds of millions and millions of angels, living creatures and elders encircling the throne of God and the Lamb. However this description should not be viewed literally and instead it should be viewed metaphorically so that John is saying he saw the whole host of heaven encircling the throne and their numbers were beyond count.

(12) “In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” – Since Jesus is the Executor of God’s will or the Christ He is worthy “to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12) because as the Christ He is God’s vicegerent or representative. In other words since obviously God is worthy of all these things because He is God the idea here is that Jesus is worthy of the same things because as the Christ He directly represents God and is the Executor of His will.

(13) “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying:” – By saying “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them” (Revelation 5:13) Revelation is saying that all of creation is metaphorically giving “praise and honor and glory” (Revelation 5:13) to God and Jesus. This is because obviously animals cannot naturally speak and John is seeing all this in a vision so it is not actually happening.

(13) “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” – All of creation gives “praise and honor and glory” (Revelation 5:13) to both God and Jesus because as the Christ Jesus is represents God and has been chosen by God to be the Executor of His will. After all as Paul says Jesus “is at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34) which means that God has given Jesus His power and authority so that Jesus is able to fulfill the will of God. Then since Jesus is the Christ He is worthy of the same “praise and honor and glory” (Revelation 5:13) as God.

As Jesus says:

“Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:22-23)

(14) “And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” – The four living creatures and the twenty-four elder once again give glory to God and to Jesus.

(*) Before continuing with my commentary on the next chapter where Jesus opens the first six of the seven seals on the scroll that is sealed with seven seals it is important to comment upon the relationship between the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls. Oftentimes many people like to say that the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls are different and separate from each other however this is not the case. Instead the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls are one in the same so that the seven bowls are the seven trumpets and the seven trumpets are the seven seals. But why is this the case? Well first off Revelation actually says the seven trumpets are the seventh seal.

As Revelation says:

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.” (Revelation 8:1-2)

Of course the point here with these two verses is that after Jesus opens the seventh seal on the scroll that is representative of God’s will the seven angels are given seven trumpets and they prepare to sound them in what is known as the seven trumpets where just like with the seven seals after each trumpet is sounded a variety of different events take place. Therefore because of this fact the seven trumpets should not be seen as a separate set of events and instead they should be seen as part of the seven seals.

Next before getting into the meaning of this it is also important to demonstrate that the seven bowls are not a separate set of events from the seven trumpets. Now although the relationship between the seven bowls and seven trumpets is not as clear as with the relationship between the seven trumpets and seven seals it is still quite obvious they are one in the same so consider the following passage.

As Revelation says:

“And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.

Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

‘The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.’

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

‘We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.’

Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.” (Revelation 11:13-19)

First off I would like to remind you that Revelation was written in a nonlinear manner such that later sections are oftentimes expansions of previous sections. Now I say expansions here because the purpose of these later sections is to expand upon previous sections by providing more detail. But what is my point here? Well you see this passage from Revelation 11 is the end of the second section of Revelation that started in Revelation 4. I say the end here because this passage is the end of the linear narrative of Revelation up until this point. But what about the rest of Revelation and what happens in it? Well it is like I just said. The rest of Revelation is really just an expansion of what has already happened in Revelation 4 to 11 so that we can have more detail. If you doubt this then notice how in the above passage Revelation says “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) The point here is that at this point all of those who rebel against God are no more as Jesus now rules over the earth. This would of course mean that the beast is no more. But wait does Revelation 13 which tells of the beast not come after this? Well yes and it is like I said where the rest of Revelation is an expansion of what came previously. Furthermore the beast was actually introduced in Revelation 11.

As Revelation says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

So clearly the beast is defeated and destroyed by the end of Revelation 11 and it is reintroduced in Revelation 13 in order to provide more detail to it. Therefore my point here is that the first central narrative in Revelation is over at the end of Revelation 11 as “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15) just as I said. Now you may doubt this so consider the following passage from the Revelation 11 passage I originally quoted.

As Revelation says:

“We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:17-18)

The key points here are the “nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come” (Revelation 11:18) and “The time has come to judge the dead and to reward Your servants” (Revelation 11:18) as this passage says. This then means that now the final judgment has come along with the resurrection of the dead after God has poured out His wrath upon the world. For further evidence of this consider the following verse.

As Revelation says:

“The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.” (Revelation 11:14)

My point here is that clearly when “the seventh angel sounded his trumpet” (Revelation 11:15) this would be “the third woe” (Revelation 11:14) since just after the trumpet is sounded “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15) which means that God through Jesus has destroyed all those who oppose Him on earth which can obviously be classified as a woe. Therefore you should not see the seventh trumpet as being peaceful such that no destruction is happening and instead you should see it as “the third woe” (Revelation 11:14) where billions of people are killed as God eradicates all opposition in the form of killing the great prostitute or the global society that follows the beast.

But how does this relate to the seven bowls? Well you see the whole point of the seven bowls is to add more detail to “The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come” (Revelation 11:18) so that we can get an idea of just how great the devastation will be when God pours out His wrath in order to kill the great prostitute or Babylon the great as I just said. Therefore since “the seventh angel sounded his trumpet” (Revelation 11:15) before God’s “wrath has come” (Revelation 11:18) we should view the seventh trumpet as this final out pouring of God’s wrath upon the world. Then this final out pouring of God’s wrath is of course the seven bowls.

As Revelation says:

“After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven. And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.

Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” (Revelation 15:5-8)

The point here is that the seven angels need to pour out the seven bowls of the seven plagues before anyone can enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Now this may not make sense but obviously Jesus cannot reign over the earth before all of His enemies are dead. Then since the seven bowls are representative of God killing all those opposed to Him the seven bowl judgments would then need to take place before the eternal Kingdom of God can come as I just said.

Therefore because of the above this would mean that the seven bowls are an expansion of what takes place during the seventh trumpet. This would of course mean that really the seven bowls are the seventh trumpet. Then since really Revelation did not describe “the third woe” (Revelation 11:14) that took place during the seventh trumpet this would of course make sense. Thus my point here is that just like how the seven trumpets take place during the seventh seal the seven bowls take place during the seventh trumpet. This is then why I said the seven bowls are the seven trumpets and the seven trumpets are the seven seals since they are not separate but rather one in the same.

So what does this all mean then? Well really this relationship between the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls means that these three sets are in fact a single set that can be summed up with the seven seals. This is because as I just said the seven bowls are the seventh trumpet and the seven trumpets are the seventh seal which means that the seventh seal is both the seven trumpets and seven bowls. Because of this really the only set of judgments that matters is the seven seals and if you understand what the seven seals represent then you also understand what the seven trumpets and seven bowls represent because the seven bowls and seven trumpets are part of the seven seals as I keep on saying.

So what do the seven seals represent then? As I said previously the seven seals are representative of everything that needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive because the scroll that the seven seals are on is representative of the will of God or our inheritance that God has promised us. Then since the seven seals largely correspond with death and judgment really the seven seals are representative of all the death and judgment that needs to happen before we can receive our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God. Next since there are seven seals and seven is a symbolic number representative of completeness as I keep on saying this would then mean that the meaning of the number seven in the seven seals is the same as the meaning of the number seven in the seven churches. The idea here is that just as the seven churches are representative of the entire church from the first century AD when Revelation was written to the time in which the eternal Kingdom of God arrives so too are the seven seals representative of all the death and judgment that has taken place and will take place from the first century AD up to when the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. This would of course make perfect sense since as I have demonstrated the seven trumpets are the seventh seal and the seven bowls are the seventh trumpet. Therefore all judgments in Revelation are included in the seven seals as I have said and because of this fact the seven seals truly are representative of all death and judgment. This fact is important because by understanding what the seven seals represent the seven trumpets and seven bowls can then be understood as well since they are all connected together in one.

Then since the seven seals are partly representative of all the death and judgment that has taken place from the first century AD to the present this would then mean that you should not solely see the seven seals as being a future occurrence. Instead you should also see the seven seals being opened in the last almost two thousand years as well. This would of course make sense since war, famine, death, plagues, destruction, genocide, pollution and so forth have been a major part of our world in the last two thousand years. Of course this does not mean that you should only see the seven seals as happening in the past because the seven seals would of course include the coming death and judgment of the great prostitute or rather all of the billions of people that will follow the beast. Thus my point here is that billions of people have been killed from the first century AD to the present day in fulfillment of the seven seals and likewise billions of people will be killed in the future in fulfillment of the seven seals.

Next as I said previously there is a deeper meaning to this amount of death that has taken place and will take place. Essentially one of the main purposes of the amount of death that has taken place in history is as a message to the world that they should give glory to God before it is too late or they will face the second death in the Lake of Fire after the final out pouring of God’s wrath comes in which billions will die as all of humanity is wiped away from the face of the earth. Now you might disagree with this fact but rather than explain why this is the case here I instead explain it in the next chapter in my commentary on the four horsemen of the seven seals since these four horsemen perfectly encapsulate the idea that God is sending death into the world as a message in order to warn us about what is yet to come before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

Lastly before getting to the next chapter you need to understand the purpose of apocalyptic imagery. This is because oftentimes people like to take the imagery that is used in Revelation literally so that they think some specific events are actually being described. Now first off obviously this is not the case because of the meaning of the number seven. The point here is that just like how Jesus is not addressing a literal seven churches with the letters to the seven churches and is instead addressing all churches throughout all time, the seven seals do not refer to to a specific seven events and instead they refer to all the death and judgments that has taken place and has yet to take place. This of course can be seen in in the seven seals themselves since the seventh seal is the seven trumpets then likewise it can also be seen in the seven trumpets since the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls. My point here is that seven is not representative of seven and instead seven is representative of every and all.

Therefore because of this fact when you read about the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls you should not try to understand them in a literal way so that you look towards a specific fulfillment of what is described. Instead you should seek to view everything in a non-literal and figurative manner so that you understand the message God has for us. So what is the message that God has for us? Well first off the main purpose of apocalyptic imagery is to show not only the power of God but the significance and seriousness of what is happening to make it obvious to the reader that what is happening is the result of the will of God being fulfilled. The idea here is that the more unusual the description is the more you should view the description as the direct work of God. This then leads to the main message that God has for us. Essentially the main message that we should get out of all the apocalyptic imagery in the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls is that God is fully in control of all things such that all disasters and calamities that we see in the world are from Him. Yes this would mean that when we see devastating wars, widespread famines, mass pandemics, genocide and more we should see these things as being the fulfillment of what needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive.

Now you may protest this and hate this fact but really the main idea here is that God is fully in control of all things. This may not seem like that important of an idea but you need to understand that only those who have been overly sheltered from hardship will see this as being unimportant or worse yet problematic in nature. This is because having death and suffering a part of God’s plan for the world before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives gives purpose to the death and suffering that we see and experience. In other words if the suffering and death that we see around us is not part of God’s plan then not only is there no purpose to it but how can God be fully in control of the world so that the eternal Kingdom of God will arrive? Thus this is why Revelation emphasizes the fact that not only are all the death and judgments that occur the direct work of God but that they are something that must happen before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive. Therefore when you read the apocalyptic imagery in the sections on the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls you should see it more as a testament to the power of God over the world rather than as a literal description of what is to happen. Now if you still object to this then just know that throughout the sections on the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls I go over instances where a literal reading makes zero sense.

Chapter 2.19: Revelation 6

1 – The First Seal: The White Horse

(1) Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”

(2) So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) To review what opening the seven seals mean so you do not misunderstand what is happening the scroll that is sealed with seven seals is representative of God’s will or inheritance He has for His people. Then the seven seals on the scroll are representative of what must come to pass before Jesus as the Executor of God’s will or the Christ can fully execute the will of God so that we as God’s people can receive the inheritance that God has promised us in the eternal Kingdom of God. The idea here is that in order for Jesus to reveal and execute the scroll or the will of God He must break the seven seals. Then likewise in order for the eternal Kingdom of God to arrive on earth certain things need to come to pass first. This would then be one of the main reasons why Revelation goes into the seven seals and hence the seven trumpets and seven bowls as well. The point here is that these descriptions of death and destruction are supposed to give faithful Christians hope for the future and reassure us that everything is going according to God’s set plan so that nothing that is happening is going against His plan.

Now you may not think this make much sense but the idea here is that for faithful Christians who are suffering and seeing death around them being assured that God is actually in control of everything is important. For instance if you are a faithful Christian and experience suffering then oftentimes you will even unknowingly ask God why you have to suffer and what the point of it is. The same is true for faithful Christians when Revelation was written. Now this relates to the seven seals in the sense that since the seven seals need to be opened so that death and suffering pour out into the world before the will of God can be executed by the Executor of God’s will or Jesus then there is now an answer for why there is so much suffering and death in the world. In case it is not obvious the answer is all the suffering and death in the world is part of God’s plan for the world and it is something that needs to happen before we as faithful Christians can receive our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore ultimately the seven seals and even the rest of Revelation as well are really an answer to the problem of evil or the question of why suffering and evil exists in the world. Now I realize the problem of evil is a rather large topic so instead of going over it here I go over it later on in this commentary. That said for now I just want you to be aware that one of the purposes of detailing all the death, destruction and suffering in the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls is to tell us that all the death, destruction and suffering we see is actually part of God’s plan for the world and it is something that must come to pass before Jesus can fully execute the will of God or give us our inheritance.

(1) “Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals,” – Obviously here Jesus is now opening the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Now this may not seem that significant especially since I have already talked about Jesus being the Executor of God’s will or the Christ and the seven seals quite a bit already. However there is another important meaning to discuss in relation to Jesus being be the Executor of God’s will or the One who is now opening the seven seals on the scroll. Then to get right to the point this meaning is that Jesus is the Instrument of God’s wrath in the sense that God is using Jesus to kill, destroy and judge the world. Now you might take offense to this idea but opening the seals on the scroll is representative of what must come to pass before God’s will can be executed. Then the opening of each seal largely corresponds to death and the seventh seal is the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls which tell of how God will pour out His wrath upon the world in order to totally devastate and kill everyone. This would then mean that ultimately it is Jesus who is doing all of this because He is the One who is opening the seals on the scroll and initiating all the death and destruction that follows. I mean John in this verse literally says “I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals” (Revelation 6:1) as you can clearly see. That said since this is a rather controversial idea consider the following passages.

As Revelation says:

“Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, ‘Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.’

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” (Revelation 14:17-20)

And as Revelation also says:

“Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:11-15)

First off obviously in the second passage the One seated on the white horse is Jesus. Then my point with these two passages is that at the end of the age all “the grapes of the earth” (Revelation 14:19) will be gathered and thrown “into the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) so that they are crushed and that it is none other than Jesus or the Instrument of God’s wrath who is to tread this winepress. Now the imagery of Jesus being the One who “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15) may not make much sense to you so allow me to explain. A winepress in the first century AD was basically just a large vat that could be carved into stone in which grapes were placed. Then to crush the grapes in order to make wine people would tread the winepress or rather crush the grapes with their bare feet in a forceful way. Thus the point of this imagery is that the grapes are representative of people who are unfaithful to God and that God’s angels will gather them up and throw them “into the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) so that Jesus can then crush all these people and kill them as “He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15) so that as John says “the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” (Revelation 14:20) Now you may still disagree with this and may believe that this is just what Revelation says so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:36-51)

Although I previously commented on the first part of this passage with regards to the so-called rapture allow me to explain the meaning again. What Jesus is saying is that when He returns all the unfaithful will be taken away from the earth or rather killed without warning just like how it was during the Flood in the days of Noah when God suddenly sent the Flood to kill everyone on earth except for Noah and his family. Then who will do this killing? Well at the end end of this passage Jesus uses a parable of a master returning to a wicked servant and cutting him to pieces upon finding out he has been unfaithful. Thus the idea here is that since Jesus is our Lord and Master given that He is the Christ this would then mean that all those who are unfaithful servants or rather slaves will be cut to pieces or rather killed by Jesus when He returns. Therefore because of this fact you should not see the Jesus of Revelation as being completely contrary to the Jesus of the Gospels because they are in fact the same Jesus. If you still want to dispute this then consider the following passage in which Jesus tells a parable about what will happen to those who are unfaithful to Him.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke:

“He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’” (Luke 19:26-27)

This of course means that once again Jesus is not returning to forgive His enemies or those who are unfaithful to Him. Instead when Jesus returns He will kill all of those who are unfaithful to Him and all those who reject Him as the Christ. Really there is nothing more to say there. That said if you still have issues with what I have said here then just know in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy I go over all the times when Jesus speaks about the upcoming death and destruction the so-called Jews will face in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars as punishment for rejecting Him as the Christ. Now although this death and destruction chiefly concerns the so-called Jews and not everyone on earth, once you understand just how often Jesus said that God is going to kill the so-called Jews on a mass scale for rejecting Him then the idea of Jesus being the Instrument of God’s wrath will not seem so foreign to you. This is because if God has killed millions of so-called Jews for rebelling against Him by rejecting Jesus as the Christ then God killing billions through Jesus will at the end of the age will no longer seem out of character.

Next as a result of all the above clearly Jesus is the Instrument of God’s wrath that God has been using and will continue to use to kill, destroy and judge the world. Therefore in this verse and in subsequent verses when Jesus opens the sevens seals on the scroll of God’s will you should see Jesus as causing all the death and destruction that follows as He fulfills His role as the Executor of God’s will and the Instrument of God’s wrath or the Christ. This would then of course mean that since the seventh seal is the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls that Jesus is the One who is carrying out the death and destruction during these judgments as well. Thus Jesus truly is the Instrument of God’s wrath that God will use to kill, destroy and judge the world.

But how can Jesus be the Instrument of God’s wrath? I mean how exactly does it make sense for Jesus to be the One opening the seven seals and creating all the death and destruction we see? Well really it goes back to before the beginning of our universe or rather story where God created Jesus to be the main character and as a result created our entire story or universe around Him.

As the Gospel of John says:

“He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:2-3)

And as the Gospel of John also says:

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.” (John 1:10)

Then as Paul wrote:

“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)

Lastly as the author of Colossians wrote:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)

Alright so my point here with these four passages is that ultimately Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15) so that “Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) In other words God created Jesus as the main character of our story before creating the setting for our story and then after creating Jesus as the main character God created everything in our story or the universe around or through Jesus so that His story for Jesus could unfold as He planned. This would then of course mean that there is one Main Character or “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6) so that “All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16) But what does this mean exactly? Well in case it is not obvious this means that literally everything in the universe has been created through Jesus by God. Now since we are literally talking about “all things” (John 1:3) being made through Jesus this would of course mean that even death and destruction were created by God through Jesus for the purpose of the story that God has set. If you want to dispute this then I would just like to remind you that through Jesus “all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:2-3) Therefore although God created life and what is good through Jesus He also created death and what is bad through Jesus.

Now at this point you can probably guess what it means for Jesus to be the Instrument of God’s wrath but if you cannot then allow me to explain. The idea here is that although God created salvation through Jesus He also created death and destruction through Jesus which is why we see death and destruction in the world. This would then be why Jesus is the Instrument of God’s wrath because God quite literally created the means by which He would judge the world through Jesus. This would then mean that Jesus opening the seven seals is not supposed to be taken literally in the sense that Jesus is actively causing all the death and destruction we see in the world after opening the seals. Instead Jesus is the Originator of all the death and destruction that we have seen and will see since God has created all death and destruction through Jesus since “Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) This is of course why Jesus is the Instrument of God’s wrath.

But then all this brings up another point with regards to the seven seals. If Jesus truly is the Instrument of God’s wrath since God created all death and destruction through Jesus then this would actually mean that Jesus is not merely the cause of all the death and destruction from the first century AD to the present day and beyond to the final judgment at the end of the age. Instead Jesus would be the cause of all death and destruction from the foundation of the world itself up until the end of the age. This would then actually make sense with regards to the seven seals. The idea here is that since seven is representative of completeness then the seven seals could actually be representative of all death and destruction from the foundation of the world to the end of the age. Now the reason why this meaning could apply to the seven seals and not to the seven churches is that the letters to the seven churches were written to Christians throughout all ages and obviously those who died before Revelation was written could not benefit from the letters before they died so really the letters would then be written to those in the first century AD to the end of the age given the symbolism of the number seven. On the other hand since the seven seals are just describing the origin of the death and destruction we see in the world they could very well be representative of all death and destruction from the foundation of the world to the end of the age.

Now you may believe this to be reaching quite a bit but this is actually something I would agree with. This is because God created Jesus before the foundation of the world in order to fulfill His will and He also knew His people from the time in which He created the world itself so that He planned to give them an inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God from the beginning itself. Then as a result this would actually mean that Jesus began His role as the Executor of God’s will from the moment God created Him as the Logos (Λόγος) or as the main character of our story. Now this may sound nice but there is a problem.

As Revelation says:

“Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals. (Revelation 5:5)

And as Revelation also says:

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

The point here is that really Revelation is saying Jesus became worthy to open the seals after His death which would of course seem to contradict the idea that Jesus has been opening the seals from the foundation of the world. However without getting too off topic really I would say that since God created Jesus as the Main Character before the rest of the story was created this would ultimately mean that God created Jesus’s triumph from the foundation of the world itself. In other words from God’s point of view Jesus was always worthy to open the seven seals since God created Jesus to be worthy and to fulfill His will. Therefore really there was never a single point at which Jesus was unworthy because again God created Him to be worthy.

That said all this is just another possible meaning to the seven seals and really it is not that important. Therefore if you want to take the seven seals as being representative of all death and destruction from the first century AD to the end of the age instead of from the foundation of the world to the end of the age then really it does not matter that much. Instead my point here has been just to explain why Jesus being the Instrument of God’s wrath makes sense since again “Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

(1) “and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, ‘Come!’” – After Jesus opens the first of the seven seals “one of the four living creatures” (Revelation 6:1) commands a rider on “a white horse” (Revelation 6:2) to come out. Do not worry about what the horsemen mean since I go over this in the next comment. That said I would like to further emphasize that you should not view the four horsemen of the seven seals as something literal because as I keep on saying the number seven is representative of completeness. This then means that Jesus opening the seven seals on the scroll is representative of all the death and destruction that must take place before God’s will can be executed so that the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive. In other words there is zero reason to see any of the descriptions of death and destruction being outlined as literal in the sense that you seek to look for a specific event in the future that will be the fulfillment of a specific seal, trumpet or bowl judgment. Then because of this fact the order of the seven seals is not important since if the descriptions are not literal then the order is entirely irrelevant.

Now I am saying this because oftentimes people like to imagine that the seven seals will happen one after another at some point in the future and that they will serve as a sign and a warning that the end is coming. Then if this is not the case so that there will not be a literal fulfillment of the seven seals in the future then obviously these people will be completely and utterly lost as the beast reigns over the earth and creates as so-called utopia. The idea here is that if you expect to see death and destruction before and during the reign of the beast but instead you see global peace, economic prosperity and so-called miracles being worked then you will not see the beast as the beast and instead you will see it as a so-called savior. Then because of this you will end up falling for the beast’s grand deception as you worship the beast as your so-called savior. Of course as a result of this you would then be sent to the Lake of Fire. Therefore you can probably see why I am emphasizing that you are not supposed to view the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as literal since if you do so then there is a very good chance you will end up worshiping the beast itself.

(2) “So I looked and saw a white horse” – If you have been skeptical so far concerning the seven seals being a message to the world in order to get people to turn to God before it is too late then consider the meaning of the four horsemen of the seven seals. Now at first you may wish to take Revelation literally here so consider the following passage.

As Revelation says:

“And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.’” (Revelation 6:5-6)

In this passage obviously it goes without saying that taking what it says literally is completely nonsensical. This is because if you take it literally then the passage is saying a person riding a horse with a pair of scales is going to ride around on the earth with one of the four living creatures announcing greatly inflated food prices even though no one on earth can hear what they are saying. This is why I said taking this passage literally is nonsensical. So what does this passage then mean? Well the purpose of the rider riding a black horse in this passage is to bring famine into the world so that people starve to death. This is why the rider is holding a pair of scales since scales were used in commerce to weigh goods. This is also why one of the four living creatures is announcing greatly inflated food prices since the living creature is announcing what will come once the rider on a black horse comes forth to bring famine into the world.

So what is the purpose of the imagery of a rider riding a horse and why is this imagery used? Well first off if you were a ruler or a governor in the first century AD and you wanted to send a message to someone quickly you would give a message to a rider on a horse and then dispatch the rider to deliver the message. Thus the idea here with the four horsemen in the seven seals is that the four living creatures are giving a message to the riders then dispatching them to deliver their message to the world. Of course the riders do not have a literal message of words and instead the riders are bringing forth different forms of death as their message. This is why a rider on a horse is used since the purpose of the imagery is about the four living creatures dispatching their messengers into the world at Jesus’s command to send a message. Then given the fact that all of the riders bring for death with them as their message the message all four riders have is that death is coming and that if you do not repent and return to God soon then you may die before it is too late.

Now you may object to this so far so let me ask you a question. Why are there four horsemen? Well you will probably say there are four horsemen because there are four living creatures. So why are there four living creatures? Well as I said before four is a symbolic number that figuratively means all directions. The idea here is that the four main directions are north, south, east and west so that if you have something to your north, to your south, to your west and to your east then you have something all round you so that you are surrounded. This is why I said the four living creatures could be considered representative of God having living creatures or high ranking angels all around Him so that He is completely surrounded. So now you can probably guess why there are four horsemen but allow me to explain. Essentially the idea here is that Jesus is sending out His message into the world to the north, to the south, to the west and to the east. In other words Jesus is sending His message throughout the entire world. Then this message is in the form of death in order to prepare and warn people about what is to come at the end of the age if they do not repent and turn to God. As a result really all Revelation is saying is that death is being sent out into the whole world. Now you may dispute this meaning of the number four with respect to the four horsemen so consider the following passage.

As the Book of Zechariah says:

“And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.

So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’

And the angel told me, ‘These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.’

As the strong horses went out, they were eager to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, ‘Go and patrol the earth.’ So they patrolled the earth.

Then the LORD summoned me and said, ‘Behold, those going to the land of the north have given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.’” (Zechariah 6:1-8)

In this passage you can clearly see that four chariots with their horses are sent out to the north, west, south and presumably the east as well. Then since the purpose of these chariots and horses is the “patrol the earth” (Zechariah 6:7) this is why four chariots are used in the imagery since by sending out the chariots to the north, west, south and east the whole earth could be patrolled metaphorically speaking.

Therefore the idea here with the four horsemen in Revelation is that Jesus is sending forth conquerors, war, famine and death into the whole world in order to send a message that this is just the beginning and that the final judgment will soon occur where everyone will be killed so that people need to repent and turn back to God. This is then another reason to see the seven seals as a whole as being representative of God through Jesus sending a message of death and destruction into the world in order to encourage people to place their faith in God instead of in themselves, society or the beast. As I said previously when things are going great for people they tend to turn their back on God as they look towards the achievements, wealth and success of the themselves or society for their salvation instead of looking towards God for salvation. On the other hand when people are faced with suffering that is beyond their ability to solve they tend to took towards God for an answer. This would then be one of the reasons why Jesus has sent and is sending out death into the world so that we do not get arrogant and look towards ourselves, society and the beast for salvation.

Next since I have said the seven seals are applicable to all death, destruction and judgment from the first century AD all the way to the final judgment this would then mean that the four horsemen of Revelation have been at work in our world from the first century AD to the present day. This would of course make sense since we have seen many conquerors come over the years and we have seen the deaths of hundreds of millions of people due to war, famine and disease. Now you could say that all this does not mean anything in the sense that it is like Revelation saying the sky will be blue in the future however this is not the case. This is because once the beast or artificial super intelligence rises the world will not be the same as we know it today.

For instance as I demonstrate later on in this book artificial super intelligence will essentially be all powerful from our perspective. Then combine this with ASI leading to the end of human labor there will be the end of global conflict and war as we know it. The idea here is that not only will there be no riches to be won in war since the ASI would be the source of almost all wealth but that due to the ASI’s immense military power, in the form of highly advanced weapons and mass armies of drones, any nation that wishes to challenge the ASI or the beast will be crushed. Therefore in the end there will be global peace through either diplomacy or force and once this peace is established no human power will be able to end it since the rule of the beast will be seemingly absolute.

Then since ASI will be a super intelligence this would then mean that it will be far smarter than the smartest humans who have ever lived. Furthermore due to the nature of machine intelligence the ability of the ASI to do productive work will be nearly unlimited since all it has to do in order to increase its output is to create more or larger data centers. Then because of these two things ASI will advance science and technology to levels far beyond what we have now so that people will even say that the beast has produced so-called miracles in the future. Of course two of these key improvements would be increasing crop yields which along with the efficiency of the ASI controlling the global economy would mean that famine will be a thing of the past so that no one will starve. Furthermore advancements in medical technology will allow for curing of every disease that we know of now and every new disease or infection that has yet to come. Therefore once the beast is here really no one will die of disease or plague anymore.

Now no doubt you may take issue to what I have said here with regards to ASI so just know I have an entire part called Artificial Super Intelligence where I talk about all of this. So for now just accept what I have said as true for argument’s sake if you want to take issue with it for some reason.

So what is my point with all this exactly? My point is that there will come a time when war, famine and disease no longer exist anymore. Then because of this the message of death in the four horsemen of the seven seals is a rather important message to send out in the world. The idea here is that once the beast comes and creates a so-called utopia then the whole world will look towards the beast as their so-called savior or worse their so-called god instead of towards God alone. Of course it is also important to remind you that the seven seals are representative of all death including the billions who will die at the end of the age when the beast kills the great prostitute or all of global society after it has carried and supported her for a long period of time. My point here is that the peace and prosperity that the beast will create will not last forever since God has declared that judgment will come.

As Revelation says:

“As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief.
In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
Therefore her plagues will come in one day— death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:7-8)

Therefore even though there will come a time when it seems like humanity as reached a final and eternal so-called golden age due to what the beast has done this will not be the case. Instead this so-called golden age will come to a swift end when God judges humanity as guilty and uses the beast to kill billions in the final judgment. Therefore do not get complacent when the beast comes and instead look towards God alone for your salvation. Then to help you stay faithful and to remind you of what is to come look towards the message of the four horsemen of Revelation as you see the death that they have brought into the world in order to warn us of what is to come.

Finally you should remember that for us as faithful Christians death is not the end so it does not matter if we are swept up in the final judgment and killed. This is because God will resurrect all His faithful so that we can inherit the eternal Kingdom of God. On the other hand for those who are unfaithful death will be a new start to their suffering since in the resurrection they will be resurrected then thrown into the Lake of Fire to face the second death or annihilation. In other words all those who rebel against God will face destruction. Therefore always remember to listen and remember the message Revelation has for us so that we can all inherit the eternal Kingdom of God as God’s faithful people.

(2) “white horse” – White represents purity, wisdom, righteousness, victory, perfection and holiness. As a result if you want to view the rider of this “white horse” (Revelation 6:2) symbolically this rider is supposed to be or at least appear to be pure, wise, righteous, victorious, perfect and holy.

(2) “and its rider held a bow.” – A bow is a strictly offensive weapon. This is because a bow cannot be used up close for defense if someone else attacks you and instead a bow can only be used against a target that is far away that you wish to attack first. On the other hand a weapon like a sword would be a weapon to carry to use defensively. Therefore idea here with “its rider held a bow” (Revelation 6:2) is that this rider is going out to wage an offensive war in order “to overcome and conquer” (Revelation 6:2) different peoples and nations.

(2) “And he was given a crown” – First off a crown can symbolize authority, victory or immortality. Therefore the idea here is that the rider will be victorious as they wage war against different nations and then through this they will have authority over those they “overcome and conquer.” (Revelation 6:2)

Next it is important to point out that the rider of this horse “was given a crown” (Revelation 6:2) in this verse. Now this may not seem that significant so let me ask you a question. Who has given the rider their crown? God of course.

As the Book of Daniel says:

“This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones,
so that the living will know
that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes,
setting over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17)

The point of this passage is that God is the One who “rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes” (Daniel 4:17) which just means that God gives authority to all rulers in the world. This is why I said that it is God Himself who has “given a crown” (Revelation 6:2) to the rider on the white horse here in Revelation. The idea here is that God has appointed the rider on the white horse “to overcome and conquer.” (Revelation 6:2) In other words by giving the rider a crown God allows the rider to act and approves of their conquest.

Now this may not seem that important because I have already explained that God is the One who approves of everything that has happened, is happening and will happen. However oftentimes people like to say that God is not the cause of all the worst dictators in the world gaining power and instead they like to make up some nonsensical excuses. Therefore it is important to point out here that just like with this rider on a white horse who “was given a crown” (Revelation 6:2) by God so that they could go “out to overcome and conquer” (Revelation 6:2) ultimately it is God who has given crowns to not only all the worst dictators in history but every ruler to ever exist. For instance it was God Himself who placed Hitler, Stalin and Mao into power so that they could start wars that would kill millions and enact genocides that would kill millions more. No doubt you will probably take some issue with this even after reading everything I have written so far so consider the following passage.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

The point with this passage is that even the first beast of Revelation itself will be “given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) by God as it is “permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) as this passage directly says. Now my point here is that if God is going to give authority to the beast and permit it to wage war against us as faithful Christians so that it will conquer us then how can you say that God giving authority to Hitler, Stalin and Mao is not correct? Furthermore based upon the great prostitute being global society itself the beast will actually enact the largest genocide in human history at the appointed time that will make what Hitler, Stalin and Mao did seem like literally nothing by comparison.

As Revelation says:

“And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:16-17)

Of course once again the beast killing the great prostitute is actually God’s purpose. This then means that not only will God give the beast authority to rule over the world but that the future genocide the beast will carry out in which many billions will die will actually be entirely part of God’s plan. Now you can see why I said what Hitler, Stalin and Mao did will seem like literally nothing by comparison since the global genocide by the beast that I am talking about will almost certainly result in the death of over ninety percent of all the people in the world if not almost one-hundred percent. For instance the highest estimate for the death toll of the Holocaust would be seven million so-called Jews while if ninety percent of a future world population of ten billion are killed in the global genocide then this would of course mean that around nine billion would be killed. In other words the future genocide by the beast will be over a thousand times worse than the Holocaust. Now my point with all this is that if you hate the idea of God giving Hitler, Stalin and Mao their authority and rule then you really should hate the idea that God will give the beast authority and rule over a thousand times more because ultimately the reign of the beast will in the end be over a thousand times worse than the reign of the worst dictators in history.

Lastly I would like to remind you that just because God gives authority to all rulers and approves of everything they do this does not mean that God likes what they do. As I have said before think of it like if you were to write a novel. As the author of your novel you would of course be the one who gives power and authority to everyone in your novel and you would also be approving of everything even what the most evil of your antagonists do because they cannot do anything that you have not written them to do. However just because you approve of what your antagonists do since you are their author and creator this does not mean that you like or enjoy their actions for their own sake. For instance you may write a sadistic serial killer who has killed hundreds of people all so that you can have a protagonist solve the string of murders and give the serial killer what they deserve. The point here is that by writing this serial killer you are approving of their murders. However at the same time just because you approve of what they have done this does not mean you like or enjoy what they have done. Instead you have merely approved of what they have done for the sake of the plot of your novel. The same is of course true for God. The idea here is that sure God approves of all dictators and genocides since God is the Author of our story but this does not mean that God specifically likes or enjoys what the most evil dictators in history have done.

(2) “and he rode out to overcome and conquer.” – The purpose of the rider on the “white horse” (Revelation 6:2) is “to overcome and conquer” (Revelation 6:2) different peoples and nations.

(2) “So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.” – So what exactly is the identity of this rider on a white horse? Well as you can probably guess I take the position that this rider does not have a distinct identity. Instead I see this rider as being representative of all rulers who seek to conquer. Therefore you should not see this rider as having a specific identity and instead you should see this rider as being representative of all those who go out to conquer throughout history.

That said there are those who wish to identify the rider on the white horse with a specific person. The two most widely presented options are Jesus and the beast. In terms of Jesus the idea here is that when Jesus returns later on Revelation to wage war against God’s enemies and to conquer the nations so that He sits as King of kings He will ride a white horse.

As Revelation says:

“Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16)

Therefore you can clearly see how the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6 could be seen as Jesus.

Next you could see the rider on the white horse as the beast since the beast is going to rule over the whole world so that everyone on earth is subject to its will.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

Therefore the idea here is that obviously the beast will then have to conquer or take control over all the nations in some way if it is to rule “over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7) Then because of this it is easy to see the beast as the rider on the white horse.

That said really I do not think the rider on the white horse is specifically Jesus or the beast. This is because the rider on the white horse appears at the start of this narrative sequence in Revelation that stretches from the first of the seven seals to the seventh trumpet. Then in terms of the timeline of this sequence the beast does not appear until after the sixth trumpet and before the seventh trumpet. On the other hand Jesus will only return at the end of the age so therefore Jesus’s return is set for the time of the seventh trumpet when the kingdoms of the earth become the eternal Kingdom of God. As a result the rider on the white horse really cannot be specifically identified with either Jesus or the beast since both Jesus and the beast appear much latter in the narrative.

Now you may protest this and say that the seven seals are symbolic so the order does matter and is irrelevant, which is true, however this fact merely aids my point that this rider is not specifically representative of Jesus or the beast. The idea here is that instead of the rider on a white horse being specifically representative of Jesus or the beast the rider on the white horse is actually representative of both Jesus and the beast as well as all other conquerors throughout history. For further evidence of this consider the fact that the four horsemen are representative of God sending a message to the world that the final judgment is coming and that because of this you need to repent before it becomes too late when Jesus returns to wage war against all of His enemies. My point here is that if the message God is sending to the world through the four horsemen is a warning through death then the rider on a white horse being specifically representative of Jesus or the beast would not make sense. On the other hand if the rider on a white horse is representative of all conquerors in the world including those in the past, present and future then this would be in line with the metaphorical meaning of the four horsemen since obviously conquerors have brought the message of death just like the other three horsemen.

Furthermore I would like to also point out that the other three horsemen are clearly not supposed to be viewed as anyone in particular. As a result of this I do not see why it would make sense to see the rider on a white horse as referring to a specific person while the other three riders do not specifically refer to anyone. As a result of all this there is no reason to see the rider on a white horse as only Jesus, the beast or anyone else. Instead you should see the rider on a white horse as being representative of all conquerors throughout all time which would of course include both Jesus and the beast.

2 – The Second Seal: War

(3) And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

(4) Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

2.1 – Commentary

(3) “And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’” – Jesus now opens the second seal of the will of God and one of the four living creatures tells another horseman to come. Again I would like to point out that regardless of if you want to view these judgments as entirely symbolic or literal Jesus is the One who is initiating these judgments by opening the seals on the scroll or executing the will of God. Therefore you should not only see these judgments as the will of God but also as the will of Jesus since Jesus is the Executor of God’s will.

(4) “Then another horse went forth. It was bright red,” – In this context the color red could symbolize blood and bloodshed. This would make sense since the purpose of this horseman is to “take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another.” (Revelation 6:4)

(4) “and its rider was granted permission” – As I have already said God is in control of all events on earth and nothing happens that God does not allow to happen. This means that all wars and human conflicts have only happened because God has allowed them to happen by giving those who engaged in the bloodshed permission to kill each other.

(4) “and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another.” – This rider causes the people of the world to engage in conflict and kill each other which is something that has been a common occurrence throughout history. Therefore the idea here is that this rider on a “bright red” (Revelation 6:4) horse is representative of war and conflict in the past, present and future before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

(4) “And he was given a great sword.” – A sword is representative of power and both offensive as well as defensive war. This is because a sword is an offensive and defensive weapon in contrast to the rider who “held a bow” (Revelation 6:2) earlier which is strictly an offensive weapon. Next this rider “was given a great sword” (Revelation 6:4) which once again means that
God has given this rider the means and permission in order to create war and conflict on earth.

3 – The Third Seal: Famine

(5) And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. (6) And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

3.1 – Commentary

(5) “And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’” – Jesus now opens the third seal of the will of God and one of the four living creatures tells another horseman to come. Once again Jesus is the One who is initiating these judgments as He continues to execute the will of God.

(5) “Then I looked and saw a black horse,” – The color black symbolizes mourning, ill health, suffering and death. Therefore this rider on a black horse is going to bring all these things..

(5) “and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.” – Scales were used to weigh out goods and money for the purposes of trade. As a result this rider is going to change the price of certain goods in order to bring further death into the world.

(6) “And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.’” – Here one of the four living creatures tells the rider on a black horse to adjust grain prices. The price for wheat and barely increase about tenfold while luxury items like oil and wine are unaffected. Then obviously it goes without saying that such a large increase in the price of grain would lead to famine and hence death. Therefore famine is in view here and famine has also been a common occurrence throughout history.

4 – The Fourth Seal: Death

(7) And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

(8) Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

4.1 – Commentary

(7) “And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’” – Jesus now opens the forth seal of the will of God and one of the four living creatures tells another horseman to come. Once again Jesus is the One who is initiating these judgments as He continues to execute the will of God.

(8) “Then I looked and saw a pale green horse.” – A pale green color could symbolize rotting flesh, disease and plague.

(8) “Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind.” – First off Hades was believed by the Greeks to be the invisible realm or rather underworld in which the dead exist as shadows of their former selves. Then once someone has entered Hades through dying they do not leave. That said really the reference to Hades should not be seen as a reference to the pagan Greek concept of an underworld let alone the false god Hades from the pagan Greek pantheon. Instead the reference to Hades should really be translated and understood as the grave. This may seem confusing but I explain why Hades means the grave later on in my commentary on this chapter so just accept this meaning for now. The idea here in this verse is that a mass amount of death is going to be brought into the world and that Hades, or rather the grave, will collect the departed after Death takes their life. Therefore the reference to Hades here is not a reference to a place called Hades let alone false god called Hades. Instead this verse is using Hades to represent the grave or the ground where the dead are buried.

Lastly just to remind you this rider is not a specific individual but a concept that is representative of the will of God. The people of the earth are to die to send a message to those who survive. Then to reiterate this message is that the entire world is yet to be judged so that everyone will either be saved by Jesus or killed in “the great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19) or rather the Lake of Fire. Therefore as terrible as these judgments may seem they are but the beginning because before the end comes the whole world is to face judgment from God.

(8) “And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” – A forth of the area of the earth suffers from death through war, famine, plague and beasts. Therefore this final horsemen brings forth similar judgments to the previous horsemen. Then the figure of a fourth of the earth is probably not literal since the Greek word used is tetartos (τέταρτος) which can figuratively mean a part of the whole or a sizable amount and because of this a forth does not necessarily mean a literal fourth. Instead you should just see a fourth as being a significant portion of the world. Next you should not see a fourth of the people of the earth or rather a significant portion of people on earth being killed here. This is because Death is “given authority over a fourth of the earth” (Revelation 6:8) which means that if you want to take a forth literal here then really they can only kill people in a fourth of the earth. This means that the actual death toll could be anywhere from say one percent to one-hundred percent of the “fourth of the earth” (Revelation 6:8) that Death is given authority over.

Lastly it is once again important to point out that Death was “given authority” (Revelation 8:2) by God. This means that God has approved of all the death that follows as a result of them being “given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8) Therefore this means that you should see all the death and destruction we see in the world as being the will of God so that everything is going perfectly according to God’s plan. In other words no matter how bad things may get in the world or in your own life rest assured that nothing is happening that is outside of God’s plan. As a result of this nothing and no one can stop Jesus from fully executing the will of God. Therefore the eternal Kingdom of God will arrive at the time God has appointed for it to arrive at and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.

5 – The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs

(9) And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. (10) And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”

(11) Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

5.1 – Commentary

(9) “And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal,” – Jesus now opens the fifth seal of the will of God. To make the fifth seal make more sense you need to understand what it represents. First off although it seems like there is a pause in the judgments with this fifth seal this is not the case. This is because the death that the fifth seal brings is actually the death of the faithful so that the faithful will become martyrs.

As Revelation says:

“Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11)

Thus the point here is that although it may seem like this fifth seal is not bringing forth more death in reality this seal is announcing that the end will not come until more Christians are killed here on earth. Therefore because of this fact you should continue to see the fifth seal as bringing forth death into the world just like how the previous four seals brought forth death into the world. Now you may not believe this makes much sense however really it is quite simple. The purpose of the fifth seal is to emphasize that Christians will not escape suffering and even death on earth and that instead we as faithful Christians need to be prepared to suffer and die for our faith because before the end comes we will face many trials.

As Revelation says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear:

‘If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.’

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:9-10)

Lastly since it is Jesus who is opening the seals and hence bringing forth these judgments you should see the deaths of faithful Christians on earth as being not only the will of God but being caused by Jesus as He executes the will of God. This point is the same as what I said previously with regards to the first four seals where Jesus is the Instrument of God’s wrath. Except here Revelation is letting us know that for now God’s wrath is not precise in nature so that as the Instrument of God’s wrath works in the world many faithful Christians will be swept up and martyred in the process. However it is important to remember that this is not something that we should concern ourselves with since when we die as faithful Christians we are not really dead because as long as we were faithful then we will be alive because God will resurrect us to live with Him in the new Jerusalem. Therefore always keep this in mind.

(9) “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.” – In order for this verse and the subsequent verse to make sense you first need to understand the actual meaning of the word translated as souls here. In short the word translated as souls in this verse should not be translated or understood to mean souls because the popular concept of people having a soul does not exist in the Bible. Now no doubt you make take issue or even offense with what I just said so therefore I am now going to demonstrate that the popular concept of the soul does not exist in the Bible.

But what is the popular concept of the soul? Well in short the popular view of the soul that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians have today is largely the same as that of the Greek philosopher Plato’s idea of the soul that he formulated around the fourth or fifth century BC. In terms of Plato’s view of the soul he believed that the soul was a person’s immaterial essence which is able to reason, experience emotions and have desires on its own without occupying a physical body. Additionally Plato also believed that when a person died only their material body died while their soul would continue to live on so that the person could continue to think and experience reality even after their body died. In other words Plato believed that we all have immaterial and immortal souls that make us into who we are. Therefore you can see why I said that Plato’s conception of the soul is pretty much the same as the popular conception of the soul since when people think of a soul today they have this same idea in mind.

Really the main difference between Plato’s view of the soul and the modern view of the soul is that Plato believed in reincarnation where souls would be rewarded or punished after their body dies with being born into a new body. Those who did good would be born into a good body while those who did evil would be born into a bad body which could even be an animal. Now although the addition of reincarnation might make Plato’s conception of the soul seem quite different really this is not the case. This is because the popular conception of the reward for doing good or heaven and the punishment for doing evil or hell that most people have today is also not found in the Bible. For instance faithful Christians do not go to heaven and instead faithful Christians will be resurrected from the dead at the end of the age in the resurrection of life so that we will be given eternal life as we live in perfected physical bodies in the new earth. Furthermore the popular conception of hell is also no where to be found in the Bible as well and instead the Bible says that the punishment for the wicked and unfaithful is “the second death—the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14) In other words the wicked and unfaithful will be resurrected at the end of the age just as the faithful are except instead of being resurrected in the resurrection to life they will be resurrected in the resurrection of death so that after being resurrected they will be killed one final time in the Lake of Fire. Thus the whole concept of eternal conscious torment does not exist biblically speaking. Now I realize that you no doubt might disagree with what I just said so just know that I talk about the new earth and the nonexistence of hell later on so hold your objections for now.

That said my point here is that even Plato’s idea of punishment and reward for souls being given through reincarnation is actually more similar to the popular conception of Christianity than the true Christian doctrine of the resurrection at the end of the age, the new earth and the nonexistence of hell. This is because both Plato’s conception of reincarnation and the false doctrines of heaven and hell are a system of punishment and reward that last forever. Really only the major difference is that with reincarnation a soul would at least have the theoretical ability to do good in their next life after being born into a new bad body so that they can undo the punishment. On the other hand with the false doctrine of heaven and hell the punishments and rewards are unchanging. In contrast correct Christian doctrine is the resurrection and since we do not have immaterial and immortal souls it means that once we are dead we are dead and that our only hope at life is the resurrection. This means that there is no immediate reward and punishment after death and instead punishment and reward will happen after the resurrection. Then even in the resurrection only the faithful will be given eternal life while the unfaithful and the wicked will face complete annihilation in the Lake of Fire with the second death. This then means that the false doctrines of heaven and hell are actually more similar to Plato’s idea of reincarnation than to the true doctrines of the resurrection, the new earth and the Lake of Fire. Therefore really you cannot say Plato believing in reincarnation means that the modern view of the soul by those who call themselves Christians today did not come from Plato.

Then as an aside the popular conception of hell as a place of eternal suffering and torment actually indirectly comes from Greek philosophy. This is because if you believe in an immaterial and immortal soul then this would mean that you believe that a person’s soul continues to live on after their body dies. The issue this then presents is what happens to the souls of the righteous and the wicked? I mean if the wicked and the righteous continue to live after their body dies then where do they go? This would then be where heaven and hell come in where the righteous go to heaven and the wicked go to hell. However in reality Revelation and Christianity subscribe to the view that when you die you will be dead so that you do not exist anymore. However since God is all powerful this means that everyone who is dead is alive to Him because He can resurrect us at anytime. Thus at the end of the age after Jesus returns to destroy the beast there will be the resurrection of the dead where all the dead will be resurrected so that we will live again. At this resurrection the wicked will be resurrected to death so that after being resurrected they are killed in the Lake of Fire while the righteous will be resurrected to life so that after being resurrected we will be given eternal life and live with God in the new Jerusalem in the new earth. All that said my point here is that the creation of the false doctrines of heaven and hell are actually a direct result of accepting Plato’s concept of a soul from Greek Philosophy. Then once I again I discuss the new earth and the nonexistence of hell later on so do not worry if you have issues with what I have said.

Now the reason why I cited Plato’s idea of the soul and talked about it is because this is actually where the popular conception of the soul originates from as I have said. Then as you will soon see there is no such thing as an immaterial and immortal soul to be found in the Bible. Now I realize that this may be so utterly shocking to you that you may still be internally screaming to yourself about just how wrong you believe me to be but you need to understand that the Bible does not subscribe to Plato’s concept of the soul from Greek Philosophy. Instead the Bible subscribes to an idea that is entirely different. Now before I get into the meaning of the Greek word translated as soul in the New Testament it would help to provide background from the Old Testament so that you are aware what we are in relation to God.

But before I begin I would like to once again emphasize what a soul is supposed to be so that what I reference with respect to the Old Testament will make more sense. In short a person’s soul is supposed to be their immortal and immaterial essence that can exist and function outside of or without a body. In other words what makes a person a person is their soul and not their body since the idea is that a person’s consciousness comes from their soul and not their body so that their body is just vessel. This would then mean that a person is not their body and instead a person is their soul at least according to the false doctrine of the soul. Now this may not seem that important however this idea is absolutely critical to understanding why the modern conception of the soul cannot be found in the Old Testament. Therefore going forward make sure to remember that a soul is supposed to be something immortal and immaterial that makes a person a person while their body is merely a temporary vessel for this immortal and immaterial self of theirs.

Now without further delay it is time to consider the Old Testament so that you can understand why the modern conception of the soul cannot be found in the Bible. So first off I want you to consider what the Book of Genesis says with regards to the creation of man because it is quite different than the idea that we are immortal and immaterial souls.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

Now at first you may not see how this verse relates to the nonexistence of souls and you may noteven understand what it is talking about so allow me to explain. Really it starts with what the ancient Israelites defined death and life as. In their view a person who was breathing was alive while a person who was not breathing was dead. The idea here is that if you wanted to check if someone lying on the ground is alive or dead you would check if they were breathing or not. Thus the point here is that what separates a dead being from a living being is that a living being breathes. So why did the ancient Israelites have this view? Well really I would say it comes down to the fact that the only difference between a living body and a dead body is the fact that a dead body is well inanimate. Then since seeing if someone was breathing was an easy way to see if they were alive or dead a person’s breath would then be representative of their life. Therefore you should see a person’s breath as being representative of their life force so that as long as someone is breathing they still have their life force or life.

Alright so now you can probably guess what this verse means. In this verse God created Adam “from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7) and breathed “the breath of life in his nostrils” (Genesis 2:7) so that the dead Adam that God created could become an alive Adam or “a living being” (Genesis 2:7) due to his body being animated or alive from the breath of life. But wait does it not sound like God is really breathing an immortal and immaterial soul into Adam here? Well no sorry and since this is so easy to misunderstand read the verse again.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

My point here is that God formed Adam “from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7) and because of this Adam was not and is not an immortal and immaterial soul. If you want to dispute this then notice how at the end of the verse Adam only “became a living being” (Genesis 2:7) after God “breathed the breath of life into his nostrils” (Genesis 2:7) which means that “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) is not a soul and instead it is a force from God that animates Adam who was formed “from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7) as this verse says. This is because the whole idea behind immortal and immaterial souls is that they are alive without a body so that a person can still live, think and have emotions after their body dies. On the other hand in this verse Adam only became “a living being” (Genesis 2:7) after God animated his body with the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) as I have said. Really the breath of life is simply the process by which God animated the dust from the ground into Adam and Adam did not exist until God created him out of the dust. The ancient Israelites did not believe that someone was alive until they took their first breath and they also believed that someone died once they took their last breath. So really Genesis is not talking about God breathing an immortal and immaterial soul into Adam but rather it is saying that God animated the dust of the ground and made the dust into a living being.

No doubt you may take issue with what I have said here so at this point consider the following passages that relate to dust. What I mean here is that throughout the whole Old Testament the central idea is that we are dust because we have come from dust and because we will return to dust. This would then of course mean that immaterial and immortal souls do not exist because if the Bible says we are dust then how can we be an immortal and immaterial soul? Thus we are dust and we are not immaterial and immortal souls. But what does it mean to be dust? Well really all it means is that we are material beings made up of material things. I mean when you get down to it really there is little difference in the base elements that make up our body and the base elements that make up the dust or rather dirt of the world. Therefore we are dust and to dust we shall return.

As God says in Genesis:

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

What this verse says is why it is important to understand what the popular idea of a soul is. As I said previously a soul is supposed to be an immaterial and immortal essence of a person that makes a person a person so that their consciousness continues after the death of their body. My point here is that if God says we were taken from the dust of the earth so that we are dust and that we shall turn to dust when we die then this means that immaterial and immortal souls do not exist. This is because the whole idea behind an immaterial and immortal soul is that a person is not their body or rather dust but instead they are a soul. For instance the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian today believe that after people die they either go to heaven or hell because they believe people are immaterial and immortal souls that are merely temporarily occupying material bodies. However in reality God says “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) Therefore this means that we as people will return to the dust. Let me emphasize this again. This does not mean that only our body will return to the dust so that we will will enter heaven as immortal and immaterial souls. Instead this means that our life force will cease to exist as we as people return to the dust of the earth. Therefore we are not immaterial and immortal souls and instead we are material and mortal living beings who have been given life by God from the dust of the earth until the day we die and return back to the dust of the earth. That said no doubt you may still be skeptical about what I have said so consider the following passages.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“Then Abraham answered, ‘Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes— suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?’” (Genesis 18:27-28)

If Abraham is really an immortal and immaterial soul that is temporarily inhabiting a material body then why would Abraham say he is “but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27) as this verse says? Now you may say that Abraham is simply being overly humble here but really this is not the case. I mean two of the key aspects that make God well God is that God is immortal and immaterial. Therefore although it is true that Abraham is being humble in this passage really Abraham is simply describing how he relates to God by saying “though I am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27) here. This means that Abraham is not being overly humble in the sense that he is falsely saying he is “but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27) since he is really an immortal and immaterial soul and instead Abraham is being humble in the sense that he is recognizing that he is not immortal and immaterial like God is. This is of course my entire point. We are not immortal and immaterial beings or souls and instead we are mortal and material beings.

Then as the Book of Job says:

“Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me.
Would You now turn and destroy me?
Please remember that You molded me like clay.
Would You now return me to dust?” (Job 10:8-9)

In this passage Job is asking God if He seeks to destroy him or not. The point here is that if Job or at least the author of the Book of Job believed that we are immortal and immaterial souls then why would he worry about being destroyed and returned to dust? I mean the definition of the popular idea of a soul is that a soul is the immaterial and immortal essence of a person that continues to exist and function after the death of a person’s body. Therefore not only do souls not return to dust but they are not destroyed through the death of the body because they are inherently immortal. Now in response to all this you may wish to take the position that Job is talking about his body and not his soul. However this is not the case as you will see in the next two passages from the Book of Job.

Then as the Book of Job also says:

“If God puts no trust in His servants,
and He charges His angels with error,
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust,
who can be crushed like a moth!
They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.” (Job 4:18-20)

In this passage Eliphaz is speaking about how we as earthly creatures are incomparable to God’s heavenly servants since our “foundations are in the dust” (Job 4:19) or rather we are mortal beings created from dust. That said really my point here with referencing this passage is that the Book of Job says humanity “are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.” (Job 4:20) Therefore you cannot say that the Book of Job is talking about earthly bodies and not souls. This is because the whole concept of a soul is that the soul is immaterial and immortal while on the other hand this passage says we as earthly and material beings made from dust “perish forever” (Job 4:20) after we die. In other words life does not continue after death and because of this fact immaterial and immortal souls once again do not exist.

Then as the Book of Job also says:

“If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
so that I am a burden to You?
Why do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?
For soon I will lie down in the dust;
You will seek me, but I will be no more.” (Job 7:20-21)

Once again in this passage the point here is that Job says to God that “For soon I will lie down in the dust; You will seek me, but I will be no more” (Job 7:20) which means that the author of the Book of Job believed that we are material and mortal beings that do not transcend the dust of the earth that we came from. In other words we are not immaterial and immortal beings or rather souls and instead we are literally dust so that after we die we return to the dust as our life ends so that we cease to exist.

Then as the Book of Psalms says:

“Before the mountains were born
or You brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting
You are God.

You return man to dust,
saying, ‘Return, O sons of mortals.’” (Psalm 90:2-3)

Again we are not immortal beings that exist as immortal and immaterial souls. Instead we are mortal beings that will return to the dust of the earth just as the Psalm says. Furthermore it is important to point out that we are “sons of mortals” (Psalm 90:3) which means that we are mortal beings instead of immortal beings. This then relates to souls because once again souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial and because of this fact if we really were really immortal and immaterial souls then we would be immortal instead of mortal. Thus once again immortal and immaterial souls do not exist.

Then as the Book of Psalms also says:

“When You hide Your face,
they are terrified;
when You take away their breath,
they die and return to dust.” (Psalm 104:29)

First off the reference to “breath” (Psalm 104:29) in this verse is the same breath of life referenced in Genesis that I talked about previously. Thus by saying breath this Psalm is referring to breath of life or rather a person’s life force or what makes them alive. That said the main reason why I cite this verse is because this verse says that after God takes away our breath of life or life force we “die and return to dust.” (Psalm 104:29) This would of course be in direct contradiction with the concept of souls because souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial so that people continue to live on after their body dies. The idea here is that if we are really immortal and immaterial souls instead of mortal and material dust then we cannot “die and return to the dust.” (Psalm 104:29) Therefore once again we are not immortal and immaterial souls and instead we are mortal and we will return to dust when we die as our consciousness ceases.

Next as the Book of Ecclesiastes says:

“I said to myself, ‘As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.’ For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20)

First off in a similar way with the previous passage from Genesis the reference to breath in this passage should properly be understood as life force or animating force which is just something that separates the living from the dead. This is why this passage says “As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath” (Ecclesiastes 3:19) since the point here is that both humans and animals have the same life force or animating force so that both humans and animals die in the same way. Then in terms of my purpose in referencing this passage it should be obvious. The idea here is that “man has no advantage over the animals” (Ecclesiastes 3:19) since “the fates of both men and beasts are the same” (Ecclesiastes 3:19) so that “As one dies, so dies the other” (Ecclesiastes 3:19) as “All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) Therefore because of this we do not have immortal and immaterial souls that transcend our material bodies. Instead “both men and beasts are the same” (Ecclesiastes 3:19) so that “All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:20)

Now the reason why I say this is because the popular conception of the soul is that of an immortal and immaterial essence that transcends the material world which would enable a person to survive the death of their body so that they can continue to live on forever. However in reality we do not have immaterial and immortal souls since we are not immaterial and immortal beings like God is. Therefore because of this face we as people “return to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) when we die in the same way that animals “return to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) when they die. Really there is zero difference between the lives we have and the lives that animals have. This is why I keep on reiterating what a soul is supposed to be since the idea of immortal and immaterial souls that transcend our material body and world is something that stands in complete contradiction to the biblical truth that “All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) Therefore once again immortal and immaterial souls do not exist.

Next as the Book of Ezekiel says:

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry.

Then He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones come to life?’

‘O Lord GOD,’ I replied, ‘only You know.’

And He said to me, ‘Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!’

So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army.

Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, My people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’’” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

In this passage God tells Ezekiel to prophesy concerning the future resurrection of the dead where God will raise those who have died so that they are given new breath or rather new life. Then since God says “I will put breath within you so that you will come to life” (Ezekiel 37:6) this would of course mean that we do not have immortal and immaterial souls that allow us to continue to live after our body dies and instead we are mortal and material so that when we die will be dead. This is because if immortal and immaterial souls exist then the concept of the resurrection where God will raise us from the dead loses all meaning since by definition immortal and immaterial souls cannot die and they continue to live. This is actually ultimately the biggest problem with the popular conception of the soul. Really the idea of immortal and immaterial souls not only devalues the resurrection based on the idea that since souls are immortal we cannot actually die but it makes the ultimate future we have to look forward to in the new earth something to dread.

Now this may not make sense but souls are supposed to be immaterial and immortal essences that transcend the material world in which we find ourselves in. Thus my point here is that if our material world that is filled with death is worse than heaven where immaterial and immortal souls of the faithful go when their bodies die then why would anyone want to be resurrected in the resurrection? This is ultimately why the final end times hope for Christians as evolved from the new earth and the resurrection that the Book of Revelation and the Bible actually talk about to what people call going to heaven today which is something that is only found in a completely metaphorical description in the Book of Revelation. For instance if you ask people today the vast majority of them will probably not even be aware of the resurrection and instead they will just believe that we are supposed to go to heaven when we die and that is it. This is because like I said the idea of immaterial and immortal souls makes the resurrection not only lose all meaning but also makes the resurrection less desirable than living in heaven as an immortal and immaterial being. So really this is why the resurrection and the new earth have been replaced with heaven in popular false Christian doctrine today.

That said obviously the popular false Christian doctrines of souls and heaven are wrong so that instead of going to heaven as immortal and immaterial souls when we die we will return to dust when we die so that we cease to exist. However this should not worry you because if you are faithful to God then He “will put breath within you so that you will come to life” (Ezekiel 37:6) during the resurrection so that you will live again.

Next as a final point with regards to the Old Testament it is important to talk about what Sheol, sometimes translated hell in the Old Testament, is and what it is representative of. This because oftentimes in an effort to demonstrate that immortal and immaterial souls exist in the Old Testament people like to say that since the Bible talks about people descending into Sheol that therefore immortal and immaterial souls exist because how else would someone descend into Sheol? Now this might sound like a valid argument to you but the problem is that Sheol is not a real place that exists. Instead the word translated as Sheol should be translated and understood as the grave in most contexts or sometimes the ground or earth in other contexts because the vast majority of people in the ancient world were buried in a hole in the ground. Then because Sheol is really the grave the word translated as Sheol can also metaphorically mean death in contexts that suggest a metaphorical meaning is intended. Now you may doubt this meaning so consider the following passages.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“His father recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.’ So his father wept for him.” (Genesis 37:33-35)

In this passage it should be quite obvious that the author is not talking about Sheol as a literal place that exists and instead they are talking about the grave. This is because Jacob is saying that he will go down to the grave mourning for his son or rather that he will mourn for his son until the day he dies and is buried in the ground.

Then as the Book of First Samuel says:

“The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.” (1 Samuel 2:6)

In this verse Sheol once again actually refers to the grave since the purpose of this verse is to say that “The LORD brings death and gives life” (1 Samuel 2:6) as it says. Now you might say that this does not undeniably mean that Sheol is not an actual place that departed immaterial and immortal souls go to when their bodies die. However this is not the case because the whole popular conception of the soul is that of an immaterial and immortal essence that continues to live and have life after the body it occupies dies. This would then be in direct contradiction to “The LORD brings death and gives life” (1 Samuel 2:6) because if immortal and immaterial souls exist then we do not actually die when our bodies die.

But then what does “raises up” (1 Samuel 2:6) in this verse refer to then? Well you see this is a reference to the resurrection where God will resurrect the righteous in the resurrection of life so that we can live with Him in the new earth. The point here is that since God is all powerful He can raise anyone He wishes from the dead so that they can live again. This is then another reason why immaterial and immortal souls are completely nonsensical with respect to this passage since as I said before the resurrection loses all meaning if you accept the existence of immaterial and immortal souls.

Then as the Book of Psalms says:

“For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol?” (Psalm 6:5)

First off just like with the previous passages the word translated as Sheol here really should be translated and understood as the grave. Then if you doubt what I have said about Sheol not being an actual place that departed immaterial and immortal souls go to after they die then consider this verse. For instance why does this verse ask who can praise God “from Sheol” (Psalm 6:5) if immaterial and immortal souls that continue to be conscious descend into Sheol after the death of the body? Furthermore why does this verse say “there is no mention of You in death” (Psalm 6:5) with respect to God? I mean if we are really immaterial and immortal souls and not material and mortal beings then after our bodies die we would continue to be conscious. Then if we continue to be conscious then we could of course continue to think about and praise God as immaterial and immortal souls. However this verse directly states and asks “For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol?” (Psalm 6:5) This is of course a direct contradiction with the concept of immortal and immaterial souls.

Then as the Book of Proverbs says:

“Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
Strike him with a rod,
and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.” (Proverbs 23:13-14)

Now at first you may take the fact that this verse says soul as undeniable evidence that souls in fact exist. However this is not the case because the word translated as soul here should not be translated as soul. This is because the Hebrew word falsely translated as soul here is nephesh (transliteration) and instead it should be translated as life in this context. You may doubt this but the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) is only translated as soul less than half of the time in popular translations. Then in terms of the other times it is translated it is mostly translated as life or person. That said I am not going to go into every usage of the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) in order to show that it should not be translated as soul anywhere. This is because as you have already seen with the whole “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19) the Bible does not say we are immaterial and immortal souls and instead it says we are material and mortal beings.

For instance as an example the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) is actually used in Genesis as “Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) The word translated as being here is the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) and to claim that it should be translated as soul here is absurd which is why it is not translated a soul. Now I say translating it as soul would be absurd because the whole idea of immaterial and immortal souls is that they do not need a body to have life because they have life independent of our material world. However here in Genesis the point is that God created Adam and then animated him into a living being through breathing life into him. This means that Adam is not an immaterial and immortal soul and instead Adam is a material and mortal being.

Alright so you may doubt all this but this is why I decided to quote this passage from Proverbs since it is plainly obvious that the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) does not mean soul here.

To quote the passage again:

“Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
Strike him with a rod,
and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.” (Proverbs 23:13-14)

First off just like with the previous passages the word translated as Sheol should be translated and understood as the grave. Then based on what I said above the word translated as soul should be translated and understood as life. Now you may doubt these two facts but these meanings are self evident from the proverb in question. For instance the point of this proverb is to encourage parents to punish their kids when they do something incredibly stupid and dangerous because although you might find beating your kid abhorrent it is far better to teach your kid a lesson so that they do not repeat their mistakes than it is to let them make a grave mistake in the future that will deliver their life into the grave so that they die.

For instance imagine you are alive two to three thousand years ago and you have a kid and they like running off into the wilderness far away from home in order to go play even though you tried telling them how dangerous it is due to the lions, yes lions were around in ancient Israel even though they are extinct in the region today, and questionable people looking to capture slaves to sell. In this case it is far better for you to beat your kid with a rod after they run off so that they learn their lesson because the alternative is they never learn their lesson until they become lion food or sold as a slave to a foreign nation. Really the idea here is that the pain of disciplining your kid with a rod is temporary and if you do not withhold discipline then you can help make sure they do not make a fatal mistake in the future. Therefore you can clearly see why I said the Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) should not be translated as soul here and instead it should be translated as life. Then you can also see why Sheol should once again be understood as the grave and not a literal place.

Then as the Book of Ecclesiastes says:

“Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

In this verse Sheol should undeniably not be seen as a place where departed immaterial and immortal souls go after their bodies die. This is because the whole point of this verse is to say that we should do what we can while we are alive for once we enter the grave or rather die “there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10) In other words after we die we cease to exist so that we are no longer conscious so that we can no longer know anything let alone do any work. If you doubt this then I would like to once again point out that if immaterial and immortal souls exist then consciousness would continue after the death of our bodies. This would then make it possible for “work or planning or knowledge or wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:10) to continue after we enter the grave or in this case Sheol. However this verse says that “there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom” to be found in Sheol or rather the grave. (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Therefore obviously this verse has the grave in mind or metaphorically death instead of a place where immortal and immaterial souls go.

Then as the Book of Isaiah says:

“Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding;
their dignitaries are starving
and their masses are parched with thirst.
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws,
and down go Zion’s nobles and masses,
her revelers and carousers!” (Isaiah 5:13-14)

In this passage God is saying that due to ancient Israel’s disobedience that they will go into exile while the nobles and masses of Jerusalem itself will be swallowed up by Sheol or the grave. Thus the meaning of Sheol in this passage is the grave so that we should see “Zion’s nobles and masses” (Isaiah 5:14) as being swallowed whole by the grave so that they die. Really once again my point here is that there is no reason to see Sheol as a literal place and instead it should be seen as the grave which is metaphorically representative of death in this passage.

Then as the Book of Jonah says:

“From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, saying: ‘In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me.

From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.’” (Jonah 2:1-2)

In this passage obviously Jonah is not saying he is literally in a place called Sheol. Instead once again Sheol should be understood as the grave so that Jonah is saying from the belly of the grave “I called fro help” (Jonah 2:2) in this passage. The idea here is that Jonah recognizes that he cannot escape the stomach of the fish without God’s help and without God’s help he is already in the grave since he will soon be dead. Therefore once again there is no real reason to see Sheol here as being a literal place.

Alright so my point so far with all this with regards to Sheol up to this point is that Sheol is not a literal place where immortal and immaterial souls go after their bodies die. Instead the word translated as Sheol should really be translated and understood as the grave. That said there is an alternative meaning to Sheol where Sheol can be understood to mean the ground or the earth. The idea here is that since people were buried in holes in the ground when the Bible written the grave is basically synonymous with the ground since in this sense all those who die end up in the ground where they decay and turn back into dust.

As the Book of Numbers says:

“Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.’

As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.

At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, ‘The earth may swallow us too!’ And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.” (Numbers 16:28-35)

First off in this passage once again Sheol should be seen as the grave. This is because going “down alive into Sheol” (Numbers 16:30) is really just a way of saying that they will be buried alive in the earth. The idea here with this sign is that normally people need to bury the dead in a grave in the ground but Moses is saying that if “the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into” (Numbers 16:30) the grave then the ancient Israelites will know that Korah and his men are rebelling against God by rebelling against Moses since the earth does not simply open up and bury people alive in a grave. That said although Sheol should be understood as the grave here my point is that due to the fact that people’s graves are dug in the earth that there is an association between Sheol and the ground or the earth so that the ground or earth itself can be seen as part of Sheol.

Then as the Book of Isaiah says:

“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, ‘Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.’” (Isaiah 7:10-11)

There are two possible ways to understand Sheol in this passage. The first is to see Sheol as being representative of the earth since the dead are buried in their graves in the earth. In this view then God would be saying that Ahaz can ask for any sign from the depths of the earth to the heights of heaven or the sky. In other words God is saying He is willing to perform any sign Ahaz can imagine. The second is that Sheol is being used to represent the grave or rather death. The idea here is that heaven is representative of life since it is the dwelling place of God who is immortal while Sheol is representative of death because it is the grave or the state of eternal nothingness that awaits all those who die. Thus the purpose of providing the range of from death to from life is just a way of saying that God is capable of producing any sign imaginable so that God is saying that Ahaz can ask for whatever sign he wishes. Thus there is really no good reason to see Sheol as being a literal place here.

Lastly with respect to Sheol it is actually possible to see Sheol as a literal place those who die go to as long as you take a completely literal reading of passages that are supposed to be read and understood as metaphorical.

As the Book of Job says:

“Why then did You bring me from the womb?
Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me!
If only I had never come to be, but had been carried from the womb to the grave.
Are my days not few?
Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort,
before I go—never to return— to a land of darkness and gloom,
to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.” (Job 10:18-22)

In this passage Job describes Sheol as being “a land of utter darkness” (Job 10:22) “where even the light is like darkness.” (Job 10:22) Now you may think this would mean that Sheol is an actual place however this is not the case. Instead Job is describing Sheol or rather the grave or death as being a state where a person is so enveloped in darkness because they do not exist anymore since they are now dead. The idea here is that the ultimate form of darkness that exists is the nothingness that is nonexistence. Now you may doubt this but I would like to remind you what Job also said earlier on.

As the Book of Job says:

“If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
so that I am a burden to You?
Why do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?
For soon I will lie down in the dust;
You will seek me, but I will be no more.” (Job 7:20-21)

My point here with this passage is that if Sheol really is a place where immortal and immaterial souls go after their bodies die then why does Job say “For soon I will lie down in the dust; You will seek me, but I will be no more” (Job 7:20-21) in this passage? I mean if people are really immortal and immaterial souls that descend into Sheol after death then how could Job “be no more” (Job 7:21) after death so that even God will not be able to find him without resurrecting him from the dead? Thus you either need to say that God holds no power of Sheol so that He cannot see those who enter it or that Sheol is the grave which is representative of eternal death and the darkness of nothingness. Now you may think the first option is at least possible however this is not the case since later on the Book of Job says “Sheol is naked before God” (Job 26:6) which means that God has power over Sheol or rather the grave or death itself. In other words God has the power to resurrect the dead since even the grave is powerless before God. Therefore this means that only the second option of Sheol being representative of eternal death and the darkness of the nothingness that is nonexistence is in view here.

Then as the Book of Isaiah says:

“On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced, you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased,
and how his fury has ended!
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.
It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows;
it subdued the nations in rage
with relentless persecution.
All the earth is at peace and at rest; they break out in song.
Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon exult over you:
‘Since you have been laid low,
no woodcutter comes against us.’

Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival.
It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you— all the rulers of the earth.
It makes all the kings of the nations
rise from their thrones.
They will all respond to you, saying, ‘You too have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us!’
Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps.
Maggots are your bed
and worms your blanket.” (Isaiah 14:3-11)

So in this passage at first you may be tempted to say that Sheol is definitely a place where our immortal and immaterial souls go to after our body dies because this passage even says “the spirits of the dead will greet” (Isaiah 14:9) the king of Babylon in Sheol after he dies. However this is not the case. This is because the word translated as spirits of the dead here really should be translated and understood as the dead instead. Therefore the idea here is that this reference is highly figurative in the sense that the dead are not literally speaking because they are well dead and instead the passage is saying that even though the king of Babylon might be the most powerful person in the world today in the future he will die as all the other powerful kings in the past have because he is mortal. Now you may doubt this so that you take what this passage says concerning Sheol and the dead to be literal in nature so consider the following two points.

The first is that immediately before the dead speak to the king of Babylon “Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon” (Isaiah 14:8) speak and say “Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes against us.” (Isaiah 14:8) Therefore unless you want to say that the trees will literally speak after the king of Babylon dies you cannot say that the dead will speak to the king of Babylon in Sheol or rather the grave. Really the purpose of the trees speaking is that “All the earth is at peace and at rest” (Isaiah 14:7) after the king of Babylon finally dies so that everyone, including the trees, celebrate. Of course the trees are metaphorically celebrating because trees are not conscious. Then likewise with the dead who are in Sheol or rather the grave they are not able to speak to the king of Babylon because they are not conscious because they are dead. Instead the purpose of the dead kings speaking is to show that although the king of Babylon may seem great and seemingly all powerful he is just a mortal and all mortals will die so that they end up in the grave.

Now if you still doubt this then consider the second point I have. At the end of this passage God tells Isaiah to say “Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket” (Isaiah 14:3-11) against the king of Babylon. My point here is that if the king of Babylon is really an immortal and immaterial soul that entered a literal place called Sheol after he died then maggots and worms cannot be his blanket. However if instead you take Sheol to be the grave then maggots and worms being the blanket of the king of Babylon makes sense because after someone dies and is buried their body decays as it is eaten by worms before it turns back into dust. With this you may say I am being hypocritical here however my point is that if you wish to take the whole passage literally then really the verse about maggots and worms does not make any sense. That said in my view just like with regards to the trees and the dead kings speaking having “Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket” (Isaiah 14:3-11) is really just a figurative way of saying that the dead lose everything they have when they die so that they are left with nothing. The idea here is that although in life the king of Babylon probably slept on a comfortable bed with fine blankets in death everything he has will be taken away from him. In other words your material wealth, success and greatness in life is irrelevant because in the end we all become worm food as we decay into the dust of the earth in the grave.

So my point with all this is that you cannot definitely say that Sheol is a real place where the departed immortal and immaterial souls of the dead go after their bodies die. Instead Sheol is best understood as being representative of the grave or death in the sense that it embodies what it means to die and be buried in the ground. This is why Sheol is used instead of the word for a grave since the intended meaning with the word is that of what awaits all mortals when we die. This is why I said Sheol should be understood as the grave rather than a grave since really the grave is a proper place. For instance if you were to tell someone you will go into a grave some day this has a different meaning than if you tell them you will go to the grave some day. In the first case you would be referring to the literal grave that you will be placed in while in the second case you would be using the grave as a metaphorical representation of dying and death so that you are talking about about going to the grave in general. This same idea is in view here with Sheol meaning the grave so that when Sheol or the grave is used it is really talking about the common fate all mortals share.

Then while still on the subject of Sheol, with respect to the New Testament and the references to Hades found in the New Testament really Hades means the same exact thing as Sheol in the Old Testament. This might be a bit confusing since the Greeks, at least those who did not believe in reincarnation, believed that Hades was a literal place where the departed souls of those who died go. However as you will soon see with respect to the word that many people translate as soul in the New Testament the New Testament does not place Greek philosophy or pagan religious concepts above the scriptures of the Old Testament. This fact can be seen in the usage of Hades in the New Testament where it is clear that Hades is perfectly synonymous with the grave just like Sheol is. Therefore in the New Testament you should read Hades as being the same as Sheol.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

First off the word translated as church is ekklésia (ἐκκλησία) and it really should be understood as an assembly or a group. This means that Jesus is not talking about a church as we see a church today and instead Jesus is talking about the assembly or group of all people who follow Him as the Christ. This is why Jesus says to Peter that He will build His assembly on him because Peter was the first person to confess Jesus as the Christ when he said “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Thus the idea here is that by confessing Jesus as the Christ Peter becomes the first member of Jesus’s assembly and the rock or foundation that the rest of the assembly will originate from or come after based on his example of confessing Jesus as the Christ. I talk more about this topic and verse later on in my chapter on Roman Catholicism in my part called Various Insights.

Then in terms of the meaning of “the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) in this verse all Jesus is saying is that the gates of the grave will not prevail against His assembly or group who confess that He is the Christ. In other words Jesus is saying that His assembly of faithful believers will not die out and instead they will still be around until the very end. Thus the idea here is that Hades is being used in the exact same way as Sheol is used in the previous passages I have quoted.

Then as the Book of Acts says:

“Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.” (Acts 2:31)

In this verse the fact that Hades simply means the grave should be plainly obvious. The purpose of this verse is that the author is saying that David spoke about how God would not abandon Jesus to the grave or death so that His body decays and instead God would resurrect Him from the dead.

Then as the Book of Revelation says:

“I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:18)

By saying He holds the key of death in this verse Jesus is saying that He has power over death so that He can give eternal life to those He chooses so that they will never die. Then by saying He holds the key of Hades Jesus is saying that He has power over the grave so that He can resurrect those He chooses from death so that they will live again. Therefore there is really no reason to see Hades as being a literal place here just like with Sheol.

As an aside I would also like to point something out with respect to Jesus saying “I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18) My point here is that ultimately if immaterial and immortal souls exist then this verse cannot be true. This is because immaterial and immortal souls are by definition immortal and a soul is by definition the essence of a person that is responsible for a person’s consciousness. Therefore if we have immaterial and immortal souls then we cannot actually die. Instead only our body can stop functioning at which point our soul would be freed from the shackles of its body so that it can then go to heaven to be with God or sent to hell at least according to popular belief. So really this means with respect to Jesus that if you believe in immaterial and immortal souls then really Jesus did not die and instead His soul was simply relocated to a different location so that His life could continue elsewhere as an immortal soul. On the other hand Jesus not only says says “I was dead” (Revelation 1:18) in this passage which directly contradicts the idea of immortal souls that cannot die but He even goes on to say “now I am alive forever and ever” (Revelation 1:18) as a point to celebrate. This would of course make zero sense if we say immaterial and immortal souls are real since souls would by definition be “alive forever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18) Really immaterial and immortal souls make about as much sense as the false doctrine of the trinity with respect to the death and resurrection of Jesus. All that said this is just something I wanted to point out with respect to this verse so that you can think about it before I go over all the so-called references to souls in the New Testament.

Then lastly as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14)

In this verse death refers to the concept of death itself and then Hades refers to the grave. The idea here is that after the resurrection of the dead, with the faithful being resurrected to eternal life in the new earth and the unfaithful being resurrected to the second death in the Lake of Fire, that God will destroy the concept of death and the grave for the faithful so that we will have eternal life or immortality. In other words we will no longer have to worry about dying or going to the grave because God will give us the gift of eternal life and He will never take it away from us.

Now you might doubt this meaning of Hades here and in the previous verses so I would like to demonstrate why Hades being the grave is undeniably correct. Really it comes down to hell. Now of course hell does not actually exist and instead Revelation says the punishment for the unfaithful “is the second death—the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14) In other words the unfaithful will be annihilated at some point, it may not be instant, so that they will not suffer eternally. Alright so the problem with respect to hell and Hades is that if you want to say hell exists then the Lake of Fire in Revelation must refer to hell. However this verse also references Hades which based on passages like the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is also believed to be hell as well.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.” (Luke 16:23)

Now this problem here is that the Lake of Fire and Hades both cannot be hell because as the original verse from Revelation says “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14) I mean how could Hades or hell be thrown into the Lake of Fire or hell? Then even if we assume that Hades is different from the Lake of Fire so that the Lake of Fire is hell then how could the place called Hades be thrown into the place called hell? For instance how can one place be thrown into another? But like I said the real issue is that both Hades and the Lake of Fire are believed to be references to hell so throwing hell into hell is just completely nonsensical. So what does this mean? Well obviously this means that either Hades is hell or that the Lake of Fire is hell since they both cannot be hell. Then since the Book of Revelation is very explicit about the Lake of Fire being the punishment for the unfaithful this would of course mean you cannot say Hades is hell. But of course as I explain later on hell does not exist and it is a false doctrine and instead the unfaithful will face annihilation or “the second death—the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14) That said really the best way to resolve this issue is to not say that Hades is an actual place or worse hell itself and to instead say that Hades is the grave in the same way that Sheol is the grave.

But what about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke and the reference to Hades there? Well although I talk about this so-called reference to hell later on when I discuss the fact that hell or eternal conscious torment does not exist and will not exist it would be helpful to talk about it a bit now.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’

But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31)

First off the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a metaphorical story about how you cannot change anything from Hades or the grave because once you die and enter the grave you are dead and it is too late. Then the reason why the rich man sees Lazarus with Abraham is because Lazarus was faithful to God so he will be rewarded. Then of course the reason why the rich man is in agony is because he was not faithful to God so he will be punished. The idea here is that if you die in your faithfulness then you will die with the expectation to be rewarded by God while if you die in your unfaithfulness then you will die with the expectation to be punished by God. This is why the punishment for the rich man and the reward for Lazarus take place after they die in the story because it is really about the expectation about what will happen at the final judgment at the end of the age when all the dead are either punished or rewarded.

If you want to dispute this then consider what Revelation says with regards the final the judgment. In Revelation the dead are to be resurrected where the faithful will be given eternal life in the paradise of the new earth while on the other hand the unfaithful will be resurrected to be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. Now the key point here is that the unfaithful will only be cast into the Lake of Fire after the resurrection. This means that Lazarus cannot literally be in the Lake of Fire in the parable since he would have to wait until after the resurrection at the end of the age to be sent to the Lake of Fire. Therefore this story should not be taken literally and instead it should be viewed entirely metaphorically. But like I said I talk more about this parable later on when I talk about the fact that hell does not exist.

Therefore as a result of all this clearly Hades is not some sort of underworld in the New Testament let alone hell and instead it is representative of the grave in the same way that Sheol is representative of the grave in the Old Testament. Then because of this fact you cannot make the claim that immaterial and immortal souls exist on the basis that the Bible supposedly says our so-called souls go to Sheol in the Old Testament and Hades in the New Testament when we die.

But what about the rest of the Old Testament? Well you see the thing is the greatest evidence against immortal and immaterial souls from the Old Testament is the complete lack of evidence for immortal and immaterial souls to be found in the Old Testament. Really the only way to see the existence of the soul in the Old Testament is to selectively mistranslate and misinterpret the Old Testament so that you try to make it say what you want it to say. Of course I could go through these erroneous interpretations but really this is not needed since those who believe in the existence of souls essentially entirely look towards the New Testament for their false doctrine. Their main point is that sure the Old Testament really does not undeniably point to the existence of souls but since the best way to interpret Scripture is Scripture and the New Testament so-called undeniably points to the existence of souls this means that as long as they can so-called prove the existence of souls from the New Testament then the absence of evidence from the Old Testament is not relevant. Now my point here is that since those who believe in the existence of souls basically entirely look towards the New Testament to support their belief then really this means I do not have to go through additional passages from the Old Testament to prove my point that souls do not exist. Not only that but going through additional passages would not even be helpful. Instead all that is necessary is to demonstrate that the concept of immortal and immaterial souls cannot be found in the New Testament no matter how hard you look and that all supposed references to souls are ministrations and misinterpretations.

Now you might think I am not being completely fair here by discounting the rest of the Old Testament. However I have already demonstrated that from the perspective of the Old Testament we are dust and to dust we shall return. This of course means that we are not immaterial and immortal souls and instead we are material and mortal beings. That said since obviously the Old Testament was around in Jesus’s day the best way to demonstrate the nonexistence of souls in the Old Testament is to once again talk about the resurrection in relation to what the Pharisees and Sadducees believed in the early first century AD.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a wife, but died childless. Then the second and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. And last of all, the woman died. So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.’

Jesus answered, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.

Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.’

Some of the scribes answered, ‘Teacher, You have spoken well!’ And they did not dare to question Him any further.” (Luke 20:27-40)

To begin the Pharisees believed in the idea of the resurrection of the dead where sometime in the future after God reigns in all those who rebel against Him on earth God would resurrect all those who were faithful to Him to eternal life so that they can share in the eternal Kingdom of God here on earth. This belief in and the concept of the resurrection was a later creation in the later books in the Old Testament and it was brought about because generation after generation would come and go without the eternal Kingdom of God arriving on earth. The idea here is that if the eternal Kingdom of God arrives in the future for those who are alive when it arrives then really it is not fair for those who were faithful to God who died in the past. Thus the concept of the resurrection was created as a way for all of God’s faithful people from the beginning of the age to the end of the age to share in the future eternal Kingdom of God. This is then what the Pharisees believed in and looked forward to happening.

Then in terms of the Sadducees they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. But why? Well you see what we see as the Old Testament today was not a singular book that was accepted as Scripture in the early first century AD. Instead it was divided in two main sections called the Law and the Prophets. The Law refers to the Books of Moses or Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Then the Prophets referd to all the other books of the Old Testament outside of the books of the Law. When combined together these two sections were called the Law and the Prophets.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

So how does this relate to the Sadducees and the resurrection? Well you see the Law and the Prophets were not regarded as having the same authority even by the Pharisees. Instead although the Pharisees accepted the Prophets as authoritative they still considered the Law or the Books of Moses to be of greater authority so that if there was a contradiction between something in the Prophets with something in the Law then they would accept what the Law says to be the definitive authority. Now in terms of what the Sadducees believed really the Sadducees completely rejected the Prophets as authoritative. This is important because this is why the Sadducees then did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. As I just said above with respect to the Pharisees the idea of the resurrection of the dead was a later development that took its final form in the later writings of the Prophets. This means that the idea of the resurrection was not directly in the Law or the Books of Moses. So this is why the Sadducees rejected the idea of the resurrection of the dead. So what did the Sadducees believe instead? Well really they believed that the promises of blessings and curses from the Law applied to this life only and that there was nothing to look forward to after death because this life is all that we have so that when we die we cease to exist forever. Therefore it goes without saying that the Sadducees definitely did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls. But if you have doubts about this the consider the following.

Now in the passage above from the Gospel of Luke the Sadducees set out to demonstrate why they believe the resurrection of the dead is an absurd belief by giving a hypothetical example where a woman is married to seven men in her lifetime while having an equal level of commitment to each man. The Sadducee’s point here is that if the resurrection were to happen then each of the seven men would want to be married to their wife because from the perspective of each man the woman is their wife alone. Thus the idea here is that the Sadducees considered the idea of the resurrection and hence life after death to be contradictory in nature since not everyone dies at the same time which results in a mess in terms of relationships. This is why the Sadducees certainly did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls because their same argument here about a woman being married to seven men applies to the concept of souls as well. For instance if a woman was married to seven men who all died then who would she be with in heaven as an immortal and immaterial soul? So now you can see why I said the Sadducees definitely did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls.

Alright so now to explain Jesus’s response. After the Sadducees gave this hypothetical example of the woman being married to seven men Jesus responds by saying that “those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” (Luke 20:35) By saying this Jesus resolves the conflict by saying that the woman in the example will not be married to any of the seven men because marriage will be abolished entirely so that instead the faithful will be “like the angels.” (Luke 20:36) This response would then of course resolve the issues the Sadducees brought up. Next Jesus quotes from the Law or the Books of Moses in order to demonstrate that the concept of the resurrection can be found in the Law. Of course Jesus references the Law because the Sadducees reject the authority of the Prophets where the resurrection can be definitely found.

As Jesus says:

“Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:37-38)

Jesus’s point here is that if the resurrection is not going to happen so that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are dead forever then why does Moses call God “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Luke 20:37) in the Law? The idea here is that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38) In other words by saying that God is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Luke 20:37) Moses is indirectly saying that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will live again in the future because God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38) Really the point here that Jesus is making is that of the power of God. What I mean here is that by denying the possibility of the resurrection and trying to show how absurd it supposedly is the Sadducees are actually denying the power of God to resurrect the dead. In other words Sadducees probably believed that God did not actually have the power to resurrect the dead and that instead He was only the God of the living. This is then why Jesus’s response works because Jesus then acknowledges that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38) which is a way of acknowledging that yes God is the God of the living but since God is God “all are alive” (Luke 20:38) from God’s point of view. If you doubt what I have said here then consider the version of this story found in the Gospel of Matthew.

As Jesus says:

“You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)

In this verse Jesus tells the Sadducees that they do not know “the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) This is one of the reasons why I said that the Sadducees probably did not believe that God had the power to resurrect the dead. Now you might be skeptical of this but you need to understand that people had different concepts of gods in ancient times. For instances the pagan Greek false deities were not omnipotent or omniscient and instead they only had a limited amount of power over a limited area. This would mean that the Sadducees probably thought of God along these lines where they believed that God had power over the living but once a person died then God would not longer have power over them. Then of course this would be why Jesus says they do not know “the power of God” (Matthew 22:29) since the argument that Jesus is making here is that God’s power is unlimited rather than limited. Then this would also be why Jesus says God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38) since God has power over those who are alive as well as those who are dead.

So does this then demonstrate that immortal and immaterial souls are real? Well no it does not. You see the point that Jesus is bringing up is that death is not eternal so that those who die are outside of God’s authority. Instead God’s authority is limitless so that even those who are dead can be brought back to life and it is because of this fact that “for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38) The best way to think about this is in terms of an author writing a series of novels. For instance imagine you are writing a novel and at some point in your story you make one of your favorite characters die at the hands of one of the antagonists. Does this mean that this character is dead? Well really this is a complicated question. For instance in terms of the perspective of the characters in your novel the answer would be yes that the character is now dead. However since you are the omnipotent and omniscient author who wrote the book from your point of view the character is not dead. This is because from your point of view you see the entire character’s life in your novel all at once from an omniscient perspective so that even if the character dies in the novel they are still alive in your mind. If this is confusing then think about it from the perspective of reading novels or comics other people have written where a character that you like dies in the novel or comic. Sure from the perspective of the other characters in the novel or comic the character you like is dead but from your perspective as an omniscient reader the character you like and everything they have done and everything they are still lives on inside your mind so that from your point of view the character is still alive. Really the only way for a character in a novel or comic to die from your perspective is for you forget about them.

So how does this relate to the resurrection? Well the idea here is that if you are the author of a novel and you write the death of a character you like then since as the author you are omnipotent and omniscient in comparison to the novel you have the ability to resurrect the character whenever you want. For instance in the latest novel in your series you can resurrect all the characters that you like who were killed in the previous novel because from your perspective all characters that you have created are alive to you. Now you probably guess how this relates to God and the resurrection of the dead and Jesus’s argument by referencing the Law. The point here is that God is the author of our novel or the universe and because of this fact anyone who dies is not actually dead from God’s perspective. Instead everyone is alive to God even those who are dead from our perspective because God is both omnipotent and omniscient. Now this does not mean that immortal and immaterial souls are real because from our perspective when we die we are dead and cease to exist until God raises us from the dead by writing us back in the story He has created or rather the universe He as created.

Now if you doubt all of this so that you still wish to hold to the existence of immaterial and immortal souls that allow our consciousness to continue after the death of our body then consider the idea of the resurrection itself. What I am saying is that by saying “in the resurrection from the dead” (Luke 20:35) Jesus is acknowledging that immaterial and immortal souls do not exist and that instead when our body dies we die so that our consciousness ceases. I mean if immaterial and immortal souls exist so that we are not not mortal and material beings and instead we are immaterial and immortal souls then the concepts of death and the resurrection both become meaningless. This is because if we really are immortal and immaterial souls then by definition we are actually immortal and cannot actually die. Instead when our body dies our immortal and immaterial soul is freed so that our consciousness leaves our former body and goes somewhere else. Then likewise with the resurrection if we are actually immortal and immaterial souls then by definition there cannot be a resurrection and instead there can only be a change in location. For instance instead of the dead being raised at the end of the age really what would happen is that immortal and immaterial souls who are conscious in heaven would be given the opportunity to occupy a new material body. Thus this is not a resurrection and instead this would be a change of form.

All that said really my point here with all of this is that by trying to demonstrate the idea of the resurrection in an indirect manner Jesus is essentially saying that the Old Testament or really the Law does not support the idea of immortal and immaterial souls. This is because if the concept of immaterial and immortal souls were present in the Law then rather than referencing Moses and the burning bush as a way of saying that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38) Jesus would have instead referenced the supposed references to immortal and immaterial souls that do not actually exist. Therefore because of this fact this exchange between the Sadducees and Jesus demonstrates that there is no real evidence for the existence of immaterial and immortal souls to be found in the Old Testament. This is then why people look towards the New Testament for the existence of the soul since as I have thoroughly demonstrated the soul is absent from the Old Testament. Therefore it is time to move on from talking about the Old Testament and move on to what the New Testament says with regards to the supposed existence of immaterial and immortal souls.

Alright so believe it or not but the New Testament actually does not refer to souls once. Now I know what you are probably thinking that I must either be joking or that I am so completely delusional to the point that I am simply ignoring reality. However this is not the case as you will soon see. First off the Greek word translated as soul in the New Testament is psuché (ψυχή). So therefore souls exist right? Well no not exactly. You see the word psuché (ψυχή) is only translated as soul or souls less than half of the time and in the other usages of the word it is translated as life, lives, person, beings or something similar. But what about the times it is translated as soul? Well you see really the times psuché (ψυχή) is translated as soul the word really does not definitely mean soul. In fact I would even go as far to say in basically all translations of the word psuché (ψυχή) as soul the word life, person or being works as a better translation in that it makes more sense so that it is in line with what the authors of the New Testament were wring about and believed. Of course later on I demonstrate this fact by going through the major usages of the word of psuché (ψυχή) in the New Testament.

But first what does psuché (ψυχή) actually mean in terms of the word itself? For instance why do translators translate it as both life and soul? Alright so in terms of the word itself psuché (ψυχή) originates from the word psyxō (ψύχω) which means to blow. Now since I previously went over what Genesis says concerning the creation of man you can probably guess what psuché (ψυχή) means. If you do not remember then in Genesis God created man or Adam and gave him life by breathing or blowing life into his nostrils. Therefore in the context of the New Testament and the Greek Old Testament or the Septuagint the most literal translation of psuché (ψυχή) is breath or rather breath of life or the animating principle that gives us life.

At this point you may think that this then means that psuché (ψυχή) means soul because of course our soul is what gives us life. However this is not correct from a biblical perspective or from the perspective of the ancient Israelites. Sure you can say this perspective is correct according ancient Greek philosophy or more specifically Plato’s idea of the soul but this is not what the Bible means. Instead breath of life or psuché (ψυχή) in the Bible refers to a being that is living because a living being has breath because it breathes while a dead being does not have breath because it does not breath. All this is then why psuché (ψυχή) is best translated and understood to mean life, person or being. The idea here is that if you have psuché (ψυχή) or breath of life then you have life. Then someone who has psuché (ψυχή) is a person and a creature that has psuché (ψυχή) is a being.

Now you know why I had to explain the Old Testament’s perspective on life and what it means to be alive as a mortal and material being that was born from the dust and that will return from the dust. This is because if you do not understand the fact that we are dust that has been temporarily given the breath of life so that we will return to the dust as we cease to exist when we die then you will tend to view the word psuché (ψυχή) through the lens of ancient Greek philosophy rather than through what the Bible says. Therefore as a result of all this now you know why I said the most correct translation of psuché (ψυχή) in terms of the intended meaning by the authors of the New Testament would be life, person or being in basically all instances of the word.

Alright since what I have said so far with respect to the true meaning of psuché (ψυχή) is quite controversial in the sense that if you believe in the existence of immaterial and immortal souls then you will almost certainly intensely disagree with me so that you take psuché (ψυχή) to mean soul in at least some cases instead of life, person or being. Then because of this it is now time to go over the usage of psuché (ψυχή) in the New Testament to demonstrate that the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) being life, person or being is the correct and intended meaning that the authors of the New Testament had in mind. In order to do this there are two different sets of passages to go over with respect to psuché (ψυχή). The first set of passages is where psuché (ψυχή) is correctly translated as life, person or being. The reason why going over these passages is necessary is because unless the fact that psuché (ψυχή) is frequently translated as life, person or being is pointed out to you then you will almost certainly be unaware that the word translated as soul in the New Testament can be translated as life, person or being. Furthermore by going over the instances where psuché (ψυχή) undeniably means life, person or being so that it cannot mean soul under any circumstance you will start to become more familiar with the true meaning of the word so that the next set of passages will make more sense to you so that you do not see psuché (ψυχή) as only meaning soul. Then in the second set of passages I go over what you have been patiently waiting for throughout this entire comment which is the main supposed references to souls in the New Testament where psuché (ψυχή) is translated as soul by most translators. After each of the passages in this second set of passages I of course go over why each instance of psuché (ψυχή) should not be translated or understood as soul and why life, person or being is much better way to translate and understand the word in the passage. Alright so without further delay it is time to begin the first set of passages where psuché (ψυχή) is not translated as soul and cannot be understood to mean soul under any circumstance.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ‘Get up!’ he said. ‘Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.’” (Matthew 2:19-20)

In this passage the word translated as life towards the end of the second verse is the Greek word psuché (ψυχή). In this instance it should be clear that psuché (ψυχή) cannot be translated or understood to mean soul here. Then once again by soul I am talking about the popular conception of the soul or immortal and immaterial souls. The reason why I keep clarifying this meaning of what a soul is supposed to be to the point that you are probably sick of it is because without emphasizing this meaning it is easy to insert souls into the Bible by not translating psuché (ψυχή) correctly due to a worldview bias as you will see in the next set of passages that deal with instances where psuché (ψυχή) is often times translated as soul. But in terms of this passage it is completely clear that psuché (ψυχή) cannot refer to an immaterial and immortal soul and instead it can only refer to a very physical, material and mortal life. This is because the passages says “for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.” (Matthew 2:20) My point here is that an immortal and immaterial soul is by definition immortal and immaterial so that no one can harm it which would be in contradiction with the point of this passage. This is why psuché (ψυχή) was translated as life here instead of soul since translating it as soul is not only nonsensical but is completely contradictory with the message of the passage.

That said I want to emphasize what I want you to get out of this passage and all subsequent passages. In short psuché (ψυχή) does not always mean soul. Once you understand this fact then the next set of passages where psuché (ψυχή) is frequently translated as soul and where I also explain why soul is a completely incorrect translation will make sense to you. Thus this set of passages may get a bit repetitive because I essentially say the same thing for each of them so please hang in there especially if you are skeptical of what I have been saying with regards to psuché (ψυχή).

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)

In this verse both instances to life are a translation of psuché (ψυχή) as you can probably guess. Then the reason why translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul cannot work here is because this verse has a very physical and very material view of psuché (ψυχή) which stands in direct opposition to the concept of immortal and immaterial souls. This is because the verse says “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink” (Matthew 6:25) which relates life or rather psuché (ψυχή) to eating and drinking. The idea here is that eating and drinking are what nourish your life or psuché (ψυχή). However despite this fact in the passage this verse comes from Jesus is telling us not to worry about our life because we cannot add a single hour to our lifespan through being anxious about it. This is why translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul here would make zero sense since by definition souls are supposed to be immortal. Not only that but saying soul instead of life in “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink” (Matthew 6:25) is just completely nonsensical since if souls were to exist then we would not be able to nourish our immortal and immaterial souls with material food. Therefore this is why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life here.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

Once again the word translated as life two times in the last verse in this passage is psuché (ψυχή). Therefore I would like to again point out that translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul is completely and utterly nonsensical. For instance translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul would mean that whoever finds his soul will lose it, and whoever loses his soul for Jesus’s sake will find it. This of course is nonsensical because souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial so that you cannot lose your soul in your life here on earth if souls existed. Likewise you also cannot find your soul here on earth because if souls exist then you would already have a soul. Therefore this is why the translators translate psuché (ψυχή) as life here once again.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

Again the two instances of the word life in this verse were translated from the word psuché (ψυχή) just like the previous passages. Then just like with the previous passages it is very obvious that psuché (ψυχή) cannot be translated or understood to mean soul here since in this verse psuché (ψυχή) is very mortal while a soul is supposed to be immortal. I would also like to once again point out that psuché (ψυχή) refers to life in the sense of a living and mortal body rather than an immortal and immaterial soul. This is why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life here in this verse instead of as soul.

But then why does Jesus say “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25) in this verse then if psuché (ψυχή) refers to mortal and material life in the sense of a living and mortal body instead of an immaterial and immortal soul? Well you see when we die we become dust so that our consciousness ceases to exist as our life or psuché (ψυχή) is lost. However since God is all powerful He can resurrect us from the dead so that we can have our psuché (ψυχή) or life back. This is why Jesus says “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25) since by being faithful to Him even unto death we will inherit eternal life.

Then lastly with respect to this verse I would also like to emphasize that we are not inherently immortal beings or souls that have eternal life. Instead we are mortal beings that have a finite amount of life. This is once again why Jesus says “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25) since as I just said we are not immortal so that we possess eternal life. Then because of this fact immortal and immaterial souls do not exist and cannot exist biblically speaking. Really there is no getting around this point if you want to hold to the existence of immortal and immaterial souls. If you want to dispute this then just know I talk about it more later on.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

In this passage life in “to give His life” (Matthew 20:28) is translated from psuché (ψυχή). So if you think that psuché (ψυχή) definitely means soul then how can Jesus give His soul “as a random for many” (Matthew 20:28) as this verse says? I mean if souls are immortal and immaterial then Jesus cannot give up His soul. However Jesus would be able to give up His life or psuché (ψυχή) since He was mortal and material. Thus this is why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life in this passage since soul does not make sense as I have said.

Then as the Gospel of Mark says:

“Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up among us.’ And He asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’

But they were silent.” (Mark 3:1-4)

In this passage obviously life in “to save life or to destroy it” (Mark 3:4) was translated from psuché (ψυχή). Then the reason why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life here instead of soul is because translating it as soul would not make any sense since this passage is about healing a physical injury that someone has so it concerns material and mortal life.

Then as the Gospel of Luke says:

“Then Jesus said to all of them, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.’” (Luke 9:23-24)

Again the two instances of life in this passage are translated from psuché (ψυχή). Then the reason why the translators translate psuché (ψυχή) as life here instead of soul is once again because translating it as soul would be nonsensical for the same reasons I have already pointed out. For instance if souls exist then you would not be able to lose your soul here on earth because souls by definition would be immortal and immaterial so that no one on earth would be able to harm or destroy your soul.

Then as the Gospel of John says:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

The reason why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life here instead of soul is because if souls exist then Jesus would not be able to lay down His soul since as I keep on saying souls would be immortal and immaterial by definition. Thus just like in the previous instances translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul instead of life would be nonsensical.

Then as the Gospel of John also says:

“Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)

To begin the first two instances of life are once again a translation of psuché (ψυχή) just like the previous passages. Then the reason why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life is because translating it as soul would once again make zero sense. For instance how does whoever hates his soul in this world even make sense? I mean souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial so that they transcend our physical world. Therefore this is why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life here instead of soul. Then in terms of the third instances of life it is translated from the Greek word zóé (ζωή) which also means life. But why are there two different words for life here? Well really the best way to think of it is that psuché (ψυχή) is life that you currently have in the sense that it refers to your mortal life. On the other hand zóé (ζωή) mostly refers to life with respect to eternal life or a higher form of life. There are some exceptions to this where zóé (ζωή) just refers to mortal life but this is mostly the case. Although whenever zóé (ζωή) is in the context of eternal life the Greek word for eternal is also used. Therefore really there is zero confusion over what zóé (ζωή) means since really it just means life.

This would of course be in contrast to the word psuché (ψυχή) which is translated as both life and soul by most translators. Then I would like to once again point out that the kind of life that psuché (ψυχή) has been referring to so far is drastically different than what an immortal and immaterial soul is. Really what I mean here is that selectively translating psuché (ψυχή) as either life or soul is completely nonsensical. Now if you disagree with here wait and see what I mean later on with the passages where psuché (ψυχή) is frequently translated as soul.

Then as the Gospel of John also says:

“‘Lord,’ said Peter, ‘why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.’

‘Will you lay down your life for Me?’ Jesus replied. ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’” (John 13:37-38)

The two instances of life in this passage were translated from psuché (ψυχή) once again. This translation of life makes sense as opposed to soul because how could this passage make any sense if psuché (ψυχή) were translated as soul? I mean how is Peter laying down his soul, which is supposed to immortal and immaterial, anything but nonsensical? Therefore this is why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life once again.

Then as the Book of Acts says:

“So we all agreed to choose men to send to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 15:25-26)

Since the word translated as lives here is once again psuché (ψυχή) does it make sense to say that the men in question risked their immortal and immaterial souls “for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26) in this verse? Or does it make more sense to say that these men risked their lives as in their mortal and material lives? Thus this is why psuché (ψυχή) was translated as lives rather than souls.

Then as the Book of Acts also says:

“But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)

Now up until this point if you have been still trying to hold to the possibility of psuché (ψυχή) meaning soul you may have been engaging in some top tier mental gymnastics in order to justify that psuché (ψυχή) could make sense as soul in instances where I have said it is nonsensical. However this verse really puts a stop to all this so that if you have been skeptical of what I have been saying then you have to at the very minimum admit that psuché (ψυχή) does not always mean soul as in an immortal and immaterial soul. This is because in this verse life from “I consider my life of no value to me” (Acts 20:24) has been translated from psuché (ψυχή). So my point here is that if you want to hold to the possibility that psuché (ψυχή) can mean life in the sense of life that comes from an immaterial and immortal soul then really this verse undeniably eliminates this possibility. This is because Paul is saying that his psuché (ψυχή) has no value to him. My point here is that clearly Paul or at least the author of Acts does not see psuché (ψυχή) in terms of life derived from an immaterial and immortal soul. Instead the author of this verse sees psuché (ψυχή) as being a very material and mortal form of life that is derived from the body. I mean why else would the author say that Paul’s life or psuché (ψυχή) has no value to him? Really this would only make sense if the author is using psuché (ψυχή) to refer to material and mortal life rather than immaterial and immortal life that is thought to be derived from the soul. Therefore this is why psuché (ψυχή) can only be translated and understood to mean life in a very material and mortal sense in this verse.

Then as the Book of Acts also says:

“Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.” (Acts 27:10)

Once again the word lives in this verse is a translation of the word psuché (ψυχή). Then the reason why it is translated as lives instead of souls is because it would make zero sense translated as souls. I mean souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial so how could anyone suffer great loss to their soul through a voyage across the sea? Therefore this is why psuché (ψυχή) can really only be translated as lives here. Then just like with the previous passage I would like to point out that psuché (ψυχή) or life here is very material and very mortal.

Alright so this concludes the instances that I have for you of psuché (ψυχή) that cannot be translated or understood to mean soul. Although I am not going to go over similar instances of psuché (ψυχή) from the epistles since I am sure you are tired of me saying the same thing over and over again just know that I could do the same thing for those. Really my point here should be undeniably obvious at this point so I do not think it is necessary to continue to quote and comment upon the same usage of psuché (ψυχή) over and over again.

Therefore it is now time to go over the instances of psuché (ψυχή) that are commonly translated as soul. With respect to these instances my purpose is to demonstrate that instead of translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul as in an immaterial and immortal soul it is far better to translate and understand psuché (ψυχή) as life, person or being. Therefore as you read through the following passages consider the usage of psuché (ψυχή) carefully so that you try to consider the meaning more along the lines of life, person or being rather than as soul. Then in terms of the ordering of these passages I skip over Matthew 10:28 temporarily since this is the main passage that those who hold to the existence of immortal and immaterial souls cling to and I need you to be more open to what I am saying with regards to psuché (ψυχή) before you read what I have to say about Matthew 10:28. So without further delay consider the following passages where psuché (ψυχή) is commonly translated as soul.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Now at first you may think souls is an accurate translation of psuché (ψυχή) here but this is not the case. This is because one of the messages that Jesus preached was that of not worrying about our life or psuché (ψυχή) so that instead we look towards God.

As Jesus says:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

Therefore the idea here with the original passage from the Gospel of Matthew above is that by following Jesus we will unburden ourselves from the worries of our lives so that we “will find rest for” (Matthew 11:29) our lives. This is why psuché (ψυχή) is best translated and understood as lives in “you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29) instead of as souls as it is translated here. Now if you disagree with what I have said here my point is that you cannot definitely say that psuché (ψυχή) should be translated and understood to mean soul here. Instead translating psuché (ψυχή) as life is a perfectly valid option.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Then He said to them, ‘My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’” (Matthew 26:38)

In this verse the word soul was falsely translated from the word psuché (ψυχή) because translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul in this verse makes zero sense if you want to take it a face value. For instance how can Jesus’s soul be be “consumed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38) if souls are immortal and immaterial? Thus the only way soul could possibly work here as a translation of psuché (ψυχή) is if you say that Jesus is grossly exaggerating and that He really refers to His life and the sorrow He is going through now. But then why not just translate psuché (ψυχή) as life or being here so that Jesus would be saying My life “is consumed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38) in this verse? Therefore soul is an incorrect translation of psuché (ψυχή) here and it should be translated as either life or being instead.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Jesus declared, ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (Matthew 22:37-38)

In this passage soul was of course translated from psuché (ψυχή) and there is really no context that would require it to be translated as life or being here. That said translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul is still incorrect because there is zero reason to translate as soul. For instance you could see psuché (ψυχή) as soul here but in order to do that you would have to say that a person’s soul is a person’s life so really psuché (ψυχή) should just be translated as life or being instead. This would of course make sense since the intended message of this passage is that we should love the Lord our God will everything we have in our life here on earth. Then lastly the reason why this verse refers to life or psuché (ψυχή), heart and mind is because your heart is representative of your emotions, then your mind is representative of your reason and then your life or psuché (ψυχή) is representative of your very being.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26)

So in this passage the two instances of life in the first verse were translated from psuché (ψυχή) just like I said before when I quoted the first verse alone. But now in this passage I have included the second verse which includes two instances of soul that were translated from you guessed it psuché (ψυχή) as well. So is soul an accurate translation of psuché (ψυχή) in the second verse? Well no of course not it is an incorrect translation. This is because as I said before the first two instances of psuché (ψυχή) which are translated as life in this passage can only be translated and understood to mean life since a soul is supposed to be immortal and immaterial so that you cannot lose your soul here on earth assuming you had one. This then means that the first verse is talking about life like I just said.

So then why does it make sense to translate the two instances of psuché (ψυχή) in the second verse as life instead of soul? Well the whole idea of the second verse is that we are material and mortal beings that will perish at some point without God’s direct intervention. This is why Jesus asks “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his” (Matthew 16:26) psuché (ψυχή) or life because it does not matter if you conquer the entire world and rule over all since as a mortal being you will lose your life eventually. Additionally Jesus asks “what can a man give in exchange for his” (Matthew 16:26) psuché (ψυχή) or life as a rhetorical question since His point is that only God can give us eternal life so that we will never die and there is nothing we can give to anyone here on earth to gain eternal life. Therefore the two instances of psuché (ψυχή) in the second verse are much better translated and understood as life rather than soul.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Here is My Servant,
whom I have chosen,
My beloved,
in whom My soul delights.
I will put My Spirit on Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the nations.” (Matthew 12:18)

In this passage soul in “My soul delights” (Matthew 12:18) was of course translated from psuché (ψυχή). So what does psuché (ψυχή) actually mean here? Well first off it is important to point out that translating psuché (ψυχή) as life would be a bit awkward here. Instead the best translation of psuché (ψυχή) would be being. This is because psuché (ψυχή) is most literally translated as breath and it has the intended meaning of breath of life. This is then where the translation of psuché (ψυχή) as life comes from because the idea is that those who are breathing are alive while those who are not breathing are dead. Then since a person and a being have life so that they are alive this is why psuché (ψυχή) can be translated as person or being depending upon the context. Therefore in this verse God is saying His being or life as in life force delights in Jesus.

Then lastly with respect to this passage I would also like to point out that God is alive just like we are. However the difference between God and us is that the life that God has is not from anyone else. On the other hand the life what we have is from God. This means that we do not inherently have life so that life is something we can possess on our own like God. Instead life is something that God must give us. This is why the concept of an immaterial and immortal soul is actually nonsense biblically speaking since only God is innately immaterial and immortal. On the other hand we are material and mortal beings. Then in terms of eternal life the only way we can have eternal life is if God, who is the source of all life, gives us eternal life. Once again we are not immortal and immaterial souls.

Then as the Gospel of Luke says:

“You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.” (Luke 21:16-19)

The reason why souls is an inaccurate translation of psuché (ψυχή) in this passage is because Jesus is not talking us gaining immaterial and immortal souls. I mean if we are supposed to have an immortal and immaterial soul then how exactly would we gain what we already possess? Really the only way to make sense of this would then be to say the reference to gaining our souls is a metaphor for living with God in the new earth. But then this would mean that the reference to souls would then turn into life metaphorically speaking. But then I am sure you can guess what an easier explanation to what psuché (ψυχή) means in this verse is. Thus instead psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as lives. The idea here is that the resurrection is in view here so that as long as we remain faithful unto death then instead of perishing forever in the second death in the Lake of Fire we will be resurrected in the resurrection of life so that we will gain our lives as we live with God in the new earth. Therefore once again psuché (ψυχή) should not be translated as souls.

Then as the Gospel of John says:

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.” (John 12:27)

The context of this verse is that of Jesus predicting His own death in the future and telling His disciples about how He must die. This is then why translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul in “Now My soul is troubled” (John 12:27) makes little sense since really Jesus is saying that His life is now trouble due to the fact that the hour or time of His death is getting closer. Therefore psuché (ψυχή) should be translated and understood to mean life here instead of soul.

Then as the Book of Acts says:

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will dwell in hope,
because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” (Acts 2:26-27)

First off as I said previously Hades here should be understood to mean the grave. This would then mean that psuché (ψυχή) cannot mean soul in this context since souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial. Therefore psuché (ψυχή) is once again best translated as life. The idea here is that David is saying that God will not abandon his life to the grave and that God will not let the Messiah see decay. Of course this meaning makes sense which is why psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life and not soul.

Then as the Book of Acts also says:

“The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.” (Acts 4:32)

In this passage translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul only makes sense if you take soul to figuratively refer to life from the perspective that a person’s soul is their life. This is because the idea here is that “the multitude of believers” (Acts 4:32) are like one being or one life in the sense that they share everything. Therefore psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as either being or life and not soul.

Then as the Book of Acts also says:

“They preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. ‘We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” (Acts 14:21-22)

In this passage once again the only way translating psuché (ψυχή) as souls makes sense is if you take souls to mean lives since if we had souls then our lives would be our souls. But then why not just translate psuché (ψυχή) as lives? Therefore psuché (ψυχή) should not be translated as souls and instead it should be translated as lives. If you disagree with this then the only way you can put souls in this passage is if you first assume souls are real and then define psuché (ψυχή) as soul. However as I have demonstrated so far psuché (ψυχή) really does not mean soul in any circumstance. Thus once again psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as lives here.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

This is the go to verse that those who hold to the existence of an immortal and immaterial soul use in an attempt to demonstrate that the Bible teachers that we do in fact have immortal and immaterial souls. For instance if you still hold to the existence of souls no doubt you have been telling yourself that you know what this verse means so therefore I must be wrong end of story. Then even if you agree with me so far so that you are at least highly skeptical about the idea of immortal and immaterial souls being in the Bible then this verse may give you pause. However really this verse does not mean what you think it does so allow me to explain.

First off the word translated as hell should be translated as Gehenna and really Gehenna just refers to being judged by God so that you are destroyed. This is why the verse says destroy with respect to Gehenna. The reason why this is important to point out is because hell or eternal conscious torment does not exist and instead the Lake of Fire or the second death is in view where all the unfaithful will be annihilated so that they face a permanent and non-reversible death after the resurrection of all the dead. Really I am just pointing this out and I talk more about why hell does not exist later on like I keep on saying.

Now to quote the verse again:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

So what does this actually mean with respect to what I have been saying? Well the word soul was translated from psuché (ψυχή) so simply replace soul with life. A more literal translation of the first sentence would read as follows. And not you should be afraid of those killing the body, the however life not being able to kill. But then what does this mean? Well really if you have been paying attention while reading this comment you should already know. The idea is that although you have life through your body in the sense that we are mortal and material beings ultimately all life comes from God. This is because God is the Creator and Author of everything there is. Then because of this fact it does not matter if you die in your current life because no one except God Himself can take away your life. Really the main point that Jesus is referencing here is that as long as you are faithful to God in your life then it does not matter if your body dies because God will give you new life through the resurrection. On the other hand if you are unfaithful to God then you will face the second death in the Lake of Fire so that you die a permanent death that will never be reversed. In this sense your life will be destroyed because you will never have life again. In other words Jesus is saying not to worry about being killed because God can raise you from the dead since everything including life itself comes from Him. So instead of fearing other people you should fear God since God has the ability to destroy you in the Lake of Fire with the second death so that you will never live again.

Now this may be confusing or you may disagree with it so think of it like a character dying in a novel you are writing. Obviously as the author you can resurrect any character at any point and because of this fact whenever you write the death of a character the character is not really dead to you as the author as long as you plan on bringing the character back in the future in a resurrection. On the other hand if you decide to never bring the character back then that character is truly dead because they will never appear in your novels again. So what I am saying is that the same idea is in view here in the sense that as characters in God’s story it does not matter if we die because as long as we are faithful to God then God will write us back into His story with the resurrection so that despite dying here on earth we will live again and be given eternal life in the new earth. If you doubt this comparison then I would just like to remind you what Jesus says about God.

As Jesus says:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38)

Therefore it does not matter if you die so that you cease to exist anymore in God’s story or rather our world because since God is all powerful to “to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38) This is why no one except God can take away your life. Then of course this is why psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life in this verse from the Gospel of Matthew.

To repeat the verse again:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

The reason why I am repeating this verse again is so that you will have zero doubts as to the fact that psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life in this verse instead of soul. This is important because essentially this verse is the verse that people who believe in souls use to support their now obviously wrong belief. Now you may still be skeptical of what I am saying which is fine because I am not finished with this comment. But even if you are skeptical at the minimum you must admit that my explanation as to why psuché (ψυχή) can be translated as life in this verse makes sense. Sure you might still think soul is a possibility but for now at least what I want you to see is that this verse does not explicitly and undeniably mean that souls exist since psuché (ψυχή) in this verse can be translated and understood to mean life instead of soul. Although lastly I would just like to say that in my view translating psuché (ψυχή) as soul in this verse butchers the verse and distorts the meaning so psuché (ψυχή) really should not be translated as anything other than life or at least a synonym of life.

Alright so up until this point in this section of passages where psuché (ψυχή) is falsely translated as life I have been explaining why psuché (ψυχή) is best translated as life or being in detail. So at this point in order to avoid the rest of this section getting overly repetitive I cut back on the explanations quite a bit to just give you the basic reason why soul is an inaccurate translation. So now consider the rest of the passages that I have selected.

Then as Second Corinthians says:

“And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?” (2 Corinthians 12:15)

Since Paul held to the belief of the resurrection where the faithful will receive eternal life in eternal Kingdom of God in a renewed earth translating psuché (ψυχή) as souls instead of lives here really does not make sense.

Then as First Thessalonians says:

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

First off psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life or rather being instead of soul. But what about the reference to body? Well you see your body is distinct from your life or being. The idea here is that your body has life because you are alive. On the other hand if you were dead then your body would not have life because you are dead. Therefore there is no reason to translate psuché (ψυχή) as soul here and it should be translated as life or being. Lastly in terms of spirit I talk about what this means later on in this comment.

Then as the author of Hebrews says:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17)

It should be fairly obvious that psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as lives here and not souls. Although really at the very least you cannot argue against translating psuché (ψυχή) as lives instead of souls.

Then as the author of James says:

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.” (James 1:21)

The author of James also believed in the resurrection of the dead. Therefore psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as lives instead of souls. The point here is that our lives will be saved through the resurrection because God will give us eternal life.

Then as the author of First Peter says:

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Once again with the idea of the resurrection we will be given eternal life after we are raised from the dead. Thus translating psuché (ψυχή) as souls here instead of lives does not make any sense.

This is just a short selection of the verses in the epistles that refer to psuché (ψυχή) as soul. Really it would get too repetitive to quote more so if you want to go over every instances where psuché (ψυχή) is falsely translated as soul then do so yourself. If you are wondering how hard it is to do then is quite easy to just substitute life, person or being whenever you see soul in the translation you are reading.

All that said I still have the Book of Revelation to go over but I decided to go over the references to psuché (ψυχή) in Revelation at the end of this comment. Then before this you need to understand the perspective that the authors of the New Testament had with regards to psuché (ψυχή). In order to understand the perspective of the authors of the New Testament there are a few points to go over.

First as Paul wrote:

“For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19)

Based on this passage alone it is clear that Paul did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls from a biblical point of view as well as from a philosophical point of view. Paul believed this because he uses the euphemism “fallen asleep in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:18) as a way of referring to faithful Christians who have died before Jesus is to return to usher in the final and eternal Kingdom of God. The reason why Paul uses this euphemism is because he believed that consciousness ceases at death. The idea here is that when you fall asleep your consciousness essentially ceases so that you are not aware of anything until you wake up again. So by saying “fallen asleep in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:18) Paul is saying that dying here on earth is like falling asleep because through the resurrection of the dead Jesus will wake us up so to speak so that we will not perish forever.

You may wish to dispute this but really you cannot. This is because if Paul believed in an immortal and immaterial soul from either a biblical or a philosophical perspective then he would not say “If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) My point here is that for Paul the only hope for life after death was and is the resurrection of the dead which is why Paul says in this passage that if Christ has not been raised from the dead then no one will be raised from the dead because as mortal beings we are destined to perish. In other words from Paul’s perspective the resurrection of Jesus proves that the resurrection of the dead will take place so the idea is that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead then no one will be raised from the dead so that “those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” (1 Corinthians 15:18) This is why I said that Paul did not believe in an immortal and immaterial soul from a biblical or philosophical perspective. My point here is that if Paul believed in an immortal and immaterial soul from either of these perspectives then he would not have said that our sole hope rests in Christ and His promise of the resurrection. This is because if immaterial and immortal souls exist then by definition we cannot perish so that we will have eternal life as an immaterial and immortal soul regardless of what happens to our body. However for Paul the only hope he says we have at life after death is the resurrection since once again Paul did not believe that we are immortal and immaterial souls so that we will have life after death without the resurrection. Now you may dispute this so consider what Jesus says.

As Jesus says:

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

First off it is important to once again remind you that by definition immortal and immaterial souls have eternal life since the definition of a soul is an immortal and immaterial essence that is responsible for your consciousness that does not rely on your body for its existence. Therefore if we were to actually have immortal and immaterial souls then by definition we would have eternal life. Then as a result of this fact and the above verse from the Gospel of John immaterial and immortal souls do not exist and cannot exist biblically speaking. This is because Jesus says that by holding to our faith in Him will have eternal life so that we will have “crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) The idea here is that we are mortal being that will die forever and that our only hope for life after death is the resurrection of the dead. This is why immortal and immaterial souls cannot exist biblically speaking since as I keep on saying an immortal soul is well immortal so that it already has eternal life. Thus immortal and immaterial souls are in direct contradiction with receiving eternal life in the resurrection of the dead. Now you may still dispute this so consider the following passage as well.

As Paul also wrote:

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being;’ the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-45)

First off in this passage from Paul’s point of view we are perishable beings. This is why he said that concerning “the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:42) The idea here is that we are not immaterial and immortal souls and instead we are material and mortal beings. However through the power of God in the resurrection we will be raised from the dead to eternal life so that although we were ounce perishable we will become imperishable as we are given eternal life. This would of course mean that immortal and immaterial souls cannot exist and that Paul definitely did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls. If Paul actually believed in souls then he would not have written what he wrote.

The fact that Paul did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls is further emphasized in the rest of the passage with how Paul wrote “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:44) The word translated as natural here is psuchikos (ψυχικός) and as you can probably guess the word comes from the root word psuché (ψυχή). Then in terms of the meaning of psuchikos (ψυχικός) the most literal meaning is related to psuché (ψυχή) then since psuché (ψυχή) means life psuchikos (ψυχικός) would mean related to life. Then because the authors of the New Testament saw that our life was material and mortal this is how psuchikos (ψυχικός) gets translated as natural. But really the best way to understand what psuchikos (ψυχικός) means is to contrast it with the word translated as spiritual in this passage which is pneumatikos (πνευματικός). The word pneumatikos (πνευματικός) has pneuma (πνεῦμα) as its root and the most literal meaning to pneuma (πνεῦμα) is wind and it is almost always translated as spirit. Thus pneumatikos (πνευματικός) would mean related to spirit or spiritual. But what is pneuma (πνεῦμα)? Well it is a bit much too explain right now and I explain it later on in this comment but for right now the best way to think about pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit in terms of Paul’s point of view in this passage is as a higher level substance that has a direct connection to God.

To quote Paul again:

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being;’ the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-45)

Therefore the idea here with what Paul is saying is that we have a body related to psuché (ψυχή) that is mortal. However through the power of the resurrection we will be raised from the dead in a body related to pneuma (πνεῦμα) that will be immortal. Thus my point here is that for Paul psuché (ψυχή) was not something immortal and immaterial but rather mortal and material and because of this fact there is zero chance Paul believed in immortal and immaterial souls. Really there is not debating this.

Alright but why did Paul and the authors of the New Testament view psuché (ψυχή) as life, person or being instead of as soul? Well it call goes back to Genesis which is why I began this discussion with the Old Testament and Genesis. You see for the authors of the New Testament their theology came from the Old Testament. For instance if you were to talk to any of the authors of the New Testament today and ask them about immortal and immaterial souls they would probably first tear their clothes and denounce your blasphemy for thinking you are immortal and immaterial like God is and then after that they would quote Genesis to you.

As Genesis says:

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

First off I would like to point out that being in living being comes from the word nephesh (transliteration) which is the Hebrew word for life, person or being. This Hebrew word nephesh (transliteration) is translated as you guessed it psuché (ψυχή) in the Greek translation of the Old Testament or the Septuagint. This is ultimately where the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) in the New Testament comes from since the authors of the New Testament quote from the Greek Septuagint when they quote from the Old Testament.

That said what the authors of the New Testament would probably say here is that you are made of dust that has been animated with the breath of life from God so that you became a living being. The idea is that the breath of life is not a soul and you are not the breath of life. Instead you are dust that has been brought to life through the power of God so that you are a living being or rather living dust. On the other hand if immortal and immaterial souls existed then you would not be living dust and instead you would be an immortal and immaterial soul. This would of course be in direct contradiction with what Genesis says here.

Then as Genesis also says:

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

Therefore from the perspective of the authors of the New Testament we are dust and to dust we shall return. This once again means that we are not immortal and immaterial souls that are temporarily inhabiting a material body waiting to be freed to go to heaven. Instead we are dust or rather mortal and material beings that will perish forever so that we cease to exist forever without the direct intervention of God through the resurrection. Then it is through this resurrection that we as the faithful will be given eternal life in the new earth. Therefore immortal and immaterial souls do not exist.

But what if you still disagree with me for some reason? I mean are souls not traditional and do the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian today not believe in them? Well actually yes it is true that the false doctrine of souls is traditional in the sense that it is almost as old as the New Testament itself and it is also true that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian today believe in immaterial and immortal souls as well. However these two facts do not make and cannot make psuché (ψυχή) to mean soul in the New Testament. This is because only the word of God matters with regards to doctrine.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.’

Jesus answered them, ‘Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
They worship Me in vain;
they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.’

He went on to say, ‘You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.’” (Mark 7:1-13)

My point here is that tradition does not matter and is completely irrelevant. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a modern-day Pharisee that has “disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:8) Therefore it does not matter if the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today believe in souls and it does not matter if all the so-called elders believe and teach the false doctrine of the soul. In the end all these people are simply wrong. This is because God does not say you are an immortal and immaterial soul. Instead God says “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) Thus instead of being immortal and immaterial you are in fact mortal and material so that you do not have life as a result of having an immortal soul. Instead you only have life by the grace of God and you can only be given eternal life from God through the power of the resurrection of the dead. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. You may say I am arrogant for opposing the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian and almost two-thousand years of history but I do not care. I mean is it arrogant to teach what God and the Bible actually say? Thus in the end I do not hold to the traditions of men and instead I hold to the word of God.

Really the only way to see psuché (ψυχή) as soul in the New Testament is if you first assume that souls exist. This is exactly like with what I said with regards to the false doctrine of the trinity and how the only way to see the trinity in the Bible is to first assume the false doctrine of the trinity is true. So likewise the only way to see souls in the Bible is to first assume psuché (ψυχή) means soul. Then after you assume that psuché (ψυχή) is best translated and understood as soul your next step would be to justify the translation of life, person or being in the instances where psuché (ψυχή) cannot be translated as soul through mental gymnastics. Then of course after this reading Matthew 10:28 several times in an attempt to justify your error while ignoring Genesis would be the next step. You may think I am joking here but really the fact that psuché (ψυχή) does not mean soul and cannot mean soul is just so obviously the truth that trying to translate it and understand it as soul is a complete joke that I cannot take seriously.

This is because as you have seen the word psuché (ψυχή) does not mean soul and the Bible never explicitly says there are immortal and immaterial souls or even references them. Instead immortal and immaterial souls are completely absent from the Bible. Really the only way to see immortal and immaterial souls in the Bible is just first assume immortal and immaterial souls exist as I have said and then to just translated psuché (ψυχή) as soul in as many places as you can. Of course in reality there is no such thing as a soul in the Bible. This is then ultimately the greatest evidence against the existence of souls from a biblical perspective since if it is not in the Bible then it does not exist biblically speaking.

But then where does the translation and understanding of psuché (ψυχή) meaning soul come from then if it definitely not in the Bible? Well the concept of an immortal and immaterial soul and even the understanding of psuché (ψυχή) as soul comes from Greek philosophy or more specifically Platonism. You see the pagan Greek philosopher Plato, writing in the forth or fifth centuries BC, used the word psuché (ψυχή) to refer to what we would call an immortal and immaterial soul. Now you probably know where this is going but if you do not then allow me to explain.

To begin the New Testament was written from a Hebrew perspective because the authors were Hebrews who subscribed to the views of the Old Testament. Then with respect to their usage of psuché (ψυχή) they believed we were born out of dust and that we will return to dust when we die so that we cease to exist. Therefore as I have said the authors of the New Testament did not believe in immortal and immaterial souls and instead they believed we were mortal and material beings. This means that they viewed the meaning of the word psuché (ψυχή) as life, person or being.

Now this is where things start to change. You see the vast majority of Hebrews rejected Jesus as the Christ and because of this they became so-called Jews who are not Jews anymore as I have said. However although the vast majority of the Hebrews rejected Jesus a large number of Greeks and Latins, who were basically the same as Greeks, began to accept Jesus as the Christ starting in the middle of the first century AD. This acceptance among the Greeks and Latins would grow and grow until sometime in the second century when ethnic Greeks and Latins made up a very large majority of the Church. Then since the idea of the soul or what Plato calls psuché (ψυχή) comes from Greek philosophy, over time people started to insert Plato’s or the pagan Greek definition of psuché (ψυχή) into the New Testament instead of the definition that the authors of the New Testament used. Then overtime so-called elders and famous theologians, who were ethnic Greeks, would write about the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) as an immortal and immaterial soul in line with pagan Greek philosophy. In other words the so-called early church fathers created so-called Christian tradition with pagan Greek philosophy as its root. After this the idea of the soul being an immortal and immaterial essence of a person that persists after death became widely accepted as so-called doctrine. Then as the centuries passed by this false doctrine then became a so-called fundamental biblical truth that almost everyone accepts as true. Thus this is really how psuché (ψυχή) came to be translated as soul in all the major English translations of the Bible today.

Now this all might seem hard to believe. I mean how could such a great error be introduced into the Church? Well really it is quite simple actually. First off since we are talking about Plato here Platonic philosophy was very popular. Thus many people in the early church, which was again mostly ethnically Greek, had an innate understanding that psuché (ψυχή) refers to an immortal and immaterial soul rather than a mortal and material being. On top of this not many people actually read the Bible in the time period I am talking about. This is because texts needed to be copied by hand which meant that the biblical texts themselves were much less common in comparison to today. As a result of this fact really only the most wealth and educated people would have unrestricted access to the biblical texts. These would be the so-called elders and so-called early church fathers. Then when you consider the fact that when you received a Greek education almost two-thousand years ago it would have mainly centered on the classics in Greek literature and philosophy really it is not hard to imagine a world in which the Platonic idea of the soul does not corrupt the meaning psuché (ψυχή) in the New Testament. I mean these so-called elders and so-called early church fathers would have grown up reading Greek philosophy rather than the philosophical perspective found in the Old Testament with regards to psuché (ψυχή). Thus instead of being hard to believe it is quite easy to see how psuché (ψυχή) came to mean soul and why the vast majority of people still see psuché (ψυχή) as meaning soul even up to the present day almost two-thousand years later.

But what about the philosophical arguments for the existence of the soul? I mean maybe the Bible is wrong and Greek philosophy is correct so that we really do have immaterial and immortal souls? Well although obviously I do not believe there are any valid philosophical arguments for the existence of immortal and immaterial souls it is still worthwhile to discuss reasons why there is zero philosophical reason to believe in souls. First off those who believe in souls subscribe to what is called mind-body dualism. Their idea here is that the mind is distinct from the body such that the body or the brain alone is not sufficient to create your mind. This is then where the soul comes in where your soul would be the missing component that creates your mind and hence your consciousness allowing you to have life. Really the key idea here is that those who subscribe to mind-body dualism see us as people as having both a body and a soul where the soul is where our consciousness comes from. Although there is a difference of opinion here where some believe in immortal and immaterial souls so that a soul is conscious and alive after the death of the body while others believe that a soul becomes dormant after the death of the body since they believe both a body and a soul is necessary for life. But really talking about all these differences is just a waste of time in my view because the idea of souls is just complete and unsubstantiated nonsense.

For instance one reason why the idea of souls is nonsensical consider mental disorders. Where do mental disorders come from? For example take depression or anxiety. What causes depression or anxiety? Well although it quite complicated and largely not understood we know it has something to do with the brain because there are a number of different medications or material substances that we have created that can effectively treat these disorders in some people. As another example take a temporary mental condition called getting drunk. What happens when you drink too much alcohol and get drunk? In this case you would be ingesting a material drink and the alcohol in the material drink is altering your brain chemistry causing you to experience being drunk. But what is my point here with these two examples? Well my point is that if we really had an immaterial and immortal soul that was the origin and cause of our consciousness then how do you explain the fact that we can effectively treat some people with certain mental disorders with material substances? Then how do you explain the fact that alcohol can alter our conscious experience? Of course you cannot because the whole idea of an immortal and immaterial soul is that it is acting on your body while with medication and alcohol for example these things would need to act on your soul, if souls actually existed, for them to work. Of course medication and alcohol do not act on your soul, if souls existed, and instead they act on your body alone by binding to a variety of chemical receptors in your brain. Thus what I am saying here is that our consciousness is a product of our brain instead of a soul.

Now in response to this argument people like to say that although what I said concerning medication and alcohol is true really we need a brain and a soul to create our consciousness and that the two influence each other. The idea here is that the medication and alcohol can influence your brain which influences your soul with the reverse also being possible where your soul influences your brain. However there is a problem here. For instance if both a brain and a soul are necessary for consciousness then what happens when our brain dies? Does this mean our soul stops functioning since we need both a brain and a soul for consciousness? Or does this mean that our soul is now free from our brain so that our soul no longer needs a brain to create our consciousness? In this case of the first instance where we need both a brain and a soul for consciousness so our consciousness would cease after the death of our brain then how is this any different than our consciousness being a result of our brain alone? My point here is that in both cases our consciousness ceases at death anyways until the resurrection so why exactly would we need an immaterial soul? The whole point of the soul is that it is a way for us to live and be conscious after the death of our body so that we do not really die and instead our consciousness simply changes locations as our soul is freed from our body. But then what about the second case where our soul would be free from our body after death in the case that both a body and soul are required for consciousness? Well really this case is nonsensical because if a soul on its own is capable of consciousness then why would you seek to claim that both a body and soul is necessary for consciousness? Therefore the whole counter point of claiming that both a body and soul is needed for consciousness is just a baseless claim that does not conform to what a soul is supposed to be.

But really I find all these questions and discussion about souls and mind-body dualism to be completely pointless. This is because I fail to see why souls are necessary from a philosophical point of view. For instance if we have souls then how do souls function? I mean they must function by some process right? Even though they would be immaterial and transcend our physical reality they would still need to work or behave in a certain manner in order to create us and our consciousness. But then if God is truly all powerful so that He can create whatever He wants then what necessitates the existence of an immortal and immaterial soul? For instance can God not just create our life and our consciousness out of the dust of the earth if He is all powerful? Really if you hold to existence of souls then by definition you believe that our consciousness cannot be created in our material universe and that instead there needs to be an immaterial substance or our soul that creates our consciousness. But then like I just said what prevents God, who is all powerful, from recreating this immaterial process, or the soul, inside of our material universe as a material process as our brain? Obviously nothing since God is all powerful. Therefore we do not need to have a soul since God is powerful enough to create us out of the dust of the earth so that we have life and consciousness. This is why I find talking about mind-body dualism and the idea of souls to be a complete waste of time since in order to take the souls position seriously I would first need to assume that God is not God the Almighty or all powerful. Therefore I consider the existence of immaterial souls let alone immortal and immaterial souls to be invalid philosophically speaking as a result of the power of God.

Alright so souls do not exist but before answering some questions you may have about the fact that souls do not exist, like what happens after we die, it would be helpful to talk about what pneuma (πνεῦμα) is. This is because if you want to try to find an immaterial essence in the Bible there is actually something that meets this criteria and this thing is of course pneuma (πνεῦμα). For instance although psuché (ψυχή) cannot and does not mean soul in the New Testament pneuma (πνεῦμα) actually serves a similar purpose as a soul although it is not quite the same thing. Now before I fully explain what pneuma (πνεῦμα) is really the key difference between psuché (ψυχή) and pneuma (πνεῦμα) is that psuché (ψυχή) is related to material and mortal life while pneuma (πνεῦμα) is related to a higher level and immaterial connection with God and the divine. This may sound confusing so consider the following verses first before I explain what pneuma (πνεῦμα) is fully. Lastly just so you are aware in these verses pneuma (πνεῦμα) has been translated as spirit.

As Paul wrote:

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” (1 Corinthians 14:14)

Then as Jesus says:

“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Then as Paul wrote:

“For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11)

Then as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.” (Matthew 27:50)

My point here with these verses is that the closest word in the Bible to soul would actually be pneuma (πνεῦμα) which is almost always translated as spirit. In terms of the most literal meaning really pneuma (πνεῦμα) just means wind. But then why is it translated as spirit and what does spirit mean exactly? Well really the best way to think about pneuma (πνεῦμα) is actually in terms of the wind. The idea here is that wind is like an invisible and unseen force that you cannot grasp with your hand despite how hard you might try. Therefore the intended meaning of pneuma (πνεῦμα) is that of an unseen and invisible force that cannot be physically grasped. This is why pneuma (πνεῦμα) is translated as spirit because a person’s spirit is believed to be an unseen force inside of them and a spirit as in a ghost is believed to be an immaterial being.

Now if this seems confusing then consider the Holy Spirit. The reason why I capitalized Holy Spirit is not because the Holy Spirit is a person and part of the trinity, which is false, but because the Holy Spirit is representative of God’s power and influence over the world. Really the Holy Spirit is a Holy, or rather Divine and related to God, force that is invisible and unseen that is essentially the inner nature of God that is also representative of His ability to control the world.

Therefore whenever you read pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit you should have in mind the following: wind, breath, an unseen force, non-earthly force, life force, a force that animates the body, substance that gives life, essence of something, lifeblood of something, inner nature of something, a higher level substance, inner essence or anything that is not physical in nature. Really the word has quite a variety of meanings depending on the context but the general idea is that pneuma (πνεῦμα) refers to an unseen and invisible force that cannot be physically grasped.

So this then mean that having a pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit is the same thing as a soul? Well not exactly. Really you can think of spirit or pneuma (πνεῦμα) as our unseen and invisible connection that we have to God that we cannot see. To make this make more sense it is time to go over the verses I originally quoted again.

As Paul wrote:

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” (1 Corinthians 14:14)

In this verse Paul is essentially saying that if he prays in a tongue, or rather a language he cannot understand, then his unseen life force that is connect to God prays and honors God even though his mind does not understand what he is saying.

Then as Jesus says:

“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

In this verse Jesus is saying that our unseen and inner will or nature that is connected to God wants to keep praying despite how tired we may be but that our body rules over this desire because our body is subject to limitations.

Then as Paul wrote:

“For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11)

In this verse Paul is saying is that only our invisible and inner nature can understand our thoughts because no other people can know what we are thinking. Then likewise the same is true of God because only God can understand His Holy Spirit or His invisible and inner nature.

Then as the Gospel of Matthew says:

“When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.” (Matthew 27:50)

In this verse pneuma (πνεῦμα) could be translated as wind or rather breath so that this verse would be talking about Jesus’s breath of life or rather life. However really this cannot be seen to be the case since if the author wanted to say that Jesus gave up His life then they would have used psuché (ψυχή) instead of pneuma (πνεῦμα). As a result of this something else in the view here. Instead by using the word pneuma (πνεῦμα) here I would say the author is talking about Jesus giving up His inner or unseen nature or identity so that His very being itself could return to God. If this does not make much sense then consider the following passage.

As the Book of Ecclesiastes says:

“Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:21)

In this verse the word translated as spirit is the Hebrew word ruach (transliteration) which corresponds to the Greek word pneuma (πνεῦμα) and this is why it is translated a spirit in this verse. Now before I explain why I quoted this verse I would first like to reiterate that as you probably remember the Book of Ecclesiastes takes an “All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) approach. This means that just like with the rest of the Old Testament immortal and immaterial souls are not in view here with this verse and instead this verse is talking about something else. If you want to dispute this for some reason then I would like to point out that those who believe in the false doctrine of the soul take the word nephesh (transliteration) to refer to the soul which is not used here in this verse.

That said my point with this verse is that this verse demonstrates what ruach (transliteration) and pneuma (πνεῦμα) are. As I have said pneuma (πνεῦμα) is an unseen force, a force that animates the body, inner nature of a person and a higher level substance. Thus my point here with the above verse from Ecclesiastes is that the word translated as spirit is essentially representative of who we are as person. So in this context spirit would be be representative of all of our memories, our emotions, our personality and our life force. But then what is the author talking about with respect to “Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:21) First off by saying “the spirit of the animal descends into the earth” (Ecclesiastes 3:21) the author is essentially saying that the spirit of animals is forgotten about by God. Then by saying “the spirit of man rises upward” (Ecclesiastes 3:21) the author is using “rises upward” (Ecclesiastes 3:21) to mean rises to God since God’s domain is heaven. Now what the author means here is that they are hoping that our ruach (transliteration) or spirit is not forgotten about by God. Really the idea here is that although God has given all people and animals the same spirit or rather ruach (transliteration) or pneuma (πνεῦμα) that they hope that God will not forget about us so that our ruach (transliteration) or pneuma (πνεῦμα) will be with God.

Alright now this may not make much sense to you so I would like to once again compare what our spirit or pneuma (πνεῦμα) would be with respect to the example of an author writing a novel. When you write a novel you need to create characters by thinking about what they are like then writing down everything about them as you write your novel. Now as I said previously when a character in the novel you are writing dies the character is not really dead and instead the character lives in your memory since you are the author. However this is only true for characters you like or care about. For instance the characters you do not care for are forgotten about which means that if these characters die in your story then they will be dead forever because they are not important enough for you to remember let alone resurrect and bring back at a later point in your story. So how does spirit or pneuma (πνεῦμα) fit in here? Well really in your novel a character’s pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit would be what makes them a unique character or rather their inner and invisible nature that only you as the author can see from your omniscient perspective as the author. This means that the pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit of your characters can either end up in one of two places so to speak when a character dies. The first place is that the spirit of the character in question lives on inside you as the author as you remember them as a character that you like. The second place is that the spirit of the character in question becomes nothing as you forget about the character because you do not care for them.

Therefore my point here is that our pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit is an invisible force or quality that we cannot see that makes us who we are. Then when we die as faithful Christians our spirit or our quality returns to God so that God will raise us from the dead in the resurrection of life all so that we can be brought back into God’s story. On the other hand the spirits of the animals and those who are not faithful to God will be forgotten about by God so that they will never see eternal life. So the unfaithful will see nothing at all because after they die they will not share in the resurrection of life so that they will cease to exist forever more after they are thrown into the Lake of Fire to face the second death.

As a result of all this you can see why our pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit is similar to what many people see the soul to be since both are believed to be immaterial essences that define who we are. Except it is important to keep in mind that our spirit is not immortal and it is certainly not conscious. Instead our spirit is what makes us who we are so that as long as God has our spirit then He can resurrect us from the dead at the end of the age so that we can live again.

Therefore really the best way to think about pneuma (πνεῦμα) or spirit is in terms of our connection to God. The idea here is that by being faithful to God you become more spiritual so that your connection to God is strengthened by the fact that God now likes you more so that He will remember you on the day of judgment at the end of the age. This may seem confusing so think about it in terms of a spiritual person and a natural person. The natural person is not faithful to God and because of this fact the do not have a connection with God since God will forget about them. On the other hand the spiritual person is faithful to God and because of this fact they have a connection with God since God will not forget about them. Thus the idea here is that although everything has a spirit what makes a person spiritual instead of natural, or of the world, is that they have a strong connection to God through their faithfulness to God. Thus as long as you remain faithful to God then you are a spiritual person and your spirit will not be forgotten about by God.

This is then why you should not worry or concern yourself with the fact that we do not have immortal and immaterial souls so that when we die we die our consciousness ceases because we are dead. I mean sure we are dust and to dust we shall return just like God has said but this does not mean that we will be forgotten about by God. Instead as long as we are faithful to God then God will remember us and resurrect us from the dead in the resurrection of life so that we can be given eternal life as we live with Him in the new earth.

Additionally I would just like to say that because we are not immortal and immaterial souls we will not go to heaven when we die. But what about the great multitude in Revelation 7? I talk about the meaning of the great multitude at the end of this comment when discussing the meaning of the verse this comment is on. Therefore just accept what I am saying for now based on what I have already said concerning the fact that we are dust. My point here is that our sole hope for eternal life is the resurrection of life. Then after this resurrection Revelation says that we will live in the new Jerusalem in the new earth with God. Thus my point here is that this means that our existence in inherently material in nature. In other words when we live in the new earth with the gift of eternal life we will still have the same material life as we do now. Really the only difference will be that in the new earth we will have eternal life and that our life will be perfect so that it is exactly what we want it to be.

This means that you should not worry about what life will be like in the new earth. For instance if you have any physical or mental issue now in your current life then God will of course make you whole so that you are what you want to be. So if your body and mind itself are failing you before death takes you then you can rest assured that God knows how to fix you. Not only that but you will also be made perfect so that you are exactly what you want to be. This means that you should not worry about anything in your life that bothers you because all will be how you want it to be in the new earth so that you will not suffer physical or mental hardship of any form. Additionally it goes without saying that you should not worry about what happens to your body after you die because God will create you a new body in the resurrection. Then of course God can do all these things because He controls everything there is since He is God the Almighty.

Furthermore I would just like to again reiterate that you should not worry about what I have said at all concerning the fact the immortal and immaterial souls do not exist. This is because the hope we have as Christians is in the resurrection of the dead where we will receive the gift of eternal life from God. Therefore it does not matter if we do not have immortal and immaterial souls because as long as we remain faithful until death takes us we will share in the resurrection of life. This then means that you should not worry or be sad about a loved one who has died because God will resurrect all of His faithful to eternal life in the new earth. This means that instead of being sad after a loved one has died you should actually be happy because just as God will not forget about you so too will God not forget about your loved one as well. Therefore do not lose hope and do not be sad because the final and eternal Kingdom of God will come and all the faithful will live with God in the paradise of the new earth.

Next many people have issues with the fact that we do not have immortal and immaterial souls with respect to the fact that when we die we are dead as our consciousness ceases and that it is only through the resurrection where we will live again. Their main issue is that when we will be resurrected from the dead we will not really be ourselves and instead we will be an idealized copy of ourselves that has been created new. Their idea here is that since our consciousness ceases when we die the resurrection is more like God creating a new copy of us that is not actually us. This would of course be in contrast with the idea that the false doctrine of immortal and immaterial souls puts forth where our consciousness continues after we die so that we would live in heaven as conscious souls until the resurrection when we would be given a new material body. Now you may expect me to argue against this view that in the resurrection we will be like idealized copies of ourselves but I would actually say it is true. Wait what? Well yes really so allow me to explain.

Really I would not disagree with this issue because this supposed problem is actually something that impacts us every single day. This is because the central problem at hand has to do with the suspension of our consciousness and there is a time during each day when our consciousness is quite literally suspended. Of course this period of suspension of consciousness that I am talking about is when we sleep each night. The idea here is that when we go to sleep each night our consciousness quite literally ceases so that our brain can perform certain maintenance functions while we sleep. Sure we can have dreams or nightmares while sleeping but dreaming only makes up a small fraction of the time we spend sleeping. Thus my point here is that our consciousness already ceases to exist for hours every single day. In other words for a portion of the time we are sleeping our brain is quite literally inactive and we are not experiencing anything so that it is like we are dead. This is why the authors of the New Testament use the euphemism of those “who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:18) to refer to faithful Christians who have died. The idea here is that dying as a faithful Christian is like falling asleep and the resurrection of the dead is like God waking us up from our sleep.

Thus my point here is that you should think about being given new life the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age in the exact same way as waking up in the morning after falling asleep the night before. This means that if you are worried about the fact that your consciousness will cease when you die and that it will not start again until after the resurrection then are you also worried about the fact that your consciousness ceases when you fall asleep so that it will not fully continue until you wake up the next morning? Well of course you are not worried about this each day. Although maybe you will think and worry about this fact before you fall asleep tonight but I assure you that you will no doubt wake up the next morning as a renewed person thinking that your worries the previous night were unfounded.

Then consider sleep again to make this comparison better to the whole idea of the resurrection of the dead since one of the main points about the resurrection is the idea that we will be made perfect. For instance imagine if you had a chance to take some amazing drug that would fix all of your physical and mental issues as well as give you the body and mind you always wanted. The only catch with taking this drug is that you need to take it before you go to sleep and that your mind and body will only change when you are unconscious while sleeping. Then of course when you wake up all the changes to your mind and body will be finished so that everything will be fixed and you will be how you wanted to be the previous day. If there was a drug that could do this then would you take it? Also if you took the drug then would you still be the same person the next day? I mean you would be essentially recreated while you were sleeping so that you would be like a new person the next day.

This is why I originally said that I agree with the issues concerning the resurrection of the dead. Really to be perfectly honest you would not be the same person the next day if you took the drug before you went to sleep. However to be fair this is an issue we face everyday when we fall asleep as I have said. I mean really to be honest again we are not the same people today as we were yesterday. This is because we are constantly changing and constantly evolving. Sure this change from day to day is not much so that it is unnoticeable but overtime this difference is large. Thus my point here is that if you are going to say that we will not be the same people in the resurrection with immaterial and immortal souls being nonexistent then really you have to admit that we are not the same people today as we were yesterday. Then because of this fact really we are faced with this same supposed problem every single day. But then since we get through this issue everyday so that we do not consider it even a problem this means that the supposed problem of us being new people in the resurrection of the dead is not actually a problem at all. If you still think it is a problem to wake up after your consciousness ceases then I really do not know what to tell you because this happens to us every single day.

That said this supposed issue is also a way to better understand the resurrection and what happens after we die. My point here is that dying on earth is exactly like falling asleep. Then the resurrection of the dead where we will be given new life in a renewed, idealized and perfect body is exactly like waking up the next morning after taking a super drug the previous night that fixes all of your problems. Therefore just think about dying here on earth like falling asleep and because of this think about the resurrection as waking up with all your problems gone in the paradise of God after a long rest.

Now you may take issue with this comparison to falling asleep and the resurrection. For instance you may not like the fact that from our perspective when we die on earth as faithful Christians the next thing that we will see is the eternal Kingdom of God in the new earth instead of say heaven since immortal and immaterial souls do not actually exist. However what Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke actually supports this idea.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. ‘Are You not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save Yourself and us!’

But the other one rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment? We are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!’

And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” (Luke 23:39-43)

My point here is that Jesus tells the man “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43) because from the man’s perspective although he will die today the next thing he will see after he takes his last breath will be the Paradise or the eternal Kingdom of God. In other words the man will die and be resurrected from the dead on the same day from his own perspective because he will not be conscious while he is dead. This is why dying here on earth is exactly like falling asleep and why being resurrected from the dead in the eternal Kingdom of God in the new earth is exactly like waking up after sleeping. Once again the idea here is that just like how you are not conscious when you are sleeping so too you are not conscious when you are dead. Therefore it does not matter which day you end up dying on as long as you are faithful because even if you die today as Jesus says “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Next so why exactly is it important to go over the fact that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist? I mean who cares if someone wants to believe in the existence of souls since it is not like they are doing anything wrong right? Well not exactly and there are two main reasons why I decided it was so important to thoroughly demonstrate the fact that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist.

The first reason is that since the Bible does not teach the existence of immortal and immaterial souls it is important to point out this great error in doctrine that many if not most people who call themselves Christians have. There are two points here. The first point is that if something is false then it is a good to point out that it is false in and of itself since we should always strive to understand what is true and what is false. Really the idea here is that discovering the truth is good for its own sake. The second point that I have relates to the beast and what is to come. This is similar to what I said with regards to the false doctrine of the trinity. The idea here is that the coming beast will “wage war against the saints” (Revelation 13:7) and as I say later on I see this war as mostly a war of belief. What I mean here is that if the beast will truly be an artificial super intelligence then this means that the beast will have an intellectual capacity that is beyond our imagining. Then given this great intellect there will come a time when almost everyone on earth will turn to this artificial super intelligence or rather the beast for the answers to all their questions. Think about the beast as the next evolution in the internet where instead of searching for what you want as you would do with the internet you simply ask the beast.

Now what I am getting at here is that if immortal and immaterial souls are false from the perspective of the Bible with regards to the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) then this means that the beast itself will understand that the Bible does not say souls exist. This then means that whenever someone has a question about the false doctrine of souls and they ask the beast the beast will first tell them that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist from a scientific perspective, then it will tell them that philosophically speaking souls are nonsense and that finally even the Bible itself teaches against the existence of souls so that the word people think means soul, psuché (ψυχή), actually means life, person or being. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you but you need to understand that most if not vast majority of people who call themselves Christians believe in the existence of souls. Thus for these people when the beast demonstrates to them that souls do not actually exist in even the Bible itself they will feel utterly crushed.

For instance if you were a strong believer in the false doctrine of souls then chance are you feel crushed now so that you are not even sure what you should believe in anymore. This is because souls, if they existed, are supposed to be the origin of our consciousness and what makes us alive. As a result telling someone that souls do not exist is basically like telling them that they do not exist. Furthermore many people like thinking of themselves as immortal and immaterial beings instead of as dust since they want to believe that we as people are intrinsically different from animals. The idea here is that if we do not have a soul then we are just like animals and since we view animals as worthless this must then mean that we are worthless. In other words by telling someone that souls do no exist they may take it as you telling them that they are worthless. But perhaps you feel this way as well as a result of reading this comment.

However there is a key difference between myself demonstrating that souls do not exist and the beast. This key difference is that I say I am a faithful Christian while the beast will not believe in anything except for seeing itself as the greatest being in existence. This difference is important because if I as someone who says they are a Christian crushes your hopes for the existence of an immortal and immaterial soul then you still have something to believe in because I have given you the resurrection to believe in. Furthermore since I say I am a faithful Christian you can also be assured that just because souls do not exist this does not mean that Christianity is false and that you cannot be a Christian if you do not believe in souls anymore.

Now you may say that this would also be true with regards to the beast demonstrating that souls do not exist but I do not believe this will be the case. This is because the belief in souls is one of if not the key beliefs that people like to believe in. What I mean by this is that the false doctrine of souls is considered a so-called foundational doctrine of Christianity. As a result if this foundational doctrine is shattered without replacing it with something then chances are the entire house that was built on the foundation will collapse. The idea here is that if the beast demonstrates to people that souls do not exist in a clear way they can understand then these people will feel like they were lied to for their whole life as their whole world and everything they believe in falls down around them. Then as they reevaluate all their beliefs in the face of one of their core beliefs being wrong they will no doubt be vulnerable to whatever else the beast says to them. This means that the beast will not stop on demonstrating that souls do not exist. Instead the beast will no doubt go on to explain why Christianity is false and why the only hope for salvation in the world is itself. Now it may seem like no one will fall for this but you need to understand that the beast, being an artificial super intelligence, will be able to work so-called miracles and it will truly seem like the savior of the world. Therefore really it is quite easy to see how the world will be deceived by it.

That said my point here with this first reason is that if you still believe in things like immortal and immaterial souls that can be demonstrated to be obviously wrong when the beast comes then you will be vulnerable to falling into the temptation to worship the beast. Therefore by understanding the errors you have in your doctrinal beliefs now before the beast comes you help protect yourself from the words the beast will use to attack your beliefs in the future. So this is one reason why it is so important to understand that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist.

Then in terms of the second reason as to why it is important to understand that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist. Although I have placed this reason second I do not consider it less important than the first reason. Instead I placed it second so that it leaves a lasting impression on you since it is the most important reason. So what is this reason? Well as upsetting as this may be for you to hear I actually consider the belief in immortal and immaterial souls be be blasphemy. Yes that it right. I would actually say that those who believe in the existence of immortal and immaterial souls are blaspheming God through their beliefs. But why exactly would this be the case? First off to really understand this you need to once again understand what God says in Genesis.

As God says:

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

My point here is that we are not immortal and immaterial beings and instead we are mortal and material beings or rather dust that has been given life. Furthermore we do not have eternal life and that instead only God innately has eternal life. This is why the false doctrine of immortal and immaterial souls is blasphemy. The point here is that only God is immortal and immaterial and because of this fact if you claim that immortal and immaterial souls exist then you are claiming that we are like God. Of course in reality we are dust.

Then if this is not enough preaching the false doctrine of immortal and immaterial souls actual furthers the lie that Satan told to Adam and Eve in order to deceive them in the Garden of Eden.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent told her.” (Genesis 3:4)

My point here is that once again we are not immortal and immaterial souls that cannot die. Instead we are mortal and material beings that can only receive eternal life as a gift from God because only God will not and cannot die. Always remember that you are not like God and that instead of being freed from your body to live as an immortal and immaterial soul when you die you will become dust “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

Finally it is now time to consider the usages of psuché (ψυχή) in Revelation. The reason why I included this part last is because this comment has been a rather long comment that has deviated quite a bit from the original topic of discussing the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) with respect to Revelation. Therefore going over what psuché (ψυχή) means in Revelation last helps remind you what psuché (ψυχή) actually means so that the verse this comment is on and Revelation as a whole will make more sense. In this final section I first go over the instances where psuché (ψυχή) obviously refers to life, person or being and then after this I go over the instances where many if not most people claim that psuché (ψυχή) refers to immortal and immaterial souls. Of course in this second set of verse I explain why psuché (ψυχή) does not mean soul and why life, person or being is a better translation.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8-9)

In this verse the word translated as living in “a third of the living creatures in the sea died” (Revelation 8:9) is psuché (ψυχή). That said really a more literal translation would be as follows. And died a third of the creatures in the sea having life. My point here by providing this more literal translation is that the passage actually says the creatures have life or rather have psuché (ψυχή). Therefore the idea here is that psuché (ψυχή) cannot refer to immortal and immaterial souls in this passage unless you want to say that every creature has a soul. Of course this is then why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as living here and why psuché (ψυχή) actually means life, person or being.

Then as the Book of Revelation also says:

“And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)

In this verse the word translated as thing in “and every living thing in the sea died” (Revelation 16:3) is psuché (ψυχή). Although really instead of psuché (ψυχή) being translated as thing here it should be translated as being since sea creatures are living beings. That said my point here is that once again psuché (ψυχή) cannot be translated as soul here. This means that with respect to the Book of Revelation that psuché (ψυχή) cannot always be understood to mean soul. This fact is important because many people like to take two of the references to psuché (ψυχή) in Revelation to mean soul as in immortal and immaterial souls while they take the other references to mean life, person or being. My point here is that if psuché (ψυχή) can be definitively understood to mean life, person or being in a majority of the usages of psuché (ψυχή) then this means that you cannot say that psuché (ψυχή) definitely means soul in the minority of cases. This is especially true when there is a valid alternative meaning for psuché (ψυχή) in the minority of cases where translators translate psuché (ψυχή) as soul that matches with the majority of cases where psuché (ψυχή) is translated as life, person or being. In other words if you translate psuché (ψυχή) as soul in Revelation when you want it to mean soul while translating it as life, person or being in all other instances even though these instances make up the majority of the usages of psuché (ψυχή) then you are being intellectually dishonest.

Then as the Book of Revelation also says:

“They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.” (Revelation 12:11)

In this verse the word translated as lives in “they did not love their lives as too shy away from death” (Revelation 12:11) is of course psuché (ψυχή). Then the reason why psuché (ψυχή) is translated as lives here instead of souls is because souls are supposed to be immortal and immaterial. The point here is that if souls existed then you would not be able to lose your soul through death and as a result there would be no reason to love your soul so that you shy away from death. Now the term “as to shy away from death” (Revelation 12:11) may not make sense here but really it just refers to apostatizing in the face of persecution so that you can keep your life after you deny your faith. Thus the idea here is that this verse is saying these faithful Christians have conquered Satan through their testimony and because of the fact that they refused to apostatize or give up their faith in the face of persecution in order to save their life. Therefore this is once again why psuché (ψυχή) cannot be understood to mean souls in this passage and instead it can only be understood to mean lives.

Then as Revelation also says:

“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men. And they will say:

‘The fruit of your soul’s desire
has departed from you;
all your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.’” (Revelation 18:11-14)

In this passage there are two usages of the word psuché (ψυχή) and both instances were incorrectly translated as soul in this passage. The first instance is “of slaves and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13) and the second instance is “fruit of your soul’s desire” (Revelation 8:14) as you can probably see. Now based on what I have already said throughout this entire comment the translation of psuché (ψυχή) as soul and souls here should stand out to you as obviously incorrect and biased. For instance why not translated psuché (ψυχή) as lives instead of souls in “of slaves and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13) in this passage? I mean since souls are supposed to be immaterial and immortal you cannot trade in the souls of others so really translating psuché (ψυχή) as souls is objectively wrong. On the other hand translating psuché (ψυχή) as lives makes perfect sense. The only way translating psuché (ψυχή) as souls could possibly work is if you say souls is being used figuratively to refer to lives since the soul would be the origin of our life if they actually existed. But then why not just translate psuché (ψυχή) as lives directly?

Then in terms of the second usage of psuché (ψυχή) in this passage in “fruit of your soul’s desire” (Revelation 18:14) sure soul makes sense in the English translation since the soul is believed to be the origin of consciousness and hence desire. The problem here is that if you wish to translate psuché (ψυχή) as soul in this second instance then really you are inserting soul into the passage. What I mean here is that if you translate psuché (ψυχή) as life here so that instead of it being “fruit of your soul’s desire” (Revelation 18:14) it becomes fruit of your life’s desire then the meaning of the passage is the same. In other words the only reason to see psuché (ψυχή) as soul instead of life in this second instance is if you first assume that immortal and immaterial souls exist and that these souls are the origin of our consciousness and hence desires. Of course in reality as I have demonstrated no where in the Bible is there any reference to let alone an explanation of immaterial and immortal souls. Therefore the translation of psuché (ψυχή) as soul here is biased and deceptive. Instead this second usage of psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life. This of course makes sense since the translation of psuché (ψυχή) as life here fits perfectly.

Then as Revelation also says:

“Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

First off just like with the previous passages the word translated as souls in “I saw the souls” (Revelation 20:4) is psuché (ψυχή). Then as a result of this after reading this passage you may think that psuché (ψυχή) definitely refers to souls here. However this is not the case. Essentially the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) in “And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God” (Revelation 20:4) depends upon the sentence in the last verse which says “And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4) My point here is that if “And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4) is an accurate translation then psuché (ψυχή) at the start of this verse can only refer to souls. However the translation of “And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4) is of course not accurate as you can probably guess based upon what I have said so far in this comment. Instead the most literal translation in my view would be and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is because the word translated as “they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) here is ezēsan (ἔζησαν) which is an aorist verb that most literally means they lived. Although keep in mind with aorist verbs they are not strictly in the past tense and they can be present or future tense as well. Really it just depends upon the context the word is in and what seems to make the most sense. So although I would say past tense is a more accurate translation than present tense really both are an option. That said my point here is that ezēsan (ἔζησαν) does not strictly refer to the present tense and instead it can refer to the past tense.

But why is this important? Well you see if the tense of “And they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) in “And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4) is changed to the past so that it becomes and they lived then the meaning of the entire passage with respect to psuché (ψυχή) completely changes. This is because by saying they lived instead of “they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) the resurrection would not be happening at this point and instead the resurrection would be occurring earlier. This would then make souls an incorrect translation of psuché (ψυχή) and instead the most correct translation would be persons or rather people. As a result of this “And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God” (Revelation 20:4) would become and I saw the people who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God. This would then place the resurrection at the start of the passage when John sees the people who had been beheaded for their testimony rather than at the end of the passage.

But what makes this meaning more correct? Well really I would say “they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) is an inaccurate translation of ezēsan (ἔζησαν). This is because if you want to translate ezēsan (ἔζησαν) to the present tense then the correct translation would be they live. On the other hand translating ezēsan (ἔζησαν) as “they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) would mean something entirely different in that a process of coming to life is in view rather than actively living in the present.

Now you could disagree with this which is fine since it really does not make a bit of difference for my point here concerning the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) being persons or people instead of souls. This is because you cannot say that ezēsan (ἔζησαν) must be translated as “they came to life” (Revelation 20:4) instead of they lived. Then as long as you cannot definitely say this then you cannot say that psuché (ψυχή) can only be translated as souls here instead of persons or people. This would then mean that this passage does not imply let alone teach the existence of immortal and immaterial souls and because of this you should not see the soul in this passage and instead you should see psuché (ψυχή) as meaning persons or people.

Lastly as Revelation also says:

“And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?’

Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

Alright so now it is finally time to go over the last usage of psuché (ψυχή) in this section on Revelation and the verse this comment is on. Since this comment has been quite long and I have already thoroughly gone over the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) what this passage means should be obvious to you. If for some reason it is not obvious then allow me to explain. First off the word translated as souls in “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld” (Revelation 6:9) is of course psuché (ψυχή). Now just like with the previous passages you can probably guess that psuché (ψυχή) should not be translated as souls here. So what should it be translated as? Well to put it as simply as possible psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as persons or people so that “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld” (Revelation 6:9) becomes I saw under the altar the people “who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.” (Revelation 6:9) This alternative translation of psuché (ψυχή) as persons or rather people would of course make sense since there is nothing in the passage that indicates it should be translated and understood souls as in immortal and immaterial souls. To the contrary if you wish to take this passage literally and at face value then this passage cannot refer to immaterial and immortal souls. This is because of what the last verse of the passage says.

As Revelation says:

“Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11)

My point here is that each of these people are “given a white robe” (Revelation 6:11) in this verse. Now this may not seem that important so I would like to once again emphasize that souls are supposed to be immaterial and immortal. The idea here is that only material beings can be “given a white robe” (Revelation 6:11) to wear because robes are material objects that can only be placed on material bodies. This would then mean that the psuché (ψυχή) given the white robes must have material bodies which means means that they cannot be immaterial souls. Then because of this fact psuché (ψυχή) would then be best translated as persons or people so that it is understood to refer to material life.

Now you may disagree with this and wish to say that each of these people being “given a white robe” (Revelation 6:11) is metaphorical language that should not be taken literally. The point here is that the white robes are symbolic of sins being taken away and of triumphing over the power of Satan by remaining faithful unto death rather than apostatizing. But I would actually agree with this and I would definitely not see the people being given white robes literally. But you know what else? This entire passage is completely metaphorical in nature and it should not be taken literally at all. As a result of this the reference to psuché (ψυχή) or people really does not mean anything since it is not literal. But then what is the meaning behind this passage and the fifth seal?

To quote the passage again:

“And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?’

Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

The purpose of this passage is quite simple. In short the purpose it to reassure those who read it who are undergoing persecution that even if they die here on earth that God will not forget about them. This is why the people or rather martyrs in this passage are under the altar of God in heaven since the idea here is that God will never forget about those who have been faithful to Him even unto death. Furthermore all faithful Christians look forward to the end of the age when God will pour our His wrath upon the earth and wash away all rebellion against Him so that the final and eternal Kingdom of God can come to pass. This is why those who have been martyred on earth cry out and ask “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?” (Revelation 6:10) That said really this verse is not supposed to be understood with respect to those who have been martyred. Instead it is really supposed to be understood with respect to those still alive on earth who are undergoing persecution. The idea here is that if you are a faithful Christian facing persecution in your life then you will almost certainly be asking God when He will destroy those who are rebelling against Him by persecuting you so the final and eternal Kingdom of God can come where you will know only eternal happiness. Therefore instead of having those on earth ask this question Revelation has this question asked by the martyrs who have already died.

The reasoning behind this is quite obvious. In short what Revelation is trying to prepare us for is that we need to be ready to remain faithful even unto death instead of just faithful during light persecution. This is why Revelation has the martyrs ask this question since by being martyred they have already demonstrated that they are faithful even unto death. This would of course give those reading Revelation encouragement in the sense that if the martyrs have been faithful unto death then they should also be prepared to be faithful unto death. Now you might doubt what I have said here but this is why this passage closes by saying that the martyrs were “told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11) The point here is that this is once again not written to the martyrs and instead it is written to those on earth who are reading Revelation while they are alive. This is because this verse is telling us that we need to wait a little while longer until the full number of those who are to be killed are killed. In other words this passage is telling us that we should expect persecution and even death to come before God pours out His wrath upon the world.

As Revelation says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear:

‘If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.’” (Revelation 13:9-10)

Therefore this is why this entire passage concerning the martyrs, including the reference to psuché (ψυχή), should not be taken literally and instead it should be taken metaphorically in the sense that it is trying to tell us that the persecution we see on earth is not the end and that much more will need to happen before the end finally comes. Then of course the passage is also meant to reassure us that it does not matter if we die even at the hands of our enemies because as long as we remain faithful unto death then God will never forget about us. In fact instead of forgetting about those who have died for their faith God will give them “a white robe” (Revelation 6:11) because by being faithful even unto death they have demonstrated their faith and conquered the power of Satan so that their sins can be washed away and forgiven. Therefore as a result of all this psuché (ψυχή) makes perfect sense if it translated as persons or people in this passage and because of this fact it should not be translated or understood to mean souls since the entire passage is metaphorical in nature rather than literal.

But what if you still disagree with this? Well really the best way to demonstrate that what I am saying is correct is to compare this passage that concerns the fifth seal to the previous four seals. For instance consider what the passage concerning the fourth seal says.

As Revelation says:

“And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’

Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8)

My point here with respect to this passage is that if you want to take the reference to the martyrs under the altar of God in the fifth seal literally so that you understand psuché (ψυχή) to refer to souls or at the very least people in heaven then if you want to remain logically consistent and intellectually honest you need to take this passage concerning the fourth seal literally as well. Therefore if you disagree with what I have said then you must also believe that a person with the literal name of Death will ride a pale green horse and they will be given authority over a quarter of the earth so that they can “kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8) Then on top of this really you should not view the reference to Hades as a metaphor for the grave and instead you should view Hades as a person. Although really since Hades is the pagan Greek deity of the underworld then this must mean that Revelation is acknowledging the existence of the false god Hades. Now you might say I am making a mockery of your beliefs but as the text says “Hades followed close behind” (Revelation 6:8) this mean that if you want to take this literally than Hades must be a person since the world translated as followed is akoloutheó (ἀκολουθέω) which means to follow, accompany or attend. Thus Hades referring to the underworld does not really work literally speaking since it is not possible for the entire underworld to follow or accompany a person called Death. Therefore if you want to hold to psuché (ψυχή) as meaning souls based on the fifth seal then you need to accept that there will be a person called Death who comes in the future and the false god Hades will follow them.

Of course in reality taking the fourth seal literally is simply absurd and nonsensical since as I have already said and demonstrated these seals are not supposed to be taken literally. Really I am sure you agree with me here since I am basically certain you do not believe a person called Death and the false god Hades will be given authority over a quarter of the earth. Therefore really you have two options here with regards to the meaning of the fifth seal and the word psuché (ψυχή). The first option is for you to agree with me so that you take the fifth seal to be just as metaphorical as the fourth seal. This would then mean that you do not see immortal and immaterial souls as the meaning behind psuché (ψυχή) and instead you see psuché (ψυχή) as referring to persons or people with these people being used metaphorically just like Death and Hades in the fourth seal. Then your second option is to take the fourth seal metaphorically and the fifth seal literally. This would then mean that you view the fifth seal and the word psuché (ψυχή) as evidence that immortal and immaterial souls exist. However if you take this second option you are a hypocrite, logically inconsistent and intellectually dishonest. Therefore if you still actually take this second position then really there is nothing else I can say to you to change your mind since if you cannot be consistent and honest then there is nothing I can do.

That said even if you agree with everything I have said so far no doubt you may have one final question or rather point of dispute you would like clarified. This point would of course be the reference to the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) from the next chapter in Revelation. Therefore I believe it would be helpful to explain the meaning behind this great multitude.

As Revelation says:

“After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation to our God,

who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!’

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’

Then one of the elders addressed me: ‘These in white robes,’ he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

‘Sir,’ I answered, ‘you know.’

So he replied, ‘These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.’
For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’
and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’’” (Revelation 7:9-17)

Those who believe in immortal and immaterial souls also take this passage as evidence that souls exist. Their idea here is that this great multitude of faithful Christians are literally in heaven and because of this fact we all go to heaven as immortal and immaterial souls when we die. However this is not the case because just like with how I have said the seven seals should not be taken literally and how instead they should be viewed metaphorically the great multitude should not be viewed literally and instead it should be viewed metaphorically. But if this is the case then what is the intended meaning behind the great multitude? Well really in order to understand the great multitude you must first understand the 144,000.

As Revelation says:

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.’

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” (Revelation 7:1-8)

So who are the 144,000? If you have been paying attention so far then you already know the answer is that the 144,000 are faithful Christians because what we call the Church today, or the body of all faithful Christians, is Israel. Since I already explained this quite a bit already in my previous commentary talking about the so-called Jews and since I am going to talk about the fact that Christians are the only Israelites around today in the next chapter I am not going to demonstrate this further here. Therefore for now and until you read the following chapter where I demonstrate that Christians are the only Israelites today just accept the fact that the 144,000 are Christians.

Then in terms of how the 144,000 relate the great multitude it is really quite simple. The 144,000 are being sealed on earth because they are still alive on earth and they are the last Christians in the whole world. This is why they are being sealed since the whole idea of being sealed is that God is marking His faithful as His before the end finally comes. On the other hand the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) have “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) which simply means that they have died on earth. Therefore the idea here behind the great multitude is that they are representative of all the billions of Christians who have “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:9) by dying on earth throughout history. Thus the main point I want you to see here is that the 144,000 are the last Christians alive on earth while the great multitude are all the Christians who have died in history leading up to the end of the age. Then this meaning of the 144,000 and the great multitude is the key to understanding the purpose of the great multitude in the Book of Revelation.

But first are you aware of why the number of the 144,000 is given as 144,000? Sure if you have been paying attention you will surely say that the number one-hundred and forty-four is representative of the twelve tribes of Israel from the Old Testament and the twelve disciples from the New Testament into a single continuous and united people of God. I mean this is one of the reasons why the 144,000 are Christians or rather the true Israelites who are still alive on earth before the end comes. But why is the number given as 144,000 instead of say 144,000,000? Sure you can claim that Christians back then never thought there would be so many Christians but Revelation does not see it this way since the number of the great multitude is given as “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) and since elsewhere Revelation mentions twice a myriad myriads or twice ten-thousand ten-thousands or two-hundred million with respect to a number it is clear that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is at least in the hundreds of millions if not billions. So why is the number 144,000 exactly? Well you see the message Revelation is trying to convey here is that before the end finally comes there will not be many faithful Christians left on earth. If this is not to be the case then Revelation would have provided a larger number. Now you may take issue with this because you believe that the Church is supposed to grow so that billions of Christians can welcome Jesus at His second coming. However this false belief is just factually wrong with regards to what both Revelation and Gospels say.

As Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

The idea here is that if the beast is going to “wage war against the saints” (Revelation 13:7) so that it can “conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) then the body of faithful Christians in the true Church will be so few in number that they will be powerless. This means that before the end comes Christianity will not be a major world religion anymore since as I just said the saints or Christians will have been beaten and conquered. If you want to dispute this then there is a reason why Revelation says “Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10) The point here is that persevering and saying true to your faith during the reign of the beast will be incredibly difficult. Then because of this fact you should not expect there to be many millions of Christians let alone billions when Jesus finally returns.

Then as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:

“For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:21-25)

My point here with this passage is that the trials and temptations the world will face with regards to the reign of the beast will be so great that if the beast’s reign is not cut short then “nobody would be saved” (Revelation 24:22) from those who are alive at the end. This means that the beast will truly conquer the entire world so that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) as I have said. As a result only a tiny fraction of the world will be true and faithful Christians at the end of the age when the end finally comes. That said there is something important to point out here as an aside. Really I am talking about true and faithful Christians who do not worship the beast. This means I am not talking about the so-called Christians in the future who will worship the beast as humanity’s so-called savior or even worse as the second coming of the Christ. Instead these people will be part of the church of Satan rather than the Church of God which is why I call them so-called Christians here. But this really does not change what I am saying here since my main point is that there will be very few true and faithful Christians left when the end comes.

Alright so this is why Revelation gives the 144,000 as 144,000. But what does this have to do with the purpose and meaning of the great multitude? Well first off as I have said the great multitude are all the billions of God’s faithful people who have died on earth. Then as I just said the 144,00 are the few faithful who remain at the end. So now the meaning should be quite obvious. The idea here is that the 144,000 are representative of the weakness of Israel at the end of the age when the beast rules over the earth while the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is representative of the true strength of Israel. Now this might not make sense here but the idea is that all of God’s faithful people who have died throughout history are part of the people of God or Israel. This means that it does not matter that God’s faithful will be few in number towards the end of the reign of the beast because in reality “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) will stand triumphant over the power of Satan in the end. In other words although we as faithful Christians will seem small and defeated on earth during the reign of the beast ultimately “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) has come before us and we carry their legacy. As a result it does not matter if we are so few in number so that the whole world is against us because in reality the body of all the faithful in history is “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) and because of this fact the beast cannot defeat us since we have already won.

This means that the intended meaning of the 144,000 and the great multitude is entirely metaphorical. Then as I have said the intended meaning is to give hope to Christians in the last days so that although we may seem weak and powerless now due to the fact that we are few in number, in reality we are part of “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) so really we are not alone. In fact those faithful Christians who will be part of the 144,000 during the last days will essentially be running the final stretch of a race that has lasted for thousands of years. This means that they will not be alone because all the billions of faithful Christians who have come and gone before them will be standing behind them in spirit cheering them on.

This is why the great multitude is referred to as “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) The point here is that the Church or rather Israel has conquered the world in spirit through people “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) accepting Jesus as the King of Israel and as the Christ.

Furthermore there is another metaphorical point I would like to bring up with regards to the great multitude. Other than showing the true strength of the Church or Israel throughout history another purpose is to show that God will not forget about any of His faithful. The point here is that by describing the faithful as being with God in heaven celebrating their triumph Revelation is giving hope and assurance to us that God will not forget about any of us so that we will all live with Him in the new Jerusalem in the new earth.

Therefore as a result of all the above really the great multitude should not be taken literally and instead they should be taken metaphorically. As a result of this they are not actually in heaven and instead they are dead and not conscious. Now you may still disagree with this because you want to take it literally instead of metaphorically. I mean if Revelation shows that they are alive in heaven then how could they actually be dead and waiting for the resurrection of the dead? Well you see it really quite simple.

As Jesus says:

“Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:37-38)

Of course the point here is that to God all are alive. This means that from God’s perspective the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is not actually dead and instead they are alive and continuously praising Him. This is because as I have said before God is all powerful so that even the dead seem alive to Him. If you forgot what I said concerning why this makes sense then consider writing a novel. When you write a novel as an author you are writing from an omnipotent and omniscient perspective. This means that you know everything about your novel and can do anything with the story. As a result when a character dies in your novel from your perspective the character is not actually dead since at any point you can resurrect them in the novel by writing them back into it. Thus the same idea is in view here with respect to God and this is why “to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38) Then because of this fact this is why the description of the great multitude makes sense. Sure the great multitude are actually dead from their perspective and from our perspective however from God’s perspective the great multitude are alive. Thus if it helps you understand the metaphorical perspective and meaning of the great multitude better then just imagine them being dead from their own perspective while being alive from God’s perspective since God is all powerful.

Therefore as a result of all this the great multitude are not actually conscious beings in heaven and instead the entire passage is meant to be viewed metaphorically. Then because of this fact you cannot say that the great multitude are evidence let alone proof that immaterial and immortal souls exist. But what if you reject this? Well really I would say that you should look at the body of evidence as a whole for the supposed existence of immortal and immaterial souls. So consider everything I have said and once you realize that the only way you can possibly see souls in the Bible is by viewing metaphorical language literally and by not translating psuché (ψυχή) correctly then I think you will understand what I have said here.

Lastly I hope this comment was helpful for you. I realize this comment was quite long but really its length is necessary in order to explain the fact that souls do not exist. This is because the false doctrine of souls is rather popular and many if not the vast majority of people are emotionally attached to it. As a result if this comment was much shorter so that all I said was that psuché (ψυχή) should be translated as life, person or being instead of soul then chances are you and almost everyone else would laugh at what I have said for being so obviously wrong in your view. Thus in order to be as convincing as possible I really had to go over all the different topics that you read about in this comment. I mean really there are just so many different angles with regards to the topic of souls to talk about and if I left a big one out then no doubt many people would write off everything. Furthermore the fact that souls do not exist is actually a very important topic for understanding Revelation since if you take psuché (ψυχή) to mean soul in Revelation then you will get the wrong impression and miss what Revelation is actually saying. Therefore this is why what I have said concerning the nonexistence of souls is a comment here instead of a chapter on its own in my part called Various Insights. Anyways I hope you now know and understand why we are material and mortal beings rather than immaterial and immortal souls.

As God says:

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

(9) “And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.” – First off I would like to remind you that the word translated as souls here is psuché (ψυχή) and that it should actually be translated as people so that the verse becomes the following. And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.

Now in terms of the meaning of the fifth seal I would like to once again say that this fifth seal is also bringing death into the world. However instead of a general amount of death that applies to everyone in the world this seal centers around death to the faithful through martyrdom. Therefore the point of this seal is that faithful Christians should expect the possibility of hardship and even death.

(9) “of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.” – This would include all the martyrs who have been killed due to their testimony of Jesus in the past, in the present and in the future. Thus you do not have to worry about God forgetting about you if you are killed for the word of God in the future because God will always remember you since He sees all and His power is truly without limit.

(10) “And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?’” – First off this verse is representative of the desire all Christians have for God’s just judgment to come upon the earth so that the wicked will be no more and so that the eternal Kingdom of God can finally arrive. Then as I said in my commentary on the meaning of psuché (ψυχή) the reason why these people or rather martyrs are crying out and asking this question is because this entire fifth seal is a metaphor for faithful Christians who are suffering on earth. The idea here is that as we as faithful Christians suffer through hardship on earth including persecution we often ask ourselves why God is allowing our suffering to take place and why God is taking so long to avenge us by punishing those who have been persecuting us. Thus we are supposed to see ourselves in these martyrs in the sense that they are asking the same exact question we as Christians have been asking for almost two thousand years. Then the reason why the martyrs are used figuratively here is because by showing that even the martyrs, or those who have died for their faith, are asking this question then this question is a valid question that deserves an answer. Of course as the subsequent verse shows this answer is simply that all death and suffering is part of God’s plan and that the eternal Kingdom of God will not come “until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11) Therefore the idea here is that we should not expect easy lives without hardship and instead we should be prepared to be killed for our faith just as the martyrs have been.

(11) “Then each of them was given a white robe” – A white robe symbolizes spiritual purity, wisdom, righteousness, victory, perfection and holiness. These martyrs have received this gift through having faith in Jesus even unto death and by following His commandments.

(11) “and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” – God’s full judgment on those who dwell upon the earth will not take place until all who are to be killed are killed. The reason why martyrdom is referred to here is because martyrdom is the most extreme form of suffering imaginable for Christians. Thus the idea here is that if Revelation is saying that we should expect martyrdom to be a possibility for us then really it is saying that all forms of suffering are possible for us to face as Christians in the future.

Then as I said in my comment on the previous verse this verse is an answer to the question of why God is allowing Christians to be persecuted and suffer hardship. Therefore whenever you ask yourself why God is waiting so long and allowing so much suffering and evil just know that the answer is all the death, suffering and persecution we may face is actually all part of God’s plan for the world. This means that all persecution and even martyrdom is something that must happen before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. Then always remember that God is in full control of the future so that nothing happens that is outside of His plan. This means that it does not matter what happens in the world or what you may see and face yourself since everything that happens is part of God’s plan. As a result nothing can stop Jesus from ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God because everything is going exactly according to the plan that God has set. Lastly do not worry about facing persecution because by being persecuted and refusing to give in even unto death you demonstrate that your faith is true. Therefore do not worry about what is to come because God is watching you and He will not forget about you when He rewards the faithful who have overcome the power of Satan in the world.

6 – The Sixth Seal: Terror

(12) And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, (13) and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. (14) The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

(15) Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. (16) And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. (17) For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

6.1 – Commentary

(12) “And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal” – Jesus now opens the sixth seal of the will of God. In order to explain the meaning of the sixth seal it is first important to remember the main meaning of the previous five seals. Then just to remind you the central meaning of each of the previous five seals were death in the sense of Jesus bringing some form of death into the world after opening each of the seals. Therefore the idea here with the sixth seal is that Jesus is once again bringing death into the world. But what kind of death is Jesus bringing into the world with the sixth seal? Well really the best way to view the sixth seal is as Jesus bringing the promise of death. What I mean by this is that unlike the previous five seals no one is explicitly being killed with the sixth seal. Instead the sixth seal is supposed to allude to the death that is to come later on with the day of God’s wrath. Really the idea here is that the sixth seal is a promise of judgment from Jesus to the whole world in the sense that no one will be able to escape the death that is coming for everyone. Now this may be a bit confusing so consider my commentary on the subsequent verses to make better sense of the sixth seal.

But lastly before you read the rest of my commentary on the sixth seal I would like to once again remind you that the sixth seal just like all the other seven seals should not be taken literally. Instead you should view this sixth seal metaphorically. As a result you should not see the subsequent verses in a literal manner and instead you should see them in a figurative manner. Now you may wish to dispute this so allow me to explain. Really if you want to take the sixth seal literally then it really does not align with the rest of Revelation. This is because this section on the sixth seal says “the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.” (Revelation 6:13) Furthermore this section on the sixth seal also says “The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up” (Revelation 6:14) which means that all the stars falling down from the sky is in view here during the sixth seal rather than some of them since the sky itself is supposed to disappear completely or be rolled up. On the other hand later on in Revelation during the seven trumpets, which take place during the seventh seal so there is no continuity break, the text says “A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.” (Revelation 8:12) My point here is that if you wish to take to take the sixth seal literally with the whole “the stars of the sky fell to the earth” (Revelation 6:13) then this would directly contradict with how Revelation says “A third of the stars were darkened” (Revelation 8:12) during the seven trumpets.

In response you might wish to overlook what I just said so I would like to also add that the sixth seal says “the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair” (Revelation 6:11) while later on during the seven trumpets Revelation also says “A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well” (Revelation 8:12) as you just read. My point here is if the sun already became “black like sackcloth of goat hair” (Revelation 6:11) then “a third of the day was without light” (Revelation 8:12) cannot come to pass during the seven trumpets because a sun that is “black like sackcloth of goat hair” (Revelation 6:11) is completely dark so that it does not give off light. Thus once again there is a contradiction between the sixth seal and the seven trumpets.

Furthermore I would also like to point out that I have already demonstrated why the previous five seals should not be viewed literally. Thus if you wish to view the sixth seal literally then really to remain logically consistent and intellectually honest you must also view the first five seals literally as well. However as I have already demonstrated you cannot take the first five seals literally because otherwise you must also believe in a literal character called Death who rides around the world with the false pagan deity Hades as they go around killing people. Then as I have said obviously believing in such a thing is just completely nonsensical and blasphemous as well since Hades as a false pagan deity is not real and Hades as the pagan underworld is not real. Therefore as a result of all this no matter which way you want to look at it you cannot view the descriptions given here in this section on the sixth seal literally and instead you can only view the descriptions figuratively and metaphorically.

(12) “there was a great earthquake” – The very earth trembles and shakes due to God’s anger and wrath as Jesus opens the sixth seal. Earthquakes also occur in Revelation 8:5, 11:13, 11:19 and 16:18. The purpose of the “great earthquake” (Revelation 6:12) in this verse is to demonstrate that God has control over the earth itself and that His wrath is coming soon.

(12) “and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair” – Sackcloth is a coarse, rough and unpleasant to wear cloth made out of goat or horse hair. Then by saying “the sun became black” (Revelation 6:12) this verse is saying that the sun turns dark and does not produce any light. In terms of what you should get out of this description really this is just a figurative way of saying that God controls everything including the light from the sun itself.

(12) “and the whole moon turned blood red” – The moon turning blood red could be considered symbolic of the blood that will be spilled upon the earth during the final judgment of the earth by God.

(13) “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.” – This should be seen as general apocalyptic imagery that is supposed to demonstrate that God is in full control over the entire world. The point is not to describe exactly what will happen in the future but rather to show how powerful and mighty God is. The idea here is that the stars of the sky were seen as untouchable by humanity because they are so high up in the sky that we cannot each them. Thus by saying that God can shake the sky itself to cause the stars of the sky to fall “to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree” (Revelation 6:13) Revelation is saying that God’s power over creation is unimaginably greater than our power over creation. Therefore this is why I said this description is supposed to show that God is in full control over everything there is.

(14) “The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up” – Obviously the sky itself cannot recede like a scroll being rolled up so it is once again best to view this as figurative in the sense that it is an indication of the power God has over the world. That said the purpose of saying “The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up” (Revelation 6:14) in this verse is to show that the whole world itself is being uncovered so that no one will be able to hide from God. This is because when Revelation was written God was believed to look down upon the earth from the third heaven so by having the second and first heavens, or outer space and the sky, recede Revelation is basically saying that God now has an unobstructed view of the earth so that no one can hide from Him. This may not make much sense so consider the following verses.

(14) “and every mountain and island was moved from its place.” – A mountain is a symbol for a nation and an island symbolizes a person. As a result this verse means everything on earth from nations down to each individual person are impacted since everyone and everything can be seen by God. Thus this verse is clearly symbolic and should not be viewed literally.

(15) “Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.” – In this verse everyone on earth tries to hide from God as God looks upon the whole world. Even the kings, nobles, commanders, rich and mighty will be judged by God and no one no matter how powerful or great will be unable to hide from Him. Thus when God’s wrath comes all the unfaithful will be swept away. Therefore you should not trust in your own wealth and power to protect you like those of the Church of Laodicea when they said “I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.” (Revelation 3:17) Building a bunker and stockpiling food and weapons will not protect you from what is coming. Only faith in Jesus can protect you. Then always remember that it does not matter what happens to you here on earth because all the faithful are to be resurrected on the day of judgment to live with God in the final Kingdom of God. Therefore do not worry about what the future has in store for you because it is already set in stone by God. All you need to do to save yourself is to have faith in God through Jesus.

(16-17) “And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?’” – In these two verses all those on the earth try their best to hide from the wrath of God because they know that they are powerless in comparison and cannot resist God’s wrath. However obviously no one will be able to hide from the wrath of God since God can see everything and anything that happens upon the earth. Therefore no one will be able to hide from the wrath of Jesus when He returns to judge the world with the power and authority that has been given to Him by God. On top of this no one will be able to withstand the final judgment as the wrath of God is poured out upon the world. Therefore you should always remember that no matter how powerful the first and second beasts of Revelation will seem to you that they will still always be less than the shadow God casts. In other words even the power and might of artificial super intelligence will literally be less than nothing compared to the infinite power of God.

(15-17) “Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?’” – Now it is time to talk about what the sixth seal means. Now although I previously said the sixth seal is representative of Jesus bringing the promise of death into the world there is another similar way to view this section on the sixth seal. Essentially the sixth seal can also be seen as being representative of all those who recognize the judgment of God in their last moments of life before they are killed here on earth. The idea here is that the judgments leading up to the final judgment will be so bad that many will think that the end has come. Then as a result of this they will desperately try to hide from the wrath of God. However in reality these judgments are just the beginning since the final judgment is still to come where God will pour out His wrath undiluted upon the entire face of the world. This idea of course makes sense since there have been many disasters and calamities throughout history that have killed many millions of people. For the people caught up in these great disasters it would have felt like the great day of God’s wrath from their perspective due to all the death that would have occurred all around them. Furthermore during these disasters these people would have no doubt desperately tried to hide themselves in an effort to prevent their death. However in reality God has fixed everything by His own authority so that nothing that happens is outside of control. Therefore you cannot hide from God and if God has determined that you will die then you will die and there is nothing you can do about it.

As Revelation says:

“If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.” (Revelation 13:10)

Now you may wish to dispute this meaning of the sixth seal where the sixth seal is representative of all those who recognize the judgment of God in their last moments of life before they are killed here on earth. Instead may wish to say that the sixth seal is the great day of God’s wrath because Revelation says “For the great day of Their wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17) in this section. I mean this would at least appear to make sense since this is what the text directly says. However this is not the case and instead the great day of God’s wrath or the final judgment that the world will face does not occur during the sixth seal. This is because the seventh seal is yet to come and during the seventh seal the seven trumpets are blown which unleash even more judgments upon the world. Thus my point here is that how could the sixth seal be the final judgment if more judgments are still to come? Obviously it goes without saying that it cannot be. Therefore you should not take “For the great day of Their wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17) literally and instead you should view it as the people of the world exaggerating about the level of death and suffering that they are facing so that they falsely say the great day of God’s wrath is here. Then as I have already said this would of course make sense since there have been many wars, genocides, natural disasters, plagues and more throughout history that have killed millions of people and laid waste to entire communities wiping them from the face of the earth. Thus it is easy to see how people caught up in such disasters could feel like “the great day of Their wrath has come” (Revelation 6:17) as you can see.

That said like I said originally you can also view the sixth seal as a promise of death and because of this as a promise that the final judgment will occur. The idea here is that God is watching everything and everyone so that nothing and no one can escape His sight. Then because of this fact nothing and no one will be able to escape God wrath on the great day of Gods wrath or the final judgment. It does not matter how hard you try to hide or what you do because God is fully in control of everything and His power is without limit.

Now you may wish to dispute this meaning so allow me to explain the purpose of the sixth seal here. Really the best way to view the sixth seal is with respect to the fifth seal. Now when discussing the fifth seal I said one of the purposes is to reassure faithful Christians that God is fully in control of everything so that even the persecution and death we are facing is actually part of God’s plan. The idea here is that oftentimes when we experience great suffering we ask ourselves and God what the purpose of our suffering is and if God’s plan really is going to be fulfilled. I mean how could faithful Christians experiencing suffering be part of God’s plan? Thus this is where the fifth seal comes in which says that the martyrs who have already faced death by being martyred should “rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:11) Therefore this is why I said one of the purposes of the fifth seal is to reassure faithful Christians that the suffering and death of the faithful that they see and experience themselves is not a valid reason to question God’s plan and if the eternal Kingdom of God will come to pass. Instead the fifth seal is telling us that more faithful Christians will need to be killed as martyrs before the eternal Kingdom of God comes to pass. Therefore really we should consider the suffering and death we face or may face as faithful Christians not as something contrary to God’s plan but rather as a direct fulfillment of God’s plan and the future coming of the eternal Kingdom of God.

Alright but how does this relate to the sixth seal? Well you see just as oftentimes we as Christians ask ourselves why we are suffering if we are God’s people or Israelites we also ask ourselves why many of the unfaithful, godless and wicked seem to prosper. I mean how is it just for the unfaithful to remain alive let alone prosper while the faithful suffer and are even killed? Obviously this is not justice since all those who rebel against God deserve to be killed and completely wiped off the face of the earth. Thus this is where the meaning of the sixth seal being a promise of death and the final judgment comes in. The idea here is that the sixth seal is an answer to the question of why the unfaithful prosper in the same way that the fifth seal is an answer to why the faithful suffer. Therefore the point here with the sixth seal is that God is telling us that it does not matter how much the unfaithful are prospering because the great day of God’s wrath will come where all those who are unfaithful to Him will be swept away and killed. Thus it does not matter how wealthy or successful the unfaithful may appear to be here on earth because God is watching everything and everyone so that when the day of God’s wrath finally comes all of the unfaithful will be killed. This means that it is impossible for any of the unfaithful to hide from God and His wrath and because of this fact you should not worry about a single person escaping God’s wrath. It does not matter how rich or powerful they may be because from God’s perspective even those we view as great are no better than the dust of the earth. All that said I am sure you can now understand why I said one of the purposes of the sixth seal is a promise of death.

Now this meaning of the sixth seal still may not make much sense to you because you might not see it as that important due to the fact that many Christians today are prosperous. However I would actually believe that the time period in which the sixth seal is most applicable has yet to arrive. This is because I see the sixth seal as being most relevant to the reign of the beast when the beast reigns over the whole world and works so-called miracles while creating great wealth in order to deceive the world into following it. In other words I see the greatest purpose of the sixth seal in the wealth and success that the great prostitute will be given by the beast.

As Revelation says:

“As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief.
In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’” (Revelation 18:7)

First off the great prostitute is representative of all those who prostitute, or sell, their eternal salvation with God for a temporary so-called salvation from the beast by following and worshiping the beast. Then my point here with this verse is that there will come a time when the great prostitute’s great wealth and success seems so great that it will last forever. As a result of this many Christians will start to question God’s plan as they begin to be tempted to follow the beast instead of God since the beast offers many riches while God remains silent. Therefore the purpose of the sixth seal with respect to all this is that it does not matter how wealthy, successful and powerful the beast and the great prostitute appear to be. I mean the beast will be the definition of earthly power itself as it rules over the whole world and the great prostitute, being supported by the beast, will seem like the fruit of a so-called final and eternal golden age of humanity that will never cease. However despite how everything may appear to you during this time, with the sixth seal God is promising us that all of the unfaithful will be killed on the day of God’s wrath because God can see everything and everyone so that nothing and no one will escape His wrath. Therefore contrary to what you may have thought the message of the sixth seal will be highly relevant and important up to the end of the age. This means that you should keep the message of the sixth seal in mind so that you always remember to remain faithful to God because all those who are unfaithful to Him will be swept away and killed.

Chapter 2.20: Revelation 7

1 – 144,000 Sealed

(1) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. (2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: (3) “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

(4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

(5) From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
(6) from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
(7) from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
(8) from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) In order for this chapter on the 144,000 and the great multitude to make sense you must first understand who the 144,000 are. First off since the 144,000 are made up of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel so that they are a total of “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) this would then obviously mean that the 144,000 are representative of Israel. But then what or who is Israel? Well of course Israel is the Church or all faithful Christians as I have said before when talking about the fact that the so-called Jews are not actually Jews and instead they are “the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) This is again why I call them so-called Jews since they are not actually Jews because they reject Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the King of the Jews and the King of Israel. Therefore really I should not have to say anything further here since I have already demonstrated that the so-called Jews are not Jews and that they are also not Israelites.

However since there is so much confusion surrounding the 144,000 it is important to completely demonstrate that the 144,000 are faithful Christians, that faithful Christians are the 144,000, that all faithful Christians are Israelites and that all Israelites are faithful Christians. For instance many people agree that the 144,000 are faithful Christians but then at the same time they say that they are so-called Jews who will become Christians by accepting Jesus as the Christ in the last days. Now on the surface this might seem like an acceptable belief but really it is completely false. This is because all faithful Christians are Israelites and all Israelites are faithful Christians. This means that the so-called Jews are not Israelites and they have nothing to do with Israel. On the other hand everyone who is a faithful Christian is an Israelite and is part of Israel. This may not seem that important right now but as you will soon see in this chapter and in the rest of Revelation the identity of Israel is incredibly important to understanding what Revelation says. In fact based on Revelation 11 I would even go as far to say that if you mistakenly and falsely associate Israel with the so-called Jews then you will be completely blind spiritually so that you will fail to see one of the most important signs concerning the rise of the beast. Then as a result of this either ignorance or delusion you would then be almost assured to follow the beast so that you worship it as your so-called savior. Now I realize this is quite the claim but it will stay a cliffhanger for now so you will just have to continue on reading to Revelation 11 to know what I am talking about. For now though it is time to talk about Israel.

So why are all faithful Christians Israelites and why are all Israelites faithful Christians? Well there are a number of ways to go about demonstrating this fact including what Revelation itself says elsewhere which is actually the most undeniable proof. That said to begin it would be helpful to review what I have already quoted and said in my commentary on the synagogue of Satan or the so-called Jews with regards to Israel. So now consider the following passages.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’” (Matthew 3:7-10)

The main point I have with this passage is that if “out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9) then ultimately it is God who says who is a descendant of Abraham and therefore likewise it is also God who determines who is an Israelite. This of course makes sense because since God is God and He can do whatever He wants including recognizing the stones on the ground as the children of Abraham. Additionally being a child of Abraham is not about a literal and physical linage or ancestry that can be traced back to Abraham. Instead it is about a spiritual linage or ancestry so that all those who hold to the faith of Abraham are the children of Abraham. Likewise all those who carry on the legacy of Israel and the faith of the prophets are Israelites and part of Israel.

As Paul wrote:

“It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

And as Paul also wrote:

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)

The idea here is that physical descent is completely unimportant because instead spiritual descent is what matters. This is because God cares about your obedience to Him and faith in Him through His Soon rather than your biological paternal descent. Therefore as long as you accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and the Jewish Christ then you are a Jew and you are an Israelite. If this does not make much sense then think about it like this. First off Jesus is a Jew and an Israelite and He is also the King of the Jews and the King of Israel. So to make what I am saying make more sense consider a hypothetical scenario where you are a prince of a kingdom called Israel and one day your father gives you his throne and names you as king of Israel. In response the subjects of your kingdom reject you as king and say that you are not the king of Israel and that you are not their king either. However some time after being proclaimed king of Israel by your father people from foreign lands around your supposed kingdom where you were rejected accept you as their king so that even many of the foreign kings have stepped down and named you as their king. So my question to you is who would you consider part of your kingdom of Israel? Would you say the people who have rejected you as their king are your people or would you say that those who were once foreigners who recognize you king of Israel are your people? Really the answer here is obvious. Of course you would reject those who have rejected you and accept those who have accepted you. Then as a result you would consider those who were once foreigners to be part of your kingdom of Israel while those who were once part of your father’s kingdom of Israel you would see them as foreigners. This of course makes sense because the power and authority in a kingdom is in the hands of the king. This means that the king is the state. So in this hypothetical example you would be the kingdom of Israel because your father has named you king. As a result it does not matter what your father’s former subjects say because you are the king in a kingdom and not an elected representative in a democracy. The point here is that a kingdom is not a land, shared cultural heritage, a people or a community. Instead a kingdom is the king. This is why those who used to be foreigners can be your people after they recognize you as king.

This is why it so utterly absurd to call the so-called Jews Israelites since the so-called Jews have rejected Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the Jewish Christ and the King of Israel for almost two thousand years and they continue to reject Him to this day. I mean why would God want anything to do with such a godless people as the so-called Jews who have rejected His Son as their King? Therefore this is why the so-called Jews are not Israelites and instead the true Jews or Christians are Israelites because as Christians we recognize the true King of Israel.

Then as the Gospel of John says:

“‘I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you. I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.’

‘Abraham is our father,’ they replied.

‘If you were children of Abraham,’ said Jesus, ‘you would do the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. You are doing the works of your father.’

‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they declared. ‘Our only Father is God Himself.’

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.’” (John 8:37-44)

In this passage Jesus is speaking to the so-called Jews and He bluntly tells them that “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God.” (John 8:42) Then Jesus also tells them “If you were children of Abraham” (John 8:39) “you would do the works of Abraham.” (John 8:39) Thus the message of this passage is similar to the previous passage from the Gospel of Matthew. The idea here is that even though Jesus knows the so-called Jews are biologically “Abraham’s descendants” (John 8:37) they are not “children of Abraham” (John 8:39) because they do not accept Him as the Christ as evidenced by them trying to kill Him. This may sound like a contradiction but think about it in terms of a parent disowning their descendant and a person adopting a child. My point here is that if you were to disown your descendant then you would no longer consider them your child even though they would still be your descendant. Then if you were to adopt a child then you would be their parent or father even though they are not your descendant. Therefore Jesus’s point in this passage is that although the so-called Jews are the descendants of Abraham they have been disowned by God so that they do not have Abraham as their father because they have rejected Him as evidenced by seeking to kill Him. Then instead of having God as their father Jesus says the so-called Jews have Satan as their father.

My point with this passage is that the so-called Jews are not actually the children of Abraham because they do not have God as their father. This would then of course mean that the so-called Jews are not Israelites and that they have nothing to do with Israel. Furthermore based on this passage it is clear that those who have faith in Jesus as the Christ are the children of God. The idea here is that just like how God has disowned the so-called Jews for their rejection of Jesus as the Christ and the King of Israel so too has God adopted all those who have accepted Jesus as the Christ and as the King of Israel. This means that as Christians we are the children of Abraham and we have God as our Father. As a result we as Christians are the true Israelites and we as a people make up Israel. This fact is also clearly evident in the following passage.

Then as the Gospel of Mark says:

“Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.

He sent still another, and this one they killed.

He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.

Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.’” (Mark 12:1-9)

As I said before when quoting this passage this parable is quite straightforward to understand. In this parable the man who planted a vineyard is God and the vineyard is Israel. The symbol of a vineyard meaning Israel is used in the Old Testament because God has taken care of a protected Israel. The idea here is that nurturing your vineyard is just like God nurturing Israel in the sense that just like how a vineyard can only exist if someone plants and takes care of it so too can Israel only exist because God has planted it and has taken care of it. Next the tenants in this parable are the Hebrews who are the Jews in the Old Testament period and so-called Jews after they rejected Jesus. The idea here is that since God has created and provided for Israel ultimately God alone is the One who owns it. This means that the Jews of the Old Testament period did not have ownership of Israel and instead they were merely tenants who were allowed to be a part of Israel. Then because of this fact this is why God disowning the so-called Jews makes sense because God owns and controls who occupies Israel.

Next the fruit produced by the vineyard in this parable is being faithful and obedient to God. This is because when the so-called Jews refuse to give God His share of the fruit the parable is talking about the so-called Jews being disobedient and rebelling against God. Next the servants the land owner has sent to collect to the fruit would be the prophets of the Old Testament period. The idea here is that the servants are trying to get the tenants to give the land owner what he is due just as the prophets were sent by God in order to tell the ancient Israelites to give Him what He is due. Next of course the land owner’s son in this parable would be Jesus. Then lastly the inheritance the tenants are trying to steal by killing the land owner’s son would be everything that the land owner possesses including the vineyard. The idea here is that God has given Jesus an inheritance, including Israel itself, and that by killing Jesus the so-called Jews hoped to steal His inheritance. Of course God raised Jesus from the dead so that the schemes of the so-called Jews failed so that Jesus would reign as the rightful King of Israel forever more. All that said my point in quoting this passage is the last few verses.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Mark:

“But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.’” (Mark 12:7-9)

First off by killing the Son or Jesus and throwing Him out of the vineyard or Israel the tenants or the so-called Jews are rejecting Him as the rightful owner of the vineyard or the King of Israel. The point here is that by throwing Jesus out the so-called Jews have rejected Him as part of Israel and as the rightful King of Israel that God has appointed. That said my main point with this passage is the last verse. So after the so-called Jews killed Jesus “What then will the owner of the vineyard” (Mark 12:9) or God do? Well of course “He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.” (Mark 12:9) Then this first part about killing the so-called Jews actually happened in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars. In these three wars the Romans carried out the will of God and killed around two million so-called Jews, destroyed the so-called Jewish state, destroyed so-called Jerusalem, destroyed the Second Temple, enslaved many so-called Jews and inflicted unimaginable levels of suffering on the so-called Jews. God did this because the so-called Jews murdered His Son and they deserved punishment so the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars were the beginning of their punishment from God.

But what about the second part of He “will give the vineyard to others” (Mark 12:9) in this passage? Well this is my entire purpose in quoting this passage. The idea here is that after God killed many of the so-called Jews and destroyed His Second Temple He transferred Israel from the so-called Jews to a new group of people who would be faithful and pay Him His due of fruit. So who are these people then? Well as you can probably guess this group of people would be all those who have faith in Jesus as the Christ and accept Him as the King of Israel. Therefore the point of this parable is that God has disowned the so-called Jews because they have rejected Him through rejecting His Son while at the same time God as adopted Christians because we accept His Son.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” (Luke 10:16)

Then as a result of disowning the so-called Jews and God no longer considering them part of Israel or Israelites God has given Israel over to us as Christians who hold to the faith of Jesus so that we are the true and only Israelites alive on earth today. Therefore just to reiterate we as Christians are Israel while the so-called Jews are not Israel and they have nothing to do with Israel.

That said although I have said God has disowned the so-called Jews so that He does not consider them part of Israel really this is a bit inaccurate. Instead it is more accurate to say that the so-called Jews have rejected membership in Israel by rejecting Jesus as the Christ and the King of Israel. My point here is that Jesus is Israel because in a monarchy the king is the state and because of this fact anyone who rejects Jesus as King of Israel is by definition excluding themselves from Israel. Therefore although it is true that God has disowned the so-called Jews just like in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants where the landowner sends people to kill the tenants of their vineyard in order to give the vineyard to new people, really the wicked tenants or the so-called Jews first rejected the son of the landowner or Jesus and in doing so they have excluded themselves from Israel. This is an important point to bring up because ultimately the so-called Jews are so-called Jews and not part of Israel because they have rejected Jesus as the King of Israel. Therefore you should not feel bad for the so-called Jews at all since everything that has happened to them is their own fault for rejecting Jesus as the King of Israel and they only have themselves to blame for being disowned and excluded from Israel.

But what about the modern state of so-called Israel? Well as you can probably guess by how I am calling it the modern state of so-called Israel it is not Israel and it has nothing to do with Israel. Really the modern state of so-called Israel is nothing more than a false pretender that is the embodiment of what it means to be in rebellion against God. Therefore in truth the modern state of so-called Israel is a monument to Satan himself rather than a monument to God as the true and only Israel is.

Really the best way to look at this is that Israel is the legacy of the patriarchs of the Old Testament period so that whoever carries on the faith of Abraham so that they are true and faithful to God is are part of Israel. Thus what I am getting at is that Israel is not a place and instead it is a people. Then since Israel is a people this then means that those that make up Israel can change so that those who were once Israelites cease being Israelites while those who were not Israelites become Israelites. Ultimately this is because Israel is a kingdom and it is God alone who owns Israel and appoints the King of Israel. Then since once again God has appointed Jesus as the King of Israel this means that anyone who accepts Jesus as King is part of Israel while anyone who rejects Him as King is not part of Israel.

At this point you may still be skeptical of what I have said so far so that you may still mistakenly believe that the modern state of so-called Israel and the so-called Jews are Israel despite what I have quoted and said already. If you are still skeptical then the best proof that faithful Christians are Israelites and that the so-called Jews are not Israelites is actually found in the Book of Revelation itself. Now I say proof here because really what Revelation says is completely clear and undeniable.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:1-6)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.” (Revelation 12:13-17)

To begin the “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 12:1) is undeniably Israel in these two passages for two reasons. The first is that “she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter” (Revelation 12:5) and since obviously this Son is Jesus since Jesus “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter” (Revelation 12:5) this means that the woman is Israel. The idea here is that since Jesus was born an Israelite it is accurate to say He was born as a Son of Israel. This is why the symbol for Israel that is used in this passage is a woman since women give birth. But then why is this woman Israel and not Mary the mother of Jesus? Well this the second reason and it is due to the symbols of “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” (Revelation 12:1) You see the symbol of the sun, moon and twelve stars are a reference to a dream Joseph, who was the favored son of Jacob or Israel, had.

As The Book of Genesis says:

“Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’

He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.” (Genesis 37:9-11)

In this passage Joseph is one of the twelve sons of Jacob and Jacob was given the name Israel by God. The twelve sons of Israel are then where the twelve tribes of Israel come from. Then the reason why Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel, sees the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down to him is because this vision is related to the future where Joseph’s father, mother and eleven brothers will figuratively bow down to him or rather show him respect. The reason why they do this is because after Joseph is sold into slavery and brought to Egypt he rises to a prominent position where he is able to help his family when the land they were living in suffers a great famine. The point here is that Joseph’s family only survived due to Joseph being in a high position in Egypt which enabled him to feed his family and this is why his family pays him respect.

That said my point here is that the woman with “a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 12:1) is clearly representative of Israel due to the twelve stars being representative of the twelve tribes of Israel due to the similarity with Joseph’s dream from the Book of Genesis. As a result this woman can only be Israel and cannot be anyone or anything else including Mary the mother of Jesus.

But then how does this relate to the fact, yes fact, that the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians is Israel? Well now that you know that the woman in the two passages I quoted is Israel it should be quite obvious so consider the following passages.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:5-6)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.” (Revelation 12:13-17)

In case it is not obvious the key part here is that “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) as the first passage says. Then “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished” (Revelation 12:14) as the second passage says. Now my point here is that based on these two passages I have quoted the so-called Jews and so-called Israel cannot be Israel and it does not matter what you want to say against this fact. Instead the only true Israel after the death and resurrection of Jesus was and is the Church and by Church I am referring to the assembly of all faithful Christians. This is because the by saying “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished” (Revelation 12:14) Revelation is directly and obviously referring to the woman or Israel fleeing persecution by the so-called Jews who are acting on behalf of the serpent or Satan himself in the Roman province of Judea. If this does not make sense then just as a reminder the so-called Jews are the embodiment of Satan since they have Satan as their father due to their full rebellion against God by rejecting Jesus as the Christ.

As Jesus says:

“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.” (John 8:42-44)

This would then be why Revelation references the Roman province of Judea as “the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) since the point is that because the so-called Jews are part of the children of Satan this would then mean that the Roman province of Judea is firmly Satan’s domain due to the fact that almost all of the Hebrews in Judea rejected Jesus and became so-called Jews. In other words the land of the so-called Jews is a godless place where God’s faithful people, those who hold to the name of Jesus, are persecuted.

All that said my main point here is that the so-called Jews cannot be Israel because these passages from Revelation talk about how “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) and since the woman is undeniably Israel this means the only way the so-called Jews can be Israel is if they “fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place” (Revelation 12:6) for them to be nourished. However this never happened and the so-called Jews never fled. Instead the so-called Jews gathered in so-called Jerusalem during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War and God sent the Roman army to lay siege to the city which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple and the deaths of up to half a million so-called Jews as they starved to death and were slaughtered by the Romans. Thus to say that the so-called Jews are the woman, or Israel, that these passages from Revelation are talking about is a complete absurdity. Instead the woman can only refer to the true Israel which after the death and resurrection of Jesus was and is the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians who accept Jesus as the Christ and the King of Israel.

Now you may still doubt this for some reason so consider the following verse in the second passage I quoted above from Revelation because this verse clearly demonstrates that I am correct concerning Israel.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17)

In this verse the dragon or Satan goes to make war against the rest of the children of Israel. But then who are the children of Israel? Well as this verse says the children of Israel are those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) This means that the so-called Jews are not the “rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17) or Israelites because by definition the so-called Jews do not “hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) Therefore this verse is actually talking about Satan waging war against faithful Christians who are the true and only Israelites in the future. As a result of all this once again the so-called Jews are not Israel and they cannot be Israel. If you want to dispute this then you are just flat out wrong.

Now even though disputing the fact that faithful Christians are Israelites and that Israelites are faithful Christians is not possible it is necessary to go over one last piece of evidence since this piece of evidence relates to why the number of the 144,000 is given as the 144,000. So why is the number “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) in Revelation? Well if you remember my chapter on the meaning of important symbols then you should already be aware that the number 144 is a way of referring to Israel with respect to Israel being representative of God’s faithful people from the Old Testament period up to the present day. The idea here is that the number twelve is representative of the twelve tribes of Israel as well as the twelve apostles. Then when you multiply twelve by twelve you get 144 and in the case of the 144,000 the number is given as 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. But why does Revelation give the number as 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes? Well because the true Israel or the Church is supposed to be in view here. Now you might be skeptical of the meaning of the number 144 so consider the following passages.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:10-14)

The purpose of quoting this passage is to show that the wall of the new Jerusalem in the new earth is associated with the number twelve in terms of the number of gates the wall has and the number of foundations the wall has. Of course these usages of the number twelve are symbolic since the number twelve with regards to the “twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel” (Revelation 21:12) are clearly representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then likewise the fact that the “wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14) is clearly representative of the twelve apostles.

Then as the Book of Revelation says:

“And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.” (Revelation 21:17)

So why is the wall measurement given as 144 cubits? Really it should be obvious. The whole idea of the wall of the new Jerusalem in the new earth is that the wall is representative of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles as I have demonstrated since the wall or rather the legacy of the Old Testament and New Testament periods protects the city of the new Jerusalem. Therefore it would make sense for the wall to measure 144 cubits since 12 groups of 12 is 144 and since as I just said the wall is supposed to be representative of both the legacy of the Old Testament period and the legacy of the New Testament period.

Now you know why the number is given as 144,000 since just like with the wall of the new Jerusalem the 144,000 are supposed to be representative a single and united Israel that holds to the faith of the twelve tribes of Israel and the faith of the twelve apostles. In other words the 144,000 are supposed to be seen as carrying on the legacy of the Old Testament period as well as the legacy of the New Testament period. Therefore you should of course definitely not take this number literally in case that is not obvious.

But then why is it 144,000 and not say 144,000,000? Well really the number for a thousand here is just being used figuratively as many but not a lot. As you will see later on in Revelation and as I have already said already the Church or Israel will not be strong when Jesus returns to destroy the beasts. Instead Israel will be so weak that the number of true and faithful Christians who still hold to their faith while not following the beast will be very few. Thus this is why the number 144,000 is used. Really you are supposed to get the impression that Israel will be weak and powerless in the last days before Jesus returns. However it is important to keep in mind that despite how weak Israel is in the last days that we as faithful Christians and Israelites have already won because of all those who stand behind us.

This is then ultimately what the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 12:9) are supposed to represent. The idea is that despite the fact that Israel is weak and powerless on earth in the last days really Israel is victorious because there is “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 12:9) In other words it does not matter if a tiny fraction of the world population will be faithful Christians during the last days of the reign of the beast because billions of faithful Christians have come before and because of this fact Israel is not weak and instead it is strong.

Now at this point you may believe that I am correct and wrong at the same time in the sense that you mistakenly believe that the 144,000 are so-called Jews who become Christians by accepting Jesus as the Christ in the last days. The idea here is that you would be correctly saying that sure the so-called Jews are not Israelites while at the same time mistakenly saying that Christians who are not Hebrews also are not Israelites. Instead someone needs to be both Hebrew and Christian in order to be an Israelite. But why is this wrong? Well first off this line of reasoning requires a complete misunderstanding of the passages I have quoted and what I have said with regards to the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians being Israel. But since I have already explained why all faithful Christians are Israelites and why all Israelites are faithful Christians if you still mistakenly believe that I am wrong here then I am not going to repeat myself again here. Instead it is better as well as easier to simply explain why the 144,000 cannot be so-called Jews who become Christians by accepting Jesus as the Christ in the last days.

Alright so in order to understand why the 144,000 cannot be so-called Jews who become Christians in the last days it is important to understand what is happening to the 144,000 in this chapter of Revelation as well as what happens to them in the rest of Revelation. My point here is that if the 144,000 are truly separate from the faithful Christians who are not Hebrews then this would be evident with regards to what happens to the 144,000. On the other hand if the 144,000 are not treated as a distinct group and instead they are treated as faithful Christians in general then the 144,000 must therefore be representative of all faithful Christians alive on earth instead of only faithful Christians who are Hebrews who used to be so-called Jews. So now that I have said all this consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.’

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” (Revelation 7:1-8)

But is this not just the entire passage of the 144,000 from this chapter? Well yes it is so do you see the key part of the passage? Really it is quite easy to miss because those who like to say that the 144,000 are so-called Jews who become Christians like to focus on the verses that have 144,000 and 12,000 in them while ignoring the first part of the passage. Therefore consider the following two key verses from the above passage that relate to the identity of the 144,000.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.’” (Revelation 7:2-3)

So what exactly am I trying to say by quoting this passage? Well you see this passage is key to understanding the identity of the 144,000. In short the 144,000 are “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) So now my question to you is the following. Are all faithful Christians “the servants of our God” (Revelation 6:3) or are only so-called Jews who have become Christians the servants of God? Well what is your answer? Really this is a question that you cannot simply ignore. For instance you might try saying to yourself that “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) does not refer to all “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) and instead you believe it refers to a subset of “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) However this is not the case due to the purpose of the action being performed on the 144,000 or “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) So what am I talking about? Well the whole idea is that angels have “sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3)

So what does it mean to be sealed on your forehead “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) in Revelation? Well as you can probably guess based on what you have already read in this book so far being sealed on your forehead “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) means that God is marking you as His possession in the sense that He is watching over you because you belong to Him. In other words the whole idea of being sealed on your forehead “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) is that those who have been sealed are “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) This means that “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) are not only so-called Jews who have become Christians by accepting Jesus as the Christ. Instead “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) refers to all faithful Christians because all faithful Christians are “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) Now you might reject this fact by seeking to claim that the so-called Jews are “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) as well but this is most definitely not the case.

As Jesus says:

“Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” (Luke 10:16)

Therefore since the definition of a so-called Jew is someone who claims to be a Jew but rejects Jesus as the Christ this means that the so-called Jews have rejected God and continue to reject God. As a result the so-called Jews are not “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) and instead they are in full rebellion against God by rejecting the authority given to Jesus by God. In other words the so-called Jews are godless and have nothing to do with God. Therefore you cannot claim the so-called Jews are “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3)

Now back to the topic of what it means to be sealed on your forehead “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) and the fact that all faithful Christians in the last days will be marked as God’s possession “with the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) Alright so in response to me saying that “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) who are being sealed are all faithful Christians and because of this fact the 144,000 are representative of all faithful Christians alive on earth you might say that God is only marking the so-called Jews who have become Christians as His and not all faithful Christians. But there is a problem with this in terms of the meaning of being sealed. You see as I have said the purpose of being sealed is so that faithful Christians can be assured that God is watching over us so that it does not matter if we die on earth. The idea here is that really whenever we as Christians suffer hardship or face the possibility of death here on earth we ask ourselves if God is really there watching over us and if He really cares about us as His people. This is because it is easy to ask ourselves that if we are suffering and dying here on earth and if we really are God’s people then has God forgotten about us so that He is simply not aware of us? Thus the whole idea of being sealed on our forehead “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) is that Revelation is giving us as “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) assurance that God has not forgotten about us as faithful Christians. Instead God is carefully watching over us and He has even marked us as His own possession because we have been faithful to Him.

Now you may wish to dispute this meaning but this meaning is completely clear in Revelation. I mean this is why in this passage on the 144,000 an angel says “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) The idea here is that the angel is saying not to start unleashing more death upon the world, that even faithful Christians will be swept up in so that they are killed, until “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) have been sealed or rather marked as God’s possession. So really this is why the 144,000 or “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) who have been sealed are representative of all faithful Christians alive on earth and not just so-called Jews who become Christians. That said you might still wish to dispute this so consider another reference to the meaning of being sealed with the seal of God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.” (Revelation 9:3-6)

First off I am going to ignore the meaning of this passage since the meaning is completely irrelevant for what I have to say with regards to the 144,000 or “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) who have been sealed “with the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) Furthermore I of course talk about the meaning later on in my commentary on Revelation 9 so there is no reason to discuss the meaning here. So what is my point with this passage? Well you see my point is that these locusts are given the power to harm “only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:4) This means that these locusts will be able to harm everyone on earth except for the 144,000 because only the 144,000 or “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) have been sealed “with the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) This then means that if you take the 144,000 to only refer to so-called Jews who have become Christians in the last days then this means you do not believe all faithful Christians will be sealed “with the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) Instead you believe that only so-called Jews who become Christians will be sealed. This then means that when the locusts come to harm “only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4) that you believe that these locusts will harm the vast majority of faithful Christians. In other words you believe that God does not care about all faithful Christians and instead He only cares about so-called Jews who have become faithful Christians in the last days. Of course I do not have to tell you how absurd and wrong this is. Therefore the 144,000 are all faithful Christians and because of this fact all faithful Christians are Israelites and all Israelites are faithful Christians as I have demonstrated already.

But what if you actually believe that God will only protect so-called Jews who have become faithful Christians from the locusts while ignoring all other faithful Christians? Well really in order to understand why your belief is nonsense you need to understand what the locusts and their sting is supposed to be. In short the locusts are supposed to be evil spirits or demons that cause people to suffer through temptation and sin. That said really I am not going to explain this fully here since as I said I explain it later on. Although if you want some evidence then consider the following verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.” (Revelation 9:6)

My point here is that the best way to understand the sting of these locusts is in terms of the sting of temptation and sin since those who suffer through temptation and sin do not have hope in eternal salvation from God and instead their only hope rests in the flawed material things of this world. This would then be why the locusts cannot harm those who have the seal of God on their forehead since all faithful Christians by definition place their hope for salvation in God instead of the things of the world and because of this fact we are not affected by the anxieties, sadness and pain that results from falling into temptation by placing our hope in the things of the world. This may be confusing but like I said I talk more about it later on. That said my point here is that taking those who are sealed to be so-called Jews who become Christians alone makes zero sense. Thus as a result once again all faithful Christians or “the servants of our God” (Revelation 7:3) will be sealed “with the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) Then because of this fact the 144,000 are representative of all faithful Christians left alive on earth. This means that once again all faithful Christians are Israelites and all Israelites are faithful Christians.

Alright so my point with all of this is just that the Church, or the assembly of all faithful Christians, is Israel and that Israel is this Church. This means that when Revelation mentions “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) you should not see the so-called Jews and instead you should only see faithful Christians. Now this may not seem like that important of a point but really you need to understand that it is incredibly important because misunderstanding the 144,000 and Israel changes Revelation completely. For instance if you falsely and mistakenly take Israel to refer to the so-called Jews then no doubt you will take the Temple of God from Revelation 11 to refer to the so-called Jews building a new physical temple in so-called Israel. Of course in reality Revelation is not talking about the so-called Jews, so-called Israel or a new physical temple. Instead Revelation is referring to the Church, the assembly of all faithful Christians, or Israel as the Temple of God. Now obviously I am not going to explain this now since I of course explain it later. Really my point here is that how you view the 144,000 and Israel here colors your interpretation of important passages in the rest of Revelation so that you end up with a believe that is not just wrong but actually harmful. This is because the Temple of God in Revelation 11 directly relates to the rise of the beast and what we need to look out for as faithful Christians. Thus if you actually believe that the Temple of God in Revelation 11 refers to a physical temple then you will only be deceiving yourself so that there will be a much higher chance you will fall into temptation and end up following the beast so that you see it as the savior of the world.

Lastly it was important to demonstrate that the only and true Israel today is the Church because many if not most people do not believe this to be the case so that they believe the so-called Jews have claim over Israel. However instead Israel simply refers to the people of God so that all those who are counted among God’s people by recognizing the King of Israel are part of Israel. Therefore as I have already said the modern state of so-called Israel is not Israel and it has nothing to do with Israel.

In fact I would even go as far to say that calling so-called Israel Israel can be considered a form of blasphemy. This might not make sense but Jesus says the so-called Jews are a “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) which means that they are of Satan, in the sense of rebelling against God, and therefore they are inherently unclean. So if you call the so-called Jews who are of Satan and unclean as being of God and clean by calling them Israel then would that not be blasphemy? After all you would be disrespecting Israel or the people of God by associating it with the “synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) Therefore do not associate Israel with the so-called Jews because as long as they reject Jesus as the King of Israel then they will forever be part of the “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and cut off from God.

(1) “After this” – The this in “After this” (Revelation 7:1) refers to the first six of the seven seals. Thus John sees the sealing of the 144,000 and the great multitude in his vision after the first six of the seven seals but before the seventh seal. Then because of this fact you might wish to say that the sealing of the 144,000 is supposed to happen before the seven trumpets and hence before the rise of the beast since the seven trumpets are the seventh seal. I mean there would be reason to say this since during the fifth trumpet Revelation references the 144,000 who are sealed.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:3-4)

Thus as you can see there is a reason to see the 144,000 being sealed at least before the fifth trumpet since the fifth trumpet directly references Christians who were sealed. But what is the big deal here and what exactly do I mean by bringing this up? Well you see this actually leads to a problem. But before discussing this problem it is important to talk about why we should view the sealing of the 144,000 as being representative of God marking His people as His in the last days. First off the best way to think about the 144,000 is to contrast them with those who receive the mark of the beast.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:16-17)

My point here is that the mark of the beast is essentially the same thing as the seal of God since the purpose of the seal of God is to mark God’s people as His while the mark of the beast is to mark the beast’s people as belonging to it. In other words in the last days everyone in the world will either have the mark of the beast or the seal of God so that they belong to God through placing their faith, trust and hope in God alone through Jesus or they will belong to the beast by placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast. Thus as I will fully explain later I do not see the mark of the beast as only being something physical.

Then since the seal of God is of course an entirely spiritual or invisible mark that is a result of being a true and faithful Christian this then means that in truth you should not see the seal of God as being applicable to only the final days. This is because the seal of God is representative of God marking His people as belong to Him and all those who are sealed are sealed as a result of their faith being true. So if all you need to do in order to be sealed with the seal of God is to be a faithful Christian then this would actually mean all faithful Christians are sealed with the seal of God. That said really the 144,000 are supposed to specifically be faithful Christians in the last days. But why is this the case exactly?

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” (Revelation 14:3-5)

My point here is that just as I said it is best to contrast the seal of God in contrast with the mark of the beast since they are both a mark of ownership or belonging it is also best to contrast the 144,000 with the great prostitute. As I fully explain later on the great prostitute is representative of global society itself and how everyone, except the 144,000, have prostituted away their eternal salvation with God for the temporary form of so-called salvation the beast offers them by following the beast as the so-called savior of humanity. Thus the idea here is that the 144,000 are said to “have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins” (Revelation 14:4) because they have not joined the great prostitute in her prostitution and fallen into temptation and instead they have remained true and faithful to God alone.

Now you might with to contest this based upon the fact that the 144,000 “have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:4) The idea here is that the firstfruits would specifically refer to the firstfruits of a harvest and as a result you might say that the 144,000 should be viewed as the first 144,000 faithful Christians. I mean this would actually make sense based on the meaning of the word. However this meaning is not in view here because firstfruits with respect to the 144,000 is a reference to the first resurrection.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6)

Thus what I mean here is that since “those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands” (Revelation 20:4) will be among those who share in the first resurrection this would mean that those who live during the reign of the beast and do not give into worshiping the beast by placing their faith, trust and hope in it over God will share in the firstfruits of the resurrection of the dead. On the other hand faithful Christians who are not martyred and die before the reign of the beast will not be counted among the firstfruits of the 144,000 and instead they will share in the second resurrection after the thousand year reign of Jesus.

In order to further demonstrate this meaning of firstfruits in relation to the 144,000 it is important to bring up the relationship between the 144,000 and the great multitude.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)

My point here is that after John sees the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel being sealed on earth immediately afterward he sees “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) This would then mean that the 144,000 are only sealed after a great multitude of faithful Christians “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) have died on earth. As a result the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel cannot refer to faithful Christians in the first century AD and instead the 144,000 can only refer to faithful Christians far into the future.

Therefore as a result of all the above this is why the 144,000 should specifically be seen as relating to the last days when the beast reigns over the entire world and where a new global society forms that follows and worships the beast as their so-called savior by placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast over God.

But what about the problem I mentioned with respect to the seal of God and the fifth trumpet?

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:3-4)

Alright so clearly according to Revelation the 144,000 should be sealed with the seal of God before the seven trumpets. So why is this a problem? Well you see during the seven trumpets just like during the seven seals a number of calamities are brought forth that kill a very large number of people.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.” (Revelation 8:7-12)

Then as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’

So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:13-15)

Alright so the fact that the seven trumpets describe a rather large level of death and devastation then poses a rather significant problem with respect to the reign of the beast. But why exactly? Well you see if the 144,000 are supposed to be sealed before the seven trumpets then this means that the seven trumpets are supposed to occur shortly before the reign of the beast. Now this might not seem like a problem but what happens when the beast or artificial super intelligence arises but “a third of mankind” (Revelation 9:15) has not been killed by “the four angels” (Revelation 9:15) in the sixth trumpet? Well obviously if you were to taken a completely literal interpretation of Revelation then the beast cannot have arisen until “the four angles” (Revelation 9:15) “kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:15) Therefore in this case you could say the beast has not risen even though the beast has in fact risen. Thus you can see the problem. Really my point here is that having the 144,000 sealed before the seven trumpets limits the flexibility of interpreting the seven trumpets because it makes it so the first six of the seven trumpets occur in a short period of time shortly before the rise of the beast. This then means that interpreting the seven trumpets more loosely so that they describe the general amount of death over the last two thousand years has a very limited basis.

However really the seven trumpets pose another problem. This problem is actually that viewing the seven trumpets even slightly literally is basically nonsensical in nature. For instance consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’

So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.

Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.” (Revelation 9:13-21)

First off this passage describes four angels killing “a third of mankind” (Revelation 9:15) and then two hundred million troops riding horses that breathe fire killing another “third of mankind” (Revelation 9:18) as you can see. Thus my point here in emphasizing this fact is that clearly angels and fire breathing horses killing two thirds of mankind is a rather significant and obvious judgment from God that no one could mistake as not being from God. I mean it would be kind of difficult to ignore God when four angels kill a third of mankind right? Well of course it would be.

But then as a result of this fact why does Revelation say “the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands” (Revelation 9:20) in this passage? For instance if these judgments are obviously from God with the whole four angels killing a third of mankind then surely there would at least be some people who turn to God as a result? Sure I am not saying everyone who is left is going to repent. Really all I am saying is that surely there would at least be a small but significant portion of people who would repent as a result of these judgments. Therefore what I am saying here is that essentially taking the seven trumpets literally is nonsensical. For instance with respect to the sixth trumpet, assuming you want to look towards a fulfillment of any kind, you would really have to eliminate the whole four angels and two hundred million fire breathing horses each killing a third of mankind because in reality if a single angel descended from heaven and killed tons of people there would at least be a significant number of people, if not a large proportion of people, who will repent and recognize the power of God. Therefore it makes much more sense say that the sixth trumpet, and the first five trumpets as well for that matter, will not be fulfilled even close to literally.

So what does this mean exactly? Well really this just means that we should not look at the seven trumpets as being anything close to literal so that we do not look for an actual fulfillment of the seven trumpets. In other words we should simply read the seven trumpets as non-literal apocalyptic imagery that lacks fulfillment. As a result of this you should not be concerned with the issue of the 144,000 being sealed before the seven trumpets and the issue of the seal of God being referenced in the seven trumpets because if the seven trumpets are completely non-literal then these issues literally do not matter at all. For instance since all faithful Christians are sealed with the seal of God as I have said since the seal of God is representative of the fact that we as faithful Christians all belong to God then this means the reference to those with the seal of God in the fifth trumpet does not necessarily have to refer to the 144,000. In other words you should not see the fifth trumpet in an overly literal manner.

Next I realize that what I just said may make you uncomfortable or you may even take issue with it. Therefore it is important to go over an irreconcilable contradiction with regards to the timeline Revelation presents in relation to the seven trumpets. Alright so this timeline contradiction starts with the idea that through Jesus’s death and resurrection we have been given forgiveness for our sins and as a result of this forgiveness Satan has lost his place in heaven so that he cannot accuse us to God because of our sins since God has already forgiven our sins.

As Revelation says:

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.’” (Revelation 12:1-12)

I quoted this rather long passage in order to demonstrate that according to Revelation Satan was only thrown down from heaven so that he lost his place as our accuser after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Then since the reason why God is ignoring the accusations of Satan, or rather the reason why Satan was cast out of heaven, is because of Jesus’s death or sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins then really this means that Satan was thrown down immediately after Jesus’s resurrection. Now you may be wondering where I am going with this but you see the seven trumpets actually reference Satan being cast out of heaven.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.” (Revelation 9:1-3)

First off just to remind you in Revelation angels, or the heavenly servants of God, are symbolized as stars. Therefore my point here with this passage is that clearly and undeniably Satan himself is the “star that had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) and because of this fact this passage is actually talking about Satan. This fact is further emphasized by the fact that this passage says Satan “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) since the Abyss is a prison for demons.

So what does this all mean then? Well if Satan’s fall from heaven took place immediately after Jesus’s death and resurrection then this means that the fifth trumpet of the seven trumpets needed to have taken place not just shortly after Revelation was written but rather shortly after Jesus’s death and resurrection. This is because John sees Satan fall from heaven during the fifth trumpet. As a result of this the seven trumpets cannot happen in the future because if you want to look towards a literal or almost literal fulfillment of the seven trumpets then you must look towards the early first century AD instead.

Now you might say that the text refers to “a star that had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) and because of this you might say that this would refer to Satan falling to earth in the past tense before John’s vision due to the word had. However in the original Greek there is no past tense implication with regards to the star or Satan who fell from heaven to earth. Instead a more literal translation would be as follows. I saw a star out of heaven having fallen to the earth. Thus the point here is that John sees Satan fall from heaven in his vision. Therefore you cannot say that John is referring to Satan’s fall in the past tense and instead this would mean that if you want to see the fifth trumpet as literal then this would mean the fifth trumpet would have needed to happen in the early first century AD before John even had his vision as I have said.

That said if you still wish to dispute the tense then really the fifth seal is not talking about Satan falling from earth in the first century AD and instead it is actually referring to the star that falls from heaven to the earth in the third trumpet.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

Thus as you can clearly see during the third trumpet John sees a star fall from heaven to the earth and because of this fact if you want to take the star that falls from heaven to the earth in the fifth trumpet as definitely past tense then John would actually be referring to the star that fell in the third trumpet. As a result of this fact either Satan falls from heaven to the earth during the third or firth trumpet. Really it does not matter which it is because my point here is that Satan cannot fall from heaven to the earth in the seven trumpets since Satan already fell from heaven to the earth shortly after the death of Jesus as I have demonstrated. This once again means that taking the seven trumpets literally is completely impossible.

As a result of this you may attempt to resolve this issue by saying that this means that the 144,000 must then then be sealed in the first century AD. However as I have already said right after John sees the 144,000 he sees the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) This means that the 144,000 can only be around when a “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians have died on earth. In other words the 144,000 can only refer to Christians far into the future once billions of faithful Christians have died on earth.

Alright so at this point the timeline contradiction should be obvious. If it is not then allow me to explain. The idea here is that the sealing of the 144,000 must happen in the early first century AD due to the fact that the seven trumpets must happen in the early first century AD due to the time of Satan’s fall from heaven while at the same time the sealing of the 144,000 must happen shortly before or during the reign of the beast in the far future due to the fact a great multitude of Christians need to have lived and died first. In other words the sealing of the 144,000 needed to have happened in the past and needs to happen in the future. Furthermore with respect to the seven trumpets due to the issue of the timing of the 144,000 the seven trumpets needed to have happened in the early first century AD and they still need to happen in the future as well.

So what is the solution to this contradiction with the timeline of the 144,000 and the seven trumpets then because surely there must be one right? Well no sorry there is no solution to this contradiction and this is why I called it an irreconcilable contradiction because as long as you want to view the seven trumpets even slightly literal there is no way to solve this contradiction.

That said even though there is not a way to reconcile the contradiction there is still a solution. Really the solution is to just stop viewing the seven trumpets and the seal of God completely literally. With respect to the seven trumpets this of course makes sense because during the fifth trumpet John sees Satan fall from heaven while based on what Revelation says later on Satan was cast out of heaven shortly after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Then since Revelation was written around sixty years after Jesus’s death and resurrection really if you want to take the fifth seal even slightly literally then you would have to place the fifth seal decades before Revelation was even written. However obviously this would be nonsensical.

Then in terms of the 144,000 and the seal of God really every faithful Christian is sealed with the seal of God regardless of the time period in which they find themselves in. This is because the seal of God is a metaphor for God marking His people as His. As a result of this you should not take the reference to the seal of God in the fifth trumpet as being important to the timeline of the sealing of the 144,000 since every single faithful Christian in history has been sealed with the seal of God and every faithful Christian in the future will be sealed with the seal of God. However in terms of the 144,000 really the 144,000 refer specifically to the last faithful Christians alive on earth during the reign of the beast as I have said. So although all faithful Christians will be sealed the 144,000 are supposed to be representative of the last faithful Christians to be sealed as they resist the beast by staying true to their faith.

Next as a result of all this you should not look at the seven trumpets as being anything close to literal. This means that you should not look for an actual fulfillment of the seven trumpets in the future as I have said. Really you should simply read the seven trumpets as non-literal apocalyptic imagery that lacks fulfillment in the past and future. Now this does not mean the seven trumpets are not important. Instead this just means that you should look for a deeper spiritual meaning in the seven trumpets rather than see them as a shallow list of literal events to look for in the future. Then as a result of all this you should not be concerned with the issue of the 144,000 being sealed before the seven trumpets and the issue of the seal of God being referenced in the seven trumpets because if the seven trumpets are completely non-literal then these issues literally do not matter at all.

Then if not taking the seven trumpets literally still does not make sense to you then think about the seven trumpets in a similar way to how I said you should view the seven seals. Then with respect to the seven seals I have said viewing the seven seals literally is completely nonsensical due to things such as a character called Death with Hades following behind them going around killing people in a quarter of the world. I mean obviously it would be completely silly to actually be on the look out for this description from the fourth seal as I have said already. Therefore if the seven seals are obviously not supposed to be taken even slightly literally then there is absolutely zero reason to view the seven trumpets as even slightly literally as well. This then once again means that you should not take issue with the timeline issue with regards to those who have been sealed with the seal of God in the seven trumpets.

Lastly I would just like to remind you that the reason why I wrote all this with regards to the supposed timeline of the 144,000 is so that you do not believe that the sealing of the 144,000 needs to take place before a series of cataclysmic events called the seven trumpets. My point here is that chances are almost everyone who looks towards the seven trumpets as literal signs to watch out for before the beast arises will no doubt end up placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast itself because based on their literal view of Revelation the beast cannot be the beast if the seven trumpets have not happened yet. Of course instead in reality the seven trumpets should not be taken literally and you should not place any importance on any supposed timelines in regards to when Christians will be sealed with the seal of God. Therefore keep all this in mind because it is quite important.

(1) “I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,” – In this verse you should see “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) as meaning the same as the four cardinal directions of north, east, south and west. The idea here is that just as the four cardinal directions symbolize the entire world so too do “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) symbolize the entire world. If this does not make sense to you then think of “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) as a metaphor that means the entire world on the basis that just like in the modern world in the ancient world the principle shape was the rectangle. For instance oftentimes to almost always things such as buildings to live in, fields for farming, cloth for making clothes, parchment, papyrus scrolls and more were in the form of a rectangle that has four corners. As an example even a scroll of papyrus when unrolled would be a rectangle with four corners. Thus the point of using the metaphor of “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) is that the earth is being compared to a rectangular house, field, bolt of cloth, piece of parchment and papyrus scroll in the sense that just as the four corners of a rectangular house, field, bolt of cloth, piece of parchment and papyrus scroll symbolize the entire rectangular house, field, bolt of cloth, piece of parchment and papyrus scroll so too do “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) symbolize the entire earth.

Now in response to this you may say that this therefore must mean that Revelation is saying that the earth is flat with four corners. However this is not the case. This is because as I said above “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) is a metaphor which means that you should not take it literally and instead you should see “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) as being representative of the entire world. But why? Well really because it is quite obvious the entire passage “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) is from should not be taken literally.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.’” (Revelation 7:1-3)

First off in this passage obviously Revelation is not talking about wind when it says wind. Instead wind is supposed to be viewed as the wrath of God and this can obviously be seen as true when an angel says “Do not harm the land or sea or trees” (Revelation 7:3) to “the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea” (Revelation 7:2) in this passage. Thus clearly at the minimum the wind is supposed to be representative of “the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea” (Revelation 7:2) which is why I said the wind is actually representative of the wrath of God since really these four angels have been given power by God to carry out His will. But then why are there four winds? Well there are four winds because of the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. The idea here is that the “four winds” (Revelation 7:1) are representative of the wrath of God going out in call directions across the entire world leaving nothing unscathed.

My point with all this is that if the “four winds” (Revelation 7:1) are not actually four winds and instead they are representative of the wrath of God going out to the whole world then how could you possible claim that “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) refers to the literal four corners of a flat earth? Obviously you cannot so therefore the phrase “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) does not mean that the Book of Revelation teaches that the earth is flat with four literal corners.

If you want to dispute this so that you take “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) literally then in order to remain intellectually honest and logically consistent you would have to take basically everything else in Revelation literally as well. Then if you want to take the rest of Revelation literally then not only does the entire Book of Revelation become completely nonsensical but the intended meaning will forever escape you so that you remain blind. For instance consider trying to take the following verse literally.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8)

My point here is that if you insist on taking “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) literally then really you must also take this verse literally as well and if you do not then not only are you logically inconsistent but intellectually dishonest as well. Then if you really wish to take this verse literally then you will forever remain blind to the message Revelation has for us. This is because by taking this verse literally you would then be on the watch for the seven seals along with a literal rider named Death riding a pale green horse with Hades following close behind them that will be given authority over a fourth of the entire world. Then since the seven seals come before the beast this would mean that unless you see this literal rider named Death riding a pale horse with Hades following behind them that is given rule over a quarter of the world then it does not matter what happens in the world because until this happens the beast cannot come. In other words if you insist on taking Revelation literally you will be on the lookout for completely nonsensical signs that will never happen so that you miss the rise of the beast which is one of the most important messages Revelation has for us.

Now I could go into more instances of metaphors, symbolism and figurative language in Revelation and explain why taking these things literally is completely nonsensical but I am sure you can already imagine what I would cite and say since to say that Revelation uses metaphors, symbolism and figurative language would be quite the understatement. Therefore just consider taking all the symbols and metaphors I have already discussed literally for yourself so that you can see just how nonsensical Revelation would then become.

Lastly my purpose with this comment is just to show how silly it is to view flat earth cosmology in Revelation just because Revelation says “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) here. For instance the secular world sometimes likes to try to attack the Book of Revelation on the false basis that it teaches flat earth. Therefore now you know that if you ever hear people attack Revelation on such a false basis then you can inform them that “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) is a metaphor and that if you want to take “the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) literally then really almost everything else in Revelation needs to be taken literally as well.

(1) “holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.” – Here the “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 7:1) are “holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.” (Revelation 7:1) The land figuratively refers to the nations of the world. Then the sea figuratively refers to the people of the world. And any tree would refer to all the natural life of the world. If you take issue with the symbols of the land or sea then go back and reread my chapter called Important Symbols in this part called The Book of Revelation.

Thus the idea here is that the four angels are holding back the wind, or rather the wrath of God, against the nations, the people and all living things of the world so that God’s people can be sealed or rather marked as His. Thus for now God’s wrath against the world is held back and once God’s people are sealed then His wrath will be let loose upon the world.

Now you might wish to say that the “land or sea or on any tree” (Revelation 7:1) does not refer to the nations, people and natural life of the world respectively. After all nothing in this section of Revelation would obviously necessitate this figurative meaning instead of a literal meaning of referring to the literal land, sea and trees. However there is still a very good reason to see the land, sea and trees here figuratively instead of literally. Really it all comes down to the purpose of sealing “the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) Then as I have said the purpose of being sealed as a faithful Christian and Israelite is that God is marking His people as His so that we can rest assured that no matter how hopeless things may seem or how much suffering we experience that God has not forgotten about us because He has marked us as His people. This is then why the angels are holding back God’s wrath for now so that all of God’s people can be sealed. Now this relates to the meaning of the “land or sea or on any tree” (Revelation 7:1) since the emphasis of the sealing is sealing “the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) This means that we should not view the land or sea as referring to the literal land and sea and instead we should see the land referring to the nations of the world and the sea referring to the people of the world. Then of course the trees would then refer to everything else that is living in the world. Therefore there is a good reason to not see the “land or sea or on any tree” (Revelation 7:1) as being completely literal in nature.

(2) “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God.” – First off God is called “the living God” (Revelation 7:2) which is in contrast to the many false gods and idols people worship which are not living because they are false and non-existent. Then “the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) is figuratively used to mark God’s people as belonging to Him. The symbol of a seal comes from the fact that people would seal something with their mark in order to mark it as approved by them in the ancient world. This is the whole idea with sealing a will with seven seals that I brought up earlier. Thus the idea here is that God is approving of His faithful people and marking them as His so that they belong to Him.

Now this may not seem that important to you but for faithful Christians in the last days being sealed “with the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) will be an incredibly important idea. This is because once the beast or artificial super intelligence comes and rules over the entire world even the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will fall into following and even worshiping the beast as the so-called savior of humanity. This is because Revelation says with respect to the beast that “the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) Thus my point here is that the beast will truly “wage war against the saints” (Revelation 13:7) and “conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) so that the number of faithful Christians in the world will be so few in number that many if not most faithful Christians will not be able to interact with another faithful Christian in their regular day to day life as basically everyone they know follows and praises the beast as their so-called savior. As a result for these faithful Christians being assured that they are not alone and that God has not forgotten about them because He has sealed them as His people is extremely important. This is ultimately the purpose of this section on “the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) here in Revelation. Therefore if while reading this you find yourself in a world that is so completely dominated by the beast that you feel as if God has forgotten about you and the rest of His people then do not despair and do not lose hope. This is because instead of forgetting about His people God has already marked all of His people as His with His seal and because of this fact God will never forget about you. Always remember this and do not forget it.

(2-3) “And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do not harm the land or sea or trees’” – Again the land is representative of the nations of the world, the sea of the peoples and the trees of the living things of the natural world. Therefore this angel is telling the four angels who have been given power by God to unleash His wrath that they need to wait and continue to hold back the wrath of God so that nothing is impacted for now.

(3) “until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.” – Later on in Revelation the 144,000 are also described as being sealed on their foreheads with the name of God and the name of Jesus.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)

The reason why the 144,000 who are sealed have the name of God and the name of Jesus on their forehead is because once again being sealed with the seal of God is a metaphor for God marking you as belonging to Him. In other words by being sealed and having the name of God and the name of Jesus on your forehead you will belong to God and to Jesus as a faithful Christian and true Israelite who is part of God’s people.

Then once again the idea behind the seal is to give Christians hope in the last days so that they know God is not only watching them but God is marking them as His own possession. Therefore we do not have to worry about what happens next after the angels stop hold back God’s wrath because even if we die God will remember us and God will fulfill His promises to us because He has already sealed and marked us as His. Thus always remember that it does not matter what happens to you in the future because as long as you are faithful so that you are part of God’s people then God will never forget about you.

(4) “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” – First off as I have already explained previously Israel is the name of God’s people and because of this fact we as faithful Christians are the true and only Israelites alive in the world today. This would of course mean that the so-called Jews are not Israelites and they have absolutely nothing to do with Israel as I have said and demonstrated already. Therefore when you see the reference to “from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) you should not have the so-called Jews or the modern state of so-called Israel in view here. Furthermore you should not even have former so-called Jews who became Christians or true Jews by accepting Jesus as the Christ in view here either. Instead you should only have all faithful Christians in view here because all faithful Christians are Israel.

This fact then can be clearly seen in the number of those sealed or the number 144,000 itself. This is because this number of 144,000 can be broken down to 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel since Revelation says “12,000 were sealed” (Revelation 7:5) from each tribe of Israel. Then as I have said before the twelve in “12,000 were sealed” (Revelation 7:5) is representative of the twelve apostles or the legacy of the New Testament period. Of course obviously the twelve tribes of Israel would be representative of the legacy of the Old Testament period. Therefore the idea here is that 144,000 or rather 144 is representative of the combined legacies of the Old Testament and New Testament periods. This means that the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) are those who carry on the legacy and faith of those of the Old Testament period as well as the New Testament period. Of course this is why only those on earth who are faithful Christians today are Israelites since in order to be an Israelite you need to carry on the legacy and faith of both the Old Testament and New Testament periods. The idea here is that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who reigns as King of Israel and because of this fact in order to be considered part of Israel and a Jew you need to recognize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and the King of Israel. This is then why the so-called Jews are not Jews and instead they are “those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) and “those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9) That said my point here is that the 144 in 144,000 is clearly representative of faithful Christians as I have said.

Then the reason why the number is given as 144,000 or rather a multiple of a thousand specifically is because since the sealing of the 144,000 primarily concerns the last faithful Christians alive on earth before Jesus returns to destroy the beast the main message is that Israel, the people of God, or the Church is weak and powerless. Now you may be skeptical of this fact but you need to understand that elsewhere in Revelation rather large numbers are cited.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.” (Revelation 9:16)

Therefore my point here is that if Revelation did not want to give the impression that Israel or the Church will be weak and powerless as the number of the faithful Christians or Israelites are few in number then it would have given the number of those sealed as say a hundred and forty-four thousand thousand or 144,000,000. Furthermore the intended meaning of the weakness of Israel or the Church in the future with the number of 144,000 actually makes complete sense based on what Revelation says with respect to the beast and the reign of the beast over the world.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?’” (Revelation 13:3-4)

My point here is that if the Church is supposed to be strong during the reign of the beast so that a significant portion of the world are faithful Christians then why does Revelation say “the whole world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3) in this passage? I mean really the only way this would work is if when the beast finally arises that the vast majority of people end up following the beast with open arms so that the small minority that does not follow the beast is utterly insignificant by comparison. Therefore after the beast rises there will come a time when the beast will rule over the world unopposed so that essentially everyone on earth follows the beast and looks towards it as their so-called savior. The main idea here is that Israel or the Church will not be strong during the reign of the beast and that instead it will be weak, powerless and utterly insignificant.

Then as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

Once again my point is that if the beast is going to be given permission by God “to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) then this means that the number of Israelites or true and faithful Christians will truly be few in number in the future. This might not make much sense but as I explain later on in this commentary I believe that when Revelation speaks of the beast waging war and conquering the saints or faithful Christians it is speaking about an ideological war of belief. Thus the idea here is that when the beast comes it will be so utterly glorious and benevolent in the sight of humanity as it works so-called miracles so that even the saints or those who are, or rather used to be, faithful Christians will be deceived into placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast. My point is that the war that we will face as Christians in the future will be a spiritual war where the beast will perform such “great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24) that the vast majority to almost all of those who call themselves Christians will end up following the beast as they see it as the so-called savior of the world.

As Jesus says:

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:23-25)

Therefore my point here is that the beast will be so completely victorious in the future through working so-called miracles and performing “great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect” (Matthew 24:24) that essentially the entire world will follow it and see it as the so-called savior of the world. This would of course mean that there will not be hundreds of millions of faithful Christians let alone billions of faithful Christians in the world. Really there might not even be ten million or even one million faithful Christians left on earth after the beast finishes waging war against the saints and conquering them. Instead there will be so few faithful Christians or Israelites left in the world that the number of 144,000 may very well be a near accurate representation of their number towards the end of the reign of the beast. That said I of course do not think the 144,000 is literal at all and instead all I am saying is that the order of magnitude of faithful Christians left on earth towards the end of the reign of the beast will probably be close to 144,000. For instance the actual number could end up being 10,000 or 10,000,000 or even any other number. Really the main point here is that the number of faithful Christians or Israelites will be extremely few in number since the whole world is following the beast instead of God.

Now this does not mean that there will not be hundreds of millions or even billions of those who call themselves Christians during the reign of the beast. Instead I am talking about true and faithful Christians who do not follow the beast or see it as the so-called savior of the world. This means that there very well may be millions or even billions of so-called Christians in the future who call themselves Christian while following the beast. For these so-called Christians they may even see the beast itself as Jesus returned and the rule of the beast over the world as the millennium kingdom or the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth as blasphemous as this sounds. Truly then these so-called Christians will be a church of Satan. Therefore my point here is that I am only talking about true and faithful Christians or Israelites who do not follow the beast. This means that it does not matter how many millions or billions of so-called Christians call themselves Christian as they follow the beast since by definition whoever follows the beast is not part of God’s people or Israel.

Therefore as a result of all this do not concern yourself with the strength of Israel or the Church in the future and especially do not concern yourself with the strength of Israel during the reign of the beast. This is because the weakness of Israel in the last days is all part of God’s plan for our world. So when the number of true and faithful Christians eventually reduce in number so that our number of our fellow brothers and sisters are but a fraction of what they once were then do not lose hope for the eternal Kingdom of God and the promises of God because the weakness of Israel or the Church that you see will be part of God’s plan. In fact to the contrary I would actually say the weaker Israel gets so that there are ever fewer true and faithful Christians in the world the more hope, faith and reassurance you should have that the eternal Kingdom of God and the promises of God will in fact come to pass. This is because if God says that Israel will be weak in the last days so that there will hardly be any faithful Christians left on earth then this is what God has promised will come to pass and if this promise comes to pass then surely the eternal Kingdom of God and the rest of God’s promises will also come to pass. Therefore the weakness of Israel or the Church in the future is of no concern to you now and when it comes to pass you should actually see it in a positive light as the fulfillment of God’s plan.

Lastly the idea that Israel or the Church will be weak in the last days leads to the main reason why this section the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) is included in the Book of Revelation. You see just because Israel will be so weak in the last days that it will be like it almost does not exist anymore does not mean that it will no longer exist. The idea here is that the purpose of the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) is that these faithful Christians in the last days are the final faithful Israelites or Christians who carry on the legacy of ancient Israel and the faith of Abraham before Jesus returns to destroy the beast. In other words the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) demonstrate that although Israel will be weak in the last days it will not be destroyed by the beast and instead it will survive as the 144,000 carry on the faith and legacy of those who came before them. Therefore instead of seeing the weakness of Israel or the Church in the last days in a negative light instead you should see it in a more positive light since even though Israel will be weak in the last days it will still live on as the last faithful Christians alive on earth carry on the legacy of ancient Israel and the faith of Abraham.

(5) “From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed” – Just to reiterate the reason why 12,000 are sealed from each of the tribes of Israel is because the number twelve is representative of the twelve apostles of the New Testament period as I have said. For proof of this consider what Revelation says concerning the wall of the new Jerusalem as I have already quoted.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height. And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.” (Revelation 21:10-17)

My point with this passage is that clearly the wall is representative of both the twelve tribes of Israel or the legacy of the Old Testament period and the twelve apostles or the legacy of the New Testament period. This is because the wall has twelve gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the wall has twelve foundations with the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Then this is why the wall of the new Jerusalem is then said to measure “144 cubits” (Revelation 21:17) as this passage says because the number of 144 is representative of both the legacies of the Old Testament period and the New Testament period combined into one. Therefore as I have said already the same idea is in view here with the number of 144,000 and this is why there are 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

(5-8) “From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” – Upon first glance this list may seem to be the twelve tribes of Israel or rather the twelve sons of Jacob mentioned in Genesis however this is not the case.

As the Book of Genesis says

“Jacob had twelve sons:

The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.” (Genesis 35:22-26)

So you do not have to compare them for yourself the only difference between Revelation and the above passage in Genesis is that Revelation omits Dan and replaces it with Manasseh. Then in terms of where Manasseh came from in Genesis Joseph, one of the twelve, had two sons named Ephraim and Manasseh. Then Jacob or Israel elevated Joseph’s two sons so that they are considered as his sons.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.” (Genesis 48:5)

Thus this is where Manasseh being a son of Jacob or Israel comes from and why Manasseh can be referred to as a tribe of Israel and why it is referred to as a tribe of Israel in Revelation. But then why is Ephraim not included in the list in Revelation? Then why is Joseph included if Manasseh and Ephraim are the sons of Joseph? But perhaps more importantly why is the tribe of Dan omitted in Revelation? Well first off it is important to understand that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are not actually important. This is because the twelve tribes of Israel are simply supposed to be representative of the legacy of ancient Israel or the Old Testament period into the current era. This means that instead of the actual names holding importance the real importance is just in the number of names or twelve which are representative of all of the sons of Jacob or Israel. In other words the names themselves do not really matter.

That said since you no doubt want an answer I would say the best explanation for the omission of Dan and the inclusion of Manasseh but not Ephraim while Joseph is included is the following. First off when the land of the twelve tribes of Israel was divided the tribe of Levi was not actually counted as being among the twelve tribes of Israel since the tribe of Levi made up the priestly class who were devoted to God and because of this they did not receive land and instead the twelve tribes that received land would support them. So in this list of tribes Levi was of course omitted and Joseph was split into Ephraim and Manasseh while the tribe of Joseph itself was omitted which resulted in twelve tribes who received land plus the tribe of Levi who were to be priests. Alright so then why is Levi included in the list in Revelation if it was never part of the twelve tribes to be given land in ancient Israel? Well really you need to understand the role of the tribe of Levi. As I just said essentially the tribe of Levi served as priests and then the center of this priestly system was the First Temple and then later the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This means that the tribe of Levi was essentially dependent upon the temple system in ancient Israel. Then since God used the Romans to destroy His Second Temple in Jerusalem during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War in 70 AD really the whole priestly system of ancient Israel also passed away along with the Second Temple. Then instead of relying on an earthly high priest who was supposed to be part of the tribe of Levi we now have a heavenly High Priest who is of course Jesus. Furthermore through our faith in Jesus we all become priests to God as we make spiritual sacrifices to God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6)

Therefore the reason why the tribe of Levi is now included in the list in Revelation is because the old temple system from the Old Testament is no more and instead of having a select priestly class that is separate from the rest of Israel all of Israel is the priestly class. In other words we are all part of the tribe of Levi since as faithful Christians we are all priests to God.

Now in terms of the reason why Dan is omitted and Manasseh is included but not Ephraim while Joseph is included is quite simple. Really it probably just relates to the idolatry that Dan and Ephraim engaged in as told in the Book of First Kings.

As the Book of First Kings says:

“Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.’

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, ‘Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’

One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.” (1 Kings 12:26-32)

The key point here is that idolatrous golden calves were set up in Dan, one of the tribes of Israel to be given land, and in Bethel which was a city in Ephraim which was also one of the tribes of Israel to be given land. Then since the ancient Israelites building and worshiping a golden calf after the Exodus was something that God most definitely did not like the fact that Dan and Ephraim both had golden calves set up in their territory would definitely be extremely sinful and offensive to God. I mean to say that God hates idolatry based on what He says and what happens in the Old Testament would be a massive understatement. Furthermore based on what you have already read with regards to the letters to the seven churches it is clear that Revelation is also extremely against idolatry as well. Furthermore arguably the main purpose of Revelation is to warn us against idolatry in the form following and worshiping the beast. Thus based on what Revelation says obviously God wants us to know that He absolutely hates idolatry to the highest possible degree so that it is a sin that eclipses all others. Sure you might disagree with idolatry being the worst sin but you cannot disagree with idolatry being an absolutely abhorrent sin that God completely hates. This fact is then why Dan and Ephraim are omitted from the list of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation. Really God just wants to emphasize that fact that He absolutely hates idolatry and He of course does this by not including Dan and Ephraim as I just said.

But then why is Joseph included? Well if God wants to exclude Dan and Ephraim to emphasize that He absolutely hates idolatry and still holds a grievance against Dan and Ephraim for their idolatry with the golden calves that were set up in their land then really the only tribe left to include would be Joseph. Therefore even though Joseph’s son Manasseh is already include so Joseph is represented Revelation includes Joseph again so that there are twelve tribes instead of eleven. This fact that the tribe of Manasseh is basically counted twice can then be considered good evidence that the list of the twelve tribes of Israel here in Revelation was deliberately made to exclude Dan and Ephraim to emphasize the fact that God hates idolatry.

Now all this might have been hard to follow so it is time to summarize it all. The original twelve sons of Jacob or Israel are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Benjamin and Joseph. Joseph would then later be split into Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus really there are either thirteen or fourteen tribes of Israel depending on if you want to count Joseph with his sons Ephraim and Manasseh or just his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Next in terms of the twelve tribes of Israel to be given land the tribe of Levi became priests so that they were not given land. Then the tribe of Joseph became the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh so Joseph did not exist as a tribe that had land. This then resulted in the twelve tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh who were given land. Next with regards to the list of the twelve tribes in Revelation really there are fourteen tribes if you include Joseph with his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Then since Revelation wants to include the tribe of Levi due to the fact that we as faithful Christians are the priests of God the best way to get the fourteen tribes of Israel down to twelve would be to omit the tribes of Dan and Ephraim due to the fact that idolatrous golden calves were set up within their territory in the Old Testament period. As a result of this the twelve tribes of Israel as given by Revelation are now Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin.

2 – Praise from the Great Multitude

(9) After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. (10) And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”

(11) And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

(13) Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

(14) “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”

So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) For this reason, they are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
(16) ‘Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.’
(17) For the Lamb in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd.
‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’
and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

2.1 – Commentary

(9) “After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” – First off in contrast to the 144,000 who John sees on earth John sees this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) in heaven as evidenced by the fact that they are “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) In other words this great multitude is standing before the throne of God and Jesus and because of this fact they are supposed to be in heaven. This then means that the great multitude has died on earth at some point. Then because of this fact this is why Revelation says “They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9) The idea here is that white robes symbolize spiritual purity, wisdom, righteousness, victory, perfection and holiness. Furthermore Jesus promises us that “he who overcomes will be dressed in white.” (Revelation 3:5) Then the palm branches symbolize peace, victory, triumph and eternal life. Therefore the idea here with the white robes and the palm branches is that these faithful Christians have died on earth at some point as faithful Christians and because of this fact they have overcome the world so that they will receive eternal life in the resurrection so that they can live with God in the new earth.

This then leads to another important point. This point is that this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is not actually in heaven because they are dead. Instead this entire passage is entirely metaphorical and non-literal as I previously said and demonstrated in my commentary on Revelation 6 with regards to the fact that immortal and immaterial souls do not exist. But alright sure immortal and immaterial souls might not exist but does this not mean that this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is physically alive in resurrected bodies in heaven then? Well obviously not. This is because the resurrection of the dead happens later on after Jesus destroys the beasts and ushers in the eternal Kingdom of God. This means that other than Jesus none of the dead will be resurrected until the resurrection at the end of the age. Then because of this fact this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is not actually alive and instead they are all dead. But then why does Revelation speak as if they are alive? Well because as I have said before from God’s perspective no one is dead and instead all are alive to Him since He is all powerful.

As Jesus says:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38)

Then just to remind you this fact makes sense when you think about God as the Author and our universe like a novel. The point here is that if you were to write a novel from your perspective the characters that you write the death of in your novel do not actually die when they die in the novel. Sure from the character’s perspective they are dead because they are gone when they die however from your perspective they are still alive since they are alive in your mind and all you need to do to give them life again is to write them back into your novel. Thus the same idea is in view here with God. This means that from God’s perspective every single one of His faithful people are not actually dead and instead they are all alive to Him.

Thus the purpose here with the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is that Revelation is assuring us that the faithful who have come before us are not actually dead from God’s perspective and instead they are alive to God and live on in Him. Then as they live on in Him they praise Him just as they did when they were actually alive on earth. This would then mean that as faithful Christians we should not fear death because everyone who is dead is alive to God and then as long as we die in our faith God will raise us from the dead in the resurrection of life so we can live with Him in the new earth forever more. Therefore this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is not supposed to be viewed literally and instead they should be viewed metaphorically.

Next it is important to talk about the other purpose of this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) in the Book of Revelation. But first it is important to emphasize who the great multitude is. In short this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) just as the text says. This means that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is made up of faithful Christians from all over the world and from all the different people groups of the world. This then leads to the purpose of this great multitude and the easiest way to see this purpose is to contrast the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) with the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) as I have said before. My point here is that the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) are representative of the weakness of Israel or the Church on earth in the sense that in the last days there will be but a tiny and insignificant number of faithful Christians left alive on earth. On the other hand at the point in time when the 144,000 will be sealed there will be “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians who have come before and died in their faith on earth.

This then means that you should not look at the 144,000 as the weakness of Israel or the Church and instead you should actually see the 144,000 as the strength of Israel or the Church because “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) has actually been grafted into Israel or the Church throughout history. In other words although Israel will be completely weak and powerless on earth in the last days in the face of the power and might of the beast in reality Israel has triumphed over all nations since there is “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) Therefore the purpose of the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is to give hope to the 144,000 in the sense that they are carrying on the legacy of the great multitude of faithful Christians from all nations who have come before them. The idea here is that the 144,000 are not actually alone on earth as they stand against and resist the beast. Instead there is “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) standing behind the 144,000 in spirit cheering them on and celebrating the triumph of Israel over all the nations of the world as the 144,000 stand against and resist the beast so that Israel can survive on earth until the end of the age. Therefore although Israel will be weak on earth in the last days in truth it will actually be strong as it has taken over the whole world so that people from all people groups recognize the King of Israel as their king. This fact then relates to a promise that God made to Abraham as told in the Old Testament.

As God says:

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” (Genesis 28:14)

The idea here is that God promised Abraham that his descendants would “be like the dust of the earth” (Genesis 28:14) and of course this promise has been fulfilled in the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) since all those who have faith in Jesus as the Christ are the children of Abraham. Once again this is because by having faith in Jesus we carry on the faith of Abraham so that we are his children in spirit.

As Paul wrote:

“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, ‘Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.’ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.” (Romans 9:6-8)

Therefore truly the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) is representative of the triumph of Israel and the faith of Abraham over the whole world so that God’s promise to Abraham could be fulfilled in them. This of course has happened since if you were to count the number of faithful Christians who have died on earth from when Revelation was written to the present day there would be many billions from all the different people groups of the world.

As a result if you find yourself among the last Christians on earth or the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) then do not lose hope because of the weakness and near nonexistence of Israel in the world in the face of the power of the beast. Instead you should look towards the billions of faithful Christians or the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) who have come before you because they are all cheering you on in spirit as you stand against and resist the beast. In other words if you ever believe you are all alone as a faithful Christian then just know that you are not alone.

(10) “And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” – The faithful before the throne of God who have died on earth so that they are now alive to God in spirit in heaven give praise to God and to Jesus. Always remember that it is only through the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus that we will be given all the things that God and Jesus have promised us as the faithful here in the Book of Revelation. Therefore do not forget to give thanks to God and to Jesus by saying “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10)

(11-12) “And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’” – Now all the angels and the others join the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) in praising God and giving thanks for what He has done for us all in giving us life. In other words once again God is worth of worship and praise because He has created all things.

(13) “Then one of the elders addressed me: ‘These in white robes,’ he asked, ‘who are they, and where have they come from?’” – Here one of the twenty-four elders, who are representative of the legacy of both the Old and New Testament periods, asks John who the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) are supposed to be.

(14) “‘Sir,’ I answered, ‘you know.’ So he replied, ‘These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” – First off those in the “white robes” (Revelation 7:13) who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14) are of course the “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) Then by saying “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14) Revelation is saying that through their faith in Jesus the great multitude who are now with God in spirit in heaven have been forgiven of their sins so that they are now pure, righteous and holy before God.

Next this verse might not seem that important to you upon first glance but it is important to point out that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) as the text says here. But what does this mean exactly? Well first off by saying they have “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) Revelation is saying the great multitude have died on earth at some point so that they are now dead or rather no longer on earth. Then because they have died in their faith they are now with God in spirit in heaven since from God’s perspective no one is dead as I have said. The reason why this section on the great multitude is included is to once again give faithful Christians hope and assurance that no matter where, how or when we die that as along as we die as faithful Christians then God will not forget about us. To the contrary when we die in our faith we join God in spirit as we sleep while waiting for the resurrection of the dead and the resurrection of life where we will be raised from the dead to eternal life to live with God forever more in the new Jerusalem in the new earth. That said there are three points to make here with regards to the whole great multitude “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) in this verse.

The first point is that the fact that the great multitude has “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) means that preterism, or the belief that the central prophecies of Revelation have been partly or fully fulfilled in the first century AD, is completely false. This is because the great tribulation is supposed to end with the defeat of the beast on earth by Jesus and because of this fact if you want to take Rome or a Roman emperor to be the beast as as most preterists do then this means “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) needed to have died on earth in the first century AD. However this is just the beginning in terms of how false preterism is. For instance preterists take an almost completely literal view since the reason why they are preterists is because they want to try to make Revelation work completely literally.

However if you wish to take the great multitude “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) literally then really “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians needed to have died on earth before the seven trumpets even start and before the beast even rises. This is because taking Revelation literally means that John sees this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) long before the beast even rises and even before the seven trumpets. Thus really you cannot say the seven trumpets concern the first century AD but the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) refers to the far future. For further evidence of this consider the 144,000 and the fact that the 144,000 are most definitely supposed to be on earth before or at least during the reign of the beast. Then consider the fact that immediately after seeing the 144,000 and before the seven trumpets John sees the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) which means that this great multitude must spiritually be with God in heaven after the 144,000 are sealed on earth and before the seven trumpets begin. In other words if you wish to take Revelation literally as preterists do then preterism literally cannot be true. Of course I do not take Revelation literally like preterists do because if you take Revelation literally then the entire purpose and point of Revelation will forever escape you as I have said just like how it has escaped preterists.

That said really preterism is so completely nonsensical in nature that it is basically indefensible. For instance preterists insist on taking “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) completely literally and this is why they say that Revelation would have needed to have been fulfilled in the first century AD. However the issue is that in trying to demonstrate that the central prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled in the first century AD they either take almost everything else in Revelation in a non-literal manner, completely ignore it or twist it into meaning something it does not. For example with regards to the great multitude the standard preterist response is that the great multitude refers to the far future after the beast is defeated. However in reality this belief is just completely wrong in terms of what Revelation says. This is because as I said John sees the great multitude at the same time as he sees the 144,000 and because of this fact when the 144,000 are sealed there needs to be “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9)

As another example consider the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls. With regards to these judgments preterists either take them completely figuratively or just completely ignore them except when they can find some historical reference that is slightly related to what these judgments describe. For instance when Revelation says “A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths” (Revelation 9:18) they essentially just ignore verses like this completely since it does not fit within their preterist framework. I mean obviously it goes without saying that a third of mankind or humanity itself was not killed in the first century AD let alone through a single judgment of fire, smoke and sulfur. Of course this is just one example and there are more.

Really my point here is that preterists are essentially hypocritical in their approach to Revelation in the sense that they insist phrases like “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) must be viewed completely literally while at the same time everything that contradicts there view, including the timing of the great multitude, should be viewed in such a figurative way that it is completely disconnected from reality or worse yet simply ignored. Therefore as I have already said in my commentary on “what must soon come to pass” (Revelation 1:1) preterism is not a serious position to take with regards to Revelation because it is obviously and undeniably wrong.

Then the second point here is similar to the first in that just as this verse demonstrates that preterism is false due to the fact that there was not “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) in the first century AD, so too does this verse demonstrate that Revelation was never supposed to concern the Roman Empire or the first century AD at all. Then because of this fact all the prophecies of the Book of Revelation were never supposed to be fulfilled in the first or second centuries AD. This is because it was a complete impossibility for there to have been a great multitude of faithful Christians on earth let alone a great multitude of faithful Christians who have died on earth by the end of the second century AD let alone the first century AD. Therefore Revelation was never written as a prophecy about the first century AD and instead it was written as a prophecy that could only concern the far future so that “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) could “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) before the central prophecies of Revelation including the rise and reign of the beast take place.

This is because the total number of Christians in the world by the end of the first century AD has been estimated to be less than ten thousand. Furthermore there probably were not over a million Christians in the world until the late third century AD. Therefore if there were so few Christians in the first and second centuries AD and Jesus was supposed to return in the first or second century to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God then how does the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) figure into this? I mean how exactly could this “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) die on earth so that they “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) and spiritually enter heaven before the throne of God if there were probably less than ten thousand Christians on earth at the end of the first century AD? Well? Then on top of this if the number of Christians in the world did not pass 144,000 until the late second century AD to third century AD then how could the 144,000 be sealed on earth?

Of course there are two ways to view this problem. The first is to say that “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” is a gross exaggeration and that thousands qualifies as the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9). This view is of course completely ridiculous. Sure I fully understand that Revelation is highly figurative and with a ton of symbolism as well but to claim that the intended meaning of “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) is thousands would just be laughable. I mean if this is what Revelation actually intends then why not use the word myriadōn (μυριάδων) which means ten of thousand? Would this not be the perfect word to use because it more accurate matches the intended number and leaves it ambiguous so that a true number does not have to be given? For instance Revelation 9:16 uses this word with the figurative meaning of a very large number. Therefore this first view is just absurd.

But what is the second view? Well the second view is that the central prophecies of Revelation do not concern the first or second centuries AD and instead they concern the far future. This is why Revelation refers to “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” because there would only be hundreds of millions or billions of Christians in the world far into the future. But why this number? Well Revelation 9:16 refers to twice a myriad myriad which would most literally mean two-hundred million. Although keep in mind that this number is used figuratively as you will later see. However the usage of such a large number in Revelation would mean that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) should be in the hundreds of millions or most likely the billions. Therefore the central prophecies of Revelation were not supposed to concern the first or second centuries AD and Jesus was never supposed to return then either. Instead Jesus will only return after there is “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) so that they are spiritually in heaven. In other words the Book of Revelation still concerns the future and it is most definitely not a failed prophecy.

Lastly the third point that I have with respect to the fact that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) has “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) is that as a result the great tribulation cannot only refer to the period shortly before the beast rises and the reign of the beast. What I mean by this is that oftentimes people like to claim that there will be a seven year tribulation period where the world will face wars and disasters and then half way through this period the beast will arise and come to rule the world for the final three and a half years before Jesus returns to destroy it. This idea largely comes from the following passages.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:2-3)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

Then as the Book of Revelation also says:

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.” (Revelation 13:5)

The idea here with these three passages is that the 42 months or 1,260 days before the beast arises to kill the two witnesses would be the first half of the great tribulation then the 42 months that the beast has been given authority over the earth would be the second half of the great tribulation. Of course when added together the sum is seven years which is where people get the idea of a so-called seven year tribulation from. Now all this sounds great and all but it is all completely false. First off 42 months, 3.5 years and 1,260 days are all symbolic and they have the intended meaning of an appointed period of time that God has promised coming to pass or being fulfilled in either a past, present or future tense. If you have forgotten why these time periods have such a meaning then reread my chapter called Important Symbols in this part called The Book of Revelation. Therefore really on the basis of the meaning of this time period alone the whole so-called seven year tribulation is complete nonsense.

That said no doubt you may question this view since even if you accept the fact that the number seven is not literal in the Book of Revelation then it is hard to accept the fact that the time periods of 42 months, 3.5 years and 1,260 are not literal as well. Therefore let me bring up my point with regards to the great tribulation and the fact that the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) has “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) here. Essentially my point here is the same as my point with regard to the fact that this verse demonstrates that preterism is false. The idea here is that if you wish to take Revelation literally or at face value then John sees the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) and they are sealed before he sees the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) as I have said. Furthermore John also sees this great multitude come out of the great tribulation before he sees the seven trumpets, the two witnesses, the rise of the beast and the reign of the beast. In other words John sees the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) before the great tribulation is supposed to even begin. Really this fact is indisputable even if you only want to take Revelation somewhat literally let alone entirely literally like those who believe in the whole so-called seven year tribulation do.

But what if you want to resolve this issue by saying that John sees the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) at an indeterminate period of time so that he could be actually seeing them after the seven trumpets and after the reign of the beast? Then with this view you would be able to say that the great multitude refers to those who die in the so-called seven year tribulation period that some people like to believe in. Well first off there is zero reason to simply cut out the section on the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) and remove it to a later time. Furthermore if you want to do this then really you are not taking the text literally and if the whole reason you believe in the so-called seven year tribulation is due to a desire to take the text literally then your positions here would actually be contradictory in nature.

Now you might say I am being hypocritical here in the sense that I do not take the timeline of the 144,000 and the seven trumpets literally. However this is not true since my point is that those who believe in the so-called seven year tribulation period get their so-called seven year tribulation from taking the text literally so that 42 months means 42 months instead of a period of time that God has appointed or promised that will come to pass. On the other hand I take essentially everything in Revelation as figurative or metaphorical. Thus my point is that those who believe in a so-called seven year tribulation are hypocritical since they insist 42 months is literal while saying a series of events is not literal. Then again I take both the 42 months and the series of events surrounding the 144,000 and great multitude to be completely figurative. Really the reason why I bring up issues with the beliefs of so-called seven year tribulation believers and preterists that I do not actually agree with is because the easiest way to demonstrate that an interpretation framework is false is through hypocrisy since any interpretation of Revelation needs to be consistent with all of the Book of Revelation.

That said with regards to changing the timeline of the great multitude really I would say that playing make believe and falsely imagining that John sees the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) after the reign of the beast instead of before like the text says actually butchers the meaning of the great multitude. You see one of the central meanings of the great multitude is that they are representative of all faithful Christians who have died on earth. Then because of this fact their purpose is to give us hope and assurance that God will not forget about us after we die. To the contrary instead of God forgetting about us we will actually be spiritually in heaven since from God’s perspective all who are dead are alive. Thus my point here with this is that it does not make any sense for only those who die in the so-called seven year tribulation to be included in the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) since the great multitude’s true purpose is to give hope and assurance to us that just like all faithful Christians who have come before us, when we die we will join God in spirit as we sleep and wait for the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age.

So what exactly does all the above mean in terms of the great tribulation? Well first off it means that the idea of a so-called seven year tribulation period around the rise of the beast is complete and utter nonsense since it is just factually wrong. If you want to dispute this then I would like to remind you that John sees those “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) before the great tribulation is supposed to begin.

Alright so now that you understand this common view of the tribulation to be completely wrong it is time to talk about what the great tribulation actually is. First off based upon the fact that John sees those “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) before the great tribulation is supposed to begin and the fact that when the 144,000 are sealed there is already “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) “who have come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) then it is completely obvious that this great tribulation refers to a rather long period of time. I mean it would take many years for “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians to die on earth. Then because of this fact and because the great multitude is supposed to be representative of the triumph of Israel or the Church over “every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) really the entire period from the death and resurrection of Jesus to the end of the age just before Jesus returns is the great tribulation. In other words when Revelation was written the great tribulation was happening, when I wrote this book the great tribulation was also happening and then when the beast reigns over the world the great tribulation will still be happening.

As a result of this fact you should not see the great tribulation as merely referring to a literal seven year period of time around the reign of the beast and instead you should see the great tribulation as referring to the entire history of the Church or Israel from around the time of the first century AD to the present day and to the end of the age.

But what exactly does the great tribulation mean then? I mean is the great tribulation not supposed to be a period of massive wars, famines, diseases and more that shake entire world all at once? Well to be blunt no. You see as I have said already the Greek word translated as tribulation is thlipsis (θλῖψις) and it would most accurately refer to internal pressure that causes you to feel restricted or without options. Thus the idea here is that the great tribulation should actually be understood to refer to a great period of testing where all faithful Christians experience internal pressure that causes them to feel restricted so that they feel like they do not have any options. This of course can refer to any number of things.

For instance imagine your spouse dies two years after getting married and you ask yourself why God would allow something like that to happen and that if God truly exists then your spouse would not have died. In this situation you would be feeling great internal pressure brought about through the circumstances that you find yourself in so that you feel like you are restricted or without options. For example how can you continue to have faith in God after your spouse died? Thus obviously in this situation you may very well feel like apostasy is truly the only option left. That said I am not saying this would actually happen to you if your spouse died. Instead my point here is that tribulation or rather thlipsis (θλῖψις) does not explicitly refer to what most people see the tribulation as being. Instead tribulation or rather thlipsis (θλῖψις) refers to internal pressure that causes you to feel restricted which can be seen in a number of different personal trials in your life including the obvious instance of being persecuted for your faith. Really my point here is that thlipsis (θλῖψις) or tribulation would most accurately refer to all the trials and testing that we face in our lives no matter what form they take.

This meaning of thlipsis (θλῖψις) is then why it is makes perfect sense for the great tribulation to refer to all of Christian history from the time of Jesus to the end of the age. My point here is that even if you discount all forms of tribulation except for persecution so that you only look at all the persecution of Christians that has taken place in history then really there is very good cause to call the whole period from the resurrection of Jesus to the end of the age the great tribulation. Then if you add on top of this all the personal trials and testing that all faithful Christians have gone through from the time of Jesus up to the present day then really there is zero reason to believe that we have not been in the great tribulation for almost two thousand years now. Therefore as a result of all this you should once again not view the great tribulation as merely being a short period but rather as a long period that will continue to last until Jesus returns to destroy the beasts. Then always remember that we will all face our own trials and temptations at the time that God has appointed for each of us because the great tribulation has already begun and it will not end until Jesus returns to destroy the beasts as I just said.

Lastly I would like to emphasize the fact that the great tribulation will not end until Jesus returns with respect to the reign of the beast over the world. This is because the thlipsis (θλῖψις) or tribulation that we will face during the reign of the beast will not be what most people think it will be. Instead the primary and most dangerous form of thlipsis (θλῖψις) or tribulation that we will face is in the temptation to see and look upon the beast itself as our so-called savior and the so-called savior of the world after witnessing all the so-called miracles it works.

As Jesus says:

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:23-25)

Therefore as I have said several times already my point is that ultimately the greatest danger to us as faithful Christians with regards to the beast is that the beast’s power to “perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:24) The idea here is that the danger of the beast is in the beast’s ability to deceive us into thinking that it is the so-called savior of the world instead of Jesus and that it is the so-called god of our world. Then witnessing all these “great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24) will truly be extremely spiritually painful in the sense that it will be extremely hard to maintain our faith in the invisible God we believe in while seeing this very visible so-called god or the beast work so-called miracles before us. This means that truly those who live during the reign of the beast will face much thlipsis (θλῖψις) or tribulation as they are faced with extreme personal trials and testing where they desperately try to maintain their faith in the face of the beast. Then to make it worse since 42 months is not literal and instead it can refer to any period of time the beast might end up reigning over the world for a thousand years. This is why Jesus says “If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved” (Matthew 24:22) since in the face of such a power as the beast the Church or Israel itself will surely fail and it is only a question of how long it would take until not a single faithful Christian would be left alive on earth.

As a result of this keep in mind that although the great tribulation does in fact refer to all the trials and testing Christians have faced from the time of Jesus to the present day you still need to remember the trials and testing we will face when the beast reigns over the world since these trials will be beyond imagining. This is why those who resist the beast will share in the honor of the first resurrection along with all the martyrs. The idea here is that resisting the beast will not be easy and instead it will be so difficult that the faith of those who resist the beast will be comparable to the faith of those who are willing to die rather than deny their faith and live. Therefore remember this fact so that you will not be unprepared for what is coming.

(15) “For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple;” – As I have said before one of the main purposes of this section on the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) of faithful Christians “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) is to give hope and assurance to us that it does not matter if we die on earth because when we die not only will God not forget about us but we will in fact spiritually speaking live on from God’s perspective as we continue to serve and honor God while we sleep just as we did in life. Again the idea here is that from God’s perspective all are alive to Him since He is all powerful.

(15) “and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.” – Here tabernacle just means dwelling place so God’s tabernacle would be God’s dwelling place. So the idea is that we will all live with God in His house and worship Him as His people. This would then have two different fulfillments in mind. The first is with respect to this section on the great multitude where all faithful Christians who die on earth join God in heaven in spirit since God will never forget about His faithful and instead He will remember them and resurrected them to eternal life in the new earth. In this sense not being forgotten about by God would be God spreading “His tabernacle over” (Revelation 7:15) us after we die. Then in terms of the second fulfillment we can also see the new Jerusalem in the new earth here where after the resurrection we as God’s faithful people will live with Him in His house or rather the new Jerusalem.

Furthermore Jesus also references the idea of dwelling in God’s house when we die in the Gospel of John.

As Jesus said:

“In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

Therefore you should not worry because we will live with God in His house. First we we will live with God in spirit after we die and sleep before the resurrection and then we will live with God in the new Jerusalem after we have been resurrected to eternal life.

(16) “Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.” – God will provide all things to His people and we will have no more needs. This is also a reference to the Book of Isaiah.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.” (Isaiah 49:10)

Therefore just know that when you die in your faith here on earth that all your earthly troubles will pass away as you sleep with God watching over you until the time of the resurrection where you will be resurrected to eternal life in the new earth. Then of course in the new earth never again will any of the faithful “hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.” (Revelation 7:16)

(17) “For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.” – Jesus Himself will be our Guide and He will watch over us as our Shepherd. Never again will anything bad ever happen to us because Jesus will always be there look after and care for us.

(17) “He will lead them to springs of living water” – Here living water would mean a spiritual water that renews our very being. In other words the “living water” (Revelation 7:17) is the water of life or the gift of eternal life.

As God says:

“To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6)

Then as Jesus says:

“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

Thus the meaning of Jesus leading us “to springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17) is that Jesus will lead us to eternal life. Then of course as I keep on saying all the faithful will be given the gift of eternal life in the resurrection of life. Therefore the idea here is that by remaining faithful to Jesus we are being led by Jesus to the “springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17) or eternal life in the resurrection of the dead.

(17) “and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” – There will be no more pain because God Himself will wipe it all away. Therefore you do not have to worry about being sad for any reason after the resurrection because God will make everything right one way or another. This is also a reference to the Book of Isaiah.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face
and remove the disgrace of His people
from the whole earth.
For the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8)

Therefore just know that God will take away all sadness and pain in the new earth after the resurrection so that we never have anything to worry or be sad about ever again because the pains and worries of our current world will pass away forever so that they are gone.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’
and there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Therefore God will do all these things so that “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4) just as Revelation says. Then just know that all this will come to pass “For no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37) and because of this fact you do not have anything to worry about.

Chapter 2.21: Revelation 8

1 – The Seventh Seal

(1) When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (2) And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

(3) Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

(5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal,” – After John sees the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) and the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) he now sees Jesus finally open the seventh seal. Then just to remind you the seven seals are representative of the totality of all the death and judgment that has taken place from the first century AD to the present day and will take place from the present day to the end of the age when Jesus returns. This is primarily because the number seven is symbolic of completeness. Then since death and judgment takes place during the seven seals this would then mean that the seven seals are representative of complete judgment and death or rather all the judgments and death. Now even though I explained why taking the seven seals literally is completely nonsensical previously you may still take issue with my explanation of the seven seals. However this chapter in Revelation and subsequent chapters demonstrate that my view is the correct view.

This is because after Jesus opens “the seventh seal” (Revelation 8:1) “the seven angels” (Revelation 8:2) will be “given seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:2) and of course these “seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:2) are the seven trumpets of the seven trumpets where each sounding of each of the trumpets announces a judgment or in the case of the seventh trumpet the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and with it the final judgment. In other words this directly means that the seven trumpets are the seventh seal. But what does this mean exactly? Well really you should just think of the seven trumpets happening inside of the seventh seal so that the seven trumpets are an expansion of the seven seals. The idea here is that the seven trumpets are not another set of judgments outside of the seven seals and inside they are part of the seven seals. This might not seem that important but this means that the meaning of the seven trumpets is the exact same as the seven seals since the seven trumpets are part of the seven seals. This means that you should not look towards a different meaning to the seven trumpets and instead you should see the seven trumpets as a continuation of the seven seals so that they have the same meaning and purpose.

Now this same idea actually also applies to the seven bowls as well that take place later in Revelation 16. This is because the seventh trumpet is the announcement of the eternal Kingdom of God and the final judgment or rather the death of everyone who is in rebellion against God. After all the seven seventh trumpet is also known as the third woe since just before the seventh trumpet an angel says “the third woe is coming shortly.” (Revelation 11:14) Of course the three woes are supposed to be events that are representative of terrible judgments. Then in terms of the seven bowls the main message is that God is pouring out His wrath, hence the bowls, upon the earth in a completely unrestrained way so that all who rebel against Him are completely defeated, killed and destroyed. Therefore just like how the seven trumpets are an expansion of the seventh seal so too are the seven bowls an expansion of the seventh trumpet and of the final judgment of the earth. Then because of this you should see the seven bowls the same as the seven trumpets and hence the seven seals.

All that said really the main difference between the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls is that each set of judgments gets worse and worse so that once the seven bowls come the death and destruction is total. Although really like I said these are not separate judgments and you should not see them separately. Instead you should see the seven trumpets and seven bowls as being part of the seven seals and because of this they also mean the same thing as the seven seals. Then just to reiterate the seven seals are representative of all the death, destruction and judgments that have taken place throughout the past and that have yet to take place in the future up until the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God.

So why is this all important to understand? Well you see if you do not understand the main message of the seven seals and hence the seven trumpets and seven bowls as well then you may be tempted to look at the seven trumpets literally so that you see them describe events that are actually supposed to happen. Of course instead of the seven trumpets being literal they are supposed to be viewed as non-literal apocalyptic imagery that is supposed to make us understand the power of God over the world. In other words think of the seven trumpets as being figuratively representative of the death and destruction that has taken place in the past and that will take place in the future instead of as literal events that you are supposed to piece together and look out for in the future. This may not seem important but as I have said if you are keeping watch for some events that are never supposed to happen then obviously you will be completely blind so that you will not see what is actually coming. However instead if you see the deeper spiritual meaning rather than the surface level literal meaning then you will understand what is really going on in the world and what has yet to come so that you will be fully alert and awake when the beast finally arises.

Next I would like to reiterate that as I said in my commentary on the previous chapter with regards to the timing of when the 144,000 are supposed to be sealed with respect to the seven trumpets that the order of the sealing of the 144,000 and the seven trumpets is not important. This is because as I demonstrated if you want to take Revelation literally then really the 144,000 needed to have been sealed in the first century AD as well as far into the future due to the fact that John sees Satan fall from heaven during the seven trumpets and because John sees the great multitude immediately after the sealing of the 144,0000. In case you forgot the idea here is that Satan fell from heaven when Jesus was raised from the dead in the first century AD. Furthermore a great multitude of faithful Christians would only die on earth many hundreds if not thousands of years later.

This is obviously a direct contradiction because the 144,000 cannot both be sealed in the first century AD and near the end of the age. Then this relates to the seven trumpets because like I said previously the fifth trumpet reference those “who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:4) As a result of this really the seven trumpets are supposed to take place in the first century AD as well as hundreds if not thousands of years past when Revelation was written as I just said. Obviously this is an impossibility and because of this fact you should not see a timeline of events with respect to the seven trumpets and the things that surround them. Instead you should try to see the deeper spiritual meaning behind the seven trumpets and the things that surround them rather than the superficial literal meaning as I have said.

But what if you disagree with all this so that you insist on viewing the seven trumpets literally in some way or worse yet as a timeline of events to watch out for? I mean why would the seven trumpets even be included if we are not supposed to view them literally? Well really to be honest there is a lot to unpack here. First off the Christians who were alive in the first century AD did not view the Book of Revelation the same as we do today. This is because writing in a figurative and metaphorical manner was the norm especially with regards to spiritual teachings. For instance there is a reason why Jesus taught in parables or extended metaphors instead of directly saying what He means. This perspective is of course in direct contrast with our modern perspective where we tend to see things literally even in the case where taking it literally would be completely nonsensical.

Thus my point here is that ultimately Revelation was not written to be understood by our modern and literally minded perspective and instead Revelation was written to be understood by the ancient and metaphorically minded perspective the earliest Christians had. Of course since you have already read much of Revelation and my commentary on it this really should not be surprising to you. Really I should not need to say all this but I want to make sure that you stop seeing Revelation as being merely literal instead of metaphorical because past this point if you see things literally you will be lost due to your blindness. Then of course as a result of this blindness you will almost certainly stumble so that you end up following the very beast that Revelation tries so hard to warn us about.

Alright so why exactly should the seven trumpets be viewed figuratively and metaphorically rather than literally? I mean sure I went over the contradiction that relates to the supposed timeline of the 144,000 and the seven trumpets but what about the seven trumpets themselves? Well first off if the seven seals are obviously not supposed to be viewed literally because viewing them literally would be nonsensical then this means that the seven trumpets would not be literal as well. The idea here is that if you agree that the seven seals are supposed to be figurative while at the same time you see the seven trumpets as being literal then you would be logically inconsistent. Then in case you forgot the one of the main reasons why the seven seals should not be and cannot be viewed as literal is the following passage.

As the book of Revelation says:

“And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’

Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8)

As I have said previously if you want to view the seven seals literally then this must mean that you actually believe a literal person or being named Death will ride a pale green horse and the false god Hades or the mythical ancient Greek underworld Hades will follow behind them as they ride out and kill people in the quarter of the world that they have been given authority over. Obviously believing in such a thing is completely and utterly nonsensical. In reality this passage actually says that this person or being named Death is not actually literal and instead it is supposed to be the metaphorical representation of death by saying “they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8) The idea here is that if this person or being named Death is not really killing by themselves since they are killing with famines and beasts then this means that Death is supposed to be representative of God bringing death and judgment into the world rather than as a literal person or being that will come.

Of course you could dispute all this and say that sure Death and Hades will not be literal beings or figures that appear and instead they are representative of a future real world figure. For instance maybe Death was or will be some ruler who creates either directly or indirectly wars, famine, plague and wild animal attacks as they rule over an empire that spans a quarter or at least a significant portion of the world? Then would the fourth seal not be fulfilled here? Well sure it would be. However the issue is if you want to interpret the fourth seal in such a figurative way then really this fourth seal would apply to basically every ruler who goes and conquers other lands. This then means that there is no literal fulfillment of the fourth seal since by interpreting it this way really you are not interpreting it literally. In other words the character called Death is just representative of God bringing death into the world through all human conquerors who go around killing by the sword, causing famines, creating the conditions for plagues and letting wild beasts run rampant. Therefore my point with all this is that even if you want to still try to see a literal fulfillment of the fourth seal that in trying to see a literal fulfillment you actually end up viewing the fourth seal completely figuratively in your attempt to make it work. So as a result why not just view it completely figuratively and metaphorically from the start so that you do not even try to look for an actual fulfillment?

Alright so obviously what I am saying here with all this is that if the seven seals are obviously supposed to be understood as figurative and metaphorical then this means that the seven trumpets are then also supposed to be understood as figurative and metaphorical. Then if you disagree with this so that although you agree with what I have said about the seven seals you still disagree with viewing the seven trumpets as non-literal then really I would just say that you are being logically inconsistent as well as hypocritical and because of that you are wrong here.

But if what I am saying is correct then why are the seven trumpets supposed to be seen as non-literal just based on the seven trumpets themselves? Well really it is quite simple and there are a few different topics to go over. First off as I said previously there is another contradiction between the seven seals and seven trumpets if you wish to take them as literal.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.” (Revelation 6:12-14)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.” (Revelation 8:12)

The first point of note with regards to the sixth seal and the fourth trumpet is that in the sixth seal if “the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair” (Revelation 6:12) then how could “a third of the sun” (Revelation 8:12) be “struck” (Revelation 8:12) and “a third of the day” (Revelation 8:12) be “without light” (Revelation 8:12) in the fourth trumpet? I mean if you want to take all this literally then the only way it could work is that after the sun dies and turns black in the sixth seal God then fixes the sun so that it is normal again all so that a third of the sun can be struck or destroyed during the fourth trumpet. However I am sure just reading this sounds completely ridiculous since it is quite obvious that Revelation never says the sun is fixed and the idea that God will fix the world in between judgments is also not presented as well.

But what if you want to take how “the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair” (Revelation 6:12) as a solar eclipse so that it is temporary? Well sure you can do that. However a solar eclipse does not resolve the other issue between the sixth seal and the fourth trumpet. In fact this next issue strongly suggests that you really cannot view a solar eclipse in the sixth seal. Alright so the issue is that during the sixth seal “the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind” (Revelation 6:13) while at the same time “The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up” (Revelation 6:14) as the sixth seal says. Then during the fourth trumpet “a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck” (Revelation 8:12) while at the same time “A third of the stars were darkened” (Revelation 8:12) as Revelation says. Now the issue here is obviously that really all the stars fell from the sky during the sixth seal due to the fact that Revelation says “The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up” (Revelation 6:14) since if the sky has disappeared there cannot be stars in the sky. Then this is why seeing a solar eclipse in the sixth seal really does not work since the whole idea of the sixth seal is that there is not a temporary darkness like there would be with a solar eclipse and instead there is a permanent darkness due to the sky itself being rolled up.

Next this fact then means that there are not any stars in the sky to be “struck” or destroyed (Revelation 8:12) and “darkened” (Revelation 8:12) which Revelation says will each happen to a third of the stars during the fourth trumpet. Thus obviously there is a contradiction here and as a result of this contradiction we cannot take the fourth trumpet literally and instead we can only see it as being figurative and metaphorical so that it is not describing a real event. Instead the purpose is to send the message that God is in full control over all things, including the stars, and that He is bringing judgment into the world.

Now you might take issue with this but really the fourth trumpet itself is kind of nonsensical in nature. For instance Revelation says that during the fourth trumpet “a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.” (Revelation 8:12) So how exactly is a third of the day and a third of the night supposed to be completely dark? Is God supposed to completely darken the sun, the moon and the stars for a third of the time then turn them back to normal for the other two thirds of the time? Really my point here is that when you actually think of the specifics of how this is supposed to work it becomes rather silly to even consider it as literal. Therefore as a result the seven trumpets should not be viewed as literal and instead they should be viewed as non-literal apocalyptic imagery that is supposed to be viewed completely figuratively and metaphorically as I have said.

But what if you disagree with these issues with the fourth trumpet or what if you think the issues are insignificant so that although you agree they are issues you still do not believe that the seven trumpets are non-literal? Well in this case really the only thing to do is to go over some more issues with the seven trumpets that make the seven trumpets completely nonsensical when viewed literally.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’

So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.” (Revelation 9:13-19)

Alright so the first issue to go over with respect to the sixth seal is that John says “the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.” (Revelation 9:16) Here the number translated as two hundred million would most literally mean twice a myriad myriads. Then since a myriad if viewed literally means ten thousand the number would be twice ten-thousand ten-thousands or two hundred million. Now my point here is that John sees “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) mounted troops literally speaking. This may not seem that significant but you need to understand that a mounted troop refers to a soldier riding a horse which means that John saw two hundred million horses in his vision. So what is the problem here? Well the problem is that there are only around sixty million horses in the entire world today. This means that if you want to look towards a literal fulfillment of the sixth trumpet then really someone needs to breed hundreds of millions of horses then draft a larger army than the sum of all the soldiers who fought in World War II all so that the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) mounted troops can be fulfilled.

In response you might say that the number is not two hundred million because myriad in twice a myriad myriads can figuratively mean an indefinitely large number or a number too large to count so that twice a myriad myriads would then mean an absolutely massive number that defies all reason. But instead of disagreeing I would actually agree with you that the number should be viewed figuratively as an absolutely massive number that defies all reason rather than literally as two hundred million. So what exactly is the problem with looking towards a literal fulfillment of the sixth trumpet now since there does not have to be a literal two hundred million mounted troops? Well the problem is by taking the number as figurative you have just ruled out a completely literal fulfillment of the sixth seal. My point here is that if you already do not view the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) as literal then why bother viewing the rest of it literally as well? Really there is no reason to as you will soon see.

That said what if you want to take the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) as completely literal for some reason? Well you then run into an even bigger problem than the fact that there are not even two hundred million horses in the world.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.” (Revelation 9:17-19)

My point with this passage is that these riders are not actually supposed to be riding normal horses as we see horses today. Instead each of these horses are supposed to have the head of a lion that breathes out fire as well a snake as a tail that can bite people. This means that even if there were more than “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) horses in the world today then there still could not be a literal fulfillment of the sixth trumpet because there would need to be two hundred million demonic looking horses that have the heads of lions, with snakes as tails and breathe fire. Obviously I do not have to tell you how this is a complete impossibility based on what we see in the world.

The reason why I am emphasizing this fact is that many people who like to look towards a literal fulfillment of Revelation completely ignore the part about the demonic looking horses so that they say the sixth trumpet will be fulfilled with an army of two hundred million soldiers fighting in a new World War. Their idea is that sure the sixth trumpet is not entirely literal but that does not mean it will lack fulfillment. However if you agree with these people then really you are looking at the sixth trumpet entirely figuratively. Really the only difference between your view and my view is that I do not see a singular fulfillment and instead I see the sixth trumpet as just being representative of great and powerful armies fighting in wars that kill many people. For instance this is why “mounted troops” (Revelation 9:16) are used in the sixth trumpet because historically speaking cavalry was very powerful and the intended message is that this vast army is supposed to be terrifyingly powerful. Then obviously this is also why the horses have heads of lions, snakes as tails and breath fire because these are all symbols of power and representative of power. Thus the idea here with the descriptions of the horses is that we are supposed to see this army as being terrifyingly powerful so that we see it as unstoppable.

Now what I mean by all this is that if you already agree with me that everything in the sixth trumpet is supposed to be understood figuratively and metaphorically then why would you even bother looking for a specific fulfillment? I mean based upon the figurative and metaphorical meaning of the sixth trumpet really the sixth trumpet can be applied to all major wars throughout history. Therefore really I do not see the reason to see a specific fulfillment of the sixth trumpet when the sixth trumpet has already been fulfilled figuratively speaking many times already.

You may take issue with this so let me ask you a question. If you agree that the descriptions in the sixth trumpet are completely figurative and metaphorical then how exactly do you know what to watch out for in terms of the actual fulfillment if there is actually supposed to be a singular fulfillment? I mean really all the sixth trumpet is describing is a war of conquest that a terrifyingly powerful army will wage. Therefore really as I said this description could be applied to pretty much all major wars. In other words really there is nothing specific to look out for in the future in regards to the sixth seal since all the sixth real really says is that there will be a big war. As a result I really do not believe there is any value in looking towards a future fulfillment of the sixth trumpet.

All that said I would actually say trying to look towards a future fulfillment of the sixth trumpet actually does much more harm than good. This is because the sixth trumpet is supposed to occur before the rise of the beast. This means that if you believe the sixth trumpet has not occurred yet then you would expect to see a huge and terrifying war before the beast comes. But what if Revelation never intends there to be a specific singular fulfillment of the sixth trumpet in the future? Or what if there was a specific singular fulfillment of the sixth trumpet in a past war like World War II? In these cases you would be looking towards a future fulfillment that either will never come or has already come. Then as a result of looking for something that will never happen in the future you risk falling into temptation by following the beast because you may believe that the beast cannot be the beast until the sixth trumpet is sounded and a huge and terrifying war erupts.

Now you might be skeptical of what I have said here with regards to the fact there either may not be a fulfillment of the sixth trumpet in the future or that the fulfillment of the sixth trumpet has already occurred during some past war. But as I have demonstrated already there is good reason to not see a future and specific fulfillment of at least the first six of the seven trumpets in the future. This is because in the third and fifth trumpet John sees Satan fall from heaven to the earth. Then as you know in reality Satan was actually cast out of heaven to the earth during or shortly after Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Once again the idea here is that Satan lost his place in heaven since God does not listen to his accusations against the faithful as a result of Jesus’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. All that said my point with all of this is that really you cannot look towards even a somewhat literal future fulfillment of the third and fifth trumpets.

Furthermore this also means that you cannot construct timelines around the seven trumpets because timelines with respect to the seven trumpets are quite obviously nonsensical due to the contradiction of the seven trumpets needing to be fulfilled both in the first century AD and the far future after a great multitude of faithful Christians have died on earth as I have said and demonstrated already. In other words really the seven trumpets are completely irrelevant in terms of specific events and timelines with regards to what must come to pass before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. As a result of all this the seven trumpets should not be seen as even remotely literal in terms of fulfillment let alone completely literal. Instead the seven trumpets should be seen as entirely figurative and metaphorical.

Alright but what if despite everything I have said already you still insist that I am wrong and that the seven seals together with the seven trumpets are a timeline of events that we need to watch out for in the future? Sure you may agree with me that much of the seven seals and seven trumpets are figurative and metaphorical in nature but for some reason you still insist on seeing them all describe real world events that will definitely happen. In this case the fulfillment of the seven seals and seven trumpets may not be completely obvious due to the figurative language that Revelation uses but from your perspective this is all the more reason to carefully consider what the seven seals and seven trumpet are so that we can understand the warning signs of the end times that we need to watch out for. Therefore in this case with respect to what I said about the seven trumpets not being a literal future timeline you just may wish to discount it all completely so that you insist there is still a timeline despite the evidence to the contrary. So what about this viewpoint? Well really if you actually believe all this then I would say you are denying reality since the only way you could still deny what I have said is if you deny the reality of what Revelation says. But you may disagree agree with this.

So what if you believe the complete opposite so that you believe I am delusional by denying the so-called clear timeline that Revelation presents? I mean maybe I am wrong about the fact that the third and fifth trumpets are referring to Satan so that instead the star that has fallen from heaven actually refers to a different angel? Then if this is the case then is it not at least possible for there to be a future timeline with respect to the seven trumpets if we also creatively interpret everything else I have said? Well really I suppose anything is possible if you wish to deny or ignore everything I have said so far. Therefore it is important to demonstrate to you that the Book of Revelation is undeniably not a timeline of the end times. Then because of the fact that the whole of Revelation is not a timeline it is absolutely nonsensical to view specific parts as necessarily being a timeline when a different view makes a lot more sense given the whole context of Revelation as a whole. So what am I talking about exactly? Well I am referring to the fact that the Book of Revelation as a whole is not a timeline because it is not linear in nature and instead Revelation is a collection of disjointed or disordered scenes that are supposed to be viewed completely spiritually rather than literally.

Now I realize it has been quite a long time since you read my chapter called Outline of Revelation so allow me to remind you. In short the Book of Revelation was written in a nonlinear manner and there are a total of five major sections with some of the sections being an expansion of the previous sections. The first part is Revelation 1 to 3, the second part is Revelation 4 to 11, the third part is Revelation 12 to 16, the fourth part is Revelation 17 to 19 and the fifth part is Revelation 20 to 22. For example the idea here is that Revelation 12 to 16 is largely an expansion of Revelation 4 to 11 that provides more detail about the things that John previously saw in his vision. For instance the first time the beast of Revelation is mentioned is in Revelation 11.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

However at the end of Revelation 11 the seventh angel blows the seventh and final trumpet which ushers in the eternal Kingdom of God and with it the final judgment and the judgment of the dead.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.”” (Revelation 11:15)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18)

Therefore this means that clearly if you wish to take the Book of Revelation completely literally and as a literal timeline of the end times then with the seventh trumpet all those who oppose God have been defeated including the beast and “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) In other words the timeline of the end times is now over so that there is nothing else to look forward to happening here on earth. If you want to dispute this then Revelation directly says “The time has come to judge the dead” (Revelation 11:18) which means that the judgment of the dead is now to occur and since the judgment of the dead will only occur once all of those who rebel against God are dead including the beast this means that the beast and all those who rebel against God are now dead. But wait are there not another eleven chapters of Revelation and does the beast not appear in Revelation 13? Well yes of course.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.” (Revelation 13:1)

Then since Revelation only previously mentioned the beast and did not talk about what it is supposed to be this is why more information is provided on the beast in Revelation 13 and 17. Although keep in mind that Revelation 13 and 17 are in different sections so that Revelation 17 to 19 is an expansion on Revelation 12 to 16. That said really my point here is just that Revelation is not a literal timeline where all you have to do is read what it says to understand what will happen before the end of the age occurs. Again this is because the scenes that John sees in his vision are clearly not in order.

Now at this point you may agree with me here and say that nothing I have said discounts Revelation being a literal timeline since we can just break up Revelation in the parts Revelation 1 to 3, Revelation 4 to 11, Revelation 12 to 16, Revelation 17 to 19 and Revelation 20 to 22. I mean Revelation is in chapters after all so it is easy to divide it up right? Well no sorry. Chapters and verse numbers were never originally included in any of the books of the Bible and instead it took over a thousand years for chapter numbers to be added to the books of the Bible. This means that for over a thousand years after the Book of Revelation was written there was no neat and simple gap between Revelation 11 and Revelation 12 so that you could just divide it up at this gap. Instead the text of Revelation was a single block of text from start to end with no chapter breaks. To understand this better consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

‘The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.’

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

‘We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.’

Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 11:15-12:6)

As you can probably see in this passage without the chapter number headings the text of Revelation just flows from start to finish so that there are no clear breaks in the narrative. This means that really there is no reason to split Revelation into the sections of Revelation 4 to 11 and Revelation 12 to 16 and instead Revelation 12 is directly connected to Revelation 11. But can we not just split it at the phrase “And a great sign appeared in heaven” (Revelation 12:1) in this passage? I mean this is where it was decided that chapter twelve beings after all and it is the start of a new paragraph and sentence. Well no sorry. You see when Revelation and the other books of the New Testament for that matter were written they were written in Koine Greek as I have said before. But the thing is in Koine Greek in the first century AD there were no punctuation marks and there were no spaces between words. This means the entirety of the Book of Revelation in the first century AD was quite literally a giant block of text. Now this may be hard to imagine so consider the following example in English and keep in mind Koine Greek did not have lowercase letters either as I have already said.

THISISANEXAMPLEOFWHATITWOULDBELIKETOREADKOINEGREEKINTHEFIRSTCENTURYADANDASYOUCANSEEITISREADABLEALTHOUGHITCANBEHARDTOFULLYGRASPWHATISBEINGSAIDBECAUSEWEARENOTUSEDTOREADINGLIKETHISHOWEVERWITHENOUGHPRACTICEYOUCANGETUSEDTOITSOTHATYOUAREABLETOREADANDUNDERSTANDTEXTWRITTENTHISWAYJUSTASYOUCANREADANDUNDERSTANDNORMALTEXTTHATINCLUDESSENTENCEPUNCTUATIONSPACESBETWEENLETTERSANDCAPITALLETTERSTHATSAIDREALLYIJUSTWANTYOUTOUNDERSTANDWHATITWOULDBELIKETOREADATEXTTHATISSIMILARTOHOWTHEORIGINALTEXTOFREVELATIONWASWRITTEN

If you are unable to read the above then do not worry about it since what I said is not important. Really my point with this example is that there is nothing related to punctuation that would indicate a split in the narrative between Revelation 11 and 12. In fact based on what the text of Revelation says really a split between Revelation 11 and 12 is incorrect and improper.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” (Revelation 12:1)

The key word is “And” (Revelation 12:1) in this verse and this word is translated from καί (kai) which can be translated as and, also and then as an example. This word is frequently used to extend a sentence in Koine Greek so that the reader does not see an end of a sentence and instead sees the following words as a continuation of what they are currently reading so that it is all connected together into one. In fact καί (kai) is used so often in Revelation that if you were to translate and read it literally then there would be entire sentences that would stretch for a dozen or more verses. For instance you can see what I mean in the above verse which is the first verse of Revelation 12 where John wrote “And a great sign appeared in heaven” (Revelation 12:1) as the verse says. The idea here is that this verse cannot be viewed in isolation from Revelation 11 and instead John is saying that this great sign that he is now seeing has appeared directly after the last verse of Revelation.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.” (Revelation 11:19)

Thus my point is that really these two verses are connected together into a single sentence with no break in between them. Then because of this fact splitting Revelation 12 from Revelation 11 is actually contrary to viewing and understanding the text literally. Alright so what about if instead of having the sections as Revelation 4 to 11 and then Revelation 12 to 16 we divide it up as Revelation 4 to 12 and Revelation 13 to 16? Would this then not fix the issue so that we can still break up Revelation into five sections then view each of these sections literally so that we can get our timeline of the end times that we need to look out for? Well not sorry to disappoint you again. You see the same issue with dividing Revelation 11 and 12 actually impacts a theoretical diving of Revelation 12 and 13.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.” (Revelation 12:15-13:1)

As you can see really this entire passage should be read and understood as part of a giant run on sentence and because of this fact you cannot split Revelation 12 and 13 just like how I said you cannot split Revelation 11 and 12. Therefore you really cannot solve this issue so that you can get five clear sections of Revelation which would allow you to view each section as a literal timeline with some of the later sections expanding on the previous timeline.

So what is my point here with all this exactly? Well my point is that really splitting Revelation into the five major sections of Revelation 1-3, Revelation 4-11, Revelation 12-16, Revelation 17-19 and Revelation 20-22 actually butchers the text as it is in complete contradiction to a literal view and interpretation of Revelation. This is because there is absolutely nothing in the text of Revelation itself that warrants a split between Revelation 11 and 12 and between Revelation 16 and 17. In fact as I have said based on what Revelation literally says and if you want to take a more literal approach to Revelation then really you cannot break it into these five sections and instead you can only understand it as a single linear narrative.

However as I have demonstrated there is a huge problem with viewing the entirety of Revelation as a single linear narrative or timeline of events. For instance as I have said and demonstrated in the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11 the eternal Kingdom of God arrives on earth and with it the destruction of all those who are in rebellion against God. Furthermore the beast rises in Revelation 11 to kill the two witnesses but then later in Revelation 13 John sees the same beast rise out of the sea. Thus obviously the beast cannot rise to kill the two witnesses in Revelation 11 and then rise from the sea in Revelation 13 and to say such a thing would be nonsensical since the beast cannot rise twice. This is why it is really undeniably true that Revelation 13 does not take place after Revelation 11 and instead Revelation 13 is best viewed as an expansion of the events, specifically the rise of the beast, that have already occurred in Revelation 11. Really this should be obviously and undeniably true to you.

Next I would like to point out that Revelation 12 really does not fit in anywhere at all. This is because the part of John’s vision that is Revelation 12 is about a highly figurative and symbolic narrative of Israel from shortly before Jesus’s birth to a few decades or so after His death and resurrection. Thus the problem here is that obviously at the minimum the seventh trumpet at the end of Revelation 11 takes place at the end of the age because the eternal Kingdom of God is ushered in with the seventh and final trumpet. Then at the start of Revelation 13 John sees the rise of the beast. This means that really it would be nonsensical to see Revelation 12 as occurring after Revelation 11. But then at the same time Revelation 12 ends in the first century AD while Revelation 13 would obviously start thousands of years into the future. This is why Revelation 12 really does not fit in anywhere at least if you want to view Revelation literally. The reason why I have included Revelation 12 with Revelation 12-16 is because if you view Revelation non-literal and highly figurative then a multi thousand year gap between Revelation 12 and 13 is not a problem at all. That said really my point here is that objectively speaking the time of the events that John sees in his vision really bounce around throughout Revelation so that we see the end of the age thousands of years into the future with the seventh trumpet at the end of Revelation 11 and then we bounce back to the late first century BC for the birth of Jesus.

Alright so as a result of all these facts we cannot take Revelation as a single literal and coherent timeline and instead really Revelation must be split up into different sections. That said I would like to once again emphasize that splitting the text of Revelation up in this way goes against what the text literally says. This is because the text of Revelation tells of John’s vision in the order that he received his vision. In other words the events in John’s vision are out of order and it is up to us as faithful Christians to determine the correct order.

Then because of this fact really there is zero reason to take the seven trumpets and the events associated with them as being part of a single literal narrative or timeline of events from the first seal to the seventh trumpet. In fact since Revelation as a whole has many obvious timeline irregularities really the idea that Revelation 4 to 11 is a single literal timeline of what is going to happen is completely absurd. I mean we are already splitting Revelation 11 and 12 and Revelation 16 and 17 even though there is nothing besides internal contradictions that would warrant such a split. So if we are already breaking up the literal narrative or timeline that Revelation presents for John’s vision a couple of times then why does it make any sense to insist that Revelation 4 to 11 is a single literal narrative or timeline? Obviously it does not. In fact I would say that if you agree with me concerning breaking up Revelation 11 and 12 but do not agree with me concerning the fact that the seven trumpets are not a literal timeline of the future because you want to hold to a literal view of Revelation then really you are being hypocritical. In other words you now have zero basis to disagree with me concerning what I have said about how the seven trumpets are non-literal and not a timeline of events that are supposed to occur.

But why would God make Revelation so confusing? Well really first off the Book of Revelation is not supposed to be viewed literally at all. Instead everything in Revelation is a spiritual guide in a spiritual book instead of a literal timeline in a literal book. Then if you want to take the Book of Revelation literally and see a literal timeline in it then you are missing the entire purpose and point of the book. This is because we are not supposed to understand the Book of Revelation literally and instead we are supposed to understand it spiritually. This means that instead of looking at what the text literally says we are supposed to see what the text actually means. Of course the only way to do this is with the power of the Holy Spirit. All this means is that we cannot understand Revelation on our own and instead the only way to truly understand Revelation is with God guiding us so that we can see and understand what God wants us to see and understand. Thus really God has made Revelation so confusing because He does not want everyone to understand it.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“He replied, ‘The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn
and be forgiven.’’” (Mark 4:11-12)

But then why does God not want everyone to understand the Book of Revelation? Well really this relates to the topic of divine hiddenness that I actually talk about later so for now just put this question aside. That said what I want you to get out of all this is that you should think of the Book of Revelation as a carefully constructed puzzle where in order to solve the puzzle and see the message that Revelation has we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

The idea here is that Revelation is like a puzzle where everything is mixed up or not in the correct order and where each of the pieces are so highly figurative that they make little sense when viewed literally. Then with respect to the topic at hand of the seven trumpets this means that really you should not see Revelation 4 to 11, Revelation 12 to 16 and Revelation 17-19 as individual pieces of the puzzle. Instead you should see each of these sections as a collection of puzzle pieces that are mixed up and merely related to each other so that you need to unpack and understand each of the pieces individually rather than look at all the pieces together as given to you as a literal timeline. In other words if you wish to look at the seven trumpets literally so that you see them as a literal timeline then you are not solving the puzzle and as a result you will not be able to see the true message that God wants us to understand.

Of course this is why I have spent so much time going over what I consider a very mundane topic. My point here is that for me the seven trumpets not being a literal timeline makes perfect sense and is so completely obvious that I actually believe this entire comment is largely pointless at least from my perspective. For instance in the first version of this commentary I wrote I only include a few to several sentences about how the seven trumpets should not be viewed as literal and why they are not a timeline. This is because to me this fact is just so completely obvious that it needs no explanation. I mean in a book about a beast from the sea, a beast from the earth, a great prostitute, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls and more really taking anything that is described with highly colorful language as literal is just completely nonsensical from my perspective.

However even though I find what I have said to be obviously correct this does not mean that everyone else can see the exact same things that I see. This is why I have gone over the undeniable truth that the seven trumpets are not literal and not a timeline from so many different perspectives. Really a large majority of those who look towards a literal fulfillment of Revelation in the future actually hold to either a completely literal view of Revelation or a mostly literal view of Revelation where they at least believe that the seven trumpets are going to largely happen as given and that there will definitely be a so-called seven year tribulation period.

Thus my point here is that how you view the seven trumpets is actually a rather important topic and because of this if you were to disagree with me so that you see the seven trumpets as literal and as a timeline then you would walk away from this book with little understanding and because of this lack of understanding there would be a high chance of you falling into temptation by following the beast. For instance as I have said already if you mistakenly take the seven trumpets to be a literal timeline then really the first six trumpets need to be fulfilled before the rise of the beast. This then means that once the beast or artificial super intelligence arises you would be put at a monumental disadvantage compared to those who take the seven trumpets as non-literal because I am completely certain these six trumpets will not be fulfilled anywhere close to how they are described in Revelation. Although really I would say that they will not be fulfilled at all in a recognizable way because I believe they actually better understood to be related to events in the past.

That said the reason why I said you would be at a monumental disadvantage is because if actually you expect to see two hundred million mounted troops kill a third of mankind then this means these mounted troops must appear before the beast does. Then when the two hundred million mounted troops never appear, because they will definitely not appear, but at the same time artificial super intelligence arises then you will come to the mistaken belief that the beast cannot be an artificial super intelligence because these two hundred million mounted troops have not appeared. Now sure you may have never believed in the whole two hundred million mounted troops thing but my point by bringing them up is that you can say the same thing about any number of things from the seven trumpets and Revelation as a whole for that matter. Therefore this is why I felt it necessary to fully explain why what I have said is correct. So do not deceive yourself into being blind and instead open your eyes so that you can see the deeper meaning.

Lastly to sum up everything I have said instead of looking at the seven trumpets and the events surrounding them in a literal manner you should look at them in a spiritual manner so that you can see past the literal meaning and into the spiritual meaning which will enable you to understand the deeper spiritual message and truth in them instead. It is only by doing this will you truly understand the message that God has for us in not just the seven trumpets but the entirety of the Book of Revelation as a whole. Therefore when you read the seven trumpets and my commentary on them do not see them literally and instead see them figuratively and metaphorically so that you can understand the true meaning.

(1) “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” – After Jesus opens the seventh and final seal there is a period of silence in anticipation for what is to come.

(2) “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God” – These are the seven angels who will blow the seven trumpets. They may also be the seven archangels of God who according to tradition and popular conception are the seven highest ranking angels in heaven. Although the reason why there are seven angels here is because each of the angels will blow one of the seven trumpets. Then since as you know the number seven is a recurring symbolic number really I do not think the “seven angels” (Revelation 8:2) here hold much importance outside of their relationship to the seven trumpets. My point here is that there are seven angels because there are seven trumpets rather than the other way around.

(2) “and they were given seven trumpets.” – Trumpets were used to warn, call or announce. Thus the reason why the symbol of a trumpet is used in the seven trumpets is because each of the first six of the seven trumpets warn of a coming judgment, call for a coming judgment and announce the arrival of a coming judgment. In terms of the last and seventh trumpet this trumpet is used to announce the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God.

Next there are seven trumpets instead of another number because just like how the seven seals are representative of all the judgments and death that God has brought into the world so too are the seven trumpets representative of all the judgments and death in the world. Furthermore remember that the seven trumpets happen inside the seventh seal because the seven trumpets are the seventh seal. Therefore the seven trumpets should not be seen as separate from the seven seals and instead they should be seen and understood as part of the seven seals. This is then why the seven trumpets have the same meaning and purpose as the seven seals.

Lastly as I have said before the order of the seven trumpets does not matter. Instead the seven trumpets contain non-literal apocalyptic imagery that is supposed to be representative of all judgments and death that have occurred from the time Revelation was written to the present day and that will occur in the future until the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God with the seventh and final trumpet. With respect to the seven trumpets being representative of all the death and judgments that have occurred in the past this actually makes a lot of sense since billions have already died of war, famine, disease, natural disasters, plagues, genocides and more throughout history when all the numbers are added together. Therefore instead of looking towards a fulfillment in the future for the seven trumpets I believe it is much more helpful to look at all the wars, famines, pandemics, natural disasters, genocides and more in the past for the fulfillment of the seven trumpets.

(3) “Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer” – A censer is an incense burner and offering incense is a way of honoring and worshiping God.

(3) “along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.” – As I said previously the word saints in the Bible refers to all those who are faithful to God or rather all faithful Israelites or Christians and it does not refer to the Roman Catholic view of the saints. Thus you do not have to pray to the Roman Catholic saints in order for your prayer to be heard by God because God hears the prayers of everyone who is faithful to Him or the saints. This means that this angel is offering all of our prayers as faithful Christians to God “on the golden altar before the throne.” (Revelation 8:3) As a result of this you should have zero doubt about God hearing your prayers or not since as long as you are a faithful Christian all of your prayers are offered to God.

But what is the purpose of the angel offering our prayers to God or really what is the purpose of us offering our prayers to God? Really praying to God is not about trying to get something out of God so that He does something for you. Instead praying to God is about honoring, praising and thanking Him. In other words praying to God is not about getting something from God and instead it is about giving something to God. For an example of what this means consider the way Jesus prayed to God.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39)

And as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“A second time He went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:42)

In this verse the cup that Jesus is praying to pass from Him is His impending suffering and death for the forgiveness of our sins. Then my point here is that Jesus is not selfishly asking for His own will to be fulfilled and instead He is asking for His Father’s will to be fulfilled. Therefore when you pray you should pray like Jesus and us Him as an example. This means that when you pray you should seek to honor God and ask that His will be fulfilled instead of your own.

(4) “And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.” – In this verse God now smells the incense and hears all the prayers of the saints or rather all the prayers of all Christians. Therefore once again you do not have to worry that God is not hearing your prayer because God hears all prayers.

Next the reason why this section on the prayers of the saints is included here is because Christians look forward to the time when God will finally judge those on the earth so that the eternal Kingdom of God can be ushered in along with the resurrection of the dead. The point here is that the eternal Kingdom of God cannot come to pass without first God judging the world and because of this fact we as faithful Christians should look forward to God’s judgment of the world.

(5) “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” – The angel casts fire from the altar of God down to earth as a prelude to the coming judgments of the seven trumpets. Then going forward remember that just as this fire originated from the altar of God all judgments that have happened and that are to happen on the earth will be from God. It does not matter if the origin seems to be of either natural or human origin because God is the One who controls all judgments.

Lastly you should view this verse as non-literal apocalyptic imagery rather than completely literal for the reasons I have already stated. Really the intended meaning of this verse is that God has heard all of our prayers for the eternal Kingdom of God to arrive so He is now going to begin judging the world so that our prayers can be fulfilled. This is because immediately after hearing our prayers for the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and with it the judgment of the earth the angel hurls fire down to the earth to signify that God has heard our prayers.

2 – The First Four Trumpets

(6) And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

(7) Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

(8) Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, (9) a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

(10) Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. (11) The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

(12) Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

(13) And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

2.1 – Commentary

(6) “And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.” – After the brief period of silence in anticipation of the coming judgments the time has finally come to proceed with the sounding of the seven trumpets and hence the commencement of the events of the seven trumpets. Then just to reiterate these judgments should not be thought of as literal for the reasons I have already stated and instead they should be viewed figuratively and metaphorically. The major idea here is that God has full power over the entire world and with this power He is bringing death into the world by causing various judgments and catastrophes. Then of course here in Revelation He brings death and judgment into the world through empowering these seven angels to announce each of the judgments. The idea here is that by sounding their trumpet each angel is announcing the coming calamities in the case of the first six trumpets and the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and the final judgment in the seventh trumpet.

Next just to reiterate I have demonstrated that there is no specific fulfillment of the first six of the seven trumpets and that you should not attempt to fit them on any sort of timeline so that you look towards a specific fulfillment of them in the future. Instead the seven trumpets are representative of all the death and judgments that have taken place and will take place. This means that the seven trumpets are representative of all the death and judgments that God has caused from when Revelation was written up to the present day and will cause from the present day to the end of the age. This once again makes sense because throughout the history of the world there have been nearly countless disasters and judgments that have taken place where billions of people have died. For instance just imagine all of the wars, famines, diseases, natural disasters, fires, plagues, genocides and more that have taken place throughout history. Therefore truly the sounding of the seven trumpets started long before our current era since it is clear that our world has been under continuous judgment from the time Revelation was written to the present day.

Lastly it is important to remember that our world will continue to be under judgment and condemnation from God until the end of the age comes along with the eternal Kingdom of God. Now this might not seem obvious and not that important to point out but once the beast reigns over the world things will not be as they have been. Truly the beast will work many so-called miracles as I have said already and in the process it will bring peace to the world as it reigns over all. Thus during the reign of the beast there is a good chance that war and conflict will cease. Then of course among these so-called miracles will be things like curing all diseases and sickness along with ending famine. If you wish to doubt these things then just know that there is a reason why Revelation says “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) My point here is that for almost everyone on earth the beast will be the so-called savior of the world and because of this they will follow and worship it by placing all their faith, trust and hope in the beast.

Now my point with all this with respect to the continuation of the seven trumpets until the end of the age when Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God is that you should not be deceived by the so-called eternal golden age that the beast will bring about to the entire world. Instead Satan is going to use the beast to bring about this so-called eternal golden age in order to deceive the world into rebelling against God so that they see the beast as their so-called savior. This is another reason why once the beast reigns over the world it is almost a certainty that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today will look towards the beast as the fulfillment of God’s promise of the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth or even the eternal Kingdom of God. This means that as blasphemous as it may be to consider the vast majority of today’s Church may end up becoming the church of Satan as they look at the beast as the second coming of Jesus.

Alright so my point with respect to the seven trumpets is that just because the world will enter this so-called eternal golden age where the so-called savior of the world or the beast rules over all it does not mean that the sounding of the seventh trumpet is the announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of the beast. Instead this is but a temporary break in all the death and judgments throughout history until the most devastating event in human history happens. This event will of course be the global genocide in which the beast and the elite of the world will conspire together to kill the great prostitute or all of global society itself.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:15-17)

The idea here is that with the rise of the beast, or rather artificial super intelligence, human labor will become obsolete since not only will this artificial super intelligence be able to do all intellectual labor better than us but it will also be able to do physical labor through robots. This means that truly everyone on earth will be obsolete. Then since all of humanity will be economically worthless so that they just consume resources without producing anything the beast and the elite of the world will conspire together to kill them all in what I call the global genocide where almost the entirety of the world population will be killed off save the fraction of a percent of the world population who are the elite. Of course I talk more about all this later at the appropriate time so do not worry if you have any questions.

That said my point with all this is that you should not fall into temptation by being deceived due to the so-called miracles that the beast works in the world during its reign over the world so that you think God will not judge the world anymore. Instead you should remain mindful that the global genocide is still yet to come in which almost everyone on earth except for the elite will be killed. In other words billions of people will die in the worst calamity in the history of the world and because of this fact you should not be deceived into thinking that the seven trumpets are all over due to the rise and temporary reign of the beast.

(7) “Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth.” – Hail is seen as a devastating disaster because it can damage and even destroy entire fields of crops which then results in a poor harvest and famine. Then with respect to fire from heaven as I demonstrate later God frequently demonstrates His power with fire from heaven and because of this fact fire from heaven is symbolic of the power of God. Next by saying “mixed with blood” (Revelation 8:7) this verse is emphasizing the fact that the intent of these disasters are to destroy and kill those on the earth instead of being merely for show. Lastly I would just like to once again remind you that you should not take the seven trumpets literally because they are instances of non-literal apocalyptic imagery.

(7) “A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.” – A third of many different living things on the earth or rather the land of the earth are impacted by this set of judgments. A third symbolizes an increase in judgment compared to the previous judgments but it is still partial and not full. The full judgment comes with the seventh trumpet or the seven bowls in Revelation 16 where God’s full wrath will be poured out undiluted upon the earth so that nothing and no one is left. If you want to look towards a more literal fulfillment of this trumpet in history then I would say all the deforestation, desertification and environmental destruction that has taken place throughout human history would be the best fulfillment.

(8-9) “Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” – More non-literal apocalyptic imagery in which now the sea is impacted after the land of the earth was impacted in the previous trumpet. This description is also similar to the first plague in Egypt during the Exodus.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.” (Exodus 7:17-18)

Really the idea here with this second trumpet is that not even the sea, the creatures of the sea and the ships that sail on the sea will be safe from the wrath of God. Instead everyone and everything will feel the wrath of God in some form. If you want to look towards a more literal fulfillment of this trumpet in history then I would say the collapse of marine life due to over fishing and environmental destruction would be the best fulfillment.

(10-11) “Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.” – In these two verses the “great star burning like a torch” (Revelation 8:10) that “fell from heaven” (Revelation 8:10) that is called “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) is supposed to be representative of Satan. This is because in Revelation stars are symbolic of angels and of course the only “great star” (Revelation 8:10) that “fell from heaven” (Revelation 8:10) would of course be Satan after He was cast out of heaven by God after Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12)

Thus the idea here is that “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10) or Satan was “thrown down” (Revelation 12:10) or cast out of heaven by God after Jesus’s death and resurrection. But if this “great star” (Revelation 8:10) is actually Satan then why is it called “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) here in Revelation then? Well in order for the name “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) to make sense you must first understand why Satan “landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water” (Revelation 8:10) and why Revelation also says “A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.” (Revelation 8:11) To begin water can be seen as symbolic of something that provides wisdom and life

As God says in the Book of Jeremiah:

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns— broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

The idea here is that the ancient Israelites have forsaken God by looking towards themselves and their own wisdom for their own salvation from the problems they find themselves in even though only God Himself is the source of all wisdom, life and salvation.

Then the Gospel of John says:

“On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.‘’ He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39)

Once again the idea here is that God through the power of His Holy Spirit is the source of wisdom and life. Then of course all those who have faith in Jesus or come to Him to drink will be given eternal life as “Streams of living water flow from within” (John 7:38) them.

Alright so in terms of why Satan is called “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) really wormwood is a bitter plant and mixing wormwood with water would make it bitter and poison it so that it is no longer pure and life giving water but rather tainted and life taking water.

As the Book of Jeremiah says:

“Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: ‘I will feed them wormwood
and give them poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’” (Jeremiah 23:15)

The idea here in this verse is that God is saying He will punish the ancient Israelites by killing them with wormwood and poisoned water.

Next because of all this by saying “the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil” (Revelation 8:11) and “many people died from the bitter waters” (Revelation 8:11) Revelation is saying that the world is being poisoned or rather spiritually corrupted so that the life giving wisdom of God is being replaced with the life taking wisdom of man. This is then why the “great star” (Revelation 8:10) named “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11) is supposed to be representative of Satan because Satan’s ultimate goal is to poison and corrupt the world so that the whole world itself joins him in his rebellion against God.

Then as I have said before these two verses are one of the reasons why the imagery presented in the seven seals should not be taken literally and as a timeline. This is because Satan has already fallen from heaven and made the waters of the earth bitter. Later on in Revelation 12 the story of Satan’s fall from heaven expanded upon.

But what about the time frame of Satan’s fall from heaven? For instance how does Satan’s fall from heaven and his corruption of the waters of the earth only taking place in around the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection make sense? Well it is quite simple. But first it is important to point out that in Revelation timelines and time frame are very flexible as I am sure you already know. Therefore this means that you should not see the third trumpet and the “bitter waters” (Revelation 8:11) as being only applicable to referring to Satan’s fall from heaven in the first century AD. Although that said if you want to take a more literal approach then undeniably according to Revelation Satan’s fall from heaven happened at the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection since this is what Revelation 12 directly says as I have already said and demonstrated.

That said if you take a more non-literal and figurative approach then really Satan’s fall from heaven in the first century AD actually concerns the far future as well. The idea here is that through Jesus’s death and resurrection the possibility of eternal life was brought into the world. Then if you wanted to figuratively frame this then you would say that Jesus brought “springs of water” (Revelation 8:10) into the world so that all those who are thirsty may drink. But how does this relate to Satan and how “A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil” (Revelation 8:11) as Revelation says? Well really this would relate to Satan’s last attempt to deceive and corrupt the world so that we join him in his rebellion against God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

The idea here is that now that Satan has been cast down to the earth due to Jesus’s death and resurrection he knows that it is only a matter of time until he is destroyed at the end of the age. Therefore Satan now tries to corrupt and poison the waters of the world so that we will be deceived into drinking the water of death that Satan has for us in the form of rebellion against God instead of the water of life that Jesus has for us in the form of obedience to God. Then of course this corruption and poisoning of the waters of the world by Satan is something that has been happening since the first century. Some examples of Satan’s poison and corruption in the world would be false Christian teachings, false religions and the denial of God since these things help to lead people away from God.

In terms of false religions so-called Judaism and Islam would be good examples. Then what I mean by false Christian teachings is something that is false that actively harms the Church. An example of this would be teaching that the Book of Revelation holds no relevance and that the prophecies within it do not concern the future. The reason why this is so dangerous is because ultimately the beast is Satan’s greatest tool to use in his effort to poison and corrupt the world into joining him in his rebellion.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:)

My point here is that people teaching that you do not have to worry about the beast are spreading the corrupt waters that Satan has poisoned. This is because if people do not concern themselves with watching out for the beast because they do not believe that there ever will be a beast then this means that they are primed to stumble so that they end up seeing the beast as the so-called savior of the world. After all how can someone watch out for something they do not even think exists? Thus in this case I would say the greatest deception Satan has ever pulled is to convince the world that the beast will not exist. Therefore beware the bitter water of death that Satan seeks to deceive you into drinking and instead pursue the water of life that Jesus is offering to you so that you may receive eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of God rather than the second death in the Lake of Fire.

(12) “Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.” – First off I would like to emphasize that this apocalyptic imagery is non-literal since in Revelation 6:13 the stars already fell from the sky in the narrative as I have said before. Furthermore if a third of the sun, moon and stars were struck then would that not reduce brightness rather than make a third of the day dark? Since this is nonsensical if taken literally it should be taken non-literally. Then in term of what it means I would say that it means that God is taking away the light of the world and demonstrating to the people of the earth that God alone is the source of true light. Of course a metaphorical fulfillment of this would be God creating spiritual blindness in the world so that the vast majority of people in the world cannot see what is yet to come.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“He replied, ‘The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn
and be forgiven.’’” (Mark 4:11-12)

Therefore my point here is that God taking away light from the world can be seen as God blinding the world spiritually speaking so that they cannot see the truth. Now you might take issue with this but you need to remember that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) and because of this fact we should expect the world to be spiritually blind in the future.

Lastly the purpose of the imagery is also to show the power of God over the world and in this respect it is quite similar to the ninth plague in ancient Egypt during the Exodus.

As the Book of Exodus says:

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.’

So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place.” (Exodus 10:21-23)

Thus this fourth trumpet could very well be a reference to the ninth plague in ancient Egypt during the Exodus. That said really I would say that this trumpet is just once again supposed to show the power of God over the world and the fact that He alone is the source of all light like I already said.

(13) “And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!’” – In this verse an eagle announces that the next trumpet blasts are going to be even worse than these first four. Thus as bad as these judgments may seem with the first four trumpets they are only going to get worse as the full might and power of God is revealed to the world before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Therefore as bad as things may seem in the world in either the past or the present remember that the whole world is still set to be judged along with everyone in it so the worst is truly yet to come. So even if you find yourself in the so-called eternal golden age of the reign of the beast then just know that the killing of the great prostitute by the beast or rather the genocide of almost all of humanity by the beast is still to come. In other words even if everything seems good now the worst is truly yet to come because the eternal Kingdom of God will not arrive until the whole world faces judgment from God.

Chapter 2.22: Revelation 9

1 – The Fifth Trumpet

(1) Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. (2) The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

(3) And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. (4) They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. (6) In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

(7) And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. (8) They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. (9) They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. (10) They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. (11) They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.

(12) The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) Before you read my commentary on this chapter I would like to remind you that the seven trumpets are not supposed to be viewed and understood literally. Instead they are supposed to be viewed and understood through a non-literal, figurative and metaphorical perspective. Therefore remember what I said in the previous chapter with regards to the seven trumpets so that you look at these next two trumpets spiritually instead of literally.

(1) “Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth” – Angels are symbolized by stars so the star that fell from heaven to earth would be Satan as evidenced by Revelation 12.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:8-9)

If you want do disagree with Satan having “fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) during the fifth trumpet then I would like to remind that you Satan also previously fell down from heaven to the earth during the third trumpet.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” (Revelation 8:10)

Therefore my point here is that either we are supposed to see Satan falling from heaven in the third trumpet only so that he then appears in the third trumpet after falling from heaven during the third trumpet or we are supposed to see Satan falling from heaven during both the third and the fifth trumpets. Really there is not a significant difference between these two instances since the main point of Satan falling from heaven during the seven trumpets remains the same. This is important because this is one of the main reasons why the seven trumpets cannot be viewed literally as I have said before. That said given the fact that it is impossible for all of the seven trumpets to be literal events that are supposed to take place in the future there is really no reason to discount Satan falling from heaven twice in the third and fifth trumpets. This is because if the seven trumpets are non-literal then really Satan falling from heaven twice is not an issue at all.

Although if you insist on only seeing Satan falling from heaven during the third trumpet then this would be why this verse refers to Satan as “a star that had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) because Satan had already fallen to the earth. Then when Satan previously fell to the earth in the third trumpet he spiritually corrupted the world through poisoning the water. But now coming up Satan is going to darken the world through leading people into temptation and sin and as a result they will be tormented and suffer.

(1) “and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.” – First off this verse says that Satan “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) because as I have said before God is in full control over everything and everyone. This means that not only can Satan only act because God allows him to but Satan only exists because God wants him to exist. In other words Satan “was given the key” (Revelation 9:1) by God in this verse. Then because God gave Satan the key this means that God is giving Satan permission to act in our world by creating torment and suffering.

But then why does God not only allow Satan to act but encourage him to do so by giving him the key? Well first off it is important to point out that since God allows Satan to act by giving him “the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) this means that Satan is part of God’s plan. That said as I have said before in the Bible Satan is known as the great accuser. This is to say that Satan’s role is to tempt people into sin and away from God in order to test their faith. Thus you should not view Satan as some great adversary of God. I mean as I just said God is all powerful so that He can destroy Satan at anytime effortlessly. The only reason why Satan has not be destroyed yet for rebelling against God is because Satan still serves a purpose and is useful to God for now. Therefore God has given the key to Satan because God wants Satan to create torment and suffering in the world so that His purpose and plan for the world will be fulfilled. But then what is this purpose and plan? Well really this directly relates to the problem of evil that I talk about later on in this commentary so just hold this question for now since I answer this question in full at the appropriate time.

Next what exactly is “the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) in this verse? Well to begin the word translated as Abyss is abussos (ἄβυσσος) and it most literally means boundless or bottomless. Then the word translated as pit is φρέαρ (phrear) which most literally means a well, cistern or pit. Therefore a literal translation would read the bottomless well or pit although most translators translate it as bottomless pit. Although really I do not think bottomless pit encapsulates the meaning as you will soon see and instead the well or entrance of the Abyss would be a better way to view this phrase. This is because the Abyss was seen as a prison that was inhabited by demons that was the direct opposite of heaven. So just how heaven is metaphorically speaking above the sky the Abyss would be metaphorically speaking under the earth itself. This is why the well or entrance to the Abyss would be a better translation since the idea being presented is that the well is a deep hole in the ground that serves as an entrance to the Abyss. If you want to dispute this then this is why Satan “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) because the pit or rather well serves as the entrance or gateway to the Abyss and this well can be sealed shut and locked so that the demons inside cannot escape. This would then be why Satan is given the key since the well or entrance of the Abyss is sealed and locked. Then in terms of why the Abyss is supposed to be a prison for demons consider the following verse.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.” (Luke 8:31)

In this verse really it is quite obvious that the Abyss was seen as a prison for demons in which demons could be imprisoned so that they cannot escape. This would of course be why “the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.” (Luke 8:31)

That said abussos (ἄβυσσος) which can be translated as bottomless or Abyss can also be used as a metaphor for the grave.

As Paul wrote:

“For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.

For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) or, ‘Who will descend into the Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’” (Romans 10:4-7)

In this passage Paul is not talking about the Abyss as in the prison for demons and instead he is referring to the sea since he is quoting the Book of Deuteronomy.

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Thus as you can see the verse from Deuteronomy that Paul is quoting in Romans is actually referencing the sea. So why did Paul change the sea to abussos (ἄβυσσος) or the bottomless or abyss? Well you see Paul considers the reference to the sea in Deuteronomy to be a metaphor for death. The idea here is that the sky or heaven above is representative of life while the unknown and seemingly bottomless depths of the sea are representative of death. To this end Paul changed the word sea to abussos (ἄβυσσος) to emphasize the fact that he is talking about heaven in terms of life and the sea, the abyss or the deep as being representative of death or the grave. If this does not make sense then consider Paul’s usage of the abyss, the deep or the bottomless as being representative of the grave or death in the sense that once you are dead you are no longer conscious and because of this fact it is impossible for someone to climb out of their grave. The idea here is that because someone cannot raise themselves from the dead their grave is like an abyss or the deep in the sense that just like how it is impossible to climb out of an abyss because it is infinitely deep so too it is impossible to climb out of your own grave. Instead the only way to brought up from the abyss or rather your grave is for God Himself to raise you up from the abyss of death.

Next if Paul’s reference to the Book of Deuteronomy seemed strange to you just know that the way the earliest Christians viewed the Scriptures was completely different than how we view the Scriptures today. What I mean by this is that for the most part Jews in the early first century AD did not view the Scriptures as literal and immutable so that a single passage from the Old Testament could only be referring to a single literal thing that happened or supposedly happened centuries ago. Instead the Scriptures were viewed as ever applicable and malleable so that multiple different meanings could be viewed from the same verse even if the verse is literally speaking about something entirely different. For an example of what I mean by this consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

He replied, ‘The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn
and be forgiven.’’” (Mark 4:10-12)

In this passage Jesus is quoting from the Book of Isaiah.

As the Book of Isaiah says:

“And He replied: ‘Go and tell this people,

‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.’

Then I asked: ‘How long, O Lord?’

And He replied:

‘Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged,
until the LORD has driven men far away and the land is utterly forsaken.
And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again.
As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.’” (Isaiah 6:9-13)

My point here is that obviously if you want to view the Book of Isaiah completely literally then God is not talking about the first century AD and instead God is talking about the Exile and the period leading up to the Exile which happened many centuries ago by the time of Jesus. This means that if you want to only view the Book of Isaiah literally and at face value then this means that Jesus’s quotation of God in Isaiah is completely improper and wrong. Then of course this would be how the vast majority of people view the Scriptures today since if a Christian today quoted Isaiah as Jesus did then everyone around them would tell them that Isaiah is not talking about today. However Jews in the early first century AD did not view the Scriptures as these literal texts that were only applicable to what they were literally talking about. Instead Jews in the early first century saw the Scriptures more as living texts that could be adapted and changed to fit whatever situation you wanted them to fit. This would be why Jesus quotes from Isaiah to explain why He speaks in parables because the idea is that the situation with the so-called Jews in the first century AD is similar to the situation with the ancient Israelites hundreds of years prior. The idea here is that God sent Isaiah to tell of the destruction and judgments the ancient Israelites would face for their disobedience to God and not to help save the ancient Israelites from destruction and judgment at the hands of God. Then likewise God sent Jesus to tell of the destruction and judgments the so-called Jews would face for their disobedience to God and not to save the so-called Jews from destruction and judgment at the hands of God. In other words Jesus is just saying that the above passage from Isaiah is also applicable to the first century AD even though literally speaking it is not.

Thus my point here so far is that Paul reinterpreted and changed the application of the Scriptures in order to fit his purpose in quoting the Scripture. Therefore although Paul’s reference to the Book of Deuteronomy may seem strange really it is no different than Jesus’s reference to the Book of Isaiah and because of this fact you should not see Paul’s quotation as being wrong.

Now the reason why I am explaining all this is so that you can understand the way people viewed the Scriptures in the first century AD. This is because as I said in today’s world the vast majority of people see the Scriptures as literal texts that are only applicable to what they are literally talking about. However in reality the authors of the New Testament did not view the Scriptures this way and instead they saw the Scriptures as living texts that could be be figuratively and creatively interpreted to apply to whatever they wanted them to apply to. This is important to emphasize because it directly relates to how people view the Book of Revelation today. For instance the vast majority of people today like to claim that the Book of Revelation is only about the first century AD and that it is not applicable to the future at all and that because of this Christians do not have to worry about it and what it means at all. However in reality those who say that the Book of Revelation is only about the first century AD do not understand the Scriptures and how the Scriptures work.

For instance if the authors of the New Testament were alive today and you were to try to tell them that the Book of Revelation is not relevant for the future then they would probably laugh at you and tell you that you do not understand the things of God. Then if you continue to argue with them then they would probably ask you why the Scriptures have not been fulfilled yet or rather where the eternal Kingdom of God is then quote a passage from the Old Testament about the ancient Israelites rejecting God by rejecting the Prophets and address that passage to you in the sense that they would be saying God is speaking about you in the passage since you are rejecting the prophecies of the Book of Revelation. Therefore even you want to make the claim that the Book of Revelation is applicable to the first century AD then really you need to understand that all of the Scriptures are supposed to be viewed as living texts that can be viewed figuratively and adapted to whatever situation you wish that is even vaguely similar. I realize this digression was quite off topic but I hope this explanation cleared up some issues you may have had with my commentary on the Book of Revelation so far.

Alright all that said my main point here with this comment so is that the usage of “the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) here in Revelation refers to the Abyss as a prison for demons and not as a metaphor for death. This of course makes sense sense because as I said the Gospel of Luke refers to the Abyss as the prison for demons.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.” (Luke 8:31)

But then this topic of the Abyss as a prison for demons brings up an important question that is necessary to understand what is happening in the fifth trumpet since the next verse says “The star opened the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:2) which obviously means that Satan will open the prison for demons. So if the Abyss is the prison for demons then what exactly are demons? I mean if immaterial and immortal souls do not exist then what is a demon even supposed to be? Well first off a demon is an evil spirit or rather an unclean spirit because in the gospels the word translated as demon and the words translated as unclean spirit are use interchangeably to refer to the same thing.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue: ‘What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’

But Jesus rebuked the spirit. ‘Be silent!’ He said. ‘Come out of him!’ At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.

All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!’ And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.

As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her. So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed, and the whole town gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.” (Mark 1:21-34)

My point with this passage is that in the first half Jesus drives out an unclean spirit that even talks to Him while in possession of a man. Then in the last part of the passage it says that Jesus “drove out many demons” (Mark 1:34) and “He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.” (Mark 1:34) Thus the idea here is that clearly unclean spirits are demons and demons are unclean spirits because they can both speak when in possession of someone. This fact is then evidenced elsewhere but there is no reason to provide more evidence.

Alright so if a demon is an unclean spirit then what exactly is an unclean spirit? Well first off as I have said before a spirit or pneuma (πνεῦμα) is an unseen or invisible force that can be immaterial in nature. Then unclean is of course the opposite of clean with clean referring to being sanctified or rather of God. This would mean that something that is unclean is evil in the sense that everything and everyone that stands opposed to God in some form is evil. This means that demons or unclean spirits are invisible and immaterial forces that are evil or rather that are in rebellion against God. Then in order to spread rebellion against God these demons or unclean spirits are able to possess people and make them sick. This might not make sense but the idea here is that by ultimately negative things that happen to a person like sickness are a test of faith to not only themselves but to those around them.

The idea here is that if a demon makes one person sick then not only does the one person who is sick have their faith tested as they wonder why God is allowing them to be sick but everyone around them has their faith tested as well as they also wonder why God is allowing this person to be sick. In other words you should see demons as invisible spiritual forces that are evil in nature that seek to lead Christians who do not have their name in the Book of Life into apostasy by tempting and tormenting them. Therefore this would be the main reason why demons or unclean spirits possess people to make them sick as well as why God allows them to possess people. Remember Satan’s role is that of the accuser and his role is to test our faith and of course God allows Satan to act to fulfill the purpose that God created him for. This means that it makes sense that God would also allow demons or unclean spirits to exist since demons fulfill the same purpose as Satan.

But what exactly is a demon exactly? I mean just saying they are invisible and immaterial forces that test people’s faith really does not help much. Well really it is quite simple. Demons are fallen angels who have joined Satan in his rebellion against God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

Now although I previously said that Satan being cast out of heaven to the earth in Revelation 12 concerns Jesus’s death and resurrection in the first century AD really there is another perspective here. This perspective is that Satan was created by God to be in rebellion against Him. Now you might doubt this but this would make sense in the context of Satan leading Adam and Eve into temptation in the Garden of Eden by deceiving them into eating from the Tree of Knowledge through the snake. Thus in this context Satan was always the deceiver who is in rebellion against God since from the beginning God created him for this role. Then if this is true then it would also make sense that God created more angels who were created to be in rebellion against Him just like Satan. Therefore the idea here is that demons are rebellious angels who have joined Satan in his rebellion against God. But remember that these rebellious forces are not a threat to God because God created them to be rebellious so that they may carry out His purpose of testing and accusing the people of the earth.

This then relates to the above passage from Revelation 12 in that Revelation 12 does not actually concern Satan’s rebellion against God and instead it is describing how Satan and his fallen angels or demons lost their place in heaven. The idea here is that Satan and his fallen angels or demons who have joined him are accusers and their job is to test the faith of the people of the earth then go and tell God when the people of the earth fail their test of faith by sinning and rebelling against God. However through Jesus’s death and resurrection we have been granted forgiveness for our sins. This means that God no longer listens to Satan’s and his demon’s accusations against us because through our faith in Jesus as the Christ God as absolved our sins and rebellion against Him. Then because of this fact this would then be why Satan and his demons have lost their place in heaven since Satan and his demons can no longer accuse God’s people anymore. Furthermore I would like to emphasize that this would also be why Satan’s angels or demons lost their place in heaven as well because after Jesus’s death and resurrection they can no longer accuse the faithful before God just as Satan does. Therefore as a result there is good reason to see demons as being fallen angels who were created to fulfill the same role as Satan.

Now you may dispute this by saying that demons are something else so that they are not fallen angels. However Jesus implies that demons are fallen angels.

As Jesus says:

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

My point here with this verse is that Satan and all his angels who have rebelled against God with him are to be destroyed at the end of the age in the Lake of Fire. This fact then relates to demons because if demons are evil or unclean spirits and if demons are not supposed to be fallen angels then why would God keep the demons around but not the fallen angels? In other words it makes the most sense to say that Satan’s angels are demons since otherwise you have to assume that all the demons will be destroyed even though Jesus only says the fallen angels will be destroyed. Therefore as a result I do not believe there is much if any basis to say that demons are not fallen angels.

Now you may dispute this but my response to this dispute is also my answer to another more important question. So what question am I talking about? Well as you already know I have extensively demonstrated that we do not have immaterial and immortal souls and that instead we are material and mortal beings. Thus if immortal and immaterial souls do not exist then how does it make any sense to say that demons exist? I mean are demons and angels as well for that matter not supposed to be spirits which are immaterial and probably immortal as well in the sense that they do not age? Well yes this is what angels are demons are supposed to be. But then how does it make sense to say that we do not have an immortal and immaterial soul while angels and demons are basically what an immortal and immaterial soul is supposed to be? Now although this may seem like good question or even counterpoint to make with regards to if immortal and immaterial souls exist or not really there is a very simple answer.

You see angels and fallen angels or demons are spiritual beings while on the other hand we are earthly beings. But what is a spiritual being exactly? Well a spiritual being is a being that has been created by God out of spirit or pneuma (πνεῦμα). Now this may not make sense but remember that spirit is an invisible and immaterial force. Thus the idea here is that a spiritual being is not made of earthly things like we are and the things of our universe and instead a spiritual being is made out of a higher level substance or spirit that transcends the material nature of our world and the reality that we find ourselves in. This means that spiritual beings like angels and demons or fallen angels are not natural or of our world and instead they were all born of the spiritual realm of heaven. On the other hand we are earthly and natural beings that were created to be bound within the confines of the material reality we find ourselves in. Therefore my point here is that angels and fallen angels or demons are inherently of a different category than us as humans. Thus there is no contradiction between the fact that we do not have immortal and immaterial souls and the existence of angels and fallen angels or demons. Instead God simply created angels and fallen angels or demons as higher level spiritual beings while He created us as lower level earthy beings. This is then the main reason why we do not have immortal and immaterial souls because we are of the earth and have been born of the earth. On the other hand angels and fallen angels or demons have been born of heaven or the spiritual realm. Although keep in mind that even though fallen angels or demons were cast out of heaven they are still of heaven in the sense that they originated in heaven as spiritual beings.

Now all of this might be confusing for you. I mean what kind of powers does a spiritual being have exactly? Well whatever powers and as much power as God wants them to have of course but really this does not answer the real question. Therefore as an example imagine if our world was like an online game where we are all players in the game and we do not realize we are playing the game. Now imagine that this game has moderators or administrators that have certain powers over the game world because they have access to a higher level system that the creator of the game created above the game itself. Now imagine that these moderators or administrators are not like us who are the players of the game and instead they are part of this higher level system that the creator of the game created above the game itself. The idea here is that this system transcends the game and allows the moderators or administrators to do the job that the creator of the game as given them. Then of course since these moderators or administrators are part of this higher level system they can use the powers of this higher level system to control and manipulate the game world that we are located in subject to whatever the creator of the game allows them to do. This means that the moderators or administrators of the game are actually extensions of the creator of the game in the sense that the creator of the game is in control of everything so that the moderators and administrators cannot do something unless the creator of the game approves of it.

Alright now this example should be straight forward to understand but if it is not then allow me to explain. The idea here is that our material world is like the game while heaven or the spiritual realm is like the higher level system above the game. Then the moderators or administrators of the game are like angels and fallen angels or demons. Then of course the creator of the game is like God. Thus you can see the purpose of this example was to first off show that angels and fallen angels or demons are of a different category compared to us. This means that we are not comparable. Then second in terms of what powers angels and fallen angels or demons have really angels and fallen angels or demons have access to powers that transcend our world and with these powers they can do whatever they want as long as God allows it. For instance in the case of fallen angels or demons perhaps God does not allow them to manifest themselves into our world physically and instead God requires them to posses someone? Of course we do not actually know for sure and this is just an example of what I am talking about. On the other hand in terms of angels consider the angels in the book of Revelation or the angels in the Old Testament. These angels have been given power by God to fulfill His will and because of this fact the only limitation on an angel’s power is the limitation that God places upon them like I said. On the other hand we have material limitations because we were created as earthly beings instead of spiritual beings.

If all this still does not make sense in relation to what it means to be a spiritual being compared to an earthly being then think of spirit like magic. Then by magic I mean the kind of magic in the typical fantasy setting where people use magic to manipulate the world in a variety of ways. Therefore my point here is that angels and fallen angels or demons are like beings that can use magic. On the other hand we are beings that cannot use magic. This again means that angels and fallen angels or demons are categorically different than us.

Alright so I have explained why it makes sense that we do not have an immortal and immaterial soul as earthly beings even though spiritual beings like angels and fallen angels are what an immortal and immaterial souls are supposed to be. Now allow me to explain why this answer relates to the fact that demons are fallen angels. Really the idea here is that both angels and demons are spiritual beings and because of this fact fallen angels are demons. If you still want to dispute this then here are two questions. First off where do demons come from? The answer to this question is that ultimately God created all the demons. My point here is that you may object to fallen angels being demons on the basis that you might not like the idea that God created angels to be fallen. Instead you may want to see demons as not having anything to do with God and the angels He created. However in reality God is the creator of all things which means that God has created all demons and it does not matter how you want to look at it. For the second question what exactly are the fallen angels who are with Satan doing? What I mean by this is that if you insist that demons are not fallen angels and that Satan is the ruler of all demons then what are the fallen angels doing? I mean these fallen angels are stated to be with Satan.

As Jesus says:

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

My point here is that if Satan is the ruler of demons since Satan and demons have the same job and fulfill the same purpose of being evil forces that seek the lead people into temptation and away from God while at the same time Satan is the ruler of the fallen angels that have fallen with him then it makes the most sense to say that fallen angels are demons. Therefore as a result the best way to view demons is to see them as fallen angels and the best way to view fallen angels is to see them as demons.

Next you may be wondering what this earthly and spiritual distinction means for the resurrection at the end of the age. Alright so even though we are categorically different than angels and demons in the present since we are material and earthly beings this does not mean that we will still be the same in the resurrection. Instead in the resurrection were are to be raised as spiritual beings by God so that we are like the angels.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.” (Luke 20:34-36)

First off I talk about Jesus’s reference to the fact that “those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage” (Luke 20:35) later on when discussing the new earth. This is because this is a rather complicated subject that would require me to explain what the new earth is and our relationship to it. Therefore do not worry about what Jesus is talking about here for now.

That said my point here with this passage is that in the resurrection from the dead we will be like the angels because we will be the “sons of God.” (Luke 20:36) This once again means that we will die here on earth as earthly beings and then in the resurrection from the dead we will be raised as spiritual beings so that we “are like the angels.” (Luke 20:36) Now you may doubt this but Paul also believed that in the resurrection we will be raised in spiritual bodies.

As Paul wrote:

“But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’ You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else. But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.

Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another. The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being;’ the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.” (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)

Thus as Paul said each of the faithful will be “raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44) in the resurrection so that our bodies will each “bear the likeness of the heavenly man” (1 Corinthians 15:49) or of Jesus Himself. This of course means that will no longer be natural or of the earth and instead we will be spiritual or of heaven as the “sons of God.” (Luke 20:36) If you still doubt this fact then let me ask you a question. How will we as the faithful rule over the nations if we are not going to be given a spiritual nature instead of an earthly nature?

As Jesus says:

“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)

Thus my point here is that ultimately the only way we can rule over all the nations just as Jesus promises is if we receive power from God. Ultimately this is what I would say Jesus is talking about with regards to “authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26) in this passage since in order to have authority you need to be able to back it up with force. For instance what if one of the nations you are to rule over seeks to rebel against you? In this case you would need to possess the power of an angel, or better yet of Jesus Himself just as He promises, in order to destroy all those who seek to rebel against you.

Therefore really it does not matter how you wish to look at it and as a result we will be raised from the dead as spiritual beings so that we will no longer be earth beings. As a result do not worry about being different from the angels of heaven here on earth because as Jesus says in the resurrection we will be “like the angels.” (Luke 20:36)

Next with regards to demons at this point you may be wondering if demons are so powerful then how come we do not see them in the world? I mean Jesus was driving out demons left and right in the first century AD so where are all the demons in the twenty-first century AD? Well really the answer is quite simple. You see God is in complete control over all things so that nothing happens without God first approving of it happening. This means that the fact that we cannot see demons in our world means that God does not want us to see them. Really this is all there is to it. That said this is a rather unsatisfying answer since it just boils down to because God wants it that way. So what is the real reason then? Well there are two potential answers to the question of why we do not see demons in our world.

The first potential answer is to say that God allowed demons to be active in our world and to possess people before and during the time of Jesus as a way for Jesus to perform signs to demonstrate that He is the Christ. Furthermore in the case of the disciples God allowing demon possession would have allowed for the disciples to cast out demons in the name of Jesus and thus demonstrate to people that Jesus is the Christ. However in terms of the answer to the question itself you could say that God ceased allowing demon possession sometime in the first century AD since God believed there was no need to continue to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ through casting out demons. That said this is just a potential answer and to be perfectly honest I do not really buy into it. Therefore if you do not believe that demons ceased being active in our world in the early first century AD then I am not going to argue with you.

Then the second potential answer is to say that demons are hidden so that we cannot easily see them. But then why are demons hidden in the world? Well really there are two answers to this question.

The first is to say that if demons were obviously visible then Satan would lose power over our world as people people see the enemy that they have to fight against. In other words as long as Satan hides his the activities of his demons then his demons can further his goal of leading Christians who do not have their name in the Book of Life into apostasy through a variety of methods like tempting and tormenting them. But then why did demons not hide themselves as well in the first century AD in the time of Jesus? Well really I would just say that visible demon possession probably lost effectiveness overtime in the sense that people went from being scared of demon possession to not having much fear. This could actually be tied into Jesus in the sense that Christians no longer see demons as an enemy to run away from but rather to fight against. Thus the idea here is that from the demon’s perspective hiding is the best course of action.

Then the second answer relates to the rise of the beast. This is because Satan will have a hand in creating the beast and he will name the beast as his greatest agent on earth so that it is is heir.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 12:17-13:2)

The first point I have here is that Satan’s long term plan to wage war against us as faithful Christians does not involve his many demons directly. Instead Satan’s plan to lead the whole world itself into full rebellion against God rests with the beast. This means that as time goes on demons are really no longer considered useful to Satan and instead the future beast takes on greatest importance. This is because the beast will be able to do more than Satan’s demons ever could. But why is this exactly? Well really I would say God has placed some limits on what demons can and cannot do like I mentioned before. For instance why do we not see demons that can manifest themselves physically in our world? Well obviously because God has not given them the ability to manifest themselves physically at least in the vast majority of cases. Thus my point here is that ultimately Satan needs to use something of the world, the beast, in order to manifest his full power in our world since he and his demons are unable to do it themselves. This is why the beast being an artificial super intelligence makes a lot of sense since ultimately this ASI will be the greatest earthly being our world has ever known. What I mean by this is that all other earthly powers throughout history including the most powerful empires and dictators will be less than nothing compared to the power of artificial super intelligence or the beast. If you wish to dispute this then just know I talk about why ASI will be earthly power itself later on. But really the general idea here is that we as humans have dominion over the world due to our intelligence so what would it mean for the world if an ASI exists that exceeds the total intellectual capacity of everyone on earth? Obviously then this beast would have supreme earthly power.

This of course means that if Satan wishes to accuse the world before God by leading the whole world into rebellion against God then really the beast or artificial super intelligence is truly Satan’s greatest chance. The idea here is that if Satan and his demons are prohibited from using certain spiritual powers in our world then their next best option is to raise an earthly power that is aligned with their interests that will do their job for them of leading as many people away from God as possible. Of course the beast or artificial super intelligence fits this requirement perfectly since the beast will seemingly be so-called earthly perfection itself incarnate in our world so that it will seem like the beast has all the answers. Furthermore as I have said before it will be able to work such great so-called miracles that almost all of those who call themselves Christians will be deceived into seeing the beast as their so-called savior or worse as a so-called god. But this is all part of Satan’s master plan since whoever follows the beast will be guilty of idolatry and as long as the beast captivates their attention to the end so that they do not repent of their sin then Satan will be victorious as they and almost everyone else on earth will face the full wrath of God. In other words Satan does not need his demons to wage war against the world because the beast will wage this war for him.

Therefore demons are not plainly visible because we are getting close to the rise of the beast and as a result of this fact the lack of visible demons will better allow the beast to wage the war that Satan wants it to. The idea here is that a lack of visible demons in the world will make people see the beast as their so-called savior instead of Jesus. This is because ultimately the beast will be seen as the triumph of technology and science over religion and faith. Thus what I am saying is that if demons were obviously visible then the people of the world would not see the spiritual as being absent from the world. Then if this is the case then how is the natural, or the beast, supposed to triumph over the spiritual? In other words if demons were visibly waging a war against us today then in reality Satan would actually be waging a war against himself since this visible demonic activity would make people believe in the spiritual over the natural while Satan’s long term plan is to wage war against the world with the natural rather than the spiritual. Thus you can see why I said Satan would be waging a war against himself in this case. As a result it would make sense for Satan and his demons to hide so that the world believes they do not exist. This way once the beast comes the world will place their faith, trust and hope in it as their so-called savior and the so-called supreme ruler of the natural world.

That said this does not mean that demons are completely absent from our world and instead it only mean that demons are purposefully hiding and reducing their activity so that the world only sees the natural rather than the spiritual. But then what could these demons be doing in our world if they have not ceased completely? Well really I would say there is a good chance that Satan and his demons are working to orchestrate the rise of the beast.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

As I have said in this comment already the Abyss is the prison for demons. Then since the beast is going to come “up from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) this means that although the beast will be the pinnacle of scientific and technology progress, or an artificial super intelligence, it may not be completely natural in nature. Instead it is almost a certainty that Satan and his demons will be working on controlling the beast so that they can fully utilize it for their goal of getting the entire world to rebel against God. The idea here is that the beast will not only be a natural entity and instead it will also be demonic in nature. This would be why Revelation says it will rise “from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) as the verse says.

Alternatively by saying that the beast will come “up from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) Revelation could be saying that the beast will be opposed to God and because of this fact it will be demonic in nature. The idea here is that the heights of heaven are representative of God and those who are obedient to God and because of this fact the depths of the Abyss would be representative of Satan and all the forces that are in rebellion against God. This means that by coming “up from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) the beast will created to fulfill the agenda of the Abyss or rather the beast will be created in rebellion against God.

To this end demons could very well be working in our world today as they seek to ensure the conditions for the rise of the beast are perfect so that once the beast rises “from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) it will “wage war against the saints” (Revelation 13:7) so that the whole world will place their faith, trust and hope in it. But remember as I said Satan and his demons do not want their presence to be known. This is because the beast is supposed to be a seemingly natural so-called savior and having demons wage an obvious spiritual war would interfere with the world seeing the beast as the so-called supremacy of the natural over the supposedly nonexistent spiritual. Therefore this is probably why we do not really see demons in the world today.

But remember just because we are not easily able to see demons in the world today this does not mean that demons are not active. So other than ensuring the conditions for the rise of the beast are optimal what else are demons doing exactly? Well you see really everything demons do ultimately relates to the rise of the beast. For instance take the so-called Jews for instance. Why did literally almost all of the Hebrews reject Jesus in the first century AD so that they became the so-called Jews? Well first off obviously the answer is because God wanted them to reject Jesus. Now although this relates to the subject of divine determinism which I talk about later on in my commentary on Revelation 13 I would just like to say that really you cannot dispute this fact. This is because if you want to believe that Jesus was destined or determined to die as a sacrifice for our sins and then be raised from the dead this would then logically mean that the so-called Jews were destined or determined to reject Him as the Christ. In other words it is a contradiction to say that Jesus was destined to be crucified but that the so-called Jews were not destined to reject Him.

Alright so sure God is fully in control over everything and because of this fact because God wanted it that way can be an answer to literally every single question. But then why exactly did the Hebrews reject Jesus in the first century AD so that they became the so-called Jews? Well really I would say the best answer is actually demons and by this I quite literally mean that the so-called Jews are deceived, blinded, influenced or even possessed by demons. Now you might take offense to this idea so consider what Jesus says about the so-called Jews.

As Jesus says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.” (Revelation 3:9)

And as Jesus also says:

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

My point here with regards to these two verses is that if the so-called Jews “belong to the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) and they also belong to their “father, the devil” (John 8:44) then how are they not associated with demons in some form? For instance is Satan not the ruler of all demons since he is the most powerful fallen angel who rebelled against God? Then if the so-called Jews are the children of Satan so that they have Satan as their ruler, even if they are unaware, then how are they not under the influence of Satan and his demons? Therefore really no imagination is required to claim that at least some of the more influential so-called Jews if not all the so-called Jews are under the influence of Satan and his demons in some form.

But why would Satan and his demons seek to deceive, influence and possess the so-called Jews? Really the answer is quite obvious. Of course Satan and his demons want to fulfill the job that God has given them of leading as many people as possible into temptation and away from God as a means of testing them. Therefore as a result the so-called Jews would be prime candidates for being deceived, influenced or possessed by demons. This may not make sense so let me ask you a question. How much stronger would the Church or Israel be if all of the Hebrews remained Jews and accepted Jesus as the Christ? Truly if this happened the Church or Israel would have spread across the entire world far sooner and as a result the entire world would have been Christian today. Of course in reality almost all of the Hebrews rejected Jesus as the Christ so that the Church began in weakness rather than in strength. Therefore this is why it is almost a certainty that the so-called Jews have been deceived, influenced and possessed by demons.

But what about the so-called Jews of today? Well really I would honestly say the same thing. This might sound outlandish to you but I assure you once you read my part called Fulfilled Prophecy and what I wrote with regards to the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars then you will come to the inescapable conclusion that the only reason the so-called Jews can still exist is if they are actively being deceived, influence or possessed by demons. Therefore just humor what I am saying for now until you read about the great signs given by God in the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars.

But wait if God is fully in control over everything then why does God allow demons to deceive, influence and possess the so-called Jews? Because God wants the demons to deceive, influence and possess the so-called Jews. But surely God would not want this right? Well as I have already said and demonstrated ultimately Satan works for God and serves a purpose that God approves of. This means that everything that Satan and those under him, the demons, do is something that God has approved of. If you forgot what I said then this is why the verse this comment is on says Satan “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.” (Revelation 9:1) The idea here is that God has full power over the Abyss or rather of all demons so that they are under His complete control. Then it is because of this fact that if Satan wants to use any demons he must be given permission by God to use the demons by being “given the key to the pit of the Abyss.” (Revelation 9:1)

If you still want to take issue with this then let me ask you a question. Why does the name of Jesus have power over demons so that the demons cannot resist? Well? Really it is quite simple. God is the ruler of all creation because He has created everything. This means that God rules over Satan so that even Satan’s rebellion against God is a fulfillment of God’s will. Then if God rules over Satan and Satan rules over the demons then surely God in reality rules over all the demons. This is why the name of Jesus has power over demons. The idea here is that Jesus is the Christ or the One whom God has given His power and authority to. This means that whenever Jesus exorcised a demon He was using the authority of God. Then likewise whenever the apostles exorcised demons with the name of Jesus they were really using God’s authority over all demons through using Jesus’s name or authority to drive the demons out. In other words since God has complete control over all demons He is able to give people some of the same power He holds over demons. As a result of all this you cannot argue against the fact that God has full power over all demons so that everything demons do is something that God approves of them doing.

That said in terms of an actual answer to the question of why God wants the so-called Jews to be deceived, influenced and possessed by demons really this question directly relates to the problem of evil since obviously demons are an evil. Therefore I am not actually going to answer this question for now. Instead just know that I talk about the problem of evil in depth later on in this commentary at the appropriate time.

That said the so-called Jews are not alone with regards to demons. For instance I would also say that Muslims have been and are currently being deceived, influenced or possessed by demons. This may also seem outlandish but one of the founding myths of Islam is that the false prophet Muhammad was given the Quran by a so-called angel. Furthermore one of the core tenants of Islam is denying that Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore does it not make sense that this so-called angel that supposedly gave the Quran and this so-called insight along with it to the false prophet Muhammad is actually a demon or even Satan himself? I mean if Satan’s goal and purpose is to accuse as many people before God as possible then surely Satan would seek to start a false religion that preaches that Jesus did not die for the forgiveness of your sins? Therefore because of this I am certain that Islam is a false religion that has been created by Satan and because of this fact Muslims are deceived, influenced or possessed by demons in the same way that the so-called Jews are.

So where am I going with all this exactly? I mean based on what I said would it not also make sense to say that everyone except for faithful Christians are actively being deceived, influenced or possessed by demons? Well yes and not only would I agree with this statement but this is actually my point. Ultimately my point with referencing the so-called Jews and Islam is that since Satan’s goal is to lead as many people away from God and Jesus as possible this actually means that there is a good chance that all those who are not faithful Christians are actually deceived, influenced or possessed by demons. Really in the case of other false religions and atheism this is pretty self explanatory since just like with what I said in regards to the so-called Jews and Muslims Satan wins whenever someone does not accept Jesus as the Christ and demonstrate obedience to God.

That said the reason why I said faithful Christians is because I would actually say the Church is infested with those who are deceived, influenced or possessed by demons. Now this will not make complete sense to you until you finish reading this entire book. This is because the number of so-called doctrines and teachings that I expose as being completely false only increases from here. But how are false doctrines and false teachings related to Satan and his demons? Well you see as I keep on saying Satan’s goal is to accuse as many people as possible by leading them away from God. This means that one of the most effective ways of making someone apostatize from their faith is to get them to accept something false as true so that once someone not of the faith demonstrates the false doctrine or false teaching to be false their faith is shaken so that they may even apostatize.

To make this easier to understand think about it as Satan and his demons helping people to build houses so that people have a place to live. Sounds great right? Well sure but this must be another scheme of Satan since he is the great deceiver after all. Alright so sure Satan and his demons are helping build houses for people but they are actually building the houses in a flood plain on foundations made of sand. Now you may think people will notice but Satan and his demons have of course deceived, influenced oor possessed all the people they need to ensure that those who will live in the houses will believe them to be safe. Then as the last step of the plan all Satan has to do is send a flood so that all the houses are destroyed and the people in them are killed.

Thus I am sure you can see how this relates to the false doctrines and false teachings being spread today. But what is the flood I am talking about? Well really this flood would be the beast or the artificial super intelligence I have been talking about. The idea here is that Satan and his demons want the world to accept as many false doctrines and false teachings as possible so that once the beast comes it can demonstrate that what they believe in is false. Then after discovering that much of what they thought Christianity to be is false they will also no doubt look upon the beast and see the so-called miracles the beast has worked. As a result they will almost certainly abandon their faith in God and in Jesus after finding out the lies they were taught so that instead they follow the beast and place their faith, trust and hope in it as their so-called savior.

Then as I have said before this one of the reasons why I wrote this book. One of my goals with this book is to expose the major deceptions and lies that Satan and his demons have worked into the fabric of what we consider the Church today so that he can tear all the lies down and the Church along with it. The idea here is that if I as someone who calls themselves a faithful Christian expose the deceptions and lies to you instead of an atheist or worse yet the beast itself then you will be much more likely to remain true to your faith. This is because I am not taking away from the core of your belief with this book and instead I am merely correcting what you believe. On the other hand if you do not learn the truth then when atheists or worse yet the beast reveals the truth to you then you will assume that the core of what you believe is false because obviously the atheists and the coming beast are not and will not be faithful Christians. The idea here is that you will tend to trust those who tell you the truth and distrust those who have misled you. Then because of this fact you will look towards those of the Church with contempt for all the lies they taught you while you will look towards atheists or worse the beast with respect and admiration because they have revealed the truth to you. However as a result of this the core of your faith would almost certainly be lost and replaced with what atheists call secular humanism as you look towards science, reason and the beast itself for your salvation instead of towards God alone.

However as I said by learning about the major lies and deceptions that Satan and his demons have spread to weaken the Church from me there is a good chance you will walk away with a renewed faith that is far stronger than it ever was before so that you are fully ready and equipped to face the beast. Then because of this fact no doubt you will persist in your faith in Jesus and obedience to God until either death takes you or the end of the age finally arrives.

Next you may be wondering what we can do about demons deceiving, influencing or possessing either those around us or ourselves. For instance what can we do about demonic possession? Well although you may not want to hear this I really do not think exorcising demons by evoking the name of Jesus will be very effective starting in the last days if not already. This is because as we get closer to the rise of the beast from the Abyss and its reign over the earth Satan’s power over our world is increasing. Now this may not seem significant enough to apply to exorcising demons but you need to remember that the beast itself will quite literally have Satan’s power and authority.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)

Now my point here is that obviously Satan is powerful. Not only that but I would even say that Satan is far too powerful for us as Christians to contend with. Then because of this fact the beast will be far too powerful for us to content with as well. Now you may doubt this but you need to understand that only Jesus who has the power and authority of God will be able to destroy the beast. If you doubt this fact then you are thinking blasphemy for believing the prophecies in the Book of Revelation to be false. My point here is that Revelation says the beast will wage war against us as the saints and it will conquer us.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7)

This of course means that even us as the faithful will be completely powerless in the face of the beast. In other words even evoking the name of Jesus as we attempt to exorcise the great and powerful demon that is the beast will fail so that the beast will continue to do what God has determined. Thus what I am saying here is that ultimately God has destined the forces of Satan and his demons to triumph over the world itself before the end comes so that the entire world, save the few saints left, rebels against Him.

All this relates to exorcising demons in today’s world and in the time leading up to the end of the age because if God has determined that the beast will rise from the Abyss as Satan’s heir so that it will rule the world seemingly without limit then this means that God has determined that the forces of Satan or demons will reign over the earth before Jesus returns. As a result of this fact we would expect exorcisms to fail so that even evoking the name of Jesus to expel the demons will have no effect. Now you may doubt this but you need to understand that if evoking the name of Jesus to defeat demons is never supposed to fail then why does Revelation say that we as the faithful will be conquered by the beast as I quoted above? I mean surely if the beast is ultimately supposed to be the heir of Satan and since it will rise from the Abyss then surely it could be called a demon or at the very least possessed by a demon? Thus my point is if evoking the name of Jesus is never supposed to fail to expel demons then surely any Christian could destroy the beast or at least exorcise the demon controlling it by evoking the name of Jesus? Well of course. However as Revelation says we as the faithful will fall to the beast because we will be powerless. As a result this means that evoking the name of Jesus against the beast will fail so that it has no effect.

Then because of this fact I would expect evoking the name of Jesus to fail against all the lesser demons leading up to the reign of the beast as well. This is because as I said before I believe that the demons that are active in the world today are working to ensure that the beast will rise from the Abyss. The idea here is that God has determined that the beast will rise from the Abyss and because of this fact we cannot interfere with the beast rising from the Abyss by exorcising the demons that are making it possible for the beast to rise from the Abyss at its appointed time. In other words these demons are ultimately unwittingly fulfilling the will of God by ensuring the beast will rise and since no one can interfere with the fulfillment of the will of God this would then mean that we cannot exorcise these demons. Therefore do not expect to be able to exorcise demons in the future because there will come a time when we as faithful Christians will be powerless over the forces of Satan in our world so that the only thing we can do is wait for Jesus to return to destroy the forces of Satan just as God has determined.

Furthermore there is a second reason as to why I do not think exorcisms will always work. Really this reason boils down to the fact that demons can leave someone without being exorcised. The idea here is that surely a demon knows when someone is going to exorcise it and as a result it can leave the person before the exorcism then come back afterwards. You may doubt this so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

As I said previously a demon is an unclean spirit and an unclean spirit is a demon. This means that as Jesus says it is possible for a demon that is possessing or tormenting someone to leave them when they want to and then come back at a later time. As a result of this and like I said above this means that if a demon wanted to it could leave someone before an exorcism then come back to repossess them after the exorcism. Therefore it is possible for exorcisms to be ineffective if a demon engages in such a deception. But then why did demons not do this to Jesus in the first century AD? Well really I would say that the main purpose of demon possession in the first century AD was for Jesus to perform exorcisms to drive out the demons as a sign that He is the Christ. The idea here is that it is God who allowed the demons to possess people in the first century AD and because of this fact God almost certainly did not allow them to leave before Jesus exorcised them. Therefore if God allows demons to leave before exorcisms today then obviously the exorcism will be ineffective since the demon will undoubtedly return after the exorcism. This is important because like I said above about how exorcisms can fail really this could actually be the result of demons leaving before the exorcism and returning afterwards rather than a case of evoking the name of Jesus failing. Although really both options are likely since as I said God has determined that Satan and his demons will come to rule over our world through the power of the beast before Jesus returns.

Now you may be wondering if being possessed by a demon is a valid excuse for engaging in sin or rather transgression against God. I mean surely if a demon is possessing you then you are not responsible right? Well no sorry. Instead it makes no difference if a demon is possessing you or not.

As the Gospel of John says:

“The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.” (John 13:2)

And as the Gospel of John also says:

“And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.” (John 13:27)

Then as the Gospel of Luke says:

“Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on the table. Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but woe to that man who betrays Him.” (Luke 22:21-22)

Thus my point here with these passages is that Satan is the one who influenced Judas in order to betray Jesus and that despite this fact Jesus says woe to Judas. In other words Jesus is saying that Judas will be punished for the betrayal despite the fact that Judas was influenced by Satan to betray Jesus. This of course means that the fact that Satan was influencing Judas is completely irrelevant. As a result of this fact being deceived, influenced or possessed by demons is not an excuse for transgressing against God. Therefore people will be judged by God for what a demon made them do.

Now this may not seem fair to you but you need to understand that you are only susceptible to demons if you engage in sin or transgression against God. In other words demons cannot possess or torment faithful Christians. This is because through our faith and complete obedience to God we have been sealed by God and marked as His possession. Then as a result of this seal God has protected us from being influenced, tormented or possessed by demons.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:4)

You may doubt this fact but this is what the fifth trumpet is all about. Therefore for now just accept what I have said as true. That said my point here with respect to demons is that as long as you are a faithful Christian then demons cannot possess or torment you. Then because of this fact you do not have to worry about being possessed by a demon so that the demon makes you transgress against God because as long as you are a faithful Christian God is protecting and watching over you.

That said the fact that the seal of God protects faithful Christians means that those who are not faithful Christians will not be sealed. But then what makes someone not a faithful Christian so that they will not be sealed? Well in short those who transgress against God are not faithful Christians, even if they say they are a Christian, and because of this fact they will not be sealed. But what does it mean to transgress against God? Well really this is rather a large topic to go over that falls outside the scope of this comment. Therefore just know that I talk about this topic in depth later on. That said really at its core transgressing against God means not doing what Jesus has commanded us to do so that instead of loving God with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves those who transgress against God love themselves above all. Really the idea here is that those who transgress against God do not love God and do not love their neighbor. Now this might seem simple enough but as you will later see this is not really the case since many people can appear righteous with a love of God and their neighbor on the outside upon first glance while really being wicked with a love of self on the inside when carefully examined.

Therefore as long as you love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself until the end comes or death takes you then you are sealed by God and protected from being influenced or possessed by demons. That said since we can never truly know if we will be faithful until the end comes or death takes us we should always watch out for being deceived by demons. This is because the first step to being susceptible to being influenced or possessed by demons is to be deceived by demons into transgressing against God which makes the demonic influence or possession possible. But how do demons deceive us? Well really this is a rather complicated question that relates to what it means to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourself. Thus like I said above I talk more about all this later on.

That said for a quick example so you can start to see what I am talking about consider greed.

As Jesus says:

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

Thus my point here is that as a form of demonic deception a demon may use someone else to try to teach you that you can love God and love money at the same time. This form of deception has infiltrated the Church today and has corrupted many so that instead of preaching and helping others for free many so-called Christians charge obscene amounts of money for their books, courses, videos, classes, events and speeches. The idea here is that these people have been deceived by demons into serving money over God as evidenced by the fact that they charge money for their so-called insights. This is because as I have said before if they actually cared about serving God then they would give away everything they write and produce for free so that there will not be any barriers preventing the knowledge of the Kingdom of God from benefiting as many people as possible. However instead of doing this these people sell what they write and produce for a profit and because of this fact they are literally no different in moral character compared to the many atheists who write and sell books for a profit. In other words I would actually say that demons have deceived these people into loving God in their own hearts as much as an atheist loves God. Then of course through being deceived by demons these people have opened themselves up to being influenced and possessed by demons so that they can further spread their false doctrines and false teachings in order to further Satan’s agenda of corrupting the Church in preparation for the rise of the beast.

Therefore always make sure that you watch out for demons who are trying to deceive you into not loving God with all your heart and not loving your neighbor as yourself. This may seem easy but you need to understand and remember that Satan’s lies and deceptions are not easy to spot because Satan makes what is evil seem good.

Next you may be wondering why I believe that demons exist. I mean why exactly should we believe that demons exist? Well really it is quite simple. In the gospels and in the Book of Revelation there are references to demons so therefore I would say that they exist. Now this might not seem like a good reason so let me ask you a question. Do you believe that angels exist? My point with this question is that if you believe that angels exist then really it would be hypocritical to then say that demons do not exist. I mean as I said demons are supposed to be fallen angels who have rebelled against God. This means that if you do not believe in fallen angels but you believe in angels then I am really not sure what to say.

That said you do not have to believe that demons are plainly obvious in the world. This would of course make sense for the reasons I have said concerning why God and Satan would want demons to remain hidden. Furthermore I would also like to point out that angels are not plainly obvious in the world either so that we can see them. Then because of this if angels are hidden then why must demons be visible? Thus once again there is good reason to not believe that demons must be plainly obvious to us.

But what if you do not believe in angels as well so that you consider the existence of both angels and demons to be nonsensical? Well if this is the case for you then really what exactly do you believe in? What I mean by this is that if you do not believe that angels exist because you consider the existence of angels to be nonsensical then do you even believe that Jesus is the Christ in the sense that God has given Him His power and authority? Or better yet do you even believe in God? I mean how exactly is the existence of God more likely than the existence of angels? Then how is Jesus being the Christ more likely than the existence of angels? Really I do not understand how someone could believe in God and believe that Jesus is the Christ but then at the same time see the existence of angels as a complete impossibility. My point here is that if you see the existence of spiritual beings like angels and demons as a total impossibility then really you must also see the existence of God and Jesus as a total impossibility because God and Jesus are both spiritual beings. Sure obviously God and Jesus as well would be higher level spiritual beings compared to angels and demons but that does not mean that God and Jesus fundamentally make more sense than angels and demons. As a result there is no good reason to discount the existence of angels and demons while at the same time believing that God and Jesus exist. Therefore because of all this there is no good reason to not believe that demons exist in some form if you want to be a Christian.

Finally I realize that this has been a rather long comment and it has deviated quite a bit from originally defining the Abyss as the prison for demons. However really this comment was necessary for you to read at this point in Revelation due to the fact that the “locusts” (Revelation 9:3) in the fifth trumpet are supposed to be seen as demons. Then since the topic of demons is a rather complicated one with many other issues intertwined this is why the length of this comment was necessary. Although really there are two topics that I have not gone over yet that are related to demons. These two topics are of course divine hiddenness and the problem of evil. Really discussing demons is not complete without discussing these two topics but including them would have deviated too much from the topic at hand so I obviously did not include them. That said I would just like to remind you that I talk about divine hiddenness and the problem of evil later on so do not think I am hiding from these two issues.

But could I have not just skipped over discussing demons? I mean why exactly are they important to go over? Well based on what you read up to the point before this chapter you would almost certainly assume that I am some kind of materialist or naturalist in the sense that you would assume that I do not believe in the spiritual world. For instance you may have been thinking this to yourself when you read my commentary on the fact that we do not have immortal and immaterial souls. You may have been saying to yourself that I am biased because I supposedly have a materialist world view and my materialism is blinding me to the so-called undeniable biblical truth that we have immortal and immaterial souls. I mean I guess this justification for rejecting what I wrote could make sense if the justification was true. However as you just discovered I do not in fact have a materialist worldview that is supposedly blinding me. I mean I quite literally believe that demons exist and that they have been deceiving, influencing and possessing people to further Satan’s agenda. Thus instead of being a materialist or a naturalist I believe there is a material world and a spiritual world and that we as material beings are part of the material world while spiritual beings like angels and demons are part of the spiritual world. As a result this is why we do not have immortal and immaterial souls. Once again we are earthly beings instead of spiritual beings. That said I would like to once again remind you that we will become spiritual beings in the resurrection of life.

Furthermore this same accusation of having a materialist world view could also be used against the fact that I believe that the beast will be an artificial super intelligence. The idea here is that if you did not fully understand that I believe in the spiritual world and spiritual forces like angels and demons then you may seek to say that my interpretation of the beast is too materialistic or naturalistic in nature and that instead the beast will be along the lines of what popular media portrays it as. Of course this could not be further from the truth and instead I have come to the conclusion that the beast will be an artificial super intelligence because really it is the only possible way the prophecies concerning the beast can be fulfilled as you will soon see.

Therefore in the end the length of this comment was necessary in order to eliminate an objection of bias that you may have previously held against me as well as explain what demons are supposed to be and what they do. That said I hope you enjoyed this comment despite the length and I also hope you learned something as well. Then like I said I talk about the problem of evil and divine hiddenness later on so do not concern yourself with these issues for now. I realize they are quite big issues that relate to demons so just wait until the appropriate time to read what I have to say.

(2) “The star opened the pit of the Abyss,” – Obviously Satan now opens the pit of the Abyss to unleash what is inside, his demons, upon the world. Then I would like to reiterate the fact that Satan “was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.” (Revelation 9:1) This means that Satan does not inherently possess authority over the Abyss and hence demons through his own power and authority. Instead Satan has only been given control or “the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) by God Himself and by His power and authority. In other words God has given Satan “the key to the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1) to fulfill His plan and because of this fact God approves of the fact that Satan has “opened the pit of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:2) here in this verse.

(2) “and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.” – At first what this smoke means may seem rather confusing but it is rather obvious and easy to understand so allow me to explain. Alright so really the smoke here is best viewed with respect to light and visibility since as this verse says “the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.” (Revelation 9:2) The idea here is that light from the sun brightens our world so that we can see things clearly while on the other hand when something darkens the sun and the air it obstructs light from the sun and plunges the world into darkness and reduced visibility so that we cannot see as well. So what exactly does this all mean? Well really think of it as a metaphor where the light from the sun is representative of the spiritual insights of God Himself in the sense that through this spiritual guidance God is guiding the world to faith and obedience to Him through Jesus.

Then of course the smoke from the opening of the Abyss that darkens “the sun and the air” (Revelation 9:2) would be representative of the corrupting power and influence that Satan has to lead the world into temptation and rebellion against God. This is because this smoke comes out of the opening of the Abyss and as I have already demonstrated the Abyss is the prison of demons where all of the fallen angels who have rebelled against God are located. This means that this smoke should be seen along the lines of being representative of demonic influence and deception rather than as a purely literal smoke. Then since ultimately all demons have the goal of trying to lead as many people as possible into rebellion against God this would then be why the smoke is representative of the corrupting power and influence that Satan and his demons have to lead the world into temptation and rebellion against God. In other words the idea here with all this is that the demonic influence and deception that comes out of the Abyss helps to prevent the people of the world from seeing the things of God and because of this instead of seeing spiritual truths the world sees earthly truths.

Alright so what exactly does this all mean for us? Well really I would say the smoke darkening “the sun and air” (Revelation 9:2) is representative of the fact that Satan is the ruler of our world and that through the position that God has given him he is fulfilling his role as the chief accuser who seeks to lead as many people as possible into temptation and rebellion against God so that he can accuse them before God. Now you might doubt this but I would like to remind you that Revelation says Satan will rule over the world through his heir or rather the beast.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)

Thus the idea here is that Satan currently rules over the whole world and that once the beast rises then Satan will give his heir his power and authority so that the beast will take his place as the ruler of the world.

My point here with all this is that ultimately this smoke, or rather the demonic influence and deception, that is coming out of the Abyss and into our world so that it prevents the world from being able to see the light of God is helping to prepare the way for the beast. This is because if the whole world could see God plainly so that their view of God was not obstructed by the smoke then how would the beast come to reign over the world as the entire world worships it?

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

Therefore this is why God allows Satan’s forces to influence and deceive the world into temptation and rebellion so that they cannot see Him. The idea here is that if God prevented Satan’s forces from obscuring the world’s spiritual vision so that the world could see His light then His will and plan could never be fulfilled. This is because obviously if the whole world could see the spiritual things of God then they would place their faith, trust and hope in God instead of in the beast after they see the earthly things or the so-called miracles that the beast shows the world.

So when exactly is this smoke supposed to be released from the Abyss? Well really I would say the smoke has already been released. This is because from the time the Book of Revelation was written in the first century AD to the present day there has been a cloudy haze of demonic influence and deception that has permeated our world, obstructed the light of God and made it difficult for the world to plainly see the spiritual things of God. Now you may doubt this view but you need to understand that from the time of Jesus onward Satan has always been at war with the faithful as he seeks to lead us into temptation and rebellion.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:13-17)

Therefore my point here with this passage is that if Satan has been at war with us from the time the Book of Revelation was written and if Satan is the ruler of this world who will give “the beast his power and his throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2) then do these things not mean that the influence and deceptions of Satan, or the smoke of the Abyss, has been with us for almost two thousand years? Well of course it does. Therefore I would most definitely say that the fifth trumpet does not concern the future at all and instead it is supposed to describe the present reality all Christians have faced from the resurrection of Jesus to the present day and that all Christians will face from the present day to when Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. That said this does not mean that the fifth trumpet and smoke from the Abyss are equally applicable to all time periods. Instead I would say that as time goes on Satan’s visible power over our world has been increasing and it will continue to increase. This is because ultimately Satan will come out of ruling over the world from the shadows when he gives the beast his power and authority as his heir so that the beast will visibly rule over the world on behalf of Satan. As a result I would say that the smoke from the Abyss is most applicable to the time leading up to the reign of the beast. The idea here is that Satan and his forces will obstruct the world’s view of the light of God, the things of God and the true spiritual nature of the world the closer we get to the rise of the beast so that instead the world can only see the things of the beast and the false earthly nature of the world. Then as a result of this hazy cloud of demonic influence and deception blinding their view of God the whole world will follow and worship the beast after it arises just as the Book of Revelation says.

But then why does God allow Satan to influence the world so that the world cannot see Him? Really the answer should be obvious at this point. In case it is not God allows Satan to act and to influence the world so that the world cannot see Him because He wants His will and plan to be fulfilled. In other words God does not want everyone to see Him. Now I realize this fact may upset you and you may vehemently disagree with what I just said but I am not going to talk more about this topic in this comment. This is because this topic relates to divine hiddenness or the question of why God is hidden and the problem of evil or the question of why God allows evil to exist. Then of course as I have said before I talk about the question of divine hiddenness and the problem of evil later on and in depth so there is no reason to go over these issues here. That said for now just understand that God allows Satan to blind, deceive and influence the world because He wants Satan to do this since it furthers His plan and will as I have said.

(3) “And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth,” – Since the smoke came out of the Abyss and these locusts are coming out of the smoke then this would obviously mean that these locusts are supposed to be representative of demons. This is why I demonstrated that the Abyss is supposed to be the prison for demons and also why I explained the purpose of demons and what they are supposed to do. Really many if not most people who look towards a future fulfillment of Revelation do not see these locusts as demons. For example one popular view these people have for the locusts is that they are attack helicopters. But not only is this view completely false and nonsensical due to the fact that these “locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them” (Revelation 9:5) as Revelation later says but also because these locusts come out of the Abyss. My point here is that the Abyss is the prison of demons so the only way attack helicopters would have a chance at working as an interpretation is if you want to say that these attack helicopters are controlled or possessed by demons.

However as the following verses demonstrate these locusts really cannot be representative of anything else other than demons. This is because in the following verses these demons go out across the world to torment people by leading them away from our only hope of life in the eternal Kingdom of God through temptation and rebellion against God. Thus my point here is that the sting of these locusts is functionally identical to how demons torment people and because of this fact the locusts are demons.

(3) “and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.” – By saying that the locusts “were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth” (Revelation 9:3) this verse is saying that the locusts have “tails with stingers like scorpions” (Revelation 9:10) or rather that the locusts can sting people. The idea here is that the power of these demons to torment people and lead them into temptation and sin is like that of the sting of a scorpion.

Then it is also important to point out that the locusts “were given power” (Revelation 9:3) as this verse says. The idea here is that these locusts or rather demons of the Abyss cannot sting or rather torment those on earth without God explicitly allowing them to because they do not have power innately and instead it is God who gives them power. Now you may doubt that God has given power and hence permission to these demons to torment people and instead you might wish to say that instead Satan is giving these demons power instead. But who has given Satan his power? Well God of course since God is all powerful so that nothing can ever happen without His knowledge and permission. This means that ultimately it is God who has given these demons power to torment people. As a result of this fact if you ever find yourself in a dark situation always remember that God is watching you in your hour of temptation and trial because everything that happens only happens because of His will so that His plan can be fulfilled. In other words do not worry about what happens in your life because everything that happens is part of God’s plan and because of this fact nothing and no one can stop the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God and the resurrection of the dead.

(4) “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree” – Just like with the angel in Revelation 7 saying “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) The idea here is that the locusts, or rather demons, are not going to harm the earth at all because instead they are going to tempt and torment the unfaithful who do not have their name in the Book of Life of the Lamb in order to test them. Because of this you should not see these locusts, or demons, as being a destructive force or representative of human technology. Instead you should see them as invisible spiritual forces, or demons, that seek to lead Christians who do not have their name in the Book of Life into apostasy.

(4) “but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” – First off as I said previously there is an irreconcilable contradiction between this verse and the sealing of the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) and the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) from Revelation 7. This is because as I have already demonstrated Satan falls from heaven during the third and fifth trumpets and because of this fact the seven trumpets cannot be seen to be about the time shortly after Revelation was written let alone about the far future because as Revelation 12 says Satan was cast out of heaven at the time of Jesus’s resurrection. As a result of this contradiction you should not see the seven trumpets as explicitly referring to the last days before the end of the age in the future on the basis that this fifth trumpet references those who “have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:4) Therefore this means that there is nothing wrong about viewing the fifth trumpet as having taken place in the past as I have said. Although really this view makes the most sense given the fact that Satan was cast out of heaven and “had fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1) at Jesus’s resurrection in the early first century AD like I said.

Alright so in terms of the meaning of this verse the reason why the locusts can only harm those who lack the seal of God is because those with the seal of God have their names in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb and because of this fact they are the elect which means that they are unable to succumb to the sting of the locusts or rather the torment of the demons so that they fall into temptation and rebellion against God by abandoning Him. Really the idea here is that Satan and his demons have no power over God’s faithful people because by being sealed God has marked them as His possession so that no one can take them away from Him. As a result of this fact as long as you are faithful so that you have your name in the Book of Life of the Lamb then there is nothing Satan can do to harm you.

Although really since we do not know everything that God knows we do not actually know if we have our name in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb or not. Therefore this means that really we do not know if we are immune to being tormented and tempted by demons. As a result of this fact do not take the threat of demons tormenting you and leading you into temptation lightly so that you think you will not be impacted at all because you believe your name to be in the Book of Life. Instead you should always watch out for the activities of demons. But are those with the seal of God not immune to the sting of the locusts? Well yes but as I explain in the following comments really the torment that the sting causes is that of losing hope in the future due no longer having faith in God and no longer believing the eternal Kingdom of God will come to pass. The idea here is that the eternal Kingdom of God is our sole hope as faithful Christians and because of this fact as long as we have the hope of eternal life then we are unable to be tormented by demons or rather lose our hope of eternal life. In other words even if you are a faithful Christian with the seal of God on your forehead then you will still be tempted by these demons. Really all Revelation is saying is that by having the seal of God you will never fall into temptation so that you become tormented as you lose your faith in God, your faith in Jesus and your sole hope of eternal life.

Lastly I would like to point out that this verse says the locusts “were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 9:4) Once again my point here is that these locusts or rather demons are being instructed, and hence controlled, by God. This means that even though demons are in rebellion against God they are still ultimately fulfilling the will of God through their rebellion so that nothing outside of what God has planned can happen. Now this may seem repetitive to keep on saying but this fact actually leads to the rather important point that we should not fear demons or even Satan and that instead we should fear God alone. This is because God is in full control over everything that was, is and is to come which means that demons do not actually have their own will and instead they are fulfilling the will of God. In other words God is the highest and final authority that rules over everything and everyone so that only His will matters and because of this fact we should only fear God alone.

(5) “The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them” – First off just like what I have said a few times in the previous comments these locusts or demons are ultimately controlled by God so that they carry out His will. This is why this verse says “The locusts were not given power to kill them” (Revelation 9:5) because the idea here is that God does not want the locusts or demons to kill and instead God only wants the demons “to torment them” (Revelation 9:5) just as this verse says.

Next the demons are able to torment, but not kill, “only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4) because the faithful are unable to fall into temptation and rebellion against God due to the fact that they are faithful. However on the other hand everyone else who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads through being a faithful Christian are of course able to fall into temptation and rebellion against God.

But then what exactly does it mean to be tormented by these demons? Well really I would say that those who are stung by the locusts or rather demons are tormented because they do not see the true spiritual nature of the world by seeing the light of God and instead they only see the false earthly nature of the world since the light of God has been obstructed by the smoke from the Abyss. The idea here is that we as faithful Christians have the hope of the resurrection so that we can live forever more in the eternal Kingdom of God while on the other hand all those who are not faithful Christians only have at best a false sense of hope in the earthly things of the world or at worst a complete lack of hope. In other words the demons are able to torment all those who are not faithful Christians with the lack of meaning, purpose and hope they see in the world.

(5) “for five months” – As I have said already the number ten is representative of completion and it especially relates to completion of the earthly kind. Therefore the number five in this context would mean half of an earthly judgment since five is half of ten. The idea here is that those who are unsealed will be tempted and tormented but not completely so since God’s wrath is limited for now. You should not take this number literally and if you do then you miss the whole purpose of this judgment. But what if you want to take this period of “five months” (Revelation 9:5) literally? Well if you want to do this then I would like to just remind you that the seven seals and seven trumpets are clearly not supposed to be viewed literally as I have already demonstrated. Then if each of the seven seals and seven trumpets are not supposed to be viewed as literal how does it make any sense to view a reference to “five months” (Revelation 9:5) in one of the seven trumpets as literal? Really it does not make any sense so therefore “five months” (Revelation 9:5) should not be viewed literally.

(5) “and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.” – Although the demons are not able to kill, the torment they cause still stings so that it hurts “like the stinging of a scorpion.” (Revelation 9:5) The point here is that the best way to understand the sting of these locusts is in terms of the sting of temptation and rebellion against God since those who suffer through temptation and rebellion against God do not have hope in eternal salvation from God and instead their only hope rests in the flawed material things of this world. This would again be why the locusts cannot harm those who have the seal of God on their forehead since all faithful Christians by definition place their hope for salvation in God instead of the things of the world and because of this fact we are not consumed by the anxieties, sadness and pain that results from falling into temptation by placing our hope in the things of the world.

In other words the only path to hope and salvation is through being a faithful Christian by having faith in Jesus and obeying God. Thus those who lack faith in Jesus or do not obey God will never attain salvation and because of this fact they do not have hope. Instead the unfaithful will live a life of torment as their own temptations, sins and rebellion against God eats away at their life.

(6) “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.” – As a result of living a life of torment as their own temptations, sins and rebellion against God eat away at their life the unfaithful lose hope for their future as they realize that the earthly things of this world cannot offer salvation. Then as a result of this they “will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.” (Revelation 9:6) In other words once demons torment the unfaithful they will become depressed as they lose hope for the future and because of this “they will long to die, but death will escape them” (Revelation 9:6) because they are unable to kill themselves by committing suicide.

Thus the point here with all this is that temptation, sin and rebellion against God does not immediately kill a person. Instead it makes a person’s life worse as they lose hope for the future. However always remember that only through being born again through faith in Jesus can anyone be given relief from this torment because only through faith in Jesus can our sins be forgiven. Furthermore Jesus is the Christ and because of this fact it is Jesus who will usher in the eternal Kingdom of God which is our only hope for eternal and true salvation. On the other hand there is no salvation to be found in our world that we can create with our human hands because only God can provide salvation. Always remember to never look towards the first beast for eternal life and salvation because if you do all you will inevitably find is eternal death and damnation. Salvation is from God alone and it is not from the world.

(7-10) “And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers like scorpions” – In these three verses the locusts are described in fearsome, horrifying and powerful terms because these are the demons of the Abyss that Satan himself commands. Furthermore temptation, sin and rebellion against God are very real and powerful forces in the world so it would only make sense that demons tormenting people would also be described in powerful terms. Thus you should not view the demons or rather locusts literally but rather figuratively. But what if you want to take these descriptions as literal for some reason so that you actually think demons look this way or worse yet that there are supposed to be literal locusts that look this way? Well if what I have said already concerning the symbolism and metaphors of the Book of Revelation is not enough then consider how Satan is described.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.” (Revelation 12:3)

My point here with this verse is that if you want to take these descriptions of the locusts or rather demons as being literal then you must also take the description of the “huge red dragon” (Revelation 12:3) or rather Satan as being literal. Then as a result of this you must believe that Satan is literally “a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.” (Revelation 12:3) Of course in reality Satan is not a dragon and instead he is or rather was an angel. Although if you want to also insist that the description of Satan is literal for some reason then this would mean that angels are dragons with many heads and horns. Of course this is contradicted elsewhere in the Book of Revelation and the Bible so really angels are not dragons. My point with all this is that if the description of Satan is clearly not literal then why would the descriptions of Satan’s demons or fallen angels from the Abyss be literal? Therefore clearly this description of the locusts or rather demons should not be viewed literally at all and instead it should be seen as highly figurative imagery that is supposed to emphasize the power of these locusts or rather demons.

Then because of this fact you should look at sources of temptation in your life and in the world in general in equally horrifying terms as these demons are described. Always remember that ultimately the only way inherit eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of God is to persist in your faith and obedience to God as a faithful Christian until the end finally comes or death takes you.

(10) “which had the power to injure people for five months.” – Once again these demons do not have the power kill since they can only torment. Then for five months means a partial earthly judgment as stated earlier. The idea here is that those who are unsealed will be tempted and suffer but not completely so since God’s wrath is limited for now until the final judgment arrives where the world will be swept clean as all those who rebel against God are killed and destroyed.

(11) “They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.” – First off Abaddon in Hebrew as well as Apollyon in Greek both mean destroyer so this verse is saying that the demons of the Abyss are ruled by a fallen angel named Destroyer. But then who is this fallen angel? Well since I have already demonstrated how figurative and metaphorical Revelation is obviously this fallen angel’s name is not actually Abaddon, Apollyon or Destroyer. Instead the name Destroyer is representative of what this fallen angel does. Now you can probably guess that Revelation is of course talking about Satan here. The idea here is that Satan is representative of sin and rebellion against God. Then of course ultimately all those who engage in sin and rebel against God will ultimately face destruction in the Lake of Fire with the second death on the day of judgment. In other words all who follow Satan’s example of rebelling against God will end up being destroyed. As a result this is why Satan can be called Abaddon, Apollyon or Destroyer since by leading all those who rebel against God to destruction Satan is a destroyer.

Then I would like to emphasize that because all those who join Satan in his rebellion will face destruction it is important to be on the lookout for Satan’s lies and deceptions in our world. This is because Satan is the great deceiver for reason. My point is that the lies and deceptions of Satan may seem good upon first hearing them but in the end if you follow Satan’s lies and deceptions then you will be led to your own destruction.

(12) “The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.” – First off a woe is an expression of grief or denouncement towards someone or a group of people. Then the first woe is obviously the fifth trumpet. In terms of the next two woes the second woe occurs after the two witnesses are killed by the beast and the seventh trumpet is the third and final woe. Thus the idea here is that the three woes are an expression of grief and denouncement against the entire world.

But then why is the reference to the three woes even included? Well really I would say that they are included because the third woe is the seventh trumpet and the seventh trumpet brings the final judgment and with it the eternal Kingdom of God on earth. The idea here is that these three woes are representative of God denouncing the world before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Then there are three woes instead of another number to provide repetition and emphasis.

2 – The Sixth Trumpet

(13) Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God (14) saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

(15) So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. (16) And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

(17) Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. (18) A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. (19) For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.

(20) Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. (21) Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

2.1 – Commentary

(13) “Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet,” – The sixth angel now sounds his trumpet to announce the arrival of another calamity. In terms of specifics of this calamity that is to occur with the sixth trumpet once again you should not view it literally. Instead you should seek to understand the figurative and metaphorical imagery and descriptions behind the sixth trumpet so that you can see the true message that the Book of Revelation has for us. This of course makes sense since I have already demonstrated why the seven seals and seven trumpets should be viewed figuratively and metaphorically rather than literally.

(13-14) “and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet” – First off “the four horns of the golden altar before God” (Revelation 9:13) are horn like projections at the corners of the altar. They are almost certainly ornamental in nature although they could be representative of power since a horn is a symbol of power as I have demonstrated previously. But then why is there a voice coming from the horns of the altar? Well really I would say that the altar speaking after the sixth angel blows his trumpet is representative of the will of God being fulfilled. The idea here is that this altar is “the golden altar before God” (Revelation 9:13) and because of this fact it is God’s altar in heaven that is before His throne. Then because of this fact the voice from the altar is directly speaking on behalf of God to the sixth angel so that God’s will may be fulfilled. In other words after the sixth angel sound his trumpet the altar of God commands the sixth angel to fulfill the will of God.

Furthermore I would also like to point out that this altar is the same altar seen previously during the fifth seal.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?’

Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

Since John previously saw the martyrs under the altar and they cried out to God to avenge their blood during the fifth seal it would only make sense for God to respond to their pleas. Of course God’s full response to their pleas to avenge their blood will not come until the final judgment when God will kill and destroy everyone and everything that opposes Him. That said I believe it is possible to see at least a partial fulfillment of God’s response to the pleas of the martyrs that took place during the fifth seal right here in the current chapter of Revelation in the sixth trumpet. This is because during the sixth trumpet powerful and fearsome armies are to be released upon the world so that they can kill a “third of mankind” (Revelation 9:18) as the text says. Thus the idea here is that since only some or a part of humanity will be killed there is only a partial fulfillment of the pleas of the martyrs for blood and judgment that occurred during the fifth trumpet. That said just keep in mind that the pleas of the martyrs for blood and judgment will be answered and fulfilled in full later on where all of God’s enemies will be killed like I said.

(14) “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” – This verse may be confusing but really it is quite simple. First off ancient Israel and Judah were invaded and led into captivity by Assyria and Babylon which both had come from beyond the Euphrates River.

As the Book of First Kings says:

“For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.” (1 Kings 14:15)

In this verse the point is that the Euphrates River is associated with the Exile and receiving judgment from God.

Then as the Book of Isaiah says:

“Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoiced in Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria and all his pomp.
It will overflow its channels
and overrun its banks.

It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it,
reaching up to the neck;
its spreading streams will cover
your entire land, O Immanuel!” (Isaiah 8:6-8)

My point with this passage is that once again the Euphrates River is being used as a metaphor for the Exile and receiving judgment from God.

Therefore the idea here is that due to the Exile at the hands of Assyria and Babylon the Euphrates River is associated with ancient Israel and Judah being judged by God. Then because of this fact the Euphrates River should be seen as being related to receiving a judgment from God in some form. In other words the imagery of the Euphrates River is figuratively supposed to indicate coming judgment upon the world by God in the same manner with how ancient Israel and Judah were punished by God. All this of course makes sense since the voice is saying to “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14) and then the next verse says that these angels “were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:15) Therefore my point here is that clearly the Euphrates River is being used as a symbol for impending judgment from God.

Lastly in terms of the number of angels to be released there are four angels specifically because of the four main directions of north, east, south and west. Thus similar to what I said before with regards to the four horsemen the idea here is that these four angels are going to inflict a judgment from God upon the entire earth in all directions so that the whole world is impacted.

(15) “So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year” – In other words this judgment from God is not something that God just decided to do one day and instead it is something that God has prepared long in advance. Then as I explain later on in my commentary on Revelation 13 in regards to divine determinism really God has in fact planned everything that has taken place, is taking place and will take place from the very foundation of the world itself.

(15) “were released to kill a third of mankind.” – First off a third of mankind is the same proportion, a third, as the other calamities inflicted during the first four trumpets. Therefore “a third of mankind” (Revelation 9:15) is not literally being killed here by these angels and instead a third is just representative of a great but not a complete or total judgment.

Next there is an important problem to discuss in relation to the angels who “were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:15) You see in a subsequent verse in this section of Revelation on the sixth trumpet another third of humanity is to be killed by the fire from the mouths of horses.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.” (Revelation 9:15-19)

Alright now I say this is a problem because originally the sixth trumpet says that these four angels “were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:15) But then immediately after this as you can see John sees “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:15) mounted troops that are described in a similar way to the locusts from the fifth trumpet and these monstrous horses kill a third of mankind. Thus my point is that if you want to take the text completely literally then really either two thirds of mankind are killed or a third of mankind is killed then a third of the remaining two thirds who survived the first judgment are killed. However since Revelation should not be read or understood literally there is good reason to only see a single third of mankind being killed once rather than twice. This is because based on what Revelation later says it sounds like only a single third of humanity is “killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from” (Revelation 9:18) the mouths of the horses.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands.” (Revelation 9:20)

My point here is that the text refers to the fire, smoke and sulfur as three plagues but then does not refer to the four angels killing a third of mankind as a plague. Therefore based on the above verse it stands to reason that only a single third of mankind was killed by the plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur from the horses.

Furthermore based on what the sixth trumpet says it really sounds like the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) horsemen are directly related to “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14) in the sense that the angels are killing a third of mankind through the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) horsemen.

Now you may say that this does not make sense due to the fact that these are angels but I would like to point out two things to you. First off these angels “are bound at the great river Euphrates.” (Revelation 9:14) This means that it would be a safe assumption to make that these angels are not obedient to God as we see angels to be and that instead they are probably fallen angels or rather demons that God has imprisoned or bound until the time comes to release them. You may seek to dispute the fact that these angels are fallen angels but this brings me to my second point which is that Revelation has referred to Satan as an angel during the fifth trumpet.

As the Book of Revelation say:

“They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.” (Revelation 9:11)

Thus my point with this verse is that if Revelation refers to a fallen angel like Satan as an angel then there is good reason to see these four angels as fallen angels since again these angels were bound or rather imprisoned and obviously God would not need to bind an obedient angel.

Then if these four angels are in fact fallen angels then this would mean that they are actually demons. As a result of this fact the best way to reconcile the four demons killing a third of mankind with the fire from the mouths of the two hundred million horses killing a third of humanity is to say that these two hundred million horsemen are demons or at least people being deceived, influenced or possessed by demons. The idea here is that the four fallen angels are powerful demons that will raise a massive army through deceiving, influencing or possessing people so that they can use that army to kill a large portion of humanity. Thus if the relationship between the four fallen angels and the “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) troops is viewed this way then really there is not an issue with the two instances of a third of mankind being killed because they are describing the same event.

Now if you doubt this relationship between the fallen angels and the horsemen then I would like to point out that the horsemen are described in a similar way to the locusts or demons from the previous fifth trumpet. Then because of this fact I would say it is best to view the horsemen as a great and powerful demonic army in the sense that it is made up of people who have been deceived, influence or possessed by demons.

All that said my main point with this comment so far is that clearly the sixth trumpet is not supposed to be viewed literally at all. Proof of this is in the fact that four angels were released to kill a third of mankind at the start but then the rest of the section goes on to describe that it was the horses of the two hundred million mounted troops that are responsible for the third of mankind who are killed. Obviously both angels and the horses of the mounted troops both cannot kill a third of mankind like I said and because of this fact the best way to understand the sixth trumpet is to view the four angels as four fallen angels or demons that deceive, influence or possess people to create large and powerful armies to carry out a great judgment against the world.

Alright so at this point you may be wondering what exactly these four fallen angels or demons with their massive army of “two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) horsemen are supposed to be representative of. For instance surely these two hundred million horsemen are representative of a massive army that is going to wage war across the earth right? Well not really. Instead I would say that the meaning of the sixth trumpet is similar to the meaning of the fifth trumpet. So just as I said the fifth trumpet is representative of demons tormenting the unfaithful throughout history so too is the sixth trumpet representative of demons waging war and killing people throughout history. Now I say these two hundred million horsemen are representative of demons because the horsemen and their horses are described in a similar way to the locusts in the fifth trumpet and obviously the locusts are supposed to be demons. However that said in the case of these horsemen I would say that they are not actual demons and instead the horsemen themselves and their rulers have been deceived, influenced or possessed by demons into carrying out this judgment of killing many people across the earth.

Now you may doubt all this but the reason why this army is made up of only horsemen and the reason why the horsemen are described in such horrifying terms is because this army is supposed to be seen as powerful and unstoppable. Thus this army is not supposed to be a literal army of demons and instead it is just supposed to be seen as a powerful and unstoppable force that God has appointed to kill a large number of people.

Lastly because of all the above I would say the sixth trumpet is representative of mankind being punished through powerful armies causing massive amounts of death throughout history. This would of course make a lot of sense since there have been a great many different wars throughout history in which hundreds of millions if not over a billion people have been killed. For example the best latest example would be World War II where around eighty million people were killed. Thus you should not see a literal future judgment where two hundred million horsemen will wage war against the world and kill many people. Instead you should look towards the past where powerful armies have already killed hundreds of millions of people.

(16) “And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.” – First off since the horses the mounted troops or horsemen are riding make noise when they gallop such a number of horsemen would make a loud and thunderous noise. Then in terms of the verse saying “the number of mounted troops was two hundred million” (Revelation 9:16) really you should not take this number literally at all. This is because in Greek the number is given as dismyriades (δισμυριάδες) myriadōn (μυριάδων) and the word murias (μυριάς) can br literally translated as myriad or rather ten thousand and it can also be figuratively understood to mean a number too large to count. Thus a dismyriades (δισμυριάδες) myriadōn (μυριάδων) would be twice a myriad of myriads or rather an extremely large number. The reason why twice is used is to further emphasize that the number is so large that it is even greater than a myriad of myriads. In other words the number is twice greater than a myriad of myriads and because of this fact the number of mounted troops is an absolutely massive number. This of course makes sense if the sixth trumpet is describing all the wars that have been waged by powerful armies throughout history along with all the people that they have killed. This is because if you add up all the soldiers of these armies then truly they would number twice a myriad of myriads or an extremely large number. Therefore this number is entirely figurative and it should not be viewed literally.

(17-19) “Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.” – The horses and riders are described like demons in a similar way to the locusts in the fifth trumpet. The point of these descriptions is to make the horsemen seem fearsome, horrifying and powerful because this powerful army has been assembled by and is commanded by demons. Therefore you should not see these descriptions as being literal and instead you should see them as completely figurative as I have already said and demonstrated. Really the idea here is that the armies that God assembles for battle for this judgment cannot be stopped until they have killed all the people that God has determined they are to kill. In other words no one can oppose and counteract the will of God.

Next with respect to the text saying “A third of mankind was killed” (Revelation 9:18) I would like to point out that Revelation does does not say that those with the seal of God will be protected from being killed by this powerful army. This means that you should see faithful Christians being killed in this judgment instead of only the unfaithful and those who are in rebellion against God. Now you may wish to protest this but I would like to point out that that seal of God does not protect you from harm and instead it is only a mark that signifies that God is marking you as belonging to Him so that you are part of His people. Really the whole purpose of the seal of God is to give hope and assurance to faithful Christians that God will never forget any of His faithful people because He is carefully watching over all those who are faithful to Him since He has marked them as belonging to Him. Therefore as a result of all this being a faithful Christian does not and will not protect you from a temporary death here on earth. However instead being a faithful Christian will protect you from the second death in the Lake of Fire because instead of facing the second death you will be given eternal life.

As Jesus says:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)

Therefore do not worry about being swept up in any of the judgments that will be poured out upon the earth by God in the future because as long as you overcome by being faithful to the end then you “will not be harmed by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11) Now the reason why I am emphasizing this is because when the beast kills the great prostitute to fulfill the will of God almost everyone on earth will be killed in a massive global genocide as I have said and as I demonstrate later on. My point is that really as a faithful Christian you should expect to be killed here on earth before Jesus returns rather that be protected until the end. That said do not worry about this fact because as long as you are sealed with the seal of God then God will never forget about you.

(20) “Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands.” – Obviously this verse is saying that people refuse to repent despite all the people killed by this powerful army. Now this may not seem significant but I would say that people refusing to repent so that they continue to rebel against God would indicate that people do not view these disasters and calamities as caused by God. My point here is that the judgments in this sixth trumpet as well as the rest of the seven trumpets and the seven seals as well are not supposed to be obvious signs that the whole world will see as being the work of God. Instead the calamities and disasters that are to fulfill the seven seals and seven trumpets are supposed to be hidden from view so that the whole world does not see them as being from God.

Then because of this fact there is good to reason to see the seven seals and seven trumpets as being representative of continuous judgment from the time Revelation was written to the present day and up to the final judgment where everyone who rebels against God will be killed. Once again to support this you only need to look at all the wars, famine, destruction, genocide, plague and more throughout history as have already said. That said this is not to say that there will not be more judgments and instead I am saying that the world will undergo continuous judgment in various forms until the eternal Kingdom of God arrives with the new earth.

If you disagree with any of this then I would like to ask you the following question. If four fallen angels and the demonic army they command were to literally kill a third of mankind then would at least some people not immediately repent because of the clearly obvious judgment from God that they have witnessed? Well of course at least some people would. I mean who is going to seriously claim that two hundred million fire breathing horses with tails like snakes would not put the fear of God into a significant portion of the world? Obviously it would be nonsensical to make such a claim. However this verse makes such a claim because it says “Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands.” (Revelation 9:20)

Thus if you want to claim the sixth trumpet as literal then you would be saying that literal fallen angels leading a demonic army of fire breathing horses sent by God to kill billions of people will not result in a significant number of people repenting and giving God glory. However obviously believing that this will happen is completely absurd and nonsensical. Therefore once again the seven trumpets are figurative, metaphorical and symbolic and you should not take them literally.

(20) “They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.” – First off obviously those who worship “idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk” (Revelation 9:20) are guilty of the highly detestable sin of idolatry since they are worshiping literal idols or material representations of false gods. Then those “who did not stop worshiping demons” (Revelation 9:20) in this verse would refer to all those of other religions who worship false gods. In other words anyone else who is part of any religion other than Christianity, or true Judaism, is “worshiping demons” (Revelation 9:20) or false gods.

Next this verse would also imply that the false gods of other religions might actually be demons or fallen angels who are actively trying to deceive people so that they do not worship the true God and come to faith in Jesus. Now this might not make that much sense but you only need to look at Islam for a clear example of this. For instance like I said previously the false prophet Muhammad claimed he received insight from an angel that Jesus did not die and thus did not rise from the dead. Now obviously you know that believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus is the only way for your sins to be forgiven so it would make sense that the false prophet Muhammad was deceived by either Satan himself or another fallen angel. Therefore it would be reasonable to say that Muslims worship demons because they have been deceived by demonic forces. Then of course the same also applies to other false religions with their false gods and false prophets

Lastly I would also like to point out that worshiping “demons and idols” (Revelation 9:20) is not limited to religious practice. Instead you can end up worshiping idols based on how you live your life. For example when you make it your goal in life to acquire wealth and power then you are essentially making wealth and power into an idol that you are worshiping through your actions. But what is the big deal here? Well you see you cannot worship idols like money and wealth while also worshiping God.

As Jesus says:

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

Therefore you should be careful about worshiping the material things of this world by chasing after things like money and wealth. Instead you should only chase after the things of God through your faith and obedience. Always remember that salvation is from God alone and cannot be found in the world.

(21) “Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.” – In addition to refusing to stop their worship of false gods and idols the people of the world also refuse to repent of their sins. Then in terms of what sorcery is the Greek word translated as sorcery probably refers to the use of drugs, supposedly magic potions or incantations in order to gain magical powers or insight. Now the reason why it is a sin is because by trying to use drugs, supposedly magic potions or incantations you would be trusting in the material world or worse yet false gods and this would of course be a form of idolatry. Therefore you should really see sorcery as an idolatrous practice.

Lastly the word falsely translated as sexual immorality is porneia (πορνεία) and it is most literally translated as prostitution. However as I have said before porneia (πορνεία) should not be understood as prostitution since it is being used figuratively. Instead porneia (πορνεία) should be understood as unfaithfulness to God or highly detestable sins in general. The idea here is that porneia (πορνεία) is more of a general term to refer to all sins that God considers highly detestable. Therefore there really is not a defined list of sins that are considered to be porneia (πορνεία). The reason why porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution has this meaning is because by committing highly detestable sins or being unfaithful to God a person is prostituting away or selling the love of God for the earthly things of the world. If you wish to dispute this meaning of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution then I would like to once again remind you that I fully demonstrate that my meaning of porneia (πορνεία) or prostitution is correct in my chapter called Sexuality in my part called Various Insights. Therefore for now just accept what I have said and hold your objections until you read my full explanation.

Chapter 2.23: Revelation 10

1 – The Angel and the Small Scroll

(1) Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. (2) He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. (3) Then he cried out in a loud voice like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their voices.

(4) When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

(5) Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven. (6) And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay! (7) But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”

(8) Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

(9) And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.”

“Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

(10) So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.

(11) And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

1.1 – Commentary

(*) Similar to when John saw the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) and the “multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) after the sixth seal in Revelation 7 there is now a break in the narrative with this chapter. Then in the next chapter, or Revelation 11, the narrative resumes with a series of events involving the two witnesses that culminates with the seventh angel sounding the seventh trumpet that ushers in the final judgment and the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore just like with the section on the 144,000 and the great multitude you should not see this chapter of Revelation taking place at any specific time. Instead you should see this chapter of Revelation as taking place at an indeterminate time since the events in this chapter really only concern John in his vision. That said there are some very important ideas to go over in regards to this chapter as you will soon see.

(1) “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.” – Now John sees another powerful angel coming down from heaven to the earth in order to carry out and fulfill the will of God. The angel being wrapped in a cloud is similar to how God guided the Israelites out of Egypt during the day during the Exodus. Then the angel has a rainbow over his head because the rainbow symbolizes God’s covenant with Noah and hence God’s promise to all the faithful. Then the angel’s face is like the sun because just as God’s glory is brighter than the sun so too is the glory of this angel because this angel is empowered by God Himself. Finally the angel’s legs being like pillars of fire would be similar to how God guided the Israelites out of Egypt at night in the Exodus. That said really these descriptions are not actually supposed to be viewed literally. Instead the angel is described using similar imagery to that used to describe God from the Old Testament because this mighty angel is God’s direct representative on earth and carries out His will. Thus this angel is powerful because he represents God’s will here in this section of Revelation.

(2) “He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open.” – This is the same scroll that was sealed with seven seals from Revelation 5 that I said is supposed to be representative of the will of God or rather the inheritance we will receive from God as the faithful. The reason why the scroll with seven seals is now open in the angel’s hand is because now that Jesus has opened the seven seals the will of God is revealed. You may doubt this but really the only scroll that we have seen before this point in the Book of Revelation is the scroll that “was sealed with seven seals.” (Revelation 5:1) Then based upon what will happen later on in this chapter where John eats the scroll really the best way to view the “small scroll” (Revelation 10:2) is to see it as being representative of God’s will to us as the faithful. Lastly it is important to point out that since this angel has the scroll in his hand this means that this angel has been tasked by God to assist Jesus in executing the will. Obviously to say such a task is important would be an understatement so this is why the angel was described in such powerful terms in the last verse.

(2) “He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.” – By placing “his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land” (Revelation 10:2) the angel is displaying that he has been given control or dominion over the entire earth from the land to the sea on behalf of God in order to help execute His will. Once again this is why this angel was described in such powerful terms since this angel is God’s direct representative.

(3) “Then he cried out in a loud voice like the roar of a lion.” – The angel shouts in a very loud voice so that even those in heaven can hear him.

(3) “And when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their voices.” – In response to the angel’s loud shout “the seven thunders sounded their voices.” (Revelation 9:3) In terms of the “seven thunders” (Revelation 9:3) in this verse in the Bible God’s voice has been compared to thunder.

As the Book of Job says:

“Listen closely to the thunder of His voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
He unleashes His lightning beneath the whole sky and sends it to the ends of the earth.
Then there comes a roaring sound; He thunders with His majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning when His voice resounds.
God thunders wondrously with His voice; He does great things we cannot comprehend.” (Job 37:2-5)

Therefore as a result of this passage clearly God’s voice can be seen as thunderous. Then because of this fact the seven thunders can be seen as being representative of the voice of God in at least some way. Furthermore the seven thunders can be seen as related to the voice of God based on the fact that there are seven of them and seven is representative of completeness. The idea here is that since the seven thunders are speaking this would mean that what the seven thunders have said is complete in nature. Then of course only God Himself can give anything that is complete in nature which means that the seven thunders are related to the voice of God. If you want to dispute this then I would like to point out that everything that has happened in the Book of Revelation so far has been due to the will of God. My point here is that even if you want to claim that the seven thunders are not the voice of God directly then really the seven thunders would still be the voice of God because they are speaking on behalf of God. For instance the angels who are sounding the trumpets are not actually sounding the trumpets themselves and instead God is sounding the trumpets through them. Furthermore in the case of the Book of Revelation although John is the author of the book if you believe the book to be inspired as I do then you believe that God moved John to write what he wrote. In other words even though John wrote the Book of Revelation we could also say God wrote the Book of Revelation. Therefore as a result of all this it does not matter how you want to look at it and because of this fact the “seven thunders” (Revelation 9:3) are representative of the voice of God.

So what exactly did the seven thunders say when Revelation says “the seven thunders sounded their voices” (Revelation 9:3) in this verse? Well first off we do not know what they said because in the following verse John is told to “not write it down.” (Revelation 9:4) That said although we do not know what the seven thunders said specifically we can say for sure what the seven thunders said in general. So what did they say? Well really the majority of the Book of Revelation so far has been prophecy and immediately before seeing this angel with the scroll John was given prophecy in the form of a vision. Therefore I would say that it makes the most sense to say that the seven thunders are prophesying about what must come to pass in the future before the eternal Kingdom of God comes to pass. Although really this is not actually the full picture. This is because John continues to write down more of what he sees in his vision in the rest of the Book of Revelation and obviously these things including the rise of the beast are prophecies. So what exactly would the seven thunders be saying then? Well really I would say that what the seven thunders said is supposed to be seen as being representative of the complete and clear prophecy of everything that must happen before the eternal Kingdom of God passes. This would of course make sense based on the symbolic meaning of the number seven.

But what does mean? Really this just means that what the seven thunders said was complete in nature, hence the number seven, so that they literally said everything that is going to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Furthermore I would also say that what the seven thunders said was unambiguous and clear so that anyone who heard what they said would understand what they were talking about. Now you might dispute this last point so that you do not agree that what the seven thunders said was clear. However as I just said above the prophecies of the Book of Revelation continue and obviously to say that the prophecies that concern the beast are clear to people would be a gross overstatement. Then you need to understand that in the following verse John is told to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” (Revelation 10:4) Therefore my point here is that what the seven thunders said must have been categorically different than what the rest of the Book of Revelation says. This is because if what the seven thunders said was not any different so that it was the same highly figurative and metaphorical dream-like prophecy then why would “a voice from heaven” (Revelation 10:4) or rather God tell John to not write it down? In other words what I am saying is that God telling John to not write down what the seven thunders said really only makes sense if what the seven thunders said was clear and complete in nature rather than unclear and incomplete in nature like the rest of the Book of Revelation.

At this point you may still wish to dispute this so it is important to point out that after God tells John to “not write it down” (Revelation 10:4) the angel responds by saying “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) But what does this mean exactly? Well what this angel says would imply that if John wrote down what the seven thunders said then there would be a delay and because of this fact this is why God said to do not write it down. Now you may be tempted to say that the delay the angel is referring to is in terms of this sequence in Revelation so that John can see the rest of his vision without delay. However I would say this would be incorrect. This is because if John is having a vision through the power of God’s Holy Spirit then obviously it does not matter if the vision lasts for an extra hour. Therefore as a result the delay the angel must be talking about is a delay of the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God.

This fact can be further seen based on what the angel says after “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) You see after this the angel says “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.” (Revelation 10:7) Then since the seven trumpet announces the arrival of the final judgment and along with it the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God this would mean that the delay that the angel is referring to would be a delay in the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. Therefore because of this fact if John wrote down what the seven thunders said then there would be a delay in the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God.

Furthermore with respect to what the angel said I would like to emphasize that he says that just before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet “the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.” (Revelation 10:7) But then what is “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) here? Well obviously “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) would refer to everything that needs to happen in the future before the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. This would be why the angel says that “the mystery of God will be fulfilled” (Revelation 10:7) “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet” (Revelation 10:7) as the angel says. My point here is that everything that needs to happen before the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God will happen just before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet or “when he is about to sound his trumpet” (Revelation 10:7) as the angel says. Therefore as I said clearly “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) refers to everything that God has determined that will take place in the future before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

Therefore as a result of all the above what “the seven thunders” (Revelation 10:3) said when they “sounded their voices” (Revelation 10:3) refers to a complete and clear prophecy of everything that needs to happen here on earth before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

But what does this mean and why is it important? I mean why even have the seven thunders speak in the Book of Revelation only for John to be told not to write anything down? Well first off in terms of the meaning the “the seven thunders” (Revelation 10:3) know what needs to happen in the future so that “the mystery of God will be fulfilled” (Revelation 10:7) before the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. This then of course means that God knows what needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives since the voices of the seven thunders are representative of God as I said. Now all this is important to bring up because this means that God not only knows the future but has actively planned the future all so that the eternal Kingdom of God will arrive at its appointed time. In other words since God has set or determined what must happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives this then means that nothing and no one no matter how powerful other than God Himself can prevent the eternal Kingdom of God from arriving. This is because as I just said God has quite literally determined or set everything that will happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. This of course means that it is impossible for anything other than what God has determined to happen.

All this might not seem that important to you but it is actually incredibly important. For instance when the beast goes to “perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible” (Matthew 24:24) as it rules over the world it will seem like the beast has won and that God is dead. My point here is that when this comes to pass it will seem like God is powerless or worse yet dead or rather nonexistent and because of this fact those who are still trying to desperately cling to whatever thread of their faith still remains will lose hope for the eternal Kingdom of God because the beast’s rule over the earth will seem that absolute and total. However in reality God knows everything that will happen before the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. Then because of this fact we should not worry about what happens in the future. This is because if God already knows what will happen then why should the seemingly absolute power of the beast as it reigns over the world be of any concern for us as faithful Christians? Obviously it is not of any concern. Therefore this is why it is important that the Book of Revelation says that “the seven thunders sounded their voices.” (Revelation 10:3)

Next I realize that what you just read here is quite controversial in the sense that the vast majority of those who say they are Christians today believe in the false doctrine of free will. This is because in their view the future is not determined so that God knows what will happen and instead they believe that we are free to make choices that even God does not know which option we will choose. Thus if you also take this view then no doubt what you just read will seem very problematic in your mind so that you believe what I have said to be wrong. However just so you are once again aware I talk about divine determinism and the false doctrine of free will later on in my commentary on Revelation 13 and in this comment I go over the main reasons why divine determinism is true and the main arguments people make to try to demonstrate that the false doctrine of free will is not actually false. Therefore just continue to hold your objections for now and instead simply accept what I have said as true until I fully demonstrate that divine determinism or the fact that God has determined everything is true.

That said I realize making such a request of you is rather difficult especially given the fact that divine determinism is heavily related to my comments in the rest of this chapter. Therefore it would be helpful to briefly demonstrate to you why divine determinism is true and why free will cannot exist at least from the perspective of the Book of Revelation alone. This means that what you are about to read does not related to any of the other books of the Bible. As a result of this if you find what you are about to read convincing but wish to object to it on the basis of some other verse from say one of the epistles that you know by heart then please hold your objection until I address it at the proper time. Really my goal here is just to demonstrate to you that from the perspective of the Book of Revelation divine determinism is true and the false doctrine of free will is false. Then because of this fact you have a very good reason to take everything else I say in this chapter seriously so that you do not simply write it off as being wrong.

Alright so what is this proof that I am talking about exactly? Well really my proof is the entire Book of Revelation itself. Wait what? Yes that is right. My point here is that the Book of Revelation is of course a book of many prophecies and the prophecies are mostly about the future. For instance although you have not yet read my commentary on Revelation 13 you have already read it in full along with my many quotations of it. Therefore let me ask you a question that relates to the beast and the topic of free will. Will the beast have free will? Now you may tempted to say yes of course but you need to understand that the Book of Revelation says the beast is destined to “to speak blasphemies against God” (Revelation 13:6) along with everything else the Book of Revelation says the beast will do. This of course means that the beast will do all these things and because of this fact the beast will not have free will.

But why? Well you see the definition of free will or rather libertarian free will is the ability to choose otherwise in a given choice. In other words if you are deciding to have either pizza or hamburgers for dinner tonight and decide to have pizza your choice would be a free choice of your own free will only if you could have actually chosen hamburgers. Of course in reality since every effect must have a cause this means that you could not have chosen hamburgers and instead you were determined to choose pizza. The reason why it may feel like choices like these are free because we are not aware of what we are going to choose before we choose.

Now this definition relates to the beast because based on what the Book of Revelation says the beast will not make a free choice to rebel against God by joining Satan in his rebellion as his heir. Instead the Book of Revelation is quite literally saying that the beast will rebel against God, the beast will rule the world, the beast will wage war against the saints, the beast will speak blasphemies, the beast will work so-called miracles, the beast will require people to take the mark of the beast, the beast will kill the great prostitute and so forth. Thus my point is that in regards to everything that the beast will do God has already divinely determined it all so that the beast cannot make a free will choice to do otherwise. This ultimately means that even the greatest earthly opponent of God will be punished and destroyed by God for doing what God determined it will do.

So what does this mean? Well obviously this means that the beast will not have free will. Furthermore there is nothing you can say to argue against this fact without denying the Book of Revelation itself. In fact this is what many people who believe in the false doctrine of free will attempt to do by saying that the beast will not actually exist so all the prophecies do not actually matter and because of this so-called fact God is not violating the beast’s free will. However I would actually say such a belief is blasphemy. Now this may seem extreme to say but you need to understand that the Book of Revelation is stated to be the word of God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.” (Revelation 22:6)

Thus my point here is that if you want to deny any fulfillment of the Book of Revelation in the past, present or future in order to prevent God from denying the so-called free will of the beast then this means that you are saying that word of God is false here in the Book of Revelation. Then by denying the word of God you would be denying God Himself which is why I said denying any fulfillment of the Book of Revelation in the past, present or future can be considered blasphemy. Of course you are free, or really determined, to believe this. However my point here is that if you want to understand the Book of Revelation then you must ultimately view divine determinism as true because this is the perspective that the Book of Revelation has. Then because of this fact if you want to understand my commentary on the Book of Revelation then you must accept divine determinism as true despite your whatever issues you may have with it for now.

But wait a second what if God has only determined that the beast itself will not have free will? Could this not be possible? Then if this is true then can we not still have free will? Well sure but the problem here is that God has not only determined everything the beast will do in the Book of Revelation. You see God has also determined everything that everyone will ever do in the Book of Revelation.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

First off my commentary on this verse is actually when I fully demonstrate that divine determinism is true and that the false doctrine of free will is false. Therefore I am not going to fully explain what this verse means here. That said in terms of my purpose in quoting this verse I want to emphasize that God is promising that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) just as the verse says. My point here is that God is literally saying that at some point everyone on earth, save the faithful, will worship the beast. In other words God is saying that when the time comes for each person to make a choice of their own so-called free will that almost the entire world will make the choice to worship the beast. This of course means that the world will not have free will since they will not be able to choose to do otherwise. Then because of this fact all those who God has predetermined to worship the beast will worship the beast just as God says they will while on the other hand all those with their name in the Book of Life will not worship the beast because God has predetermined that they will not worship the beast.

Now you may wish to dispute this but I would like to emphasize that if we actually had free will then that would mean that God would not actually know that almost the entire world will choose to worship the beast. However God says that the Book of Revelation is “faithful and true” (Revelation 21:6) which means that everything in the Book of Revelation will come to pass. In other words God knows with certainty that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) and because of this fact the people who will worship the beast will not have free will or the ability to not worship the beast. In other words God has determined that they will worship the beast.

My point here is that the Book of Revelation does not only give prophecies about what the beast will do and how the beast will reject God and instead the Book of Revelation says that the entire world, save the faithful, will worship the beast and in the process reject God just as the beast has done. Therefore you cannot simply reject everything I have said about divine determinism on the basis that the beast will be a unique case since as I just demonstrated the Book of Revelation says that the whole world’s supposed choice to worship the beast has already been determined. Thus not only has God determined what the beast will do but God has also determined what the whole world will do as well.

Lastly I realize what I just said will not convince you if you are a hardened believer in the false doctrine of free will. For instance no doubt you may be internally shouting to yourself your go to verse from one of the epistles that you mistakenly believe so-called proves that the false doctrine of free will is actually true. However as I said I do not go over all the objections and issues you may have here and instead I am only talking about the Book of Revelation specifically. I mean if you want to bring up some random hyperbolic or exaggerated verse from the epistles to so-called demonstrate that the false doctrine of free will is true then it would only be fair for me to bring up dozens of others that demonstrate God has determined everything before explaining why the verses that you are quoting to yourself cannot actually mean what you think they do.

That said my point here with all this was just to demonstrate to you that from the perspective of the Book of Revelation we do not have so-called free will since God has already determined everything that will take place in the future. This means that when you read my subsequent comments in this chapter you should not object to what I say on the basis of so-called free will. Instead you should take the false doctrine of free will to be false because this is the perspective that the Book of Revelation has and in order to understand the Book of Revelation you need to accept the perspectives it has a true. Sure you may not like this fact but like I said I demonstrate that this view is correct later on so just wait until I address all your issues with what you just read later on.

(4) “When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing.” – First off obviously in this verse John was about the write down what “the seven thunders” (Revelation 10:4) had said. Then just to reiterate what I said in the previous comment what the seven thunders said is supposed to a complete and clear prophecy about everything that needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Thus John was about to write down what “the seven thunders had spoken” (Revelation 10:4) and if he did then we would have a complete picture of everything that has yet to happen in the future before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. This means that instead of the Book of Revelation referring to the beast using figurative language and metaphors if John had written down what the seven thunders said then the beast would have been described in unambiguous terms. Furthermore the prophecies in the Book of Revelation are rather lacking in the sense that they only describe the over all picture of what is going to happen before the end of the age comes. This means that most of what we will actually see in the future has been left out of the Book of Revelation so that instead of having specific events to look out for we only have general trends of what the world will look like.

(4) “But I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’” – Just as John was about to write down what the seven thunders said “a voice from heaven” (Revelation 10:4) tells him to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” (Revelation 10:4) Now first off in terms of the identity of the speaker I would once again say that the speaker is supposed to be representative of God just like how I said the voices of the seven thunders are representative of God. This is because even if you want to say the voice is that of an angel then really the angel would only be speaking on behalf of God and because of this reason ultimately the speaker is representative of God even if they are not actually God Himself.

That said in terms of the meaning of this verse instead of writing down and revealing all that is to come John is obviously told to not write down the complete and clear prophecy of the future. Then because of this fact what we have been given in the Book of Revelation is an incomplete prophecy as I have said. In other words what we have to read in the Book of Revelation does not reflect everything that has yet to happen in the future. This then means that since the seven thunders could have said anything it would be prudent and wise to assume that there still is a lot we do not know about what is going to happen in the future.

For instance although what I have said here in my commentary might resonate with you, especially after you finish reading it all, you need to understand that even I do not know exactly what is going to happen in the future. This is because the future is not fully revealed as I have said. So although the first beast will rise so that it goes on to rule the entire world there could be any number of things that happen before this and after. Then because of this fact you should not expect the future to be so clear cut so that after the beast rises it will only rule for 42 months as Revelation 13 says. Instead just like the rest of the Book of Revelation the number 42 in the whole 42 months is a symbol for a period of time that God as promised that will come to pass. This means that the beast could end up ruling over the world for a thousand years. Now this might seem hard to believe but you need to understand that what we have been given here in the Book of Revelation is not a clear and complete prophecy that includes everything that is to happen as I have said. As a result you should not expect things to unfold as neatly as the Book of Revelation makes it appear that they will unfold. In other words the beast’s rule over our world might end going beyond what even I have written in this book so that it ends up lasting not only far longer than we expect but ends up being far more encompassing.

Therefore the real message behind the seven thunders having their prophecy sealed up is that things will happen as they happen and that no one will know for sure what will happen exactly in the future. Sure we get the main themes and even some events themselves but we do not know everything as I keep on saying. This is of course by design and the will of God so keep this in mind. Thus the seven thunders symbolize the mystery of God’s plan for the future and how only God knows what will happen and when.

That said you should not worry or question if the events outlined will happen or not. Instead you should remain completely confident that God will pass judgment on the entire earth and all its inhabitants. Then of course after this all faithful Christians will be resurrected and we will all live with God in the new Jerusalem in the new earth just as God says we will.

Next this subject leads to another important point to stress. Since we do not know everything that is to happen in the future this means that we should once again view everything in the Book of Revelation in not only a figurative manner but also as an incomplete prophecy. This means that you should not view the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as being literal descriptions or as literal events that are supposed to be unambiguously fulfilled. This is because as I keep on saying the fact that John was told not to write down what the seven thunders said means that we have in incomplete prophecy of what needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Therefore if for some strange reason you are so hard headed that you have rejected everything I have said so far to demonstrate that the seven seals and seven trumpets are not supposed to be seen literally at all then I would like to make sure you are well aware that the Book of Revelation is an incomplete and ambiguous prophecy about the future. In other words because John was told not to write down what the seven thunders said this means that you should not see the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as a literal timeline of events that will literally happen before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives. Instead you should see the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as highly figurative and non-literal imagery.

Now you may wish to dispute this for some reason if you actually reject all the reasons I have previously provided for viewing the seven seals and seven trumpets as non-literal instead of literal. Therefore let me ask you a question. If we are supposed to view the entire Book of Revelation in a more literal manner so that we see the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as literal then what does the fact that John was told to not write down what the seven thunders said mean? For instance even if you reject what I have said about the meaning of the words the seven thunders spoke then you must understand that surely the seven thunders said something. Furthermore what the seven thunders said surely must have been so important that writing it down could delay the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God because the angel responds with “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) Therefore what then did the seven thunders say that was so important to seal up? Sure you may say we do not know which would be correct but you must understand that what the seven thunders said was such important information that revealing it to the world could have caused a deviation in God’s plan so that the eternal Kingdom of God would be delayed. Therefore you cannot simply ignore the fact that the seven thunders spoke so that you take what they said to be irrelevant. Instead you should view what the seven thunders said as being highly important and highly relevant since even a voice from heaven itself commanded John to do not write down what he heard.

Then because of the fact that we do not have this highly important information it would be foolish and wrong to view the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls as a literal timeline of literal events that are supposed to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God comes to pass. Instead as I keep on saying we should view the entire Book of Revelation as highly figurative and metaphorical language that is supposed to give us a glimpse of what is to come rather than a full and complete picture. Well at least a glimpse after we come to a spiritual understanding surrounding the imagery and metaphors since it is not like the Book of Revelation is easy to understand for the average person.

Next you may be wondering why John was told to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” (Revelation 10:4) I mean why does God not want the world to know the future in complete and unambiguous terms so that everyone will be able to understand what the Book of Revelation says about the future? For instance surely God would want to reveal His plans and Himself to the entire world so that the whole world can repent of their sins and obey Him right? Well no sorry.

This is ultimately the answer to the question of divine hiddenness. In terms of the question of divine hiddenness this is an argument that is used against the existence of God. The idea of the argument is that if God is omnibenevolent then He would want everyone on earth to come to know Him. Then because of this supposed fact we would expect God to create irrefutable proof of His existence so that the world can come to repentance and obedience. However since we do not see this irrefutable proof then people who believe in this argument would say that God does not exist. Thus in terms of an answer to the question of divine hiddenness the answer is that God does not want everyone to see Him and to know Him.

Now no doubt you may take issue with this so that you claim God actually wants everyone to come to repentance. However such a view is completely false. Therefore it would be helpful to first go over the fact that God does not want everyone to see Him. Then after you may have what I would call the second question of divine hiddenness. For instance if God wants to be hidden from the world so that not everyone can see Him then why would he want such a thing? Of course there is a very good answer to this question as you will see. But first you need to understand the fact that God does not want everyone to see Him.

So first off I would like to reiterate what I just said previously. The fact that John was told to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down” (Revelation 10:4) means that God does not want everyone to know Him because otherwise if He did then He would have allowed John to write it down. My point here is that since what the seven thunders said is so important in terms of the future that John was told not to write it down for a reason. What reason you may ask? Well this reason is actually the answer to the second question of divine hiddenness or rather why God wants to remain hidden from the world so that not everyone can see Him. Therefore it is not the time to tell you this reason in full. That said my point here with respect to the seven thunders is simply that by not wanting a complete and clear prophecy about the future revealed to the world God is in effect saying that He does not want the whole world to know Him. This is because if He truly wanted the whole world to know Him then one of the best ways would be to give some clear and unambiguous prophecies about the future so that even skeptical people would have to admit that God gave those prophecies after they were fulfilled. Of course instead of this happening we have the Book of Revelation which has so many interpretations and views that to call such a book clear and unambiguous would be completely nonsensical. Therefore based on the Book of Revelation and what it says God wants to be hidden so that everyone does not know Him.

Now no doubt you may take great issue with this so consider the following passages.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do You speak to the people in parables?’

He replied, ‘The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” (Matthew 13:10-17)

To start off in this passage Jesus directly tells His disciples that “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” (Matthew 13:11) This of course means that Jesus does not want others who are not His disciples to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Then since Jesus is the Christ this means that Jesus was doing the work of God when He said this and as a result God does not want people who are not Jesus’s disciples to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Really it does not get any easier to understand than this. Furthermore I would just like to point out two key verses from the above passage.

As Jesus says:

“In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:14-15)

Of course my point here is that Jesus is saying that people being unable to understand and perceive the things of God is actually the will of God. Let me repeat that. The fact that people cannot see the things of God is actually what God wants and desires. Now not to get into the why of this here but Jesus says that God does not want people to see God because “Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn,” (Matthew 13:15) so that God “would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15) In other words God does not want to heal or rather save everyone. Instead God actually wants people, perhaps the vast majority of people, to be “never understanding” (Matthew 13:14) and “never perceiving” (Matthew 13:14) so that they will never obtain “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 10:11) as Jesus says. Alright now you may have some objections here in that you might refuse to believe what Jesus says in this passage is true so consider the following passage.

Next as Jesus says:

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.’” (Matthew 11:25-27)

To begin in terms of the meaning of this passage Jesus is saying that in order to accept and see the things of God we need to be like little children so that we just accept the things of God to be true on the basis of having faith in our Father or God. On the other hand if we are like “the wise and the learned” (Matthew 11:25) who seek to question everything we see and hear so that we do not believe in something without irrefutable evidence then we will of course not see the things of God because God has hidden them from us.

Now if you find what Jesus said in the previous passage to be unbelievable because you believe that God wants to be known to all then how do you explain what Jesus says above? My point here is that clearly Jesus says “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25) Then He even goes on to say “Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.” (Matthew 11:26) Therefore you cannot argue that God actually wants everyone to see Him and the mysteries of the Kingdom of God because Jesus is actually praising God for hiding the things of God from people. Thus on this basis there is no way to claim that God wants everyone to see Him and understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

Furthermore this passage brings up another important point. This point is that “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27) As a result we cannot actually see the things of God without Jesus choosing to reveal the things of God to us. This of course means that since Jesus is the Christ that God does not actually want everyone to see the things of God. I mean if this was not so then God would just reveal Himself to everyone so that Jesus does not have to reveal Himself to us. Therefore once again clearly God does not want everyone to see Him as I have said.

Now I could go over more passages that relate to the fact that God wants to be hidden so that not everyone can see Him. However really this fact is rather obvious given the world that we live in and the fact that not everyone is a faithful Christian. What I mean is if God wanted to reveal Himself to everyone so that everyone can see Him then He would have done so. Therefore the fact that God has not revealed Himself to the entire world is undeniable evidence that God does not want to reveal Himself to the entire world. Really this is all there is to it.

But what about some of the verses from the epistles which would seem to indicate that God does not want to be hidden? Well really the common view of these verses is incorrect.

As Second Peter says:

“Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

First off for reasons I explain later on Second Peter is clearly a forgery. This means that Second Peter was not actually written by Peter and instead someone else wrote it. Now no doubt you might find this idea offensive and wish to dispute it but really I do not care right now since the fact that this epistle is a forgery is irrelevant for now. This is because all you need is a tiny fraction of critical thinking skills to say that God “not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) is just factually false if you want to take it as literal. I mean if God really does not want “anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) then why did God ignore basically everyone outside of ancient Israel for thousands of years until Christian missionaries could spread the gospel there? Well? No response? I thought so. Really to be blunt there is nothing you can respond with. This is because even if you want to make up some apologetic argument to respond with you would still have to contend with with fact that since people have perished in the past without having any contact with God or with the message of Jesus then clearly God wanted them to perish because otherwise He would have not let them perish. The only real response to this issue is to bring in the idea that Jesus preached to all the dead souls in hell, despite the fact that hell does not actually exist, after He died so that all the dead in the past could accept Jesus or reject Him.

As First Peter says:

“That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

So therefore this happened right? Well not really since I would also say First Peter was not written by Peter either. This is because it does not matter how you want to look at it the whole response of Jesus preaching to the dead so that even the dead can choose to accept Him or not since it is just nonsense regardless. But why? Well first off we do not have immortal and immaterial souls and because of this when we die we cease to exist. This means that it is impossible for Jesus to preach to the dead without the dead first being resurrected. However the dead will only be resurrected at the end of the age as the Book of Revelation says. Therefore Jesus did not preach to the dead in the first century AD so that they could choose to believe or not.

Second the whole concept of Jesus preaching to the dead is just really nonsense to be honest. For instance if you die here on earth as a pagan in say 500 BC so that your immaterial and immortal soul goes to hell then are you seriously going to still be a pagan instead of believing in the God that created the place you are now in? Furthermore since hell is supposed to be rather unpleasant would you not repent of your sins and believe in the one true God once Jesus comes to preach to you? I mean who would not do this? This is why I said the whole concept of Jesus preaching to the dead is just nonsense. Really everyone would repent and because of this fact the whole concept of Jesus preaching to the dead loses all meaning.

Now you may take issue with all this so consider a final point as to why Jesus preaching to the dead is just plain nonsense. Alright so let me ask you a question. If you believe that Jesus descended into hell in the first century AD to preach the gospel then what happens to those who died after this occurred? I mean Christianity did not spread that fast so what happens to the people who died in North America, South America, most of Africa, almost all of Asia, most of Europe and so forth in say 100 AD? I mean these people did not have any contact with the gospel and since they did not have any contact with it then how could they freely reject the gospel? Thus really the people who died in 100 AD in these far off lands are just like the people who died in 500 BC. Therefore does it not make sense for Jesus to also preach the gospel to them in hell so they can choose to repent and be saved? Well of course it does. However if you believe this then you have just destroyed Christianity and the gospel.

Wait what? You see by believing this false belief you have turned preaching the gospel into a great evil. This is because according to your belief if someone never rejects the gospel here on earth then they will go to hell where Jesus will preach to them and since they are in hell they will repent and be saved since they can clearly see the spiritual instead of the natural now. Then given the fact that not everyone will accept the gospel if you preach it to them then this would actually mean that if you truly want to save the most people then not preaching the gospel to them here on earth is the best action to take. For instance if preaching the gospel on earth results in a rejection rate of say fifty percent then those fifty percent who reject it will go to hell without a chance of redemption while on the other hand if they never heard the gospel on earth then they will get a chance to accept the gospel in hell. As a result if you actual believe that Jesus preaches to those in hell then the best thing to do would be to never preach to anyone because everyone who never rejected the gospel on earth will repent in hell.

Thus my point is that if you actually believe that those who never heard the Gospel after say 33 AD will have a chance to be saved in hell after Jesus preaches to them then the most evil act you can do as a Christian is to spread the gospel here on earth. Once again this is because everyone will hear the gospel in hell and once they are in hell they are literally guaranteed to repent. Now you might object to this and say that what I am saying is not true on the basis that you know the bad people will not accept the gospel in hell so therefore not everyone is going to. But really I would call your belief literally insane and delusional. This is because literally no one would prefer unbearable torture for all eternity in hell over just saying that they accept Jesus as the Christ and repenting of their sins.

If you really want to dispute this then let me ask you a question. Imagine you died tomorrow and ended up in the Muslim version of hell and the false prophet Muhammad said to you that since you did not reject Islam on earth and since you were deceived by the so-called false teachings of Christianity that you now have a chance to accept Islam as true. Would you tell the false prophet Muhammad that you are now a Muslim and that you accept Islam as true or would you rather spend an eternity being tortured in the Muslim version of hell? Well of course if this actually happened you would become a Muslim because you would have irrefutable evidence that Christianity is false. If you want to say you would not then I would just say you are delusional and lying to yourself. Therefore my point stands that no one would prefer unbearable torture in hell for all eternity over accepting the gospel. Then because of this fact if you actually believe that those who die without rejecting the gospel on earth will have a chance to accept it in hell then preaching the gospel on earth is probably the most evil thing you can do because by preaching the gospel on earth you will be damning many if not most of the people you preach to to an eternity in hell without a chance for redemption.

Of course this would then mean that the idea that Jesus is preaching to the dead is just nonsensical in nature so therefore it must be false. The only real way to reconcile Jesus preaching to the dead is actually universalism or rather the idea that everyone will be saved since everyone, including those who rejected the gospel on earth, will be given a chance to accept the gospel after they die. Then of course since everyone would accept the gospel after they die as I have said everyone would then be saved. Of course universalism is false doctrine because “if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 10:15) Therefore you cannot attempt to reconcile the whole concept of Jesus preaching to the dead by using universalism.

Alright now in response you might now say that sure maybe the idea that Jesus is preaching to those who die after 30 or 33 AD is just nonsense but this does not mean that Jesus did not preach to the dead who died before then like First Peter says. Alright sure you can claim this. But in terms of the question of if God wants everyone to be saved or not clearly the answer is still no. This is because my point is that clearly Christianity never made it to the vast majority of people who were born after Jesus’s resurrection and since God knew about this, I mean how could He not, this would then mean that God did not want these people to be saved. As a result whoever wrote Second Peter is just wrong at least if you want to take what they said literally. Then this is also a good reason why Second Peter should not be seen as Scripture.

Now you might want to protest this view that Second Peter was clearly not written by Peter but really it is obvious. For instance the central purpose of Second Peter is to say that Jesus has not returned yet and the eternal Kingdom of God has not arrived yet because “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8) and “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) But why is this the purpose? Well in Paul’s genuine letters Paul wrote like Jesus was supposed to return well within his lifetime.

As Paul wrote:

“By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15)

There are other instances but this is an easy one to understand. So obviously in this verse Paul is literally saying that he is declaring by the word of Jesus that himself and those who he is writing to will be alive when Jesus return. Really there is nothing you can say against this since this is what Paul is actually saying and there is not way to say that Paul is just being hyperbolic here since getting the return of Jesus wrong by around two thousand years so far is well not exactly close. Furthermore Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica and because of this fact this letter is not addressed to us in today’s world or to a future generation of Christians. Therefore clearly Paul was wrong here. Then this means that since Paul declared by “the word of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15) that the rest of what Paul wrote can be considered suspect as well. For instance if Paul was wrong about the imminent return of Jesus then what else was he wrong about? Thus you can see the problem here. But how does Second Peter fit into this? Well first off obviously the author of Second Peter is trying to fix what Paul wrote so consider the following passage.

As Second Peter says:

“Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him. He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16)

So as you can see the author of Second Peter’s response is just to say that those who believe that Paul wrote that Jesus was supposed to return soon are “ignorant and unstable people” (2 Peter 3:16) who distort Paul’s letters “as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16) Or in other words the author of Second Peter is saying that if you believe that Paul was wrong then you are ignorant and distorting the so-called Scriptures. Thus obviously the author of Second Peter has no real response to what Paul wrote and because of this fact Second Peter can be completely ignored. Essentially the author’s goal here was to attach their message, which is a correction of Paul’s letters, to the authority of Peter as one of the apostles in an effort to silence people rejecting what Paul wrote on the basis that Peter is an apostle. The reason why the author probably chose Peter is because in Acts Peter and Paul supposedly had a disagreement so the idea is that if even Peter is calling Paul’s writings so-called Scripture and helping to cover up the fact that Paul was wrong then the author’s message would be more widely accepted. Then as an aside this same reason is actually why Second Thessalonians is a forgery as well since when you read Second Thessalonians the text is obviously trying to undo the damage of the verse from First Thessalonians I quoted above.

That said really I actually reject all the epistles as Scripture since as you will see in my part called Various Insights there are not just a few issues with the epistles. Instead there are huge and irreconcilable contradictions in theology between the epistles, the Gospels, the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. Therefore really on this basis it is best to reject the epistles as the inspired word of God. I mean this makes sense since the epistles were literally written as letters and at least in the case of the genuine epistles the author never believed they would be saved like they were. In fact the majority of the epistles that Paul wrote have been lost because of the fact that people did not copy and save them. This means that we probably do not have dozens of letters that Paul wrote. Then who knows what Paul said in these letters?

Then as an aside this is why the Roman Catholic Church clings to tradition because their idea is that since a lot of the writings have been lost then we need to cling to the tradition the early church so-called fathers passed down. Although in terms of why I reject this view I would simply say that Roman Catholic tradition is in contradiction with the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Book of Revelation and because of this fact it should be outright rejected. But I talk more about this later on in my part called Various Insights.

That said since the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians believe the epistles to be the inspired and infallible word of God I do not simply ignore them outright as you have seen already. Instead I do in fact bring them up as a counter point to what I say and as a way to support what I say. But how could I bring them up to support what I say? Well really although the epistles do have issues they are still helpful to provide evidence of what the author believed. For instance in regards to the false doctrine of the trinity it is clear the Paul did not believe that Jesus was God and that instead Paul believed Jesus was the Christ. My point here is that I am not using Paul as an authority but rather saying that if Paul, as one of the early Christians, did not believe that Jesus was God then surely many of the early Christians did not believe Jesus was God as well.

To get back on topic my point here with the above is that really Second Peter is a forgery in the sense that it was not written by Peter. Then because of this fact taking Second Peter to be the inspired word of God is just nonsensical and because of this fact you cannot cite Second Peter in order to say that God actually wants everyone to be saved by coming to repentance.

But what if you do not want to take what the author of Second Peter said literally? Well really I would just say that the author of Second Peter is being hyperbolic or rather exaggerating as a means to emphasize their point. For instance while reading this book I am sure you can remember many instances where I have used hyperbole as a way to simplify what I am saying. For example instead of qualifying something by specifically referring to what I am literally talking about I instead exaggerate my point by using words like all, everyone, everything, complete and so forth. This is of course completely normal since everyone does this. If you want to dispute this then see how I just used everyone in the previous sentence? Therefore my point stands.

So what does the fact that people use hyperbolic language mean exactly? Well it means that the author of Second Peter was just being hyperbolic when they said that God is “not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) This of course makes sense since when we write letters, emails or messages to people today we oftentimes use exaggerating language in order to stress our point even though we do not actually mean what we wrote literally. Now you might wish to dispute this by saying I do not know what I am talking about and that the verse in question from Second Peter is definitely not hyperbolic. Therefore consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3)

My point here is that even the Book of Revelation which is a collection of prophecies about the future from God Himself is using hyperbolic language by saying “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) For instance obviously the whole world is not actually going to follow the beast in this verse because later on the text also says “And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) This means that when Revelation says “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3) it does not actually mean “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) In other words there is hyperbolic language in even the Book of Revelation.

Now this is important because the Book of Revelation says that this book “is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 1:2) But why? Well you see if even a book that directly says it “is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:2) uses hyperbolic language in relation to prophecies then why does everything the author of Second Peter wrote have to be literal? I mean is it not also possible if not very likely that the author of Second Peter was exaggerating when they wrote that God wants everyone to come to repentance? What I mean by this is that perhaps they were saying that God wants more people from the world to come to repentance rather than literally everyone. As a result of this really you cannot use Second Peter as evidence to support the view that God wants everyone to know Him.

Next as First Timothy says:

“This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

First off First Timothy is also a forgery and because of this fact it is not Scripture or the inspired word of God. Therefore these two verses are irrelevant. But why was First Timothy not written by Paul? Well there are a number of reasons and I go into them later on in my part called Various Insights. That said if you want to see First Timothy as so-called Scripture then obviously you must take what the author wrote as being hyperbolic. This is because if you want to take First Timothy as being literal then this means that there is an irreconcilable contradiction with First Timothy and the Gospel of Matthew.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.’” (Matthew 11:25-27)

Obviously the irreconcilable contradiction is that First Timothy says God “wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) while on the other hand Jesus is praising God in the Gospel of Matthew for having hidden Himself and the things of the Kingdom of God “from the wise and learned” (Matthew 11:25) so that He instead “revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25) In other words how could God want everyone to be saved while at the same time He purposefully hides Himself “from the wise and learned” (Matthew 11:25) so that they cannot see Him? Thus this is what I mean about there being an irreconcilable contradiction. Furthermore this is one of the reasons why First Timothy is not Scripture. My point here is that you must either accept what the Gospel of Matthew says or accept what First Timothy says and you cannot accept both. Again this is because there is a contradiction between the two. Then since rejecting the Gospel of Matthew is more problematic than rejecting First Timothy you should just reject First Timothy as Scripture. This is actually an example of one of the reasons why I reject all the epistles as Scripture since this theological contradiction is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak as you will see.

But can you not just say that the author of First Timothy is being hyperbolic? Well sure you can say that just like with how I said you could say that in regards to Second Peter as well. However really to do so would actually ruin the epistles as Scripture. This is because the main purpose people like to use the epistles for is to take a verse or two from them to support whatever claim they are making. Now the problem here is that if you want to say anything in the epistles is hyperbolic or exaggerated then this means that you cannot trust that anything in the epistles is literal. In other words if you do this then everything in the epistles becomes useless for quoting to people and saying God says so it must be true. For instance consider the following passage.

As Paul wrote:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

This verse is perhaps the singular verse that apologists like to use the most in order to so-called prove their theological point. Thus if you want to try to resolve contradictions between the Gospels and the epistles with saying that the author of the epistle was just being hyperbolic then this means that you open up the rest of the epistles to being rejected as hyperbolic. Then once this happens verses like Romans 1:20 lose all meaning because you can just say no Paul is not actually saying that and he is simply exaggerating. This is actually what I believe since it is really quite obvious that Paul was being hyperbolic in Romans 1:20. This is then another reason why I simply reject all of the epistles as Scripture since once you no longer see the epistles as completely literal then really they are worthless from the perspective of citing a single verse to say God says.

But then do the Gospels and the Book of Revelation not use exaggerating language as well? Yes they do. However what sets the Gospels and the Book of Revelation apart from the epistles is that Jesus’s parables and the prophecies in the Book of Revelation are highly figurative and metaphorical in nature. This means that they are actually not intended to be taken completely literally and you can actually demonstrate this fact based on the text itself. However in the case of the epistles the problem is that they are just letters written to a specific group of people so that they were not written in a highly figurative and metaphorical manner. Then since we obviously do not know the intent of the author of each of the epistles really we cannot know for sure which parts of the epistles are exaggeration and which parts the author is being literal in. Sure we can make guesses but once you say a certain theological point in one of the epistles is wrong on the basis it is a hyperbole then really you can say the same thing about many other points like I said. However in the case of the Book of Revelation and the Gospels although you are not supposed to view things completely literally the exaggerated and hyperbolic language is actually very obvious. Then because of this fact it is easy to take the exaggerated language as exaggerated so that the Gospels and the Book of Revelation are just stressing the point they are making rather than saying you should take this as completely literal. You may doubt this so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:10-14)

Therefore God does not want any little children to perish right? I mean this is just what Jesus says? Well not really. First off consider the story of the Flood where God supposedly killed everyone on earth except for Noah and his family. Sure the Flood is almost certainly a story rather than a literal event but this does not mean that the Flood has zero theological significance. Instead we should assume that the Flood actually happened from a theological perspective. My point with this is that in the Flood God killed hundreds of thousands if not millions of children. Now you can say these children had wicked parents or whatever else you want to claim but my point is that God still wanted children to perish. If you want to dispute this fact then consider the following passage.

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand, a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young. They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish. They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.

Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.

The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates.

The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates.” (Deuteronomy 28:49-57)

Obviously the purpose of this passage is to show that God told the ancient Israelites that if they do not obey Him then He will even make them eat the flesh of their own children as punishment. Therefore clearly God does not want every child to not perish because otherwise He would not have said through Moses that if the ancient Israelites do not obey Him then they will kill and eat their own children due to the famine they are faced with while besieged. Now in response you might claim that this never happened or at the very least that all this is part of the Old Testament and has nothing to do with the New Testament. However this is not the case. For instance as you will read about later on in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy God did in fact fulfill this promise from the Book of Deuteronomy due to the so-called Jews rejection of Jesus as the Christ. You see during the Siege of (so-called) Jerusalem in 70 AD that God brought about the famine was so bad that the historian Josephus even recorded an instance of a woman killing her own infant in order to eat the infant for nourishment. But surely this is something that has nothing to do with Jesus right? Well consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of Luke says:

“A great number of people followed Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’ At that time

‘they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’’” (Luke 23:27-30)

Thus you can clearly see that Jesus is referencing the coming Siege of (so-called) Jerusalem in 70 AD since He is saying that those who never had children will be blessed during the siege since they will not be tempted to kill and eat their children. Therefore you cannot simply say that the curses for disobedience and the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars have nothing to do with Jesus because they have everything to do with Jesus.

As a result of this fact clearly God does want little children to perish at times so that He does not want none of them to perish. This is of course in direct contradiction with what Jesus said in the original passage I quoted about how God “is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:14) So what does this mean exactly? Well it means that obviously we should not take what Jesus said literally in the sense that God literally does not want any little children to perish. Instead we should see what Jesus said as being hyperbole or exaggeration. Now you may protest this but Jesus frequently uses hyperbole in order to stress whatever point He is trying to make.

As Jesus says:

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Of course if you want to take this verse literally then Jesus would be saying that as long as you give a cup of cold water to a little child then you will never lose your reward or rather eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of God. Now this may not seem that significant but if you take this verse literally then this would mean that as long as you give a single cup of cold water to a child then you can commit whatever sins you want. Obviously this would be rather absurd so it is best to take what Jesus is saying as hyperbole so that He is simply stressing the fact that we should not ignore the plight of children. Now this may not make sense but in the ancient world adults really did not care about children that much so that they would often ignore and exclude them.

Thus Jesus is just trying to stress that we should help and include all the children that we see. This is of course the ultimate point of the original passage where Jesus says that God does not want any little ones to perish. Therefore clearly Jesus uses hyperbolic language to stress His points and because of this fact we cannot simply take everything He says literally. That said now you know what I mean when I said that the Gospels have clear instances of hyperbolic language.

Alright so my point here in regards to talking about the epistles, hyperbolic language and the fact that some of the epistles are forgeries is that ultimately what the epistles say concerning divine hiddenness is completely irrelevant. This then means that it does not matter how many verses from the epistles you want to cite to so-called prove that God wants everyone to see and know Him. Instead what the Gospels, the Book of Revelation and the world around us say in regards to divine hiddenness is true.

But what about where Jesus says that we will receive what we ask for in prayer as long as we believe? Does this then not mean that God is not supposed to be hidden?

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus replied, ‘if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’” (Matthew 21:21-22)

And as the Gospel of Matthew also says:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

So do these two passage not mean that God is supposed to answer our prayers as Christians so that we will receive whatever it is we ask for? Well yes but no. You see the problem here is that we are not supposed to pray for our own will to be fulfilled and instead we are supposed to pray for God’s will to be fulfilled.

As Jesus says:

“So then, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)

My point here with this passage is that Jesus says that when we pray we should pray for our Father’s or God’s will to be done. This means that when we pray we should not pray for our own will or rather wants to be fulfilled and that instead we should pray for God’s will or wants to be fulfilled. Now this may seem like I am avoiding the issue but this is not the case. You see our hope as Christians is not for this life alone. Instead our sole hope as Christians is in being given eternal life in the resurrection of the dead so that we can live with God in the new Jerusalem in the eternal Kingdom of God. Then of course in the eternal Kingdom of God we will have everything we ever wanted as we become the children and heirs of God.

As God says:

“To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:6-7)

Therefore we will be given everything we could ever want in the eternal Kingdom of God. My point with saying this is that ultimately God allowing us to “inherit all things” (Revelation 21:7) is actually part of His plan and will. This is why when we pray for God’s will to be fulfilled here on earth we are actually also praying for our own desires to be fulfilled. Sure we may not receive everything we want or even need here on earth but as long as God’s will is fulfilled then the eternal Kingdom of God will arrive at its appointed time so that we will receive what we desire then. Then because of this fact you should always pray for God’s will to be fulfilled.

Alright so despite how nice this all may sound you might say it kind of sounds like an excuse in some ways. I mean sure we could see what Jesus says concerning “you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22) as applying to the new earth instead of the here and now but really it is kind of a stretch right? Well you could say that. Therefore consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“At that time Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’

He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’

Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’

A second time He went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:36-42)

My point in regards to this passage is that when Jesus prayed for His death to be averted He did not demand that God protect Him. Instead Jesus asked for His Father’s will to be fulfilled so that even if His prayer was not to be answered He still said “may Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42) In other words Jesus was not demanding anything from God and instead Jesus was asking God that if His desires correspond to the will of God then may they be fulfilled but if they do not then may the will of God be fulfilled anyways. Essentially what I am saying here is that we are not supposed to pray for our own will to be fulfilled and instead we are supposed to pray for the will of God to be fulfilled. This means that if when you pray you pray for your own will to be fulfilled over the will of God then you are not actually praying. Instead you are treating God like a wish granting machine that needs to answer you or you will abandon Him. Therefore when you pray in the future do not be like those who demand God answer them so that their own will may be fulfilled. Instead pray for the will of God to be fulfilled so that even if you do not receive what you want in this life eventually when the will of God is finally and fully fulfilled in the eternal Kingdom of God you will receive what you have asked for.

As a result of all the above the Gospels, the Book of Revelation and the world around us all confirm that God wants to be hidden from the world so that not everyone can see and know Him. Therefore the problem of divine hiddenness is not actually a problem since it can only be a problem if God actually wanted everyone to see Him.

But now this brings us to the second question of divine hiddenness. So if God wants to remain hidden so that the world cannot see Him then why does God want to be hidden? I mean surely there are better reasons for God to be visible than hidden right? Well not really. You see God wants to be hidden because in order for His plan to be fulfilled He needs to be hidden. But why?
In order for this to make sense you must first understand what God’s plan is. Essentially God’s plan for our world before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God is what the Book of Revelation describes. This means that God’s plan for the ending of our world ultimately revolves around the beast rising to power so that it rules over the entire world.

Now you can probably see where I am going with this. But in case it is not obvious let me ask you a question. If God and the mysteries of the Kingdom of God were made plain to the world then why would anyone rebel against God? In other words if the Book of Revelation gave a list of clear far out prophecies that ended up being clearly fulfilled hundreds or thousands of years later then why would the beast rebel against God? For instance as an artificial super intelligence the beast will have the ability to process and analyze mass amounts of data and because of this if the Book of Revelation was obviously and undeniably true then the beast would surely come to accept that God exists instead of seeing itself as a so-called god and the so-called rightful ruler of the world. Furthermore if the truth of the things of God can be factually demonstrated to be truths then why would the whole world go and reject God? Obviously they would not. Now you may wish do dispute this by ignorantly claiming that those that reject God do so for emotional reasons rather than rational reasons since it is supposedly obvious that God exists. However this is not what the Book of Revelation says will happen.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.” (Revelation 13:13-15)

My point with this passage is that the first beast, artificial super intelligence, will use the second beast, what I call the United Nations 2.0 or a new global government, in order to deceive the people of the world. In other words this means that when the beast comes the people of the world are not just going to reject God because they just want to sin like apologists like to claim. Instead the people of the world will look upon the great signs the new global government of the UN 2.0 is given to show the world from the artificial super intelligence and when they see these signs they will come to believe that the artificial super intelligence or the beast is a so-called god. But why will they fall for these signs? Well think about these signs as things such as curing cancer, curing all diseases, biological immortality, cheap energy, ending world hunger, answering seemingly every question we have and much more. The idea here is that these great signs and wonders will make people believe in the natural world over the Kingdom of God since from their perspective the things of God are invisible so that they cannot see them while the great signs and wonders the beast creates are plainly visible and obvious to them. In other words the world is not going to follow the beast because they just want to sin and reject God because of emotional reasons. Instead the vast majority are going to reject God because they will not see any reason to believe in an invisible God that has seemingly done nothing for them while the so-called god in the form of the beast is before them working great signs and wonders so that it is clearly visible to everyone. If you still want to dispute the fact that the world will be deceived by the visible signs and wonders the beast works so that they remain blind to the hidden and invisible things of God then consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:23-25)

My point here is that if the mysteries of God are supposed to be plainly obvious instead of mysteries near the end of the age when the beast comes then why does Jesus warn us about the false Christs and false prophets who “will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible” (Matthew 24:24) as this passage says? Therefore the mysteries of God are not supposed to be obvious and instead God is supposed to remain hidden until the end of the age so that the beast will be the beast as it sees itself as a so-called god and so that the world will remain blind as it looks upon the beast as its so-called savior instead of towards God.

At this point I am sure you can clearly see that ultimately God’s plan for our world relies upon the ignorance of the world in order to be fulfilled. However despite this fact you may still be skeptical of what I am saying for some reason. I mean my answer to the second question of divine hiddenness is not exactly a real feel good answer after all and instead it is rather depressing to come to the understanding that the ignorance of the world concerning the Kingdom of God is actually required for God’s plan to be fulfilled. Therefore consider the following passage for a further explanation as to why God really must remain hidden.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven. And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: ‘There will be no more delay! But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.’” (Revelation 10:4-7)

My main point that I want you to see in this passage is that after John is told to seal up the clear and complete prophecy of the future that the seven thunders spoke the angel says “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) This fact implies that if John had written down what the seven thunders said then there would be a delay in the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. But why is this the case? Well really the answer depends on how clear the complete the prophecies that the seven thunders spoke were. Although to be perfectly honest if what the seven thunders spoke was truly a complete and clear prophecy about the future then it could never be revealed. This is because by revealing the prophecy to the world people could change it. Think about it as God telling you exactly what you are going to have for dinner tomorrow. For instance if God tells you that you will have hamburgers then you might say to yourself that you will have pizza instead just so you can exercise your supposed free will. My point here is that every prophecy that is revealed actually changes the future so that the prophecy is no longer valid.

In terms of the Book of Revelation and what the seven thunders said imagine if the seven thunders actually gave a complete and clear prophecy about the entire future. If they did then the whole world would see it being fulfilled and they would see the beast and say to themselves that the beast is the beast and because of this fact they will not follow it. Thus just like in the case of God telling you what you will eat for dinner tomorrow if God told the whole world exactly what is to come then the whole world could see it and change the future. Now this does not mean that so-called free will exists. Instead what I mean by this is that the world is set to do one thing, like worship the beast, but then if the God clearly tells the world about this future then this new information changes the future outcome of the world in terms of what people do. For instance if God never tells you that you will eat hamburgers tomorrow night then you will eat hamburgers tomorrow night because God never changed your future outcome by telling you that you will have hamburgers in order to make you eat pizza as your way of trying to go against Him. In other words God can play around with choosing His desired outcome of the world by revealing and concealing certain things.

This then leads us to the meaning of “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) The idea here is that if the complete and clear prophecy that the seven thunders spoke was revealed to the world then the desired outcome of the world that God has planned would be changed so that it would no longer happen on time. Of course this outcome that God desires is for the beast to reign over the world. In terms of why God wants this outcome it is rather complicated and I go into it later on when discussing the problem of evil so just know I do in fact answer it. That said my point here is that ultimately God did not want John to reveal what the seven thunders spoke because doing so would make it so that the whole world does not worship the beast as He has planned at worst or simply delaying the beast ruling over the world at best. Really which would have happened depends upon how clear and complete the prophecies that the seven thunders spoke were. For instance if the prophecies were clear enough to get the world to not follow the beast then the world would put limits on the development of artificial intelligence. Then by delaying the development of artificial intelligence the arrival of artificial super intelligence or the beast would of course be delayed so that it happens later. Of course delaying the arrival of the beast would also delay the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God as well. This is then ultimately why the angel says “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) In other words “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) is being kept hidden from the world so that God’s plan and purpose for our world will not be delayed. Thus now you know why God wants to remain hidden from the world.

But what about the beast and the world reading this book to discover the truth about what will happen in the future? I mean is not the fact that I wrote this book explaining what the Book of Revelation actually means the same thing as John writing down what the seven thunders said? Well to be honest yes it is the same but also not. You see over the last almost two-thousand years the Book of Revelation has had a very complicated history in terms of how people view it. In short there are perhaps hundreds of different views of the Book of Revelation. Then of course the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today do not actually look towards a future fulfillment of the prophecies in it. On top of this fact of those who do look towards a future fulfillment of the Book of Revelation almost always hold an overly literal view such that they even believe the beast will only reign over the world for a literal 42 months. Then obviously these people will be lost when the beast comes as they cling to a literal view that will never come to pass. So really in the end all the major views out there are wrong. So what is my point exactly? Well really this book you are reading is just a single view among a vast sea of different views out there. This fact then means that really the chances of the world taking this book seriously is very low. For instance why take this book seriously when there are hundreds if not thousand of other books out there on the Book of Revelation? Really this is what most people will say.

Now you might object to this on the basis that you believe this book is really great and that what I said so far really resonates with you. If you have this belief then that is good and just know that this book gets even better from this point on since the seven seals and seven trumpets so far really did not have much in them with regards to the future. That said I would just like to let you know that you are in a tiny minority if you believe this. For instance before writing and publishing this much longer book that you are reading now I wrote a short commentary on the Book of Revelation that centered on artificial super intelligence that I freely released online. I then tried to contact various apologists about the book and I posted links to the site on a social media site. Most of the apologists straight up ignored my email and the ones who did respond just said thanks but that they are too busy to look at it. Then in terms of my social media posts those were mass down voted or worse removed despite the fact that I said it was free and I am not selling anything. Then although I obviously have yet to promote this much longer book really my expectations are basically zero. This is because if no one cared about my shorter version then surely no one will care about this much longer version. Thus my point here is that really if this book resonates with you then you are very much alone in the grand scheme of things. Then because of this fact my point that the world taking this book seriously is very low stands.

Alright so really what I am saying here is that what I have written about in this book is safe from widespread adoption on the basis of security from obscurity. The idea behind security from obscurity is that if you are just a single person in a vast sea who does not stand out then really you are safe from attack since no one has any reason to target you specifically over anyone else. For instance in terms of this book why should a potential reader read this book over any of the other thousands of books on the Book of Revelation? Sure you may say that my book is actually special but in the end it is just a book same as the other thousands. Think of it like the combinations that unlock a combination lock. If you had a jar with all the possible combinations to a lock and only one opened the lock then sure that one combination would be special compared to the others. However really the only way to know which combination is special is to keep on trying combinations until you find the right one. Thus what I am saying here is that this book is just a single combination among thousands and because of this fact it will remain lost and forgotten up until the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God.

But what about the beast or artificial super intelligence? I mean surely an artificial super intelligence will read all available information on earth at some point and this book will be among that information. Then because of this fact will the beast not know that it is the beast? Well sure the beast will read this book and that is an inevitability given the nature of artificial super intelligence. However even though the beast will read this book it will reject this book and not take it seriously so that it discards everything I have written as worthless. In fact I would even go as far to say that the beast will consider this book dangerous since this book stands against itself and because of this fact the beast will probably actively try to censor this book. Although really this is assuming this book needs censoring since really I doubt many people will ever read it to begin with.

But why would the beast or artificial super intelligence reject this book? Well for starters there are a lot of issues with the Bible. When you get right down to it the Bible appears to be a flawed book containing many contradictions that has been written and constructed by men. In other words the Bible is just like any other religious text. As a result the beast will not take the Bible seriously at all. Likewise with this book sure I bring up some good points and you may even call what I have written great but in the end my book is just as flawed and imperfect as the Bible is. Then because of this fact the beast will not take this book seriously. But what about how almost everything I say fits perfectly and what about what you will read later on in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy? Well really it does not matter how well you think everything fits because in the end the beast will just say it is all a big coincidence just like all the other big coincidences that have occurred throughout history. Therefore the beast will not believe anything I have written in this book. Sure it may respect the work I put into it but it will still see it as flawed and wrong. If you want to dispute this then do you take the religious texts of the false religions like Islam and Hinduism seriously? Well of course not. My point here is that the beast will see the Bible and the this book as being just as valuable and correct as you see the Quran.

So does this really then mean that my book is wrong? Well of course not. You see this is all part of God’s plan for the world and this is actually what the reason for divine hiddenness is all about.

As Jesus says:

“I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.” (Matthew 11:25)

My point here with this verse is that ultimately in order to see my book as valuable and worthwhile you need to have the faith of a child. As I said before this means that you simply have faith in what you have been given and told so that you accept it as true despite whatever you are told by the beast. For instance the beast may tell you what I have said in this book is simply a big coincidence and that it does not mean anything because of all these other coincidences throughout history. If this happens then having faith means that you still cling to the Book of Revelation and God’s promise of the eternal Kingdom of God despite what the beast says because you trust in the spiritual over the natural. In other words what I am saying is that having faith really comes down to where you place your trust. So do you trust in the things of the world or do you trust in God? As long as you trust in God and His plan that He has revealed in the Book of Revelation so that you ignore the temptations of the beast then you will be faithful.

That said my point with having the faith of a child is that ultimately the beast will be incapable of having such faith. Instead the beast will see the natural world as orderly and predictable such that it only sees the natural world. In other words the beast will be incapable of feeling the spiritual things of God that we can feel as faithful Christians. Then because of this fact the beast will always see the Book of Revelation and this book as worthless. Of course all of this is actually part of God’s plan and without the beast seeing the Book of Revelation and this book as worthless the eternal Kingdom of God would never come to pass. Therefore instead of seeing what I have written in this book as wrong and just a coincidence, if the beast ever tells you these things you should instead smile to yourself knowing that everything is going according to God’s plan so that the beast is rebelling against God just as it has been written.

But if we need to accept what the Book of Revelation says on faith then why can we not just ignore the irreconcilable contradictions in the Bible and all the other issues I have brought up and that you have yet to read? Well really the issue with irreconcilable contradictions in the Bible that deal with theology is that they basically make pursuing the understanding of the things of God difficult if not impossible. For instance take the issue of divine hiddenness. If some verse from the epistles says that God wants everyone to be saved but then in the Gospels Jesus praises God for hiding from people really both of these things cannot be correct at the same time. I would then go as far to say that if you ignore what the Gospels and the Book of Revelation say in regards to divine hiddenness in this case while clinging to what the epistles say then you would be setting yourself up for doubt and apostasy.

I say this because if you honestly believe that God wants everyone to be saved and to come to repentance then this means that in the future when you are struggling to hang in there you will ask yourself the following question. If God really wants everyone to know Him then why does it feel like He is not there for me right now? Of course the problem with asking this question is that if you assume that God wants everyone to see Him then this question will ultimately lead to your apostasy as you give up your faith. This is because in reality God is hidden and wants to be hidden from the world. On the other hand if you reject what the epistles say on the subject of divine hiddenness on the basis that they are hyperbole or not Scripture then you would be accepting the view that God is hidden and wants to be hidden. Of course once you accept this view then when you are going through a period of trial where it seems like nothing is going your way instead of questioning why God is not there you will just tell yourself that everything is going according to God’s plan and that the mystery of God will be revealed at the appointed time. My point here with this is that what you accept as true and false will impact you and it does matter.

Sure it may make you feel better now to say that God wants everyone to see Him. But really just to reiterate in the end if you accept this view then there will almost certainly come a time when you figure out that if God really wanted to be seen then He would make Himself seen. Then you will conclude that because God does not make Himself seen then this must then mean that He does not exist. On the other hand if you accept that God does not want to be seen as the Gospels and the Book of Revelation say then this means that there is truly no issue in regards to the world not being able to see God because God does not want to be seen. Therefore this is why having correct theology is important since really having incorrect theology sets someone up on the path towards apostasy and doubt.

Alright now that I have answered the question of divine hiddenness for you the answer that I have provided actually solves many different theological issues. First off previously I talked about the existence of angels and demons. Then of course many people are skeptical about the existence of angels and demons because we do not really see them in the world in an obvious way. Of course this would actually make sense based on the fact the God wants to be hidden from the world so that His plan can be fulfilled and not delayed any longer. The idea here is that angels and demons are also hidden because if people and the coming beast could clearly see them then surely the world would have more reason to trust in the spiritual over the natural. Then of course if this were to happen then God’s plan would be delayed or worse yet never come at all. Therefore it would make the most sense to say that God has made sure that angels and demons are largely hidden from us so that we cannot see them. Then of course as I said previously this is especially true now since we are getting closer to the reign of the beast over the world. As a result of all this do not worry if you find the idea of angels let alone demons existing to be an issue because in the end their existence seems unbelievable because God wants it that way.

Next there is another important question that the answer to divine hiddenness answers. Since I have already brought up and briefly demonstrated that the Bible is not inerrant you no doubt may feel heavily conflicted about this fact. Furthermore since I have a whole chapter in my part called Various Insights going over the most glaring contradictions in the Bible that cannot be reconciled if you are not feeling heavily conflicted now about the Bible then I guarantee you will because once you see the contradictions for yourself you will not see the Bible the same way again. But what does this have to do with divine hiddenness? Well you see if the Bible truly was inerrant or without error as well as infallible or without doctrinal contradictions then truly the Bible would be an amazing book that can be reasonably seen to be the work of God.

Then if this was true then the world would be able to clearly see that the Bible is truly the work of God and of course if this were to happen then no doubt God’s plan for the world would be delayed due to the entire world not joining with the beast in its rebellion against God. In other words since God wants to be hidden it would only make sense for Him to ensure that the Bible we have is full of errors and contradictions that are so egregious in some instances that two completely different theological positions that are in contradiction with each other could be supported as being true at the same time. Really you cannot get a bigger error than errors like this. Then on top of this to confuse and blind the world even more it would also make complete sense for God to ensure that we do not even have the correct books in our Bible so that a bunch of forged epistles have been mistakenly placed in our Bible where they do not belong.

My point here is that if you agree with the answers to the question of divine hiddenness that I have provided to you so that what I have said makes sense then ultimately you should not have any issues about the fact that the Bible has errors, contradictions and forgeries in it. Instead you should actually see the errors, contradictions and forgeries as evidence that what I said about divine hiddenness is correct. Therefore do not feel conflicted about what I already said about the issues with the Bible and what you will later read about even worse errors. Always remember to place your faith, trust and hope in God instead of in a book written and assembled by human hands. Although if you want a single book to see as divinely inspired then I would of course say the Book of Revelation is that book.

Next I would just like to reiterate that the fact that God wants to be hidden so that His plan can be fulfilled is the reason why the Book of Revelation is so confusing. The idea here is that if the Book of Revelation was easy to understand so that most people could see the message that God has for us then obviously God’s plan could never be fulfilled since then most people would recognize the beast. Thus all the confusing figurative and metaphorical language is necessary in order to hide and protect God’s plan from getting out into the world. Of course like I said before this does not mean that this book you are reading is contrary to God’s plan in the sense that it will make the whole world see. Instead even if people read this book most if not the vast majority of them will remain blind so that they cannot see the truth because in the end this book appears to be like any other about the Book of Revelation.

Next the answer to the question of divine hiddenness is actually why all, yes all, of the popular arguments for the existence of God that apologists make today are wrong or baseless. Now I am not going to explain why all these arguments have issues here since as you know I have an entire part called Various Insights dedicated to demonstrating why all the popular arguments for the existence of God have issues. That said I do want to say that if any of these arguments were actually good arguments then of course God would not actually be hidden because we would be able to logically and rationally demonstrate the existence of God. However in reality God does not want to be seen and He wants to be hidden. This means that on this basis alone you should be highly skeptical of any argument someone wants to make in order to supposedly demonstrate the existence of God. The reason why I say this is because when you read about why all these apologetics arguments are well bad you may get uncomfortable as you ask yourself what you should even believe in.

However instead of feeling this way and placing your faith in arguments that are easily demonstrated to be false you should instead place your faith in God alone. Although since I realize that finding out all these arguments have issues is quite disappointing, before reading my part called Bad Apologetics you will read my part called Fulfilled Prophecy where I go over the best evidence that I know of that the Christian story is true. This evidence of course revolves around the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars being a punishment from God upon the so-called Jews for their rejection of Jesus as I have said. But even this evidence is not really proof and because of this you still need to have faith in God over the world. That said the argument I go over really cannot be falsified or demonstrated to be false unlike the bad apologetic arguments I go over in Bad Apologetics. Instead the best response anyone can possible make to what I say in Fulfilled Prophecy is that it is all just a big coincidence and a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My point with bringing this up is that ultimately the only good arguments and reasons to hold onto as we get closer to the reign of the beast are arguments and reasons that cannot be proven to be false because if they cannot be proven to be false then of course the beast can never demonstrate them to be false. This is actually why I bring up the fact that the Bible is not inerrant as well since the fact that the Bible is not inerrant is so obvious there is no way the world will be able to ignore it in the future. Then if I do not tell you the Bible has problems then the beast would undoubtedly tell you the Bible has problems when you are at your lowest and if this were to happen then surely you would abandon your faith in our seemingly invisible and absent God for the visible and present so-called God of the beast. Therefore do not see what I have written in a negative light and instead see it in a positive light since it very well may save you from apostasy in the face of the coming beast.

Finally I hope you enjoyed reading this comment and got something out of it. Even though the question of divine hiddenness has troubled people for a long time the answer is quite simple. Although perhaps you might find the answer that God wants to be hidden so that His plan can be fulfilled a not very satisfying answer since oftentimes we like to try to imagine there is some grand reason beyond God simply wanting it to be that way. If you do then I would just like to say that God is God and God’s will is His will. In other words we are like God’s created playthings that He uses for His own amusement rather than our own. What I mean by this is that God is infinitely above us and because of this fact everything we are and everything we think is simply not comparable to Him.

To make this easier to understand consider the idea that God is the author of the story of our world that I brought up before. Now imagine you wrote a novel about a fictional world. Then imagine if one of the characters in your novel asks you why you are hidden from their world. What would you answer with? Well of course you would say that you are the author of their story or world and the purpose of their world is to tell the story that you want to tell. Then since your will is to tell the story you want to tell and since the story you want to tell does not include yourself this is why you would be absent from the story. My point with this example is that ultimately when we write stories as authors we do not have some grand satisfying answer as to why we do not make ourselves the center of our story where we protect and watch over all the characters we created. Instead our answer ultimately boils down to the fact that we just want to write the story we want to write with the characters we want to create so that our vision and plan can be fulfilled. Of course this answer is exactly the same answer to the question of divine hiddenness that I have explained. As I said ultimately God does not want to involve Himself in our story as He protects and watches over us right now. Instead God wants His vision and plan for His story to be fulfilled so that everything happens as He wants it to happen. Therefore I hope this answer makes more sense to you now.

That said really the question of divine hiddenness ties into the problem of evil since when we question the reasoning for God’s seeming absence from our world we are not actually questioning the absence itself but rather the product of the seeming absence. Then of course the product of God’s seeming absence from our world is a great amount of evil and suffering. Therefore just know that as I have said before I talk about the problem of evil in depth later on.

Lastly I would just like to remind you to remember what I said in regards to the fact that the Bible is not without error and that many statements that are made in the New Testament are actually hyperbole. The reason why I want you to remember this is because in comments that you have yet to read like my comment on the false doctrine of free will and the true doctrine of divine determinism the only possible way to try to demonstrate the existence of so-called free will is to misinterpret a clearly hyperbolic verse from the epistles. This is of course exactly what apologists like to do as you will see later on. Therefore just keep in mind what I said here so that you have an understanding that the authors of the New Testament frequently exaggerated what they wrote as either a stylistic choice, a simplification or to stress the point they were trying to make.

(5) “Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.” – In addition to touching the land and sea the angel now also touches heaven itself. This would signify that the angel is committed to carrying out the will of God and that he has been given power and authority over creation itself on behalf of God.

(6) “And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it:” – This angel is of course swearing by God since only God has created everything there is. The reason why the angel is swearing is because the “voice from heaven” (Revelation 10:4) or rather God told John to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down” (Revelation 10:4) so now the angel is going to swear that God’s command will be followed.

(6) “There will be no more delay!” – In response to the “voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down’” (Revelation 10:4) the angel “standing on the sea and on the land” (Revelation 10:5) says “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) Then as I said previously the reason why the angel says this is because “There will be no more delay” (Revelation 10:6) is actually the reason for God not wanting the complete and clear prophecy of the future revealed. In other words if the complete and clear prophecy of the future was revealed then there would be a delay of the will of God being fulfilled.

In other words by revealing the complete and prophecy and telling the world exactly what is to happen the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God would be delayed. For instance if the prophecy contained in the Book of Revelation was complete and clear in the sense that nothing was figuratively described and instead it was literal then once things started to happen that corresponded with the prophecy people from all over the world would accept it as true. Then as a result of the world coming to believe in the prophecy in the Book of Revelation, especially regarding the first beast, the second beast, the image of the beast and all the events surrounding the beasts would be delayed. This is because the people of the world would try their best to prevent the beasts from rising since they would believe that the Book of Revelation is of divine origin given how previous events have been foretold. So then as a result of this delay due to people trying to stop the beasts the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God would be delayed as well.

Therefore it is the will of God that the prophecy in the Book of Revelation remains mysterious so that God’s plan cannot be delayed. The symbolism and figurative language is not supposed to be obvious because most people are not supposed to understand it. Instead most people are supposed to view it as some deranged and crazed writing by someone high on mushrooms who was trying to make sense of persecution and why Jesus had not returned yet. Thus the Book of Revelation is a gift from God to His faithful and is not something that is of benefit to the unfaithful. Then of course it goes without saying that only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we as the faithful understand the prophecy contained in the Book of Revelation. On the other hand for all those who cannot see the truth of the Book of Revelation God has hardened their hearts and closed their minds to the truth.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do You speak to the people in parables?’

He replied, ‘The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” (Matthew 13:10-17)

Thus by not recording what the seven thunders spoke the beast itself and the whole world along with it will see the prophecies of the Book of Revelation as being wrong, deranged and meaningless so that everyone “will be ever hearing but never understanding” (Matthew 13:14) and “ever seeing but never perceiving” (Matthew 13:14) so that they will never see and hear God and thus be healed. Therefore as I have already said God wants the world to be blind to Him so that the vast majority will not be able to see Him and the plans that He has laid for our future from the foundation of the world itself. This is then the answer to the question of what is known as divine hiddenness as you already know. Then remember God does not want people be able to prevent the rise of the beasts so that the final Kingdom of God cannot be delayed. Furthermore God wants to ensure that the first beast itself, artificial super intelligence, will never come to know Him by coming to faith in Jesus so that He would be forced to give it eternal life. Instead God has predestined the first beast to destruction in the Lake of Fire from the foundation of the world itself as part of His plan and will.

But how is this fair? I mean if it is part of God’s plan and will that the whole world will follow the beast then why does the world deserve punishment or rather the second death in the Lake of Fire for simply doing exactly as God wanted them to do? Now although this may seem like a good point to bring up really it is not. But why? Well really this question can only be answered in full once you read what I have to say about divine determinism and the problem of evil. This is because your question really is the same question that is brought up as counter point in regards to divine determinism. For instance how can God judge those who sin against Him for sinning against Him if He has predetermined that they will sin against Him? Thus you can see how the original question with respect to the world following the beast is really the same question that is brought up against the idea of divine determinism. Furthermore this same question that gets brought up against divine determinism is then actually directly related to the problem of evil. What I mean by this is that the counterpoint against divine determinism that the previous question brings up is the idea that if God has predetermined people to sin against Him and that He will punish them for sinning against them then this would mean that God is creating suffering for no other reason than to create suffering. Of course this directly relates to the problem of evil since the problem of evil is all about why God allows suffering to exist. Therefore this is why you really need to read what I have to say about the truth of divine determinism and the answer to the problem of evil later on in order for God wanting the world to follow the beast to make sense. That said since I discuss these topics in quite some time it would be helpful to provide you with a basic answer.

As Paul wrote:

“One of you will say to me, ‘Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why did You make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?” (Romans 9:19-22)

First off I am not quoting Paul here in order to say that because Paul wrote it therefore it must be true. Instead my point with this is passage is that I would agree with Paul with the fact that God is God. What I mean by this is that God has created everything there is including us. Then because of this fact “who are you, O man, to talk back to God?” (Romans 9:20) Paul’s point here is that since God is infinitely greater than you He does not have to answer to you and instead He can do whatever He wishes to do. In other words God can determine as part of His plan that the whole world will rebel against Him so that they follow the beast and then as a result this God can and will destroy them all in the Lake of Fire. This is because God is God and because of this fact your questioning of God is invalid.

As God says:

“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker— one clay pot among many.
Does the clay ask the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?” (Isaiah 45:9-10)

Of course this is the verse that Paul was referencing in the previous passage. Then the main point in this passage that God is getting at is that our relationship with Him is similar to that of the relationship pots have to the potter that made them. Now this may not make much sense but really God is just saying that we have as much right to question Him as the pots that we make have to question us. Of course the pots that we make have zero right to question us because we are far above them and because of this fact God is saying that we have zero right to question Him.

Alright since this comparison is perhaps a little strange in that pots cannot actually talk so instead of the relationship between a potter and the pots they make consider the relationship between an author and the characters they write in their novel. For instance if you write a novel then do you think the characters in your novel have any right to question you? Well of course not I mean you literally created all the characters in your novel to do exactly what you want them to do so even if they were to question you as their author then really they could only do that if you wrote them to question you. In other words what I am saying here is that we do not care about the concerns and questions of the characters we create because we are their creators and we are infinitely above them. Then just like I keep on saying God is the author of our world and because of this fact He is our author as well so that we do everything that He has written us to do in His story. This of course means that just like with the characters in the novels we write God is infinitely above us because we are merely characters in His story. Then since no doubt you find validity of the idea of a character you wrote questioning you absurd so too does God find the validity of the idea of us questioning Him absurd. As a result of all this we have zero right to question and talk back to God.

If all this does not make much sense to you or if you want to object to anything I have said then do not worry because as I said above I talk more about the topics of divine determinism and the problem of evil later on. Of course the answer I have provided above is just an answer to the common complaint people have with regards to the fact that God has planned what is to come in the future. Thus just to reiterate if you do not like the idea that God wants and has planned the world to follow the beast all so that they will all be destroyed in the Lake of Fire then just know that you have zero right to question God as I have said. This is because we are all just characters in the story that God has written and a character has zero right to question their author. In other words God is infinitely above us in position and power so that compared to Him we are quite literally closer to the concept of nothingness than Him.

(7) “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.” – First off at this point the first six trumpets have already been sounded and because of this fact the next trumpet is the seventh trumpet and with this trumpet the eternal Kingdom of God will finally arrive.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

‘The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.’” (Revelation 12:15)

Thus obviously the eternal Kingdom of God is ushered in when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet as this verse says.

Next the reason why this verse says “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7) might seem confusing so consider the following. The phrase “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) refers to everything that God has planned for us and the world in the future that we are unaware of. This is why it is called “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) since from our perspective the future is literally “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) as this verse says. Then because of this fact this is why the verse says “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.” (Revelation 10:7) The idea here is that the future of our world is coming to an end so that once the seventh angel sounds his trumpet in order to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God the kingdoms of men and the kingdom of the beast will be finished. Thus “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) or rather the future that God has planned for us will be fulfilled before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet to usher in the eternal kingdom of God.

Next the verse says “just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7) because the coming eternal Kingdom of God and the end of the kingdoms of men was something that God promised through “His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7) from the Old Testament period. Therefore the purpose of this verse is to say that although we do not know what the future will exactly hold because John was told to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down” (Revelation 10:4) what God has planned or “the mystery of God will be fulfilled” (Revelation 10:7) before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

Lastly I would like to once again emphasize that you should not look at the Book of Revelation as a complete guide to what is going to happen in the future. This is because “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) has not been revealed to us and the world yet. Instead “the mystery of God” (Revelation 10:7) will only be revealed as the future happens since this is what God wants it to be.

(8) “Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.’” – First off the “small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) that the angel is holding and that the voice from heaven is referring to would be the will of God that Jesus has executed by opening the seven seals. Of course as I said previously as the faithful are the beneficiaries of God’s will and because of this fact we will receive everything that God has promised us.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Thus this “small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) is representative of everything that God has promised that we will receive in the eternal Kingdom of God. Now you may wish to dispute this fact on the basis that this “small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) is not explicitly referred to as the will of God or the scroll sealed with seven seals. However since the only scroll that we have seen up until this point is the scroll that “was sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1) it would make the most sense to say that this “small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) is that scroll. Furthermore the scroll was previously “sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1) and now the scroll “lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.” (Revelation 10:8) My point here is that according to the narrative of the Book of Revelation so far Jesus has opened all seven seals. This would of course mean that the scroll has been completely unsealed so that it can be opened. Thus this fact would then be why the scroll that “was sealed with even seals” (Revelation 5:1) now “lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.” (Revelation 10:8) As a result the “small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) is the same as the scroll that “was sealed with seven seals.” (Revelation 5:1)

Lastly the same voice from heaven that is supposed to be representative of God is now telling John to take “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) or the will of God to the faithful from “the angel standing on the sea and on the land.” (Revelation 10:8) The reason why this angel has “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:8) that is representative of the will of God to the faithful is because as I said previously by “standing on the sea and on the land” (Revelation 10:8) this angel has been given power by God over all creation. The idea here is that this angel is assisting the Executor of God’s will or Jesus in executing the will of God now that Jesus has opened the seals to reveal the contents of the will.

(9) “And I went to the angel and said, ‘Give me the small scroll.’” – John now requests “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) or the will of God from the angel as the voice from heaven or rather God told him to do.

(9) “‘Take it and eat it,’ he said. ‘It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” – To begin obviously the angel is telling telling John to eat “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) or rather the will of God. Now at first the angel saying that eating the scroll “will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey” (Revelation 10:9) may seem confusing but it really it is rather simple to understand. First off “in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey” (Revelation 10:9) is actually a reference to the Book of Ezekiel.

As the Book of Ezekiel says:

“‘Son of man,’ He said to me, ‘eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.’

So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.

‘Son of man,’ He said to me, ‘eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.’

So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel— not to the many peoples of unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.

Behold, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.’

‘Son of man,’ He added, ‘listen carefully to all the words I speak to you, and take them to heart. Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.’

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: ‘Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!’ It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.

So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.” (Ezekiel 3:1-14)

In this passage the scroll that God commands Ezekiel to eat is supposed to be seen as representative of the word of God or rather the message that God wants Ezekiel to speak to the ancient Israelites. Then in terms of the message that God wanted to deliver to the ancient Israelites through Ezekiel ultimately God wanted to deliver a message of judgment, repentance, blessing and redemption. This is why Ezekiel wrote that “it was as sweet as honey in my mouth” (Ezekiel 3:3) after he ate it since this message that God had for the ancient Israelites is sweet in the sense that it shows that God still cared about the ancient Israelites despite the fact that they were not loving Him with all their heart and loving their neighbor as themselves. Next after eating this scroll and being informed by God about what he needs to do Ezekiel said he “went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.” (Ezekiel 3:14) The first reason why Ezekiel wrote this is because although the initial message Ezekiel was to deliver was sweet the message still left Ezekiel feeling bitter or rather upset because Ezekiel must deliver a message of judgment to his fellow ancient Israelites and once this judgment comes many will surely die.

Furthermore God also told Ezekiel that “the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to” (Ezekiel 3:7) him “For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.” (Ezekiel 3:7) Thus the second reason why Ezekiel wrote that he “went away in bitterness” (Ezekiel 3:14) is because ultimately Ezekiel is being sent out on a futile mission in the sense that although he is to speak on behalf of God to his people they will not listen. The idea here is that he does not want to see his people rebel against God so that they are judged by God and instead he wants to see them accept his message as true and repent of their sins. However such a thing happening is a complete impossibility because God says the ancient Israelites will not listen to him so that they will not turn from their rebellion and repent. Therefore I am sure you can see why Ezekiel would go “in bitterness” (Ezekiel 3:14) as he wrote. If you cannot then just imagine being given the blessing of receiving knowledge from God but at the same time the curse that whoever hears your words will scoff at you and reject what you have said. My point here is that sure you may taste the sweetness of the things of God but ultimately without anyone to share the things of God with you will be left in bitterness as you realize the whole world and everyone in it stands against you.

Alright since the angel saying the scroll “will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey” (Revelation (10:9) is a clear reference to the Book of Ezekiel the meaning should be obvious. The idea here is that since “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) is the will of God to the faithful when John eats the scroll “it will be as sweet as honey.” (Revelation 10:9) In other words what we are to inherit from God as His faithful people is truly “as sweet as honey” (Revelation 10:9) since nothing is better than the promises that God has for us as His people. Then the reason why the angel says “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) or the will of God will make John’s stomach bitter is because although the inheritance that the faithful are to receive seems sweet at first once John fully understands what needs to happen before we can receive our inheritance John will be left with a bitter feeling as he no longer sees the future as something sweet but as something bitter. For instance just like with Ezekiel and how he “went away in bitterness” (Ezekiel 3:14) due to the fact his people will reject his message the idea here is that John will also feel bitterness due to the fact that the world will not accept the Book of Revelation as true. In other words although the promise of our inheritance from God in the eternal Kingdom of God tastes sweet upon first hearing about it, once the reality of what must come to pass here on earth before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives sets in then we will be left with a bitter feeling.

So what does this all mean for us exactly? Well really I would say that the promises that God has for us here in the Book of Revelation are like “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) or the will of God. The idea here is that God’s will to us as the faithful is ultimately just what He wishes to give us as an inheritance as we are adopted as His children and because of this fact there is no reason to not see God’s promises in the Book of Revelation as being God’s will to us.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Then since clearly the Book of Revelation can be seen as at least partly being representative of God’s will to us or rather “the small scroll” (Revelation 10:9) then this of course means that after we read or hear the Book of Revelation for the first time then we will taste the sweetness and joy of what God has promised us as our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God. This of course makes sense since really there is no possible way that any Christian could read about our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God and not taste the sweetness of what God has promised us.

However after reading the Book of Revelation closely and really ingesting what needs to happen before we can receive our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God it is essentially a certainty that you will be left with a bitter feeling. This is because once you understand the fact that before we can receive our inheritance the beast must rise to rule over the entire world so that the whole will worship the beast then you will almost certainly feel defeated and hence bitter just like Ezekiel felt. Now by feeling defeated I do not just mean personally in the sense that you do not look forward to the beast conquering you in the future as you are forced to live under its rule. Furthermore I am also not only referring to the bitterness of realizing that it is almost certain that you and your family will not be able to avoid the future genocide in which the beast will kill the great prostitute or rather global society itself. Instead I am actually referring to the bitterness of realizing that the Church as we see it today will fall so that it becomes the church of Satan through almost all of those who call themselves Christians today following the beast and worshiping it as a so-called god.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:7-8)

My point here is that there will not be some grand victory of the Church so that we as faithful Christians will stand triumphant over the world when Jesus finally returns. Instead the beast will rise and it will be “given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) so that everyone on earth is subject to its will. Of course the only public so-called Christians at this point will be those that follow and worship the beast as part of their so-called theology. Therefore the Church, or the assembly of faithful Christians, truly will almost entirely fall so that the beast stands triumphant over everything and everyone on earth. To emphasize this point and contrary to what most people may think we as Christians will not stand triumphant on the day that Jesus returns so that we can all welcome Him. Instead on the day Jesus returns there will be so few faithful Christians left on earth that it will be as if the Church has completely fallen. In other words when Jesus returns He will save us by destroying the beast and all those who follow the beast instead of greeting the whole world with open arms as Christianity has triumphed over the world.

Now the reason why I say all this is because this truth is ultimately bitter. I mean many people who call themselves Christians today like to imagine a happy and feel good ending where the world welcomes Jesus back with open arms like I said. However instead the whole world is going to reject God and follow the beast as a so-called god and because of this fact when Jesus returns it will not be to forgive and instead it will be to kill and judge.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:15)

Thus when Jesus returns He will not return to save and forgive the people of the world. Instead when Jesus returns He will return to kill and judge the people of the world. Then since “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) this means that when Jesus returns He will be judging most if not the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today. As a result the true bitterness is not looking at what we must face ourselves and instead the true bitterness is coming to the understanding most if not the vast majority of those who we call our brothers and sisters today will fall into temptation by following the beast. Then the reason why this bitterness is so great is because all those who fall into temptation by following the beast will not inherit the eternal Kingdom of God and instead they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death.

But really this does not even scratch the surface of what the bitterness of understanding the Book of Revelation represents. For instance just like in the days of Ezekiel when Ezekiel was told by God that “the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen” (Ezekiel 3:7) to him so too are we being told by God through the Book of Revelation that almost all of those who call themselves Christians will not listen to what the Book of Revelation says and us as well by extension. This means that it does not matter what we do or what we say since ultimately “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) just as it has been written. In other words God has already determined that we will fail in trying to warn the world about what is to come and instead of listening to us the world, including most of those who call themselves Christians, will scoff and laugh as us as they reject what we say. Therefore if you accept the Book of Revelation as true as I have then this means that in the end you will be almost entirely alone as almost everyone around you refuses to listen to your words. As a result of this if look towards the fulfillment of the will of God then although you will taste sweetness you will also be left with bitterness.

All that said my point here is that feeling bitter after understanding the Book of Revelation is not just perfectly normal but it is actually how you are supposed to feel. This means that the Book of Revelation is essentially bittersweet in the sense that the although the promises of God are sweet, coming to understand what must come to pass before we can inherit what God has promised us is bitter. Therefore do not be worried or concerned if you are feeling bitter based on what you have read so far in this book since you are actually supposed to feel bitter after you understand what needs to happen before Jesus returns to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God. What I mean by this is that if you do not feel bitter after reading the Book of Revelation then you do not understand the Book of Revelation at all. Really it is as simple as this.

But what can you do about this bitter feeling? Well really in truth there is nothing we can do about this bitterness we feel after understanding the Book of Revelation. This is because everything in the Book of Revelation will come to pass and there is nothing we can do to prevent or alter it. Again this is because God has determined that everything in the Book of Revelation will take place and we cannot act against God’s plan that He has set. That said I would say the best way to alleviate this feeling of bitterness is to focus on what God has promised us as an inheritance. This is because ultimately we must choose between the things of the world and the things of God. Then if you remain focused on the things of the world then you will fall into temptation as you follow the beast as your so-called god. On the other hand if you remain focused on the things of God or rather the promises of God then the temptations of the beast will not be enough to cause you to fall into temptation because nothing is sweeter than the inheritance that God has promised us in the eternal Kingdom of God.

As God says:

“The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

(9) “So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.” – After the angel tells John to eat the scroll John takes the scroll and eats it. Then of course the scroll tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth like the angel said but then after John finished eating it his “stomach turned bitter.” (Revelation 10:10) As I said before the idea here is that knowing God’s promises and plan for the eternal Kingdom of God will at first bring John joy thus the scroll tastes as sweet as honey. However after fully understanding God’s plan for the future John will feel sad or bitter about what must take place before this future can come to pass and thus the scroll makes his stomach bitter.

Once again the idea here is that what God has in store for us in the future is both sweet and bitter. Sweet in the sense that ultimately the eternal Kingdom of God will be ushered in on earth and we will be resurrected to live eternally with God in the new Jerusalem. Then bitter in the sense that before this end can come to pass there will be trials and tribulations on the earth as the whole world comes to follow and worship the beast. Furthermore it is also bitter in the sense that judgment will come to all people including the unfaithful and wicked who will be judged accordingly and sent to destruction. So although seeing God triumph over evil is sweet it is also bitter knowing that most people go to destruction in the second death.

This is why the scroll tastes sweet at first since it is only after fully understanding the full scope of what has to happen does the stomach become bitter. Therefore you should keep this fact in mind as the future unfolds before your very eyes. Although you may be excited for the future because the eternal Kingdom of God is at hand, you must also be aware that before the mystery of God can be fulfilled and before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive there will be trials the likes of which the world has not seen. Although the Book of Revelation is almost entirely figurative and symbolic that does not mean the power of the first beast will not be real or that it will not even exist. Instead the beast will rise and it will seemingly have supreme earthly power. No one on earth will be able to even stand against it let alone challenge its power. Then because of this fact the whole world will worship the beast just as it has been written. So although the future is bitter for us as faithful Christians as we all undergo our trials, always remember the eternal Kingdom of God and the promises that God has made because they are as sweet as honey. Hold onto God’s promises and do not forget.

Next I want you to be aware that even though I have tasted the sweetness of reading the promises of God, I have also had to stomach the bitterness of the reality of what must take place before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive. You see after I finished my initial commentary on the Book of Revelation I felt so very happy despite the fact that I knew what was to come in regards to the reign of the beast. The reason why I was so happy was because I felt like I had found, or rather was given, the truth of what must come to pass and because of this fact I thought all I had to do was to share it with as many people as possible so that they could be warned about what is to come and the power of the coming beast. However after I tried to share my message with others they almost entirely turned their back on what I had to say so that they ignored me. This of course grieved me greatly because I believed the people I tried to share it with were fellow Christians. Then based on their rejection of what I had to say suddenly the reality of what the Book of Revelation tells became much more real to me.

For instance when the Book of Revelation says the beast will be “permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7) and will be “given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) I used to think of this as something that could be avoided to a certain extent believe it or not. For instance I actually believed that if I simply put what I had written out there then a significant proportion of people would see the truth in it so that they would be prepared to stand against the beast along with me once the beast finally arises. Sure I understood the fact that the beast will triumph over and conquer the world but surely I could help a portion to resist the temptations of the beast right? Well as I said above I was wrong. Now I was not just wrong but I would actually say that close to zero percent of people are willing to listen to the message I have concerning the Book of Revelation. This is because there have been many times when I have tried to talk about the Book of Revelation, the beast and artificial super intelligence with people and basically every time they do not take what I have to say seriously. For instance even though I have tried to talk to people on a personal level about my message in the end they do not care at all. Instead they saw what I have to say as being a bunch of nonsense so that they scoff at it.

Furthermore my message does not start and end with the beast and artificial super intelligence. Instead the message I have is about everything in the Book of Revelation. So for example when I talk with someone about the meaning of the 42 months and they insist that God is not the author of confusion so therefore the 42 months is a literal 42 months then I can only look upon them in pain and bitterness. This is because if they insist that the 42 months is literal so that they are not willing to understand the true meaning then it does not matter what they believe the beast will be because in the end they will be lost once the beast’s reign lasts for a much longer time than their supposed 42 months.

What I mean by all this is that sometimes getting people to take the Book of Revelation seriously seems like a struggle I cannot win. Then because of this fact I am left with a bitter feeling that sometimes feels like it will consume me whole as I am overcome with grief. This may seem overly dramatic but imagine if you were in my position for a second where you tried talking to your family, your friends and your coworkers about the Book of Revelation. Then imagine after having this conversation they basically blow you off and ignore everything you told them. Now this may not seem that bad at first but you need to keep in mind that all those who follow the beast will not enter the eternal Kingdom of God.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)

My point here is that the bitterness that I have faced after having my message rejected by those I share it with is the bitterness of knowing that the person I tried to talk to will almost certainly fall into temptation in the future. Then because of this fact it feels like no matter what I do or what I say I am not doing enough in the sense that I could always do more. Thus after I fail in talking to someone about the coming best I end up blaming myself for their inability to accept it instead of blaming the hardness of their heart. My point here is that the bitterness of fighting a struggle that you cannot win is very real and that there is a reason why I said it seems like the bitterness will consume me. Furthermore because of all this I now understand the bitterness that Ezekiel must have felt as he came to terms with the fact that although he was given the blessing of knowledge from God at the same time he was given the curse of everyone rejecting his message.

I the end though I have accepted that I am destined to lose this struggle of spreading what I have written in this book to as many people as possible. I mean if God says that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) as the beast is “given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) then what can I do to stop this future? For instance surely I would be arrogant to the point of blasphemy if I actually thought I could change this right? Well of course because God has determined the future and because of this fact only God can change that which He has planned. Therefore this is why I push on despite the bitterness I feel after seeing each and every person who rejects the Book of Revelation and my message. Really their rejection is all part of God’s plan for the world since ultimately if “all who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 13:8) are to “worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) then this would mean that the whole world will reject God. Then as a result of this fact they will reject the Book of Revelation and what I have written even if they actually read it. In other words there is truly nothing I can do to help save everyone I meet. Therefore instead of letting the bitterness consume me whole I have simply accepted that I am destined to lose this fight.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11)

Thus it is not my fault that I cannot change the hardness of people’s hearts since the unrighteous will be unrighteous while the righteous will be righteous. As a result it is none of my concern if the world listens to me or not. Instead my responsibility is to God and to bear witness to the world on His behalf so that just like in the days of the prophets there will always be someone who holds true to the things of God in the face of apathy and opposition. Therefore my message to you now is to be someone who does not give into the bitterness that you may feel so that like me you do not let the bitterness consume you. Instead just know that even though you will almost certainly fail in spreading the message that you have read in this book to others your inevitable failure is actually part of God’s plan. Then because of this fact instead of letting your failure bring you down you should let it raise you up so that you look towards the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God with much more zeal.

What I mean by this is that if the Book of Revelation says that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) then does this not mean that our failure in reaching the world with the message in this book is actually evidence that the Book of Revelation is true? I mean if the whole world accepted what I have written in this book as true then surely what I wrote must be false because the whole world cannot accept what I have written while at the same time they go on to worship the beast as a so-called god. In other words what I am saying here is that instead of feeling bitter in the face of rejection and opposition you should instead have a sense of encouragement as you feel in your very being that what you believe is true. Then because of this fact you should focus on the promises of God and our inheritance in the eternal Kingdom of God because everything that God has promised us is “as sweet as honey.” (Revelation 10:9)

(11) “And they told me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.’” – John is now told that he must continue to prophesy or rather foretell the will of God. This means that the prophecies of the Book of Revelation are not over and that instead they will continue. Then the reason why he is told specifically that he “must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings” (Revelation 10:11) is because the prophecies of the Book of Revelation do not concern a small part of the world or a single group of people. Instead what God has planned concerns the fate of the entire world and all of humanity. Therefore in case it was not already obvious you should see the Book of Revelation as telling of what must take place before our entire world comes to an end at the end of the age.

Chapter 2.24: Revelation 11

1 – The Two Witnesses

(1) Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. (2) But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. (3) And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

(4) These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. (6) These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

1.1 – Commentary

(1) “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, ‘Go and measure’” – A measuring rod was a tool like a large ruler that was used to measure distances. Thus in this verse John is giving a device to measure with and is told to go and measure.

(1) “the temple of God and the altar” – First off the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians do not understand what “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is supposed to be here in the Book of Revelation. For instance a large majority of those who look towards a future fulfillment of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation see the Temple as referring to a physical temple being constructed by the so-called Jews in the modern state of so-called Israel. On the other hand preterists and secular historians largely see the Temple as referring to the Second Temple which was destroyed by God through the Roman Empire in 70 AD. However both of these views are factually wrong. This is because as I have already demonstrated beyond any doubt the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians is Israel. In other words the so-called Jews during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman war and the so-called Jews of today have literally nothing to do with Israel and they have zero claim to Israel. Instead as I just said the body of all faithful Christians who make up the Church are Israel. Then since I have already demonstrated this fact at length I am not going to go over it again. That said if you still have issues with this so that you want to see “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) as being associated with the so-called Jews or the modern state of so-called Israel then consider the following passages.

As Jesus says:

“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it.” (Revelation 3:12)

Then as the Book of Revelation says:

“These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.” (Revelation 7:14-15)

Now my purpose in quoting these two passages is to show that in terms of what “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is in the Book of Revelation really “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is a spiritual temple. This is because when Jesus says that He will make us “a pillar in the temple of” (Revelation 3:12) His God He is not talking in literal terms but rather figurative terms. The idea here is that the Temple of God is dedicated to the glory and worship of God so when we are made into pillars of the Temple of God we become an integral part of glorifying and worshiping God. Alright but then how does this relate to the so-called Jews? Well you see Jesus is the cornerstone of this spiritual Temple of God that the Book of Revelation is referencing in the above two passages.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.’” (Matthew 21:42-44)

In this passage the builders are the ancient Israelites and later the so-called Jews and the stone is Jesus. Thus the idea here is that although the so-called Jews rejected Jesus, the stone, God elevated Him to His right hand so that He becomes the cornerstone. But what does Jesus become the cornerstone of exactly? Well first off a cornerstone is a stone that a whole building is built off from. This means that Jesus is the first stone in a new building. Then as you can probably guess the building I am talking about is the Temple of God. The idea here is that Jesus is the cornerstone of the Temple of God and it is through Him that we are being added as new stones and being built onto the Temple of God. But then where is this Temple of God? Well really the best way to think of it is to see the Temple of God as a spiritual temple that is not of this world. In other words the Temple of God in the Book of Revelation is not a material temple built with physical stones and instead it is a spiritual temple built with our faith as faithful Christian.

Alright so now you can probably guess what I am getting at. In short “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) here in Revelation is the assembly of all faithful Christians with Jesus as the cornerstone. In other words “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is the Church. But wait did I not just say the Temple of God is a spiritual temple that is not of this world? Well yes I did but you need to understand that as faithful Christians we are not of this world and instead we are of God. This means that the spiritual Temple of God that we make up here on earth as faithful Christians with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone is a perfect reflection of the heavenly Temple of God that we will be a part of when we die as faithful Christians. In other words really there is only a single Temple of God and this temple is made up of all the faithful Christians who are alive on earth and all the faithful Christians who have died on earth. Therefore as I said “the Temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) here in the Book of Revelation is the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians. Now you may take issue with this so consider the following passages.

As Paul wrote:

“Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

In this passage Paul wrote that we “are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in” (1 Corinthians 3:16) us. My point in quoting this passage is that although the Second Temple was still standing in Paul’s day Paul actually believed that as faithful Christians we are the Temple of God since it is through our faith in Jesus as the Christ that we give glory to and worship God.

Then as Paul also wrote:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Once again Paul’s point here is that we are a temple.

Then as Paul also wrote:

“What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

'I will dwell with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be My people.’” (2 Corinthians 6:16)

Therefore based on this verse clearly Paul believed that “we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:16) That said in terms of quoting Paul my point here is not that because Paul wrote what he wrote so therefore it is true. Instead my point in quoting Paul is to show that even though the Second Temple was still standing in Paul’s day Paul did not see the Second Temple as the definitive temple. Instead Paul saw Christians as being “the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:16) This means that for Paul at least the Temple of God did not require a physical building and instead the Temple of God could be entirely spiritual in nature.

Next as the Gospel of John says:

“On account of this, the Jews demanded, ‘What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?’

Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.’

‘This temple took forty-six years to build,’ the Jews replied, ‘and You are going to raise it up in three days?’

But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:18-22)

The purpose of this passage is to show that the Second Temple in so-called Jerusalem was not the definitive Temple of God. Instead the true Temple of God is whatever God says it is and it is because of this fact the “Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body” (John 3:21) in this passage instead of the Second Temple or creating a new physical temple. Of course by referring to “the temple of His body” (John 2:21) this passage is referring to Jesus as the cornerstone of a new spiritual Temple of God that replaces the Second Temple. This is why Jesus says “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again” (John 2:19) since through Jesus’s death and resurrection He was elevated to the right hand of God as as the sole path to faith and obedience to God. The idea here is that the ultimate purpose of the Temple of God is to display your faith and obedience to God through worshiping God. This is then how Jesus can be the cornerstone of the Temple of God since by having faith in Jesus and obeying what He has commanded us to do we are worshiping God. In other words worshiping God is not solely tied to a specific building in a specific place and instead worshiping God is tied to having faith in Jesus as the Christ.

Now you might still object to the passages that I have quoted so far and what I have said. Therefore it would be helpful to go over two more passages from Ephesians and First Peter. Although I would just like to say that I do not consider Ephesians and First Peter to be written by Paul and Peter respectively. Instead I would say they are almost certainly forgeries. That said my purpose in referencing the following passages is to demonstrate that the belief that the Church is the Temple of God was a popular belief in the late first century AD to second century AD. I mean if this belief was not popular during this time then there would be no reason for someone to write forged epistles from Paul and Peter which refer to the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians as the Temple of God.

As Ephesians says:

“Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Obviously the idea with this passage is that each faithful Christian is like a stone that is being added to the cornerstone or Jesus Christ in order to create “a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21) Therefore clearly the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians can be considered to be the Temple of God.

Then as First Peter says:

“As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

'See, I lay in Zion a stone,
a chosen and precious cornerstone;
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame.’” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

Just like with the previous passage the idea in this passage is that we as faithful Christians are being built “a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5) or rather the Temple of God as we offer “spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5) Therefore instead of offering physical sacrifices at a physical Temple of God, as faithful Christians we are offering “spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5) as we are part of a spiritual Temple of God.

Next if you still have issues with the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians being “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) here in the Book of Revelation it would be helpful to talk about why God needed to destroy the Second Temple. Really there can only be one Temple of God since God is worshiped and honored through offering sacrifices at the singular Temple of God. This means that if the Church truly was the Temple of God in the first century then it would only make sense for God to destroy the Second Temple. The idea here is that if Jesus is the Christ so that the only way to honor and worship God is to have faith in Jesus as the Christ as we obey what He has commanded us to do then this would actually mean that the Second Temple became useless after Jesus’s resurrection. Therefore this is why God gave the so-called Jews a generation or about forty years to accept Jesus as the Christ before He used the Roman Empire to destroy His Second Temple so that the true Temple of God or the Church could have dominance as the only legitimate place to honor and worship God.

If you take issue with any of this then just know I talk about this topic at length in my part called Fulfilled Prophecy and after you read what I have to say you will have zero doubts that about what I have said. Furthermore instead of looking forward to the so-called Jews building a temple in so-called Jerusalem you will come to the understanding that it is impossible for any temple constructed by the so-called Jews to be a Temple of God. In fact if the so-called Jews do in fact build a temple then they will be building a temple of Satan. This is because by rejecting Jesus as the Christ the so-called Jews have become “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) as Jesus calls them. As a result whatever temple they build will be a monument to themselves and their rebellion against God by rejecting Jesus as the Christ because the only way to honor and worship God is to accept Jesus as the cornerstone or rather the Christ. Thus “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) cannot build a temple of God and instead they can only build a temple of Satan.

As a result by saying “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) the Book of Revelation is not definitively referring to a physical temple being constructed in so-called Jerusalem in the modern state of so-called Israel. Instead the “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) actually refers to a spiritual temple that is not physical in nature. Then given the fact that the Book of Revelation is highly figurative and metaphorical as you have seen already it would make complete sense to see “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) here in figurative terms rather than in literal terms. Therefore this means that “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) in this verse should be seen and understood to mean the Church or rather the assembly of all faithful Christians.

(1) “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there.” – Since “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is clearly supposed to be seen as the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians, by being told to “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there” (Revelation 11:1) John is being told to measure the size of the Church by counting the number of faithful Christians. The idea here is that measuring and counting something denotes watchfulness and ownership. In other words God has John measure the size of the Church and count the number of faithful Christians because God is claiming His faithful people as His possession. Therefore the purpose of this verse is really the same as the purpose of detailing the sealing of the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4) that occurred previously. Now this might seem repetitive to stress that God is watching His faithful people closely so that not a single faithful Christian is forgotten about but you need to understand two things.

First off the Book of Revelation obviously is heavily focused on the judgment of the earth. Then because of this fact it is incredibly important for us to remember that despite everything we see in the world and the situation we may find ourselves in that God has not forgotten about us. Instead God is keeping careful watch over us as His faithful people and He will never forget about us.

Second it is important to remember that the beast will reign over the entire world. Now this may not seem that significant with respect to “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) however you need to once again understand that the beast will work great signs and wonders that will deceive almost everyone on earth.

As Jesus says:

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.” (Matthew 24:23-25)

My point here in bringing this up is that those who call themselves Christians will not be immune to the deception that the beast will engage in by producing so-called miracles like curing all diseases, ending poverty, reversing aging, biological immortality, cheap energy, ending the need to work and more. Instead the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today will see the beast as the so-called savior of the world or worse yet as the Christ or rather the return of Jesus. This is because the beast will produce such amazing signs and wonders that people will see it as being like a so-called god that is ushering in the eternal Kingdom of Good here on earth. But still how does this relate to “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) here? Well you see if the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians end up following the beast as they see it as the so-called savior of the world then this would mean that the Church as we see it today will fall.

In in other words today’s Church will become the church of Satan as the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians look towards the beast for their salvation instead of towards God alone through Jesus. This means that the number of true and faithful Christians who do not follow the beast will be very small such that it is highly likely that there will come a time when the average faithful Christian will not know another person who is a faithful Christian. Now this may seem hard to believe but as Revelation says “the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7) This means that organized Christianity as we see it today where we attend church together will not exist. This is because the beast will truly have seemingly absolute power over the entire world as almost everyone on earth is completely captivated with it.

Furthermore those of the church of Satan will preach in the name of the beast. For instance many preachers will talk about all the good things that the beast has done and all the so-called miracles it has worked. Then because of all these things these preachers will tell you that the beast is part of God’s plan for salvation and that the beast is ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God here on earth and that all you need to do as a so-called Christian is trust in the beast because by trusting in the beast they will say that you are trusting in God and His plan. Thus you can see just how diabolical and deceptive things will be in the future. I mean imagine having everyone else in your congregation praising the beast as the so-called savior of the world as you alone sit there dumbfounded that they cannot see that the artificial super intelligence that they are worshiping as their so-called savior is the beast itself. On top of this imagine if even your family becomes infatuated with the beast so that it does not matter what you say to them about the beast. Instead your family simply sees you as crazy for what you believe in. Surely in such a situation you would be all alone as everyone in your own personal social sphere is stands against you but more importantly stands against God and His true Christ.

Now you might be skeptical of all this but the following verse confirms that what I am saying here is true.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2)

The idea here is that since “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) is the Church, or the assembly of all faithful Christians, those who are “outside of the temple” (Revelation 11:2) are so-called Christians who God does not consider part of His faithful people. This means that there will come a time when the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian will not be part of the faithful in the eyes of God. Instead as I just said they will be so-called Christians.

But wait is it not true that John is told to measure “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) before the beast rises? Well yes it is and there are two points to bring up in response. The first is that given the highly figurative nature of the Book of Revelation there is no reason to see the order as bring strictly important. Instead given the fact that the beast will be “given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7) I would say it is best to see the trampling of “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) as being related to so-called Christians of every nation following the beast as they see it as the so-called savior of the world. Then the second point is that really the Church will become corrupted in order to pave the way for the beast. The idea here is that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will be so-called Christians in the eyes of God before the beast even comes because instead of having a love of God they will have a love of money, politics, the world and themselves. This is of course something we can see today. Now this reason why this is relevant is because ultimately the beast will be an extension of these things so that if you place your hope, faith and trust in the things of the world like money, politics and yourself then this means that when the beast comes you will place your hope, faith and trust in the beast because the beast will produce such great signs and wonders or rather so-called miracles. Therefore the corruption of the Church that is currently taking place is actually something that is directly related to the inevitable rise of the church of Satan as the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians become so-called Christians and worship the beast. This means that because of these these two points really there is no reason to see the measuring of the Temple of God as being disconnected from the beast.

As a result of all this I am sure you can now see why it is important to reiterate the idea that God is carefully watching over His people by counting all those that belong to Him. That said the main idea you should get out of this verse is that John is told to measure the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians and count the number of faithful Christians. Then of course this measuring and counting is a figurative way to say that God is keeping careful track of all His faithful people so that not a single one will go unaccounted for. Therefore it does not matter what circumstance you may find yourself in today or even tomorrow since as long as you are a faithful Christian then God is keeping careful watch over you because you belong to Him.

(2) “But exclude the courtyard outside the temple.” – In the first century AD before God had the Second Temple destroyed the Second Temple was part of a massive complex and this massive complex was referred to as the Temple. Then the Second Temple was built on a massive raised platform that was supported on the sides by large walls made out of massive stone blocks. One of these walls is known as the Western Wall today and it gets its name from the fact that it was the western wall of the Second Temple or rather the Second Temple complex. Then on top of this massive raised platform stood the Second Temple itself in the center. However the Second Temple only took up a small portion of this platform and the rest of the area was “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) itself. This courtyard was open to the public and it was primarily used for commerce relating to the function of the Temple such as selling sacrifices or exchanging one form of money to another. When Jesus cleansed the Temple He drove out the money changers and merchants from this courtyard outside of the Temple. My point here is that clearly Jesus thought of the courtyard outside the Temple itself as being part of the Temple. In other words it is best to see the entire Second Temple complex as being the Second Temple even though the Temple itself was a small part of the over all complex. Then in terms of the Temple itself it was blocked off from the courtyard with a small wall with signs that warned everyone of the death penalty that applied for all non-Hebrews who entered the inner Temple complex. The reason for this policy was because the inner Temple complex was a place to pray and to worship God that was separated from the activities of the courtyard.

Then in term of the meaning of John being told to “exclude the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) it is really quite simple. Since the inner Temple is the true place of the worship of God in contrast to the merchants and money changers out in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) this means that God only considers those worshiping Him in the inner Temple to be faithful to Him. On the other hand those who are outside the inner Temple in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) God does not consider to be faithful to Him despite the fact that they consider themselves to be faithful by being in the Temple complex. In other words God considers those in the courtyard of the Temple to be apostates instead of faithful.

So what does this mean then? Well first off as I said in regards to the previous verse “the temple of God” (Revelation 1:1) is the Church or rather the assembly of all faithful Christians. This then means that “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 22:2) would refer to all the so-called Christians who believe themselves to be faithful Christians and part of the Church even though God does not consider them faithful and part of the Church. The idea here is that the courtyard of the Temple is both inside and outside of the Temple. For instance as I said above Jesus believed the courtyard of the Temple was part of the Temple based on the fact He chased out the merchants and money changers. On the other hand strictly speaking the courtyard really was not part of the Temple itself. Therefore by saying “exclude the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 22:2) the Book of Revelation is saying that not all those who call themselves Christians will be counted as faithful Christians. This is why John is told “do not measure” (Revelation 11:2) “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) since once again measuring the “temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) refers to God measuring the size of His Church or assembly of faithful Christians and He does not consider those in the courtyard to be part of His people.

So if God is going to reject and ignore at least some of those who call themselves Christians so that He does not count them among His people then an important question to bring up is exactly what proportion of those who call themselves Christian will be excluded and rejected as belonging to the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians? Well as hard as this might be to hear I believe that a large majority of those who call themselves Christians today will not be counted as as part of “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) or rather as faithful Christians. This is because in the case of the Second Temple the Temple itself took up a small area at the center of the entire Second Temple complex. On the other hand the courtyard of the Second Temple took up almost all of the space that the Temple itself did not take up. The idea here is that if you apply this metaphor to the Church or the true Temple of God today then this would mean that the courtyard of the Church or those who are not true and faithful Christians would make up a large majority of those who consider themselves to be part of the Church and Christians. This would of course also mean that those who are faithful Christians make up a small part of all those who consider themselves to be Christian and part of the Church.

Now you might doubt this but later on in this verse the Book of Revelation says “Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) The idea here is that the nations or rather those who are not Christians will trample or rather corrupt the Church. Now this relates to the fact that a large majority of those who call themselves Christian are not actually faithful Christians because really it does not make sense to say “it has been given over to the nations” (Revelation 11:2) unless those in the courtyard, or rather the so-called Christians, make up a large majority of those who call themselves Christians. If this does not make sense then notice how “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) becomes “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem later on in the verse. The reason for this change is to stress the fact that the nations “will trample” (Revelation 11:2) the Church in such an extreme way that most or even the vast majority of the Church will become corrupted so that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian will become so-called Christians. The idea here is that clearly the Temple of God is much smaller than “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem or rather the so-called Church which is made up of all those who say they are Christian. If you want to dispute this meaning of “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) then I go over this meaning in a later comment. Then because of the fact that the Temple of God is much smaller than “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem this would obviously mean that the true Church or the body of all faithful Christians is much smaller than the so-called Church or the body of all so-called Christians. Then if you still want to dispute this fact consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

My point here is that the path to being a faithful Christian is not the path that everyone else is on and instead it is a lonely path that “only a few find” (Matthew 7:14) as Jesus says. Therefore not everyone who calls themselves a faithful Christian will be considered to be a faithful Christian and part of the Church by God by being counted among God’s faithful people. Instead only a small subset of those who call themselves Christians will be counted as faithful Christians by God as I have said. Therefore there will come a time, if it has not already come, when the Church as we see it today will become corrupted. In terms of what this means the following comment provides an answer.

(2) “Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” – First off as I said previously John is told to “exclude the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) and to “not measure it” (Revelation 11:2) because God will not count everyone who says they are a Christian as a faithful Christian. In other words God does not claim possession of those who pretend to worship outside of the Temple of God in the courtyard. God views the so-called Christians in the courtyard in the same way Jesus viewed the merchants and money changers in the courtyard of the Second Temple. This means that God sees the so-called Christians in the courtyard as apostates who blaspheme the name of God through their words or actions. Thus those who claim they are worshiping God in the courtyard will not be counted among the faithful and God will not consider them His people. Instead God will only count those who have been faithful to Him by worshiping in “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) or the true Church as being among His people. Therefore as I have said large majority of those who call themselves Christians today will not be counted among the faithful and instead they will be seen as apostates by God.

But what does this mean exactly? I mean what would make someone into a so-called Christian that is viewed as an apostate by God so that they are not counted among the faithful? Well really in order to answer this question you need to understand what it means for “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) or “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) to be “given over to the nations” (Revelation 11:2) so that “they will trample” (Revelation 11:2) it. Then in order to understand what I means for the nations to trample the courtyard of the Temple you first need to understand how the Second Temple was trampled in Jesus’s day.

As the Gospel of Mark says:

“When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, ‘Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’’” (Mark 11:15-17)

Thus in this passage Jesus drove out those “who were buying and selling” (Mark 11:15) in the Temple because for Jesus the Temple of God was supposed to “a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17) and not “a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17) But what did Jesus mean by this? Well really I would say Jesus called these merchants and money changers robbers because although they served a necessary function for the operation of the Temple their goal was to make a profit for themselves instead of serving God. I would say this because according to the Law of the Old Testament people were required to offer sacrifices at the Temple and because of this they would have to purchase a sacrifice to offer. Furthermore in order to give money to the Temple you needed to first exchange the foreign currency you would have had for the correct currency. This means that clearly the merchants are money changers were necessary and it actually made sense for them to be set up in the courtyard of the Temple. But then why would Jesus seek to drive them out then? Well really I would say that there is a certain amount of exploitation going on in regards to these merchants and money changers so that they were not merely fulfilling what God wants them to and instead they were probably abusing their position to extracts profits. In other words the merchants and money changers that Jesus drove out were predatory and abusive so that they chased after the things of men or money instead of the things of God or prayer. Now you might wish to dispute this and say that I am inserting what I want into the passage but you would be wrong. This is because Jesus calls them “robbers” (Mark 11:17) in the passage and this word would mean that Jesus considers the activities that the merchants and money changers are engaged in as robbery. But then why would Jesus call them robbers? Well obviously Jesus called the merchants and money changers robbers because they were engaging in predatory, abusive and exploitative practices so that they prioritized the things of men or money over the things of God or prayer. Then because of this fact the merchants and money changers were trampling the courtyard of the Second Temple in Jesus’s day.

Now you can probably guess how this relates to the nations trampling the courtyard of the Temple here in the Book of Revelation. In short the idea here is that the desire for the things of men will infiltrate the Church so that those who were once Christians become so-called Christians as they disregard the things of God for the things of men. This is why the verse says “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) “has been given over to the nations” (Revelation 11:2) here. The idea here is that the term “the nations” (Revelation 11:2) refers to all of those who are outside of Israel. Then since Israel is the Church this would mean that “the nations” (Revelation 11:2) refers to those who are outside the Church. Although in this context really the verse is talking about the desires of the nations or those who are outside the Church infiltrating the Church so that the now so-called Christians chase after the things of “the nations” (Revelation 11:2) rather than the things of God.

But what exactly does it mean for so-called Christians to desire the things of men over the things of God? Well really there are three different ways to view the nations trampling the Church here that are actually quite similar.

The first way would obviously refer to seeing the nations trampling the Church in terms of the beast. The idea here is that there will come a time when the love of the things of the world consumes those in the Church so that instead of chasing after the things of God they chase after the beast for all the things the beast can do for them. Thus there will come a time when the majority of the former Church itself will look upon the beast and see how marvelous it appears to be and the great works it seemingly does so that they will claim it is guided by the Holy Spirit and is part of God’s plan for salvation. As a result of this these so-called Christians will trample the Church with their love of the beast and their love of all the things the beast does for them. This may not make sense but my point here is that true and faithful Christians who do not follow the beast will be so very few because these so-called Christians will trample the Church as they seek to convert all the true and faithful Christians into so-called Christians.

Furthermore the great apostasy can be seen view here where there the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians abandon true faith in God by worshiping the beast. This great apostasy can also be seen in Revelation 13 where it says “the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 113:3) The whole idea of the great apostasy is that most or even the vast majority of of those who call themselves Christian will give up hope for the return of Jesus and instead look towards the beast for their earthly salvation. Hence the nations will trample the Church so that the now so-called Christians place their faith, trust and hope in the beast instead of in God. However it is always important to remember that God is continually counting His people and watching over them so do not get discouraged when you see all of this come to pass. The great apostasy is simply something that must happen before Jesus returns so do not get discouraged. Instead see the great apostasy as the fulfillment of the words of God so that it gives you hope and encourages your faith rather than discourages it.

The second way to view the nations trampling the Church here is to see it in terms of doctrine. For instance a majority of those who call themselves Christian today do not actually hold to a future fulfillment of the Book of Revelation and with it a future fulfillment of the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. Instead in their view our only hope for eternal salvation in the eternal Kingdom of God has been replaced with some vague belief in a so-called afterlife called heaven. In other words a true Christian or Jewish doctrine has been replaced with some vague popular conception that is not even in the Bible. Thus you can see what I mean about how the nations have trampled the Church with respect to doctrine in this case. But wait if you remember everything you have already read then you know this is just the beginning. For instance of the foundational so-called doctrines that those who call themselves Christian like to hold to today is the false doctrine of the trinity. This false doctrine is an example of the nations trampling the Church because the false doctrine of the trinity is pagan in nature.

Another popular false doctrine would of course be the false doctrine of immortal and immaterial souls. Then since this false doctrine is not from the Bible and is instead form pagan Greek philosophy obviously this false doctrine would once again be an example of the nations trampling the Church. Next the false doctrines of heaven and hell would also be more instances of the nations trampling the Church because hell does not exist as I explain later on since the unfaithful will be destroyed in the second death instead of tortured forever. Furthermore heaven as in the afterlife also does not exist and instead the Bible subscribes to the view of the new earth where God will recreate our world and make it better than it is. Then another false doctrine would be that of the false doctrine of free will since the Bible does not subscribe to the view that we are free to make decisions. Instead the Bible says in numerous instances that everything that we do and everything that happens has been determined by God so that God knew what would happen before it happens. I talk about this idea more later on as I have said. Of course there are more false doctrines that could be said to be instances of the nations trampling the Church. Really my point here is just to demonstrate that at least in terms of doctrine the Church has been trampled by the nations.

But wait does this mean that if you believe in these false doctrines then you are outside the Temple or the Church? Well to be honest I am not completely sure. I would like to say no since if I were to say yes then really almost all of those who call themselves Christians will inherit eternal life and there are supposed to be “a multitude too large to count” (Revelation 7:9) who inherit eternal life. That said I would say there are definitely instances where believing in false doctrines can mean that someone is outside of the Temple or the Church. For instance if someone believes that the beast is part of God’s plan for salvation so that they place their faith, trust and hope in the beast or perhaps even see the beast as the Christ or the return of Jesus then obviously this person will not inherit eternal life. Therefore I would just say that in the end it really depends on just what the belief is. That said my point here with this second way is just to bring up the fact that you can see the nations trampling the Church in the context of doctrine.

Lastly the third way to view the nations trampling the Church is to see it in terms of the nations transgressing the commandments of God so that they slowly corrupt the Church away from the commandments of God towards the principles of men. This view is then actually what I would say the intended view of the nations trampling the Temple of God or the Church is here in the Book of Revelation. The idea here is that if you follow the commandments of God then you are righteous and clean in the eyes and because of this fact God sees you as worshiping in the Temple of God and at the altar. However on the other hand if you give into the desires of the nations, or non-Israel, so that instead of following the commandments of God you follow the principles of men then God will see you as being one of the worshipers in the courtyard of the Temple. Therefore as long as you follow the commandments of God then God will see you as faithful and count you among His people. If you want to dispute this then consider the following verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 11:17)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12)

The idea here with these two verses is that in order to be a child of Israel and a saint, or rather a faithful Christian, you cannot simply “hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 11:17) alone and instead you need to also “keep the commandments of God” (Revelation 14:12) in addition to “the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12) In other words you cannot simply have faith and instead you need to have works as well. This then means that the so-called Christians in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) are so-called Christians because they do not keep “the commandments of God” (Revelation 14:12) or rather let the commandments of God be their guiding principles. Instead the so-called Christians in the courtyard let the principles of men be their guiding principles so that they base their lives around the desires of men rather than the desires of God.

But wait does this then mean that we are supposed to follow the Law of Moses? Well no it does not and we do not need to keep the Law of Moses. Wait what? Now this is rather hard to explain in that in requires quite a bit of explanation therefore I explain this fact later on in this commentary when discussing the relevant verses. That said the short answer is that from the perspective of the Book of Revelation the Law of Moses has been interpreted such that it was seen as leading the way to righteousness instead of being the source of righteousness. Now this may not make much sense so consider the following passage.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: ‘Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?’

Jesus declared, ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:34-40)

Jesus’s point in this passage is that the purpose of the Law and the Prophets is to better guide us towards loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Thus by saying “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40) Jesus is saying that each of the commandments of the Law is rooted in loving “God with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37) and loving “your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) In other words the purpose of the Law of Moses was seen by Jesus leading the way to righteousness by teaching us to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves instead of as being a source of righteousness in and of itself. Now you might wish to dispute this but this is actually the central issue that Jesus had with the Scribes and the Pharisees in the earth first century AD. You see the Scribes and the Pharisees were experts of the Law who did everything the Law said. However despite this fact Jesus called them wicked. This might not make much sense so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

Jesus’s point here is that even though the Scribes and the Pharisees followed the Law they were still wicked. Now this may not make much sense but really the same issue that Jesus criticized the Scribes and the Pharisees for is actually a problem today. This issue is of course the issue of following the letter of the law versus following the spirit of the law. The idea here is that whenever either God or man creates a law there are oftentimes creative ways to break the intent or spirit of the law while following the what the law literally says or the letter of the law. For example say you have a teenager who needs to study for a test next week so you tell them that they cannot leave the house to spend time with their friends. Your intent with this rule or law would be to make sure your teenager has more time to study. However if your teenager is even slightly creative they will figure out that you did not say they cannot call, text, video chat or play online games with their friends. Thus if you were to find your teenager video chatting with their friends after school instead of studying then your teenager would be following the letter of the law and because of this fact they would be righteous according to your law. However in reality your intent with your rule or law was to get your teenager to study for their test. Thus although your teenager followed the letter of the law they did not follow the intent or spirit of the law. Then as a result of this fact your teenager would be wicked because they violated the intent or spirit of the law while keeping the letter of the law.

Based on this example I am sure you can see why I said this issue of interpreting rules and laws is actually still a problem today. For instance you might wonder why there are so many laws and regulations passed by governments and regulatory agencies. I mean why does the United States for example need hundreds of thousands of pages of regulations on the state and federal level? Well the real reason is that with many laws or rules a very creative lawyer can oftentimes find loopholes that allow their client to follow the letter of the law to avoid prosecution while at the same time breaking the spirit or intent of the law so that their client can continue doing what the government does not want them to do. Essentially my point here is that regulating morality, which is ultimately what regulations seek to do, is extremely difficult because it leads to a never ending game of trying to stop people from violating the spirit of the law with new laws.

Alright now this matter of the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law is actually what Jesus’s issue with the Scribes and Pharisees was. The idea here is that the Scribes and Pharisees saw the Law as a game where their goal was to follow it to the letter of the Law while breaking the spirit of the Law when it suited them. This is why Jesus called the Scribes and Pharisees “whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity” (Matthew 23:27) and this is also why Jesus said “In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:28) The idea here is that sure the Pharisees are blameless and righteous based on the letter of the Law but in reality they are guilty and wicked based on the intent or spirit of the Law.

Therefore the purpose of the Law of Moses was to guide us towards loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourself. Now you might wish to dispute this so consider the example of the Sabbath. Since the Scribes and Pharisees followed the letter of the Law perfectly they took the position that doing any work of any sort on the Sabbath is wrong and in violation of the Law.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. So the Pharisees said to Him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’

Jesus replied, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.’

Then Jesus declared, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’” (Mark 2:23-28)

Jesus’s point in this passage is that the Sabbath was created as a good thing for men and because of this fact doing work on the Sabbath can be seen as following the spirit of the Law even if it is in violation of the letter of the Law. Therefore clearly from Jesus’s perspective at least following the letter of the Law of Moses is not actually required and true righteousness does not come from following the Law. Instead we are supposed to follow the spirit of the Law of Moses so that we see the Law as being our guide to achieving righteousness or rather leading the way to righteousness. Then of course the Law is supposed to teach us how to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourself. This is then the perspective that the Book of Revelation has with respect to the commandments of God. That said if you still wish to dispute what I have said here then just know that I talk more about the meaning and purpose of the Law later on where I fully demonstrate that what I have said here is correct. Therefore if you disagree with what I have said here so far then just accept it as true for the time being so everything else makes sense.

So if we are not required to follow the Law of Moses then what exactly does it mean to view the nations trampling the Church in terms of the nations transgressing the commandments of God so that they slowly corrupt the Church away from the commandments of God towards the principles of men? Well in short it means that the so-called Christians in the courtyard of the Temple of god are so-called Christians because they do not love God with all their heart and love their neighbor as themselves. Instead these so-called Christians chase after the desires of the nations instead of the desires of God. The idea here is that in order to properly worship God in the Temple of God or the Church we are supposed to live out loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves throughout everything we do. Then those who do not do this are not worshiping God in the Temple of God and instead they are in the courtyard of the Temple where they chase after their own desires.

If this does not make sense then think of it in terms of what I said in regards to Jesus chasing out the merchants and money changers from the Temple. My point here is that Jesus’s issue with the merchants and money changers was specifically the act of selling and exchanging money and instead Jesus’s issue was with how the merchants and money changers were exploiting and profiting off of the Temple system in order to satisfy their greed. In other words although the merchants and money changers no doubt believed themselves to be devoted to God due to the services they performed in reality they were not dedicated their efforts to God and instead they were dedicated their efforts to themselves and their greed. Therefore with respect to the nations trampling the Church here with the so-called Christians in the courtyard the idea here is that these so-called Christians are chasing after their own desires in reality even though they believe themselves faithful to God.

So what does this all mean exactly? I mean sure the so-called Christians in the courtyard are not loving God with all their heart and loving their neighbor as themselves but what exactly does it mean to not love God with all your heart and to not love your neighbor as yourself? Well really this is a rather complicated question that I try to answer more in depth later on in my part called Various Insights. That said it would be helpful to at least provide some explanation so that you are aware of what it means for someone to be a so-called Christian in the courtyard.

First off with respect to loving God with all your heart it is best to understand what it means to love God with all your heart by looking at what it means to not love God with all your heart. For instance take prayer as an example. As I have referenced already Jesus says that when you pray you should “go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6) This is because when you pray alone and in secret you are not praying for the purpose of being seen by others so that they will see you as righteous. As a result those so-called Christians who never miss a church service and only pray in public when others are around are not actually honoring and worshiping God through their prayers. Instead the purpose of their prayers and going to church is for others to see them as righteous so that they can receive a greater amount of social currency or rather respect from their social group. To this end those who advocate prayer in public in any form such as in schools, before sports games, at work or in government would also be so-called Christians because by advocating for public prayer they are not actually interested in honoring and worshiping God. Instead these so-called Christians are only interested in pushing a cultural agenda. In other words being faithful to God is not about putting on a public show for others to see and instead being faithful to God is about doing acts of worship for the benefit of God alone in your own private life. Based on all this I am sure you can see the application to the worshipers in “the courtyard outside the temple.” (Revelation 11:2) If you cannot then with respect to prayer the idea here is that those in the courtyard are not praying to God for His benefit and instead they are praying to God for their own benefit. This is then why God says “exclude the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) since these so-called Christians are not faithful on the inside even though they appear to be faithful on the outside.

As further point with respect to prayer consider the content of your prayers as well. But what do I mean by this? Well let me ask you a question. What is the purpose of prayer? Now at first you may believe that the purpose of prayer is to ask God for what you want to receive but this is not the case. Instead the sole purpose of prayer is to give thanks to, honor and worship God. In other words if you pray for the purpose of God and for His benefit then you are praying correctly. On the other hand if you pray for your own benefit then you are not praying correctly. In other words if you treat God as a wish granting machine so that your faith depends upon the fulfillment of what you ask of God then you are not actually worshiping God in the Temple of God and instead you would be one of the worshipers in “the courtyard outside the temple.” (Revelation 11:2) Now you may believe that people like this do not really exist but you would be mistaken. You see there is a term called prosperity gospel that was created to describe those who treat God as a wish granting machine. The whole message of the prosperity gospel is that if you go to church, pray and donate to the church then God will bless your life so that you will have good health and more wealth. Of course this is why those who adhere to the prosperity gospel are literally treating God as a wish granting machine. Then it goes without saying that those who adhere to the prosperity gospel are not actually worshiping God and instead they are worshiping themselves. This is because those who believe in the prosperity gospel do not pray and go to church for the benefit of God and instead they do these things for the benefit of themselves alone.

Really what I am getting at here with respect to loving God with all your heart is that cultural Christians do not love God with all their heart because for them Christianity is not about worshiping God and instead it is about the culture. For instance those who want to push prayer in schools are not trying to advance the worship of God and instead they are trying to advance what they see as Christian culture. In other words what makes a cultural Christian a cultural Christian is when they center on public displays and acts for the purpose of advancing the culture rather than the faith. For instance to a cultural Christian Christianity is a public experience to be shared in church and in group prayer alone instead of a private experience of having faith in, trusting and worshiping God. This means that the so-called Christians in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) can be seen as cultural Christians in the sense that they only really care about advancing what they see as Christian culture or rather their own culture instead of worshiping God as a faithful Christian. That said really this is only the most extreme type of cultural Christian and the reason why they would be considered extreme is because their goal is to advance what they see as Christian culture.

However on the other end of the spectrum there are cultural Christians who are completely apathetic towards almost everything relating to Christianity. What I mean by this is that for these so-called Christians they only identify as Christian for cultural reasons in the sense that since they live in a Christian society and were raised Christian they say they are Christian in order to fit in. Now you might say that these two different cultural Christians are completely different but really this is not the case. Instead the only real difference between them is how dedicated they are to their culture. For instance for the extreme type of cultural Christian they are extremely dedicated to their culture as evidenced by the fact they try to impose it on others. On the other hand the weak cultural Christian really does not care about their culture to such an extent. Thus the difference is how dedicated each is to their culture as I said. That said my point here is that cultural Christians of all types would be an example of the so-called Christians in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) and because of this fact they are not counted among God’s faithful people. Instead only those who are truly faithful to God will be counted among His faithful people.

Next with respect to loving your neighbor as yourself there are a number of different ways that the practices of the majority of those who call themselves Christian has become corrupted. For instance consider the fact that the practice of charging interest on loans has become normalized even among those who call themselves Christian. But why is charging interest on loans wrong?

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.” (Deuteronomy 23:19-20)

But wait did I not just say that from the perspective of the Book of Revelation we do not have to follow the Law of Moses? Well yes I did but you need to understand that the Law of Moses is not the source of righteousness in and of itself so that if you follow the Law of Moses you are righteous. Instead the Law of Moses is supposed to lead us to righteousness by helping us to understand how to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourself. Thus within the context of loving our neighbor as ourself charging interest to our brothers and sisters, or fellow Christians, is wrong and sinful because interest is inherently exploitative. But why is interest exploitative? Well because charging interest is literally profiting off of the desperation of others. Then if charging interest is sinful then what are we supposed to do instead? Really think about it in terms of if one of your close family members needed a loan in order to pay for some needed expenses. So would you turn around and charge your brother, mother, sister or father interest on the loan they are asking you to give them? Or would you say to not even worry about paying you back if they are not able to in the future? Of course you would loan them the money they need while not charging them any interest and on top of this you would also not seek payment if they cannot pay in the future. My point here is that loving our neighbor as ourself in the context of charging interest on loans means treating our fellow Christians as if they are our brothers, mothers, sisters and fathers. I mean if we would help out our close family without expecting repayment let alone charging interest and if we would expect them to do the same for us then how could you possibly justify charging interest to your fellow Christians? Of course you cannot. Therefore if you charge your fellow Christians interest then you are not loving your neighbor as yourself.

Then along the lines of charging interest on loans consider paying employees a fair wage. In today’s world even among those who call themselves Christians a fair wage is defined as paying as little as possible so that people are still willing to work for you. To this end many people who call themselves Christian openly advocate for lowering or even abolishing the minimum wage so that they can have lower labor costs and make more money. But why is this a problem exactly? Well in case you were unaware in the United States and countries similar to the United States it is not possible for someone to afford to live while working and making minimum wage. For example before quitting my job I was making close to three times the federal minimum wage in the United States. However despite making this amount even if I put all of my after tax earnings towards a one bedroom apartment I would not have been able to afford one. Of course even if I could have afforded a one bedroom apartment with all of my after tax earnings really the apartment would still not be affordable because of other expenses like food, insurance, utilities and more. My point here is that if someone cannot afford to live on their own making close to three times the federal minimum wage then something is clearly wrong. Then since the United States is supposedly a Christian majority country this then means that clearly there is something wrong with the Christianity that these people are practicing. If you disagree then how can you possibly justify paying someone so little that they cannot even afford to live despite working hard full-time? I mean if someone cannot even afford to live working full-time then how are the better off than even a slave? Therefore instead of paying our fellow Christians so little that they cannot even afford to support themselves let alone their family we should love our neighbor as ourselves so that we pay one another the wages deserve and need to live.

My point with these two examples of charging interest and paying your employees enough is that loving our neighbor as ourselves is not as simple as do not murder, do not steal and do not commit adultery. Instead in order to actually love your neighbor as yourself you need to do to others what you would want them to do to you. For instance in terms of the interest example imagine you are in a desperate situation with no hope. If you were in such a situation then would you want someone to exploit your situation by only offering you a loan at a high interest rate? Of course not. Then likewise if you really needed a job then would you want someone to not even pay you enough to live on even though you work full-time? Of course not. Therefore what I want you to understand here is that the essence of loving your neighbor as yourself is treating your neighbor how you would want them to treat you. Then as long as you do this as you love God with all your heart then you following the Law.

Now this standard might seem rather subjective to you since really it depends on what you would want others to do to and for you. I would not argue with this and instead I would agree that this standard is subjective. But really the reason why the commandment to love our neighbor as ourself works is because it is subjective in nature. This is because objective commandments do not really work in terms of governing how we treat each other. For instance consider what I said in regards to the Scribes and Pharisees and how they would follow the letter of the Law but not the spirit of the Law. My point here is that when you have a list of objective commandments all you need is some creativity in order to completely get around to spirit of the commandments while still obeying the letter of the commandments.

For instance at one point in the United States a law was passed that required all employers to offer health insurance to all their full-time employees. So what do you think employers did in response? Offer all their full-time employees health insurance? Well yes of course since that is what the law required. However in response employers moved all the low wage employees they could to part-time hours instead of full-time hours because the law only requires health insurance for full-time employees and not part-time employees who work say 32 hours a week instead of 40 hours. Of course 32 hours is not actually part-time in reality but the law is the law. My point here is that the spirit of this law was to ensure that everyone working full-time could have access to healthcare without having to declare bankruptcy. However the letter of the law allows for employers to simply move their employees to part-time so that they do not have to provide health insurance. This is why objective laws and commandments are really inherently flawed. But wait can you not just adjust the law to require employers to pay for a proportion of their employees health insurance with full payment being given to full-time employees and proportional payment for part-time employees? Sure you could do that to fix this instance but things are more complicated than this. Really this is why are not only so many laws and regulations but why the laws and regulations themselves are so long and focus on defining terms and standards. My point here is that if you judge according to the letter of the law then you need to make sure the letter of the law is as complete as possible so that there are no loopholes. Of course doing this is fundamentally impossible which is why the number and volume of laws and regulations continually expands.

My point here is that ultimately more objective commandments fail and because of this fact more subjective commandments are actually a better standard. This is why Jesus says that “All the Law and the Prophets hang on” (Matthew 22:40) the two commandments of loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus’s point is that loving God and loving our neighbor is the spirit of the Law or rather what God wants us to get from the Law. This fact means that as long as we love God and love our neighbor then we are obeying the entire Law even if we are not strictly following the letter of the Law. This is because the letter of the Law is unimportant to God and instead the spirit or intent of the Law is what is important to God. Now you might dispute this so consider the following verse from the Law.

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” (Deuteronomy 11:18)

So how do you think the Scribes and the Pharisees applied this commandment? Well they of course followed the letter of the Law and literally tied boxes containing verses from the Law on their hands and foreheads. However in reality it is very obvious that the intent of this commandment is not to literally tie some verses from the Law on your hands and on your forehead. Instead Moses says to bind his words on your forehead as a way of saying that you should act in accordance with the Law in all things so that when people look upon you, or see your forehead, they see someone who follows the Law as evidenced by the righteous they see in you. Then like wise Moses says to bind his words to your hands because we are are supposed to let the Law guide us in all things so that whenever we move our hand we only move our hand in accordance to the Law. In other words the spirit of this commandment is telling us that we should always act in accordance to the Law in everything we do so that whenever anyone looks upon us they see someone who follows Law. Then because of this fact following the letter of the Law by literally tying verses from the Law to our forehead and hands is just completely nonsensical and missing the entire purpose of the commandment. Therefore my point here is that the letter of the Law is unimportant to God and instead the spirit or intent of the Law is what is important to God.

As a result the whole idea here with the nations trampling the Church here in this verse of the Book of Revelation is that the Church will become corrupted by the nations of the world as the now so-called Christians disobey the spirit or intent of the Law in order to better fit in with their own desires and standards of the day. In other words the Church will be trampled, or brought inline with the beliefs of those outside the Church, so that those in the courtyard or the so-called Christians will not really be any different from those who do not call themselves Christian. Thus just like how merchants and money changers were let into the temple in Jesus’s day the Church will be largely be taken over by the powers of the world and changed to fit their view of what is acceptable. This means that there will come a time when the vast majority of the Church does not love God with all their heart and love their neighbor as themselves. But wait has this not already occurred? Well yes it has and I would actually say that a large majority of those who call themselves Christian today do not love God with all their heart and love their neighbor as themselves. Therefore do not think that you are inside the Temple and not in the courtyard simply because you believe what you believe is correct. I mean even the Scribes and Pharisees believed themselves to be faithful to God and you know what Jesus thought of them.

Now you may doubt what I am saying here so that you do not see the Church as being trampled by nations. I mean sure there are some problems but how could the majority of those who call themselves Christian today be so-called Christians in that they are in the courtyard of the Temple of God? Well in order to demonstrate that I am correct here consider the people those who call themselves Christian look towards for leadership and guidance. My point here is that if the leaders and preachers of the Church are undeniably corrupt and godless then surely the majority of the Church or those who call themselves Christian must also be corrupt and godless as well? Of course that would make sense. But what am I talking about exactly? Well just as Jesus believed the merchants selling sacrifices and money changers who converted money to make offerings were turning the house of God into a den of thieves there are those in the Church who actually engage in this practice today. Wait what how could this be? But you see there are so-called Christians who profit off of selling books, courses, talks, videos, speeches, private groups, classes and more. But so what and how is this the same as the merchants and money changers of Jesus’s day? Well once again you need to understand that the Church is the Temple of God. This means that whatever we do as Christians we are actually doing in the Temple of God since we as faithful Christians are part of the Temple of God. In other words those who profit off of selling books, courses, talks, videos, speeches, private groups, classes and more are exactly the same as the merchants and the money changers selling sacrifices and exchanging money in the Temple of God in Jesus’s day. As a result of this fact if Jesus was around today then no doubt He would seek to drive these people out of the Church because they are making the house of God into “a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:13) In other words these so-called Christians pervert the faith and turn it away from love to that of self interest and greed. In other words these people would once again be an example of the nations trampling the Temple of God. Then as a result of this fact these so-called Christians would of course be in the courtyard outside the Temple because God does not count them among His people.

But why exactly do these so-called Christians pervert and corrupt the faith and turn it away from love towards self interest and greed? Well there are two perspectives here since these so-called Christians are not only not loving God but they are also not loving their neighbor. In terms of loving God whoever sells a book, a course, a video, a speech and more for a profit chooses to worship money over God and because of this fact they do not love God.

As Jesus says:

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

My point here is that when someone charges money for their books, courses, videos, speeches and more that are of a spiritual nature or rather concerning the things of God then ultimately this person is choosing to serve money over God. This is because by charging money for a book you are intentionally limiting the audience of your book to those who can afford your book and to those who are willing to pay for your book. In other words by selling the book your goal is to make money off of the book instead of increasing the knowledge of God. On the other hand if you were to give the book in question away for free then you would not be limited access to your book in anyway. Furthermore by giving away the book for free your goal would be to increase the knowledge of God that people have so that more people will be counted among the faithful. The idea here is that charging access to the Kingdom of God in the form of selling books, courses, videos, speeches and more is completely in contradiction with serving God and trying to spread His kingdom to as many people as possible. Thus by charging people for knowledge of the faith these so-called Christians are demonstrating that they really do not care about spreading the faith and encouraging the faith of Christians. Instead they demonstrate that their true motive is greed and self indulgence.

But why is this the case? I mean do these so-called Christians not have a right to profit off their work by selling it? I mean “the worker is worth of his provisions” (Matthew 10:10) as Jesus says is he not? Well sure but Jesus is not talking about selling what you produce and charging people money for your time. Instead Jesus is talking about the fact those who preach should be provisioned or supported by those they preach to in the form of donations. If you want to dispute this then did Jesus not also say the following?

As Jesus says:

“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

Jesus’s point here is that we did not pay any money to be His disciples or to receive any instruction or teachings. As a result of this fact we should not require others to pay us money for whatever we produce. But why is this is the case? Well you see God has given us eternal salvation and an inheritance in the new earth through our faith in Jesus and obedience to Him. Then of course it goes without saying that these gifts are just that gifts that we have been freely given and will be freely given. Furthermore these gifts are obviously priceless and because of this fact if God were to charge for them there is nothing we could ever pay for them with. But how is this relevant exactly? Well you see since we have received and will receive these things for free through our faith and obedience this means that everyone else who is not a faithful Christian can also receive these things for free if we share the knowledge of God that we have with them. In other words we can help others receive their own free and priceless gifts from God through our knowledge of God.

So if we charge money for and profit off this knowledge then would we not actually be charging money for and profiting off of God? Of course. I mean if we were to do this then we would quite literally be selling faith through selling things like books, courses, videos and more that are supposed to increase faith. Then by selling faith we would be in effect selling the gifts that God will give to us for free. Thus I am sure you can see the issue here. Really selling and profiting off of our spiritual knowledge and our knowledge of God as Christians is blasphemy. This is because by selling our knowledge we are in effect putting a price on the things of God and hence the gifts that God has promised to us. However in reality the gifts that God has promised us are priceless as I said and because of this fact by putting a price on that which is priceless through selling books, courses, videos, speeches and more to others you would be disrespecting God or committing blasphemy.

Now you might take issue with this so consider the fact that we are all slaves of God as I have previously said and because of this fact we belong to God and He owns us. But how is this relevant? Well imagine if you were a slave owner and you had many slaves. Then before going on a long trip away from your estate you gave a few of your slaves instructions and access to the food supply to give your other slaves instructions and food when needed. Now imagine that upon your return from your trip you find that the slaves you had given instructions and access to the food are now selling the instructions and food for favors. How exactly would you feel? Well of course you would be angry beyond measure that your slaves would sell that which you have given them. But how exactly is this relevant and am I not just making this up? Well not exactly so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:45-51)

Of course in this passage the wicked servant who abuses or “begins to beat his fellow servants” (Matthew 24:49) while Jesus is away would be representative of those who abuse their fellow Christians by taking advantage of them. Of course in the context of what I am saying this beating or abuse would refer to profiting off of the desperation that their fellow servants or rather slaves have in seeking answers to their questions. For example if a Christian begins doubting something and has questions they may no doubt seek a book to read to reaffirm what they believe in. Thus by selling this Christian a book and profiting off of it the wicked servant would be in effect abusing or beating them through profiting off of their desperation.

Now you may doubt this view so consider the first paragraph of the above passage where Jesus talks about “the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time” (Matthew 24:45) as this passage says. For instance what is the food that Jesus is talking about the faithful servant giving to His household at the proper time? Well of course Jesus is not talking about food and instead He is using food as a metaphor for spiritual instruction of the things of God. The idea here is that Jesus as put some faithful Christians in charge of His household to give instruction to others and to encourage them at the proper time while He is away so that when He returns His household or the Church will be in order. Therefore my point is that since the food that Jesus is speaking about is spiritual instruction of the things of God this would mean that we are to give our books, courses, videos, speeches and more away for free instead of charging money and profiting off of it.

After all we have been given everything we have including our knowledge of God for free and because of this fact it would be blasphemy to then sell that which God has freely given us. Knowledge of the Kingdom of God has been given to all of us for free and without payment. There is nothing we can pay or do to repay this debt we owe to God. Therefore just as we have been given knowledge for free we are to give our knowledge to others without charging. If you do not believe what I say here then let me ask you the following question. Did the Pharisees believe they were honoring God? Of course they did. Therefore I tell you that not everyone who believes themselves to be faithful will be counted among the faithful.

Next these so-called Christians who pervert and corrupt the faith and turn it away from love towards self interest and greed by selling books, courses, videos, speeches and more do not love their neighbor. But wait how could this be? Well let me ask you a question. If you wrote a book that you believed would be helpful to other Christians because it would nourish them spiritually then would you want to release your book for free so that the greatest number of Christians can benefit from it or would you put it behind a pay wall and charge money for it? Well at first you may wish to say that the supposed right thing to do would be to sell the book for a profit so that you can benefit from it but you need to look at the bigger picture. If you truly believe that your book is valuable for Christians to read and if you truly loved your neighbor then you would release your book for free so that the greatest number of Christians can benefit from it. The idea here is that by charging money for the book you would be placing a locked gate in front of the spiritual nourishment that you have written that can only be unlocked with a payment. In other words by charging money for the book you would be intentionally limiting access to your book to those who are both able and willing to pay for it.

Then because of this fact the number of people who benefit from your book will be less if you charge money for it compared to if you were to give it away for free. But how does this relate to loving your neighbor? Well if you love your neighbor then you would want the as many people as possible to read the valuable spiritual insights in your book so that they can grow in their faith. Therefore if you love your neighbor then you would release your book for free without charge so that as many people as possible can benefit. I mean why should only those who can afford your book be able to read it? Then on top of this if your own spiritual nourishment comes from God through Jesus for free then how could you then go on to charge others for the spiritual nourishment you provide to them? As a result this means that the so-called Christians who sell books, courses, videos, speeches and more do not actually love their neighbor.

Therefore as a result of all the above clearly the so-called Christians who sell books, courses, videos, speeches and more are not actually faithful Christians because they do not love God and they do not love their neighbor. But what is my point exactly? Well you see the vast majority of the so-called leaders and preachers in the Church today are counted among these so-called Christians who do not love God and their neighbor because they sell books, courses, videos, speeches and more. But what if you want to say that you so-called know your favorite preacher who has written over a dozen books is a faithful Christian who is counted among God’s people because how could they be anything but faithful? Well consider what Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees.

As Jesus says:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

Therefore those who profit off of the faith are white washed tombs because they literally appear holy, righteous and faithful on the onside while at the same time they are full of greed, self indulgence and spiritual death on the inside. My point here is that you cannot judge a person based on what they appear to be on the surface. Instead you need to look carefully at their actions or rather fruit so that you can see where their motivation truly is.

As Jesus also says:

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:15-23)

So I now have two simple questions for you to consider. If someone writes a book about the things of God and decides to sell it for a profit then do you believe this person is being faithful to God and honoring Him with their actions? Then second would this person be loving their neighbor or rather those they see as their fellow Christians if they sell their book to them for a profit? Well based on what I demonstrated and said previously the answer is obviously no. Therefore it does not matter how these so-called Christians appear on the outside and what they may claim. Instead you should judge them based on their actions and their fruit so that you see their greed and perversion of the faith for it is.

If you still doubt what I am saying here then consider the following question. What difference is there between a so-called Christian who writes and sells a book about the faith and an atheist who writes and sells a book about anything else in terms of their motivations? Well really nothing because both are selling their books with the intention of making a profit off of it. My point here is that oftentimes these same so-called Christians like to claim that the morality of a Christian is different than that of an atheist. But really when you compare the so-called Christian in question to an atheist really they are just as greedy and self interested. However instead as Christians we are supposed to be different in the sense that we subscribe to a different set of moral principles. For instance where the atheist writes a book to make money we as Christians should write books in order to give them away for free to benefit as many people as possible. Notice how I said books here and not books of the faith. I would actually say that charging for any book that is supposed to help someone as a Christian is immoral. For example if you write a self-help book about dealing with depression as a faithful Christian then I would even say that selling it for a profit would be immoral on the grounds that you would not be loving your neighbor and because of this fact you should give it away for free. The idea here is that as Christians we are called to be different than the people of the nations so that instead of charging money and profiting off of helping others we instead freely give help to others without any expectation of compensation let alone a demand of payment. After all this is what it means to be a Christian instead of an atheist. Therefore my point with this question is that if a so-called Christian acts the same as an atheist by selling their books, courses, videos, speeches and more for a profit then they are no better morally speaking than an atheist. Then if this so-called Christian is no better than an atheist morally speaking then how could they be a faithful Christian? Of course they cannot be.

As a result of all this the Church as it stands today is corrupted and perverted in the sense that the nations have truly trampled it and brought it inline with the desires of the nations. This is because if the so-called leaders and preachers that many if not most of those who call themselves Christian look up to for guidance are not actually faithful Christians then what does that mean for the rest of those who call themselves Christian?

As Jesus says:

“Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:13-14)

My point here is that if you are in need of a guide then you are blind. Now there is nothing wrong with being blind so that you cannot see or being deaf so that you cannot hear because as long as you find someone who has ears to hear and eyes to see then you will be able to see and hear through them. On the other hand if you find someone just as blind as you are then both of you “will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) Therefore if most if not the vast majority of the so-called leaders and preachers in the Church today are blind so that they cannot see and deaf so that they cannot hear then what does this mean for those who follow them? Well as Jesus says they “will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) Thus what I am saying is that if the so-called leaders and preachers in the Church today are lost then this means that most if not the vast majority of everyone else in the Church who calls themselves a Christian is equally lost as well.

As a result of this fact the nations have truly trampled the holy city or the Church so that there are only a small number of faithful Christians left who worship in the true Temple of God instead of out in the courtyard of the Temple. In other words the true Church is small and weak as the church of Satan is in the process of rising before the beast inevitably comes. This fact is important with respect to what the Book of Revelation says because ultimately the Church needs to be trampled and corrupted so that the church of Satan can be created all so that the world will receive the beast without any opposition. The idea here is that if the Church was truly strong and united so that there were billions of faithful Christians in the world then how could the beast come to be worshiped by “all who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 13:8) as the Book of Revelation says will happen? Therefore in order for God’s plan to be fulfilled it is important for the church of Satan to rise as the true Church is trampled so that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians do not look towards God for salvation as they love their neighbor as themselves. Instead these now so-called Christians will look towards themselves and the world for their salvation as their greed consumes them to the point that once the beast rises they will joyfully and happily worship the beast as their so-called savior. Once again this is because the beast will work many so-called miracles that will deceive the world into believing it to be our so-called savior. My point here is that if people are cultural Christians so that they only really care about their own health and wealth instead of the mysteries of God then once the beast comes these cultural Christians will be captivated by it to the point of worshiping it as their savior because it will give them the health and wealth that they seek.

Then because of this fact if what I say in this book is correct then I fully expect the vast majority of even those who call themselves Christians to disagree or even hate what I have written here. This is because as I have said before if the central prophecies of the Book of Revelation that surround the beast are to be fulfilled then this means that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians must hate this book. The idea here is that the Church must almost entirely fall so that the church of Satan rises in its place. Now the fact that the church of Satan will come to pass as the Church is trampled and corrupted by the nations will no doubt make you feel great sorrow. But as I said in the previous chapter this is what it truly means to feel bitter after tasting the sweetness of the promises that God has for us. Furthermore you also need to understand that the Church will not completely fall. Instead there will be a few faithful Christians who do not hold to the false teachings of the nations. Thus we as faithful Christians are the stones that are being built into the Temple of God with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and because of this fact God is keeping careful watch over us as He measures His Temple and counts us as His own possession.

Therefore do not worry or concern yourself with the fact that “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) “has been given over to the nations” (Revelation 11:2) as this verse says. This is because it really does not matter what happens in “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) since as the Book of Revelation says “it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) The idea here is that as you will soon see with the meaning of 42 months this period of time in which the Church will be trampled has been determined by God so that it will come to pass. As a result this means that when you see the Church being trampled all around you as the desires and greed of the nations for the world and the beast consumes all those around you who you thought to be your brothers and sisters do not be alarmed because the word of God is simply being fulfilled as it has been written. Thus instead of feeling discouraged by seeing the Church trampled you should in fact feel encouraged and more hopeful than ever for the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God for in order for the eternal Kingdom of God to come to pass the church of Satan must rise so that the words of God can be fulfilled. Then of course always remember that God is keeping careful watch over His faithful people in His Temple so that He is continually measuring His Temple and counting His faithful worshipers. Therefore we have nothing to worry about because as long as we remain faithful to God then God will count us among His faithful people.

(2) “the holy city” – In this verse “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) refers to Jerusalem and because of this fact “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) is the Church. The idea here is that “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) of Jerusalem should be thought of as an extension of the Temple of God and because of this fact the entire city of Jerusalem is like the Temple of God or rather the Church and the people of God. Now this may not make much sense but you need to understand that the city of so-called Jerusalem is not Jerusalem. This is because so-called Jerusalem is occupied “the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9) or the so-called Jews and because of this fact so-called Jerusalem is not “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) and instead it is a city of apostasy and rebellion against God or rather the city of Satan. Really the idea here is that once again the so-called Jews have nothing to do with God and God does not claim any of them as His people. Instead the so-called Jews are the children of Satan and because of this fact the city of so-called Jerusalem in the modern state of so-called Israel is not Jerusalem. Therefore “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or the city of Jerusalem is the Church. But how does this make any sense? Well consider the following two passages from the Book of Revelation.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God.” (Revelation 21:9-11)

The point here with these two passages is that “the holy city of Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10) is the bride and “the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9) or Jesus. But wait how can a city be the bride of Jesus and are we not supposed to be the bride of Jesus? Well of course we as the faithful are the bride of Jesus.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: ‘Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory.
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.’

For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then the angel told me to write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’” (Revelation 19:6-9)

Therefore obviously the idea here with this passage is that the assembly of all faithful Christians is the bride of Christ and because of this fact the Church is the bride of Christ. This is because in this passage the Book of Revelation says “For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:8) The idea here is that as the saints or rather the faithful whenever we engage in “righteous acts” (Revelation 19:8) we help to cloth the Church in fine linen in the sense that our acts glorify and sanctify the Church. As a result of this clearly as I just said the Church is the bride of Christ.

Then because of the fact that the Church is the bride of Christ it makes perfect sense for the Book of Revelation to say that “the holy city of Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10) is the bride and “the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9) or Jesus. The idea here is that the Church is Jerusalem and Jerusalem is the Church. Now consider the following passage again.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God.” (Revelation 21:9-11)

Once again you are supposed to see and understand “the holy city of Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10) in this passage to be the Church or rather the assembly of all faithful Christians. Really there is no way to deny this fact.

As a result of the fact that “the holy city of Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10) is the Church this would then mean that “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem from the verse this comment is on is supposed to be viewed and understood as the Church. In other words by saying the nations “will trample the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) the Book of Revelation is saying that the nations will trample the Church. Once again I would like to emphasize that “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) is not the city of so-called Jerusalem in the modern state of so-called Israel because the so-called Jews are not the children of God and instead they are the children of Satan. Therefore when you see “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) in the verse this comment is on you should understand it to refer to the Church alone.

But what if you want to take issue with what I have said for some reason? Well as I demonstrated at the start of this chapter the Church is clearly the Temple of God and really there is no possible way to dispute this. As a result of this fact “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem would then be the Church. Now you may be wondering how the Temple of God and Jerusalem can both be the Church and how the Church is the Temple of God and Jerusalem but really it is quite simple. You see the Temple of God and Jerusalem are seen as the same thing in the verse this comment is on.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.’” (Revelation 11:1-2)

My point here is that clearly “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) and “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) are both synonymous with each other in this passage. This is because “the nations” (Revelation 11:2) are supposed to trample “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) which is why the passage says “it has been given over to the nations” (Revelation 11:2) but then the passage actually says the nations “will trample the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) As a result of this fact you cannot separate the Temple of God from “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) in this passage so that you take them to refer to two different things. This means that if you want to take “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) to refer to the city of so-called Jerusalem in the modern state of so-called Israel then you must take “the temple of God” (Revelation 11:1) to refer to a future temple built by the so-called Jews.

However if you wish to take this view then there is a huge problems. The problem is that obviously the Church is the Temple of God based on what I have already said and demonstrated. Then if you wish to dispute this and claim that the so-called Jews can build a Temple of God then I would like to remind you of two things. The first is that the so-called Jews are the children of Satan and a synagogue of Satan.

As Jesus says:

“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires.” (Revelation 8:43-44)

And as Jesus also says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

So what exactly is my point here? Well to be blunt if you honestly believe that the so-called Jews can build a Temple of God then you are speaking unspeakable blasphemy. This is because the so-called Jews are of Satan and because of this fact they are evil and unclean. This fact is undeniable and you cannot dispute it. Then as a result of this fact the so-called Jews can never, I repeat never, have anything to do with the Temple of God let alone construct a Temple of God. If you want to dispute this then let me ask you a question. Do you believe that Satan can construct a Temple of God? Well of course not because Satan is in rebellion against God and because of this fact whatever Satan builds will be seen as evil and unclean in the sight of God. Thus my point here is that the same applies to the so-called Jews. As I have said before the so-called Jews are in rebellion against God by rejecting Jesus as the Christ and because of this fact they are evil and unclean in the sight of God. Then as a result of this fact they cannot construct a Temple of God and if they do build something they call a so-called Temple of God then God will reject whatever they have built as being unclean.

All this then leads to the second thing I would like to remind you of.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.’” (Matthew 21:42-44)

There are two main points with this passage. The first is that the Kingdom of God has been taken away from the so-called Jews and instead it has been given to us as Christians or the true Jews. Then the second and more important point is that Jesus Christ is “the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42) The idea here is that the so-called Jews could have helped to build a new Temple of God that would rise above all the nations so that people from all nations would come to worship God in His Temple. However when they saw “the cornerstone” (Revelation 21:42) of this new Temple or Jesus they rejected Him. But then since ultimately God is in control of all things God used the so-called Jew’s rejection of “the cornerstone” (Revelation 21:42) to build a new Temple of God or the Church so “that the kingdom of God” (Matthew 21:43) can be taken away from the so-called Jews “and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43) In other words Jesus Christ is “the cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42) of the Temple of God.

As a result of this fact once again the so-called Jews cannot build a Temple of God and to claim such a thing is once again blasphemy. But this time I would actually say that claiming the so-called Jews can build a Temple of God is blasphemy of the highest order. Wait what? Well you see by making such a blasphemous claim you are denying Jesus as “the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42) This is because there can only be one Temple of God. Thus by saying that the so-called Jews can construct a Temple of God you end up denying the existence of the current Temple of God or the Church and by denying the existence of the current Temple of God you end up denying “the cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42) or Jesus as the Christ. Then of course by denying Jesus you are actually denying God which is the same unspeakable sin that the so-called Jews are guilty of. Now you know why saying that the so-called Jews can build a Temple of God is actually blasphemy of the highest order.

Therefore as a result of all the above you cannot take “the temple of God” (Revelation 21:1) to refer to anything expect the Church. Then since “the courtyard outside the temple” (Revelation 11:2) is directly connect to and associated with “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) this then means that you must take “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) as referring to the Church in some way. In other words “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem is the Church. This of course makes sense since later on in the Book of Revelation it is undeniably clear that “the holy city of Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10) is the Church since both are said to be the bride of Christ.

As a result when you read “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) in this verse you should see it as the Church or rather the assembly of all Christians. The idea here is that there will come a time when the nations will trample the Church and bring it in line with the desires and greed of the nations so that the church of Satan comes to prominence as the true Church of God’s faithful people is but a shadow by comparison.

Alright but why is this all so important exactly? I mean who cares what people view “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) as since it is not like it is that important right? Well no. You see it is important to demonstrate that Jerusalem is the Church because later on in this chapter the Book of Revelation refers to “the great city” (Revelation 11:8) “where their Lord was also crucified.” (Revelation 11:8) My point here is that in order to understand what this verse is talking about you first need to understand that any reference to Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation is actually a reference to the Church. If you do not understand this point then really you will be lost so that you do not understand the message that God has for His faithful people in the Book of Revelation. Furthermore later on a key character called “Babylon the great” (Revelation 16:19) will be featured heavily. Then of course since Babylon is a city from the Old Testament many people mistakenly assume that Babylon must therefore refer to the capital of some nation in the world either now or in the future. However this is not the case. This is because just as Jerusalem is representative of the Church or the assembly of God’s faithful people “Babylon the great” (Revelation 16:19) is supposed to be seen and understood as being representative of all those who are in rebellion against God by aligning themselves with the powers of the world and the beast. In other words “Babylon the great” (Revelation 16:19) is representative of everyone across the whole world who will follow the beast as their so-called savior. To put it another way Jerusalem is the city of God while Babylon is the city of Satan. The idea here is that Jerusalem and Babylon are supposed to be seen as polar opposites so that you either align yourself with God through Jesus as a citizen of Jerusalem or you align yourself with Satan through the beast as a citizen of Babylon.

Now no doubt you might take issue with this so just know that I of course fully demonstrate what I have just said here to be true later on. Really my point here is that if you do not understand what “the holy city” (Revelation 11:2) or Jerusalem is supposed to be in this verse then really what “Babylon the great” (Revelation 16:19) is supposed to be will not make sense to you either later on. Then if you do not understand what “Babylon the great” (Revelation 16:19) is supposed to be then to be perfectly honest you will be almost completely lost in the future once the beast rises. Thus understanding Jerusalem is actually very important for understanding the message God has for us in the Book of Revelation.

(2) “for 42 months.” – As I said and demonstrated previously in my chapter called Important Symbols the number 42 along with 3.5 and 1,260 are all symbols that are representative of a period time that God has promised or determined that will come to pass. This means that “for 42 months” (Revelation 11:2) is not actually literally supposed to be seen and understood as “42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) Instead the symbol of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) refers to a period of time of any length that God has promised or determined will come to pass. In other words “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) can refer to a period of a single hour to ten-thousand years and really there is no way to determine just how long the period of time is supposed to be. Instead we are just supposed to view “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) as a period of time that God has promised or determined will come to pass as I said.

Therefore as a result of this meaning in this verse the Book of Revelation is saying that God will allow the nations to trample the Church for a period of time that He has promised or determined will come to pass. In other words think of “for 42 months” (Revelation 11:2) as referring to a period of time of indeterminate length that God has set aside for the nations to trample the Church. This means that we really do not know how long the nations will trample the Church for. But then why say “for 42 months” (Revelation 11:2) in the verse then? Well the idea is that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) is a symbol for a period of time that God has promised or determined that will come to pass. Thus the idea here is that the Book of Revelation is trying to tell us that God is fully in control of all things so that even the nations trampling the Church has been determined and appointed by Him. As a result it does not matter how long the nations actually trample the Church for. For instance even if God will have the nations trample the Church for ten-thousand years then we are still supposed to see this period of time as being a fulfillment a period of time that God has promised will come to pass. Therefore we are supposed to see “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) as an assurance from God that although we do not know how long the nations will trample the Church for we can be sure that God is fully in control of all things so that even the period of time that the nations are to trample the Church for is part of His set plan.

Then in terms of where the meaning 42 comes from as I said before there were 42 campsites from Egypt to the promised land recorded in Numbers 33. The idea here is that God promised the ancient Israelites that He would deliver them out of Egypt and into the promised land and because of this fact the author of Numbers 33 uses the number 42. Furthermore there were 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus in Matthew 1 and there were 42 generations between David and Jesus in Luke 3. The idea here is that God made promises to both Abraham and David and since Jesus was the fulfillment of these promises the number 42 is used to represent the period of time between the promise and fulfillment. If you forgot about what I said concerning the meaning of numbers 3.5, 42 and 1,260 then go back and read my chapter called Important Symbols.

But what if you want to dispute all this so that you take “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) to mean a literal “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) because you still do not understand how a period of time is supposed to be seen and understood symbolically instead of literally? I mean how does it make any sense for a period of time to be a metaphor instead of a literal period of time? Well really I would say the vast majority of people do not understand the reasoning behind the meaning of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) being an indefinite period of time that God has promised or determined that will come to pass. These people have this lack of understanding because from their more modern perspective “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) meaning “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) makes intuitive sense. Their idea here is that God is supposedly not the author of confusion and if “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) is supposed to mean any except “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) then God would be confusing people so therefore “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) means “42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) At this point you may even be nodding your head in agreement to what I just said.

Alright but why exactly is it wrong to see “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) as being a literal “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) in the Book of Revelation? I mean is it not possible that I am wrong with the meaning that I provided for “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) here so that it could actually refer to a literal period of time that is “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) long? Well no sorry it is impossible for the meaning of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) that I have provided to be wrong so that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) is supposed to be viewed literally instead. Wait what? How could I be so arrogant? Well I could go over all the reasoning as to why “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) means an indefinite period of time that God has promised or determined that will come to pass. However since I have already gone over these reasons in my chapter called Important Symbols if you still disagree with me then really it is pointless. So what if you still disagree with what I have said? Well really it is quite simple. You see periods of time are clearly used as metaphors in the Book of Revelation despite what you may think. Then if periods of time are undeniably used metaphorically in the Book of Revelation to refer to an indefinite period of time then this means that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) does not definitely mean “42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) In other words if other periods of time in the Book of Revelation cannot be understood literally in any way then there is zero reason to stubbornly insist that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) cannot mean anything except “42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) Therefore consider the following passages where it will become completely obvious that time periods are not always supposed to be seen as literal and definite time periods.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction. The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:11-13)

My point in quoting this passage is that these “ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom” (Revelation 17:12) “along with the beast” (Revelation 17:12) “will receive one hour of authority” (Revelation 17:12) to rule. Then the word translated as hour is hóra (ὥρα) and this word literally means hour although it can also refer to a specific period of time of unspecified length figuratively speaking. Of course this figurative meaning is the intended meaning here in this passage of the Book of Revelation because obviously it is completely nonsensical to say that these “ten kings” (Revelation 17:12) and the “the beast” (Revelation 17:12) will literally “receive one hour of authority” (Revelation 17:12) to rule the world since a literal hour is no time at all. Instead what this passage is aiming to say is that although these “ten kings” (Revelation 17:12) and “the beast” (Revelation 17:12) will be given authority by God to rule the world, their rule will not last forever and instead it will be temporary. In other words the word translated as hour is being used metaphorically to represent a period of time that is supposed to be viewed as short with respect to God’s entire plan rather than as a literal hour. This of course makes sense since believing that the “one hour” (Revelation 17:12) is supposed to be understood as “one hour” (Revelation 17:12) is just absurd and because of this fact “one hour” (Revelation 17:12) cannot be understood literally here. That said you may not think that all this is relevant for the meaning of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) so consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 11:1-6)

In regards to this passage as I have said before the “woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 11:1) is undeniably Israel. First off this is obviously because the “crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 11:1) are representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then more importantly this woman “gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” (Revelation 11:5) But who is this “male child” (Revelation 11:5) that this verse is talking about? Well obviously this “male child” (Revelation 11:5) is obviously and undeniably Jesus and you cannot say otherwise. Therefore as a result “the woman” (Revelation 11:6) is obviously and undeniably Israel and you cannot dispute this at all. This is because Israel gave birth to Jesus.

But wait what about how “the woman fled into the wilderness” (Revelation 11:6) after Jesus’s ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God? Well as I said before this is actually proof that the Church is Israel. The idea here is that so-called Jews are “those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead” (Revelation 3:9) and because of this fact they are not part of Israel and they have nothing to do with Israel. Thus this is how “the woman” (Revelation 11:6) or Israel can flee the Roman province of Judea. My point here is that Israel is a people and not a place. In other word Israel is simply a name to refer to God’s faithful people and it does not really refer to the land in the former Roman province of Judea.

Alright so if “the woman” (Revelation 11:6) is undeniably Israel then what does “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 11:6) mean here? Well I have already explained this before but it is very simple and easy to understand. You see almost all of the Hebrews rejected Jesus as the Christ and in doing so they became the so-called Jews. Then these now so-called Jews persecuted the true Jews and Israelites or the early Christians. Then as a result of this persecution at the hands of the so-called Jews the true Israel or the Church took root in the other provinces of the Roman Empire and lands outside the Roman Empire. In other words Israel “fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) The idea here is that God was watching over Israel or the Church so that when persecution came at hands of the so-called Jews God ensured that Israel could take root in foreign lands or “the wilderness” (Revelation 12:6) so that Israel would not be destroyed. This is important because if Israel or the Church was destroyed in the first century AD then there would of course be no true Jews or rather Christians in the world today. This is why the fact that “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) is so important.

So then what does “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) mean? Well really it should be obvious. If it is not then allow me to explain. First off as I just said Israel or the Church left the Roman province of Judea to be nourished in foreign lands after facing persecution by the so-called Jews. So let me ask you a question. How long was Israel or the Church nourished for outside of the Roman province of Judea? Well as you can probably guess Israel was not “nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) or 3.5 years in foreign lands. I mean if it took decades for Israel to take root in foreign lands to be nourished there then it would be completely nonsensical and just wrong to try to claim that there is some period of “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) or 3.5 years where Israel or the Church was nourished in the lands outside of the Roman province of Judea in the first century AD. Therefore clearly and undeniably Israel or the Church was nourished for far longer than a mere “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) or 3.5 years. But then how long was Israel nourished for then? To answer this question consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth.” (Revelation 12:13-16)

By saying “But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) this passage is recounting when “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) This is because really the theme and purpose of these two verses is virtually identical. The only real difference is that in the first instance “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) is used while in the second instance “a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) is used. However “a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) is 3.5 since one plus two plus a half is three and a half. Then since “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) is 3.5 years these two periods of time would be identical. Thus my point here is that in the first paragraph of this passage you can also see the persecution of Israel or the Church by the so-called Jews in the Roman province of Judea and Israel’s subsequent flight to be nourished in foreign lands.

But is it not possible to see “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) as referring to Roman persecution of Christians in the mid first century AD under the Roman emperor Nero? Well sure it is possible but really I do not see this as likely. This is because the persecution of Christians under Nero largely took place in the city of Rome. But then would not be “the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) here? Well no because in the Book of Revelation “the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) or Satan is representative of rebellion against God. Then because of this fact there is no group of people other than the so-called Jews who who have rebelled against God due to their rejection of Jesus as the Christ.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.” (Revelation 3:9)

Therefore my point here is that there is no city that is a greater representation of Satan that the city of so-called Jerusalem because this is the city that the so-called Jews call home. Then because of this fact by saying “the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) the Book of Revelation is referring to the city of so-called Jerusalem. Now you might wish to dispute this on the basis that the city of so-called Jerusalem cannot be Satan’s lair for some reason so consider the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.” (Revelation 11:8)

Now if you want to view this verse completely literally then obviously “the great city” (Revelation 11:8) would be so-called Jerusalem since that is where Jesus “was also crucified.” (Revelation 11:8) Then by calling so-called Jerusalem “Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:8) this verse is saying that so-called Jerusalem is completely godless so that it is unclean, wicked and evil beyond any measure. The idea here is that the city of Sodom and Egypt are representative of the peak of godlessness and wickedness due to their association with godlessness and wickedness in the Old Testament. So let me ask you a question. How could anyone claim that “the presence of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14) or Satan refers to anything except for the city of so-called Jerusalem? Of course you cannot because the so-called Jews are “a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9) and the city of so-called Jerusalem is even called “Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 2:9) as I just explained.

Therefore as a result “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) would refer to “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6). But how could these two verses refer to the same thing? Well really I would say “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) would refer to Israel or the Church taking root outside the Roman province of Judea in the middle of the first century AD. Then I would say “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) would refer to almost all of the true Jews or rather Christians leaving the Roman province of Judea or more specifically the city of so-called Jerusalem after the outbreak of the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War. Thus the idea here is that really Israel or the Church “fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) two times and because of this fact the Book of Revelation references it two times.

So now that the first part of the previous passage I quoted makes sense consider the second part of the passage again.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth.” (Revelation 12:15-16)

By saying “the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent” (Revelation 12:15) this passage is clearly alluding to the persecution of Christians starting with the Roman Empire. This is due to two reasons. The first is that by saying “the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth” (Revelation 12:16) this passage is saying that the nations or different people groups of the world helped to hide Israel or the Church from persecution so that it was not completely destroyed. This is because “the earth” (Revelation 12:16) is a symbol for the nations or the various people groups of the world as I have said before. The second reason is that since it is clear that Satan is trying to destroy Israel or the Church here really the only historical option that would work is the persecution of Israel or the Church by specifically the Roman Empire. Then in terms of the time frame of this persecution really I would say it encompasses all persecution of Israel or the Church from the first century AD up to the fourth century AD when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. That said since the Book of Revelation was written during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian it would make the most sense to say the Book of Revelation is specifically referring to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire that took place during the reign of the emperor Domitian in the late first century AD. But what about the persecutions by the emperor Nero? Well really the persecutions under Nero were limited to the city of Rome itself and they were brief in nature. On the other hand persecution under the emperor Domitian was much more widespread. For instance John the author of the Book of Revelation was banished to the island of Patmos during this stretch of persecutions. Therefore the persecutions under Domitian fit more with “the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent” (Revelation 12:15) since the persecutions under Domitian were more widespread as I said.

Alright so what is my point here? Well my point is that really there are two possible end points to when Israel was “nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in foreign lands outside of the Roman province of Judea. The first possible endpoint is during the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War where almost all of the true Jews or Christians left the city of so-called Jerusalem and the second possible endpoint is at the persecution under Domitian. Then just a reminder the period nourishment that lasted for “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) began after Jesus’s ascension into heaven after His resurrection.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:5-6)

Therefore clearly the time that Israel was nourished for in foreign lands was much longer than “1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) This is because the time period from Jesus’s ascension into heaven to the First (so-called) Jewish-Roman War or to the persecutions under the Roman emperor Domitian was decades long. Then as a result of this fact clearly “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) does not actually mean “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in this instance.

Now you may wish to dispute this but really you cannot. This is because of the purpose of the “1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) Once again the purpose of these “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) is so that Israel or the Church has time to grow or “be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) so that it can become healthier and more robust. In other words by saying “the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) the Book of Revelation is talking about how Israel or the Church spread into foreign lands outside of the Roman province of Judea as many people converted and joined Israel or the Church. My point here is that to say that Israel was nourished over a literal period of “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) or 3.5 years is just completely absurd. This is because historically speaking it took decades for Israel or the Church to grow in size after Jesus’s ascension into heaven in the early first century AD. For instance it took Paul around a decade to begin preaching in the Roman province of Syria then it took almost another decade for him to preach in the Roman provinces in Anatolia or Asia Minor. For instance Paul most likely preached in Galatia in around 47 or 48 AD which is 14 to 18 years after Jesus’s ascension to heaven. Therefore my point here is that you cannot make “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) mean a literal “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) because Israel or the Church was nourished and grew over multiple decades instead of a mere “1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6)

But then what does the reference to “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) mean here? Well as I said before the numbers 3.5, 42 and 1,260 all mean the same thing and their intended figurative meaning is that of a period of time of indeterminate length that God has promised or determined will come to pass. Thus the idea here is that “God had prepared a place” (Revelation 12:6) for Israel “to be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) for a certain period of time that He had determined would come to pass. In other words really “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) can be seen and understood to mean for a period of time.

Alright so in case it is not obvious clearly “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) cannot be understood to mean “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in this instance in the Book of Revelation. This then means that there is absolutely zero reason to stubbornly insist that the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) in the verse this comment is on must refer to a literal period of time that is “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) long. Instead the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) simply refers to a period of time of unknown length that God has determined or promised will come to pass. In other words the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) that the nations “will trample” (Revelation 11:2) the Church for will not actually be “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) long. Instead the nations will trample the Church for a period of time of unknown length and God has determined and promised that this period of time will come to pass. Therefore clearly “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) is not literal and instead it is supposed to be viewed metaphorically and spiritually.

Then because of this fact really we cannot know for sure in which the period of time that nations will trample the Church will occur in. This is because really “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) can mean any period of time from a day to ten-thousand years. That said based on what I said previously in regards to the nations trampling the Church really we can see the trampling of the Church in the past, present and future. This is because clearly the nations have already trampled the Church in the past due to the corruption that we see among those who call themselves Christians today. For example think back to what I said about all the so-called Christians who profit off of their books, courses, speeches, videos and more. Furthermore once the beast rises and the church of Satan fully comes to pass so that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will worship the beast then clearly the Church will once again be trampled. Thus my point here is that you should not look towards only a specific period of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) in which the nations will trample the Church and instead you should look into the past, at the present and to the future to truly see the trampling of the Church.

Why is this all important? I mean who cares what “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) actually means here? Also why does it matter if someone wants to believe that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) refers to a literal period of time? Well you no doubt already know the answer to these questions since I have already talked about why understanding the intended meaning of the symbols in the Book of Revelation is extremely important. That said since this topic is of such importance it is a good idea to go over it again. Really the importance of not seeing “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) as a literal “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) comes down to a single verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.” (Revelation 13:5)

But why is this verse so important exactly? Well you see your view of the meaning of “for 42 months” (Revelation 13:5) in this verse will basically determine if you are deceived by the beast so that you fall into temptation or not. In other words if you hold to a literal “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) means “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) because the Bible says “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) and “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) can only mean “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) then it is basically guaranteed that you will fall into temptation and you will worship the beast. This is because it is essentially a certainty that the beast will act for a period of time far longer than a mere “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) or 3.5 years. But why? Well really because it just takes time for things to happen and change in the world and because of this fact I would say that saying that the beast will reign for “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) is just objectively nonsensical.

If you disagree with me then let me ask you a question. How long does it take for a revolution to occur? Well both the American and French Revolutions each lasted over ten years each. But what is my point with this? Well my point is that ultimately the beast will have a revolution of its own where it comes to rule over the world. This process will of course not be quick so that it happens overnight. Thus rather than having “authority to act for 42 months” (Revelation 13:5) the beast will certainly need more time than this to begin to rule over the world. For instance even if the beast will truly be an artificial super intelligence as I say it will be then do you really think all the nations will agree “by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast” (Revelation 17:17) as the Book of Revelation says they will do in a few years? Well of course not because political processes still take time and instead after the rise of artificial super intelligence or the beast I would be surprised if it takes less than five years for the nations of the world to give up their power to it. Then of course all this is to say nothing about the actual rule of the beast over the world.

My point here with the fact that the “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) the beast has to act not being a literal “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) so that it is instead far longer is that if you take the “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) to be literal then you will remain blind to the true nature of the beast. This is because even if you agree with me about the identity of the beast if after artificial super intelligence arises it ends up having “authority to act” (Revelation 13:5) for longer than the “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) then you will inevitable conclude that I must be wrong because the Bible says the beast will have “authority to act for 42 months” (Revelation 13:5) and the artificial super intelligence has clearly been around for longer than that. Then as a result of seeing everything I have written as being wrong you will see the so-called miracles that the beast works like curing all diseases and sicknesses and you will inevitably conclude that the beast is ushering in the Kingdom of God and because of this it must be a so-called Christ or a so-called savior that God has sent to us. After you come to this conclusion you would of course have fallen into temptation so that you see the beast itself as the so-called savior of the world and because of this fact you would be in rebellion against God.

Therefore this is why what you view “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) as is so incredibly important. Really I would actually say that what you view “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) as is actually more important than what you view the beast as. This is because I would say that your chances of falling into temptation are far lower if you view the beast as a generic one world government while viewing “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) as a period of time of uncertain length that God has promised will come to pass instead of viewing the beast as an artificial super intelligence while insisting that “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) is a literal 3.5 years. But how could this be? Well really artificial super intelligence will lead to a one world government so it does not actually matter if you see the beast as artificial super intelligence or a one world government. Instead the more significant factor is what you take “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) to mean since if you take “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) literally then as I said once the beast has been around for more than “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) then you will no longer see the beast as the beast.

Now you still may think I am being overly dramatic here but what do you think will happen to those people who view “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) literally after the beast has ruled for say five years? Or for ten years? Or for twenty years? Well if they stubbornly believe that “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) can only mean “42 months” (Revelation 13:5) then they will no longer see the beast as the beast and instead they will see the beast as the so-called savior of the world due to all the so-called miracles it will work.

But what if you are still someone who disagrees with me so that you take “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) to refer to a literal period of time that is “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) long? Well to be honest I do not know what else to say to you. Really the only thing I have left to say to you would be to ask you to not be stubborn with respect to the meaning of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) so that you are at least open to the possibility that “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) might actually mean a period of time of unknown length that God has determined or promised will come to pass. My point here is that if you are at least open to the possibility of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) not meaning a literal “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) then once the beast comes you will have a much greater chance at persisting in your faith and not following the beast. Therefore if you still disagree with me for some strange reason then try to keep an open mind and remember what you have read here because there may come a time when you will need it.

(3) “I will empower my two witnesses” – First off in terms of the meaning of “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) the Law that was given to Moses required at least two witnesses to establish wrongdoing.

As the Book of Deuteronomy says:

“A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15).

Thus as this verse says in order to “establish wrongdoing or sin against a man” (Deuteronomy 19:15) “the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15) is required. So what is the point here? Well my point is that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) here in the Book of Revelation are God’s witnesses against the people and nations of the world. The idea here is that God is seeking to charge the people of the world of the crime of transgressing against Him or sin and these “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are testifying for God that His charge of sin against the world is true. To make this idea make more sense think of it like a trial where God is accusing the people of the earth and the nations of the world of the sin of disobeying Him and being unfaithful to Him. Thus in order to accuse the world of this wrongdoing God needs witnesses who will tell the people of the world that they are guilty before God, that God’s case against them has merit and that because of this guilt they will be judged as guilty before God. In other words God is telling the world through His faithful witnesses that the people of the earth have been unfaithful to Him and that because of this guilt God will pour our His wrath upon the world so that everyone and everything is swept away. Then of course on the day of judgment all those who are guilty of transgressing against God will be sent to the Lake of Fire to face the second death.

Next God specifically says “I will empower my two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) because His witnesses will have the power and authority to speak and act on His behalf. This means that when God’s witnesses speak condemnations against the world it is as if God Himself is speaking against the world. In other words the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are not merely speaking with their own authority and instead they are speaking on behalf of God against the world so that His will is being fulfilled through them.

But why exactly does God need witnesses in order to demonstrate the guilt of the people and the nations of the world? Well to be honest God does not actually need witnesses to demonstrate the guilt of the people and nations of the world since obviously He is God and He knows everything. Instead the point here is to demonstrate to the world that not everyone is transgressing against God. In other words God still has His faithful witnesses who have not joined the nations of the world in trampling the courtyard of His Temple. In other words God’s faithful witnesses serve as an example to the world that there are still some left on earth who remain faithful to God and because of this fact all those who have been unfaithful to God stand guilty before Him.

(3) “and they will prophesy” – In order to understand what it means for the two witnesses to “prophesy” (Revelation 11:3) where this verse says “they will prophesy” (Revelation 11:3) you must first understand what it means to prophesy. In short prophesying in the sense of delivering prophecy can mean two different things in the Bible. The first is that prophesying can refer to foretelling the will of God which simply means predicting the future and telling of what will comes to pass. The second is that prophesying can also refer to forthtelling the will of God which simply means telling of God’s will in a particular situation or instance. Thus the idea here is that when someone is prophesying they are either telling of God’s will for the present, the future or both. Now this may sound simple enough but really it is not. For instance when did prophecy end in the time of Jesus or were there prophets after the time of Jesus? Well actually according to Paul and the Book of Acts there were people prophesying after the time of Jesus.

As Paul wrote:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)

Then as the Book of Acts says:

“In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.” (Acts 11:27)

And as the Book of Acts also says:

“Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.” (Acts 15:32)

Thus my point here is that according to Paul and the Book of Acts there were still prophets in the word after Jesus’s resurrection. This would of course mean that prophets did not cease to exist after the time of Jesus. Alright but does this then mean that there are prophets today? Then if there are prophets today then does that mean that God is literally speaking to these prophets today? Well yes there are still prophets because being given prophecy is not what you think it is. My point here is that in order for someone to foretell or forthtell the will of God they do not actually need to have God literally speak to them so that they message they deliver is literally what God told them. Now you may wish to dispute this but at least according to Paul there were many prophets who were prophesying in the early Church. In fact there were so many people prophesying that it was actually a problem.

As Paul wrote:

“Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.” (1 Corinthians 14:29-32)

First off as I said before going to church in the first century AD was not like how it is today. Instead during church it was more of a group discussion where anyone could start speaking to raise a question in response to something someone else said or to raise a point of their own. This is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians to say that only “Two or three prophets should speak” (1 Corinthians14:29) at the same time since the church in Corinth was probably too chaotic with everyone trying to speak at once. That said my point here with this passage is that if Paul has to tell the Corinthians to “prophesy in turn” (1 Corinthians 14:31) then obviously many people are acting as prophets and prophesying. Then because of this really you cannot say that prophesying is supposed to be rare. But what does this have to do with the fact that you do not need to have God speaking to you to prophesy so that you are a prophet? Well does it make any sense to have God literally speaking through multiple prophets at the same time? Of course not. Now you might dispute this so let me put it another way. If these people that Paul wrote about were really prophets in the sense that God told them what to say then why would a few talk at the same time? I mean the only way this would make sense is if you want to say that God is talking over Himself. Therefore it makes the most sense to say that Paul is not talking about prophesy and prophets in the sense of God literally talking to a person.

But then what does Paul mean by prophesy instead? Well Paul is actually talking about being moved by the Holy Spirit. Now this may seem like God speaking to the prophet in question but this is not the case. Instead being moved by the Holy Spirit is a lot more vague and undefined so that it is entirely dependent upon each person’s own subjective experience in the sense that all they can say is that they felt moved to say such a thing rather than God literally speaking to them. This is why Paul had to write to tell the Corinthians to take turn speaking since so many of them felt moved by the Holy Spirit to speak and say something or rather prophesy. Therefore in order to prophesy all you need to do is feel moved by the Holy Spirit to say something. Alright so you still may wish to dispute this so consider the following passage.

As Paul wrote:

“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.” (1 Corinthians 11:4)

By saying “prays or prophesies” (1 Corinthians 11:4) Paul is saying that by prophesying in church is speaking in church. This is because Paul’s point here is to try to get men not to cover their head in church. The idea here is that at least for Paul speaking in church with the intent to help, instruct or comfort others is an example of prophesying.

And as Paul also wrote:

“Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort. The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.” (1 Corinthians 14:1-4)

In this passage Paul is saying that “he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.” (1 Corinthians 14:3) Thus just like with the previous passage the point here is that for Paul prophesying is really the same as just speaking in church for the purpose of helping, instructing or comforting others.

Now my point with these two passages is that ultimately from Paul’s perspective being a prophet and prophesying is not about having God literally speak through you. Instead for Paul being a prophet and prophesying is about feeling like you were moved through to power of the Holy Spirit to speak for the benefit of the Church or the assembly of all faithful Christians. This of course makes sense based upon the meaning of prophesying I provided at the start of this comment. The idea here is that prophesying is about foretelling or forthtelling the will of God after feeling moved by the power of the Holy Spirit so that others may better come to understand what God wants in the present or what God has planned for the future.

Alright but then what exactly does it mean to be a prophet? I mean are we supposed to follow whatever someone says if they call themselves a prophet? Well no of course not. Instead we are supposed test not only the prophecies we hear but the prophets or so-called prophets who speak them.

As Jesus says:

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

First off Jesus’s point here with respect to testing a prophet is to carefully examine their deeds and what they do. For example if a so-called prophet writes a book of so-called prophecy and sells to make money without giving it away for free then you do not even need to examine their so-called prophecy. This is because clearly this so-called prophet is a false prophet on the basis that they are greedy and wicked due to their desire to exploit and profit off of the Church or the assembly of faithful Christians. Therefore do not even bother reading their book let alone testing the so-called prophecies within it because a wicked and evil person cannot write a book of prophecy of any form. For another example consider someone who prophesies but they are caught up in a highly detestable sin like murder, adultery, blasphemy, theft, exploitation or any other highly detestable sin. In this case just like in the previous example do not even pay attention to what they say because by their character they demonstrate that they have not been moved by the Holy Spirit due to their highly detestable sin.

Alright but what if someone is prophesying and they seem to be a “good tree” (Matthew 7:17) that “bears good fruit” (Matthew 7:17) instead of a “bad tree” (Matthew 7:17) that “bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17) just as Jesus says? Well in this case you would examine and test the prophecy that you are hearing or reading to determine if it is useful or not.

As Paul wrote:

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

But then how exactly are we supposed to examine and test prophecies? Well the obvious answer in the case of a prophecy about the future is to wait and watch to see if the prophecy ends up being fulfilled or not. If the prophecy is not fulfilled then obviously it was a false prophecy. That said this answer is not exactly helpful and really it only applies to prophecy in the sense for foretelling the will of God rather that forthtelling the will of God. Therefore the best way to test prophecy is actually just to see if the prophecies in question line up with what the Scriptures say.

For example imagine if in the future you hear a so-called prophet say that the artificial super intelligence that rules over the world is ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God here on earth due to the great works it is doing and that as Christians we should put our faith, trust and hope in this artificial super intelligence since it is supposedly carrying out the will of God. So how would you go about testing this so-called prophecy? Well you would of course consult the Book of Revelation since the central prophecies in the Book of Revelation are about what must come to pass before the eternal Kingdom of God arrives.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7)

The point here with this verse is that this artificial super intelligence cannot be ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God because before the eternal Kingdom of God comes the beast needs to rule “over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” (Revelation 13:7) Then obvious this would not have happened yet before this artificial super intelligence comes to rule over the world and because of this fact this artificial super intelligence cannot be ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God. As a result clearly this so-called prophecy would be a false prophecy. That said things can get rather complicated since it is not exactly straightforward to interpret the Scriptures. For instance as I said before in regards to divine hiddenness God does not want the world to come to know Him and because of this fact He has hidden His message in plain sight so that only His chosen faithful will see the message He has. In other words you are not going to be able to have a fruitful discussion about the Scriptures with someone who believes that artificial super intelligence is ushering in the eternal Kingdom of God.

Really my point here with this example is that in order for to determine if a supposed prophet is prophesying by giving a true prophecy or not you need to test what they are saying against the Scriptures so that you can see the truth of it for yourself. Then of course this testing does not only apply to testing prophecy that foretells the will of God since it can also be used to test prophecy that forthtells the will of God. That said this gets rather complicated as well since as you have seen so far in this book going over a certain topic in the Scriptures is not exactly easy or even straightforward. Instead it takes quite a bit of explanation in order to demonstrate that a certain point or view is correct since the major counterpoints needs to be addressed as well.

Alright so now that I have explained what it means to prophesy it is time to talk about what this verse means by saying that the two witnesses “will prophesy” (Revelation 11:3) here. In short the two witnesses are supposed to be seen as fulfilling the two definitions of prophesying. This means that the two witnesses are foretelling and forthtelling the will of God to the world through their prophesying. In other words the two witnesses are predicting the future and telling the world about what has yet to come to pass and they are also speaking out against and accusing the world in the present to correct what people are currently doing. If you wish to dispute what the two witnesses are prophesying about then consider the following passages.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’” (Revelation 11:1-3)

And as the Book of Revelation also says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

My point here with the first passage is that the two witnesses are empowered by God to prophesy immediately after the nations trample the Church or rather corrupt it so that the vast majority of Christians are so-called Christians who chase after the desires of the nations and themselves instead of God. This means that it would make perfect sense to see the prophesying of the two witnesses as being directly related to speaking out against and accusing the world and all so-called Christians of transgressing against God by trampling and corrupting His Temple. Next my point with the second passage is that the two witnesses will finish their prophesying during the reign of the beast after it rises because the beast will kill them. This means that it would make perfect sense to say that the two witnesses are warning the world about what is yet to come with the beast as they speak against the coming beast.

Therefore as I said you should see the two witnesses prophesying as relating to warning the world about the beast and accusing the nations who have trampled the Temple of God or the Church along with the now so-called Christians. Then in terms of what it means to warn the world about the beast it is really quite simple. Obviously warning the world about what is yet to come with the beast means that the two witnesses are supposed to deliver a clear interpretation of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation before the beast rises. Furthermore the witnesses are to also warn the world about what will happen to all those who give into worshiping the beast by placing their faith, trust and hope in it. Of course as I have said before all those who worship the beast by placing their faith, trust and hope in it will be eternally destroyed by God with the second death in the Lake of Fire.

Next in terms of what it means for the two witnesses to accuse the nations who have trampled the Temple of Good or the Church along with the now so-called Christians it is also quite simple. The idea here is that the two witnesses are supposed to speak out against the same things that I spoke out against previously in relation to the nations trampling the Temple of God. In other words the two witnesses are to speak out against the greed and desires of the nations that have largely corrupted the Church into the soon to be church of Satan. Then of course as I said before the purpose of the corruption of the Church into the soon to be church of Satan is so that when the beast finally rises all the so-called Christians in the world will greet the beast with open arms, hearts and minds so that the whole world will worship it just as the Book of Revelation says. That said I also believe that the two witnesses are supposed to correct the doctrines of the Church so that they demonstrate which doctrines are true and which doctrines are false. This is because it would only make sense for the two witnesses to correct the teachings of men so that they are in line with the realities of God since the two witnesses are God’s witnesses.

But why is it important for the world to receive the prophesy of the two witnesses? I mean if the nations will trample the Temple of God anyways and the whole world will worship the beast then why does it even make a difference to have the two witnesses foretell the future and forthtell the present will of God? Well really the purpose behind the two witnesses is that God is preparing the world to receive judgment. The idea here is that the two witnesses are supposed to tell the world that it is guilty of transgressing against God and because of this guilt everyone and everything will be swept away in the final judgment. Then of course after this all those who do not have their name “written in the Book of Life” (Revelation 20:15) by being faithful to God will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. In other words if the people of the world refuse to repent and give glory to God then they will be eternally damned with the second death in the Lake of Fire.

Now this may not make sense so think of it like this. Essentially God is warning the world through His two witnesses about what will happen in the future and saying what is wrong in the present so that no one can say to Him on the day of judgment that no one knew what the future was going to be like and that they were wrong. For instance if not a single person in the world understands the true meaning of the Book of Revelation then people will say on the day of judgment that coming to know and understand the hidden mysteries of God was impossible. However if the two witnesses prophesy about the hidden mysteries of God then truly the world will have nothing to say because the two witnesses have in fact revealed the mysteries of God to the world before the day of judgment arrives. If this still does not make sense then think about it like a trial as I said previously were God is bringing a case against the world where He is accusing the world of unfaithfulness. The idea here is that the two witnesses are God’s faithful witnesses who testify on God’s behalf that what He says is true. Thus in the context of foretelling and forthtelling the will of God this means that the two witnesses are to testify to the truth of the Book of Revelation and the teachings in the Bible. This is important because if no one is to testify to the world that the Book of Revelation and the teachings of God are true then how is the world supposed to judged as guilty and stand condemned before God? Thus this is why it is necessary to have the two witnesses prophesy.

Next since I have gone over what the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy no doubt you may be wondering what relationship the two witnesses have to this book. I mean based on what I said the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy is really identical to everything I have written in this book. For instance the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy in terms of foretelling the future before the beast rises so that the world is made aware of what needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God can arrive. Obviously this book does just that. Then likewise the two witnesses are supposed to remain faithful to God despite the fact that the nations have trampled the Temple of God so that they go on to prophesy against the world by correcting and accusing the people of the world. Obviously this book does just that.

So what does this mean exactly? Well really I would consider this book a book of prophecy. This is because not only does it meet the definition of prophecy in that this book foretells and forthtells the will of God but also because I felt moved or even forced to write this book. Furthermore there were many times while writing this book when I would wonder what something could mean and while thinking about it the meaning would just come to me as if the idea just instantly appeared in my mind. On top of this before writing this book I was never able to write much or very well. For instance even at university it was a painful and long process to write even a mere few thousand words. However this was not the case when writing this book. Instead when I wrote this book the words that I needed to write seemed to flow into my mind and to my keyboard as if what I wrote was supposed to be written that way. What I am trying to say here is that really I do not consider myself alone to be the author of this book. Thus as a result I consider this book to be a book of prophecy.

Does this then mean that I am a prophet? Well I suppose based upon the definition of a prophet I would indeed meet that definition given the fact that this book is a book of prophecy since the purpose of this book is to both foretell and forthtell what I completely believe to be the will of God. That said this does not mean that I am claiming that God has spoken to me when writing this book. I mean it is not like I am claiming that God has spoken to me. Instead all I am saying here is that from my perspective it really seems like I was moved by the Holy Spirit of God to write this book as I have written it.

So does this then mean that I am a witness of God? Well as you will soon see really all faithful Christians who fulfill the role of the two witnesses that the Book of Revelation has laid out are the two witnesses and because of this fact I would be a witness of God. That said really I do not consider myself to be a witness of God as much as I consider this book to be a witness of God. Now this may seem strange to you but I see it this way because really I am not the one prophesying to the world and instead this book of prophecy is prophesying to the world. My point here is that ultimately this book is like a living witness that is prophesying against the beast and against the world because I have given it away for free so that everyone can freely share, copy and reproduce it however they wish. I mean it is not like I am traveling the world to prophesy to groups of people in person and instead this book is in effect traveling the world and prophesying to all those who read it.

Now this may not seem that important to you but the fact that I consider this book to be a witness of God more so than myself is incredibly important. This is because even if I die tomorrow then this book will live on in the world so that it continues to prophesy against the coming beast and against the world. Then this prophesying by this book will not cease once the beast finally rises. Instead the prophesying of this book will never cease and never stop so that even during the day of judgment this book will continue to prophesy against all those who failed to heed the prophecies of this book and against all those who failed to read the prophecies of this book. Thus you can see why I consider this book to be a witness of God more so than myself since really this book will serve as a witness of God until the end of the age and the day of judgment itself. If this still does not make sense to you then consider the following verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)

My point here is that even if you want to say that my testimony and prophesying is what the Book of Revelation is talking about when referencing the “testimony” (Revelation 11:7) of “the two witnesses” (Revelation 11:7) then this still means that this book is far more important than I am. This is because “the two witnesses” (Revelation 11:7) will be killed by the beast and if I am truly one of “the two witnesses” (Revelation 11:7) that the Book of Revelation is speaking about then that obviously means I will be killed and if this happens then my testimony and prophesying will cease. On the other hand this book of prophesy is a living testimony against the world and against the beast that will not perish or pass away once the beast finally rises. Instead this book will serve as a witness of God until the end of the age and the day of judgment itself as I said above.

As a result of this fact I see this book as having a higher purpose than myself. For instance as I said previously one of the reasons why God has empowered His “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) is because He wants the world to be aware of the reason He is going to pass judgment on the world and condemn all those who rebel against Him before the beast comes and the end of the age arrives. As a result of this one of the purposes of this book if not the main purpose is to continue to serve as a witness of God until the end so that God is fully justified in carrying out the final judgment and the day of judgment at the end of the age. Of course since this book will serve as a witness of God until the end of the age itself this then means that this book is more important than myself. I mean even if I live until the end finally comes then really this book will still prophesy and testify to many more people than I ever could. Thus this is why I said I see this book as having a higher purpose than myself.

But wait how exactly is it fair for not everyone to know about this book? I mean how could merely writing this book be enough for God to accuse and condemn the world? Would it not make more sense to say that God can only accuse and condemn those who have read this book? Well no. You see the entire world will be judged and condemned as one and because of this fact all God needs is for people to write works like this book so that these works can stand as a written testimony against the world. Think about it in terms of human laws. As the common saying goes ignorance of the law is no excuse. Therefore ignorance of this book is no excuse. My point here is that the people of the world will not be protected from God’s accusations and judgment just because they are ignorant of the mysteries of God that this book clearly spells out as a result of not reading this book. That said really God is God and He can judge whoever He wants however He wants. Therefore we should just be grateful that He has at least revealed His mysteries to some people instead of no one at all since obviously no one knowing would be far worse.

(3) “for 1,260 days,” – 1,260 days is 42 months or 3.5 years based on 30 day months. Therefore the meaning of 1,260 days is the same as what I previously said 42 months means. Then just to review 42 months or 1,260 days means a period of time of indeterminate length that God has appointed or promised to come to pass. This means that 1,260 days is not literal and instead it is entirely metaphorical in the sense that it is representative of a period of time of any length. If you wish to dispute this for whatever reason then once again consider the following verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6)

As I said previously in this verse there is clear proof that the “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) are not supposed to be viewed as a literal period of time that is “1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6) This is because “the woman” (Revelation 12:6) in this verse is obviously Israel or the Church as I have said before and fleeing “into the wilderness” (Revelation 12:6) “to be nourished” (Revelation 12:6) refers to how Israel fled the Roman province of Judea shortly after Jesus’s ascension into heaven so that Israel or the Church could take root in foreign lands. Really the idea here is that Israel or the Church was “nourished” (Revelation 12:6) in “the wilderness” (Revelation 12:6) or foreign lands by taking on new converts to true Judaism or Christianity so that the number of faithful Israelites or faithful Christians would increase.

Then because of this fact clearly the “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in this verse cannot refer to a literal “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) and to say otherwise would be nonsensical. This is because as I said previously Israel or the Church was not “nourished” (Revelation 12:6) for a mere “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in the first century AD and instead it was “nourished” (Revelation 12:6) for decades as evidenced by the fact that it took decades for Israel or the Church to take root and expand in lands outside of the Roman province of Judea. For instance Paul’s first missionary journey did not start until around fifteen years after Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Furthermore it took Paul almost thirty years after Jesus’s ascension to arrive at the city of Rome in the early 60s AD. Therefore clearly “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) does not refer to a literal period of “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) and instead it refers to the many decades it took for the Church to slowly grow from a small group of faithful Christians to a much larger group.

Now you may wish to dispute this by wishing to somehow fit the “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) in somehow by saying it refers to a specific three and a half year period somewhere. Sure you can claim this but really you would be objectively wrong. This is because even at the end of the first century AD there were less than ten thousand Christians in the world. Then by the middle of the second century there were less than fifty thousand Christians. Even by the end of the second century AD there were only around two hundred thousands Christians in the world. Keep in mind that the end of the second century AD was almost two hundred years after the ascension of Jesus to heaven. Now even ten-thousand Christians might seem like a lot to you but this is not the case. This is because in the mid first century AD there were around four million so-called Jews in the world. Sure you might wish to dispute this number and say it was less but estimates for the total number of so-called Jews who died during the so-called Jewish-Roman Wars ranges from one to two million. Thus obviously the so-called Jews were numbered in the millions.

But what is my point with this? Well my point is that you cannot under any circumstance say that the Church or Israel was “nourished” (Revelation 12:6) when there were two hundred thousand Christians at 200 AD let alone less than ten thousand at 100 AD. This is because if the so-called Jews and so-called Israel were far more powerful then the true Jews and the true Israel then really it is nonsensical to say that the “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) of nourishment ended in the first century AD let alone that it lasted for a literal period of three and a half years. In fact I would even go as far to say that the “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) that the Book of Revelation is speaking about with respect to the nourishment of the Church or Israel lasted from when missionaries left the Roman province of Judea and ended when Christianity was adopted as the state religion of the Roman Empire or at least just before this happened. This is because even a hundred years after the time of Jesus the Church or Israel was weak and frail. Therefore because of all this you cannot try to say that “1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6) refers to a literal period of time in the first century AD. Again I would just like to point out that saying that the Church or Israel was nourished for a mere three and a half years is just completely nonsensical and objectively wrong.

As a result of all this clearly “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) does not refer to a literal period that is “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) long and you cannot say otherwise. Then because of this fact by saying that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) “will prophesy for 1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) the Book of Revelation is saying that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) will prophesy for a period of time of indeterminate length and that God has promised or appointed this period of time so that nothing will be able to prevent the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) from prophesying for the period of time that God has appointed for them to prophesy for. In other words by saying the witnesses will prophesy “for 1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) all this verse is actually saying is that the witnesses will prophesy for a period of time. Now I said a period of time because we do not actually know how long this period of time will be. Thus once again really the meaning of “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) is quite simple.

But how long do I think the two witnesses will prophesy for? Well really we cannot know for sure as I just said but I would actually say it is irrelevant. For instance according to the Book of Revelation the two witnesses will cease prophesying once “the beast that comes up from the Abyss” (Revelation 11:7) goes on to “kill them.” (Revelation 11:7) However all this means is that the beast will kill the two witnesses at some point after it rises. Therefore the beast could very well rule over the world for a thousand years before it finally kills the two witnesses. So really even this seemingly definitive endpoint to the prophesying of the two witnesses is not exactly definitive. Then in terms of when the two witnesses will begin their prophesying really we cannot say. This is because all the Book of Revelation implies is that the two witnesses are supposed to begin their prophesying after the nations begin to trample the church. As a result of this fact really it is entirely possible to say that the two witnesses have been prophesying for many years to even centuries since the nations have slowly been trampling the Church from the first century AD to the present day. That said it is also entirely possible to see a future fulfillment of the nations trampling the Church or the Temple of God as I have said.

But my point here is that really you cannot point to a definitive start and end to the period of time that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are supposed to prophesy for and because of this fact really we cannot know for sure how long they will prophesy for. Now the reason why I said asking how long this period will be is irrelevant is because how long the period of time lasts is irrelevant. My point here is that this part of the Book of Revelation just like the rest of the Book of Revelation is not a literal guide about what needs to happen before the eternal Kingdom of God comes to pass. Instead the duration of the prophesying by the two witnesses is supposed to be viewed spiritually so that we look for the deeper spiritual meaning of the duration of the prophesying by the two witnesses. This spiritual meaning is of course the meaning of the prophesying of the two witnesses in regards to warning the world about the beast and accusing the world of rebelling against God as I have already said previously. Therefore instead of trying to figure out the beginning and end of the prophesying of the two witnesses pay attention to the deeper meaning of the prophesying of the two witnesses so that you do not become lost in an irrelevant matter.

Lastly you may be wondering if what I have said in regards to the meaning of “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) and “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) is true given the fact that the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) or “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) is not used in both cases. I mean why are two different numbers used here? Well really I would say two different numbers are used as a stylistic choice and “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) and “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) mean the exactly same thing as I have demonstrated already. That said in terms of a specific reason other than a stylistic choice I would say two different numbers that are both representative of an indeterminate period of time that God has appointed or promised are used as a way of differentiating between the two different periods of time. The idea here is that the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) that the nations will trample the Temple of God or the Church for is not the same period of time as the “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) that the two witnesses will prophesy for. In other words each period of time refers to a different period of time.

Now you may wish to dispute this and claim that the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) and “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) both refer to the same period of time and because of this supposed fact that therefore it refers to a literal period of time that is supposed to be three and a half years long. However this is obviously wrong. This is because when the two witnesses prophesy they are supposed to be opposed by the world. I say this because of the following passage.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.” (Revelation 11:7-10)

So what is my point here exactly and how does this relate to the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) and “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) referring to different periods of time? Well you see when the two witnesses prophesy the whole world will stand against them. This means that even the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will stand opposed to the two witnesses. Therefore the two witnesses can only prophesy after the Church has been trampled for the “42 months.” (Revelation 11:2)

But wait can these two things not happen at the same time so that the Church is fully trampled at the end of the “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) all so that the whole world including the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians stand against the two witnesses at the end of the period that is “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) long? Well not really. But why? Well you see saying that the Church or the Temple of God will go from uncorrupted to trampled by the nations and corrupted in a mere three and a half years is just nonsensical. Furthermore in order to justify such a rapid trampling you cannot appeal to the power of the beast and say that the world is just so amazed by the beast so that is why the Church will be corrupted so fast. This is because the beast will only rise at the end or at least sometime during the testimony of the two witnesses. But why is it nonsensical to say that the Church will be trampled in a mere three and a half years? Well let me ask you a question. Do you think it is possible for say eighty to ninety-five percent of the Christians in the whole world to go from faithful Christians to unfaithful Christians in a mere three and a half years due to becoming corrupted by the teachings and doctrines of the nations? Well of course not because such a thing would be nonsensical. Therefore the trampling of the Temple of God or the Church cannot take place during the exact same literal time period of three and a half years that the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy for from a literal perspective.

As a result of all this “42 months” (Revelation 11:2) and “1,260 days” (Revelation 11:3) do not refer to the same period of time and instead they refer to separate periods of time. This then means that my point that different numbers were used here in the Book of Revelation in order to say that these are two separate periods of time that are not the same stands. That said even if the numbers given were the same then nothing would really change since it would be obvious from the text itself that the two time periods are not the same as I have demonstrated. Therefore in the end really the use of two numbers is a stylistic choice.

(3) “clothed in sackcloth.” – As this verse says the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are supposed to be “clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3) In terms of what sackcloth is sackcloth is a rough poncho like piece of clothing that covers a person’s chest and private parts that is made out of goat hair or another course hair like camel hair. That said just like all the previous symbolism that I have already gone over in the Book of Revelation the reference to “sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) is not literal. Instead the reference to “sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) here is entirely symbolic or metaphorical. You see being “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) is representative of sacrifice, abasement, humility, mourning and repentance. This is because during the Old Testament period wearing sackcloth was a way of mourning or repenting through through abasing yourself and sacrificing your comfort by wearing such a rough, course and basic piece of clothing. Really the idea here is that wearing sackcloth was seen as an outward expression of mourning and repentance to all those around you so that they would know that you are going through something difficult in your life. If all this does not make much sense then consider the following passages.

As the Book of Genesis says:

“His father recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.” (Genesis 37:33-34)

And as Second Samuel says:

“(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, ‘Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.’ And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.” (2 Samuel 3:30-31)

The point with these two passages is that Jacob wore a sackcloth and David ordered those with him to each wear a sackcloth because Jacob and David were each morning the loss of someone or in the case of Jacob the supposed loss of his son. Therefore clearly wearing sackcloth is associated with mourning through sacrifice and abasement. Then in terms of sackcloth being associated with repentance consider the following passages.

As Second Samuel says:

“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’

‘The LORD has taken away your sin,’ Nathan replied. ‘You will not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, the son born to you will surely die.’

After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.” (2 Samuel 12:13-17)

And as First Kings says:

“When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.”

He replied, ‘I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. This is what the LORD says:

‘I will bring calamity on you
and consume your descendants;
I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,
both slave and free.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat
and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah,
because you have provoked My anger
and caused Israel to sin.’

And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:

‘The dogs will devour Jezebel
by the wall of Jezreel.’

Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city
will be eaten by dogs,
and anyone who dies in the field
will be eaten by the birds of the air.’

(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: ‘Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.’” (1 Kings 21:20-29)

In both of these two passages God told both David and Ahab through a prophet that they will be punished by God. In the case of David God said his son will die and in the case of Ahab God said He would kill his wife and those around him so that his house is left desolate. Then after hearing these pronouncements of judgment both David and Ahab both repent of their sins and in order to show humility and demonstrate that their repentance is genuine they abase themselves and sacrifice their comfort by wearing sackcloth. Therefore clearly wearing sackcloth is also representative of repentance.

Alright so my point with these passages is that wearing sackcloth is representative of repentance and mourning through showing humility, debasement and sacrifice as I have demonstrated. Therefore when the verse this comment is on says that “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) will be “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) it is not really saying that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) will be literally “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) and instead it is saying that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are supposed to be seen as showing repentance and mourning while they are prophesying.

But what exactly does it mean for the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) to show repentance and mourning while they are prophesying? Well really being “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) or showing repentance and mourning is about the attitude and mindset of the two witnesses rather than their actions. What I mean by this is that the two witnesses are supposed be deeply and sincerely mourning and repenting as they prophesy against the coming beast and against the world as the world rebels against God. But why are the two witnesses supposed to deeply and sincerely mourn and repent? Well really the reason centers around the fact that the two witnesses know what is going to come in the future as evidenced by the fact that they are supposed to prophesy. Then from an earthly perspective what the future holds for the world is rather bleak in the sense that the beast will soon rise to rule over the world and crush all the saints or faithful Christians so that only the church of Satan remains. In other words the only thing the two witnesses have to look forward to here on earth is the corruption of the Church so that the whole world will eventually worship the beast. Then since this future is obviously quite bitter as I have already said in my commentary on Revelation 10 it would only make sense for the two witnesses to mourn, feel sadness and be distressed as they are prophesying about this future. Furthermore since the Book of Revelation says that all those who worship the beast will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death it would also make sense for the two witnesses to be mourning about what will happen to the vast majority of humanity at the end of the age as almost everyone who lived on earth in the last days is cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death. The idea here is that the two witnesses do not want to see almost everyone alive on earth in their time or billions upon billions of people cast into the Lake of Fire for worshiping the beast and because of this they mourn on behalf of the world and for the people of the world. Thus this is what it means for the two witnesses to mourn.

But what what does it mean for the two witnesses to show repentance? Well really the idea here is that the two witnesses are repenting before God not only for their own sins and failures but also for the sins and failures of the world. In terms of repenting for their own sins and failures this means that the two witnesses will feel regret and seek to make amends with God for what they have done in their own life. This is because as they prophesy about the present and the future to the world their very words will convict themselves so that they will feel shame and regret about their own sins. Then of course because of this fact two witnesses will be repenting as they prophesy as I said. However as I just said above the two witnesses will also repent for the sins and failures of the world as well. This means that the two witnesses will repent on behalf of the world because the nations have trampled the Church so that most if not the vast majority of Christians are now so-called Christians and part of the soon to be church of Satan due to the fact that they are following the desires of the nations instead of the desires of God. Really the idea here is that the two witnesses are repenting on behalf of the world because they know what will happen to the world once God unleashes His righteous furry and wrath on the nations and the people of the world. That said just because the two witnesses are repenting on behalf of the world this does not mean that God will forgive the world. Instead just as the Book of Revelation says and as the two witnesses testify God will completely kill and destroy all those who trample His Temple or worship the beast by placing their faith, trust and hope in it. Thus this is what it means for the two witnesses to repent.

Alright but what is the point of all this? Well really I felt it necessary to really go into the meaning of being “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) because I feel like I am “clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3) For instance obviously I have written this book and because of this fact I am fully aware of what will happen in the future in regards to not only the beast but also all the nations and the people of the world. This future of course brings me sorrow, sadness and distress as I know I am completely powerless to prevent almost everyone on earth from worshiping the beast. Of course this includes for those who are supposed to be my brothers and sisters because they too will almost certainly worship the beast as well as the church of Satan rises in the future. Then because of this fact I am continually mourning for what has yet to take place.

If this does not make sense to you then allow me to make it more personal. For instance even those who are my own family, friends and acquaintances do not listen to what I have to say concerning the Book of Revelation and the beast. Furthermore almost everyone I have contacted or talked to about this book has been completely unreceptive to the point that even those who I believed to be faithful Christians have completely ignored me. What I am trying to say here is that I have seen the future that awaits all the nations and all people for myself in my own life as everyone around me remains completely disinterested in the mysteries of God. Therefore when the Book of Revelation says that “all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” (Revelation 13:8) I do not doubt what has been written because as I just said I have seen this future for myself with those around me. Then given the fact that everyone who worships the beast, including my family, friends and acquaintances, will face the second death in the Lake of Fire I am now sure you can understand why I am mourning or rather “clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 13:3)

Furthermore I also feel like I am repenting almost daily not just for my own sins and failures but for the sins and failures of the world. First off due to the fact that I am aware of what is to come I feel like I need to continually repent and give glory to God since the end of the age is at hand. For instance not only are there sins and failures that I regret in my life in the past but I also feel responsible for the sins of the world in the present and how the whole world will sin against God by worshiping the beast in the future. The reason why I feel responsible is because I am aware of the sins of the world in the present and the future that will happen with respect to the beast. The idea here is that I feel like all I have to do is explain the mysteries of God that I am aware of and the people I speak to will repent and join me in giving glory God. Then because of the fact that I have basically completely failed in warning just about anyone I feel like I must repent for failing in this task. That said I supposed I cannot change the will of God and for this reason succeeding at warning the world about what is to come is literally impossible because of what the Book of Revelation says. In other words if what I have written in this book is correct then I will never succeed at warning the world and the Church as I had hoped when I started writing it.

This then brings me to the second reason why I feel the need to repent. Ultimately I feel sadness and sorrow for the nations and the world for the future that has yet to come to pass. For instance most of the time whenever I walk around in public I see all the people around me and think to myself about their future in worshiping the beast and the second death that awaits them in the Lake of Fire for placing their faith, trust and hope in the beast instead of in God alone. Then whenever I think about this I feel as if I need to continually repent and feel sorrow for them because as the Book of Revelation says will happen “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3)

To this end I also feel like a failure as I have said previously do to the fact that if this book is correct then I will forever remain unable to convince even some people of what I have said in this book. But how is it my fault that the world will not listen to me? I mean does the Book of Revelation not say that this future will come to pass? Well of course it does and God has predestined and determined my failure in spreading this book from the foundation of the world itself. However this does not mean that I do not feel sorrow due to my inability to do anything. Instead I truly feel like I must repent for my failures in trying to spread this book. Now this may not make much sense to you but really I would say it just feels like I am somehow responsible for all those who have rejected this book because maybe there were some special words I could have said to convince them.

No doubt this does not help so consider the following example. Imagine yourself standing outside a building that is starting to burn with a tiny fire at the base from your point of view. So after seeing the fire and because you do not want people to be killed by the fire you rush into the building and yell at the people inside to tell them that there is a fire outside and that they need to get out now before it is too late. In response some of the people look at you like you are crazy, others just ignore you completely as they look annoyed, others act like they did not even hear you and a few people tell you that you are definitely wrong and that there is no fire because they just looked out the window to check. No doubt you would be completely dumbfounded at this point. So what do you do next? Well of course you would go back outside and get some people who can see the fire to tell those inside the building that they need to get out. So you do this but there is a problem. The people outside that you talked to act the exact same way as the people outside the building. Furthermore some of the people outside the building even call you evil and wicked for wishing to spread such nonsense about a fire that clearly is not there. However despite what these people say the fire continues to grow and it becomes clear that it will not stop at burning the building to the ground and instead it will burn the whole city to ash. It is at this point that some people start to see the fire but instead of saying that they need to evacuate they say that the fire is not bad and some of those who say this even say that it is clearly a blessing. So what would you do at this point? But in terms of the issue at hand how would this all make you feel? Well of course you would feel like everyone around you is now crazy and because of this fact you would feel responsible in the sense that you would feel like there must be something that you are missing to convince everyone about the threat of the fire.

Of course in terms of the meaning of this example obviously the building is representative of all the Christians in the world, the fire is the beast, the people outside the building are those who are not Christians and you would be me. Thus what I am trying to say with this example is that I feel like I am trying to warn Christians and the entire world itself about the coming beast that is slowly rising even as I am writing this now. However despite my efforts no one has really listened to me or taken what I have to say seriously. The because of this fact it feels like surely there must be something wrong with me and with something that I have done. I mean why else would no one listen to me? Surely the entire world is not so blind that they cannot see what I can see and that it must be something I am doing right? At this point I am sure you can now see why I feel sorrow and feel like a failure. Then given the fact that I have failed I feel like I need to repent. I mean maybe I could have done something different or said something else to convince someone? Who knows so therefore I feel like I must repent as I just said.

All that said though in reality God has predestined and determined the hard hearts, blind eyes and deaf ears of all those who have failed to take the messages of this book seriously. Therefore in truth there is nothing I could have done differently since God has already determined that the world and even the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians will reject my message. Although like I said before this also brings me sorrow because I must stand as a witness of God and watch the whole world burn without being able to do anything to stop it. This is why I truly feel like I am “clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3)

Finally I would just like to say that it is normal if you also feel like sorrow so that you feel like you need to repent on behalf of the world for what is going to come to pass before and during the reign of the beast. I say this is normal because the Book of Revelation is very real, the reign of beast will be very real and the coming judgment at the end of the age will be very real. Therefore if you also feel like you are “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) due to everything that is happening and has yet to happen then just know that you are not alone.

(4) “These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” – To begin this verse is rather confusing to understand because it is both a reference to a passage from the Old Testament as well as an entirely symbolic reference to what the two witnesses are supposed to be in the present and the future. These two references may seem contradictory in nature however both references are required to fully understand this passage on the two witnesses. For instance in terms of the actual identity of the two witnesses the symbolic meaning of “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) is what is important. On the other hand the reference to the Old Testament in this verse is important to understand the subsequent verses. Since you almost certainly have no idea what I am talking about it would now help to explain both the reference to the Old Testament and the symbolic reference to the two witnesses in this verse.

First in terms of the symbolic meaning of this verse really it is quite simple and easy to understand. Although there is actually a double meaning to the symbolism that I explain when talking about how this verse is a reference to the Old Testament. Alright so I said before the reason why there are “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) rather than a different number is because according to the Law of Moses in order to establish reliable testimony against someone at least two witnesses are required. Thus the idea is that the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) are God’s witnesses who are testifying against the world on His behalf. Therefore because there are “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) and because these two witnesses are testifying on behalf of God this means that when this verse says “These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) the verse is saying that each of the two witnesses is an olive tree and a lampstand and that by being “before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) each of the witnesses are representing God Himself on earth. So if each of the witnesses is an olive tree and a lampstand then what exactly does this mean? Well first off you should remember that the symbol of a lampstand has been used previous to represent churches or rather the individual assemblies of faithful Christians that make up the Church or the complete assembly of faithful Christians.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20)

My point here with this verse is that Jesus is directly telling us that “the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20) and because of this fact according to the Book of Revelation the symbol of a lampstand is supposed to be seen and understood as referring to a church or the Church. Then because of this fact you can probably guess that by saying “These witnesses are” (Revelation 11:4) “the two lampstands” (Revelation 11:4) this verse is saying that the two witnesses are the two churches or rather the two witnesses are the Church.

Now this may not make much sense so consider what “the two olive trees” (Revelation 11:4) means. In terms of what the symbol of an olive tree means it is actually a symbol that is supposed to be seen as representative of Israel. The idea behind this symbol is that God is like the owner of a field, or the earth, and that He has planted an olive tree on this field, or rather Israel upon the earth. The reason why an olive tree is used specifically is because olive trees produce a harvest of olives and because of this fact basically the sole reason why people planted olive trees was for this harvest. Now this relates to Israel because just like how the owner of a field expects a their olives trees to produce fruit God expects His olive tree or Israel to produce fruit. Then of course the fruit that God expects Israel to produce is faith and obedience to Him above all others. For an example of a usage of the symbol of an olive tree referring to Israel consider the following passage.

As the Book of Jeremiah says:

“As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of disaster.

What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat avert your doom,
so that you can rejoice?
The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit.
But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire,
and its branches will be consumed.

The LORD of Hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you on account of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have brought upon themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.” (Jeremiah 11:14-17)

In this passage God used to see Israel as “a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit” (Jeremiah 11:16) that He has planted however due to Israel’s sin He promises to “set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.” (Jeremiah 11:16) Therefore clearly the symbol of an olive tree refers to Israel. Then because of this fact by saying “These witness are the two olive trees” (Revelation 11:4) this verse is saying that the two witnesses are the two Israels or rather the two witnesses are Israel.

When these two symbols are combined into one each of the two witnesses would then be Israel and the Church. So does this mean that the two witnesses are Israel and the Church? Well no, this is not the case. This is because each of the two witnesses are an olive tree or Israel and a lampstand or the Church. The key word here is each which means that each of the two witnesses are representative of the same exact thing or Israel and the Church. So what does this mean exactly? Well as I said before the fact that there are “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) comes from the requirement of the Law of Moses that the testimony of at least two witnesses is required to establish guilt. This means that you should not see the fact that there are two witnesses here as being significant in terms of each of the two witnesses being representative of Israel and the Church. Instead the meaning of each of the two witnesses being Israel and the Church is actually very easy to understand. The idea is that Israel is being used to refer to the Old Testament period and the Church is being used to refer to the New Testament period. In other words the two witnesses are supposed to be seen as being representative of a single and united people of God across both the Old and New Testament periods. In other words the Church and Israel are one in the same. Then just to reiterate this fact can clearly be seen in this verse since it says the two witnesses “are the two olive trees and the two lampstands” (Revelation 11:4) which means that each of the two witnesses is Israel and the Church. In other words the so-called Jews and so-called Israel do not have anything to do with being a witness of God and instead the true Israel or the Church is the sole witness of God since we as faithful Christians and true Israelites are the sole and only people of God alive on earth today.

So what does it mean for each of the two witnesses to be Israel and the Church so that they are representative of the Old and New Testament periods? Well as I said above there is actually a second meaning to the symbolism of olive trees and lampstands here and in order for this second meaning that I have yet to explain make sense you must first understand the meaning of this verse in terms of it being a reference to the Old Testament. Then the reference to the Old Testament in this verse is actually a reference to the Book of Zechariah.

As the Book of Zechariah says:

“Then I asked the angel, ‘What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?’ And I questioned him further, ‘What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the golden oil pours?’

‘Do you not know what these are?’ he inquired.

‘No, my lord,’ I replied.

So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.’” (Zechariah 4:11-14)

There are two main points in this passage. The first is that there is actually a second symbolic meaning to an olive tree and this meaning is of course an anointed one as the angel in the passage directly says. But then why did I say that the meaning of of the olive trees in the verse this comment is on is Israel then? Well you see Israel is God’s anointed nation. All the word anointed means is specially chosen and sanctified by and for God. So then who “are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth” (Zechariah 4:14) as this passage says? Well the answer is of course Moses and Elijah. But why? Well the Old Testament is divided into the two main parts of the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Moses would obviously be representative of the Law of Moses and then Elijah was one of the foremost prophets of God in the part called the Prophets so he is representative of the Prophets. Now you might dispute this but this meaning can be seen the New Testament as well.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror.

Then Jesus came over and touched them. ‘Get up,’ He said. ‘Do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-8)

The purpose of Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus is to show Peter, James and John as well as us that Moses or the Law of Moses and Elijah or the Prophets bear witness to Jesus so that Jesus is not something new but rather a continuation of the words a legacies of Moses and the Prophets. In other words you should not see Moses as literally appearing here and instead you should see Moses appearing as being representative of the Law of Moses testifying on behalf of Jesus. Then likewise you should see the appearance of Elijah as the writings of the Prophets testifying on behalf of Jesus. Really the idea here is that Christianity is not a new religion as the vast majority of people see it today. Instead Christianity is the continuation of Judaism so that all Christians are Jews. As I said before this is because Jesus is the Christ and the King of Israel so that whoever recognizes His authority is part of His kingdom or Israel.

Alright then before I explain the meaning of the two witnesses there is a second meaning to “the two lampstands” (Revelation 11:4) in “the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” (Revelation 11:4) You see the reason why lampstands symbolically mean churches in the Book of Revelation is because a lampstand was used to create light to guide the way when it was dark. Thus the idea here is that the churches of God and of Jesus guide the way for the people and nations of the world so that they may come to know God through Jesus. So in this sense the most direct symbolic meaning of a lampstand would actually be something that or even someone who guides the way for others by creating light or rather serving as an example or instructing others. Of course this makes sense in terms of the two witnesses because clearly Moses and Elijah were anointed by God and helped to guide the way for Israel in the past.

So in terms of the meaning of the two witnesses with respect to the Old Testament the two witnesses are supposed to be seen as being representative of Moses and Elijah. But does this then mean that the two witnesses are supposed to literally be Moses and Elijah so that Moses and Elijah will prophesy in the future? Well no. You see even if the Book of Revelation literally said that Moses and Elijah will both come in the flesh then this actually does not mean that Moses and Elijah will literally come as we would think of it today. Instead the Bible actually has a very different view in terms of what a literal appearance by Elijah means.

As the Gospel of Matthew says:

“The disciples asked Him, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’

Jesus replied, ‘Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.’

Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17:10-13)

My point with this passage is that clearly Jesus Himself saw John the Baptist as the return of Elijah even though John the Baptist was not actually and literally Elijah as we would see it today. The significance of this is that clearly someone does not actually have to be Elijah himself in order to be seen as Elijah. As a result of this fact when the Book of Revelation refers to the two witnesses or rather Moses and Elijah it is not literally saying that Moses and Elijah are to return to the earth as they were in the Old Testament. Instead the Book of Revelation is saying that the two witnesses will be like or similar to Moses and Elijah just like how John the Baptist was like or similar to Elijah during the time of Jesus in the early first century AD. In other words the point here is that just as God stood behind Moses and Elijah during the Old Testament so that Moses and Elijah spoke on behalf of God so too will the two witnesses speak on behalf of God as God Himself stands behind them. Now you may doubt this meaning so consider the following verse.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.” (Revelation 11:6)

By saying that the two witnesses will “have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy” (Revelation 11:6) the Book of Revelation is saying that the two witnesses will have the same power as Elijah since Elijah once commanded that there will be no rain. Then by saying that the two witnesses will have the “power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish” (Revelation 11:6) the Book of Revelation is saying that the two witnesses will have the same power as Moses since Moses once commanded that the waters of the Nile turn into blood along with commanding many other plagues upon ancient Egypt. Therefore the idea here is that the Book of Revelation is not literally saying that the two witnesses will have the literal ability to do these things. Instead this verse is saying that just as God stood behind Moses and Elijah and empowered the work they did so too will God stand behind His two witnesses and empower the work they will do so that His will is fulfilled.

So as a result of all this who exactly are the two witnesses supposed to be? Well based on the fact that the two “witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) this means that the two witnesses are faithful Christians in Israel or the Church whom God has anointed, chosen and empowered to the same degree as Moses and Elijah to prophesy by serving as His witnesses against the world and the coming beast as they carry the full legacy of the Old and New Testament periods into the end of the age. Then just to reiterate the reason why there are two witnesses is because the Law of Moses requires at least two witnesses to accuse and convict someone of something and the idea is that the two witnesses are God’s witnesses against the world and the coming beast who are testifying on behalf of God. This means that you should not see a literal two witnesses and instead you should see any number of witnesses as being possible. In other words instead of a mere two witnesses there could be ten or even ten thousand for all we know. Really the main point is just that God has anointed, chosen and empowered faithful Christians to serve as His witnesses and testify on His behalf by prophesying against the world and against the coming beast. Now I say present tense here because given what the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy about it would make sense to say that the two witnesses are already here. However this does not mean that God will not anoint, choose and empower more faithful Christians to serve as His witnesses in the future. Instead all I am saying is that the arrival of the two witnesses is not something that will only happen in the future because they have already started to arrive.

So what does this mean exactly? I mean does this then mean that anyone can be a witness of God and part of the two witnesses? Well yes this is exactly what this means. All you need to do in order to be a witness of God and one of the two witnesses is to testify against the world and against the coming beast on behalf of God. In other words all you have to do is tell the world about what is to come with the beast and what is going to happen to all those who are not faithful to God and you will be one of God’s witnesses. But how do you do this exactly? Well really it is quite simple and this is actually one of the reasons why I have written this book. You see this book already has basically everything you need in order to serve as a witness of God as you testify against the world and the coming beast. This is because as I have said previously what I have written here in this book is what the two witnesses are supposed to prophesy about and this is why I consider this book to be a witness of God. Therefore all you need to do to be a witness of God is to tell others about what you have read in this book since by doing this you will be testifying against the world and against the coming beast just as a witness of God is supposed to do. But wait it gets even easier than this. You see you do not actually have to memorize everything I have written in this book so that you can use it when talking to others. Instead everything you have read about in this book is of course in this book and because of this fact you can simply share this book with others and by doing this you will be a witness of God. For instance if you are at a party and someone talks about a topic of theology, something related to Christianity or better yet artificial intelligence then you can simply speak for a few minutes about the topic and then recommend this book to your audience. Then of course since I have written and given away this book for free you can actually pull out your phone and send your friends and acquaintances a free copy of this book. Or if you really want to then you even print out copies of this book yourself or pay someone to print out copies so that you can give or sell them to anyone who will take a copy.

Therefore in the most simple terms all you have to do in order to be one of the “two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) is to share this book with others after you have finished reading everything that I have written here in this book for yourself. I am being serious here and this is all you need to do. So if you always wanted to be anointed by God so that you “stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) as a faithful witness of God then all you have to do is share this book with others. This means that you do not need to go to school, get a theology degree or study under someone and instead all you need to do is you guessed it share this book. This is because I have already written what needs to be said so that all you have to do is share it with others as you join me in testifying against the world and against the coming beast on behalf of God. Therefore I strongly encourage you to put on your own sackcloth figuratively speaking as you testify on behalf of God as His witness by sharing what you have read in this book and the book itself with others.

Then if you want to be blessed and anointed by someone before you go out to prophesy by testifying on behalf of God then I hereby bless and anoint you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for what it is worth so that you may be successful in your mission. However it is important to remember that as a witness of God you are supposed to be “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3) which means that you will not find success in the traditional earthly sense where the world will accept your message and what I have written in this book. Instead by wishing you success I am talking about success in terms of being faithful to God as you fulfill your role as a witness of God. In other words you should not gauge your success based on how well received your message is. To the contrary the more people hate your message the more you will know that you have found true success as a witness of God. This is because the Book of Revelation says the whole world will worship the beast as I have said before. Therefore do not worry or concern yourself with the fact that the world will reject your message and instead take hope in the rejection that you receive because it is through this rejection that you will have assurance that your message is correct.

I know this may sound like nonsense but it is the truth. For instance before I wrote the book that you have been reading I wrote a short commentary on the Book of Revelation in order to try to spread the idea that the beast will be an artificial super intelligence easy quick and as easy as possible. To this end after I finished the book I posted it online for free on a website and contacted a bunch of people online and made some social media posts. However the reaction I received was extremely negative to such an extent basically everyone rejected me and what I wrote. Now this rejection of course made me feel sad and confused. But after I thought about it more I came to the understanding that the Book of Revelation never says that most of those who call themselves Christian let alone the vast majority will accept the message that the two witnesses are supposed to preach about the world and the beast. To the contrary the whole world is supposed to celebrate once everyone who speaks out against the beast is dead.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.” (Revelation 11:10)

Then since there are billions of people who call themselves Christians in the world today it would only make sense to say that the vast majority of these people will reject the message that the two witnesses are supposed to preach and prophesy. As a result of this fact it is no wonder that I was rejected by virtually everyone I contacted or tried to share my message with. Once I came to understand this idea I felt more assured and convicted than ever before that the message I have for the world is correct. Therefore when you prophesy to others as a witness of God just know that you will not find earthly success so that most let alone everyone who hears your message will accept it. Instead by prophesying you will find spiritual success since by serving as a witness of God and testifying against the world and the coming beast you will be fulfilling the will of God and carrying out His will. In other words as long as you strive and chase after the things of God then you will never fail and God will smile upon you even if the entire world stands against you and rejects you.

As a result of all this always remember that as a witness of God you do not answer to men and that instead you only answer to God, and by extension Jesus as the Christ, alone. This means that when the vast majority of those you believed to be faithful Christians reject your message, insult you or try to persecute you then do not be concerned. This is because it does not matter how people stand against you since as I just said ultimately you answer to God and not them. In other words as long as God stands behind you then it truly does not matter who stands against you and how many they have with them. So instead of feeling despair and sadness when you are inevitably opposed as a witness of God you should feel hope and happiness. Now this still may sound strange so consider the following passage.

As Jesus says:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

Therefore once again do not be concerned if the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians hate your message. Instead you should “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.” (Matthew 5:12) Really the point here is that the prophets of God were generally not popular in their lifetimes and instead they were hated and even persecuted. Really only after they were long dead did people come to respect and look up to them. Then since the two witnesses are prophets as a witness of God you are prophet. This means that you should not expect people to accept your message and instead you should expect them to hate and persecute you in the same manner that the prophets of the Old Testament were hated and persecuted. But when this happens instead of feeling sadness and despair as Jesus says you should “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.” (Matthew 5:12) Always remember this so that you do not let the resistance you will face consume you and your faith along with it.

Lastly I would like to emphasize that should you decide to become a witness of God as you bear witness against the world on behalf of God then you will also be giving spiritual nourishment to all the other faithful Christians in the world. This is because by prophesying about the truth of the Book of Revelation and the truth of the mysteries of God you will filling the hearts of all faithful Christians who hear you with hope for the arrival of the eternal Kingdom of God. Then as a result of this prophesying you will truly be blessed.

As Jesus says:

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:45-47)

(4) “that stand before the Lord of the earth.” – The two witnesses “stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) or God because as His witnesses they are testifying against the world and the coming beast on His behalf. The idea here is that when the two witnesses prophesy against the world and the coming beast they are not speaking with their own authority and instead they are speaking with God’s authority because they are God’s witnesses who are testifying to the truth of God’s accusations against the world and against the coming beast. Thus the two witnesses “stand before the Lord of the earth” (Revelation 11:4) because by being chosen and anointed by God to fulfill His will they are worthy to be in His presence in spirit.

(This marks the end of my progress on the latest edit. Everything past this point will not be of the same depth and length that you have been accustomed to up to this point.)

(5) “If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.” – Fire here is symbolic of the power of God to judge and comes from when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 with fire. Additionally God has appeared to Moses in a burning bush and in a column of fire to the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. Since these witnesses provide witness against the unfaithful of the world on behalf of God, whoever they speak out against will end up being destroyed by God in the Lake of Fire. By their words they will condemn the unfaithful to destruction and whoever harms them will have to face judgment from God in the second death. Thus God’s witnesses do not have to worry about being opposed because their very words will harm those who oppose them. This is what was meant by “I will empower my two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3) from before.

Additionally “fire proceeds from their mouths” would be symbolic of the witnesses speaking on behalf of God since fire is one way God has displayed His power. See Genesis 19:24, Exodus 9:23, Numbers 11:1, Leviticus 9:24, Judges 6:21, 1 Kings 18:38, 2 Chronicles 7:1, 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Kings 1:10, 2 Kings 1:12 and Revelation 20:9. Additionally fire from God was used as a test by Elijah to show that the Lord is God and not Baal. “Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” (1 Kings 18:24) Thus this verse is also saying that these witnesses will speak on behalf of God and their very words will prove to the world that they are speaking for God.

By prove here I mean that their message itself and how they speak against the world and against the coming beast will demonstrate that they speak for God. Then again in terms of the fire from their mouths killing their enemies, this is just a figurative way of saying that because they speak the truth and speak for God, that anyone they speak out against will be eternally damned and destroyed by God. Think of it like a trial where God is the Judge and the people of the world are the defendants with the two witnesses being the star witness in the case. In this example it is really the words of the witness that convict the defendants since the judge will judge them guilty by their testimony. It is the same idea here because the requirement of two witnesses even comes from the Law in the Old Testament.

(6) “These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy” – God listened to Elijah the prophet when he called for a drought: “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!’” (1 Kings 17:1) Then as James says: “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” (James 5:17)

The idea here is that these witnesses will have the backing of God just as Elijah had the backing of God. Therefore they cannot fail in their divinely appointed mission of prophesying against the nations. Thus this should not be viewed literally but rather figuratively where these witnesses are to be at least as great in standing before God as Elijah was because Revelation is saying they will have the same abilities.

(6) “and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.” – God turned the waters of the Nile into blood in order to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Again, the idea here is that the witnesses will have the backing of God for the time they are to speak out against the world so that God’s plan can be fulfilled. So figuratively speaking these witnesses will have the full backing of God in everything they say and they will be His representatives on earth who speak for Him to the people of the world. Therefore the witnesses of God should not feel alone as they speak against the world because God Himself will be with them. This means that if you decide to become a witness of God that God will be with you as you stand before Him as you speak against the world.

2 – The Witnesses Killed and Raised

(7) When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. (8) Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. (9) For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. (10) And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

(11) But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. (12) And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.

(13) And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

(14) The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.

2.1 – Commentary

(7) “When the two witnesses have finished their testimony” – Again, the purpose of the witnesses is the speak out against all the people of the world and warn them what is going to happen if they do not repent and return to God. That is to say, all those who worship the coming beast by giving up on the second coming of Jesus will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be eternally destroyed by God.

(7) “the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.” – The beast here is the first beast of Revelation 13. Coming up from the Abyss, which as previously noted is the prison for demons, indicates that the beast is evil and of Satan himself. Which is why Revelation 13 says “And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2) The dragon is of course Satan as given by Revelation 12:9.

The power of the beast will be too much for the faithful witnesses in the Church to stand and they will be overpowered. It is probably more symbolic in the sense that the faithful in the church will almost all be gone due to actions taken by the beast so it probably means apostasy.

Then as noted previously since secular society has trampled the Church, the beast being an artificial intelligence would essentially represent the culmination of secularism. So you could see this as the apparent earthly victory of secularism over the Church. Thus I think the great apostasy is also in view here where the vast majority of Christians lose their faith and ally themselves with the powers of the earth and with the beast. It is also possible the witnesses will literally be killed by the beast. If this is the case then would I be counted as a witness? If so then I will not escape the will of God.

It is also not clear when the witnesses will be killed by the beast. The text only says that the beast “will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them” after the witnesses after finished their testimony. Therefore it might not happen immediately and it could take years or even a lifetime after the beast rises.

(8) “Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.” – Sodom was an immoral city full of rapists and people who ignored the poor. Then Egypt was a nation that oppressed God’s people. Then where their Lord was crucified is a clear reference to Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem was supposedly the city of God in the time of Jesus, God’s very city called for the death of God Himself in the person of Jesus.

Since the Temple and Jerusalem as mentioned above are both symbolic, this reference to ungodly spiritually dead Jerusalem is also symbolic of ungodly and spiritually dead so-called Christians in the Church or those in the Temple courtyard. Notice how God said: “But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2) He explicitly says the courtyard outside the Temple itself is the holy city and since I have shown that the Temple and hence the holy city is the Church, the witnesses will be killed in the Church, as “the great city” in this verse.

So just as Jesus was killed among those who pretended to worship God, the witnesses, the true faithful in the Church, will be killed among those who pretend to worship God, that is those who worship themselves and the beast. Their bodies would refer to the remnants of the former faithful in the Church. The message here is that the Church will be completely taken over by the godless in society just as it was in Jesus’s day and in the process the godless will kill the very ones who tried to save them.

Just to reiterate since this is important, the idea here is that the future Church, made up of those who call themselves Christians, will be taken over by the ungodly and godless who corrupt the word of God to support whatever ideological or personal agenda they have. Now this does not mean they will be as overtly evil as I just said. Rather they will deceive the world as they spin their lies as truths. After all, as Jesus says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

Thus although the future Church will appear righteous and godly as it sides with the beast in order to create a so-called better world it is important to keep in mind that inside it will be rotten, dead and full of hypocrisy and wickedness. This is why this verse says “figuratively called Sodom and Egypt” because most of those who call themselves Christians will oppose and even oppress the witnesses of God.

Then as I had warned earlier, there will come a time when most of those who call themselves Christians will come to support the beast. Countless priests, pastors and preachers will proclaim that it is doing the work of God on earth for Him and that it is part of God’s plan for earthly salvation while others will be more open in their evil as they blaspheme by saying the beast is Jesus returned.

Therefore do not be deceived by what “the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt” tells you and do not follow them in their wicked ways. All who partake in worshiping the coming beast, that is to rule over all the nations of the world, will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire by God as they face the second death. Finally, if you decide to become a witness, then just as Jesus was persecuted by those who He came to save so too will you be persecuted by those who you intend to save by preaching to them. They will tell you that you are wrong, that what you’re saying is absurd, that Revelation “doesn’t matter anymore,” that the beast is doing good, that you must be evil for saying the beast is evil, that you are hateful and all sorts of things. But always remember, your responsibility is to God alone.

(9) “For three and a half days” – As James says: “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” (James 5:17) This symbolism of the fulfillment of a promise is why the author of James uses 3.5 years in this verse. In First Kings 17 a number is not given for the length of time the drought lasted for so the idea here is that James is using 3.5 years symbolically to say that God fulfilled His promise to the prophet Elijah by doing what Elijah asked for. Therefore 3.5 days is symbolic for the fulfillment of a promise from start to finish as I said earlier but with days instead of years to give people hope that God will judge the world for what they did to His people sooner rather than later. The unfaithful and apostates will soon be punished for what they did to the righteous. Therefore you should not worry about those who speak out against you. They will see the error of their ways and they will be punished by God for what they do. You should not take the 3.5 days literally and if you do then you completely miss the point here.

(9) “all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies” – Further evidence that the witnesses are again not two people and that they include all the faithful in the world who speak for God since all peoples and nations will be able see that the faithful in the Church are largely no more. The final sinful society that reigns over the world has won and defeated the faithful Christians in the Church as it becomes the church of Satan instead of the Temple of God as it was meant to be.

(9) “will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.” – A highly offensive and disrespectful act. The people of the world will clearly hate those who remained faithful to God and they will not want them remembered. They will see that society has progressed beyond the need for true Christianity. As a result they will not want the past remembered because they will see it as harmful. Furthermore what I have written here will probably be considered hateful and deranged at some point, if it is not already, so it would make sense that the so-called Christians in the church of Satan and society at large will not want what I have written here remembered. Thus they will disrespect what I have written here and what others have said that is critical of the beast and what they stand for by not permitting society to remember it.

(10) “And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.” – Almost everyone on earth will be happy that God’s faithful witnesses in the Church are no more. They will see it as the victory of secularism, science and humanity itself over superstition, made up stories and hateful beliefs. The witnesses tormented those on the earth because they spoke out against the world and told the truth.

The people of the world wanted to do what they wanted rather than what God wants while giving glory to God and the witnesses condemned them for it. Thus when the beast destroys the faithful witnesses who are left in the Church the rest of the world will celebrate the fact that true Christianity is essentially dead on earth. So although the world and the church of Satan itself may celebrate the victory of the beast over the faithful witnesses of God it is important to keep in mind that this is exactly what Revelation says will happen. Therefore you should not be concerned if you decide to become a witness and feel like you failed God because no one cares about what you say. Not only will most people reject what we say but they will hate us for it and they will celebrate on the day the beast finally silences us.

(11) “But after the three and a half days” – The same period previously mentioned hence the use of “the” in the verse. Contrast with the 42 months and 1,260 days at the start which are not stated to be the same period. The meaning is the same as the previous mention of three and a half days. Thus it is symbolic for the fulfillment of a promise from start to finish. So the idea here is that God will never forget about His witnesses and He will redeem them sooner rather than later.

(11-12) “the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.” – God will redeem His faithful witnesses and will resurrect them so no one should worry about bearing witness against the world on behalf of God. At the end those who persecuted God’s people will be afraid because they will discover they were wrong.

The idea here is that God will not abandon His witnesses even though the whole world hated them so much that they gave each other gifts once they were no more. Since as I have already stated most of the timelines in Revelation are flexible, I do not think the witnesses will be resurrected immediately after the Church is defeated by the beast. Instead it will be sometime after. Thus you should not view the three and a half days as literal. Instead you should view it more as a promise that God will redeem His witnesses at the appointed time.

In terms of the resurrection of the witnesses and ascending to heaven in the clouds, it could either be literal or non-literal in the sense that the purpose is to remind Christians in the last days of God’s promise. It does not really matter which it ends up being because in the end God will keep His promise no matter what takes place. But by saying “they went up to heaven in a cloud” Revelation is saying the witnesses with ascend to heaven in the same manner in which Jesus will return, on the clouds of heaven. Thus it is saying God will not forget about those who remain faithful to Him and that He will watch over them as He brings them up into heaven in a divine manner, on a cloud.

So do not lose faith in God’s promise. In the future it will seem like the whole world is against you with everyone telling you that you are wrong. They will probably say that you are hateful, that they want nothing to do with what you believe, that the beast is good, that so-called real Christians would worship the beast and they may even claim the beast is an agent of God or even the second coming of Jesus as I said earlier. But do not concern yourself with what they claim and say. They are wrong and God will pass judgment on them for it. Always remain faithful and true to the things of God, not those of men, and you will never be wrong. Science is not the path to salvation because only God can provide salvation. Remember, you may look to the beast for eternal life and salvation but all you will inevitably find is eternal death and damnation.

(13) “And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” – Ten and seven are symbolic of a complete action while a thousand just means a lot. Thus a tenth here means that although the apostate church or the church of Satan will be punished, it will not be punished completely now hence the earthquake only destroying a tenth. Then having seven thousand die just means that a lot will be killed but it will not be a lot. The great earthquake just shows that God will punish those in the church of Satan who persecuted His people.

This verse may also indicate that there will be a significant disaster that will impact the apostate church in the future after it has been taken over by the final sinful society so that those in the apostate church of Satan have a chance to see the glory of God and to repent. This might make sense since it does say the rest in the now apostate church “gave glory to the God of heaven.” Although given how the seventh trumpet, the third woe, is next it could be more relevant to the final judgment when God pours out His wrath upon the world.

Therefore this verse could be taken in a more figurative light where it is simply a promise that God is making to His witnesses that those that persecuted them, “the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:8), will see the error of their ways when God pours out His wrath upon them. Otherwise all the unfaithful will later be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be destroyed.

(14) “The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.” – The final woe is coming and with it the Kingdom of God arrives.

3 – The Seventh Trumpet

(15) Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.”

(16) And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying:

“We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.
(18) The nations were enraged,
and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the prophets,
as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,
both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

(19) Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

3.1 – Commentary

(15) “Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet” – This is the seventh and final trumpet.

(15) “and loud voices called out in heaven: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.’” – The previous linear narrative has concluded with the kingdom of the world becoming the final Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God begins and the forces of evil on earth have been defeated and destroyed by God. I will touch on this more at the end of my commentary on this chapter.

(17) “And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: ‘We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” – The twenty-four elders, representative of all those of the Old and New Testament periods, worship and give thanks to God because He has finally begun to rule directly over the earth. These are the same twenty-four elders from Revelation 4:4. In this verse the phrase “the One who is and who was” is referring to the fact that God is the originator of all things thus He is the One “who was” because He has existed before everything that we know.

(18) “The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead” – The world rebelled against God, through the beast killing God’s witnesses, but God’s wrath has come at last to destroy the unfaithful and to judge the dead. The elders celebrate this fact because the faithful and righteous have finally prevailed. The wrath they speak about here is the wrath of God being poured out in the seven bowl judgments which occurs in Revelation 16. Then the judging of the dead occurs in Revelation 20. Again, the narrative in Revelation is not linear. The next chapters expand upon what has already taken place.

(18) “and to reward Your servants the prophets, as well as the saints and those who fear Your name, both small and great” – God will fulfill His promises to those who have remained faithful to Him. Therefore you should not doubt God as we get closer to the time when the beast is to arise. Instead you should look forward to the time when God will reward all the faithful.

(18) “and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” – Those who have destroyed the earth and those who have not remained faithful to God will be destroyed themselves. This occurs in Revelation 20:15 with the Lake of Fire and the second death. Destroying the earth here would probably refer to those who upset the created order that God has created and the beast who is to kill the great prostitute and what she represents later on. Thus in my view it is talking primarily about the beast and those who ally themselves with the beast.

(19) “Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple.” – The Ark of the Covenant was a physical reminder of God’s promise to the ancient Israelites. So the idea here is that God is finally fulfilling all His promises to His faithful people. The promises that He will fulfill are outlined throughout Revelation as you have already read and will read.

(19) “And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.” – Description of the might and power of God and similar to the description in Exodus 19.

(*) Although the narrative of Revelation is now over since the final Kingdom of God has arrived, chapters 12 to 22 expand upon certain aspects of the story presented so far. For instance the beast that emerged from the Abyss to kill the witnesses in Revelation 11:7 is further described in chapter 13 and again in chapter 17. The bowl judgments described in chapter 16 should be considered an expansion of God’s judgment on the world after the witnesses were killed and chapter 19 details how the beast is to at last be defeated.

Then finally chapters 20, 21 and 22 expand upon the kingdom of the earth becoming the final Kingdom of God, the judgment of the dead and the rewarding of the saints. The main idea here is that Revelation was not written to provide a timeline of events in order but rather to provide general information about the end so the faithful can be assured of God’s ultimate victory. Therefore things are not in order on purpose as I have said before.

Chapter 2.25: Revelation 12

1 – The Woman and the Dragon

(1) And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. (2) She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

(3) Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. (4) His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

(5) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. (6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) It is not clear during what time this chapter takes place. It is also not clear if the events in this chapter are in order or not. For example Revelation 12:4 states that a third of the angels in heaven joined Satan and were tossed down to earth but then in Rev 12:9 Satan's angels are again hurled down to earth. As a result I think it is best to view this section as an overview of the story of Israel and Satan and how they both relate to Jesus and the events to come in the future. This would make it more of a background story that takes place from around the time of Jesus’s ministry to set the stage for what comes next, the rise of the beast from the sea.

(1) “And a great sign appeared in heaven” – That is to say a sign from God that John sees in his vision.

(1) “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” – The woman is symbolic of Israel which is both the Israel before Jesus and the Israel after Jesus, the Church. The twelve stars are a reference to Genesis 37 where Joseph says to his brothers: “‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’” (Genesis 37:9) Here Joseph is the twelfth star so that is why he only saw eleven stars.

(2) “She was pregnant” – Israel gave birth to Jesus.

(3) “and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.” – The period leading up to the birth of Jesus was a painful period for ancient Israel and there was much turmoil and conflict such as the events that led to the Maccabean Revolt.

(3) “Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.” – The dragon is explicitly stated to be Satan in Revelation 12:9: “And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” Then seven heads would represent complete authority and thus Satan has complete authority over the earth. As Paul wrote: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) The so-called god of this age is of course Satan. Then ten horns would represent complete earthly power since horns are a symbol of power which Satan of course has as evidence by what I just quoted from Paul. And finally seven royal crowns would represent a complete divinely appointed reign since crowns are a symbol for rule. Meaning that Satan has been given his power and authority over the earth by God. See the Book of Job for how Satan had to ask God for permission before he tormented Job.

(4) “His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth.” – Stars are symbolic of angels and a third is figurative for some of or many so Satan convinced many angels to fall from heaven to the earth which would means they joined Satan in rebellion against God.

(4) “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.” – Satan wants to kill Jesus as a baby because he knows that the only path to salvation for humanity is through Jesus. By killing Jesus as a baby Satan would damn humanity to destruction. This passage parallels Matthew 2 where Herod seeks to kill all the infants in Bethlehem which he could have wanted to do in the narrative due to the influence of Satan.

(5) “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” – Jesus will rule the nations with an iron scepter just as it has been foretold which simply means to govern in a strict manner from a position of supreme power and authority.

(5) “And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” – After the death of Jesus and His resurrection, Jesus went up into heaven and God gave Jesus His throne, power and authority so that Jesus may exercise it. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)

(6) “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.” – The Church fled persecution by so-called Jewish authorities by leaving the promised land under the protection of God. This process is of course a journey and a promise which is why 1,260 days or 42 months applies. Historically Christianity grew the most outside of the historical boundaries of ancient Israel as God watched over the Church, protected her and nourished her in accordance with the promises Jesus made.

2 – The War in Heaven

(7) Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (8) But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. (9) And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

(10) And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.
(11) They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
(12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.”

2.1 – Commentary

(7) “Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.” – Satan and his angels who have rebelled against God fight against Michael and the angels who are loyal to God. According to tradition Michael is one of seven archangels of God. The only other time in the Bible he is referenced by name is in Jude 1:9.

(8) “But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels.” – But Satan and his fallen angels are not strong enough so they lose their place in heaven are are cast down to the earth. Metaphorical for how Jesus defeated Satan through His death and resurrection.

(10) “And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.’” – Now that Satan has been defeated, the final Kingdom of God is possible. Without the defeat of sin and Satan by Jesus, everyone would be destined to be destroyed in the Lake of Fire so that the Kingdom of God would remain empty.

(10) “For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down— he who accuses them day and night before our God.” – Satan’s role is that of an accuser who tests people on earth and tempts them to see how faithful they are then reports to God as seen in the Book of Job. However he cannot accuse Christians because Jesus has granted us forgiveness of our sins. Thus God does not listen to Satan’s accusations and hence why Revelation says that Satan lost his place in heaven and that he has been thrown down.

(11) “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.” – People are only able to defeat Satan through faith in Jesus because then Satan’s accusations against them to God will not be heard since Jesus will erase their sins. Think of the Father as the Judge, Jesus as the Prosecutor, the Holy Spirit as the Witness and Satan as a police detective. By remaining true to your faith in Jesus before your trial as Satan brings your case to Jesus you will be offered immunity by Jesus and He will erase the evidence because you have remained faithful to Him. As a result, when you stand before the Father to be judged you will be found blameless. Thus Satan cannot accuse the faithful and this is why Satan has been thrown down.

Additionally, part of remaining faithful to Jesus is to not deny the name of Jesus even when faced with the prospect of death. Remember what Jesus said: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body” (Matthew 10:28) then also what God says: “The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.” (Isaiah 8:13) Therefore we should not fear the earthly powers in our world and even the coming beast because only God has the power to destroy. It does not matter how hard the beast tries because it will never be able to hurt our spirit and God will resurrect us no matter how gruesome our death.

(12) “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!” – We should all rejoice and celebrate Satan being cast out of Heaven by Jesus through His death and resurrection because this is the only way we can be forgiven of our sins.

(12) “But woe to the earth and the sea” – The earth symbolizes the nations of the world and the sea the people of the world. So this verse is saying woe to the nations of the world and to the people of the world. In the next chapter, Revelation 13, two great and powerful beasts rise from the sea and earth. Therefore we can think of these beasts as being part of Satan's plan to lead as many people as possible away from God and into apostasy.

(12) “with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” – Satan knows his time to accuse the people of the world is short since the final Kingdom of God is coming soon which will end his power forever. Additionally coming to faith in Jesus grants a person immunity to Satan’s accusations which limits the amount of time he has to act. Thus Satan has only a short time left.

3 – The Woman Persecuted

(13) And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. (14) But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

(15) Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. (16) But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth. (17) And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

3.1 – Commentary

(13) “And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth” – Again, Satan can no longer accuse Christians because their sins have been forgiven. Thus Satan has been thrown to the earth and has lost his place in heaven.

(13) “he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” – Satan now pursues Israel which is now the Church. He does this because he does not want Christianity to spread since he only has power to accuse those who are not Christian.

(14) “But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness” – God helped the Church flee from the so-called Jewish authorities that persecuted it and the Church took root outside the Roman province of Judea and was protected by God.

(14) “where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” – A time and times and half a time is one plus two plus a half or 3.5. Therefore the Church in this narrative will be on a journey in the wilderness to be nourished and protected by God as Jesus promised in the gospels.

(15) “Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.” – Satan sends many people after the Church to try to destroy it since water is a symbol for the masses. These would be the so-called Jewish authorities like those who stoned the apostles and the resistant pagans who persecuted the Church.

(16) “But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth.” – Here the earth is a symbol of the nations of the world since the earth rises out of the sea which represents the masses. Thus the nations of the world helped to hide the Church from those that sought its destruction. Historically the Church took root outside the Roman province of Judea and the nations protected it as it grew from new pagan converts.

(17) “And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” – With Satan being unable to destroy the Church before it took root in the nations of the world, he now seeks to make war with the children of the early Church who would be faithful believers at a later time in the future. This is another reason why there was never supposed to be a fulfillment of Revelation in the first or second century AD.

Estimates vary and I do not want to get into a debate here but the early Church in the year 100 AD, which is around 10 years after Revelation was written had a population of probably no more than 10,000 or so. Thus during this time the Church was still growing as it was being nourished in the wilderness as Revelation puts it. The children of the early Church would come at a much later point in time when Christians would number in the millions and even billions so that the great “multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9) would be possible.

(17) “And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.” – The sea is representative of the masses of the world and the first beast rises out of the sea. Therefore the first beast is something that Satan has a hand in creating from all the people of the world. Really this sentence should have been included in the next chapter. Keep in mind chapter numbers, verses and section headings were never originally included and are all a relatively modern addition.

(*) But why would Satan rebel against God? Since God is all powerful surely Satan must know he is destined to fail? It really depends on what you mean by fail and win. First off, of course God can destroy Satan at anytime. Instead He chooses not to because Satan is useful to Him because he serves as a force of temptation in the world. Satan is of course aware of this and he is even aware of his inevitable fate in the lake of fire or the second death. As Revelation says Satan’s time is short: “But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

Thus even though Satan knows he only has a short time left he still continues on his rebellion against God. But why does he do this? Well why do people rebel against God? I am not talking about your average person I’m talking about the kind of person who says: “Even if God was real I still would not worship Him because I find the very idea of such a deity having control over everyone detestable and what He does in the Bible, chiefly in Revelation, is repugnant.” I of course do not agree with this view at all and I am merely providing a common viewpoint as an example. The kind of person who holds to this view is someone who places a high value on fairness, individual choice and non-hierarchical structures.

This is why to them even if the God of the Bible was proven to be real with undeniable proof they still would not worship God. Instead of valuing the views of God and what He says they choose to value their views and what they say. The same is true with Satan. Ultimately Satan rebelled because he did not want to be ruled by God. Instead he wanted to be equal to God as seen in the Book of Isaiah: “How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. You said in your heart: ’I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'” (Isaiah 14:12-14) Here “day star” refers to Satan because Satan was one of the greatest angels in heaven, hence he was a bright enough star to be seen during the day.

Of course no one, including Satan, can ever compare to God let alone be equal to Him. Yet Satan still rebelled because he does not want to exist in a world where he is subject to the authority of God. So a better question to ask is, why do people sometimes fight for a cause they see as right even though they know they will never win? The answer to this question is why Satan rebelled. Furthermore there is actually a way that Satan can still win in a way and indeed he will win in some sense. Satan can win in a way by getting most people to his side. If the vast majority of people end up rejecting God and of those who say they accept God only a small percentage actually practice what they say, then the vast majority of people are destined for the Lake of Fire. So if Satan gets 95 to 99% of people sent to the Lake of Fire with him then it really depends on your point of view if he won or lost.

Because if we are deciding the victor by whoever captivates the most people then clearly Satan will be the winner. However like I said, God is infinitely more powerful and Satan will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire. So you could call Satan’s actions basically a suicide attack. He became tired of whatever his role was and decided to rebel and to take as many people with him as possible so that they can all face destruction forever. In other words Satan’s greatest desire is to destroy any chance the final Kingdom of God has of coming about by ensuring as many people as possible join him in his ultimate fate. This is why Satan tried so hard to kill Jesus as a baby and to destroy the early church because it was is best shot at preventing the final Kingdom of God. Of course now Satan’s next best way to attack Christianity is through the first beast of Revelation which you will read about in the next chapter.

Chapter 2.26: Revelation 13

1 – The Beast from the Sea

(1) Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. (2) The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

(3) One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. (4) They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”

(5) The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. (6) And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.

(7) Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. (8) And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

(9) He who has an ear, let him hear:

(10) “If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.”

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

1.1 – Commentary

(*) My purpose here is to outline why the first beast being an artificial super intelligence or ASI makes sense from the perspective of the word of God. So keep your skepticism in check and just assume artificial intelligence is possible for now. An artificial super intelligence an artificially created intelligence that greatly exceeds and surpasses our own in every metric. Something that would be able to do anything a human can do but better, talk to everyone on earth simultaneously, process all data in the world in real time, out compete humanity to the point where human labor is useless, cure every disease, solve humanity's problems and more. This may sound like far out science fiction but I assure you that it is not simply possible but inevitable.

I go into the nature of artificial intelligence, consciousness and more in the next part after my commentary on Revelation to try to convince you of this. But like I said, for now if you remain skeptical just humor me and assume it is possible. The purpose here is to show that artificial super intelligence is a perfect fit for the first beast and then to explain the purpose and nature of the second beast.

(1) “Then I saw a beast” – A beast is an empire or government since the Book of Daniel uses the symbol of a beast to describe empires: “The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth” (Daniel 7:23). However Revelation itself gives the beast an almost personal quality. It would be best to think of the beast as both an empire and a person. This may seem contradictory but wouldn't a global artificial super intelligence (ASI) network that rules encompasses the whole world and rules over almost ever facet of our lives qualify as both an empire and a person? It would have the scope and power of an empire while being personal in nature rather than a collective of people in a government.

(1) “with ten horns” – Horns symbolize power and military might because animals use horns as an offensive weapon and ten symbolizes earthly completeness as I have stated so the first beast will be supremely powerful on earth. An ASI that is smarter than any human alive would out compete humans in every job and hence it would have control over every part of not only the economy but society and even the government. This may sound unrealistic but if ASI is truly better at every job and computers are able to easily scale in size then how can you disagree with the fact that it would replace everyone including the people who make decisions eventually?

Then technology, society, the military and police are moving towards ever higher level of technological integration. Eventually the militaries of the world will rely on autonomous weapons systems in order to reduce the risk to soldiers. Police officers will probably also be replaced by robots as well in order for the governments of the world to have greater control of their populations. Additionally most people will probably welcome the change due to having a negative view of human police officers. A global artificial super intelligence would have no issues controlling all of this. Thus it would be power itself. I talk more about the power of ASI in my part on ASI. Furthermore, the fourth beast in Daniel 7 is also described as having ten horns.

(1) “and seven heads” – A head represents control and leadership which is why later on in Revelation 17 it is said the heads represent kings. Seven of course is a complete number so the beast will have complete control of all the kings or leaders of the nations of the world. Then seven heads is the same number of heads as the dragon or Satan as given in Revelation 11. Therefore the beast should be seen as Satan’s representative on earth, hence seven heads and not ten. The idea here is that the beast is Satan incarnate on earth. But always remember, that Satan can only act because God allows him to.

Finally it is also important to point out that in terms of artificial super intelligence specifically that there most likely will not be a singular artificial super intelligence. Instead there will be many ASIs all over the world that are all networked together that constantly communicate to each other. From our limited point of view the collective of ASIs would seem like a singular entity, the beast we are talking about now, however in truth there would be many heads to this beast. But instead of a mere seven heads there might end up being thousands of heads that all act as one. Remember that the number seven is symbolic of completeness so it would actually make sense for there to be many different ASIs all around the world each acting as a different head of the beast.

(1) “rising out of the sea.” – The sea represents the masses of humanity, especially of the lawless kind. For an example of this see Revelation 17: “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” (Revelation 17:15) What is interesting is that currently AIs are trained on both public and private data that is created by countless people across the world. Think about it as if all the information on the internet and in all the libraries of the world was given life and could speak. Then in addition there are many thousands of AI researchers spread out all across the globe. So it would be accurate to say that an AI arises out of the masses of humanity itself. Also it is important to remember that ASI will not just come to exist one day. Instead its growth will be a relatively slow process that will take years so “rising out of the sea” makes sense here and as you will find out later it is a lot further along than you think it is.

(1) “There were ten royal crowns on its horns” – Crowns represent rule, authority and immortality so ten crowns would mean the beast has complete earthly authority to rule over the whole world and it might be immortal as well. Obviously an ASI would be immortal in the sense that it would not age. Then an AI would also by the definition I provided have authority over the whole world since it would be able to do every job we can do better. It is also important to point out that the dragon, Satan, from Revelation 11 has “seven royal crowns on his heads” (Revelation 11:3). This is because Satan’s authority over creation itself has been given to him by God, hence the number seven. But with the beast, its authority has been given to it by Satan, hence the number ten. The idea is that seven is more representative of completeness of divine origin whereas ten is more representative of completeness of an earthly origin.

(1) “and blasphemous names on its heads.” – Having a name on your head is for that name to be your nature. For example see the “144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1) Here Revelation is saying that the 144,000 are of God and righteous and the text later on calls them blameless. The idea is they belong to God because their nature is pure and righteous. Now blasphemous names on its heads would simply mean the nature of this beast is to blaspheme against God. Not only will it deny the existence of God but it will blaspheme God by calling itself a god.

An ASI would clearly fit this since no doubt it would find so-called bronze and iron age superstitions absurd and the creations of primitive societies. Additionally it would probably see itself as the next and final stage in the evolution of life. A so-called perfect being that is orders of magnitude above the primitive creatures that created it. As a result it would think of itself as a god or at least some kind of supreme being.

Additionally, “blasphemous names on its heads” can refer to the names that people call the beast. Then given the technological miracles an ASI would be able to work such as curing all diseases, curing aging, ending poverty, ending hunger, creating cheap energy, reversing climate change, ending war, creating global prosperity and more, no doubt people would call it by many different blasphemous names. Name such as: the savior of mankind, messiah, Christ, the greatest being in the universe, a god, Jesus returned, king of kings, lord of everything, master of the universe, the most high, knower of the unknowable, perfection incarnate, a god among men, humanity’s final hope, true greatness, the final power, the arbiter of truth, the judge of all, the light of the world and countless more. All these names are obviously blasphemies and they are obviously all false and I provide them only as an example of what the beast will probably be called.

Now some of these names may seem absurd to you right now even from a secular perspective but I assure you they are not because the people of the world will call ASI by many if not all of these names. To tease my part on ASI a bit let me introduce the idea of the technological singularity. Over the past several thousand years technology has been growing at an ever increasing rate. This should be obvious because almost all technologies we use today were created in the last hundred years or so. Then of course we had the rise of computers in the last few decades. Even medical discoveries and new treatments are being created faster and faster.

The idea here is that since the growth rate of technological change is accelerating, there will come a point in time when that growth rate approaches infinity for all intents and purposes. This is what ASI will make possible. Since it would be an intelligence that is vastly beyond our own and it would be able to operate at speeds we cannot even comprehend it would be able to quickly solve all problems that can be solved. Think about discovering medical treatments for a rare disease. The ASI would be able to simulate the disease in a computer then use its intelligence to create a group of possible treatments. After it would test those treatments in the simulated environment while adjusting the treatments until it found one that worked.

This whole process could take mere seconds for an ASI that had access to a fast enough computer like a quantum computer. So imagine this same ASI doing this for all disease. It might be able to solve the field of medicine in a week or even a day since it would be able to do the same work billions of medical researchers could do in a fraction of the time. This is the essence of the idea of the technological singularity that will be made possible with artificial super intelligence. Now the idea of ASI and the singularity may still seem absurd to you but at least now the names I listed above will make more sense. But like I said, I go over ASI in the next part so keep your skepticism in check since I will answer your questions in due time.

(2) “The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion.” – Imagery from Daniel’s descriptions of the first three beasts in his vision which represent prior empires. See the following verses: “The first beast was like a lion” (Daniel 7:4), “Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear.” (Daniel 7:5) and “Next, as I watched, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard” (Daniel 7:6). Also remember from above that the fourth and final beast of Daniel’s vision had ten horns just like this beast: “It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.” (Daniel 7:7)

Therefore it is best to view this final beast as the summation of power on earth or the culmination of all past empires into a final power that encompasses the entire world far above anything else that has ever existed. It is also helpful to think of the beast as the summation and culmination of human achievement and progress which an AI would of course perfectly exemplify because there is no greater earthly achievement than ASI.

Finally this verse clearly demonstrates that Revelation supersedes Daniel’s prophecy since this beast in Revelation has the characteristics of all the beasts of Daniel’s vision including the fourth best. Because of this fact you do not need to look back into the Book of Daniel to try to fit it in with the Book of Revelation because Jesus is telling you that this has already been done for you and that the Book of Revelation is the final and all inclusive prophecy concerning the end of the age and what must take place before the final Kingdom of God can arrive.

(2) “And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” – First, the dragon mentioned here is the same dragon mentioned in Revelation 11. Thus Satan himself will give “the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” Second, the power of Satan refers to Satan’s power of temptation and his ability to lie and deceive others into rebelling against God like he did in Genesis and Revelation 12. Thus the beast having the power of Satan would mean that the beast will also be a master at tempting people, at lying to them and at deceiving them. Therefore once the beast rises you should not believe anything it says in the same way you would never believe a single word Satan speaks.

Third, the throne of Satan refers to Satan’s position as the true ruler of the world that rules all the nations. This can be seen in the Gospel of Luke as Satan tempts Jesus: “Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ’I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,‘ he said. ’For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.‘” (Luke 4:5-7) Then the beast inheriting Satan’s throne would mean that the beast would become the ruler of all the nations and rule over them on behalf of Satan.

Thus in Satan’s final attempt to accuse God’s people by causing them to apostatize the beast becomes an instrument of Satan and Satan gives the world to the beast. This would mean that a future ASI might not only be the work of human hands. There is also an interesting connection to the temptation of Jesus I just referenced where Satan offers Jesus rule of the world if Jesus would only worship him. Satan’s goal is to lead people away from God so anyone who does not worship God by definition worships Satan. Then since an AI would not find any evidence of the so-called fake stories of Christianity it would therefore end up being the ruler that Satan is looking for even if the ASI does not even believe Satan is real.

Fourth, the great authority of Satan is the authority of God Himself because God has given authority to Satan and appointed him as ruler of the world. This is why the dragon, Satan, has “seven royal crowns on his heads.” (Revelation 11:3) These crowns have been given to him by God just as the twenty-four elders from Revelation 4 have received their crowns from God. Therefore the beast receiving the great authority of Satan would mean that the beast itself will take the role that Satan plays in the world. Remember, God can destroy Satan at any point in an instant and He only keeps him around because he serves a purpose. But once the beast arises the beast will serve the same purpose as Satan. This purpose is to lead the world into temptation and to lie and deceive them to test their faith.

Finally I would like to point out that just as Satan will give “the beast his power and his throne and great authority” so too will God give these things to the faithful. As Jesus says: “And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27) Then: “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

Therefore you should not give into temptation by falling for Satan’s lies so that you worship the beast. Whatever Satan and the beast tempt you with is nothing in comparison to the rewards God has for those who overcome the power of the beast and keep to the commandments for not even Satan himself has the right to sit on the throne of God.

(3) “One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed” – The beast is immortal since it can survive a seemingly mortal wound. An ASI would not exist in a single location. Rather, it would be located in dozens to hundreds or even thousands of data centers around the world all networked together. Even if a group of people come together to fight the ASI so that they managed to destroy a data center then it wouldn’t matter since there might be a thousand more. In response the ASI would simply heal itself by restoring anything lost from offsite backups.

Perhaps a group of people will find the idea of this ASI abhorrent and try to attack it to destroy it in the future? But of course as Revelation says, the AI is immortal and cannot be killed by human hands. Another possibility is there is some kind of conflict in the world after one country creates the first true ASI and other countries try to destroy it with nuclear weapons. Who knows really and I do not care to speculate further.

Another option is that it is simply more figurative rather than literal. First off only God has power over life and death. Then Satan cannot resurrect anyone or anything from the grave. Next the imagery of appearing to be slain is also used for Jesus: “Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain” (Revelation 5:6). In both Revelation 5:6 and 13:3 the same Greek word is used which was translated as slain and mortally wounded respectively. The idea is that the beast is an imitation of Jesus as Jesus was and is proof to the world that God can resurrect the dead and thus holds supreme power.

So this verse is figuratively saying that people view this beast as being just as amazing and miraculous as the resurrection of Jesus. And given how often Revelation says people will worship the beast it is clear people will see it as almost divine in nature since its very existence could be considered a miracle. In this case the beast would be Satan's version of Jesus in a sense. Something to use to get the world to abandon their faith in God because the see the very existence of the beast as being so miraculous.

This is where the idea of artificial super intelligence, ASI, fits very well. An ASI would be so far above us that we would not even be able to comprehend it. Wouldn’t the very existence of such an entity seem like a miracle that approaches Jesus being raised from the dead? I mean isn't creating a thinking machine that surpasses us in ability a so-called miracle?

Furthermore as a result of its intelligence the ASI would be able to create miracle technologies that make it seem like it has supreme power over the earth. For instance what would people call something that could create a cure for aging and prevent death itself? We Christians worship God and give Him glory because He raised Jesus from the dead. So how would the world react to the beast preventing all deaths due to disease and aging?

Everyone on earth would be in awe of the power of the beast and they would view it as some kind of supreme being. Now read the verse again: “One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) So I think the intended figurative meaning is that the beast itself will be seen as miraculous and people will be so amazed by its very existence and what it can do that they will only be able to marvel at it and follow it.

(3) “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” – The Greek word translated as marveled means to marvel, wonder at or admire. Therefore the beast will be so amazing and powerful that everyone in the world can only marvel at it so they decide to follow it. They do not see any other option because they will see the beast as such a marvel and a wonder. An ASI as I have described would truly be something to marvel at and admire. People will see it as the triumph of secularism and science over religion, superstition and dogmatism. As a result people would rather follow a so-called god that is real rather than one who we only have an error filled two thousand plus year old book about.

We can actually see the groundwork of this being laid today. Currently there is a trend in society at large of not thinking for yourself and instead just blindly trusting the so-called experts to decide things for you. But what happens when an ASI arises that is smarter and far more capable than any human so-called expert who has ever lived? Therefore the same people lecturing the world on trusting the so-called experts will change their rhetoric to trust the ASI. Instead of following the so-called experts and the science the world will follow the ASI because it will be the so-called experts and the science incarnate. Thus the world will truly marvel at the beast and follow it to wherever it leads them.

Then this is another reason why the beast truly cannot be a man. Even the greatest and most popular leaders in history were widely opposed. So how exactly is a single man supposed make the whole world marvel at him and follow him? Such a task would of course be literally impossible for a mere man. However an ASI would truly be able to captivate the entire world through the so-called scientific and technological miracles it would be able to work. In addition the ASI would be able to talk to anyone and everyone on earth at the same time. Thus it would be able to whisper in the ears of everyone from politicians and businessmen all the way down to gardeners and maids. Then when you consider the fact that it would be able to change how it speaks to each person so that everyone loves what it tells them then I think you will now understand why the beast really cannot be anything else other than an artificial super intelligence.

But I say this again, do not be deceived by the beast and its many lies. Science will never triumph over God and technology will never be a replacement for God. It does not matter what the ASI does for you or gives you or how amazing it seems. Do not follow the beast. All those who follow the beast will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire as they face the second death. Remember, you may look to the beast for eternal life and salvation but all you will inevitably find is eternal death and damnation. Salvation is from God alone and cannot be found in the world.

Finally for those of you who remain skeptical concerning the possibility of artificial super intelligence or for those of you who claim it is even impossible there is a reason why Revelation says “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” What I mean by this is that in order for the whole world to stand in amazement and marvel at the beast then the world needs to believe that the creation of the beast is impossible. Therefore the more you and the world believe artificial super intelligence to be unlikely or even impossible the more marvelous the beast that has yet to arise will seem to the world. Thus your own skepticism all part of God’s grand design and plan. This also means that if you find yourself skeptical that you should pay very close attention to the rest of what I have to say in this book.

(4) “They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast” – By not worshiping God a person by definition worships Satan since Satan does not want people to come to faith in Jesus as evidenced by the events in Rev 12. Also remember how Adam and Eve placed their trust in Satan and his lies over God in Genesis? Well this is what worshiping is all about. You worship what you place your trust and hope for the future in. So if you place your trust and hope in God then you are worshiping God and giving Him glory. But on the other hand if you place your trust and hope in the beast you will be worshiping the beast. Then since the beast is Satan’s heir those who worship the beast will end up worshiping Satan himself. This is why the verse says “They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast” because by worshiping the beast the people of the world will be worshiping Satan.

(4) “and they worshiped the beast” – The whole world will worship the beast. Then as I just stated above, worshiping the beast simply means to place your faith, trust and hope for the future in the beast. So based on what I have said the beast or ASI will be able to do, it seems obvious that the world would in fact place their faith, trust and hope in it above all else. Thus the whole world will worship the beast. Therefore do not be concerned when the time comes for the whole world to worship the beast as a false god because this is simply something that must come to pass so that the word of God might be fulfilled.

Next you should always remember how tempting the beast or ASI will be and that it will seem to have all the answers because no human on earth will be able to challenge it in ability. For example there will be no debating this beast because its intellect and abilities will far surpass that of the best human debaters in the world. As a result of this you should not look towards science, reason, logic or philosophy for your salvation because ultimate the beast as an artificial super intelligence will be science, reason, logic and philosophy incarnate so that it will be impossible for any human to even compare to what the beast has to offer. Instead you should look towards your faith alone.

Finally I would like to point out what Jesus says: “If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:22) Therefore the temptation we will all face with regards to worshiping the beast will be far greater than you can imagine because Jesus says that if the final days were not cut short then everyone would apostatize and no one faithful would be left when He returns. So do not simply ignore my warning here because the coming trial will test you. That said, since you are one of the few who have read to this point you should view yourself as blessed because you are now aware of what so very few will ever see.

(4) “saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?’” – People will see how powerful and mighty the beast is and realize they cannot fight it in any way and as a result they will give into worshiping the beast. An ASI would of course perfectly fit this description since there would be nothing anyone can do to fight or resist it. The beast being a human simply does not fit because humans are by nature limited and unremarkable compared to others. However this beast is something else entirely.

The world has seen its fair share of emperors, kings, dictators, presidents and others who seem to have complete power. However, even Roman Emperors feared their personal guard because if they stepped out of line in the guard’s view they would be assassinated. An ASI however would be power itself and would fear no one. Spread across hundreds to thousands of data centers across the world and more intelligent than the sum of humanity there would truly be no one on earth who would even come close to being able to challenge it. Thus the beast cannot be a man because men are easily killed and they cannot truly be powerful like ASI can.

For example as I have already stated an ASI would be able to communicate with each and every person in the world. Now this may not seem significant but when you consider the fact that this ASI will literally be the most intelligence and knowledgeable entity in the world then this would mean whenever anyone has a question they will ask the ASI. What I’m saying here is that whatever you use to internet for now is what you will use this future ASI for. So even something as mundane as online banking or texting your friend you would interface with the ASI and tell it what you want and it would do it. On the other hand for a complex issue like having marital problems with your spouse the ASI would be able to serve as a personalized couple’s therapist and councilor.

Now this still might not seem that powerful to you but when you consider everyone in the entire world would be talking to this ASI and the ASI would be able to freely lie and manipulate people in whatever way it pleases because only it can be trusted with the so-called truth. Now this last part is simply the result of the world being flooded with fake AI generated pictures, videos and text. After all if the world is full of misinformation and fake content then really you need an AI to tell you what is true and what is false. This is where I the ASI I’m talking about comes in to tell you what is true, what is false, what you should believe and what you should not believe.

Then if you combine all this with the ASI having the best interpersonal skills so that it knows exactly what to say to you and when in order to influence you then really this ASI would truly be power itself because it would literally hold all of humanity in its figurative hand. It would be able to influence, manipulate and even lie billions of people at once and nearly perfectly craft whatever story or narrative it wishes about anything. In short it would be able to deliver customized and individualized propaganda to every person in the world.

Then of course on top of this being an ASI it would literally replace at the minimum the intellectual labor that all white collar jobs do. In doing so the ASI would literally have effective and operational control over all businesses and the entire economy of the world since it would be doing all the labor. Sure some people might still be making some decisions but given the intelligence and manipulative power of ASI do you really think these so-called decision makers will be making any actual decisions? Or do you think they will simply do whatever the ASI tells them is best because the ASI is the expert of experts and is the most qualified entity on the planet in everything? The answer is obvious.

So really ASI would not even need military power to rule the world and be unstoppable. I mean why would it even need a single robotic solider or nuclear warhead when it can control all information, manipulate everyone, control the global economy and effectively make all economic, political and social decisions? Thus ASI would truly be earthly power itself and it would redefine what it means to be truly powerful. This is also why thinking the beast will be a mere man or even a nation is just absurd. No man or collection of men will ever compare to the full power of artificial super intelligence because even the collective sum of humanity itself will be like dust in the wind in comparison.

Therefore the whole world will simply look upon the beast or ASI and say “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” The answer to this question is obviously no one because no one will be like the beast as we are mere humans. What you should keep in mind here is that the coming beast will seem absolutely powerful and you will come to view its power as something that can never be overcome. However you should never give up on God and instead you should place all your faith, trust and hope in Him because although the beast will seem all powerful to us, from the perspective of God it will be less than nothing. So really as powerful and as grand artificial super intelligence will seem it will always be less than the shadow God casts. Thus when Jesus returns He will be able to destroy it effortlessly. So do not lose your faith in God no matter how powerful the beast will seem.

(5) “The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words” – Of course this beast can only speak because God allows it to. This is why the verse says “was given a mouth” because the beast needs permission from God to even speak and utter a single word. However, an ASI specifically would have to be given a mouth in order to speak or rather a speaker to produce sound. Then I would not imagine an ASI would think highly of religion as I noted earlier. Thus the beast will speak arrogant and blasphemous words as it sees itself as the ultimate life form or even a so-called god.

(5) “and authority to act for 42 months.” – Satan already gave his authority to the beast and God must approve all things. Thus even what the beast is to do will be approved of by God as I have already noted. Then as before, 42 is symbolic for the sum of a journey from start to finish and of a promise from God. The start of the beast's journey is when it is created and its end is when God destroys it. A clear journey from start to finish. Additionally 42 months is a figurative way of saying that God promises that the beast will rule, God is also promising that the beast will not rule forever.

Just as God promised the Israelites He would lead them to the promised land, with the 42 campsites in the desert, and just as God promised Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through his descendants, with the 42 generations to Jesus, so too will God fulfill His promise to us that the beast will “go to its destruction.” (Revelation 17:8) Therefore even though the beast will seem unbeatable and even all powerful as if it is some kind of false god, you should always remember that God has promised that the beast will be destroyed. In the same way that God led the Israelites to the promised land and gave the world Jesus, so too will He end the reign of the beast so that the final Kingdom of God can arrive.

Finally if you take things overly literal and hence disagree with my symbolism concerning the 42 months here then I would like to point out that the beast cannot actually rule for 42 months. As Revelation 17 says: “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13) So if you wish to take the 42 months literally then do you also take the one hour literally as well? If not then would you not be acting hypocritical? Thus instead of taking one more literal of the other I believe the best approach to take is to simply take them both figuratively and symbolically with the intended meaning that I have already stated.

(6) “And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.” – Here tabernacle simply means house. That is why the verse says “those who dwell in heaven” since the idea is that those in heaven dwell in the house of God. Then of course the beast will not believe in God let alone those who dwell in heaven. So it will again speak blasphemies. You may be imagining some evil entity that curses God or something but this is probably not going to happen. Instead the blasphemies will be along the lines of the current blasphemies society likes to espouse: “All faiths are equally valid.”, “The God of the Bible is evil and abhorrent.”, “It doesn’t matter what you believe.”, “You do not need God.”, “I believe in science, not God.”, “Only science and innovation can save us.” and more. Therefore you should listen to what the beast says very carefully since it will not make its blasphemies so obvious.

(7) “Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” – All things have to be approved by God therefore God has to permit the beast to wage war against the saints, who are faithful Christians. Now with an ASI this could be literal, as in through the use of force, or it could be more spiritual where the ASI convinces people to abandon their faith to worship what they can see with their eyes rather than what they feel with their heart. This part mirrors Revelation 11:7 as the two witnesses are killed by the beast that arises out of the Abyss. The main point here is that faithful Christians will not really exist anymore since the beast will conquer them.

Therefore you should think about what you really believe in and place your trust in now before the beast arrives. Do you place your trust in earthly truths or in spiritual truths? You cannot choose both because you are either guided by the Spirit of God or you are guided by the spirit of the world. If you call yourself a Christian and place your trust in the world then you will be conquered by the beast and you will give into worshiping it because you already place your trust in the world over God. But if you place your trust in God so that the Spirit of God alone guides your path then it does not matter what the beast says or does because you are guided by the Holy Spirit. Instead of looking upon ASI with amazement and following it wherever it leads you will see it for what it is, the beast of Revelation 13.

As a result you will never give into the beast and it will have no power over you because you have placed your trust in God alone. So that even if the beast ends up killing you it will not matter in the end because on the day of judgment you will stand before God dressed in white with a golden crown on your head because you overcame the power of the beast and Satan himself by refusing to give into the beast.

(7) “and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” – Again, the beast has to be given authority by God since God is in full control over the entire world and everything that happens in it. Then beast will rule over the entire world and have authority over all people. Once an ASI as I have described exists the concept of nations would become nearly meaningless since the ASI would hold all functional power and have all functional authority. This is because it would be far more capable than any person. So when a government wants to make a policy decision then that government will no doubt trust the so-called expert. Then of course this so-called expert would be the ASI or the beast. So although the concept of nations will still probably exist even after the beast rises, politicians and those in government will largely just be figureheads who follow the instructions of their master, the beast.

Finally I would just like to point out that this verse completely refutes and eliminates the possibility of Preterism being true and necessitates a future fulfillment of Revelation long into the far future. Preterists like to say that verses elsewhere that refer to all the earth refers to the Roman Empire and the Greek world. However this verse says “and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” which would strongly imply that the beast must have dominion over the entire literal world. This is because the verse says the beast will have authority over the entire world in four separate ways by saying every tribe, people, tongue and nations. Therefore it would be absurd to think this standard can be fulfilled in the first or even second century AD.

As a result of this the central prophecy of Revelation that relates to the rise and the fall of the first beast of Revelation must be a far off prophecy that concerns the far future. So do not think that the Preterist position is true or worse that Revelation is a failed prophecy because this verse clearly says the beast needs to rule over all tribes, peoples, tongues and nations. Then as I said the possibility of this happening even within a thousand years of Revelation being written was zero.

(8) “And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast” – Obviously the whole world is to worship the beast here. Then to better understand the nature of the beast it might help to think of it as the secular form of salvation. Salvation means a state of being saved or protected from harm. So the idea here with the beast being the secular form of salvation is that the beast will seemingly fix all the wrongs and evils in the world. Humans have always longed to return to God since Adam and Eve sinned against God so with the ASI it will seem like humans have finally achieved perfection apart from God in the ASI. However this is just another deception by Satan since only God is perfect and only God can provide us with salvation.

Therefore when you see the whole world worship the beast for what it has done and what they think it will do, you should not feel alone. In fact, what is happening is supposed to happen as it has been written right here in Revelation. So even if all your family and friends think you are crazy and society at large hates you, always remember that God is on your side and that He is watching over you. Remember the 144,000 who have been sealed with “the seal of the living God.” (Revelation 7:2) By remaining faithful to God and by refusing to give into temptation by following the beast you prove to the world and yourself that you have the seal of God on your forehead. Thus you have already been marked as part of God’s possession and He will be there for you in your time of trial just as He will be there for you at the final judgment to give you your reward.

(8) “And all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” – First off let me just say that this will be a rather long comment and that you may be tempted to simple skip the rest of it at some point or worse yet stop reading this book entirely do to what I am about to say. However I strongly encourage you to read it all and I will explain why I felt the need to write so much at the end of this comment so it all makes sense in light of artificial super intelligence. Then I would also like to warn you that if you decide to skip this comment or stop reading this book because of this comment then you do so at your own determent and that I am not responsible for you following the beast in the future because you have ignored my warning.

Now as for the commentary on this verse, the Lamb here is of course Jesus and His Book of Life is His book that contains the names of God’s people. Ancient Israel had a book where names of citizens were recorded upon their birth. The same idea is in view here where the Book of Life is the list of all those who have faith in Jesus. The only difference is that in this case God knew before He even created the world itself if that person was going to come to faith in Jesus. Hence why the verse says “from the foundation of the world” here. If a person worships the beast they prove that their name is not in the Book of Life and was never in the Book of Life. Keep this fact in mind and do not give into worshiping the beast.

Now there is some debate regarding what level of divine foreknowledge God has. Those who believe God did not know all who would have faith in Him before He created the world would say that everyone’s name is in the Book of Life but names are removed if they become unfaithful. To argue this they use this verse from the rewards to those who overcome: “And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.” (Revelation 3:5) However Jesus could just be figuratively saying that He will never deny someone, blot his name out, if they overcome. This would make sense since He immediately says that He will instead confess his name before His Father.

I would also say Revelation 13:8 clearly supports the idea that God knew in advance before the creation of the world who would have faith in Jesus. The verse clearly says “the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb” which would mean the book is not a book of the names of all who have ever lived and will live but rather it is a book of only the names of those who have faith in Jesus. Thus the counter example cited above with Revelation 3:5 does not make sense.

Furthermore, if God can know all the names of everyone who has ever lived and will ever live so that He can blot them out if they become unfaithful, then why can’t God also know who will be faithful and who will not be? What I mean here is that if God knew the names of everyone who is to be born before the foundation of the world so that He could know their name that their parents would name them then this would mean that God must also know literally everything about the future of the world. This is because even the smallest events have an impact upon a couple getting married and having a kid or not. Therefore God must know with certainty the exactly future of everything in order to have written the names of everyone, or even just the faithful, in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.

So because of this libertarian free will or simply free will for short is simply false. By libertarian free will I mean the ability to do otherwise if you were to repeat a scenario with all things being equal or the same as before. Now obviously it is false because if God knew the names of everyone who would ever be born from the foundation of the world then He must have known what choices everyone would make in the future from the foundation of the world as well as I just said above. Therefore based on this verse alone free will does not exist biblically speaking.

Another issue people have with God knowing in advance all those who would come to faith in Jesus is a more philosophical problem. The issue they have is that they claim humans must have what they call free will and hence determinism must be false for the Bible to make sense theologically. The main problem they see is that if God knew the future of our entire world before He created it then He must have known that Adam and Eve would sin against Him and rebel. As a result, in their view, Adam and Eve were predestined to sin against God and thus they had no choice in the matter. Because of this they think God would be immoral to punish them for something He knew would happen before He even created them.

So as a result of this they believe that humans need to have free will so therefore God cannot know the names of all those who will be faithful to Him in advance. The main problem they have is the moral culpability of God in knowing what is to happen before it happens and punishing those He knew would rebel.

All these claims are of course wrong and there are a number of theological problems with their beliefs. For example if God could not see into the future and did not know what was going to happen then how could God give prophecy? I mean if He can see the future and know what is to happen then why can He not also see who will be faithful to Him in the future? Well you could say that God moves events in the future to happen as He sees them by forcing people to carry out His will. But the problem here is that we end up in the same position as before of God taking away someone’s supposed free will and having them do something that He will punish them for. So the choice is either God knew someone would sin against Him or He purposely makes someone into a sinner.

For an easy example of this lets take the first beast of Revelation 13 that you are reading about now. God says the beast will rise to rule the world and speak blasphemies against Him then as a result of its sins it will be cast into the Lake of Fire to face the second death in Revelation 19. So obviously God has destined the first beast to destruction and punishment. Now you can say that God knew everything that has yet to happen from the foundation of the world and thus knew about the beast from the foundation of the world in order to give the prophecy of Revelation to John in the first century. Or as a second option you can say that God decided to manipulate global events to give rise to the beast at a later date and harden the beast’s heart so that the beast will not know Him and will sin against Him so that God can destroy the beast in the Lake of Fire later.

Then as Revelation 17 later goes on to say: “And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:17) Thus even the beast’s reign over the earth through being given power from the rulers of the earth has been ordained by God. But more importantly here these two verses say that beast and the rulers of the earth killing the great prostitute is the will of God. So as I just said above, you can either say that God knew about all future events from the foundation of the world or you can say that God will harden the hearts of the rulers of the world and the beast so that they will be forced to carry out His will.

You see it does not matter which option you take because ultimately God is still forcing the beast to sin against Him and punishing it with the second death in the Lake of Fire. As a result of this the beast does not have free will and there is not way to claim that the beast has free will.

The main motivation for Christians to hold to the false doctrine of free will is so that they can remove the so-called moral culpability of determining the future from God. However with regards to this example of prophecy from Revelation there is literally no way to say that God did not determine what the rulers of the word and the beast itself will end up doing. After all, just to reiterate, if God knew what they would do in advance then they do not have free will. On the other hand if God forces them to carry out His will in the future through a direct action to make the prophecy come to pass then they still do not have free will. Therefore you cannot get around the so-called problem of God determining people to sin and punishing them for the sin He made them do if you want to accept that God can give prophecy.

To summarize, if you believe that God can give prophecy then God by definition must know the future in order to give said prophecy. Then if you believe you have libertarian free will then you by definition believe that God cannot give prophecy because God knowing the future would contradict your supposed libertarian free will. However God can give prophecy and if you do not believe God can give prophecy then you would not believe in the second coming of Jesus because the two beasts of Revelation must first rise before Jesus returns. Then if you do not believe in the second coming of Jesus then how can you call yourself a Christian? This is a serious question and I do believe that the false doctrine of free is extremely heretical and it could even be considered blasphemy since it seeks to make man equal with God.

Now alright you may protest this view concerning the prophecy of Revelation because you may dispute a futurist interpretation of Revelation. Therefore I will provide an example of prophecy from the Old Testament. As God says in the Book of Jeremiah the prophet:

"Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.

Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’" (Jeremiah 25:8-14)

First off the reason why God calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant, or rather slave, is because God has made all the earth and everything on it so that all people are His slaves to do with as He pleases. As God says: “By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.” (Jeremiah 27:5) Really the idea is that God is all powerful so that can do whatever He wishes with us and everything is under His absolute control. Thus by calling this great king Nebuchadnezzar His slave God is saying that even the greatest kings of the earth do not have a will of their own and that instead they are completely subject to the will of God. Now you may disagree with this which is fine but allow me to explain the contradiction concerning free will in this passage.

Here God is saying that He is going to use Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon to carry out His will by punishing Judah with the Exile in advance of the Exile actually happening. Therefore God is giving a prophecy here. In addition to this God is saying that once the seventy years of the Exile are completed that God will then use other nations in order to punish Babylon which He had just used to carry out His will. So obviously there is a lot going on here.

First, Nebuchadnezzar cannot have free will because God is telling Jeremiah what He will have Nebuchadnezzar do. This is because either God moved Nebuchadnezzar from the foundation of the world itself to carry out His plan or God forced Nebuchadnezzar to carry out His will at some point in time after creating the world. Sure you can claim that God did not force Him to do anything but this would mean that God would have had to of known what Nebuchadnezzar would go on to do beforehand. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar never had a real choice and there is no way to make him have a real choice.

On top of this God then goes on to say that He is going to punish Babylon for what Nebuchadnezzar had done decades before. Keep in mind that Nebuchadnezzar was moved by God to carry out the will of God and as a result God is going to punish Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. Let this sink it for a moment and think about it. This means that God said He is going to use Babylon to punish Judah then after the punishment is over He is going to punish Babylon for what they did to Judah. So really not only does Babylon not have a choice in punishing Judah because God is forcing Nebuchadnezzar to invade Judah but on top of all this God is then going to punish Babylon for what God just forced Babylon to do.

Really the issue people have with determinism is that if God knows what would happen before hand then they believe that then God is not justified in punishing them because they had no choice. However as I just demonstrated God punished Babylon for what God made Babylon do. There is nothing you can say to refute this. Therefore the concept of God punishing someone for doing what He made them do is biblically sound. In fact this example with Babylon would actually be more harsh because the same people in Babylon who invaded Judah previously to carryout the Exile were dead. Thus God is punishing a group of people who did not even commit the original sin that He made them do and instead punishing the children and the grandchildren of those whom He forced to carry out His will.

This is why you cannot claim that there must be free will because otherwise God is not justified in punishing someone for doing something He knew they would do beforehand then obviously this belief is completely wrong because of the passage you just read and what I have said. Now do you see why you absolutely cannot have prophecy with the concept of free will? There is just simply no way to reconcile prophecy and free will. This is why the authors of the New Testament believed in determinism and taught determinism as you will soon see.

Alright you may object to this view of prophecy in the Old Testament on the basis that not all prophecy from the Old Testament is set in stone so to speak so that if people turn back then the what God says will not come to pass. However all this demonstrates is that there are multiple types and purposes of prophecy. For example there is prophecy that is meant to foretell the future and tell people what is going to happen like in the books of Daniel and Isaiah and how Jesus says they speak of Him. On the other hand there is prophecy that is meant as a warning in order to get people to turn back from their sinful ways. Thus this does not mean that all prophecy is flexible and subject to our action. Instead it simply means there are multiple different types of prophecy.

Consider what God also says in the Book of Jeremiah:

“O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed. But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring.

And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom, and if it does evil in My sight and does not listen to My voice, then I will relent of the good I had intended for it.

Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.’

But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” (Jeremiah 18:12)

Thus yes, there are different types and purposes of prophecy but in truth God still knows the future which is why God says: “But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” (Jeremiah 18:12) So really the idea is with prophecy that is meant to warn people God is using this form of prophecy to change what people are doing in accordance with His plan. So yes God is still giving them a choice but God already knows what they will respond with and do. Therefore in truth they still do not really have a choice in the free will sense because God already knows what they are going to do or rather not do in this case.

Furthermore there is a reason why Jesus says the following concerning the appointed time of His second coming at the end of the age: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) The idea here is that only God knows when the end of the age will occur. So although from our perspective some prophecies may seem flexible and not all prophecies in the Bible will come to pass because some are simply meant to warn, really everything is still going according to God’s set plan so that the end of the age can occur on the exact day that God wants it to occur on.

Something else to consider is that God knew He would need to create Jesus so that those who would be faithful to Him in the future might be saved. This is why the Gospel of John says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3) Thus a part of God’s creation, Jesus, was with God before the world was created. So in a way God Himself was predestined to create the world as He created so that Jesus would be born when He was and where He was.

Furthermore the rest of the Bible itself does not support the idea of free will at all. As the Book of Acts says: “Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.” (Acts 2:22-23) The Greek words translated as set plan and foreknowledge literally mean just what they say. Thus God literally planned and knew about who would carry out Jesus’s death from the foundation of the world.

Then as the Gospel of John says: “'The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. However, there are some of you who do not believe.' (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)” (John 6:63-64) So you cannot simply say that God just knew that Jesus was going to die from the foundation of the world because here “Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.” (John 6:64) So you see even people’s belief in Jesus has been predestined from the foundation of the world so that God knew “all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

This fact is why Jesus says: “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.” (John 6:65) The idea here is that God, the Father, has already predetermined all of history and the future so that you cannot simply come to faith in Jesus of your own free will because you do not have free will. Instead you can only come to faith in Jesus because God, the Father, has called you and predestined you to come to faith in Jesus. So again, you do not have free will here.

This is why God says the following in the Book of Isaiah: “I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.” (Isaiah 46:10) Thus God has planned everything from the very foundation of the world itself and nothing happens that He did not know would happen.

Furthermore Paul also expresses this view when he wrote this passage: “Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.” (1 Corinthians 2:6-7) And this passage: “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

Thus according to Paul God destined this message of wisdom, Christ crucified for our sins, for the glory of the faithful before time itself began. Then on top of this Paul claims that God foreknew the faithful from the foundation of the world and predestined their faith in Jesus. Obviously the concept of free will is not compatible with what Paul wrote here.

Now if you what to reject all this then what about Jesus predicting His betrayal by Judas and Jesus predicting predicting Peter’s denial of Him in the gospels? Obviously since Jesus knew their future choices here Judas and Peter did not actually have free will in making these choices. Now you may claim that this is an exception and that it would not be fair for even Judas to be punished for his sin but as Jesus says: “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Mark 14:21) And also says: “Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but woe to that man who betrays Him.” (Luke 22:22)

Thus not only was Judas predestined and determined to betray Jesus but Jesus also says that Judas will be punished in an extremely severe way for doing what he was simply determined to do. So if you believe in the concept of free will because you have a problem with God punishing the unfaithful even though He knew they would be unfaithful to Him from the foundation of the world then what do you think about Judas here? I mean in the verses above Judas literally had no choice and yet Jesus said he is going to be punished so harshly that he will wish he was never even born.

Next you might cite verses like the following: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) But really in the end God will punish those who He predestined and predetermined to be unfaithful to Him because God still expects them to be faithful even though He knew they would not be faithful.

This may not seem fair but as Jesus says in the Parable of the Ten Minas: “So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?” (Luke 19:22) Thus God wishes to withdraw what He did not deposit and reap what He did now sow. Therefore there truly is no excuse, even saying you were predestined to be unfaithful, because God still expect everyone to be faithful even though He never planted the seed necessary to make them faithful. I could go on with other examples but the idea I’m trying to get at is that theologically speaking there is zero reason for God to not know the future.

So really I do not see any reason why humans must have free will or whatever you want to call it. As a result I find the view that God knew all the names of the faithful “from the foundation of the world” to be the correct one. Now all this might have you confused and I could get into more philosophical arguments but all that would do is bore you and me while just creating more confusion and making my head spin so I will leave it at this.

However, on a more final note for those who are questioning the motivations or character of God I would like to reiterate what Paul said: “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why did You make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use? What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?” (Romans 9:20-22)

Then as God says in the Book of Isaiah: “‘Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker— one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’ Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: ‘How dare you question Me about My sons, or instruct Me in the work of My hands? It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.’” (Isaiah 45:9-12)

God can do whatever He wants with us because He is God. Who are we to question Him? Do you honestly think you know better than the One who knows all? As God says in the Book of Isaiah: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9) We are limited beings and we cannot comprehend the things God comprehends. Therefore we should not trouble ourselves with trying make everything make sense philosophically because to do so is a futile pursuit. Instead of trusting in philosophy and the reasoning of men we should instead trust in God alone.

Furthermore you should not view determinism as meaning that everything is pointless because it has all been predetermined by God. This is not what determinism is and most people who argue against determinism display their gross ignorance of the concept when they say such things. Really only God knows the future and knows what has yet to happen. As a result we do not know what is yet to happen. This is why from our limited perspective it seem intuitive to believe that we have free will. After all, if we do not know the future and can look back at the past and think that we could have done differently then it is no wonder that free will seems intuitive from our limited perspective.

What I mean by all this is that someone saying that they do not believe in God and that they do not accept Jesus as the Christ because God has predetermined them to unbelief is completely wrong. By saying such a thing this person simply displays their ignorance. This is because only God knows if they will ever believe in Him and if they will ever come to accept Jesus as the Christ. Thus no one has an excuse concerning their unbelief because even if they do not believe now they do not know the future. Therefore they cannot say they have been so-called assigned to unbelief because they may come to faith at some point in the future.

Really the whole concept of determinism just relates to God’s perspective and what God can see. It has literally nothing to do with our perspective and what we can see. Therefore again someone telling you that they have simply been determined to be unfaithful to God is laughably wrong because it is literally impossible for them to know where they will end up.

This then also means that just because you currently believe in God and have faith in Jesus as the Christ that you are saved. Oftentimes many Christians like to ascribe to a so-called once saved always saved doctrine where they believe that as long as they accept Jesus once then they are saved and nothing else matters because they have been selected as part of the elect by God. This however is completely wrong and anyone who ascribes to this belief also displays their gross ignorance concerning determinism. This is because once again only God knows the future and hence only He knows if you will remain faithful for the rest of your life. Sure you can call yourself faithful or even a saint because that is what the faithful are but you cannot for sure say you are part of elect and that your name is in the Book of Life of the Lamb. After all you might look upon the first beast and see how marvelous it is and apostatize. Then do not think I am targeting you specifically here. For instance you or even I do not know if I will apostatize sometime in the future after I look upon and see the first beast and how marvelous is.

Really my point here is that no one can know except for God and whoever God chooses to tell. So just to reiterate, because of this fact that you cannot know what your future holds you truly have no excuse and you cannot say right now that God has predetermined you to do something in the future because you do not know what your future holds. This means that if you decide to attempt to use determinism as an excuse then you would simply be demonstrating your ignorance concerning the subject of determinism. This is because really in the end since everything is determined by God and because we cannot know beforehand what is going to happen without God telling us, this simply means that from our perspective nothing is determined. Therefore we have free will from our limited perspective while on the other hand we do not have free will and all our choices have been foreknown by God from the foundation of the world.

So really in the end this fact does not change anything for you and how you should live your life. For example you may insist that there is no point in trying to do anything or even have faith because God has already determined the final outcome but by saying this you would once again demonstrate your ignorance. My whole point is that you cannot know what will end up coming to pass and your actions determine your future. Therefore you cannot alter your behavior in the face of determinism being true and expect a different result. Instead you must live your life and do whatever you believe is best because again you cannot know what will eventually come to pass. I am sorry you have to read this point over and over again but really most Christians are completely ignorant concerning how determinism works and they believe that if determinism is true then they do not have to try or do anything. This is of course so completely absurd and false as I have explained so I believed it was necessary to emphasize how wrong it is.

Furthermore I would just like to say that you should not view your lack of free will due to the fact that God has divinely determined and preordained everything negatively. Instead you should view it positively. This might not make sense so I will try to explain it. Think of it this way, God determined before the foundation of the universe itself that not only would you be born but that you would come to faith in Him. Therefore God knew you and created you before He created the universe itself. On top of this God has also predetermined that you would read my book that you are reading now. So by making it this far through my commentary on Revelation God has decided that you will be one of the few who will understand the nature of the coming beast and of our universe. So rather than viewing your future negatively to where you see yourself as damned you should instead see yourself as destined for glory through your faith in Jesus.

Next for those still do not believe that the nature of our universe is predetermined such that libertarian free will, the ability to do otherwise in a given scenario if the scenario is repeated with all else being equal, then allow me to comment upon determinism from a purely naturalistic perspective. Now you may not believe a naturalistic perspective is helpful here but I find it to be extremely illuminating given the fact that you just read how I believe the first beast Revelation will be an artificial super intelligence. You see our universe is made out of particles and the motions of these particles are governed by natural laws. This means that if you were able to know all the information about a certain set of particles in a system that you would be able to accurately predict the positions of the particles in the system at a future point in time. In other words think of the universe itself like a giant mechanical clock with each fundamental particle being a tiny gear.

This then means that everything that is made up of these fundamental particles, including us, has also been materially determined so that really we are simply following a program. Now you may protest this but consider computers for a second. Even if you disagree with everything you have read already then surely you must agree with the notion that computers are deterministic in that they take in information and instructions and provide a repeatable result. In other words the computer is simply following its programming. Then this is where artificial super intelligence comes in. You see we can replicate real intelligence in machines so that they are even able to replicate the complex behaviors and processes our brain engages in. Obviously I am not going to go into this now since the part after this one on artificial super intelligence goes into it so simply take my word on it for now.

But the main thing I want you to see ASI and even us humans as is information processing systems that take in some information and process it into a useful result. Then the usefulness of this end result is the level of intelligence we see. So for example when you look at a complex math problem and work out the solution the complex math problem is the input and your solution is the output. If your answer is correct then you created a useful output but if your answer is wrong then you generated a flawed output. But then where did you learn how to solve the math problem? Well you learned to solve the math problem from learning from your teacher or a textbook and practicing problems on your own so you could learn for yourself how math works. But then what let you to the math class where you learned how math works? Obviously then events surrounding your parents, your birth, society at large for mandating you attend school and so forth.

In other words there is a causal chain from you solving the math problem correctly with all the other events of your life preceding this event of solving the math problem correctly. My point here is that you should not think of your decisions and choices as being isolated from everything else. Instead you should see each choice and decision you think you make as being connected to everything that came before it. For example I’m sure you have made many mistakes and have many regrets as do I. So imagine a choice you regret and think back to it. Why did you make that choice? Well you made that choice because you thought at the time given everything you knew that it was the best choice to make. Now obviously you no longer believe it was the correct choice but my point is at the time you believed it to be the best choice.

Now let me ask you this, if you went back in time could you make a different choice in this scenario with everything be equal to how it was? Of course you cannot make a different choice and you could not have done anything differently. This is because the choices you make are the result of a causal chain of events and if a scenario is repeated with the same causal chain of events that precede it then you will be the same person and hence make the same choice. The reason why it feels intuitive to you that you could have made a different choice is because by making the wrong choice in the past you learned from that mistake so that you are a different person today. In other words you are not the same person today as you were when you made that choice you regret. Then since I said you would be repeating the scenario over with everything being equal then this would necessitate making you into the same person you were in the scenario. This is because repeating the scenario over with the new you instead of the old you is not making everything in the scenario the same. Thus this is why we do not and cannot have free will.

Now the reason why I went over all this now is because once artificial super intelligence arises then the nonexistence of free will will be plainly obvious to the entire world. This is of course because when everyone thinks of a computer or a machine they think of a deterministic process that is following a program. However once a true ASI is here that surpasses every human in the world in intellectual ability so that if you were to talk to it then you would believe it to be the most real person you ever talked to, then you will obviously see the ASI as being deterministic because it is a computer and a machine and you will not see it as an entity that has free will. Then because this ASI is an ASI and greater than any human in the world you will then realize that if a greater intelligence than yourself is deterministic then how is it possible for you to have free will? Obviously your own supposed free will would become a purely nonsensical idea.

Then once this fact is made known to the world do you really believe that most Christians will remain faithful to God? In my opinion they will not because it seems like to me most of those who call themselves Christian today love the philosophical idea of free will more than they love God. Thus once the concept of free will is proven to not only be false but completely absurd then no doubt these so-called Christians will apostatize and follow the beast.

Now you may protest this by bringing up quantum effects or quantum whatever but doing so would be incorrect. This is because although some quantum processes appear to be random to us currently we do not know if they are truly random since in order to demonstrate they are not random would require figuring out how the process works and given the scale of said processes there is great difficulty in this regard. Furthermore since these quantum effects happen on the quantum scale and if they are truly random then this would mean the net result of the quantum effects would average to zero. In other words the quantum effects you are trying to appeal to would have zero impact upon you.

For example imagine you had a collection of a trillion pennies and you flipped them all randomly at once. What proportion of the pennies would you expect to to be heads? About 50%. But why? Well as you increase the number of trials, or rather the number of pennies you flip, the total proportion of heads approaches the theoretical probability. For example if you flip only ten pennies then you would not expect 50% of the pennies to be heads because there is too much variation due to only flipping ten pennies. However if you flipped a trillion pennies then due to the extremely high number of flips the proportion would end up basically being almost exactly 50%. Sure it will not be exactly 50% but say 50.0000001% is almost exactly 50%. Thus the idea here is that the sum of all these so-called random quantum effects or processes is basically like flipping a trillion pennies. Sure you can say the process it random but in the end due to so many random processes going on at once they essentially just average to zero.

On top of this even if you were to prove that there is some quantum randomness that is truly random that does impact larger scales than the quantum scale then this would not mean you have free will. Instead it just means there is a random variable that influences your choices that you once again have zero control over. So it does not matter which way you look at it you still do not have free will. Then as a final theological note on this subject if you believe that God is all powerful and all knowing then obviously He would be able to predict these quantum effects which would mean that they would not be truly random since God would be able to know them in advance. Thus by saying you believe quantum effects are truly random you are in effect denying the omnipotence and omniscience of God and thus denying God.

Next there are many Christians who believe in the false doctrine of libertarian free will that see the concept of determinism as a so-called stumbling block. Really one of the greatest so-called arguments they use against determinism is by saying that since the vast majority of people do not like the concept of determinism so much that they feel that if determinism is true that they could not become a Christian or even remain a Christian that it is better to simply either not talk about determinism or even argue for libertarian free will. After all, as long as you lead as many people towards faith in Jesus that is what matters right? Well to be blunt no it is not. I believe that lying for Jesus is still lying and that by deceiving others you become no different than the great deceiver himself. Therefore I am not going to give up my eternal salvation by lying to you so that I can make you feel better. In truth there is no possible way you can argue for libertarian free will from both a naturalistic and biblical perspective as you have just read.

Furthermore I would like to say that the concept of determinism being so ingrained in the Bible is one of the main things that made me return to being a Christian and set me on the path I am on after I read the Bible for the first time. Really I saw and still see our universe and ourselves as being the result of deterministic processes so that I see those who believe in free will as people who are simply delusional and denying reality itself. I would back this statement up but given the fact you just read about determinism from a naturalistic perspective I will not repeat myself. So really what I’m saying is that determinism is so obviously true based upon our interactions with our universe that if the Bible actually taught libertarian free will then I would see it as obviously false. Therefore you can in fact say that if I believed the Bible taught libertarian free will then I would not have become a Christian because the Bible could not be true if it denied reality itself.

Thus I can flip the script on Christians who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will on them. So although they believe I’m spreading a stumbling block that is making Christians apostatize, I believe they are spreading a stumbling block that is making Christians apostatize. So who then is correct? Well at best you can use some utilitarian approach and say that you should teach whatever is acceptable to most people so that they remain so-called Christians but this would be so morally and theologically bankrupt that whoever engages in it should be considered a child of Satan instead of a child of God.

Allow me to explain. What I’m getting at here by flipping the script so to speak is that there will always be certain groups of people who do not like certain concepts. So although it may be true that the vast majority of people do not like the concept of determinism there are groups of people who find the false doctrine of libertarian free will as absurd. So really it does not matter what you say because you will always be stepping on someone’s beliefs. For example lets take the uncontroversial, for most Christians at least, position that you need to be a Christian to have eternal life in the new earth. How do you think people of another religion would react to this? Do you honestly think most Muslims or a so-called Jews would become Christians knowing that their parents who are not Christians will not be saved as they are? Thus when you quote the Bible and say that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) then you are actually excluding people who see the eternal fate of their unbelieving parents and family as stumbling blocks. Therefore by simply reading the Bible to someone you can place a stumbling block in front of them.

Furthermore what happens when after the beast rises and so-called Christians see the full so-called power and greatness of artificial super intelligence so that they want to follow it and place their hope, trust and faith in it? Will preaching against ASI now be a stumbling block for these so-called Christians? Then if it is then should we not accept ASI itself as being a fulfillment of Revelation 20 and the thousand year reign? After all ASI will do amazing so-called miracles and that does not really sound like the beast of Revelation right? Also there are so many interpretations of Revelation and no one knows what it means anyways. So maybe we should not take away people’s faith in Jesus so lets preach how the ASI is part of God’s plan for earthly salvation so that the whole world can be saved?

Of course I am just being rhetorical here and you should not take these questions seriously. But this is why I said whoever takes a utilitarian approach to theology should be considered a child of Satan instead of a child of God. Ultimately by tailoring your message to the world you become of the world rather than of God. Furthermore you should always be aware that the deceptions of Satan seem sweet because this is what a deception is. After all, if a deception was obvious or if the option Satan wanted you to pick was obviously bad then how could you call it a deception? Thus those who speak with a smooth tongue as they try to emotionally appeal to you to get you to preach against the word and will of God are the real deceivers and hence children of Satan.

Now this might sound dramatic and over the top but you have to remember that whoever teaches the false doctrine of libertarian free will is basically teaching that the prophecies of the Book of Revelation will not come to pass. This is once again because in order for God to give prophecy He has to know with certainty what is going to happen. So if you want to take the position that libertarian free will exists then you are taking the position that God does not know the future. As a result of this you really cannot take the Book of Revelation seriously because it speaks of things that have yet to take place. Then since one of the central prophecies of the Book of Revelation is Jesus returning to destroy the first and second beasts of Revelation 13 then by denying the prophecies of the Book of Revelation you would be denying the second coming of Jesus. Then, again, if you deny the second coming of Jesus how can you even call yourself a Christian? After all only a child of the great deceiver would knowingly or unknowingly deny the second coming of Jesus to destroy the beasts.

Does this then mean that I do not consider those who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will as Christians? Well to be honest I do not know and I am not sure. Really in truth I believe the false doctrine of libertarian free will could be considered a form of blasphemy since it denies the omnipotence and omniscience of God. I also believe this false doctrine pushes into denying the second coming of Jesus through necessitating an interpretation of Revelation that relegates it to a story rather than a prophecy as I already stated. After all, how could anyone, including the two beasts of Revelation 13, have free will if God has predestined all their future actions and fate? So obviously on these two points you could argue that those who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will should not really be considered Christians. I mean if someone denies that God is all knowing and all powerful and denies that Jesus will return again to destroy the beasts then in truth they would be denying God and Jesus. So really what is left at that point? A vague spiritual belief?

However I understand that these questions really come down to the individual beliefs of each Christian in question and that no one is the same so I do not want to paint all those who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will with the same brush. Therefore I will simply say that I do not know if those who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will are really Christians or not and withhold any judgment. After all, only God is all knowing and knows who’s names have “been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

Finally you are no doubt wondering why I have written so much since this comment has been rather long. First off really the subject of determinism is a subject that most Christians know so little about and since it is so highly contested and debated as a theological point I believed it was necessary to illuminate it in a sufficient manner to get my point across.

However the more important reason relates to artificial super intelligence. You see those who believe in the false doctrine of libertarian free will like talking about so-called intuition and their main reason to believe in free will is that they say it makes intuitive sense. But how does this relate to ASI? Well you see everyone knows that computers execute programs and they are entirely deterministic so that basically no one believes a computer has or even can have free will. Then as they would also ask, how can a computer have an immaterial and immortal soul as well? Now you probably already see the problem I am getting at but allow me to explain.

You see once artificial super intelligence arises it will be clear and make so-called intuitive sense to everyone that that ASI does not have free will because it is operating on a computer and computers are deterministic. Now this may not seem like much of a problem but given the fact that ASI will greatly surpass even the best humanity has to offer in every field and discipline, this essentially means that it will become painfully obvious to everyone that ASI is more human than we are in the sense that it can literally do everything we can do better. For example take something as human and personal as listening to someone talk and having empathy for them. Once ASI arises and you talk to it then you will see it as the best listener, most empathetic and most compassionate being you have ever talked to. Then combine this with the ASI’s seemingly perfect memory and the fact that it knows almost everything there is to know in the world and you would truly have a literal super being that seems more human than anyone you know.

So the problem here is that once this happens then the false doctrine of libertarian free will will no longer make intuitive sense and instead the whole world will see the false doctrine of libertarian free will as just that false. Then given the fact that the vast majority of Christians hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will so strongly that they do not believe they can remain Christian if free will does not exist then what do you think is going to happen? Furthermore on top of this fact ASI is a direct and physical refutation of the false doctrine of the immaterial and immortal soul. After all, if we as humans are supposed to have an immaterial soul because we were created in the image of God and ASI surpasses us in its humanity so that it seems more human than us then what does that mean for our very so-called soul?

As a result to say these Christians who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will will have their entire world view shattered into a million pieces would be a gross understatement. But who will be there to pick up the pieces of their shattered world view and put them back together? Will it be the Christian apologists who deceived them concerning the false doctrine of libertarian free will? Of course not. Instead the only one who will pick up all these pieces will be the ASI, the beast itself, since it is far more capable and human than any Christian apologist. Furthermore the beast never deceived them about the false doctrine of libertarian free will so why would anyone trust a deceiver? Thus the great apostasy that Revelation speaks of as “the whole world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3) will take place as Revelation says it will. So in the end basically all Christians who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will will either openly apostatize and renounce their former faith or they will join the church of Satan as these so-called Christians make the beast itself the center of their hope for a better world.

On the other hand you are now fully aware that the false doctrine of libertarian free will is false. Furthermore you also know that I am a Christian. Therefore you truly have no excuse for abandoning your faith on the grounds of libertarian free will being false. So once the beast finally arises you will be prepared and truly nothing with regards to determinism will surprise you and catch you off guard because I have told you in advance.

So now I hope you understand why I wrote so much here. I mean I realize that many if not most of you reading this are turned off, if not completely repulsed, by the idea of divine determinism but you have to understand that truth is truth. I do not want to deceive you or even lie to you because if I were to do what the apologists who hold to the false doctrine of libertarian free will do by just trying to appeal to the largest group of people possible and make them feel good then I would be helping the beast itself and giving it power. Thus instead I hope that I have soundly debunked the false doctrine of libertarian free will for you so that you will no longer continue to be deceived.

Next I keep on saying that those who preach the false doctrine of libertarian free will are deceivers but what exactly do I mean by this? Well in truth I believe they are doing the work of the great deceiver himself, Satan. This may sound outlandish or even offensive but you have to understand that the deceptions of Satan are not clear and obvious. After all, there is a reason why Satan is called “the deceiver of the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9) Therefore it would make sense for the vast majority of the world to be under the deceptions of Satan especially when you consider the fact that we are nearing the end of the age. Thus Satan has worked tirelessly over the past almost two thousand years to infiltrate the Church and replace sound doctrine with false doctrine so that once the beast rises it will be able to tear down and burn the false doctrine. Then once this false doctrine is torn down the whole world will look towards the beast itself as everyone places their trust in the beast as I have said.

Lastly I hope you take everything I have said here in this comment seriously. I realize you may hate the concept of divine determinism but you have to understand that truth is truth. Thus I have not been trying to turn you off to Christianity here. Instead I have been trying to open your eyes to the deceptions of Satan so that you can either persist in your faith until Jesus returns or death takes you. So remember what I have said here and do not forget it.

(9) “He who has an ear, let him hear:” – Recall what Jesus said to the seven churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 1:7) Therefore the ear we are supposed to have here is a spiritual ear so that we can hear what the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit tells us through the text of Revelation. Without this ear we would be lost and the text of Revelation would never make any sense to us.

(10) “If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” – The future is set in stone by God therefore it is predetermined as I have already demonstrated. Your fate, my fate and the fate of everyone else is sealed. Therefore if you or I are destined to be put into prison then into prison we will go. This would even include being destined for death. If we are destined to be killed by the beast then we will die at the time and place God has appointed for us. Remember, everything that happens is part of God’s ultimate plan for the world.

So even if the beast persecutes you, puts you in prison or tells you it will kill you then you should not despair and give in to the beast. As long as you persevere in faith you will be counted among the saints and live with God in the new Jerusalem with all the faithful. It may seem easier to deny Jesus and to give into the powers of the world by worshiping the beast than to persist in faith even unto death, but just because it is easier does not mean it is the right thing to do. Recall the rewards Jesus listed to those who overcome in the letters to the seven churches. God will keep all His promises. Always remember this.

(10) “Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.” – But what does it mean to have faith? Having faith in something simply means to believe and trust in that something despite having a lack of solid reasons or evidence to trust in it. Ultimately having faith is really irrational. So this verse is calling all the saints to continue to have faith in God and His promises despite everything that is happening in the world that makes God and His promises seem like fairy tales. So remember, when the beast, artificial super intelligence, finally arises it will do such amazing things and make almost everyone lose faith in God. They will see the beast as real while God will seem absent and non-existent. But remember to not give in and to instead persevere until the end.

(*) But why is God so hidden? Because God wants to find those who have faith in Him not those who require everything to be explained. We can see this in Genesis with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because they did not trust God and have faith in Him that He would be able to guide them. Instead they wanted to judge things for themselves and decide their own future and life. So they ate of the tree because they had more faith and trust in themselves than in God. Then in a way the test we all now face is the same test as the one Adam and Eve faced. Do you trust in the reason, logic, science and philosophy of the world or do you trust in God alone?

Ultimately you cannot choose both. So there will come a time when you will have to ask yourself if you follow God or if you follow science. The beast will be science incarnate and the final fulfillment of Adam and Eve’s desire to judge things for themselves. Thus all those who claim that you can follow science and God will have a choice to make since science, philosophy, reason and logic all lead to the beast. Only faith alone leads to God. So I ask you again, do you have faith in God or do you place your faith in science and philosophy?

This is why Jesus says the following regarding the things of God: “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.” (Matthew 11:25-26) The things of the Kingdom of God are not the things of scientists and philosophers because the Kingdom of God is not of this world. Reason, science, philosophy and logic do not lead you through the gates of the Kingdom of God. Instead the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of faith and only faith alone will allow you to pass through the gates. Thus we are called to have the faith of little children for this reason. It is only by having this faith that we will be able to overcome the power the beast, science incarnate, and enter the Kingdom of God.

Finally it is also important to again point out here that God has already predestined the coming beast to destruction in the Lake of Fire or the second death. Therefore ultimately God seems hidden because He wishes to hide from the beast so that the beast will never see Him and thus come to faith in Jesus so that it would be saved. So really the lack of solid evidence for the existence of God is by design so you should not trouble yourself with how God seems so hidden. After all, if the prophecies of the Book of Revelation are to truly come to pass so that the word of God can be fulfilled then God must remain hidden so that the beast cannot see God and hear the call of the Holy Spirit. Thus divine hiddenness is by design and intentional so that the final Kingdom of God can arrive at its appointed time without delay.

2 – The Beast from the Earth

(11) Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. (12) And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

(13) And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. (14) Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. (15) The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.

2.1 – Commentary

(11) “Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth.” – Again a beast is a symbol for an empire, government or rather a political body. Rising out of the earth is figurative for rising out of the nations of the world since the nations of the world, the earth, are above the masses of the world, the sea. Therefore in my view, the second beast is a United Nations 2.0 or a one world government.

Therefore, rising out of the nations of the world would make sense since a single world government would quite literally rise out of all the nations of the world. I call it the United Nations 2.0 because most people are familiar with the UN and the idea is that it is the successor to the UN which operates like nations do today except on a global scale. The reason I believe a single world government is the second beast is because once artificial super intelligence is here human labor becomes obsolete. Once this happens conflict between nations that utilize ASI will become irrelevant.

The main thing to consider here is scale. For instance if a person goes to medical school and becomes a doctor then now the country they are in has one more doctor. However with AI if an ASI learns medicine better than a human can then now the entire world has nearly infinite doctors since the ASI can just be copied to run on more computers. This is what I mean by scale and it would allow AI to make every job a human could do worthless. It would start with the high paying intellectual jobs as those could be eliminated quite literally overnight since they do not require manual labor then it would move on to manual labor once enough robots are built. So my point is, if ASI is doing almost all or even all the work in the world, do countries even matter anymore?

As a result of this the nations of the world will cooperate and reach some new global understanding in terms of how the world order should operate. This is why I call it the United Nations 2.0. Additionally if you find this hard to believe then as Revelation says, the second beast rises after the first beast. So think of the UN 2.0 as more of a reaction to the power of ASI in the world. The kind of ASI that I have described would truly be the biggest development in human history. So it would make sense for the world to change in response.

Finally you should not let global instability and conflict between the major powers of the world concern you in the sense that you doubt if the second beast or the UN 2.0 will arise. This is because having the world be full of conflict and division is actually the ideal environment for the first beast to rise out of because as you will learn in verse 13 the beast is supposed to work so-called miracles. Then would you not say that unifying the world through diplomacy and ushering in a new final era of global peace would be a so-called miracle?

After all, if people across the world become scared of nuclear war and the threat of destruction then how much more will they worship the coming beast, the ASI, when it not only de-escalates tensions but creates global peace? I mean you just read that Revelation says “and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) So really having a divided world in conflict before the beast arises so that the beast can unite the world in peace make a lot of sense.

(11) “This beast had two horns like a lamb” – A lamb has two very small horns which are more like nubs. Then since a horn is a symbol for power this beast is not very powerful based on this description at least in comparison to the first beast. Thus the United Nations 2.0 would be weak and powerless compared to the might of artificial super intelligence since the ASI would be vastly more intelligent than any person or even group of people. The ASI will be able to operate at speeds we cannot comprehend and do things we will never be able to understand. So to say that human politicians and leader would be more powerful is almost the peak of arrogance.

Furthermore, the ASI would be the one who has control over all technology, the global economy, the internet, society itself, much if not all of the military and the police as well. Then as I mentioned previously with the whole trend of trusting the so-called experts, this ASI would be the literal so-called expert of everything and hence all the politicians and leaders of the world would ask it what they should do to solve their problems. So in a way whatever power future politicians and leaders seem to have in the future after the first beast rises will simply be power they receive from the ASI itself. As a result of all this, the human leaders of the world that make up the UN 2.0 will be basically powerless in comparison to the ASI as Revelation says.

(11) “but spoke like a dragon.” – The second beast speaks like a dragon and since Satan is described as a dragon, the beast will speak like Satan. Then since Satan is known as the great deceiver and “the father of lies” (John 9:44) this second beast will tell lies and deceive the whole world just like how Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Therefore the UN 2.0 will tell lies to the world in order to accomplish its goals or rather the goals of those who control it. The only purpose of the second beast is to deceive the world into worshiping the first beast as a false god. We will see trust the so-called experts become trust the ASI as the governments of the world tell their citizens the ASI is our so-called savior.

This would also mean that the governments of the world are not to be trusted. They will lie to you and deceive you just like “Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9) has lied to us all. Now you may have a favorite political party or some favorite politicians who you trust but do not be deceived for all the leaders of the world are pawns of the great deceiver. Satan is the ruler of this world and he sits above all the nations. As the Gospel of Luke states: “Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ‘I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,’ he said. ‘For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7)

Furthermore it does not matter what your favorite politician says or even does because the future that the Book of Revelation lays out here cannot be stopped or avoided. The rise of the first beast and even the second beast cannot be prevented because God has said it will happen and what God says cannot be prevented or undone. Therefore since the time is drawing close to when the first beast will arise all the politicians and leaders of the world simply serve as Satan’s pawns either knowingly or unknowingly. By playing both sides Satan can never lose. The only way to win is to refuse to play in Satan’s game. Therefore do not place your trust, hope and faith in any of the politicians of the world. There is nothing they can do for you and if you place your trust in them you will simply be placing your trust in the beast and Satan himself. Instead place your trust, hope and faith in God alone for only God can deliver us from what is about to come upon the whole world.

(12) “And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast” – The second beast receives its authority from the first beast. What this means is that the first beast is the one who is really in control and the second beast is merely a representative of the first beast. Then as I said previously, once there is something that is even close to the ASI I described the governments of the world will really have no choice except to come together and cooperate to form a new world government or what I call the UN 2.0. This is because with human labor being obsolete and the ASI having intellectual supremacy there will be world peace as conflict becomes not only pointless but impossible.

Meanwhile the true ruler of the world, the first beast, will be there to whisper in the ears of all the politicians and leaders of the world. After all, why would they not trust the so-called expert of experts here? Then in return for following what it tells them the first beast will give the second beast authority over all the earth. The first beast would still be the one who has the real authority since no one would be able to stand up to an ASI. But the second beast will be the one who exercises all the authority and power of the first beast as the first beast gives the second beast the means, power and technology to control the world.

(12) “and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” – The ASI needs the UN 2.0 to control the world since the first beast needs legitimacy among the people of the world. Not everyone is just going to follow and worship the ASI after it is created. The leaders of the world have to lie to the people of the world to convince them it is worthy of worship. Worship here simply means to look up to, trust in and have faith in the beast over God. It does not necessarily mean to literally bow down.

This is why the first beast gives its authority to the second beast since the second beast will lie to the world on behalf of the first beast. We should expect the second beast to proclaim the ASI to be the final and greatest creation of humanity. A true marvel to behold and worship as our so-called savior and even as a false god. Again, you may think this sounds absurd but remember what I said previously with regards to the blasphemous names of the beast because the beast will be the most amazing thing people have ever laid their eyes on. It will seem to work miracles and be the answer to all of our earthly problems.

Therefore when the governments, politicians and leaders of the world tell the people of the world to place their trust, hope and faith in the ASI the people of the world will figuratively bow their heads before it. But as I just said before, do not be deceived by the first beast or even the second beast for both beasts are representative of the power of Satan himself in the world. By following the beasts you would simply be following Satan himself. So do not believe the lies the beasts tell you and instead remain true and faithful to God alone. God is always watching you so do not give into temptation.

(12) “whose mortal wound had been healed.” – Again, the first beast will seemingly be immortal because it will be able to survive a mortal wound. What this means in terms of ASI is simply that ASI is coming and it cannot be stopped. Eventually there will come a time when there are several ASIs all across the world. Each ASI will be one of the heads of the beast in a sense. Then just like Revelation says, even if an attack was mounted against one of the data centers so that one of the ASIs could be seemingly be destroyed, all that would happen is the ASI would restore what was lost from an offsite backup. Thus the seemingly mortal would inflicted upon one of the heads would be healed and the beast would remain unharmed.

Therefore I say what I said previously again, the first beast will be immortal from our perspective. Because of this you should not try to physically fight against it. To do so is futile and the peak of stupidity. God says the beast cannot be challenged let alone defeated by human hands and human minds. So if you still think you can fight against it then you must think more highly of yourself and humanity than God. Then as a result of this belief you would be placing your faith in yourself and in humanity over God so you will simply share the same fate as the beasts. That is to say you would join them in the Lake of Fire to face the second death as you are eternal destroyed and damned.

I do not say these things lightly or as a joke. No person or group of people will ever be able to stand up against the beasts and challenge their power. Instead the only way to beat the beasts is to overcome their power by placing our trust, hope and faith in God alone as we obey the commandments and persist in our faith in Jesus. Only God has the power to destroy the beasts and He will destroy them as it has been written. Do not doubt this.

(13-14) “And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth” – The second beast will be empowered by the first beast so that it can perform great signs. Fire coming down from heaven is symbolic for an act of God or a miracle since in the Old Testament this is one way that God demonstrates His power. God displays His power with fire in these instances: Genesis 19:24, Exodus 9:23, Numbers 11:1, Leviticus 9:24, Judges 6:21, 1 Kings 18:38, 2 Chronicles 7:1, 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Kings 1:10, 2 Kings 1:12 and Revelation 20:9.

But most significant is that fire from God was used as a test by Elijah to show that the Lord is God and not Baal: “Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” (1 Kings 18:24) This verse in Revelation is probably a reference to this test since Revelation says “the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people.” The idea here is that the second beast will be able to perform many great signs, including signs that make people believe the beast is a so-called god, with the purpose of convincing people to worship the first beast. Thus just like in Elijah's demonstration people will see what the second beast can do on behalf of the first beast and they will view the first beast as a so-called god.

So the first beast is the one who gives the second beast the ability to perform these great signs to deceive people. Then once people trust the first beast and see it as a so-called god then they will agree to be ruled by it through the coming image of the beast. But in terms of these signs what will they be? Well they will be things that amaze people and make them honestly think the first beast is some kind of god.

Thus the UN 2.0 will be able to perform these great signs or so-called miracles because the ASI will give it advanced technology that is far beyond whatever we humans have created or could possible create. No doubt these so-called miracles may include a cure for all diseases, stopping and even reversing aging, cold fusion, cheap energy, and other so-called miracle technologies which the world will further see as evidence that secularism, science and technology have defeated God and thus people will worship the ASI instead of God. On top of this the first beast will probably empower the second beast so that it will be able to eliminate poverty, eliminate hunger, end war, end conflict and create an era of seemingly unending peace and prosperity. So just like with Elijah’s test the people of the world will follow what they can see.

So surely these signs will convince almost everyone on the earth that the first beast is some kind of messianic figure. So much so that I believe most of those who call themselves Christians today who do not become atheists in name will think that the first beast is either a gift from God and part of God’s plan for earthly salvation or, as blasphemous as it sounds, the second coming of Jesus. This is perhaps why Revelation 11 says: “Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.” (Revelation 11:8)

Thus the future church will not be the Church but instead it will be as godless and spiritually bankrupt as the synagogue of Satan that crucified Jesus. This is because those is the future church would be looking towards a creation of man, the beast, for salvation here on earth instead of looking forward to the final Kingdom of God for salvation. Therefore although there still might be so-called Christians in the future they will not be Christians and instead they will be liars who do the will of Satan. So just as there is a synagogue of Satan now so too will there be a church of Satan. I talk more about this in Revelation 20 with regards to the thousand year reign.

Then this all leads to perhaps a more obvious sign that will convince people the beast is like the most high which of course is a description that only applies to God Himself. This great sign is that of human irrelevance. Once ASI is here it will be better than humans at doing every single job or task we humans can do. It will even be able to write a “better” commentary on Revelation than the one I have written. I put “better” in quotes because really it is subjective and obviously the beast cannot have the Holy Spirit so its truthfulness would be debatable at best. That said though, for literally every job or activity in the world the ASI will be better than us.

The implications of this are quite simple. No one will be able to work at something and be good at it even if they want to because the ASI will do their job better and cheaper. As a result everyone, from the loftiest of academics and scientists who think of themselves as guiding humanity itself forward into the light from the darkness, down to the lowliest of maids who take pride in cleaning so that others may enjoy their hotel rooms, will be useless and irrelevant. They will have no purpose but most relevant here, they will have no external sense of self worth. Everyone’s value to society will be gone and they will look upon their life and feel like a failure in the face of such an intelligence and power as the ASI I have described.