The Revelation gives us descriptions of the visions which proclaim for us the last days before Christ’s return and the ushering in of the new heaven and new earth. The Revelation begins with letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, (present day Turkey) then goes on to reveal the series of devistations poured out upon the earth; the mark of the beast, “666”; the climactic battle of Armageddon; the binding of satan; the reign of the Lord; the Great White Throne Judgment; and the nature of the eternal city of God. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ are fulfilled and a concluding call to His Lordship assures us that He will soon return. Also, The description of the antichrist mentioned in Daniel 9:27 is developed fully in Revelation. Outside of Revelation, check out Daniel chapters 7-12, Isaiah chapters 24-27, Ezekiel chapters 37-41, and Zechariah chapters 9-12. All these prophecies come together in the Book of Revelation. God reveled them much earlier than with John.. with John, it was just all brought together. So if you read those chapters it might be easier to understand. Like here Daniel 12:2 summarizes the two very different fates facing mankind: “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Everyone will be raised from the dead, but not everyone will share the same destiny. The New Testament reveals the further detail of separate resurrections for the just and the unjust. So its all worth reading.. I flip back and forth all the time.
The book opens with our narrator, John. The disciple that was closest to Jesus, and the only disciple that was not killed. He's just a mild-mannered Christian guy living in exile when—pow!—God hits him with a doozy of a revelation. John is told to write down everything God shows him. This is it.. how this world will end. What to expect, what to look for.. and to get eternal life. This is the last time God speaks.. and he wants us all to get it.. so John wrote it down, for us to read. This is the conclusion to the Bible.. what we are to look for in the future, so that we are ready for when everything hits. It’s the last we will hear from God until Jesus comes again.. so pay attention. This is what will happen to all those that are not on God’s side.. who is left.. Satan.. who else.. and you get to choose, either you believe in God or you side with Satan.. God will not accept anything but those that have lived in faith. So this is the end times.. when God will pour his wrath on all those that are not with him.. this was all the plan.. right from the beginning.. and God wins! You see Adam and Eve were created by God and lived in the perfect world, had a perfect relationship with God and a perfect relationship with each other. For a short time in history there was a perfect marriage. That is what they experienced. Then satan was allowed to come into the garden. Allowed, not sneak in or anything like that, God allowed him. God allowed him to come in cause all Adam and Eve ever knew was good. And God was literally going to say, there is another way and you are going to have to choose which way you want. And satan came in and convinced them of a different way. Then Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden and that was where they entered the New age. Entered a new time. Paul told us that satan was the god of this age. When Adam and Eve chose satans way. God said ok, you can live under satans rule.... For awhile. But I will be returning to fix all this. God has allowed satan to rule, but this all has to come to an end. This is the only hope we have because we were born into this evil age. But as you will read, Jesus comes and saves us.. Its time!
So, First, John sees a vision of Heaven. There he meets God and Jesus and all sorts of other angels, elders, and six-winged creatures that inhabit the heavenly realms. John sees Jesus come forward and open seven seals. Each of the seals lets loose God's fury on the Earth. We're talking rivers of blood, plagues of locusts, giant hailstones! The last seal unleashes seven angelic trumpeters, which in turn unleashes seven bowls of God's judgment. God really has a thing for sevens… and pouring down his wrath on non-believers.
While all this is happening, John sees some pretty wild creatures lurking around. A giant red dragon, a beast with seven heads, and another beast who also happens to love the number 666. John is told that these baddies have been busy convincing the people of Earth to worship them instead of God. They also like to kill Christians and just generally be evil. Things are not going to go well for them. After God sends all the plagues to Earth and loads of people die, he has the armies of Heaven wipe the dragon and the two beasts off the face of the Earth. Literally. They get thrown in the Lake of Fire… along with all their followers who refuse to worship God. As for all the faithful Christians who stayed strong and kept faith in Jesus, they get to go to a splendid city in the sky where the streets are paved with gold and diamonds and nothing bad ever happens to anyone ever again. It's all sunshine and lollipops and the eternal light of God. John ends the whole book by assuring us that everything he saw is totally and 100% true and that it's all going to happen for real very, very soon. The hour is at hand, so repent!! Please!
Revelation 5:5
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Here is my painting of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
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