Apocalypse

Dedication

To my grand-children, Rafael, Giorgia, Fabiana, and Miguel

To my children, Tanya, Tiago, and Diana

To my wife, Fernanda

In memory of my parents Fernando and Adelaide

Preface

The Book of Apocalypse—people love it, hate it, fear it, or avoid it altogether. Many who wade in at the shallow end soon find themselves sinking…over their heads in hot water. They immediately climb out and run to where they think it will be shallow and comfortably warm. When the Apocalypse comes up in conversation, some close their minds and their mouths and switch on blank stares. Others show, by their animated and opinionated jabbering, that their minds were set in concrete long ago! ----Still others look around, frantically searching for an escape route...

‘The Apocalypse was not meant to create terror and dismay but to engender confidence and hope.’

—Steve Singleton, Overcoming, a Study Guide to the Book of Revelation

Many scholars recognize, and all students of the scriptures agree, that the Book of Apocalypse is very difficult to interpret. Over the years critics have challenged the inspiration of the Book of Apocalypse because its literary form is similar to a controversial body of writings known as apocalyptic literature which was fairly common just before and during the apostolic era.

Apocalyptic writers frequently borrowed symbols and other imagery from the Old Testament prophets. But far too often, hoping to give their theories greater weight and authority, they enhanced and embellished Biblical material to suit their own fantasies, or falsely attributed their writings to notable prophets and figures of the past. As a result, apocalyptic writing, as a class of literature, is generally considered to lack credibility or any legitimate claim to divine authority. Regrettably far too many scholars and critics place the Book of Apocalypse in the same category.

They don’t realize that the Book of Apocalypse is in a class of its own. Its dramatic symbolism comes from the divine author of all the other books in the Bible, not from the imaginations of John. John simply recorded what Jesus Christ had revealed to him.

The writings of John, himself a faithful disciple of Jesus’, are of the same genre as the Old Testament prophecies. John makes it clear that he received his prophetic visions directly from Christ, making him a prophet in his own right. Unlike the apocalyptic writers of his era who hid behind deceptive pseudonyms, John clearly identifies himself and explains, in vivid detail, how he received the visions and messages included in the Book of Apocalypse.

Humbly, I have to agree that it is difficult to interpret the Book of Apocalypse—however I try to expose and discuss it in a very simple way. I know that sometimes through this process I tend to enforce a somehow fundamental Christian perspective with a personal touch (my belief), but rather than enforcing my views and opinions in any way, my intention is to create food for thought.

What I am certain of is that the Book of Apocalypse occupies a central place in Christian Eschatology.

From the outset, it is made clear that the last book of the Bible is a Revelation from Jesus Christ Himself. It is a personal letter that He wrote to His Church.

The Book of Apocalypse is the apogee of the divine revelation. It is the estuary where all rivers (books of the Old and New Testaments) come together. The Book of Apocalypse is the opposite of the Book of Genesis—Genesis is the book of beginnings, Apocalypse is the book of consummations. Apocalypse is also the ‘all time’ answer to God’s people: ‘Thy kingdom come’. It contains a clear and ultimate message from Jesus to His Church, a message about His return. It is from here that the popular saying, ‘The Gospels make us believe in Christ; The Epistles make us love Him; and the Apocalypse makes us wait for Him, ‘ originates.

Contents

Dedication

Preface

The Setting

Introduction

These Are Not Normal Times

Vital Statistics

A Sealed Prophecy

1

The vision of the Glorified Christ

2

The Church in the Past and in the Present

3

The Church Snatched From Heaven

4

The Glorified Church in Heaven

5

First Phase of the Great Tribulation (Chapters 6–9)

6

The Key to the Seven Seals

7

Two Groups of Redeemed People

9

The First Four Trumpets

9

The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

10

The Second Phase of the Great Tribulation

(Chapters 10 to 16 of Apocalypse)

11

The Seventh Trumpet, the Woman and the Dragon

12

The Two Beasts

13

The Seven Events

14

The Last Seven Judgements (Chapters 15, 16)

15

The Seven Last Plagues

16

The Return of Christ and the Precedent Events

17

The Commercial Babylon

18

Armageddon

19

The Millennium and the Final Judgement

20

The Eternal and Perfect State

(Chapters 21 and 22)

21

The Tree of Life

Consulting Material:

Blessings in Apocalypse

The Setting

Within the confines of the Roman Empire, Christianity began in an era of relative peace. The emperors of the time generally followed a policy of liberal religious tolerance which enabled early Christians to evangelize far and wide, both throughout and beyond the Empire.

But the situation gradually changed after the Romans introduced and enforced emperor worship. Suddenly Christians found themselves in an intolerable situation. Jesus, not the emperor, was their ultimate master. The scriptures prohibited them from worshipping anything or anyone other than the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Soon they came under incredible pressure to participate in emperor worship, and games and ceremonies honouring the reigning emperor as a god.

Their refusal to participate in emperor worship brought them into direct conflict with the authorities at all levels of the Roman hierarchy, and the religious tolerance that Rome had extended disappeared. By the time Apocalypse was written, some Christians had already been executed because of their beliefs, and Christians everywhere, especially in Asia Minor, encountered wide-ranging ridicule and persecution. Adding to the Christians’ plight, Roman officials—after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70—ceased to view Christians as just another sect of Jews.

Christians were now often regarded as a subversive and potentially dangerous religious group. Rome saw their teachings of a coming kingdom and a powerful new king as a threat to the stability of the Empire. By this time the emperor Nero had already falsely branded Christians as the perpetrators of the great fire in Rome. Their future looked grim.

The apostle John, imprisoned on the island of Patmos near the coast of Asia Minor during a later wave of persecution near the end of the first century, explained that he was also suffering persecution, and that he was their ‘companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ’ (Apocalypse 1:9). John fully understood the stress they were enduring, yet he reminded them of their goal, the Kingdom of God. He emphasized the faith and patience they would need to exercise in order to endure opposition and abuse until Jesus, the Messiah, permanently delivered His servants from persecution and granted them salvation.

This is the context within which Jesus revealed when and how this satanic persecution, already responsible for the murder of loyal and faithful servants, would be permanently stopped. He pointed out that the roots of the problem go back to the beginning of humankind—to the birthplace of this age of man, so filled with human sin and evil.

The Book of Apocalypse sums up the devil’s impact, not just on Christians but on all mankind, from the time of John until the return of Christ. It reveals that the ancient conflict between the forces of good and evil will be resolved. The prophetic fulfilments began in the days of the apostles and extend to our days and beyond.

Introduction

With tiny wrinkles and cries, He entered the world and, wrapped in strips of cloth, took His first nap on a bed of straw. Subject to time and parents, He grew to manhood in Roman occupied Judea and His gentle hands became strong and calloused in Joseph’s woodworking business. As a man, He walked through the countryside and cities, touching individuals, preaching to crowds, and training twelve men to continue His work. At every stage He was hounded by those seeking to rid the world of His influence. Finally, falsely accused and tried, He was condemned to a disgraceful execution by foreign hands. And He died...

Just before, He was spat upon, cursed, pierced by nails, and hung heavenward for all to laugh at in scorn and contempt, to be mocked...

Jesus, the God-man, gave His life completely so that all might live.

At God’s appointed time, the risen and ascended Lord Jesus will burst onto the world scene. Then, everyone will know that Jesus is Lord of the Universe! Those who love Him will rejoice and greet their saviour with hearts that overflow into songs of praise. But His enemies will be filled with fear. Allied with Satan, the enemies of Christ will march their legions against Christ and His armies. But who can withstand God’s wrath? Christ will win the battle and reign victorious forever! Jesus, the humble suffering servant, is also the powerful, conquering king and judge.

Apocalypse is a book of hope.

John, the beloved apostle and Jesus’ eyewitness, proclaimed that the victorious Lord would surely return to justify, to prove, and to absolve the righteous and judge the wicked.

But Apocalypse is also a book of warning.

Things were not as they should have been in the churches, so Christ urged the members to commit themselves to living in righteousness. Although Jesus gave this revelation of Himself to John nearly 2 000 years ago, it still comforts and challenges God’s people today. We can take heart as we understand John’s vision of hope: Christ will return to rescue His people and settle accounts with all who defy Him. Simple as that!

In Overcoming, a Study Guide for the Book of Revelation, Steve Singleton wrote, ‘You may be wondering why we should spend so much time introducing the Book of Apocalypse rather than jumping into the text.’

I tend to agree with Singleton as well, when the following question is put forward: ‘Can we pick up what we need to know inductively as we read along?’

That was certainly possible for the original readers of Apocalypse, seven congregations of believers in the Roman province of Asia some time during the last half of the first century after Christ. They shared with John, the human author of Apocalypse, the same language, thought patterns, knowledge of the Old Testament, and historical and cultural background.

Unfortunately, we are separated from both that original audience and the human author of Apocalypse by time, space, language, and culture—therefore our challenge is to bridge these deep gorges by carefully gathering and analysing all the available information, and scrutinising it very closely within the refinement of certain operating principles.

Singleton further states that to make matters worse, we as modern readers have inherited twenty centuries of teachings about Apocalypse, much of it confusing and even contradictory.

As you read along, you will notice that I embark on a journey that goes to and fro through time with the purpose, ambition, and desire that you will find yourself in a better position to grasp and understand the Book of Apocalypse in a way that enables us to discuss the transparent prophecies and the whole subject without being embarrassed by the disbelief of many.

In this Book, the Eternal God now reveals, not only the wonderful world of peace, plenty, happiness, and joy soon to shine forth on this generation, but also the terrifying global catastrophes this world will first bring upon itself!

Science, technology, and industry are being used to produce more and more frightful weapons of mass destruction. The means to erase human life from the earth have been in production for quite some time now.

Humanity is entering a dangerous phase in its development, a phase in which it will exhaust the world’s resources in many ways, leading to economic contraction and in some places complete collapse.

Humanity has plundered the earth so thoroughly that it cannot sustain such a great population; consequently measures will have to be taken to re-organize civilization and to end war and conflict so that humanity can build a new foundation in a degraded and depleted world.

People do not see this, of course. They think the Earth is limitless, that it will provide for the human desires for wealth, growth, and expansion forever. No, no, no; the Earth has limits, as do each of us, and those limits are now being reached in many ways.

Humanity has reached a great threshold!

This situation, of course, will trigger the invasive forces in the universe which are here to take advantage by presenting themselves as benign, enlightened, and all powerful—qualities by which a weakened and desperate humanity will easily be seduced.

Such qualities are already being placed upon the leaders of religion, nations and world economies. Who amongst them can detect the deception? Who amongst them is strong enough in the knowledge that God has given them to recognize the deception? Who amongst you can recognize the deception?

This is all part of the great threshold that humanity is just now in the process of reaching—a threshold which will set group against group and nation against nation. Competition will now become very contentious. No nation can fail now without immense consequences for the whole world. Economies are strained. Governments are running out of resources. It is a changing situation on a scale never seen before in this world and it will lead to great predicaments and dilemmas.

Humanity is sitting on a planet valued only by certain people. It knows not of its vulnerability in this regard. It is thoughtless and irresponsible.

Meanwhile, immorality, crime, violence, poverty, disease, famine, and starvation stalk the earth in fast-increasing acceleration.

It’s time to wake up! These are not normal times. The world suddenly erupted in world-shaking violence in 1914. But we have seen nothing, yet, compared to what is soon coming!

Knowledge (scientific knowledge, technological development, instantaneous communication, rapid transportation, and some other frightening inventions) has increased at a frenetic speed. Man has learned the secret of the atom. Man has learned how to unleash powers and forces and energies of nature that can destroy human life on this planet.

Meanwhile, at the same time, God Almighty has opened up new knowledge. God’s mysteries have been revealed to God’s servants, and although the whole Earth is shaking with convulsions, there exists a living God of love, mercy, compassion, wisdom, justice, transcendent purpose, and supreme power. Very soon now He will intervene, and by force, save humanity from itself. If He did not exist—then indeed the imminent end of the world would become also the end of human life!

Happily, the living God is very much alive! Alive to world trends—alive to the self-inflicted unfortunate situation fast closing in on a humanity now caught hopelessly in the trap of its own rebellion—utterly helpless to find a solution that will extricate it from its fast approaching fate!

But this happy world of tomorrow, under the government of the Almighty God, will not come until man has actually reached the end of his rope, proved beyond the last shadow of doubt that he is utterly incapable of ruling himself, and been given his last chance. The time has come for this world to be warned!

The present world situation, the present strife between major nuclear powers, the constantly accelerating international tensions, the internal upward spiral within nations of crime, race riots, violence, and the fast increasing external invasion of terror, is frightening. Terrorist groups, unable to attain their goals by conventional arms or diplomacy now have access to deadly weapons. Advisers on international security now warn that the danger of nuclear weapons being used by rogue nations or terrorist groups grows even higher. Nuclear weapons are only one of several means of mass destruction available to unscrupulous leaders and terrorists determined to achieve their ends by any means, including mass carnage. These facts are combining to plunge the world into a holocaust of destruction and death such as never happened before—and never shall again!

The God of creation knows human nature and its inevitable end. Every gigantic step in world events from the present times is pictured in God’s prophecies. God’s time has come to open wide to human understanding the awesome prophecies of the Book of Apocalypse. Today, this solemn warning is being thundered around the world so as to witness the eminent explosion with a ‘big bang’ during these eschatological times.

It is with all this food for thought that the following question keeps coming to my mind, and I am absolutely sure that it has intrigued and still intrigues many thousands of other people too: ‘Why was the Book of Apocalypse written?’

The Book’s very name comes from the Greek word apokalupsis {ap-ok-al’-oo-sis} which Strong defines as ‘disclosure: appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation’.

Thayer defines it as—’an uncovering; 1. prop. a laying bare, making naked’.

Vine says of this Greek word—’an uncovering (akin to apokalupto)’, which defined ‘signifies to uncover, unveil’.

The name Revelation {apokaluptis}, and the Latin {apocalypsis} classifies the type of literature the writer used in his effort to uncover the message of God that was revealed to him; a prophetic revelation, especially concerning a cataclysm in which the forces of good triumph over the forces of evil.

The name of the book, Revelation, is therefore, a translation of the title in the original New Testament Greek, Apocalypsis—the origin of the other name by which the book is now known, the Apocalypse. The Greek term denotes an unveiling or uncovering—thus, a revelation—an opening up of hidden knowledge to understanding.

Someone once said the following and I quote: ‘Apocalyptic literature was always relevant to the historical situation of the day. Daniel and Ezekiel were written during the Babylonian exile to comfort the chosen people in their faithfulness and to prepare them for trials, even down to the time of Antiochus and the Roman Empire. Revelation was written at a time when God’s saints were being tried in the crucible called Rome.’

Apocalyptic writing found its roots in the situations and circumstances of the day. This style of writing was often the direct result of troubled times, frequently due to political upheaval. There are three inspired apocalyptic writings in the Old Testament: Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. Apocalypse is the only New Testament Book written in this style but there is little doubt in this writer’s mind that the Christians of the first century were well acquainted with this style of literature. Therefore the message possibly did not present a problem as it does for many of us today.

On the very first page of his book, Studies in the Book of Revelation, Ferrell Jenkins writes that most apocalyptic literature was written during the years 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. The purpose was never to cover up the message but rather, through a series of visions and symbols, to make the message of God clearer. Certainly as we have noted, the message one must see in the Book of Apocalypse is that of the present Glory of Christ and the power He has to give victory unto those who endure the sufferings of the present for His cause.

Too many people believe that Apocalypse is beyond comprehension. Many others perceive the Book of Apocalypse as the most mysterious and enigmatic book in the whole Bible. People seem hopelessly confused by the imagery found in its pages. The rise of the media in this respect—television programs, radio broadcasts, and books—has only compounded this problem.

All this cannot negate the fact that the Book of Apocalypse is one of the most neglected and yet most abused books in the New Testament—today and in times past. This viewpoint is expressed in many different ways by many scholars.

John Cripps explains the Book of Apocalypse like this: ‘It is regarded as the most difficult book of the New Testament by most Christians. It is the most ‘turned back’ book. Classes make their way through the New Testament, but when they get to Revelation they ‘turn back’ to Matthew.’

He carries on to say, ‘Neglected, misunderstood, and grossly perverted, the Book of Revelation stands quite alone in the New Testament.’

To make matters worse, the Book of Apocalypse has also been used by many religious fanatics, who have preyed on the weak and ill informed to promote their wild and fanciful speculations and theories. As a result, many Christians are completely under the wrong impression or ill informed regarding the content of the Book of Apocalypse, and therefore, a general concept of difficulty arises which results in the belief that it can only be understood by Biblical scholars or those who have some type of higher theological education. This, in my opinion, is totally unacceptable to God and to all those who profess to be His children.

Cripps states that the Word of God is given for many different reasons and he mentions two Biblical passages which I would like to analyze and discuss:

a) 2 Timothy 3:16–17: ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’

The Bible is not merely a collection of stories, fables, myths, or human ideas about God. It is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed His person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down His message for His people. This process is known as inspiration. The writers wrote from their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts. Although they used their own minds, talents, language, and style, they wrote what God wanted them to write. Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. Its words are completely authoritative for our faith and our lives. The Bible is ‘God-breathed’.

The whole Bible is God’s inspired Word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, it should be read and applied to our lives. We can use the Bible as our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. We are able to use it as our shield, our safeguard against false teaching, and our guideline for the way we behave and walk through life. It is also the only source of knowledge that covers how we can be saved. The Word of God is His way of showing us what is true and it equips us for how to live for Him.

It is, therefore, extremely important that in our zeal for the truth of scripture, we must never forget its purpose—to equip us with knowledge to do good. The Word of God should not only be used to increase our knowledge or to win arguments, but also as the source of knowledge for how to do God’s work in the world. The knowledge of God’s Word is not useful unless it strengthens our faith and leads us to do good.

b) 2 Peter 1:3: ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge for Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.’

The power to grow doesn’t come from within us, but from God. In reality, we don’t have the resources to be truly godly, in fact,