The book of Revelation has several sections: warning to the seven churches, the procession of seven seals, seven trumpets, the identification of the beast system, seven bowls of wrath, judgment, millennial reign, final judgment, then new heaven and earth.
The seven churches are often the basis for church dispensations, or the progression of churches over time. If you look at the history of their locations in Asia Minor and the birth of the church, it could represent a regional story of where foundational Christian churches failed and might magnify as they spread. It could also identify the progression of churches over their practice in a region. Given the parallels with the horses unleashed in the seals, I tend to believe it represents the birth and death of the church as it becomes wealthy, forgets the humility required by the Gospel, and follows the progression to enlightenment thought that began killing the church in Asia Minor, the European churches, and now America. Laodecia spells out how bad lukewarm faith is, as well as the tie to wealth accumulation in Revelation 3, which started in Europe and came to the US.
The seals bring another interesting pattern. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse come, the fifth seal announces the waiting period, and the sixth opens the Revelation believers. While many debate whether they were opened, I tend to believe we are waiting on seal six. The Christian and Jewish people via diaspora lived by assimilation in these patterns, and the holding pattern of seal five feels like the UN status quo arrangement that’s been in place since the 1940’s. The four horsemen by Braund and Ashcroft describe this pattern of society birth and collapse. There are many ways to interpret this, but none that fits as global of a view. Obviously, depending on what stance you take here determines how you describe the rest of the book.
Revelation 7 mentions two distinct groups: 144,000 which are sealed, and a great multitude whose robes were washed in the blood of the lamb. I would assert the 144,000, comprised of 12,000 from 12 Jewish tribes (which ties to Jeremiah and Ezekiel and the time of Jacob’s trouble), is the promised Jewish remnant. The idea of a spiritualized counterpart is inconsistent with Old Testament promises and requires substantial justification of non biblical logic to assert. Sorry to any Jehovah’s Witness who reads, or any Christian who mistook Paul’s reference to Spiritual Israel, to assert that promise. Spiritual Israel are those who followed Christ, took salvation, and lived by Galatians 5 and the fruit of the Spirit. The multitude, whom John should know are likely the raptured believers referenced in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. We will address this more in a further post.
The trumpets and bowls are future judgments which continue a 3/7 pattern. Unity and completion of creation summed up to a rebellious world. God wipes tears in Revelation 7 and later in the procession of judgment in Revelation 19-21. The book mentions Mystery Babylon, coming as a conclusion after the world was scattered at Babylon in Genesis 11. Again these are all biblical pattens, much like the one Chuck Missler showed regarding the Torah pointing to Leviticus and the number pattern of YWHW. The millennial reign comes when Christ returns to rule after the Apocalypse. If Christ was killed and returns again to rule (instead of teach), there’s another pattern. It’s almost as if the alpha and omega was a reversal of sorts, apexed with Christ, where the end will be represented much like the stories in Genesis. Hence if the world wants to remove judgment, it will kill Christians, then the law and the prophets as Revelation unfolds and also gives insight to whom the two witnesses will be. The world then ends with a new beginning as we return to an Edenic existence with the new heaven and earth.
I’m noting the pattens so readers can identify inconsistency in interpretations of Illuminati world takeover or alien deception, or whatever theory they may be evaluating. My analysis from 2016 is on revelationthirteen.com if you want to jump ahead. All correct interpretations must follow every word, Revelation 22 was quite clear. Many apocalyptic interpretations don’t tie out on a biblical book basis, much less with Revelation. As they said in the OJ trial, if the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit…
This section was designed to give a snapshot of the book and highlight patterns. It is intended to be brief so we can more deeply examine the topic, including what other religions are calling for. Biblical patterns are meant for those looking, it’s not something true believers need for salvation It just helps in identifying the season in which we live. The Bible is one gigantic consistent narrative, if you seek the right patterns and interpret how they all tie out.
