Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Tag: Revelation

70 Weeks to Christ or Antichrist?

By T K Burk

All Bible teachers would agree that Daniel’s 70 Weeks is one of the most important prophecy messages in the Bible. However, the way in which they teach these weeks can vary considerably. For instance, those who teach the Dispensational view of prophecy believe all the prophesies pertaining to the first 69 Weeks were fulfilled during the First Century, but those concerning the 70th Week are not yet fulfilled and will not be until their alleged “antichrist” appears. To do this, they place a gap of time between Daniel’s 69th and 70th Weeks. They teach that the reason for this gap is because the Jews rejected Jesus and their unbelief caused Jesus to not fulfill all that was written of Him. As a result, God stopped His prophetic time clock until a period they call the “end time.” This makes their gap now more than 2,000 years wide and growing wider with each passing year. One of the chief problems with this view is that Daniel nowhere speaks of an interruption or a gap between any of his 70 Weeks. So, to place such a gap would be to add something to Daniel’s prophecy that is simply not found (...)

The Battle of Armageddon – Past or Future?

Catapulta, by Edward Poynter (1868). Siege engines such as this were employed by the Roman army during the siege.
Catapulta, by Edward Poynter (1868). Siege engines such as this were employed by the Roman army during the siege.

Many Christians have been taught that the Battle of Armageddon will be the greatest military conflict in history.  In this conflict, the armies of the world will gather to wage war against Christ in the Valley of Armageddon.  As the teaching goes, Christ will return to earth with His saints.  Christ will destroy the armies of “the Antichrist” with violent judgments and will set up a new world order at Jerusalem.  Reference to Armageddon is made in only one place in our Bibles – Revelation 16:16:

 Revelation 16:16 (KJV) – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

 Sell Books – Write About “Armageddon”!

 I did a quick search on the Amazon.com website for books and videos containing the word Armageddon.  The search yielded 293 hits!  The subject of Armageddon certainly is popular today.  You can be sure that any book or movie containing the word Armageddon will certainly grab the attention of an unsuspecting public.  While most of these works are classed as “fiction” the authors tend to believe that nonetheless, (...)

Pearly Gates and Streets of Gold

Folio 55r of the Bamberg Apocalypse. Depicts the Angel showing John the New Jerusalem, with the Lamb of God at its center.
Folio 55r of the Bamberg Apocalypse.
Depicts the Angel showing John the New Jerusalem, with the Lamb of God at its center.

The Nature of the Book

One of the most misunderstood scriptures in our Bible centers around Revelation 21:21. This is the “pearly gates”, “street of gold” scripture.  Should we take this scripture literally?  Let’s explore what the scriptures reveal.

Revelation is undoubtedly a unique book. While considered part of the New Testament, it is different from other books of the New Testament. More importantly, it is different from styles of writing used today. Revelation is apocalyptic. The word ‘revelation’ in Greek is “apokalupsis”, which means ‘an uncovering’ or ‘unveiling.’ Thus, Revelation is a book that was intended to reveal, not conceal! The book is an example of apocalyptic literature.

Apocalyptic Literature

Apocalyptic literature is a literary style popular from 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. It is a style known for highly symbolic or figurative language written during times of persecution. It usually depicts the conflict between good and evil while encouraging the righteous to persevere. Other examples of apocalyptic literature are parts of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and Matthew chapter 24.

While the book of (...)

The Book of Revelation – An Introduction

The Revelation
The Revelation

I’ve always had a fascination with the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Fascination mixed with a certain amount of fear and curiosity. My mind raced ahead to thoughts of therm-nuclear war, computer chips and the end of the world as we know it.

The book of Revelation, more than any other New Testament book, has been used to support any number of “end of the world” scenarios. Many view Revelation chapters 4 thru 20 as unfulfilled. Revelation is used to support beliefs found nowhere else in Scripture. For example, the one thousand years or millennium reign of Christ is mentioned only in Revelation 20:1-6. Also, those who hold the belief in separate resurrections turn to Revelation 20:1-6 as their proof texts.

The Nature of the Book

Revelation is undoubtedly a unique book. While considered part of the New Testament, it is different from other books of the New Testament. More importantly it is different from styles of writing used today. Revelation is apocalyptic. The word ‘revelation’ in Greek is apokalupsis, which means ‘an uncovering’ or ‘unveiling’. Thus, Revelation is a book that was intended to reveal, not conceal! The book is an example (...)

Are We in the Laodicean Church Age?

Seven Churches of Asia
The seven churches of Asia in stained glass in York Minster by John Thornton

For many years, I believed and taught that the seven churches mentioned in the second and third chapters of Revelation were sort of time clock of the church age in progress. I believed that God purposely selected them for a definite and distinct purpose: to give a complete picture of church history from the beginning to end. The last church the Lord Jesus Christ addressed was the church at Laodicea. The Laodicean church was the “lukewarm” church. Revelation 3:15 says it this way: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot”. This teaching regarding the “church ages” is part of dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a Christian, Biblical interpretation that believes that God has related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of “dispensations,” or periods in history. As a system, dispensationalism is expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800–82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement and propagated through works such as Cyrus Scofield’s Reference Bible.

I believed that the seven churches John writes to in the second and third chapters of Revelation are not just churches (...)

“There Should Be Time No Longer”

meltingclock
Salvador Dali’s painting ‘The Persistence of Memory”

Revelation 10:6 (KJV) – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.“

A close friend of mine asked me to consider what Revelation 10:6 means in regards to the statement that “there should be time no longer”. Her thinking was that this verse is prophesying that in our future, we will get to the end of time. Time would cease to exist. The implication was that this earthly realm and our existence would end. My response to her was “Let me study the scriptures”.

My first task was to look up this scripture in other Bible translations besides the King James Version. Then I would consult Bible commentaries to see how noted Bible scholars interpreted Revelation 10:6 in regards to”time being no more”. First let’s look at some other popular translations:

Searching Other Bible Translations

American Standard Version (ASV): Revelation 10:6 – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven (...)

Mark of the Beast

medical_verichip-apha-101105
Medical Verichip

Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV) – “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

There’s been much speculation on the meaning of Revelation chapter 13. Many teach that this scripture refers to a cashless society where all will be required to submit to a computer chip implanted under the skin of the forehead or right hand.  (Why not the left hand?)  And, of course, the technology for this cashless society is already here. But the question is not whether we might soon have a computer chip implanted in our flesh but whether or not Revelation chapter 13 prophesied this.

Christian Book Publishing

Within the last thirty plus years, there have been many books written by the Christian book publishing industry. A recent search for (...)

Blood Moons – Apocalypse Now?

blood moonSigns in the Heavens

The subject of “blood moons” has certainly been in the news lately. Many well-known ministers have gone on record with predictions related to the four “blood moons”. Books have been recently published on the subject.  In fact a movie has even been made.

Most proponents of the “blood moon” lunar eclipses  claim that the four blood moons that have appeared and will soon appear in the skies over America are evidence of a future “world-shaking event.” Some tie these lunar “tetrad” events to biblical prophecies found in Ezekiel chapter 38.  Some declare that Russia and Iran will be totally destroyed during this coming Ezekiel 38 battle.

What’s a Blood Moon?

The blood moons are part of a tetrad, a set of complete and consecutive lunar eclipses that will begin on April 15 and continue at roughly six-month intervals until October 2015. According to NASA, seeing four complete lunar eclipses in a row is very rare. The skies were tetrad-free from 1600 to 1900. But in the 21st century, there will be many.   However, total lunar eclipse tetrads occurred on Passover and Tabernacle festival dates in AD 162–63, 795–96, 841–43, and 860–61, during which no outstanding (...)

Mystery Babylon

Revelation 17:1-6 – “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS and ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken w/ the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered and great admiration.”

Vatican-city
Vatican City – Rome

My first encounter with the book of Revelation was (...)

The Antichrist

I John 2:18 (KJV) –  “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

devil
This guy needs to be a bit more subtle

We hear a lot today about “The Antichrist.” In recent years, there have been hundreds of books, movies and videos that have developed the image of a soon-coming evil world leader called “The Antichrist.”

You will be shocked to learn that there is no mention of the phrase “The Antichrist” in the entire Bible. By that, I mean that you won’t find the term “The Antichrist” anywhere in the King James Version of the Bible.

In fact, there are only four verses in the King James Bible that speak of “Antichrist.” There are three references in I John chapter 2 and one verse in II John chapter 2. The words “antichrist” and “antichrists” are only found five times in the King James Bible.

Here are the only verses that speak of “antichrist(s):”

I John 2:18 (KJV) – ” Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist

(...)
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