Revelation of Sonship: Part 2 – The Book of Revelation

The Puzzling Book of Revelation

The biblical prophets spoke prophetically to those who were Hebrews, and their words were understood within the framework of their culture. The book of Revelation was given prophetically by John and seen within the context of ancient Hebrew culture, the mysteries surrounding the eternal purposes of God and the Day of Judgement can be understood.

Adam was the original son of God, created from the dust of the earth, but personally filled by the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. When Adam and Eve established the serpent’s lies as true within the breathings of their personality, disobeying God by eating forbidden fruit, they gasped out the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God that indwelled their hearts. Being cast out of the paradise of Eden, they lost the title deeds of dominion upon the earth. In the same way God lost the title deeds and His dominion of the paradise of God’s fatherhood dwelling within their hearts. They became “I am as god” puppet kings, subjects of the prince of the power of the air, the “I am as god” rebellious breath that is at work within the sons of disobedience. What has been sown must one day be reaped and the full extent of the catastrophic sowing of Satan’s words of lying breath or demons into their hearts and the loss of God’s dominion within their hearts and their dominion upon the Earth was not apparent.

For the ancient Hebrews, their original hope had nothing to do with dying and going to live in heaven. In Luke 2, Anna the prophetess was hoping for the redemption of Jerusalem and Simeon was looking for the consolation (“paraklesis” or comforter in Greek) of Israel. In Mark 15, Joseph of Arimathea was waiting in hope for the Kingdom or Rule of God or Heaven upon the Earth. In Acts 17, 23, and 24 Paul’s hope was resurrection from the dead. In in Luke 24, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus’ disciples had hoped that Jesus was going to immediately redeem Israel back to Supremacy amongst the nations and. The disciples said to Jesus in Acts 1:6-8 “‘Lord, do thou at this time restore the reign to Israel?’ and he said unto them, ‘It is not yours to know times or seasons that the Father did appoint in His own authority; but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.’” The original Messianic hope that the Kings and Prophets of old hoped for was the Kingdom of God upon the Earth, not dying and going to live in heaven. Just after the Day of Pentecost, when the blessing or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood was poured out upon Jesus’ brothers or Bride, Peter said regarding Jesus’ ascension in Acts 3:21 (KJV) “… whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began”. The Book of Revelation describes in detail how Jesus, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, and Son of God opens the seals of the title deed of dominion and sonship originally given to Adam or man. This was lost at the Fall and by default, given into the hands of Satan. Before Jesus returns with his Bride or corporate Son or City of God to re-establish the original Messianic hope of the paradise of God’s Kingdom upon the earth, the Son of Destruction or ultimate sinner and personification of Satan must first be revealed. It is the “revelation” of this Abomination of Desolation or Antichrist and his destructive kingdom, the opening of the seven seals, and the confrontation between this Son of Destruction and the Son of God and their respective kingdoms, is what the prophets of old spoke about. It is this that constitutes the Day of Judgement.

Just like a single piece of a jigsaw puzzle, the book of Revelation cannot be properly understood unless it is seen as part of something much larger. Without the other pieces of the prophetic jigsaw properly fitted together, Revelation will remain something of a mystery. The other parts of the jigsaw that are needed to make sense out of Revelation are an understanding of the Hebrew culture of the Bible, the Book of Daniel, the teachings of Jesus on the Signs at the End of the Age, and many references spoken by both the Major and Minor Prophets regarding “That Day”, the “End of Days”, “Day of the LORD (Yehovah)” or “Day of Judgement”.

Within the ancient world, letters, books, and legal documents were written on papyrus or leather parchment that was rolled up. They could not normally be read unless they were unrolled. Lengthy documents were not unrolled all at once but were unrolled a section at a time to prevent the document from being damaged. Scrolls were often tied with cord or rope and often sealed to prevent the contents being seen, read, or altered by those unauthorised to do so. The Book of Revelation is an unsealed book. What was written upon the title deed or scroll held by Jesus has been opened and the contents revealed. However, the contents were revealed using signs and symbols commonly understood within the culture of the ancient Hebrews rather than modern culture today. Like the last chapter in a book, Revelation is about how things end just as the book of Genesis is about how things began. The Bible is a book with a happy ending but unlike a fairy story, not everyone will live happily ever after. It actually depends on how people are inspired to behave. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. Revelation was given so that just as Abraham’s faith was made complete or perfect by what he did, within the lives of the faithful, behaviour and beliefs would work together to guarantee that the inheritance promised to Abraham in the beginning would not be missed by his true sons at the end.

The Book of Revelation was spoken by John using prophetic language and the various keys, symbols and types used are explained either within Revelation itself, or more likely, elsewhere in the Bible. What is important is not what these things mean for us today within our modern culture and religious tradition, but what things like trumpets, horns, crowns and lampstands meant within the ancient Hebrew culture of those who heard the voice of the prophets first-hand. What the prophets felt, saw, experienced, and understood was framed within their culture and the history of the people of Israel. For example, trumpets were a form of communication to signify to the community a change of time or season or an approaching army. They were often sounded as a warning. For instance, someone working in the fields would be listening for the sounding of the trumpet signifying the beginning of the Sabbath. To continue to work after the Sabbath trumpet had sounded would have led to punishment. The unexpected sounding of a trumpet would mean something incredibly significant like the death of a king or an approaching army and war. Another example is the word “day”. In modern culture, a day is normally a 24-hour period, part of the weekly calendar. However, sometimes people say things like “he has had his day”. This is a more Hebraic understanding of the term “day”. Hebraically, a day is a period of time during which something happens in the “light” of whatever allows or makes it happen. The word “hour” was used in a similar way, it did not mean a fixed 60-minute period. The prophets used names prophetically that they understood about a king or empire in their day that would not exist in the future, but what these kings or empires represented would. In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet Habakkuk raises a cry against the desperate wickedness of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) but he was actually seeing, and was horrified by, the Abomination that causes desolation at the end of days spoken of by Daniel and mentioned by both the Apostle Paul and Jesus. God actually answered Habakkuk in Chapter 2 (KJV) “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just [righteous one] shall live by his faith [by establishing God’s promises as true within the breathings of their personality]. Yea also, because he transgresses by wine [as wine deceives those who drink it so he is deceived], he is a proud man, neither keeps at home [his own nation], who enlarges his desire as hell [the grave or pit], and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathers unto him all nations, and heaps unto him all people”. Habakkuk’s vision of a wicked Chaldean was about the End of Days, not ancient Babylon.

Revelation follows the standard prophetic method – the Prophets spoke of a subject until their particular train-of-thought ended. They could not clearly explain more than one thing happening in different places at the same time, so they would either go over the same topic again adding more information, or with a clear statement begin something new. Just like actors, each with their own part in a play, Revelation is only one part. The mysteries surrounding the book of Revelation can be understood as the other actors in the prophetic play are allowed to speak and play their part.

Numbers in Revelation

Round numbers used within scripture, and within the Book of Revelation in particular, were usually meant to be understood symbolically and not necessarily literally. Often, the exact number did not matter but what it represented was important. The numbers which are unmistakably used with symbolic meaning are 7 and its multiples, and 3, 4, 10 and 12. 7 was regarded as the number representing totality or completeness. Simply put, 7 meant “all” and a similar meaning was associated with the numbers 3 and 4 which added together made 7. Multiples of 7 were also significant, such as 14 (2 x 7), 49 (7 x 7) and 70 (10 x 70). 70 represented an intensified 7, and 77 (70 plus 7) or 70 times 7 often meant always or completely. 3 was considered to be a complete and ordered whole, such as 3 days, weeks or years, 3 trumpets, 3 sons, 3 daughters, 3 daily prayers, 3 great feasts and so on. 4 represented a completeness of range, direction or quarters, such as the four winds, four points of the compass, four heads to the river, four directions, four rules of a kingdom, four faces, four wings or four horsemen. 10 represented a symbolic rounded number, symbolic of a small or large rounded whole depending on the contexts such as 10 righteous men, 10 virgins, 10 cities, 10 servants or 10 elders. 12 was also significant, the Babylonians divided the Zodiac into 12 signs, Israel had 12 tribes and was often used symbolically to represent divinely elected government. Such as 12 jewels in the ephod of the High Priest, 12 spies, 12 rods, 12 apostles, 12 tribes, 12 pillars, 12 stones in the Jordan. 40 often represented a complete or whole length of time. For the land or kingdom to find rest for 40 years meant a period of time that was long enough for its rest to become complete. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. Hebraically, this did not necessarily mean 40 days, but a length of time sufficient for Jesus at the end to prove that through the Word of God he had overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Before his ascension, Jesus appeared to the disciples for a period of 40 days. Hebraically, this meant a period of time that was long enough for it to be effective or worthwhile.

The Structure of Revelation

Just like a play, Revelation can be broken down into different Acts and Scenes. Revelation does have a clearly defined structure and once this structure is understood, the Book of Revelation as a whole starts to make perfect sense.

Act 1: The Purpose of Revelation

This is Revelation chapter 1 and part of chapter 22. It gives the qualifications of the speaker, encouragements for obedience and faithfulness, warnings for disobedience and unbelief. It identifies, Jesus in His divinity as Yehovah God, and Jesus or Yehoshua as the Son of Abraham, Son of David, and Son of God as the Ultimate Priest, Prophet, Judge and King.

Scene 1: Revelation 1:1-8

Greetings and the qualifications of Jesus, the faithful witness and firstborn from amongst the dead, to the seven churches

Scene 2: Revelation 1:9-20

The vision of Jesus, the Son of Man (or Adam) and the Son of God with the sounding of the last trumpet on heralding the beginning of the period of time described in scripture as the “Day of the LORD”.

Scene 3: Revelation 22:6-21

Emphasis on the need for inspired faithfulness and obedience and the promise of access into the City of God and the right to eat from the tree of life. Confirmation that outside the Corporate Son or City of God are dogs, sorcerers, the sexually immoral, idolaters and those who love to lie. Final warnings and encouragements. Jesus says “Surely, I come quickly”. Amen

Act 2: The Churches

This is Revelation chapters 2 and 3. A letter of love sent personally from Jesus to each of the churches, qualifying the author of the letters, correcting their wrongs, commending their rights, and giving a promise to those who overcome. Only those individuals who overcome will, be counted worthy to be part of the First Resurrection, be present at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, rule with Jesus for 1,000 years and eternally become the City or Corporate Son of God. The pattern followed by these letters in Chapters 2 and 3 follow a common style of public address. First the qualifications of the speaker, then praise, then if necessary correction, then promises for those who responded positively by repenting from what was wrong and continuing to do what was right.

Scene 1: Revelation 2:1-7 Ephesus

The Ephesians had forsaken their first love, but Jesus promised that those who overcome would be given free access to eat fruit from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God’s fatherhood.

Scene 2: Revelation 2:8-11 Smyrna

Those in the church of Smyrna were enduring dreadful persecution even to the point of death, but Jesus promised that those who are faithful and humbled themselves to death would be given Jesus’ crown of life. He also promised that those who overcome would not be hurt at all by the second death.

Scene 3: Revelation 2:12-17 Pergamum

There were those in the church of Pergamum that were still visiting pagan temples, sacrificing to idols, and engaging in sacred prostitution. He warned them that if this continued, he would come and fight against them with the sword of the word of the breath or Holy Spirit of his mouth. He promised that to those who overcome he would allow them to eat the hidden or secret manna or bread of life and give them a vote of acceptance into the City or Corporate Son of God and a new “secret” name.

Scene 4: Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira

Jezebel the prophetess was a teacher in the church of Thyatira who taught the church that, because of the work of redemption, it was now acceptable to continue to sacrifice to idols and engage in sacred prostitution. Jesus said that if they did not repent, He would cast these Jezebel adulterers onto a bed of intense suffering and strike their children dead. Jesus promised that He would test people’s hearts and reward everyone according to what they had done. He promised that the overcomers would rule the nations together with Him and that He would give to them the morning star which in Revelation 22 He identifies as Himself.

Scene 5: Revelation 3:1-6 Sardis

The church of Sardis had a great reputation for being “alive”, but like many churches, they were actually almost dead to the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. The garments of their lives had once again become soiled by the natural self-worshipping “I am as god” pride that came from the Fall. Jesus promised that for those who overcome, he would not “blot out” their names from the book of the life, written on their hearts by the breath or Holy Spirit of God’s life. Jesus promised to confess their character, behaviour, life’s breath or name before His Father as being part of His.

Scene 6: Revelation 3:7-13 Philadelphia

The church of Philadelphia were enduring hardship and false accusation but had not denied Jesus’ name by not behaving like Him. They had kept Jesus’ word by the breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood and Jesus had opened the door of an open heaven to them. Jesus promised that they would not have to practically live through the “hour” of trial or testing, the actual Day of Judgement upon planet Earth. He encouraged them to hold on to their crowns by continuing to walk in love. He promised that those who continue to overcome would become pillars in the temple of God, that upon their hearts He would write the character, personality or name of God’s fatherhood, that they would eternally become part of the City, Corporate Son or dwelling place of God that comes down from heaven, and that they would share in Jesus’ new name.

Scene 7: Revelation 3:14-22 Laodicea

The church in Laodicea was full of people who were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked in their hearts. This came from the Fall, and their loveless pride-poisoned “I am as god” hearts had not been redeemed back into the paradise of the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. Jesus said He was knocking on the door of their hearts, offering to eat with them, no doubt from the tree of life. He promised that those who overcame would sit with Him on His throne, just as He overcame and sat upon His father King David’s throne.

Act 3: In Heaven

This is Revelation chapters 4 to 11. It describes what John sees in heaven: the catching-up or rapture of the overcomers from the churches, the opening of the seven seals by Jesus and the sounding of the seven trumpets in heaven. The narrative at the end of chapter 11 jumps to Act 6 (chapters 19 and 20) which describes the actual return of Jesus and the Battle of Armageddon. John asks questions so that answers can be given.

Scene 1: Revelation 4 and 5

This is the scene immediately following the catching-up or rapture of the overcomers out of the Seven Churches. John describes the scene with the throne and the twenty-four elders representing the overcomers from the Old and New Testaments. In chapter 4, John describes the throne of God surrounded by living creatures and the twenty-four elders giving God praise and honour for having created all things. In chapter 5, God holds the scroll or title-deeds to planet Earth, but no one is found who is worthy to open the scroll. Then, in the centre of the throne, surrounded by the living creatures and the twenty-four elders, appears a man, the Son of David, the Lamb that was slain. He was worthy and took the scroll from the hand of God. The twenty-four elders sang a new song of redemption for, as overcomers, they are the ones that God has made kings and priests to reign upon the Earth together with Jesus.

Scene 2: Revelation 6

This scene is the opening of the first six seals of the seven-sealed scroll. The first seal released a white warhorse which went forth to overcome. The second seal released a red warhorse that went forth to bring war. The third seal released a black warhorse that went forth to bring famine. The fourth seal released a pale warhorse that went forth to bring death. The fifth seal revealed under the altar of sacrifice, the souls of those who died as a result of persecution by the kingdom of the beast. They had been killed because of the word of God and the testimony that they held. How this happened is described in Act 4 Scene 3. The sixth seal released a great earthquake, the sun was blackened by dust and the moon turned red. Stars fell to earth, the heavens departed like a scroll, the Day of Judgement had finally come.

Scene 3: Revelation 7:1-8

The destruction heralded by the opening of the first six seals is abated while the 144,000 servants of God were sovereignly sealed upon their foreheads. How this happened is described in Act 4 Scene 4.

Scene 4: Revelation 7:9-17

The great multitude from every nation, killed by the kingdom of the beast during the great tribulation, singing songs of praise to God and to the Lamb.

Scene 5: Revelation 8, 9

The opening of the seventh seal brings silence in heaven for half an hour. The actual Day of Judgement was about to begin, heralded by the seven trumpets. The first trumpet brought hail, fire, and blood upon the earth. The second trumpet brought a huge burning mountain cast into the sea. The third trumpet brought a great star from heaven like a lamp burning, wormwood cast into rivers and fountains of water. The fourth trumpet dimmed the light of the sun, moon and stars by a third. An angel pronounced three woes regarding the last three trumpets yet to sound. The fifth trumpet brought forth the first woe. This woe opened the bottomless pit and brought forth a huge army from the abyss with authority to harm anyone that had not been sealed by God. The sixth trumpet brought forth the second woe. Four angels were released that gathered a huge army to kill a third of the people who refused to repent from their murders, sorceries, fornication or thefts.

Scene 6: Revelation 10

The voice of the seven thunders, the sealed scroll keeping the words of the seven thunders secret, and the declaration that the Mystery of God, the antithesis of the Mystery of Babylon, would be finished at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

Scene 7: Revelation 11:1-14

The measuring of the temple of God, the testimony of the two witnesses, their death, resurrection and ascension. The great earthquake, a tenth of the City destroyed and seven thousand within the City die.

Scene 8: Revelation 11:15-19

The sounding of the seventh trumpet brought the Mystery of the Kingdom of God onto the Earth. The twenty-four elders fall on their faces and worship, giving thanks to God. The temple of God is opened in heaven, the ark of the testament was seen, lightning, thunders and great hail.

(The narrative jumps straight to Revelation 19 (Act 6 Scene 1) where the actual return of Jesus and the Battle of Armageddon is described.)

Act 4: On Earth

This is Revelation chapters 12 to 16. This describes from an earthly perspective the emergence of the world empires, the emergence of religion, the fate of the individuals in the churches that failed to overcome, the worship of the kingdom of the beast, and the vials of God’s wrath, heralded by the seven trumpets sounded in heaven, that were poured out upon those who refused to repent from their self-worship and the worship of the beast.

Scene 1: Revelation 12:1-6

A vision of the woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars upon her head, the visible Church. She travails in childbirth. A vision of a dragon with seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns, a composite image of the empires that dominated the biblical world, and Satan the real ruler behind world domination. The woman travails in childbirth and brings forth the overcomers who are caught up or raptured into heaven. They form the twenty-four elders seen in Revelation 4.

Scene 2: Revelation 12:7-17

The forces of wickedness in heavenly places are cast down to earth to face the Day of Judgement together with those who partnered with them to establish the Kingdom of the Beast. Being cast down to earth, they persecute the remnants of the visible Church, those who failed to overcome.

Scene 3: Revelation 13

The Kingdom of the Beast rising from amongst the sea of peoples with seven heads, ten horns and upon his horns, ten crowns. This is a complete picture of all empires that dominated the biblical world. For a season, the beast is given authority to make war upon and overcome the saints of God. The beast of religion rises up out of the earth, having two horns like a lamb and speaking like a dragon. The beast of religion becomes a murderous religiopolitical beast with the number of a man, 666, Satan incarnate.

Scene 4: Revelation 14:1-5

The sealing of the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.

Scene 5: Revelation 14:6-13

The messages of the three angels, fear God, Babylon is fallen and a warning not to worship the image of the beast.

Scene 6: Revelation 14:14-20

The harvest of the earth.

Scene 7: Revelation 15:

The seven angels preparing to pour out the seven vials of the wrath of God, each corresponding to the sounding of the seven trumpets.

Scene 8: Revelation 16

The first vial was poured upon the earth or dust of fallen humanity, and grievous sickness came upon those who worshipped the beast. The second vial was poured upon the sea and it became as blood. The third vial was poured upon the rivers and fountains of water and they became as blood. The fourth vial was poured upon the sun and it scorched people with fire. The fifth vial was poured upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was filled with darkness and they gnawed their tongues in pain. They still would not repent. The sixth bowl was poured upon the Euphrates and demons like frogs came forth from the mouth of the dragon and the beast and the false religiopolitical prophet. Armies gathered at Armageddon for the final battle. The seventh vial was poured out into the air, and a voice came from the temple of God, “It is finished”. There was thunder, lightning, and a great earthquake, so great that the great City was divided into three parts. The cities of the nations fell, and Babylon and its wickedness was remembered before God. A huge hailstorm fell from heaven.

(The narrative jumps straight to Revelation 19 (Act 6 Scene 1) where the actual return of Jesus with the armies of heaven, and the Battle of Armageddon is described.)

Act 5: All Religion Over All Time

This is Revelation chapters 17 and 18. This describes the Babylon of Satan’s kingdom and religiopolitical self-worshipping religious belief system that was founded at the Fall. Everyone’s favourite religion, the religion of self-worship and the satisfaction of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is the Babylon of the driving force behind all selfishness and sin for all time. Within this City or corporate body of the whole world of fallen humanity is the blood of everyone who has ever been murdered. It is not an actual City or place. The dominion of this so-called City in effect began when Cain murdered his brother Abel in an argument over a religious offering. It ends when Jesus returns with his brothers or Bride (the overcomers or twenty-four elders) to establish the City, Corporate Son of God, or New Jerusalem upon the earth. One of the key aspects of the religion of Babylon is trading for merchandise that is worshipped as treasure in place of God. It is no coincidence that Jesus drove the traders and moneychangers out of the Temple of God in Jerusalem with a whip.

Scene 1: Revelation 17

One of the seven angels who had the seven vials showed John the judgement of the great prostitute of religion that sits upon the waters of many peoples. John saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemy and with seven heads and ten horns. On her forehead was written, “Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”. She sat upon seven mountains, governments or kingdoms, five have fallen, one is, the seventh will come, and the eighth that is part of the seven will be destroyed. They shall make war against the Lamb, but He will overcome because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The ten horns or independent nations upon the head of the beast will hate the religious prostitute and make her desolate and burn her with fire.

Scene 2: Revelation 18

Another angel came down from heaven and heralded the fall of Babylon the Great. The angel pronounced that Babylon had become the haunt of demons, every foul spirit or evil breath and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird. The nations had drunk the wine of the wrath of her fornication and the kings of the earth had committed fornication with her. The merchants of the earth had become rich. God called his people out from amongst her so that they would not experience her plagues. The kings of the earth and the merchants who had traded for merchandise worshipped in the place of God, mourned over her destruction. Within her was found the blood of the prophets, saints and all who were murdered upon the earth.

Act 6: Heaven Comes To Earth

This is Revelation chapters 19 and 20. It describes the marriage supper of the Lamb and Jesus’ return with His cloud of witnesses, brothers, or Bride. Satan is chained for a symbolic period of 1,000 years and the world experiences the Kingdom of God upon the earth. Remarkably, there are still people who experience the direct-rule of Jesus and His brothers or Bride, but still prefer the rule of Satan. Satan is finally released to take his followers to their ultimate doom together with his.

Scene 1: Revelation 19:1-5

There is great rejoicing in heaven as Babylon has fallen. The twenty-four elders and the living creatures originally seen in chapter 4 rejoice. A voice comes from the throne and says, “Praise our God”.

Scene 2: Revelation 19:6-10

The voice of a great multitude and the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Scene 3: Revelation 19:11-21

Heaven is opened, the Word of God emerges on a white horse with the armies of heaven for the Battle of Armageddon. The kings of the earth gather in battle for the actual Day of Judgement. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of burning sulphur. The armies that remained are destroyed by the sword of the Word of God that proceeds from his mouth.

Act 7: The End Of All Ages

This is Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The paradise of God’s fatherhood eternally fills the hearts and personalities of the Son of God by his eternal life’s breath or Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Revelation 21:6-7 “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son”

Scene 1: Revelation 20:1-6

Satan is cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Thrones were given to those who had overcome and had not worshipped the image of the beast. They reigned together with Jesus for a thousand years. This is the First Resurrection; the second death has no power over them, but they are priests of God and of Jesus and will reign for a thousand years.

Scene 2: Revelation 20:7-10

Satan is released out of his prison and goes out to the four corners of the earth, to God and Magog to gather the rebellious to fight against the City or Son of God, but fire comes down from God out of heaven and destroys them. The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur where the beast and false prophet had been thrown, and they shall be tormented day and night forever.

Scene 3: Revelation 20:11-15

The judgement of the Great White Throne, everyone judged according to their works. Death and hell cast into the lake of fire. Whosever that was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, the second death.

Scene 4: Revelation 21:1-8

The new heaven and the new earth. The dwelling of God is within people, they will be His people, and He shall be their God. God Himself will wipe away every tear. Those that overcome are part of the new Jerusalem, the Holy City or Corporate Son of God, those who are filled with the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. Those that fail to overcome, the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderer, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars have their inheritance within the lake of burning sulphur, which is the second death.

Scene 5: Revelation 21:9-27

The same angel that showed John the City of Babylon, the corporate sinner filled with the devil’s self-worshipping words of lying breaths, showed John the new Jerusalem or corporate City or Son of God. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were the temple within the City. The gates were never shut and the saved of the nations walked in the light of it. No-one could enter the City who was defiled, corrupt or deceitful but only those whose name, character or behaviour was written in the Lamb’s book of Life.

Scene 6: Revelation 22:1-5

The pure river of the water of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side of the river, the tree of life, which yielded fruit and whose leaves were for the healing of the nations.

(The narrative now jumps back to Act 1 Scene 3 to clarify the purpose of the Book of Revelation).

The Book Of Daniel: The Primary Key

The book of Daniel is the Old Testament equivalent to the book of Revelation. An understanding of the book of Daniel is key to unlocking the puzzle of Revelation and in particular to understanding the “revealing” of the Son of Destruction or Abomination and his kingdom, whose revelation precedes the revelation or coming of the Son of God and His. In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar, the original King of Kings, has a dream that Daniel interprets, and Daniel has three visions that angels interpret. These dreams or visions are all about the same thing, the kingdoms of the biblical world that all have an impact upon the final biblical world empire, the revelation of this Son of Destruction and the original Messianic hope of the coming of Jesus the Son of David to establish in person the kingdom of God. Each interpretation gives more detail regarding the time of the end and this Man of Sin or Ultimate Destroyer, the same thing seen in different ways.

King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon (where Daniel had been taken as a captive), had a dream about a huge idol of a man standing with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, torso and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet with toes of clay and iron. The head of gold represented King Nebuchadnezzar, the silver the kingdom of Persia, bronze the kingdom of Greece and legs of iron the empire of Rome. The feet with toes of iron and clay represented the nations following the empire of Rome that would remain as both strong and weak independent nations until the time of the end. At the end of days, someone will attempt to rebuild this image into a biblical world empire, but a small stone (Jesus) will strike the feet, the image will become dust and blow away and the stone will become a great mountain that fills the earth. This is described in Daniel 1 and 2.

Daniel’s subsequent visions cover exactly the same thing from different perspectives giving much more information on the revelation of the Son of Destruction that will come who will rebuild an empire within the biblical world but be destroyed by a stone not cut by human hands. Daniel is not concerned about the histories of the individual toes of strong iron and weak clay, which represent nations that come and go, small empires or changes that rise and fall or invasions or the oppression of Israel that do not have a lasting impact at the time of the end when Jesus strikes the feet and causes the image or kingdom of the beast to become as dust and blow away.

In Daniel’s second vision he sees four great beasts or kingdoms rising out of the sea. In standard prophetic method, these kingdoms were already seen by Nebuchadnezzar in chapters 1 and 2. The beasts represented the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. In his vision the last beast had ten horns (representing the toes of the original image) and from between the horns (or toes) arose a new Little Horn (toe or nation) with the eyes of a man who boasted of great things and three other horns (or toes or nations) that in rebellion were plucked up by the roots. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul is probably describing this as the “falling away” which must come first. Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, thrones set down, and this Little Horn boasting of great things until the beast was killed and his body (or corporate body or kingdom) destroyed and given over to burning fire.

In Daniel’s third vision he sees a ram and a goat. An angel appeared to him and explained the vision. The ram and the goat represent the kingdoms of Persia and Greece and out of those kingdoms will come a third (described as four winds, the empire of Rome). In its place one day will arise the Little Horn who will become powerful towards the south, east, pleasant land, and within the heavens he will cast stars or angels to the ground and trample upon them. This is obviously no ordinary king, and the angel says that the vision is about “the time of the end”. He says that out of what was once this last kingdom, and when sins have reached their limit, this king, fierce of face and understanding dark sentences or hidden things, will rise up. Again, this king is the Little Horn, Son of Destruction or Man of Sin who will be mighty, but not by his own power, and will become an amazing destroyer. He will magnify himself in his “I am as god” heart and prosper with words of flattery or lying deceit. He will destroy mighty ones and the holy ones. He will stand up against the Prince of Princes but will be broken without hand.

In Daniel’s fourth vision an angel predicts the rise and fall of the kingdoms preceding the Roman Empire (explained in Daniel 11:1-18). In Daniel 11:19 he describes the fall of the Roman empire. He says, “Then he shall turn his face towards the fort of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall and not be found”. Not mentioned in the text is a gap of many centuries which then moves forward to the time of the end. The angel says “Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes [dictator, slave driver] in the glory of the kingdom: but within a few days he shall be destroyed [without hand], neither in anger or battle” (Daniel 11:20). This describes the rise of the Man of Sin or Little Horn. In his estate (place or body) will rise a vile person or abomination (Satan incarnate), to whom honour will not be given but who will come in peace and by flattery. Armies will be destroyed before him and he will break the leader or prince of the covenant (possibly Israel). He will work deceitfully and become strong with a few people, he will win, plunder, and achieve great things. The angel then goes on to describe the antics and movements of the Son of Destruction or Antichrist in the last days (Daniel 11:21-45) and after going forth with great fury and devoting many to destruction, he will come to his own end and be destroyed in verse 45 with no one to help him.

Daniel’s Abomination of Desolation

Daniel describes this Abominable king, Son of Destruction or Antichrist in many different ways, giving a good picture or understanding of this ultimate sinner whose revelation precedes the revelation and return of Jesus, the Son of God together with his Bride:

When sins come to their uttermost limit, he, the Little Horn, or king of fierce face and understanding dark sentences will rise (Daniel 8:23)

He is the Little Horn (new nation, Daniel 7:24) that emerges and rises up from between the horns (toes from Nebuchadnezzar’s original image described in Daniel 2:41-43, nations) that were once part of the last biblical world (Roman) empire (Daniel 7:8,20).

This horn has the eyes of a man and a mouth that speaks or boasts of great things, the man as a dictator becomes the personification of the nation (Daniel 7:8,20)

This Horn causes three of the surrounding nations to rebel against their government or kings to join him in his rebellion to establish the seat or throne of his emerging empire (Daniel 7:8,20,24)

It will be his glory to be a slave-driver, dictator, and wicked taskmaster within his kingdom (Daniel 11:20)

He will be replaced by a vile or despicable one (possibly Satan incarnate) who will strengthen his kingdom through flattery (Daniel 11:21)

He will become great within the heavens and cause many stars (angels) to fall and become trampled down under his feet (Daniel 8:10)

He will make war and prevail against the Saints for a set time (Daniel 7:21,25)

He will become great towards the south, east and the beautiful land (possibly Israel or those whose land or the ground of their personalities is blessed by God’s indwelling presence) (Daniel 8:9)

His power will be mighty but not by his own power, with the help of a foreign god and foreign religion he shall destroy miraculously and will prosper in his destruction of the mighty and holy people (Daniel 8:24)

He will prosper in his deceit, magnify himself in his heart and by his false promise or pretence of peace destroy many (Daniel 8:25)

He will be broken without hand (Daniel 8:25)

He will confirm a covenant (possibly with Israel or those in a covenant relationship with God) for a time but in the middle of that time he will cause worship of everything except himself to cease, destroying abominably until his end (Daniel 9:27)

Many armies that come against him like a flood will be defeated, even the leader of the covenant (Daniel 11:22)

A few of the covenant people (probably within Israel) will covenant with him and he will become strong, working deceit and influence within that nation through the few (Daniel 11:23)

He will magnify himself against God and will prosper until his allotted end (Daniel 11:36)

He will not care about women or wealth, but absolute power and a god of strongholds (Daniel 11:37-39)

He will go out with fury to destroy and devote many to destruction but will come to his end with no helper to help him (Daniel 11:44-45)

Jesus described him as the “Abomination of Desolation”. In Greek, the word abomination is from “bdelugma” which means a detestable stink of idolatry. In Hebrew, the word meant the same thing, something filthy and detestable.

It says in Deuteronomy 12:31“Thou does not do so to Yehovah thy God; for every abomination of Yehovah which He is hating they have done to their gods, for even their sons and their daughters they burn with fire to their gods”. This Son of Destruction will delight in child sacrifice and murder.

Desolation in Greek is “eremos” meaning something laid waste or destroyed. In English, the word desolate comes from the Latin “desolatus” meaning “to render a place lonely by devastation, waste or ruin”. The one who inspired despicable acts of cruelty and murder throughout the history of the world one day will be confined within the body of a man. This is to reveal what the rebellious essence of Satan and his ways of sin are really like. Without restraint, at the end of this age for a set time he will kill, steal, and destroy without restraint. Daniel was so troubled with what he saw by revelation regarding this Son of Destruction and his reign of unequalled tyranny that it made him faint and sick for a number of days.

Two of the earliest letters written by Paul the Apostle were to the Thessalonians. At that time, Jesus’ earthly ministry was still within living memory and his imminent return was anticipated with delight. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reminds them of what he had said regarding Jesus’ return – that it was important for people to be sober and awake, watchful and thankful by living lives of both faith and love (which is what true righteousness really is), because they had been chosen to receive from God mercy and not judgement. However, some had been mistakenly told that Jesus had indeed returned and somehow the Thessalonians had missed him. In his second letter, Paul points out that Jesus cannot be revealed until the Man of Sin, the Son of Destruction, has first been revealed – he who will enter into the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God. The judgement of God is upon this man but also his kingdom, those who did not love the truth but instead in the pride of their own fallen “I am” hearts proclaim that actually they themselves are “gods”. They are the ones who will be deceived by his lying wonders into supporting his claims of divinity, putting into practice his command to destroy all that oppose him.

Daniel’s Abomination in Action

In Daniel 7, Daniel describes the rise of the Little Horn, who emerges from between two nations that were once part of the last biblical world empire. The Little Horn has the eyes of a man and he speaks and boasts great things and causes three of the surrounding nations to rebel against their kings to join him in his rebellion to establish the seat of his emerging empire. In Daniel 11, following standard prophetic practice, Daniel goes over the same things again adding more information and describing what actually happens. It is clear from Daniel that these things relate to the prince that is to come at the time of the end. Daniel is not referring to anyone in the historical past who may have possibly foreshadowed a little of what is predicted here.

He is an oppressive dictator but will soon be destroyed but not in anger or battle (Daniel 11:20)

In his place shall stand a plunderer or vile person (possibly Satan incarnate) to whom they will not give the honour of the kingdom but will obtain the kingdom by flattery and treachery (Daniel 11:21)

He will win in battle and overcome the leader of the covenant (Daniel 11:22)

A few will join him, he will work deceitfully and become strong through the few in the nation (Daniel 11:23)

He will gain influence and power by treachery, achieving what his forefathers did not achieve, giving riches and wealth to his supporters and boast about his planned conquests against the strong (Daniel 11:24)

He will engage in a military campaign against a king or nation to his south, there will be war, but the king of his south will be betrayed, and his army defeated. He will speak lies to the king of the south at one table who will also speak lies but this will not change the time of his destruction (Daniel 11:27)

He will return to his own land excessively rich; he will turn his heart against the holy covenant (probably Israel or those who are in a covenant relationship with God) (Daniel 11:28)

At the time appointed he will return and advance towards the south, but he will not prosper as before. The rest of the world was originally slow in responding to the threat of his diabolical kingdom, but finally news of a great army arriving in ships from distant islands will alarm him and he will have great rage against the holy covenant (those in relationship with God) (Daniel 11:30)

He will be in league with those who forsake the holy covenant (those who are deceived into rebellion against God by accepting his lies as truth), his strong ones will rise up, defile the sanctuary of strength, remove the perpetual sacrifice and give out the abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31)

He will defile the wicked covenant-breakers by flatteries, but those who know their God will be strong and prosper, they will teach with understanding. However, many with understanding will fall by the sword and fire, be plundered and taken into captivity for many days. When those with understanding become weakened, they will be helped, but some will be betrayed. Some with understanding will fall and be refined as with fire so that will appear in white at the time of the end. (Daniel 11:32-35)

He will do whatever he wills, exalt himself and magnify himself against every god. He will boast and speak against the God of gods, he will proper and achieve until his appointed end (Daniel 11:36)

He does not acknowledge the god of his fathers, or women but magnifies himself and honours a foreign religion and god of power and treasures and gives both treasures and lands to those who serve him at a price (Daniel 11:37-39)

At the end of his time he will engage in battle with the king of the south, and the king of his north will come against him. He will advance through many countries and enter into the glorious land; many shall be destroyed but nations represented by Edom and Moab will escape. He will advance against other countries and Egypt will not escape, he will plunder, and the treasures of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia will be his (Daniel 11:41-43).

News from the north and the east will trouble him, he will advance with great fury and devote many to destruction, he will establish his tents between the seas and the glorious holy mountain but will come to his end and no-one will help him (Daniel 11: 44-45).

These things happen but are not mentioned in the Book of Revelation because they are already mentioned in Daniel. These things probably happen between Revelation 4 and 11, and also Revelation 12 and 16.

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

In Daniel 9:24 (KJV) an angel tells Daniel that “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy”. Seventy weeks here represents seventy weeks of years, which is 490 years. However, to finish transgression, make an end of sins, to reconcile iniquity and bring everlasting righteousness applies both to the nation of Israel and the Sons of God (or Jesus’ brothers or Bride). The angel is talking about Jesus’ second coming as well as his first and there is an unspecified delay between the two.

In Daniel 9:25 the angel says “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubled times”. That is a period of 49 years (probably the completion of Nehemiah’s wall), and 434 years (Jesus’ first coming). The angel goes on to say “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined”. The people of the prince that shall come to destroy the city and the sanctuary is not the Roman General Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 but the Son of Destruction, Little Horn or Antichrist, whose end will be war, desolation and destruction. Finally, the angel describes the last seven years before Jesus returns. He says that the prince that shall come (Daniel 9:27) “shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”. This did not happen in AD 70.

The original seventy weeks promised by Gabriel leaves one week left, a seven-year period that probably begins when the beast or Satan, as the incarnated Antichrist, makes a covenant with the people of the covenant (possibly Israel, or those who are in a covenant relationship with God) to become their protector in the place of God, offering them a promise of peace which he has no intention of keeping. Half way through the seven-year period he will turn against them and enter the temple (possibly rebuilt in some form) or what stands in its place, or its equivalent, or Satan himself entering the temple of a human body, and proclaim himself God, as the Abomination that causes desolation. There will then be a period of absolute devastation as it says in Daniel 9:27 “and by the wing [spreading out, overshadowing] of abominations he is making desolate, even till the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on the desolate one”. This is possibly when the subjects of his despicable kingdom accept the lie that this abomination really is God. They will be so thoroughly convinced that he really is God that they will put into practice his command to totally destroy everyone who opposes his claim of divinity.

About its proper fulfilment in Matthew 24:15-22 Jesus said “‘Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe) then those in Judea—let them flee to the mounts; he on the house-top—let him not come down to take up anything out of his house; and he in the field—let him not turn back to take his garments. ‘And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days; and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a sabbath; for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be. And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened”.

Herod’s temple was destroyed on Friday, August 9, AD 70, the Abomination of Desolation did not enter and stand in the holy place. According to contemporary accounts, Titus originally ordered that the temple was spared from destruction, but in an attempt to halt the advance of the Romans the Jews set fire to the north west approach to the temple. The temple caught fire and was ultimately destroyed. The gold from the temple melted and ran down under the huge stones that were pulled down in order to reclaim the gold. It is true that the Romans raised banners in honour of the Emperor Vespasian on the site of the destroyed temple, but this is not what Jesus was talking about.

Again, about its proper fulfilment, Zechariah said in Zechariah 14:1-4 “Lo, a day has come to Yehovah, and divided has been thy spoil in thy midst. And I have gathered all the nations unto Jerusalem to battle, and captured has been the city, and spoiled have been the houses, and the women are lain with, Gone forth has half the city in a removal, and the remnant of the people are not cut off from the city. And gone forth has Yehovah, and He has fought against those nations, As in the day of His fighting in a day of conflict. And stood have His feet, in that day, On the mount of Olives, That is before Jerusalem eastward, and cleft has been the mount of Olives at its midst, To the east, and to the west, a very great valley, and removed has the half of the mount towards the north. And it’s half towards the south”.

These scriptures were not fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, Zechariah said in verses 3-4 (KJV) “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east”. For a scripture to be fulfilled it needs to be properly full-filled or completed and not just foreshadowed by something similar. These prophesies are not allegorical, and a proper fulfilment is yet to be seen. Any attempt to associate the tragedy of what happened to Jerusalem in AD 70, or any other period in biblical history, with the fulfilment of any of the prophesies of Daniel regarding the prince that will come or the time of the end, will result in confusion.

Judgement Day

The actual Day of Judgement, the Day of the LORD or the Day of Wrath is not something that happens when everyone is dead, with people standing before God who determines whether they are going to be forever in either heaven or hell. That does not happen as such and the Bible does not teach that for the righteous dead, heaven is their eternal destination. Judgement is mentioned many times in scripture, the Final Judgement at the end of all ages is called the judgement of the Great White Throne. This is a judicial judgement in the Courts of God where God rewards people with the fully-ripe and reaped fruit of what they actually sowed in life by how they were inspired by their life’s breath to behave, whether good or bad. Whist this is judgement, it is not the actual Day of the LORD. The Day of Judgement, also known as “That Day”, “The Day of Wrath”, or the “Day of Christ”, forms a large part of biblical prophecy and is the confrontation between the Son of Destruction and his beastly kingdom and the Son of God and His eternal Bride. It happens upon planet earth when people are still alive and there will be a remnant who survive that dreadful day.

God’s natural state is one of love and not anger. Yehovah God is not an angry God. For God to become angry, He must first be provoked by those who spurn His mercy and offer of repentance leading to the forgiveness of their sins. God’s anger is ultimately an expression of His love. Within the ancient world, God’s judgements were always for the purpose of ultimately bringing blessing by removing that which was cursed. They were based upon the goodness and mercy of God, but also his righteousness and justice. Abraham the Hebrew was aware of the judgements of God. He was told in Genesis 15 that God was going to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants but that there would be a delay because the sins of the Amorites were not yet full or complete. The conquest of Canaan by the Israelites was God’s judgement upon the Amorites for their wickedness. In Genesis 18 it says that the outcry of pain, grief and misery caused by the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that God came down personally from heaven to see for himself if things were that bad. They were that bad, and these cities were destroyed by fire. Abraham saw first-hand God’s judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah. In Amos 2, God again mentioned the judgement of the fruit of the Amorites and promised to judge Israel for their similar wickedness. Israel was destroyed and taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 BC. In Jeremiah 50, God promised that the Assyrians themselves would also be destroyed by God for rejoicing in the destruction of Jerusalem, as would the Babylonians who did the same things. In Revelation 2, Jesus mentions that he had given time for Jezebel the prophetess and church teacher to repent but that she would not, and so she and her lovers would be judged by being cast onto a bed of intense suffering. In Romans 2, Paul says that those with hard and unrepentant hearts despised the goodness and mercy of God and were storing up wrath for the day when God’s righteous judgement would be revealed. Paul goes on to say that the revelation of God’s judgement will bring glory, honour and peace to all who do what is right, but anger and distress for those who continue to do what is wrong. From Abraham’s perspective, God’s righteous judgement is not always anger and wrath. It depends upon fruit not faith, behaviour, not religious beliefs or trusting in the religion of tradition. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection; what people sow in life they will one day reap because a son or seed or son bears fruit after its father’s kind.

Jesus said in Mark 13 that at the final end of the age, he would send his angels to gather up all that do evil and everything that causes people to sin and throw these things into the furnace of fire so that the righteous could shine like the sun in the kingdom of God as their Father who dwelled within their hearts. This is the purpose of God’s judgements. Those who remain stiff-necked and unrepentant after many rebukes, will one day find their neck suddenly broken without remedy, even if this is not included within their religion of tradition.

This is what Isaiah 10:5-7 says about the Son of Destruction

“Woe to Asshur, a rod of Mine anger, and a staff in their hand is Mine indignation. Against a profane nation I send him and concerning a people of My wrath I charge him, to spoil the spoil, and to seize prey, and to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places. And he—he thinketh not so, and his heart reckons not so, for—to destroy is in his heart, and to cut off nations not a few”. Asshur (Assyria) mentioned here is a reference to the Son of Destruction or Antichrist not the original Assyria, this Son of Destruction being the rod of God’s anger, giving the people who rejected and murdered the Christ of God the Antichrist of Satan instead, in person and in power.

In Genesis, when God spoke it was called “day”, God’s word is what both says, and also does. It says in Isaiah 55:10-11 “For, as come down does the shower, and the snow from the heavens, and thither returns not, But has watered the earth, and has caused it to yield, and to spring up, and has given seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, So is My word that goes out of My mouth, It turns not back unto Me empty, But has done that which I desired, and prosperously effected that for which I sent it”. God has spoken many times that he would come and personally deal with the injustice, heartache and misery caused by sin and selfishness, especially by the Bulls of Bashan, those in authority who should know and do better. On the Day of Judgement, the battle between the forces of darkness and the Kingdom of God’s light in the unseen realms, will be actually seen upon the earth. Satan, the ultimate Destroyer himself, will be cast down upon the earth and will be incarnated within a human body. The whole of mankind will finally see in person how bad the devil and those that partner or trade with him really are. This period of time is called the Day of Judgement.

This is what Obadiah 1:15-17 says about the Day of Judgement (KJV):

“For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou has done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”.

This is what Zephaniah 1:14-18 says about the Day of Judgement:

“Near is the great day of Yehovah, near, and hasting exceedingly, the noise of the day of Yehovah, bitterly shriek there does a mighty one. A day of wrath is that day, a day of adversity and distress, a day of waste and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of cloud and thick darkness. A day of trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities, and against the high corners. And I have sent distress to men, and they have walked as the blind, for against Yehovah they have sinned, and poured out is their blood as dust, and their flesh is as dung. Even their silver, even their gold, is not able to deliver them in a day of the wrath of Yehovah, and in the fire of His jealousy consumed is the whole land, for only a hastened end does He make Of all the inhabitants of the land!”

And Jeremiah 4:5-9 (KJV):

“Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament, and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder”.

And Isaiah 13:9-13:

“Lo, the day of Yehovah does come, Fierce, with wrath, and heat of anger, to make the land become a desolation, Yea, its sinning ones He destroys from it. For the stars of the heavens, and their constellations, cause not their light to shine, Darkened has been the sun in its going out, and the moon causes not its light to come forth. And I have appointed on the world evil, and on the wicked their iniquity, and have caused to cease the excellency of the proud, and the excellency of the terrible I make low. I make man more rare than fine gold, and a common man than pure gold of Ophir. Therefore, the heavens I cause to tremble, and the earth does shake from its place, In the wrath of Yehovah of Hosts, and in a day of the heat of his anger”.

And Revelation 16:12-16 (KJV):

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon”.

And Jesus in Luke 21:25-28:

“‘And there shall be signs in sun, and moon, and stars, and on the land is distress of nations with perplexity, sea and billow roaring; men fainting at heart from fear, and expectation of the things coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. ‘And then they shall see the Son of Man, coming in a cloud, with power and much glory; and these things beginning to happen bend yourselves back, and lift up your heads, because your redemption does draw nigh.’”

And Zechariah 11:15-17:

“And Yehovah saith unto me, ‘Again take to thee the instrument of a foolish [worthless, idolatrous] shepherd. For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he does not inspect, The shaken off he does not seek, and the broken he does not heal, The standing he does not sustain, and the flesh of the fat he does eat, and their hoofs he does break off. Woe to the worthless shepherd, forsaking the flock, A sword is on his arm [ruthless], and on his right eye [merciless], His arm is utterly dried up [worn out killing], and his right eye is very dim!’”. This will happen when Satan, the father of lies and worthless shepherd, is confined or incarnated within a human body, just as God was in the person of Jesus, the good shepherd.

And Joel 3:14-16 (KJV):

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel”.

The Great Day of God Almighty is the battle of Armageddon. This is where Satan incarnate within the Son of Destruction proclaims himself as “God” and gathers his armies who believe the lie that he is “God” to destroy Jerusalem. Jesus will return to destroy him together with all those who partnered with him to establish the seat or throne of his kingdom. Satan could not do it alone. It will be as Jesus said in Mark 13:19 quoting the Daniel 12:1 “for those days shall be tribulation [distress], such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created, till now, and may not ever be”. This is the wrath of God, this is the Day of Judgement, when the beast and his corporate body that shares his destructive life’s breath, behaviour and name will be destroyed. Jesus is not coming back to unleash the wrath of God against communities who are kind, merciful, faithful, honest and true, because God is not angry with them. The wrath of God will be revealed against the sons of Belial that continually choose to reject mercy and kindness and establish as truth the words of lying breath or demons spoken by the prince of the power of the air in the arrogance of their puffed-up pride-poisoned hearts. Those who actively follow and behave like the Man of Sin, Beast or Antichrist bear evil fruit and will share in his destruction. What was sown by Adam and Eve on a personal level by proclaiming themselves as “gods” in their own hearts, will be fully reaped by the kingdom of the beast who, as sons of Belial or destruction, reject what is right and continue to delight in wickedness.

It says in Daniel 7:11 (KJV) “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body [or kingdom] destroyed, and given to the burning flame”

It says in Malachi 3:2 (KJV) “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap”

This is when Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth. This is not the time for the general resurrection at the final end of the ages, the Final Judgement of the Great White Throne. That happens much later. More than a quarter of all biblical prophecy has not happened yet, but a large part will be fulfilled on That Day. The Book of Revelation is a book about revealing and one of its major themes is the uncovering of the utterly destructive nature of the fruit of the “I am as god” tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It reveals what the father of lies is really like, and what happens when God’s so-called people consistently reject the mercy and fatherhood of God. Instead, they are deceived into continuing to invite the serpent as the “I Am” God-imposter into their “I am as god” hearts by receiving the breath of his flattering words which appeal to the lust of their eyes, the lust of their flesh and the pride of their lives. One day the man foreshadowed by Cain, Goliath, Herod, Barabbas, Judas and many others, the Son of Destruction, champion sinner or ultimate destroyer, will come to planet earth. The results will be catastrophic – so devastating in fact that only the revelation of Jesus and his brothers or Bride as the corporate Son or City of God to the world at large will be able to save the day. It is Jesus and the Sons of the First Resurrection who will in person crush the head of the serpent on this Day of Judgement. This Diabolical Destroyer will be in the process of destroying everything that he cannot possess when Jesus comes again. Only Jesus will be able to prevent the whole world from complete and utter destruction, and by judging and removing the pride-poisoned fruit of egocentric self-exaltation, establish the original Messianic hope of the kingdom of God’s fatherhood, righteousness, faith, love and blessing upon the earth.

Sons of the First Resurrection

Within ancient Hebrew culture, a person’s breath or spirit was their life, and the expression of this breath was a person’s character or personality. A person’s character was an expression of the inspiration (from the Latin “inspirare”, in-breathe) of their spirit or breath displayed by what they did (their words). Their words collectively were called their “ways” and their ways or habitual behaviour was an expression of their “name”. Within ancient Hebrew culture, a father provided a bride for his son, the sons did not choose a bride for themselves. This was because the son and his bride together established the “house” or habitation of the natural life of his father by bearing sons in the image or reflection of the behaviour of their father. This was to enable them to inherit the father’s blessing so that the name of the father would live on. Within ancient Hebrew culture a “name” was the expression of someone’s behaviour. Behaviour is a form of sowing. The name that people bear in life, what people sow in life; they will reap in resurrection. That is why Jesus said in Revelation 22:11-12 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”. How people behave in life will become their inheritance in resurrection because behaviour is an expression of the breath of life. People who bear the names “unjust”, “unkind”, “hateful”, “profane” or “filthy” will bear that same name in resurrection because it is the fruit of natural life that comes from the Fall. People who are “loving”, “kind”, and “merciful” in life will eternally inherit that same name in resurrection because it is the fruit of eternal life that comes from the Pentecostal blessing of the eternal life of the Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. There is no repentance in resurrection. That is why Jesus said in Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent”.

Jesus said in John 3:16-18 (KJV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. When Nicodemus heard these words, he did not imagine for a second that Jesus was talking about people being saved from hell after they were dead. That was not part of his culture. Nicodemus was very much aware that people were condemned and perished in life, but these were people that lived outside of the “circumcision”, those not in covenant with Yehovah God who did not keep or guard the Law of Moses. Nicodemus would have been surprised that Jesus was talking about saving the world or earth, but it was all the families of the earth that God promised to bless with the blessing that God promised to give to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. It was this blessing of being “saved” in life that Jesus was talking about. That is why it says in Deuteronomy 30:6 (KJV) “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live”. Jesus was talking about being saved in life, a change of character, behaviour and heart that receives the blessing of Abraham that was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. That is why Peter said in Acts 3:25-26 (KJV) “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities”. The final judgement of God is based upon behaviour not beliefs, fruit not faith, relationship and not religion. Jesus was talking about making bad trees good. Hebraically, believing in Jesus meant to become established within his identity as a Son of God by receiving the unmerited grace and blessing of the eternal life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. By being given the gift of righteousness or being filled with the Holy Spirit of righteousness, they would no longer have a relationship with good and evil but instead have a relationship with God, calling God “Abba, Father” from the heart. That is because within ancient Hebrew culture, a true son bore the image or reflection of his father by behaving like his father in every aspect of life.

Anyone can be taught by the religion of tradition to believe that God is their “Father”, but only those who are the visible image of the invisible God, by being inspired to behave like Jesus, are recognised by Father God as the Sons of God. Only those who behave like Jesus from the heart, belong to him. Only those that walk in love, like Jesus loves, are part of him because they share in his “eternal life” that comes from His Father. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus used the word “overcome” seven times, once for each of the churches. He did so because some had embraced religion instead of relationship, conceptual faith instead of the bearing of the fruit of love, intellectual beliefs instead of loving behaviour. They were not walking in the triumphal procession of overcoming victory. This was because they had been deceived by pride into not to receiving the same anointing of the eternal life of overcoming victory that Jesus as the Son of Abraham and the Son of David had received. They imagined that because Jesus had overcome the world, they could be overcome by the world, but still go to heaven when they died. Death is temporary, resurrection is permanent and there is no repentance in resurrection. That is why to the losers in the churches that were failing to overcome, Jesus said in Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent”, and in Revelation 21:6 (KJV) “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son”. The word “overcome” is a false friend if people do not understand what Jesus meant when he used this word. In Hebrew, the word overcome is “yasha” which originally meant “to be delivered or brought out of slavery or oppression of any kind and be brought into a wide-open space of freedom, safety and prosperity”. The name “Jesus” is a transliteration of the Greek “‘Iesous”, which in turn, is a transliteration of the Hebrew “Yehoshua” (shortened to Yeshua) which means “Yehovah-Yasha” or “Yehovah is Salvation”. Paul said in Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV) “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”.

Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (KJV) “Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints”.

Jesus said in Luke 20:35-36 (KJV) “…But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children [Sons] of the resurrection”.

John said in Revelation 20:4-6 (KJV) “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the First Resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part [share, allotment, inheritance] in the First Resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years”.

Those who are sovereignly inspired by the unmerited grace of God to share in the “eternal life” of Jesus’ corporate identity as the Sons of God are those who are baptised into his character, behaviour, or “name” by sharing in His Father. The word of their testimony is that they do not love the world, or anything in the world, because they dwell within Jesus, and the Father, and His eternal life’s breath or Holy Spirit, dwells within them. They overcome because the lust of the flesh, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life are not in the Father and so these things are not within His true Sons. Those that are inspired to share in Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, will see the heavens opened with the same eyes as Jesus saw. In the humility of their grace-humbled hearts they hear the same living words from God “You are indeed my son, the beloved whom I love” and experience the same anointing as John says in 1 John 2:27 (KJV) “But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, ye shall abide in him.” Like Jesus, by the unmerited grace or blessing of God, they become heavenly not earthly, supernatural, and not natural, extraordinary, and not ordinary, divine and not devilish. Their touch becomes a heavenly touch, their language a heavenly language and they see things from above and not from below. They experience the exact same overcoming-anointing as Jesus did. They are enabled, through the sovereign grace of the mighty power of the eternal life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood, to overcome the father of lies and his pride-poisoned puffing and huffing, in the private place of the wilderness of their lives. They face down the devil with the living word of God, spoken with the living personality or breath or Holy Spirit of divine life, just like Jesus. He lives within them and they live within Him. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. It is how people behave that reveals who their father truly is. The Sons of God are the Sons of the First Resurrection. God is their behaviour in life, God will become their inheritance in resurrection. God will have an inheritance within them. They will have an inheritance within God. Their behaviour is the revelation of their Sonship. This is what is means to inherit Sonship.

(For more information, see The Way of Sonship: Anointed to Overcome).

[Go to Part 1] [Go to Part 3]

Inheriting Sonship

Revelation of Sonship: Part 2 – The Book of Revelation

Contents

The Puzzling Book of Revelation

Numbers in Revelation

The Structure of Revelation

Act 1: The Purpose of Revelation

Act 2: The Churches

Act 3: In Heaven

Act 4: On Earth

Act 5: All Religion Over All Time

Act 6: Heaven Comes To Earth

Act 7: The End Of All Ages

The Book Of Daniel: The Primary Key

Daniel’s Abomination of Desolation

Daniel’s Abomination in Action

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

Judgement Day

Sons of the First Resurrection

INFO

LINKS

BOOKS

Inheriting Sonship

Revelation of Sonship: Part 2 – The Book of Revelation

Contents

The Puzzling Book of Revelation

Numbers in Revelation

The Structure of Revelation

Act 1: The Purpose of Revelation

Act 2: The Churches

Act 3: In Heaven

Act 4: On Earth

Act 5: All Religion Over All Time

Act 6: Heaven Comes To Earth

Act 7: The End Of All Ages

The Book Of Daniel: The Primary Key

Daniel’s Abomination of Desolation

Daniel’s Abomination in Action

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

Judgement Day

Sons of the First Resurrection

Share this:

INFO

LINKS

BOOKS