Chapter 12 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation 12!

The Woman and the Dragon

Verses 1-2: Great Significance... What makes this event so significant?  When I see this phrase, I feel like I'm supposed to pay extra special attention!

Verses 3-4: Here's the Significant Event again!  The creatures in the end times prophecies are hard for me to picture/imagine... (maybe I don't really want to picture some of the things mentioned) Seven heads and ten horns... Does that mean it has seven necks too?  Are the heads all attached to each other? Are the "horns" on it's heads or on its back or what?  Ten is not symmetrical to the seven heads, so how would that work?  Would they all look the same or all be different?

Verses 5-6: Who is this child?  It would seem that he has not been born yet... But it is impossible to say really... It could have been Jesus...? Here again is listed the 1,260 days...

Verses 7-9:  In Job we are shown that Satan has been able to "present himself before the Lord." (Job 1:6) This is now permanently put to an end!

Verses 10-12: The end is near!!  Verse 12 points out what I think every time I read verse 9... The devil wasn't using full force on us when he could be elsewhere, but now he'll have nowhere to go except earth...  Could be very bad for some people.

Verses 13-17:  So we know that the dragon is Satan, but who is the woman?  Many times (Especially in Proverbs) Wisdom is referred to as a woman.  Maybe this woman is Wisdom??? Verse 14 once again mentions the times, times, and half a time... Are we Wisdom's children??? (Proverbs 8:32)

So what did we learn from this chapter?  Maybe that wisdom gave birth to Jesus, and now Satan has been thrown down to earth with no possibility to get back into Heaven.  So now he is creating as much destruction and chaos as he can while he still can... But if this theory is correct... What about the 1,260 days that are mentioned a couple times in this chapter?  Is it the amount of time Jesus was ministering on earth before he ascended into Heaven?  What do you think!?!

Blessings!

~ S* 

Chapter 11 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation Chapter 11

The Two Witnesses (Verses 1-14)

Verses 1-3: Many times throughout the Bible, different people are instructed to measure the temple.  One thousand two hundred and sixty days or forty-two months is a long time.  Elsewhere this amount of time is listed as "times times and half a time".

Verses 4-6: When you read verse six, who from the old testament does this remind you of?  For me it seems to be describing Moses and Elijah.  Many have speculated; however, that it's going to be Enoch and Elijah... This is because they never died; in Hebrews 9:27 it says, "...each person is destined to die once..."

Verses 7-14: I wonder if people celebrated the death of Hitler in the way described here.  I can't imagine celebrating the death of someone in this way.  Verses 11-12 sound similar to what happened with Jesus.  The earthquake is also like the day Jesus rose from the dead... Interesting...

That was a long teror (Remember, it started in 9:13).


7th Trumpet Brings Third Terror (Verses 15-19)

Verses 15-19:  Here, it talks about more Awesome worship in heaven by the 24 elders.  Verse 19 talks about the temple of God, and I find it interesting that the Ark is also mentioned here.  I'd have thought that we wouldn't need the temple at this point.  Another earthquake and hailstorm... To me this shows God's Awesome power.  He is in charge of everything that happens.


What did you learn from this chapter?  Who do you think the two witnesses are?  Will the witnesses be easy to recognize, will we know when they show up?  Will it seem like just a freakish thing?  Or will the government and media try to hide/cover it up?  That could be very interesting!

Blessings!

~ S*

Chapter 10 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation chapter 10.

The Angel and the Small Scroll

Verses 1-3: One foot on land and one on the sea... Why is that significant?  Maybe this is showing that the authority he has is over everything in both land and sea?

Verse 4:  "Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down."  Here is another example of the number seven being used...  Also, why did he have to keep it a secret?  Would this information give away too much information?  Would this information have been too much for us to take?  It could have been horrifying, or it could have been the most amazing thing ever!

Verses 5-7: That was a huge oath.  How much stuff did the prophets foretell that we just don't know as "end times" prophesy? And even if we do know about all the scriptures referring to the end times... That's a lot of scripture!

Verses 8-11:  This is not the only place in the Bible someone is told to eat a scroll... In Ezekiel chapter 3, Ezekiel is told to eat a scroll as well.  In both instances the scroll was sweet as honey in their mouth.  I believe this signifies the words going deep into ones being.  In Peter's case the words weren't the most pleasant things to prophesy about (maybe that's why his stomach was turned sour after eating it.) In Ezekiel's case, it was during his call to commission.  I think it was signifying God putting His word's inside Ezekiel to begin his life as a prophet.


This chapter is pretty short... Not as much activity going on as in a few chapters leading up to it.  Remember, the seventh trumpet (the third woe/terror), has not sounded yet.

Blessings!

~ S*

Chapter 9 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation Chapter 9.

The Fifth Trumpet Bring the First Terror

Verses 1-2 "A star that had fallen from the sky..."  (see Chapter 8:10-11) Could this be talking about that same star?

Verses 3-6:  It is very specific here about who would be tortured.  Like the Israelite in the time of Moses, the people who had the seal of God were protected. (Exodus 8:22-23; 9:4-6, 26; 10:23, 11:4-7)

Verses 7-12:  What do you think these "locusts" are?  In Bible times Peter had never heard of a helicopter or drone... Do you think this is what he's describing?

The 6th Trumpet Brings the Second Terror

Verses 13-16:  I find it interesting that there are specifically four angels prepared for this specific time, but there army is "200 million troops"! And who are these troops?  Angels? It does not specify!?!

Verses 17-19:  The colors of the armor are the primary colors... Sulfur smells horrible.  I can begin to imagine how terrible these plagues must be.

Verse 20:  I wonder if the people with the seal of God, as mentioned in verse four, will be protected from this terror as well?  The people who didn't die that are mentioned in verse 20 are not including the people with the seal of God, right? A little confusing there for me.

Verse 20-21: Idol worship is mentioned here.  The first and greatest commandment... "Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength! (click here to see an earlier post on present day idolatry)  Notice the other specific sins mentioned here: murder, witchcraft, sexual immorality and theft...  How do you think America (or even the world) is ranking in that list of sinful activity today?  Sounds awfully familiar doesn't it?

Every day it becomes more and more evident that the end times are near. In the Gospels it mentions "as in the days of Noah... so it will be when the Son of Man comes..." (Matthew 24:37-39, Luke 17:26-27).  Does it seem like we're living in the days of Noah to you?

What insights have you gained while reading this chapter?

Blessings!

~ S*

Chapter 8 -- The Book of Revelation

Please Read Revelation Chapter 8!

The Lamb Breaks the Seventh Seal

Verses 1-2: What was the silence for?  Does that mean everyone stopped worshiping God and crying "Holy, Holy, Holy" for that 30 minutes?  Was it just an earthly instant?  Typically time as we see it and Heaven do not going hand in hand...

Verses 3-5:  The Old Testament is filled with instructions about sacrifices.   There is even a special incense that they were only allowed to use at the tabernacle/temple for certain sacrifices. (Exodus 30:35)  These verses show that similar things are done in the heavenly realm!  This instance shows our prayers are a part of the atonement process now that we've been redeemed from the curse of the law!

Verses 6-12:  What do you think is the significance of "a third"?  Do you think these woes/terrors will be on one particular area/continent of the earth?  Or will the events be divided among different areas?

Verse 13: "Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets."  Do you think "all who belong to this world." means those who are not saved?  Or is it referring to everyone who is still alive on earth at the time of the woes?

What has God been showing you through this book?  Do you think some of these prophecies are coming true right now?  If so which ones?

Hope you're having a great week!

Blessings!

~ S*

Chapter 7 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation chapter 7.

God's People Will Be Preserved (Verses 1-8)

Verses 1-3:  Do you believe this "seal of God" is something we can see in our earthly/natural realm?  Or is this visible in the spirit realm only?

Verse 3:  "on the foreheads of His servants."

Verse 4:  This verse only mentions how many were sealed from the tribes of Israel.  It does not mention anyone else.  Do you think only Israelites are sealed?  Or are the other tribes not mentioned because there are too many of them(see verse three quoted above)?  Or is Israel mentioned to show how special they are/to set them apart?  Or possibly to show how few of them will be marked/protected?

Verses 5-8: Notice in these verses that the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not included... Joseph and Manasseh make it the complete twelve.  After researching Dan and Ephraim, it appears no one (including myself) really knows why these tribes were excluded.  I will list a few verses, which might shed a little light on the subject.  But I want you to ask God, and let Him reveal the truth to you.  

Dan:  Genesis 49:16-17 Dan's "blessing" from Jacob before he died, Judges 18 talks about Dan's idolatry, Amos 8:14 "the god of Dan", 1 Kings 12:29-30 and 2 Kings 10:29 talk about sin in Dan.  Also, in 1 Chronicles chapters 2-12 Dan is omitted completely.

Ephraim: Hosea 4:17 and 9:11 some translations read, "Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry." But in Hebrew it says Ephraim instead of Israel meaning the northern kingdom of Israel.

Dan and Ephraim: Jeremiah 4:15 Mentions Israel's destruction from Dan to the hill country of Ephraim.


Praise from the Great Crowd (Verses 9-17)

Verses 9-10: That means everyone!  Not just the Israelites!

Verses 11-12:  The angels and elders praised God by saying "so be it!" Notice also, that wisdom is included in this blessing.

Verses 13-14:  Who are these people clothed in white?  Well, if you look back at 6:11 (6:9-11 the fifth seal) that is where the white robes are handed out!  These verses explain who these people are: "These are the ones who died in the great tribulation."  These verses in conjunction with 6:10-11 and 9:4 lead me to believe that at this point the martyrdom may be complete.  Anyone left on earth whose name is written in the "Lamb's Book of Life" will live through the rest of the end times or live until the rapture.

Verses 15-17:  The blessing/reward for those who die in the tribulation!  Awesome!

Now, I am not claiming to have any or all of the answers here... But this is how I've been inspired to  interpret these scriptures.  I pray for wisdom when writing my blog, and I believe I will be blessed for taking the time to study His Word. (Even when I don't understand everything).

Thanks for reading, and I encourage you to study too!  Look at a particular passage of scripture that God has brought to your attention, and dig deeper into what God is teaching you through it!

Blessings!

~ S*

Chapter 6 -- The Book of Revelation

Please read Revelation chapter 6!

The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals

First Seal (Verses 1-2): White horse, rider had a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He was to gain victory!

Second Seal (Verses 3-4): Red horse, rider given a mighty sword and authority to take peace from the earth.

Third Seal (Verses 5-6): Black horse, rider held scales to ration food.

Fourth Seal (Verses 7-8): Pale "green" horse (some translations just say pale, while others say ashen)... rider's name Death with a companion named the Grave.  Authority was given to him to kill one fourth of the population of the earth through various plagues...

Fifth Seal (Verses 9-11): White robes were given to the souls under the alter, and they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of souls had joined them.

Sixth Seal (Verses 12-14): Earthquake, dark sun, red moon, stars fall, sky rolls back like a scroll, mountains and islands are moved from their places...

Verses 15-17: Every single person on earth, important or not, hid and wanted to die. But there is no sign of repentance.

I believe it is important for us to know about these predicted events.  We need to be prepared in season and out. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Have you ever wondered why there are four horses and riders?  To me, they all seem to accomplish the same thing... Do the red and white riders only affect one fourth of the earth?  Or are their jobs implemented on everyone?

Do you believe any of these things have happened?  Do you think we are on the verge of any of them?  It seems to me that peace has been taken from the earth... Disease, famine and the threat of war seem to be constantly in the news.  We did have what they call a "blood moon" not too long ago... Do you think that applies?

I believe, after prayer, much thought, reading, and re-reading, that the book of Revelation is in chronological order.  I have asked God about it, and upon further study, I've realized that God is a God of order not disorder.  I don't believe He wants us to be confused or thrown off by what the Bible says.  He is compassionate and desires that we be "wise virgins"(Matthew 25:1-13). What do you think?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?  Did anything stand out to you?

Hope you're having a great month!

~ S*