Anyway, so I see here we have a lot of experts on Revelation who know what it all means, so I have some questions...
1. Early in Revelation it says that the stars fall from the sky, heavens and earth roll up like a scroll... so what on earth - *ahem* - does that mean? Especially as the rest of Revelation you see that heaven and earth is very much not gone?
John is seeing a vision which consenses events that transpire over long periods of time, or at times months, into one image. The stars falling from the sky, and the heavens rolling up like a scroll might be a representation of the drastic uptick in meteors and the reduction in strength of the earth's magnetic field. Image the earth has a force shield (it does) and that it is reduced (it is) and that the meteors are rapidly falling out of the solar system bombing the earth and sun (they are). Also, "earthquake" in Greek or Hebrew is to mean "tempest" which pertains to EITHER the shaking of the earth, or to gale force winds. The same word can mean either storm, or landquake. If the context is stars and tempest, then it pertains to a tempest IN SPACE!
2. Kind of a trinitarian question, and related to other questions: Jesus says that "you will sit on my throne with me as I sat on my father's throne with him" to... an angel? Is that telling an angel that he will be God? Does this tie into the verse where it says that "Jesus rose to fill the entire universe"? Was Jesus not already God before that? And why does it say later in the book, from Jesus, "I will be your God"? Is Jesus God? Yet why is Jesus saying this to "the one who overcomes"? And why does Jesus show himself in a very subordinate role when it is said, "The One Who Sits on the Throne AND the Lamb?"
You can argue till you're blue, but the fact is that regardless of what was prior to the incarnation of Christ matters no longer, as we now know, Christ has subordinated himself to the Father. (Phillipans 2)
3. Why is the Song, the Song of Moses & the Lamb? How does Moses figure into any of this? My pastor says that "Moses" is symbolic for Jesus "acting like God" though God is still God over Moses, and points to the "Moses" spoken of by Jude and Zechariah (actually Joshua the High Priest there), and Peter as really being a code name for Jesus. So is the Song, the Song of the Lion & the Lamb and really just the same person? Or is Moses elevated to the role of Jesus?
4. For that matter, is Moses a type of Jesus and the archangel who led the way for Moses a type of Elijah? So it is said in ancient Jewish prophecy "Moses and Elijah" will come? And you see that Jesus comes with the archangel?
"The song of Moses" is figurative, as most of the imagery and things seen by John are figurative.
The prophecy of Moses and Elijah was fulfilled when the appeared with Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration. I don't think they return to earth again only to be killed. I believe the two witnesses are trees that describe believers in two different religious contexts (not sure what they are as yet, but they represent the church in two separate groups)
Jesus comes with the voice of the archangel.
Jesus IS the angel of Revelation 10 because that angel is described in ways that the glorified Christ is described and he speaks with the voice of 7 thunders that only Christ can command.
5. How are the angels of God said to be the angels of Michael? Is the archangel effectively the visible Spirit form of God? The One you see commanding the troops of Heaven before Joshua, and the One in the fire in the Bush, and the pillar of Cloud and Fire? Joshua bowed down and worshipped that "man" and he did not correct him, he also said he came as the Commander of the Army of Heaven. Yet Daniel simply says Michael is the "Prince of the People". (Though actually, of course, Gabriel said this...)
Michael has the role of warrior angel, Gabriel appears to be the role of speaker angel. The Anel of the Lord is different and is related with the "Destroyer", representing the direct wrath of God and the appearance of the Lord himself.
6. The war in Heaven... shows Satan and his angels being cast out of Heaven, yet Jesus said "Now the prince of this world is cast out" on the eve of his crucifixion.
We should look at this text closer. Satan is not "cast out" of heaven until the later time of the abomination of desolation. He "comes like lighting" according to Jesus before the crucifixion. There are realms of heaven where Satan can be cast ouf of, but still reside in the heavenly places. The court of God is one of the places I think he's cast out of (after Christ's ascension). But he isn't cast completely to earth until the firce battle with Michael in the end times which results in his "short time" and the possession of the antichrist.
7. The one who will smash the authorities of the nation... Jesus says this to the seven angels, or one of them. "To the one who overcomes you will smash the nations"... yet you see this one much later in Revelation, and even being born - and a child - is Jesus a child? How can Jesus be born? It is said Jesus will descend from Heaven, so why is it being shown the woman as being on earth? And the child rising up to the Kingdom and God? And how can he smash the kingdoms if he dies or otherwise rises up to Heaven with the Kingdom and God?
The child in Revelation is the generation of saints in the end times who will remain faithful to Jesus Christ. Satan attempts to dominate world affairs such that he deceives the whole world and even the smallest children. This generation will rule with Christ after the final battle, and as we know Christ rules with a rod of iron.
8. Everyone says when you die, you go to Heaven. But in Revelation it shows everyone living on earth in the city which descends from Heaven to earth.
Maybe the city is a depiction of the opposite of the SPIRITUAL city of Babylon, where it represents permanent holiness. (Babylon is given over to permanent hell).
9. If the woman who gave birth was heavenly or symbolic, for who, because she is shown running to a place prepared on earth. Did she give birth on earth. But here is the problem here, later it shows the Bride of Christ descending from Heaven. Not from earth
.
The Bride is the post appocalypse marriage of the redeemed church and is again, a city representing perfect holiness and the matrimony between Christ and the saints. She comes out of heaven because she is a symbolic city that describes eternal righteousness, which is sourced from heaven in Christ Jesus.
10. At the end of Chapter 11, after the two witnesses rise, it is declared in heaven now is judgment day in great victory. BEFORE Satan falls to earth and before Satan is cast out of Heaven. And before the thousand years and before the end of the thousand years when the judgment seats are set up.
These chapters are all repetitions of the final 7 years.
* Chapter 8 is the first 3.5 years (1260 days)
* Chapter 9 is the second 3.5 years of (1290 days)
* Chapter 10 is Christ announcing the end of the 7 years and the beginning of wrath and imparting understanding to John.
* Chapter 11 describes the final 7 years in two parts (3.5 years for the witnesses, and 3.5 years for their deaths).
* Chapter 12 describes the same 7 years in two parts (the 3.5 years of the satanic and demonic advance, and 3.5 years of Satan on earth and persecution of the saints)
* Chapter 13 is the same 7 years in two parts (3.5 years of war spiritual war against the church and 3.5 years of martyrdom of the saints)
11. Judgment day seems to happen at the end of the thousand years. Yet you see even after that this period when the city remains on earth. Of that city it says the bad people (dogs) will be not able to enter. So bad people will remain on earth? Even after judgment day? And what about the verse that says those who live not to a 100 will be considered cursed and mere infants? When is that happening?
The day of wrath is the day of vengeance of God on earth.
The day of Judgement is the day in court where eternal sentence is passes.
Bad people remain on earth, but all forms of stumbling blocks are completely destroyed (inappropriate contentography is one example)
12. All people on earth will be forced to have the mark of the beast. All people? And how can this happen and everyone won't know? Could buying and selling be tied to the coming monetary collapse when the dollar collapses? Could buying and selling be metaphoric for something else?
not all people will be forced to take the mark.
Those who worship the beast will live, those who do not are killed. Those who live are priviledged by the beast to willingly receive his mark so that he will identify his kingdom as he tries to isolate those who are the saints, and kill them (this will be centered on the land of Palestine)
13. Why does the angel of Jesus Christ who is talking to John and showing him all these things have a voice that sounds like a multitude from many nations? Is that showing somehow unity in the church? How is the church married into this angel?
The voice of the angel has the voice of many waters because that is the voice of Christ.
14. Who is the Angel of Jesus Christ? Why does he or she allow John to worship him at the first of the book, but later say do not worship me -- then right afterwards speak as Jesus in the first person in the most stringent terms? Who is the angel of Jesus Christ? Am I the only one who feels it is very wrong to say that Angel is the Angel of the Lord, Michael?
In heaven, all worship must be directed to the Father. (Rev 4:11) On earth all worship in the flesh is directed toward the Father through the Son, who receives all authority on his behalf. There is one Lord (Christ) and one God (the Father)
15. When the Prophets of the Church handed us down the modern interpretations of Scripture which everyone and anyone takes as authoritative, did they speak by the Lord? I mean, those interpretations were from prophets, right, because we are supposed to take them as equivalent to the Word of God in their accuracy, right?
We don't worship the written word, we worship the living Word. We recognize that translations are flawed, but the message handed down is none the less true and authoritative.
16. Who are the birds flying in mid air, and how do they eat the flesh of the nations?
They are probably real birds eating the flesh of real men, but they also could at the same time the spiritual flesh of men being tormented by wild spirits in heavn, and in the millenial reign all these spirits are cast into Hades. At the end of the millenium Hades and all its host are cast into the lake of fire.
17. Who is Appollyon, and why is he the King of the creatures of the Abyss? Is that Satan? The Beast who comes up out of the Pit? And... if so, why is it later said Satan is in Heaven and kicked out of Heaven?
The angel of hte Abyss is named in Greek and Hebrew for a reason. He is satan. The spirit of antichrist is the same as the he-goat of Javan (Greece) of Daniel 8. Out of him comes the little horn, and the little horn leads the beast. The beast and angel from the abyss are two aspects, one physical, one spiritual. The beast is a physical beast on earth. The angel is a spiritual being in heaven, both are on earth in the end times but the spirit is still invisible.
18. Why is God destroying the earth, with all of these plagues and disasters in Revelation, yet also says there He will destroy those who destroy the earth? Where is the compromise that makes this make sense? And isn't these actions even worse then terrorism? Everyone talks about being concerned about bioterrors and such, and here is God through Revelation releasing all sorts of manner of terror on the world, even decimating the population...
The plauges of all the seals and trumpets are
not the wrath of God directly, but indirect judgements that are carried out by men upon men with permission by God. The wrath of God comes at the end of the trumpets and is from the bowls of wrath (poured out in approximately 45 days)
19. How is the sea poisoned, and if the sea elsewhere means the nations and the peoples, then is that sea different, is the poison symbolic, and if so, symbolic for what?
Yes. The poison is symbolic and pertains to lawlessness and hatred of men for one another (Matthew 24:10-12).
20. Why is God and Jesus full of wrath so that everyone is so scared?
Only those who are opposed to Christ are scared (The kings and generals and mighty and rich men of Revelation 6 and Revelation 13, and the Merchants of Revelation 18). The saints are not scared of Christ, for they long for his return, and NONE of his wrath is poured out on them, just as none of the 7 final plagues against Egypt were poured out on Israel.
Cheers!
