You've completely and utterly lost me.
And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, `Come and behold!' YLT
The Greek word is either "Come!" or "Go" (it can be used either way. The other word means to take heed. So "Go! Take heed!" or "Come! Look, and take heed!"
I have no idea why it's significant that one of the four living creatures/beasts is the one speaking. I have absolutely no idea where you are coming from, and would need a crash-course on why you say what you do (but if it's a crash-course made public, then everyone else will be shouting you down and you will be answering all their objections instead of my questions).
- and then I still might disagree with what you are saying, or might not.
Maybe you could start a thread on that, or better still, create a Blog post.
Not a blogger. I only work off of people posting God's Word. Or contradicting God's Word more than the other it seems.
John associates the 4 beings/beast from the OT prophets with the first 4 seals. Some try to figure out the horsemen, most over look the 4 beings. Just asking, no big deal.
I have no idea about every time a Christian dies. All I know is that when the Lord appears, He will send his angels to gather His elect:
And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Mat 24:31
The wording suggests to me that angels do not set foot on the earth either.
The gathering in heaven (Matthew 24:31) is the OT church already in Paradise. 1 Thessalonians 4:14
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
The crowd in Paradise currently is larger than the church alive today, it would seem. That is one job of the angels, round them up and prepare them to come with Jesus to meet those alive on earth.
This job of the angels: 2 Thessalonians 5-8
5 "This is clear evidence that God’s judgment is just; and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering.
6 For it is justice for God to pay back trouble to those who are troubling you,
7 and to give rest along with us to you who are being troubled, when the Lord Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
8
in a fiery flame. Then he will punish those who don’t know God, that is, those who don’t listen to the Good News of our Lord Yeshua and obey it."
Compared to: Revelation 6:9-13
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been put to death for proclaiming the Word of God, that is, for bearing witness.
10 They cried out in a loud voice, “Sovereign Ruler,
HaKadosh, the True One, how long will it be before you judge the people living on earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Each of them was given a white robe; and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow-servants should be reached, of their brothers who would be killed, just as they had been.
12 Then I watched as he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, the sun turned black as sackcloth worn in mourning, and the full moon became blood-red.
13 The stars fell from heaven to earth just as a fig tree drops its figs when shaken by a strong wind.
The martyrs seeking vengeance. Paul says mighty angels in fiery flame. John says the stars fall to earth like a tree that looses all the leaves. And just after the 5th seal of seeking vengeance for the martyred souls. John's symbolism explained with Paul's literalism. John claims they did come to earth. It is literally angels, stars would just be some great big lake of fire. Hhhmmm.. lake of fire?
I understand him to be saying that when saints are being martyred by the beast, then those saints are blessed in that they will be resurrected, and will live and reign with Christ a thousand years, and the 2nd death will have no power over them.
I'm not following you at all on that. Paul taught us that when Christ appears, the dead in Christ will rise first - that would include the martyred two witnesses - and then those who are still alive will be changed and be raptured together with them, to meet the Lord in the air (this also implies that Christ did not set His feet on the earth when He came to gather His elect).
I accept the 6th seal second coming/rapture. The event that No one is expecting. 90% Of the church seems to think the second coming is at the battle of Armageddon. Not very surprising because it can be counted down to the day. 1260 days of the 2 witnesses. They die on a Wednesday and lay for 3.5 days, so on Sunday afternoon between 5pm and 6pm, for one hour, the 10 kings and Satan, FP, and beast meet Christ and His army coming from Heaven at the battle of Armageddon. Day and hour, so not the second coming or rapture. The two witnesses die years after the Second Coming/Rapture in the 6th seal. The witnesses do leave before the battle, but the Lamb and God on the throne already finished the earthly ministry 42 months prior to the battle of Armageddon.
Wednesday April 5th 2023 is the 14th of Nisan, 7 years prior to Wednesday April 17th 2030 another 14th of Nisan. Wednesdy April 5th 30 was also the 14th of Nisan. 2000 years has to be a hard limit to time, if Genesis 1and 2 are a calendar of God's finite creation. Personally to me, it seems the 42 months go from the April 5th 2023 date to October 6th 2027. Yom Kippur is the following Monday. The first day of the Millennium. I am not saying it is. Just pointing out facts.
Just speculating.
Revelation 20 speaks only about those who had been beheaded for the testimony to Christ and refusal to worship the beast. It says nothing about the rest of the saints, the Jews or anyone else.
I do not believe those mentioned in Rev 20:4 will appear before the throne before their resurrection, nor before the resurrection of those who are Christ's at His coming, and the resurrection of all those who ever at any time died in Christ. I cannot see how this would be the case. To me Revelation 20's saints are saints who had been martyred by the beast, and John saying "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on" is precisely because they are the saints of the final great tribulation who will reign with Christ for a thousand years. It's a word of encouragement.
Because it is the fulfillment of Abraham's covenant. The fulfillment of David's covenant. It is not about the church. It is about the restoration of the earth for the Lord's Day. Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. The only reason there is a physical Millennium reign. The lost sheep of Israel. The wheat also there to repopulate the Nations. Those beheaded chose to be saved and may or may not even realize the significance. Did they experience an encounter with the Lamb and the 144k, and tried to avoid any spiritual dialog? I do not see how any one can avoid God and the Lamb and stay in the dark on what is going on. Do not ask me why God allows the prodigal child out in sin to get the physical blessing while the church (elder brother) faithful for 1990 years gets to go to Paradise.
Where does it say the 4th seal is symbolizing a preemptive strike on the church on the part of Satan? I believe in the possibility that the seals follow the birth-pain events of the Olivet Discourse, but I don't have opinions on details (simply because I don't understand every detail of the symbolism - not the four living creatures, not the eyes, not the locusts, etc). So that means either you understand more than me, or you you believe that x = y but you could be wrong.
Yes, I could be wrong. I would prefer to talk to John himself, but not really that picky on who is willing to chat on things that are unfolding around us with biblical significance.
Who starts an event involving war, famine, plague, and introducing an army of wild animals that have somehow been motivated to raise up against humanity? Every one is waiting for the battle of Armageddon. How can we skip to the end?
See, you've completely, thoroughly lost me. I have no idea what you are talking about - but because you've obviously inquired a lot more than me as to the meaning of the 1/3 and 1/4 and what the living creatures symbolize etc, I can't either agree or disagree with anything you say about it, nor answer all your questions. I'm as ignorant as someone who has never read the Revelation when it comes to the 1/3 and the 1/4 and the living creatures and locusts and eyes and what it all symbolizes. I brush over details like percentages of people killed etc if I have no idea what it means.
Can't answer you.
That is ok, I do a lot of thinking outside of the proverbial theological box. I try not to push the limits too much though. You do not have to reply. I was just seeing who has put any thought into Revelation 6. Most seem to think the seals opened up over history like chapters 2 and 3 to the 7 churches. I think they started a year ago. 10.5 years prior to Wednesday April 5th 2030.