Overview
John did not write The Revelation of Jesus Christ to tell us when Jesus is coming back. He wrote it to inspire believers to be strong in their faith, especially the persecuted, no matter how long it takes for Jesus to return. It can only inspire us if we understand it, so I only seek clarity and inspiration for this life.
We walked through Daniel, which presented in great detail the events in history that our Abba Father and the enemy made happen. Daniel also revealed the spirit war in heaven between the kingdom of our Abba Father and the enemy. Revelation continues the fight to end. The failure to see this life as season one of a two-season eternal plan is a significant failure of preaching in ELB.
What matters to us believers? Two things matter, are we redeemed, and will we suffer in the Great Tribulation if alive at the time? We presented redemption in S5M1, and we show the Great Tribulation at the end of this chapter. Revelation is more about the players and their final battle than the actual events. The players are the kingdom of our Abba Father and the kingdom of the enemy, and we are their piñata. Trust me when I suggest that humans want to be doing their job in the family business. That is the only purposeful meaning of this life.
We will find five different interpretive approaches if we research the “end time” Revelation commentaries. That makes no sense to me, and ELB plays a role in that. When we put aside ELB’s bias against the supernatural spirit world, as we did in Daniel, Revelation comes to life. Revelation contains symbols representing spirit, material, and essential subjects. In the 21st century, we live only 174 years after Vision 2300 in Daniel was finished, and all of Daniel and Revelation include the truth of modern times, not just the ancient times.
I also emphasize that we must include and discern between the heavenly and the earthly in our interpretation. Let’s look at Galatians 4:22-26 NKJV, “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh (Ishmael); but the son by the freewoman is born through promise (Isaac). Which things contain an allegory: for these women are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is (physical): for she is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.”
That last verse is profound. Spirit Jerusalem is the Jerusalem that matters to us in this life and the future. It is our “mother,” as Sarah was the mother of Isaac. The Spirit Jerusalem is the “mother” of the body of Christ.
Hebrews 12:22-24, “but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.”
I cannot see today’s physical Jerusalem in Israel as the reference, nor the Temple, which is a defining foundation for interpretation. I find inspiration in what I write; that is my only claim. And my only goal.
Revelation 10
Revelation 10 connects us to Daniel 12, where we highlighted, “seal up the book,” “over/near the waters,” “raised hands and swears,” “time prophecy,” and testing. The angel opened the sealed book in 1844 AD. That is where we are in Revelation 10.
Revelation 10:1-2 NKJV revealed to John, “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book open . . .” Daniel was told in chapter 12 to seal up Vision 2300. Vision 2300 is the “little book” that is now open.
Revelation 10:2-3, “and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth; . . .” (Jesus near water) and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth.” Let’s look at Jeremiah 25:30-31 and hear the lion (of Judah) roar his judgement, “Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, Yahweh will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Yahweh hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Yahweh.“
Revelation 10:4, “And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.” We explain that verse later.
Revelation 10:5-7, “And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever and ever (Daniel 12, “swore with hand raised”), who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer (the Daniel 12 “time” prophecy): but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets.” “The mystery of God” will be discussed in Revelation 11.
Revelation 10:8-9, “And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard it again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the little book. And he saith unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth, it shall be sweet as honey.”
Revelation 10:10, “And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up (by reading it); and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter.” Revelation 10:11, “And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.“
Notice Revelation 10 matched all the markers highlighted from Daniel 12 to merge the two books. Daniel prophesied about Vision 2300. We are now in our Abba Father’s plan in Revelation 10 simultaneously with Daniel 12. After 1844, we must prophecy again. Any interpretation created before that date is now expired. We must do it again, as we are here.
I mentioned in Daniel the Second Great Awakening between 1800 AD and 1850 AD, and we will now see the heavenly version of “sweet as honey in my mouth. But . . . my stomach became bitter.” We are also going to see ELB in action at the highest level.
In the Great Awakening, one particular man had a “come to Jesus moment” in his deist life and discerned from his Scripture study that his Vision 2300 interpretation looked very similar to what I presented in Daniel. Three other scholars had previously published it without much fanfare. But this man had another religious experience and started a movement in 1831, convinced Jesus was returning in 1844. He gained a large following. As was typical in ELB, many denominations rejected the man’s ideas. But unlike most failed “end time” prognosticators, he went back to the Scripture after nothing happened. He realized the 1844 restoration was the sanctuary in the heavenly realm, not earth. The heavenly sanctuary was cleansed in 1844 as Jesus stood up and began the new season of coming back to rescue his Family for eternity. Imagine how sweet it felt to believe Jesus was coming in 1844 AD! Many farmers did not harvest because they believed. Then, that bitter feeling appeared when Jesus did not appear. That matches Revelation 10:10’s prophecy. After the year 1844 appeared, we needed a new look at Daniel and Revelation, “prophecy again” with new data. I know, it doesn’t seem possible that the Scripture could apply to what we call modern times. Get used to it.
