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KEYS TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

(Some of the Bible verses quoted in this study have had comments added in brackets. The sole purpose of this study technique
is to emphasise or introduce a line of thought. All verses KJV unless otherwise stated).

In this study, we are going to take a fascinating look at the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

If I were to give the Book of Revelation to 10 random Christians, and say to each of them,
"come back to me with the interpretation of these prophecies";
how many variations would I get back?
Ten !!

Is it even possible, to expect that we can extract the true meaning of Revelation in the first place?
If not, then why would Jesus make the following statement about Revelation?;
(Rev 1:3) Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which
are written in it
; for the time is near.

So, why would we get ten different answers back?
Most interpretations are influenced by the presuppositions each Christian begins with.
If for example you believe in a pre-trib rapture, then you will assemble and interpret the prophecies to support your chosen view.
This occurs because verses are freely placed in whatever time slot we feel is best going to support our view.
Symbols are also interpreted in such a way that supports our view.

So, how many of the 10 different versions can be entirely correct?
Well, if they are all different from each other, only one at the most could be correct!
And which one?
My one!!!

None of the 10 will hand in their interpretation and say, "although this is what I believe, I know it is actually wrong;
and that Fred's version is actually right".

If you were aware that Fred holds to a more logical interpretation, wouldn't you submit that view in the first place?

The point is, just because we chose to believe something is truth, that does not make it truth.
The current interpretation we hold to, if it is wrong, can only be corrected if we consider and compare other views.

Today, I am not so much going to share an interpretation with you, but rather share some Biblical principles and rules that
God consistently uses in Scripture. These are essential to help expose the ONE true and intended interpretation of Revelation.

(If you wish to view the interpretation that results from the principles outlined in this study, you can do so here;
Understanding the Book of Revelation

If I were to show 10 Christians these principles, and they accepted the logic presented; and then I asked each of them,
"come back to me with the interpretation of these prophecies";
guess how many variations I would get back?

Closer to one.

I would like to begin by demonstrating an important, consistent principle that God uses in Scripture.
God uses the process of repeating and enlarging frequently in the Bible.
For example, in the very first chapter in the Bible, God uses this technique.

Notice in the following verse, God creates man;
(Gen 1:27) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;...

Then by chapter 2:3, an account of creation week, in the chronological order that it occurred, is completed;
(Gen 2:3) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God
had created and made.

But then; 4 verses later, we have God creating man again;
(Gen 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being.

God broke the chronology of time, for the purpose of going back and providing other important details.

Let's move on to another example;

(Gen 7:1) And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark;...
(Gen 7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth...
(Gen 7:9) There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark,...
(Gen 7:10) And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
(Gen 7:11) ... the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,....
(Gen 7:12) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Would you agree that the above sequence is in chronological order?
Yes.
But watch the very next verse;

(Gen 7:13) In the selfsame day entered Noah, ..., into the ark;
The same day as what?

The same day that "the LORD said to Noah", or "the same day the fountains of the deep broke up"?

Clearly it is referring to the same day "the LORD said to Noah", because we are told that the fountains of the deep
broke up 7 days after they entered the ark.

Verse 13 is actually jumping back in time, to the same moment in time as verse 1.

This is confirmed by reading what follows verse 13;
(Gen 7:14) They, and every beast ...
(Gen 7:15) ... went in unto Noah into the ark,...
(Gen 7:16) ... as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
(Gen 7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; ...

Again this segment is still in chronological order, but it parallels the same events of verses 1 through 13.

God broke the chronology of time, for the purpose of going back and providing other important details.

As we will look at next, God uses this same technique in prophecy.
In studying prophecy, the first important step is to identify the point in the verses, where the chronology of time is broken.
Just like we saw in the above example, where the chronology of time was broken between Gen 7:12 and 13.

In prophecy, these are the beginning and ending points of each prophecy, and are quite easy to locate once you know what
you are looking for.
In our above example, Gen 7:1 to 12 are a chronological sequence.
Then verses 13 onward begin another chronological sequence, that spans the same time period (but provides extra information).

In the case of prophecy, all verses between the beginning and ending point of a sequence are a part of the prophetic sequence,
and must be left in the order that God gave them.

With the fulfilment of most of Daniel's prophecies (and some of Revelation's), we are able to look back at over 25 centuries of
fulfilled history, in order to study the structure of apocalyptic prophecy.

In the book of Daniel, God gave a series of parallel prophecies, each indicating the sequence of events to come.
For example, Daniel chapter 2 has a prophecy of a metal statue; chapter 7, a series of beasts; and chapter 8, a ram and goat fighting.
Scripture (and history) confirms that each prophecy covered the same kingdoms and same time period, although each was told
using different descriptive means. These prophecies were actually running simultaneously.

For example, speaking of the legs of iron of the statue of Dan 2, it says;
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces ... (Dan 2:40).

And speaking of the dreadful beast, of the beasts of Dan 7, it says;
...The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, ... (Dan 7:23).

So if you are demonstrating a coming order of kingdoms, how many times can the fourth kingdom occur?
Once.
This would suggest the following;

Remember;
(Dan 2:40) And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: ...
(Dan 7:23) ...The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, ...

The fourth kingdom of Dan 2 and of Dan 7, are the SAME kingdom.

It is important to note that each kingdom, within each prophetic sequence, has been given in the chronological order they will occur.
By studying the structure of these fulfilled prophecies, some interesting patterns or 'rules of interpretation' emerge:

1. Each apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning and ending point in time, and the events within each prophecy must occur in the order
they are given.
2. A fulfilment of apocalyptic prophecy occurs when all the specifications within that prophecy are met.
This includes the order of events outlined in the prophecy.
3. Apocalyptic language can be literal, symbolic or analogous. To reach the intended meaning of a prophecy, the student must consider:
(a) the context,
(b) the use of parallel language in the Bible, and
(c) relevant statements in the Bible that define that symbol if an element is thought to be symbolic.
4. God reckons apocalyptic time in two ways:
(a) a day for a year, and (b) as literal time. The presence or absence of the Jubilee calender determines how God measures time
(because the Jubilee calender consists of a day representing a year).

It is interesting to note, that John was told regarding the Book of Revelation,
"seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book";
yet Daniel was told, "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end".
It is quite possible, that God didn't 'seal' the Book of Revelation, because He knew no one could correctly understand it,
until "the time of the end" arrived, when the 'rules' within the book of Daniel were unsealed.

Interestingly, the prophecies within the Book of Revelation have the exact same structure as that found in Daniel.
In fact, some of Daniel's prophesies run simultaneously with Revelation's, forming one giant matrix of information.
By studying the structure of fulfilled prophecy, and locating consistent rules of interpretation; we can then, by applying these rules
to unfulfilled prophecy, confidently establish the events about to be fulfilled.

The amazing thing about using the 'rules' found in Daniel, is that there remains no guess work, as to how the prophecies fit together.

Linking verses prevent information from being placed into an incorrect time frame.
These are what I call linking verses;
(Dan 2:40) And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: ...
(Dan 7:23) ...The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, ...

Because the 'fourth kingdom' can only occur once, within their prophetic sequence, these 2 verses are referring to
the same moment in time. This is important to note.
It means that I can't take events preceding Dan 7's 'fourth kingdom',
and try to have them occur AFTER Dan 2's 'fourth kingdom'.
Eg,


If for example I wish to make the Leopard beast occur in time AFTER the legs of iron, I either have to move the fourth kingdoms
out of alignment, or take the Leopard beast out of the order God gave it, and have this 'third kingdom' of the beasts occur after
the 'fourth kingdom' of the beasts and statue. Either option messes up the clear order given.

In Daniel, we have 5 prophetic sequences, all running simultaneously
(although the beginning and ending points in time do vary with each sequence).
These are;
Prophecy #1 = Dan 2:31-35
Prophecy #2 = Dan 7:1-11
Prophecy #3 = Dan 8:1-12
Prophecy #4 = Dan 9:24-27
Prophecy #5 = Dan 11:2-12:2

In Revelation, there are also several prophecies running simultaneously with each other.
These are;
Prophecy #6 = Rev 4:1-6:17
Prophecy #7 = Rev 7:1-8:1
Prophecy #8 = Rev 8:2-9:21
Prophecy #9 = Rev 10:1-11:19
Prophecy #10 = Rev 12:1-6
Prophecy #11 = Rev 12:7-14:5
Prophecy #12 = Rev 14:6-20
Prophecy #13 = Rev15:1-16:21
Prophecy #14 = Rev 18:1-8
Prophecy #15 = Rev 19:1-20:10
Prophecy #16 = Rev 20:11-21:1
Prophecy #17 = Rev 21:2-22:5

(Again, the beginning and ending points in time vary with each sequence).
(It is also important to remember that the original writings did not have chapters and verses, these were added later by man).

As with Daniel, each prophetic sequence tells the story from a different perspective, or by focusing on a particular issue.
One prophetic sequence on its own does not give enough information to understand the full story, but when correctly aligned
with the parallel sequences, the story comes to life.
This is amazing to behold; and if you will allow it, Revelation tells its own story!!!

So if we were to stretch out each sequence of Revelation above, side by side; how do we determine the intended point in time
for the events described?
This is where the linking verses come in.
We'll now look at some examples of linking verses.

We have already looked at how the legs of iron of the Dan 2 statue, and the dreadful beast of the four beasts of Dan 7,
are BOTH referred to as "the fourth kingdom", and are therefore the same moment in time.

Here are another 2 linking verses, in two other sequences from Daniel;
(Dan 8:11) He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host;
(Dan 11:36) ... he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god,

Within their respective sequence, these two verses again are the same moment in time.

In the next example, a prophetic sequence in Daniel is given a linking point with a sequence in Revelation;
(Dan 7:9) I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated;
(Rev 4:2) ...I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

So, with time progressing down the page, we position our first sequence of chronological events; Dan 7:1 to 7:11.

Remember our first 'rule'; that these events within the sequence must occur in the order that God gave them.
We then align the second sequence Rev 4:1 to Rev 6:17.

Our 2 linking verses position the timing of events.
For example, we can now determine from this alignment, that Rev 4:3 (and the remainder of this sequence),
has to happen AFTER Dan 7:9.
Remember, we are only looking at 2 sequences here; there are also other sequences that are running simultaneously with these.

I hope you can see from this example, how the matrix of prophecies can be logically and progressively assembled,
and put in their respective time slot through the use of linking verses.

Here are 2 more linking verses in the same sequences we looked at above;

(Dan 7:10) A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him.
(Rev 4:5) And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, ......

Notice how these 2 verses, further reinforce our first 2 links;

And there are even more;
(Dan 7:10) ...A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
(Rev 5:11) ...and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,


We'll now look at a few linking verses between sequences in Revelation;
(Rev 14:8) And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
(Rev 18:2-3) ...he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place
of demons,... For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,

Within their respective sequence, these verses are the same moment in time.
As with these following 2;

(Rev 11:19) ...the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.
(Rev 15:5) ... the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.

Although some linking verses take a bit more effort to find, most are quite easy to spot;

(Rev 16:19) ...Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
(Rev 6:14) ...and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Following is an example of linking verses that provide alignment for 3 different sequences;

(Rev 11:15-18) ..."The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever
and ever!"
...The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,

(Rev 15:4) Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship
before You, For Your judgments have been manifested."


(Rev 19:1-2) ...Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot...

So, you should be able to appreciate how the matrix of information can be progressively assembled, and with the dozens of links
provided, you will end up with something like this;

Key to Matrix:

17 prophecies are aligned across the page.
Time advances down the page.
Each prophetic sequence is kept in the order that God gave it.
Horizontal coloured highlighting shows the connecting links between each sequence.

One of the other 'rules', which should be explained a little further, relates to dealing with prophetic time periods.
Most will be familiar with the 'day for a year principle'.
(Eze 4:6) ...I have appointed thee each day for a year.

At the Exodus from Egypt, God established a time principle known as the Jubilee calendar; and gave them the starting point
of its first year;
(Exo 12:2) This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

This principle involved observing a 'week' of years; a seven year period where the seventh year was a Sabbath for the land;
(Exo 23:11) But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still;

They were also to count off seven weeks of years (7x7 years = 49), known as a Jubilee cycle.
The 50th year (which was also the 1st year of the next 49 year cycle), was a special year known as the Jubilee year;
in which, along with many other things, land was restored to original owners.

Another larger time period that God uses is known as seventy sevens or seventy weeks.
This period involves 10 x 49 year blocks, which equals 490 years.
This is 10 x (7 x 7) years; or 70 x 7's.

One such block is given here;
(Dan 9:24) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,

This period of time decreed to Israel, commenced in 457 BC (at the decree to rebuild Jerusalem), and ended at the end of
the 70th week, being the end of 33 AD.

Why is this important?

There are time prophecies given in Daniel and Revelation, and we have to know how to interpret them.
Are they all 'day for a year', or are some of them literal time?
If for example the claim is made that ALL time prophecies must have the 'day for a year' principle applied,
then the 1000 years of Rev 20, become 360,000 years.

Because the Jubilee calendar consists of 'a day for a year', then wouldn't we need to know when it is operational?

The Jubilee calendar was established at the Exodus; and we do not find any prophecies in Scripture requiring the 'day for a year'
principle prior to this time.
Daniel 9:24 locates in time, a block of 490 years for us;

Interestingly, if we go back in time 2 more blocks of 490 years, we arrive at the Exodus;

Also, 947 BC happens to be the year that Solomon dedicated the first temple.

So if these years are confirmed as having the Jubilee calendar in operation, does the Jubilee calendar end in 34 AD or continue?
The Bible speaks of a 'time of the Gentiles';
(Luk 21:24) ...Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

What length of time would God give to the Gentiles?
Well, because God more often than not, does things by 7's, perhaps the Jubilee calendar requires 7 full blocks;

If the Jubilee calendar ended after 7 blocks; then there would be no more 'day for a year' principle applied to prophecies after 1994.
This would be important to know, when deciding how to deal with unfulfilled time prophecies, eg, the 1000 years.
Did anything special happen in 1994?
Not necessarily from an earthly point of view, but from the matrix of information, it would appear to align with this event;
(Rev 8:2) And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Reading on, we find that the first 4 of these trumpets are intended to harm the earth, sea and trees.
However, in 1994, when they were given these trumpets, they were told to WAIT;
(Rev 7:1) And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth,
that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

(Rev 7:2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to
the four angels (with the first 4 trumpets), to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
(Rev 7:3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in
their foreheads
.
(the 144,000).
Ie, WAIT !!!

Old Testament writings reveal that Israel was the chosen 'vessel' through which the gospel was to go out to the gentile nations
(Isa 49:6).
We see however, that concluding with the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, Israel failed their mission, at the end of the 490 years
decreed for them;
(Mat 21:43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (Israel), and given to a nation bringing forth
the fruits thereof.

(see also Mat 23:37-38, 27:25, Luke 20:9-16).

Israel, the chosen people, was symbolised by the candlestick (lamp-stand) in the Holy place of the earthly sanctuary
(i.e. Gods Most Holy Temple).
After Jesus' resurrection and return to the heavenly sanctuary (of which the earthly sanctuary was a pattern, Heb 8:5),
we see a new group of people through which the gospel is to go out to the world.
Once again, this 'vessel' is represented by candlesticks, this time 7 of them, being the 7 churches;
(Rev 1:20) ...the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
(see also Acts 13:47).

The next point goes largely un-noticed.
Consider this warning from Jesus in His letter to the churches;
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
(Rev 2:5).

Do you suppose, Jesus has kept His word on this matter?
Could God's patience with the Gentiles have ended in 1994?
How many churches today are genuinely repenting of sin?
The idea that Jesus kept His word regarding His threat to remove these 7 candlesticks (7 churches), unless they repent of sin;
is supported by Scripture.
Based on the matrix of Revelations prophecies, in the earth's final days, new vessels appear, and the task of taking the gospel to
all the world will be achieved. These new vessels are represented by 2 candlesticks (Rev 11:4).
This would confirm the churches failure to repent; and thereby, the subsequent removal of their candlesticks; leaving things
open for God's final plans. Scripture shows that during the period of the tribulation, two candlesticks are represented as taking
the gospel to the world. These two candlesticks (the Holy Spirit and The Word of God), are soon to empower 144,000 servants
of God, whom through their prophecy, will deliver the true gospel to all man-kind.

When God completes His process of seeking the 144,000 'servants the prophets', and seals them, then the harm will commence.
Be sure you are watching, so that day does not overcome you as a thief.

Amen.

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