INTRODUCTION
I've been blatantly loud on this blog about some of my religious beliefs. Usually, I hold back and am a little more delicate with such views, but I don't know if that's helping me to have a better understanding of others and to conquer what prejudices I do have. I think sometimes having what I think and believe before me in writing allows me to better understand my thoughts.
I think too many of us veil our thoughts and often we do so out of fear, fear that we'll be made to look like fools or that others will consider us stupid for the few thoughts we've put together on whatever we can. I encourage all of us to think and delve into life even if we can't paint the whole picture. I think if we actually search for our views, battle truth, and appreciate the complexities of life that in turn we will face wisdom.
I am Christian and I think that when it really hit home for me was when I actively sought for depth. It was like it was no longer mere words or characters but something that resonated with me, something that I fell in love with, and you know what, there's nothing wrong with expressing that. In fact, I should because I read countless articles that are stuck in neutral, lack in creative thought, and above all, I'm not too shabby of a writer so... I think I'll try for something a little more authentic.
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One of my rules is that for any given book, I can only read up to an hour. Maybe I should lower that time because I read Revelation 1-20:6 (a book of 22 chapters). It'll make for a long post today, but hey, the next should be less weighty, right? Right?
I'd like to avoid adding pictures, but considering how much material I'm going to cover with my prevailing thoughts, and on such a complex book, I may have to... anyway, here we go (finally).
In Judaism She'ol[3] is the earliest conception of the afterlife in the Jewish Scriptures. It is a place of darkness to which all dead go (righteous and wicked go alike) and where they are removed from the light of God (see the Book of Job). It precedes notions of judgement after death or any division between heaven and hell. It is unclear whether sheol is a real place or whether a way of referring to the oblivion that awaits us all after death.
The word "hades" (= underworld) was substituted for "sheol" when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (see Septuagint) in ancient Alexandria around 200 BCE (see Hellenistic Judaism).
(Ancient Greek Ἔφεσος, Turkish Efes) was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk,Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during theClassical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital.[1][2] Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.[2]
The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom.[3] Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes).
Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.[4] In Revelation Chapter two they were commended by Jesus for their labor to the point of exhaustion, their perseverence and their unwillingness to listen to the false teachers of their day. Jesus does hold one thing against them..."you have left your first love." (NASB) Their Christianity had become a faithful ritual but not a relationship of love to the Lord. The Gospel of John may have been written here.[5]It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.
Smyrna
(Ancient Greek: Σμύρνη or Σμύρνα) was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern Izmir, Turkey. While the first site, likely to have started as a native foundation, rose to prominence during the Archaic Period as one of the principal ancient Greek settlements in western Anatolia, the second, whose foundation is associated with Alexander the Great, reached metropolitan proportions especially during the period of the Roman Empire, from which time and particularly from after a 2nd century AD earthquake, most of the present-day remains date.
One thing that stuck out to me in this section was the verse in 2: 9
"I know your afflictions and your poverty -- yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."
I've been thinking about this more and more: the idea of falsity. The idea of a false Christian or Jew as a synagogue of Satan disturbs me greatly.
Pergamum
(in Greek, Πέργαμος or Πέργαμον) was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located 16 miles (26 km) from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus (modern day Bakırçay), that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC. Today, the main sites of ancient Pergamon are to the north and west of the modern city of Bergama.
Revelation 2: 14
"Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."
Heavy. Now, what I really should do is research Balaam and Balak:
Balaam: Balaam attempted to curse God's people. He failed all three tries, each time producing blessings, not curses (Numbers 24–10).
Balak: called Balaam to curse the Israelites.
Therefore, keep in mind that Revelation is still holding regard to Numbers. As well, what do they mean "food sacrificed to idols."? Could your food seriously be sacrificed? And still, how do we define sexual immorality? Never quite thought of it this way, but I suppose one would need to define "sexual morality." I don't think we'll have time for that now and explore what that supposedly means.
Also, in this same passage in verse 15 we have the mention of the "Nicolaitans": "Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans."
Lets see what that is...
Nicolaitans: Nico means "conquer" in Greek, and laitan refers to lay people, or laity; hence, the word may be taken to mean "lay conquerors" or "conquerors of the lay people". However, "Nicolaitan" is the name ostensibly given to followers of the heretic Nicolas (Greek:Nikolaos)—the name itself meaning "victorious over people," or "victory of the people," which he would have been given at birth.[1]They are first mentioned (twice) in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. According to Revelation 2, vv. 6 and 15, they were known in the cities of Ephesus and Pergamon. In this chapter, the church at Ephesus is commended for "hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" and the church in Pergamon is blamed for "having them who hold their [the Nicolaitans'] doctrines". There is no other first-hand evidence to give us certainty about the nature of this sect.
Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned this group. Irenaeus discusses them but adds nothing to the Apocalypse except that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence."[2] Hippolytus of Rome states that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect.[3] Victorinus of Pettau states that they ate things offered to idols.[4] Bede states that Nicolas allowed multiple men to marry his wife.[5] Eusebius said that the sect was short-lived.[6]Thomas Aquinas was of the belief that Nicholas supported either polygamy or the holding of wives in common.[7]
In early Christian times Thyateira was home to a significant Christian Church, mentioned as one of the seven Churches of the Book of Revelation in the Book of Revelation.[6]
The Apostle Paul and Silas might have visited Thyateira during Paul's second or third journey, although the evidence is entirely circumstantial. They visited several small unnamed towns in the general vicinity during the second journey. While in Philippi, Paul and Silas stayed with a woman named Lydia from Thyateira, who continued to help them even after they were jailed and released.
Revelation 2:20
"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."
I suppose this would be like a mega pop star proclaiming she's a "prophetess." I think the word TOLERATE screamed at me when I read it; to tolerate often means to allow something but not exactly accept it. I wonder what I mistakenly tolerate...
Sardis
also Sardes (Lydian: Sfard, Greek: Σάρδεις, Persian: سارد Sārd), modern Sart in the Manisa province of Turkey, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Persian Empire, the seat of aproconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. As one of the Seven churches of Asia, it was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in terms which seem to imply that its population was notoriously soft and fainthearted. Its importance was due, first to its military strength, secondly to its situation on an important highway leading from the interior to the Aegean coast, and thirdly to its commanding the wide and fertile plain of the Hermus.
Philadelphia
Within Turkey, the city's name is synonymous with the dried Sultana raisins, although cultivation for the fresh fruit market, less labour-intensive than the dried fruit, gained prominence in the last decades. As Philadelphia, Alaşehir was a highly important center in the early-Christian and Byzantine periods, and remained a titular see of the Catholic Church.[1
Laodicea
The Laodicean Church was a Christian community established in the ancient city of Laodicea (on the river Lycus, in the Roman province of Asia Minor). The church was established in the earliest period of Christianity, and is probably best known for being one of the seven churches addressed by name in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 3.14-21).
In John's vision, recorded in the book of Revelation, Christ instructs John to write a message to seven named churches in Asia Minor. The message to Laodicea is one of judgement with a call to repentance. The oracle contains a number of striking metaphors.
[edit]"I wish that you were cold or hot" (3:15–16)
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth" (WEB).
It is thought that the Laodiceans were being criticized for their neutrality or lack of zeal (hence "lukewarm"). Based on this understanding, the pejorative term Laodicean is used in the English language to refer to those neutral or indifferent in matters of faith.[1]
However, some scholars have suggested that this metaphor has been drawn from the water supply of the city, which was lukewarm, in contrast to the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the pure water of Colossae (Barclay). The archaeology shows Laodicea had an aqueductthat probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south, which would have become tepid before entering the city (see main Laodicea article). Strabo states that the water was hard, though drinkable.[citation needed] The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests not that "hot" is good and "cold" is bad, but that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is useless.
Chapter 3
3: 12
"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name."
I think this verse basically sums up Revelation. Keep it in mind for the final chapters.
Chapter 4
In chapter 4 verse 3 we have the mention of jasper and carnelian (yet again words I don't know.)
"And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian."
Jasper: Jasper is basically chert which owes its red color to iron(III) inclusions. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9.[3] The jasper is also a stone in the Jewish High Priest's breastplate, described in Exodus 28.
Carnelian: Both carnelian and sard are varieties of the silica mineralchalcedony colored by impurities of iron oxide. The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration. Carnelian was used widely during Roman times to make engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence or other important documents. Hot wax does not stick to Carnelian.
4:6-8
"Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
No matter how many times I come across that verse, I have a hard time picturing it. Incredible though with wings and multiple eyes and considered "the four living creatures."
I'm going to jump to Chapter 6 and say that in verse 8, "Death" is now capitalized unlike in Chapter 1.
"I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him."
6:9-10
"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"
I struggle with this verse because it implies a waiting period before being judged. In my mind, I like to think we go straight to being judged after death, here it seems to suggest otherwise... it's hard to understand time from a vision of the past about the future though.
6: 15
"Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains."
I bring up the above verse simply because in most "how to survive when the world ends" scenarios, the best places suggested are mountains and caves. I'm serious. You should check this out.
Chapter 9
We now have the mention of the "abyss." Before there was death and hades, now in 9: 1 "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss."
(Too easy?)
Abyss?
"In biblical literature, abyss refers to a bottomless pit, to the underworld, to the deepest ocean floor, or to hell.
The English word "abyss" derives from the late Latin abyssimus (superlative of abyssus) through French abisme (abîme in modern French), hence the poetic form "abysm", with examples dating to 1616 and earlier to rhyme with "time". The Latin word is borrowed from the Greekabussos (also transliterated as abyssos), which is conventionally analyzed as deriving from the Greek element meaning "deep, bottom" with an alpha privative, hence "bottomless."[1]"
I think "abyss" is better understood as a mathematical figure, endless negative infinity, perhaps?
Revelation 9: 11 (in regards to September 11th, this is kind of creepy)
"They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon."
Abaddon:
(Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן, 'Ǎḇaddōn, Greek: Apollyon, Latin: Exterminans, Coptic: Abbaton, meaning "A place of destruction", "The Destroyer", "Depths of Hell") in the Revelation of St. John, is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit.[1] The exact nature of Abaddon is debated, but the Hebrew word is related to the triliteral root אבד (ABD), which in verb form means "to perish."[2]
In the Hebrew scriptures, Abaddon comes to mean "place of destruction," or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol (see, for instance, Job 26:6, Proverbs 15:11, Proverbs 27:20 and Psalm 88:3, among others).
The Christian scriptures contain the first known[3] depiction of Abaddon as an individual entity instead of a place. In St. John's Revelation 9:1-11, Abaddon is described as the king of the bottomless pit and of a plague of locusts that resemble war horses with crowned human faces and having women's hair, lions' teeth, locusts' wings, and the tail of a scorpion.
[edit]Other theological works
The text of the Thanksgiving Hymns—which was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls—tells of "the Sheol of Abaddon" and of the "torrents of Belial[that] burst into Abaddon". The Biblical Antiquities attributed to Philo mentions Abaddon as a place (sheol, hell), not as a spirit or demon or angel. In the 3rd century Acts of Thomas, Abaddon is the name of a demon, or the Devil himself. Abaddon has also been identified as the angel of death and destruction, demon of the abyss, and chief of demons of the underworld hierarchy, where he is equated with Samael orSatan. In magic, Abaddon is often identified with the Destroying Angel of the Apocalypse.[4]
Okay, anyway, can we just say, really awful connotation? Creepy.
9:20
"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -- idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."
We all worship something. What do you worship?
Chapter 10
Revelation 10:7
"But the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as announced to his servants the prophets."
Stop for a moment and think about this one. The Bible itself is declaring that we at this present time to find God a mystery; he is meant to be this way but what he is will be answered for us. And who are his servants? The prophets.
What is a prophet?
(simply put...)
"In religion, a prophet is an individual who believes they have been contacted by, or has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans.[1][2] The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy."
10: 11
"Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Prophesy: –verb (used with object)
The Two Witnesses. I love this part because two more individuals who love God end up being brought back to life.
First, we have a mention of the "Abyss" again:
11: 7-8
"Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified."
Keep in mind "figuratively." Therefore it stands as a metaphor for the time. What catches me off guard is that Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. Sodom is usually placed with Gomorrah and not Egypt. Egypt is known for being a symbol of "magic." Why did the writer pick those words and what are we intended to interpret?
Chapter 11 ends with the ark of his covenant to "the woman and the dragon" of Chapter 12.
Here we get a depiction of Satan as the reptilian beast of a dragon and a woman... I think this may be Mary and Jesus since he is to "rule all the nations with an iron scepter." I could be wrong here, but it makes sense in my mind. And then they flee to a desert? Which would be Egypt? I don't know. It makes sense, but I don't want to be wrong here.
Chapter 13
13: 8
"All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast -- all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world."
I have an alternate version of this verse in my Bible's footnotes, but this verse bears a great question. You see, if God is eternal than the understanding of time is quite different than ours. How could the Lamb be slain from the creation of the world? He was already slain? It was predestined or does this bear more questioning on time?
13: 15-18
"He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."
This is one prophecy that seems to be more evident to me than any other. With the disappearance of cash money and the rise of identity theft, I wouldn't be surprised if we were ordered to have chips planted into our bodies in order to be scanned to pay and sell items. My dears, have you ever looked closely at a bar code? This one is eerie to me. Even if you don't believe in any of this, I would avoid getting this chip, which may be the RFID chip, or some hybrid. I don't know how the Bible would predict this one, but it makes sense. These chips could potentially be used for mind/body control. Everyone will have to have it too. This verse actually encourages me to fast so that I know that if in an extreme situation I can go without food or water for a number of days. I know it may seem absurd to be hesitant of such a chip, but really, has history proven itself full of elite liars?
Chapter 14
Revelation 14:8: "A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."
Revelation is full of metaphorical language. Again, this would not be the first book I would introduce to someone just learning about God because every line has so much detail that it's literally screaming with syntax. Babylon is going to come up a great deal in Revelation and it is symbolic of practice. The literal place of Babylon is what we call today "Iraq." Rome during its time was considered Babylon. The Bible often reflects on world powers whether Persia, Greece, Assyria, etc. The connotation of Babylon is of pure evil, slavery of Jews, human sacrifice, etc. Perhaps in this section we are talking about a real place. Some would say the "world power" of that time. Perhaps it is Jerusalem until a new Jerusalem is to come from heaven, which would make Jerusalem the cosmological magical city of the entire planet. One way or another it does bear the connotation of abandonment of God and worship of anything and everything else. The abandonment of love, so to speak.
14: 14-19, I had to read this section over twice. In my Bible it's called "The Harvest of the Earth." There's a heavy amount of agricultural reference. The part that threw me off was the opening verse: "I looked, an there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the could was one 'like a son of man' with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Sickle? Like... the grim reaper?
"Death as a sentient entity is a concept that has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood. It is also given the name of the Angel of Death (Hebrew: מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת Malach HaMavet) stemming from the Bible."
A reaper is a person or machine that reaps (cuts and gathers) crops when they are ripe.
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for hay. The inside of the curve is sharp, so that the user can draw or swing the blade against the base of the crop, catching it in the curve and slicing it at the same time.
Revelation 14: 17
"Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, 'Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe.'
I'm sure it was intentional that this had to do with grapes and wine, but I don't entirely get it. The concept of Christ as the reaper is a bit hard on my brain, but it does hold to him having the keys of Death and Hades as well as giving permission to pass judgement.
Chapter 16
Rev. 16: 16
"Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."
Armageddon (Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών Harmagedōn,[1][2] Arabic أرمجدون, Hebrew: הר מגידו har məgiddô, Late Latin: Armagedōn[3]) is the site of an epic battle associated with the end timeprophecies of the Abrahamic religions.
According to some premillennial Christian interpretations, the Messiah, the "Lamb", (a symbolic term for) Jesus Christ, will return to earth and defeat the Antichrist (the "beast") in the battle of Armageddon. Then Satan will be put into the bottomless pit or abyss for 1,000 years, known as the Millennial age. After being released from the abyss, Satan will gather Gog and Magog (peoples of two specific nations) from the four corners of the earth. They will encamp surrounding the holy ones (that is, the Jews) and the "beloved city" (this refers to Jerusalem). Fire will come down from God, out of heaven and devour Gog and Magog after the Millennium, and the Devil who deceived them is thrown into Gehenna (the lake of fire and brimstone, or hell) where the Beast and the False Prophet (an evil religious leader that assists the future dictator) have been since just before the 1,000 years.[4]
The word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament.[5] The word comes fromHebrew har məgiddô (הר מגידו), meaning "Mountain of Megiddo". Megiddo is a small mountain on which ancient forts were built that guarded the main highway, the Via Maris, that connected Egypt with Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the location of many decisive battles in ancient times (includingone in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC). The town Megiddo in Israel is approximately 25 miles (40 km) westsouthwest of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberias to the Romans) in the Kishon River area.[6]
Megiddo is mentioned 12 places in Hebrew Scripture, twice with reference to "the plain of Megiddo". Because a plain is not a mountain, some Christian scholars conclude the "Mount of Megiddo" must be an idealized location.[7] Rushdoony says, "There are no mountains of Megiddo, only the Plains of Megiddo. This is a deliberate destruction of the vision of any literal reference to the place."[8]
Other scholars, including C. C. Torrey, Kline and Jordan argue that the word is derived from theHebrew moed (מועד), meaning "assembly". Thus, "Armageddon" would mean "Mountain of Assembly," which Jordan says is "a reference to the assembly at Mount Sinai, and to its replacement, Mount Zion."[7]
Chapter 17 & 18
We return to Babylon for these chapters so here's a short overview:
Babylon (Greek Βαβυλών, from Akkadian: Babili, Babilla) was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south ofBaghdad. All that remains of the original ancient famed city of Babylon today is a mound, or tell, of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Although it has been reconstructed, historical resources inform us that Babylon was at first a small town, that had sprung up by the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The town flourished and attained prominence and political repute with the rise of the First Babylonian Dynasty. It was the "holy city" of Babylonia by approximately 2300 BC,[citation needed] and the seat of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 to 539 BC. TheHanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
17: 5
"This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
Characterized as a woman but also a city.
17: 8
"The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does, he must remain for a little while."
Here's what I'm having a hard time with: is the angel talking about the present of this vision or the present time of John? Above he speaks of the vision for sure because he is talking about the entrapment of Satan in the Abyss, which I don't believe has happened yet. So does that mean the rest of this message has to do with the present time of the vision? I'm having a hard time following the sequence of time here.
Chapter 19
After the fall of Babylon, HALLELUJAH!
A huge shift in emotion and color. We've now entered the few chapters about what heaven will be like.
Hallelujah, Halleluyah and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ(Standard Halleluya, Tiberian Halləlûyāh) meaning "Praise (הַלְּלוּ) Yahweh (from the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton יהוה) (יָהּ)" and is similar to the Arabic phrase Alhamdulillah, used byMuslims and by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians. Hallelujah is found primarily in the book ofPsalms. The word is used in Judaism as part of the Hallel prayers, and in Christian prayer, particularly in theCatholic Mass. It has been accepted into the English language and has a similar pronunciation in many other languages.
Hallel (Hebrew: הלל, "Praise") is a Jewish prayer—a verbatim recitation from Psalms 113-118, which is used for praise and thanksgiving that is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays.
Hallel consists of six Psalms (113-118), which are said as a unit, on joyous occasions.[1] " On those occasions, Hallel is usually chanted aloud as part of Shacharit (the morning prayer service) following the Shacharit's Shemoneh Esreh ("The Eighteen", the main prayer). It is also recited during the evening prayers the first night of Passover, except by Lithuanian and German Jews, and by all communities after the Grace after Meals in the Passover Seder service. The first 2 psalms 113 and 114 are sung before the meal and the remaining 4 are sung after the meal.
Psalm 136 which in Jewish liturgy is called "the Great Hallel" recited at the Passover meal after the "Lesser Hallel". It is punctuated by the refrain that emphasizes God's lovingkindness is everlasting. There is mention in some references that this Psalm may also be used antiphonally in Temple worship.
I think I will end here for now considering much of what I read ahead is already mentioned here.
What a long post.
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