What hasn't been "unlocked" by Revelation book?

Open this question up for a few more days and I will continue to add as I study. The current SDA understanding of where we are in history in terms of Revelations is as follows:

There is one beast that comes out of the sea in Revelation 13 - Now we understand beasts to be a form of "kingdom". The first is the authority given to the Roman Catholic Church. The second beast coming out of the land that has horns like a lamb to begin currently is beginning to show its "beastly" nature. Our understanding of this is that this is the United states political power, that came up gently to begin and later starts to show signs of beastlike nature.

Other parts of Revelation coincide with it because Revelation goes through the same timeline several times. First of all, Revelation 3:14-22, we are in the time of the church of Laodicea. Now Laodicea was a physical church in John's time - but now in Revelation these churches are used primarily as timlines to show us the happenings throughout church history. The seals are opened at the same time as each of the church times.

First church, first seal: 31 AD to 100

second church, second seal: 100 Ad to ~313

third church, third seal: ~313 AD to 538

fourth church, fourth seal: 538 AD to ~1500's

fifth church, fifth seal: ~1500's to late ~1700's

sixth church, sixth seal: ~late 1700's to 1840's

seventh church, seventh seal: from then on.

Now it seems most seals are opened at the beginning of such time. So at the opening of the seventh seal is delayed for a time... until those who have followed the Lord to the best of their knowledge are saved to the sky - in effect, it is a rapture - but truly only from the complete destruction of the earth and NOT from earthly principalities and powers as the eucharistic Sunday Church would have us believe.

Now Revelation is not a book to be "unlocked" - Revelation means "a revealing". Thus the reason that Joseph Litch was about to predict to the exact day when the Ottoman empire would come to its end, that is, August 11, 1840. Daniel 12, however, was a chapter that had to be unlocked, or sealed until the time of the end. Until that point Daniel understood everything that he had seen.

Now modern Christianity still regards Revelation as something to come. Early on in my answers, I discovered a minister who had been preaching Revelation like this for 30 years, that Revelations 2 and 3 are the messages for the churches through the ages, and everything from chapter 4 on is future.

However, some things that have not occurred as yet are the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet, the full power of the beast from the earth, and roughly everything after Revelation 14:14.

I yet find imperfection in the manner of the SDA translation of the two witnesses though, in this - which is taken specifically from a study guide that my SDA pastor is using to review Revelation - "Note: we found that three and a half prophetic days represent three and a half literal years. The French assembly voted to ban the Bible in November 1793. And three and a half years later, in June 1797, it was restored...."

God's Word is DEATHLY accurate. And this timeline is not deathly accurate to 1260 days. The closest it comes is November 30 - June 1, or precisely 1279 days, since 1796 was a leap year. Even in claiming ONLY months, this is 3 years and 7 months, and depending on the start and finish dates, can be as much as 3 years and 8 months. I think something different MUST occur. What it may be, I am uncertain. But I would trust better the authenticity of God's Holy word and the fact that it has been deathly accurate on everything else - before I trust this interpretation of the 2 witnesses. Let the Word of God be true and every man a liar.

Before I ever state fully that it would be only those who adhere to the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, God knows the true heart of a person, and whether they are living up to what they know. At the time of the harvest of the earth, every man will have made their decision for or against God. But for a person to say that it is ONLY those who obey the commandments, they would have to know enough that one should obey them, before sentencing such a person who does not follow them to hellfire. But I am not God, and I will not do His job for Him.

Now your other questions: Why would Christianity ignore prophetic books also in the Bible? To him whom understanding has not been given, he cannot bestow such understanding upon others. The teachers therefore dwell on easier topics - grace, faith, hope, love... or studies of the vast topics David brought forth in his Psalms, or the riches of Solomon's wisdom from Proverbs.

What is the most important prophecy in Revelation for the present generation? That would have to be that there is an end to all this suffering, when we are brought to live with the Lord Jesus Christ for Eternity with Him.

Dangers of going about our lives without due care to God's prophecies? If one is still following the Word of God to the best of their knowledge, perhaps nothing. There are those evangelists and ministers who are called to preach such things, and others who are called to other ministries. It would be better not to completely ignore it, and I suppose there are none in the Christian who do - only those that don't understand any of the revealing given to John.

If humans are saved by Jesus' grace why care about events and characters all written in an amazing folkloric language as in Revelation? Revelations shows and will continue to show God's accuracy to the universe of His predictions of the end of the world. As we understand it more, then we truly see just how deathly accurate HIS predictions are, recognizing the fullness of them truly only after the occurance. This is part of the reason it was revealed in the manner of visions and dreams, like the parables of Jesus rather than in plain words. In simple words everyone could read and believe, or even attempt to foil God's foreknowledge of events. If Christ said to you today "you will deny me 3 times before the rooster crows" would you do it? Of course not - but even Peter's foreknowledge of what he would do did not stop him from saying such words. Our lack of understanding does not keep the Bible from panning out on earth precisely as God says it will. And not all humans are saved by God's grace. You need to want it first.

First these are very good questions.

The fulfillment of the Apocalypse or Revelation is the fulfillment of Christianity.

Saint John, being in the spirit, on the Lord’s Day, that is, when

all that is written herein is completed he was looking back on

history, not forward in time when he wrote the book! Why do I

say this?

He says in ‘the time is at hand.’ “Blessed is he that

reads and hears the words of this prophecy, and keeps those

things which are written in it. For the time is at hand.”

From his perspective of the vision, he saw this revelation in the ‘now,’ in

the time at hand, he saw the New Jerusalem coming down out

of Heaven from God, and he saw all things made new, on the

Lord’s Day. The New Jerusalem comes down after the

Tribulation is completed, after the Devil, the Antichrist, and the

False Prophet are shut up in Hell for all eternity.

It must be understood that when the events of this prophecy

unfold, there are two distinct happenings:

1. When people receive, believe, act, and live the Word of

God in all faith and in all it’s fullness, then that person

advances higher and higher toward that eternal reward, the

Paradise of God.

2. When people reject the Word of God in any part, they

descend further and further in tribulation, and unless they

convert and repent, they descend all the way into Hell

where they shall remain in eternal darkness.

Let us clarify here the meanings of the names:

ISRAEL is all God’s people who have called on the Name of

the Lord.

JERUSALEM which means justice and peace, are all of those

who live in an orderly and lawful arrangement n the place

called the Catholic Church, that is the Universal Church.

ZION is the place of the law, the Church.

Man has had his day and made his choice. Some choose to

follow Jesus and live in Him, in the Lord’s Day, in eternal

happiness. The majority have chosen to follow Satan in eternal doom.

Every word of the Apocalypse has a mystical meaning. Every

vision and every figure has a mystical understanding.

The entire book can be summed up in it’s first 5 words:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Unless you believe in the Real

Presence of Jesus in Holy Eucharist, you will not be able to

understand what is ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ.’

Jesus said: “Behold I am with you all days, even to the

consummation of the world,” and He is, in Holy Eucharist.

“Then if any man shall say to you, ‘Lo here is Christ,’ or

‘There,’ do not believe him. If therefore they shall say to you,

‘Behold He is in the desert,’ go ye not out. ‘Behold He is in the

closets,’ believe it not.”

Why not? Where is He? He is within

you who believe in His Real Presence in Holy Eucharist!

The fist coming of Christ was as man.

The second coming of Christ is in man.

The third coming of Christ is to judge man.

The Seven Blessings of the Apocalypse:-

Blessed is he that reads and hears.44

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.45

Blessed is he that watches.46

Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the

Lamb.47

Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection.48

Blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this

book.49

Blessed are they that wash their robes in the Blood of the

Lamb.50

44 Apoc 1:3

45 Apoc 14:13

46 Apoc 16:15

47 Apoc 19:9

48 Apoc 20:6

49 Apoc 22:7

50 Apoc 22:14

All can be explained at www.thereignofchrist.org in the contact us ask for the book understanding of the Apocalypse.

A free verse for verse understanding.

God bless

I am with you friend. The Revelations are my worst book of the bible, and I struggle, still to understand the trumps & seals, and what seal/ trump are we on. To be truthfull I loose understanding when politics & rulers, geography come into play. I do have an excellent teacher that I have been blessed to find. He helps greatly, but it is not for the 1 verse Charlie Bible study. ( not that you are because I know your not or you would not ask this question! ).

Reality.

Revelations just barely, barely, made it into the Canon of Scriptures. Many of them bishops thought it was too loco.

And originally? It wasn't the Last book of the Bible.

The door to rational thought.

http://www.godisimaginary.com/