Part I:The Context

Due to widespread ignorance on the subject of Biblical prophecy I have decided to grace you, dear reader, with instruction and insight into the most mysterious, interesting and controversial book in the Bible; The Apocalypse (also known as The Book of Revelation or The Revelation of Jesus Christ). I offer an interpretation that is true to the text of the bible itself as it would have been understood by the people for whom it was written. The method used here in this series of essays will probably be new and novel to most people who, during the course of religious instruction, have been taught that the prophecy contained The Apocalypse refer to events that are to take place during the last few years of human history just prior to the second coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You poor people who have been taught such theories have been deceived and that deceiver is more than likely the Dark Lord Satan himself... as I shall prove to you later. But for now let us turn our attention to the historical context of The Apocalypse in the hopes that by understanding the times and events surrounding the publication of this book we can gain insight into its contents.

After the glorious Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Dark Lord Satan became concerned that his reign as King of the Earth was threatened by the work of the Holy Spirit that had possessed the souls of Christians, giving them miraculous powers. These powers included, but were not limited to, the ability to heal the sick without medicine, cast out demons, speak in tongues and call forth the awesome power of God himself to smite thine enemies. These magical abilities of Christian are clearly and indisputably documented in the Acts of the Apostles and continue into our own time and can be witnessed first hand every Sunday in Houses of Worship. In an attempt to counterbalance this new spiritual force unleashed on the earth the Dark Lord possessed a man called Nero who happened to hold the office of Emperor of Rome. Nero, as a slave of Satan, began a brutal persecution of the People of Christ. Nero's crimes against the holy People of God were limited to the areas in and around Rome itself and many of the Lord's servants fled and settled in a place known as Asia. This Asia is not to be confused with the continent of the same name... Asia, in this context, is the area in and around the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea... also called Asia Minor.

You can see how Satan's plan backfired... Nero's crimes against God only proved the Power of God by spreading the Gospel of Christ to the four corners of the Earth. Now there were Christian communities all over the place and the movement known as Christianity spread and gained strength. After the Lord had Nero killed (about 68A.D.) he judged the Jews who had rejected him by having the armies of Rome lay siege to Jerusalem and eventually destroy the temple (70 A.D.) just as the Lord had predicted.

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? Mark 13: 1-4

Surely, nobody can honestly doubt that the Lord uttered this warning for the profit of us all so that we can know that truly he is Lord and God in the flesh. There is absolutely no possibility that this was written AFTER the events took place...but anyway, I digress.

After the route of all of God's enemies (the Jews and Nero) a time of relative peace ensued for the next 20 years or so. During this calm the forces of darkness regrouped and begin to plan their next sinister move. Enter Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus... This wicked man dared to lay his hand on the people of God, and unlike Nero, Domitianus did not limit his brutality to the area around Rome but spread his blood lust to every part of the empire. Not only did this wicked sinner persecute the holy saints but he also dared to place himself into the place of God. The practice of emperor worship had fallen out of favor in the proceeding decades however Domitianus revived this evil practice, and required that he be worshiped as a god. Because the followers of the One True God refused to worship the emperor they became targets of his unholy wrath. Many of God's people were martyred, had their property confiscated and were and were generally mistreated. Jesus Christ, seeing this from heaven, decided to reach out to his people in order that they may understand how all of this was really a part of his holy plan, and also to give some words of advice to the struggling Christian communities. To do this the Lord found and old friend called John (there is absolutely no doubt that the Apostle John wrote The Apocalypse) who had been banished to the Island of Patmos and gave him A REVELATION!

When the Lord appeared to St. John on the Island of Patmos it was a really big holy deal. It had been about 50 years from the last time Jesus Christ materialized, when he showed himself to St. Paul (then Saul) on the road to Damascus. While this may not of been known by St. John, this would be the last “official” appearance of Jesus so the Lord, in his limitless wisdom, decided to make a show of it.

REV 1:10-17 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

As can be seen from the text quoted above... The Apocalypse was primary opined for the saints in Asia Minor. The fact that the Lord addressed these seven Churches is not to be understood in a manner that excludes all other believers from the truths contained within the text... however those of us who were not chosen to directly receive the good word should take note of how these saints would have interpreted this holy message in order to properly understand its content.

Currently the most popular way of interpreting the Apocalypse is to see it as a book about future events. This method has been widely popularized by the “Left Behind” novels. Most people would be surprised to learn that the futuristic interpretation is a relatively modern invention. This approach also ignores the fact that The Apocalypse is addressed to a particular group of Christians at a particular time. It really make no sense at all for The Lord, in his limitless wisdom, to give his word to a people that concerned events that would not take place for millennia. How would that help them in their times of trials and tribulation?

No, this Revelation is about what was happening to the holy saints at the time... however the message is timeless. And the message is this; no matter what Satan and his minions pull Jesus Christ will always, in the end, be victorious. And truly this prophecy has been fulfilled. When The Apocalypse was written the Church was only a small group of peasants located in and around the boarders of the Roman Empire, but now the Holy Church spreads across the globe and Christianity is the worlds largest religion. Take that Satan!

It is likely that the false interpretation is a trick by Satan to deceive the Saints. By adopting the assumption that the Apocalypse is mostly about the future the Accuser and Father of Lies is trying to blunt the power of this book by warping the imaginations of the mindless hordes who fill the pews of churches across the world. By taking focus off the context of the Apocalypse people have a tendency to find contemporary events in the text and the text in contemporary events. Sadly this had lead to scorn and ridicule by unbelievers, God haters and sinners who point out just how often the predictions of “prophecy experts” are wrong.

Consider the proclamation by Chuck Smith the founder of Calvary Chapel who predicted that Christ would rapture his people “no later than” 1981. Mr. Smith is hardly alone is making false predictions, however he is widely perceived in Christian circles as a solid teacher of the scriptures.. yet he proves that he is subject to the delusions created by the Lord of Darkness. Today in 2011 the world appears to be spinning out of control and again the imaginations of Christians may get them into trouble. This propensity for end time enthusiasm is NOT the fault of the Lord or the Bible but is a trick by Satan to make fools of Christians. At this time he seems to be winning but those of us who understand the Apocalypse know that any ground Satan makes will eventually be handled by Jesus.

This concluded the first part of the Revelation of Jib. I hope that between now and the next installment of this series that you will thank the Lord for his Holy and True word and take the time to READ the first three chapters of the Apocalypse which I will gloss over very quickly in order to get to the really good stuff... Namely the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Peace.