Revelation 6 - 14

Bible Dictionary - Revelation of John - The second part, Rev. 4–22, deals with things yet future for John, things that had not yet come to pass. It begins with John’s time and continues to the end of the world. Note Rev. 4:1: “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Accordingly, it offers a sort of panoramic view of events through the ages—of Apostasy, Restoration, Judgment, and Millennium.


Apostasy and Restoration. Apostasy and Restoration are relatively gradual events. Compare the setting and the rising of the sun. It does not become dark or light all at once (see D&C 45:29)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/revelation-of-john?lang=eng

New International Version - Revelation is a distinctive type of literature—Revelation is apocalyptic, a kind of writing that is highly symbolic. A distinctive feature is the frequent use of the number seven (52 times). There are seven beatitudes, seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden lamp stands, seven stars, seven seals, seven horns and seven eyes, in last week’s readings. This week we have seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven signs, seven crowns, seven plagues, seven golden bowls. And there will be more groupings in sevens through the end of the book. Symbolically, the number seven stands for completeness.

Thomas Wayment: The book helped shape the identity of a community that felt persecuted, and the life of the faithful as described in the book is one of persecution with a hope in eventual redemption. 

Adam Miller - Mormon, pg. 36, 37

“The world is perpetually passing away because it is, simultaneously, perpetually beginning. The end of the world is ongoing because God’s work of creating the world is ongoing. God not only created the world (in the past tense), he is continually creating the world (in the present tense). New lives and forms of life surge forth and old lives and forms of life pass away, each dependent on the other. 

Given that there is no end to God’s work and glory, his creative work may never conclude. In this case, the world will only continue to grow from one grace and glory to the next—with the flip side being that, for as long as God continues to re/create the world, the world will also continue to end. Every new act of creation will, at minimum, impose itself as the partial loss of what came before. Every new world will unfold, inescapably, as the passing away of the old. We will always find ourselves, at least in part, in the same position as Mormon: witnesses to the end of the world.

Christian discipleship is the work of willingly participating in the re/creation of the world. It’s the work of willingly participating in the world’s passing away. And this willing participation is what consecrates the world’s passing and renders it sacred. A disciple’s job is to continually inherit the new worlds that God is creating (now, today) by continually sacrificing (again) our claims to the old.”

Richard D. Draper - "Teaching the Book of Revelation: Five Considerations"

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-14-no-1-2013/teaching-book-revelation-five-considerations

“As mysterious as the book of Revelation appears, it can be understood and taught with success. There are a number of good Latter-day Saint commentaries that the teacher will find helpful. It is important that the book of Revelation not be skipped because John’s work gives added details on three important subjects. The first and most important is the witness of the nature of our Savior and his work, especially dealing with his role in the last days. The second is the book’s exposure of the great enemies of the last days and their objectives and work. Having this knowledge serves as a warning to the modern Saints and helps them know what to prepare for and what to avoid. The third is a general outline of how history will flow through the millennial era, but especially just before the Second Coming.”

Major Events 

First Seal - The creation and fall of Adam and Eve; the ministry of Enoch and the translation of his city into heaven (Revelation 6:1–2) 

Second Seal -  Noah and the flood (Revelation 6:3–4) 

Third Seal - Ministries of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses; the Exodus; rule by “judges” (Revelation 6:5–6)

Fourth Seal - Rule by kings; the division of the kingdom; the conquering of the kingdoms (Revelation 6:7–8) 

Fifth Seal - The birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the establishment of his Church and the ministry of the apostles; martyrdom of the apostles; the apostasy (Revelation 6:9–11) 

Sixth Seal - Continuation of the apostasy; restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith; signs of the times manifest (Revelation 6:12– 17; 7:1–8) 

Our Day: “The Saturday Evening” of Time

Renaissance and Reformation - Industrial Revolution - Joseph Smith’s Ministry - Church Becomes World Church - Saints Prepare for Christ - Great Calamities Worldwide - Zion Fully Established

Seventh Seal - Wars, plagues, and desolation; second coming (Revelation 8:1–19:21) 

The earth is celestialized (Revelation 21:1– 22:6)

The Earth’s Sabbath

Final Destruction - Christ comes to Reign as King of Kings - Earth Receives Paradisiacal Glory - Satan Bound - Millennial Era of Peace and Love - Earth Celestialized at Close of Millennium

The Sixth Seal -  The Earth has a spirit - tagged scriptures

Revelation 6:12 - 17:

The cosmos/universe reacts to men’s sins. 

From Richard Draper: "The cosmos really does react to events on earth, and the earth itself reacts through great convulsions."

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator. Page 72.

Q: In verses 16 and 17 - What is the fear?

Wayment: Their fear is not being covered by the white robe (Revelation 3:18)

Revelation 7: 13 - 17 

Living in a fully repentant state - Richard Draper: Millions will prevail during this time of trial because they heeded the warnings and prepared themselves. “In this state, they “serve him day and night in his temple.” They perform ceremonies associated with God’s sanctuary—they serve and are served in return.

“In this light, the most important work for the Saints of the sixth seal is the establishment of Zion by faithfulness, diligence, and especially purity. Missionary work must spread, temple work increase, and righteousness flow out of the homes and into the communities of the Saints. In this way God will have a people “prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 136:31). 

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator. Page 88.

Revelation 13

Richard D. Draper - "Teaching the Book of Revelation: Five Considerations"

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-14-no-1-2013/teaching-book-revelation-five-considerations

"This condition has been carefully orchestrated by the dragon and the land and sea beasts over the ages, and it has now reached full flower. The result is that evil has been able to impose itself on the earth dwellers because of their growing indifference and ambivalence toward the good. They are willing victims of a growing normalization of aberrant behavior. They have been seduced by the ideological sophistry that the false lamb spews through all forms of media—the “image” the inhabitants of the earth willingly created for it (see 13:14). As a result, their love has waxed cold and, along with it, their ability to feel, to sympathize, and to empathize with that which is good. Being touched by nothing, they can be reached by nothing, and therefore saved by nothing, not even the terrible beating of “the army of the horsemen,... having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone,” who killed “the third part of men.” No, they will not choose to repent, for they have been sealed Satan’s.

The real issue in Revelation is one of worship. Taking on the beast’s mark (see Revelation 13:16) does not refer to tattoos or electronic implants. It connotes, rather, spiritual devotion to the beast. Insight into the significance of the mark comes from the fifth-century BC Greek playwright Sophocles, who warned of the charagma echidnēs, that is, “the serpent’s bite,” which was the means by which the snake secreted its poison into a person."

Revelation 14:6 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the  everlasting gospel to preach . . ." 

Moroni drawing - Brian Kershisnik

Merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, January 11, 2024. 

Revelation 1-5

FOLLOW HIM PODCAST 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bt8tPSr4hM 

His explanation regarding the history of the Book of Revelation starts at the 6:30 minute mark. 

NUMBERS

“Near Eastern literature, not just Hebrew, reveals a fondness for using numbers to communicate ideas. Why certain numbers became laden with symbolic meaning is unknown; in most cases this arose in prehistoric times and is now lost to us. Interestingly, there is a general consistency across the cultures to the meaning of certain numbers. That is not to say that numbers are never used as numbers. Certainly they mostly signify only literal quantity, however, in certain contexts they express ideas. This is the case in Revelation. One should interpret numbers just as the other symbolic representations. Fortunately, they are used consistently. For example the numbers 4, 7, 12, and 1000 denote aspects of wholeness, or completeness: the first to the world, the second to totality or perfection, the third to priesthood and the last to superlative greatness.”

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, The Vision of John the Revelator

REVELATION

“The Spirit left it up to John to translate what he comprehended into human language, but the vision did not come to him that way. The physical senses were superseded by those of the Spirit. Indeed, Spirit communicated directly with spirit through forms, images, and impression. In this way nothing was lost in the interchange. Unfortunately, John did not have that same privilege when he wrote. He had to use the language of his readers to make plain his testimony. To make up the difference, John used early symbolism through which a weak, yet somewhat effective, understanding of what he grasped may be conveyed.”

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, The Vision of John the Revelator

THE VISION OF THE SON OF MAN

Read Revelation 1:9-20 and consider the following questions.

1. How did the revelation occur? or How was he called to this work?

2. What directions does John receive?

3. What do these vs. teach us about Jesus Christ? What symbols does John use and what do they mean?

4. What descriptors does Christ use about himself to reassure John? What events do these phrases reflect?

PROMISES TO THE ONE WHO CONQUERS 

2: 7 eat from the tree of life

2:9 receive the crown of life; be not hurt by the second death

2:17 be given hidden manna and a white stone with new name 

2:26 given authority over nations; given the morning star

3:5 clothed in white clothing; have name in the book of life forever 

3:12 make the person a pillar in the temple of my God

3:21 be granted to sit with me in my throne, as I sat with my Father

GOD’S POWER

“The Seer focuses on God’s splendor and tries to describe and impress this upon his reader: light sparkling, radiating, and scintillating in hues of deep green and blood red. John combines the colors symbolizing life and death and has them radiating from the one who is the God of both. By this means the mind’s eye beholds the unmistakable testimony of divine power—God is dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no natural man has ever seen or can see.”

“A rainbow radiates out from and encircles the royal seat, sign of the covenant between God and Noah, suggesting that his judgement does not eclipse his mercy. But John does not give us a prismatic bow; it shimmers of but one hue, green, suggesting that life overarches all God is and all He does. The presence of the rainbow is most important. There is to be no triumph for God’s sovereignty at the expense of his mercy, and it warns us not to interpret the visions of disaster that follow as though God had forgotten his promise to Noah.”

“In his attempt to capture the power of the rays and currents that flowed from the throne, John adopted the imagery of a great storm. The word translated ‘voices’ in the KJV could well be translated as sounds, tones, or noises. These mighty phenomena symbolize divine power, majesty, and glory that almost overwhelm the beholder. Lightening, thunder, and noises also combine to give another aspect of the authority of God.”

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, The Vision of John the Revelator

THE SLAIN LAMB

“Through this powerful symbol, Revelation underscores the central theme of the New Testament: victory through sacrifice. The Lamb prevails not by sovereign might but by sacrifice grounded in love. He is worthy because he purchases God’s people with his own blood.

With this imagery, John does more than invest the Savior with the attribute of deity; he redefines omnipotence. Often felt to describe God’s power of unlimited coercion, the Seer reveals its true nature as the power of infinite persuasion, the invincible strength of self-sacrificing love.

By the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Savior acted to bring about the Atonement, and he continues to minister its saving power in the world. This is the central deed in the scroll of destiny, for all history pivots on this one act. It alone allowed for the complete fulfillment of the Father’s will.”

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, The Vision of John the Revelator

WHAT IS THE POINT?

“The focus of Revelation—the core around which everything revolves—centers on the issue of authority. Who really overmasters the world? Is it the political institutions? the powers of evil? or God? To the faithful few, struggling against external pressure and deadly persecutions and being buffeted by alternate voices, the message of Revelation with its omnipotent, wrath-filled yet caring God, must have brought comfort and hope with the promise of victory.

The course of history John presents stressed the ultimate, rather than the immediate triumph of goodness over evil, and the call was for the Saints to work out their salvation in the present and to place their trust in God who was not yet ready to expose his mastery over history. The Saints had to exercise faith through a hope that made no demands upon the present.

Even today, an aspect of faith is a willingness to allow God to operate in his own way in the present, to take what comes, and continue strong. John’s readers have to accept the agony of the present as travail necessary to bring into being a glorious future. He wrote a message of testimony and hope.”

Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, The Vision of John the Revelator

HOPE

Hope doesn't preclude feelings of sadness or frustration or anger or any other emotion that makes total sense. Hope isn't an emotion. Hope is not optimism...Hope is a discipline...we have to practice it every day. 

Mariame Kaba