See the Missed Insights About Revelation series here
See the Missed Insights series here
Here are the last 3-of-7-key points I perceive Jesus, The Lord God, apparently intends to reveal to humanity in His Book of Revelation.
#5. The Lord’s consequential, age-transitioning judgments – The Bible uniquely reveals 6 global judgments that apparently will serve as transition triggers between 7 ages of human history. Written during the 2nd and 3rd ages of human history, it principally and strategically targets us in this current, 3rd age, with pivotal insights about the last 5 of these judgments. Revelation highlights the last 3 of them: Armageddon at the end of the 4th age; the release of satan's kingdom after The Millennial Reign age; and The Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the post-Millennial Reign age.
But why such a heavy focus on us in this current (3rd) age of human history?? Here's why!
This 3rd age represents at least two pivotal points in The Lord’s Multi-millennial Strategic Plan:
A. During this age, Heaven turned its focused attention away from the ancient nations of Israel and Judah, to THE WHOLE WORLD, mostly comprised of Gentiles. For centuries, Jews had overwhelmingly rejected The Lord and His righteous requirements. So He turned them over to their vile passions, and His assigned judgments. Ergo, this current age represents Heaven’s BEST opportunity to recruit candidates, Jews and Gentiles alike, for The Lord’s long-promised, exceedingly gracious offer of eternal salvation. All who will sustainably embrace it by faith in Him, will join His innumerable saints from the first 2 ages of history, who died in faith toward The Unseen Lord God, Whom they did not know was Jesus, as we know in this current age.
B. As noted in the Mid-ages Musings series and the related video, Historical Countdown - 7 Biblical Ages of Human History, The Bible predicts the remaining 3 ages of human history on this current version of Earth, will be much shorter than our initial 3 ages. You can bet every devil and demon realizes this! Revelation warns us, they ‘know their time is short’. Ergo, they are ‘at their best game’ in this age, to deceive anyone they can, to DENY and REJECT The Lord’s gracious offer of salvation! Thus far, they have succeeded, exceedingly!!!
The pending human kingpins in their game, will be the anti-Christ man and his prophet (prime minister?) during the 4th age. Read about them here. For their ‘distinguished service’ to the kingdom of satan, these men will receive the UNIQUE distinction of being the first humans whom The Lord will cast, as immortal beings, into His brimstone-lit lake of fire, likely on the new eternal Earth! Revelation 19 predicts they will be cast therein at the end of the Armageddon War, the global judgment that will transition the world to The Millennial Reign Age.
Ponder this: Given devils’ apparent rate of success, the overwhelming majority of people who will have been born during this 3rd age of history, are/will eventually join these men, as resurrected, immortal humans, in the lake of fire! Sadly, we have mostly been out-smarted by devils, at every turn. And since this age is lasting much longer than the 1st age of history (the pre-flood age), the likely aggregate number of 3rd age people who will reject The Lord’s offer, might very well be much bigger than the people who were killed in the global flood. These will be the fruits of ill-conceived, personal choices. But, bless The Lord, a few of us have seriously caught on to devils’ game!!!
Have you??
#6. His innumerable redeemed saints – Revelation reveals two relatively small, yet innumerable multitudes of saints will be graciously, and eternally rewarded for our sustainable, though imperfect faithfulness in re-ordering our lifestyles to The Lord’s righteous requirements.
The first multitude is pictured in Revelation 7, as saints who will have been martyred/beheaded by the anti-Christ’s global regime, during the 4th, a 7-year age of history – the tribulation age. They will be martyred for rejecting his command to receive what Revelation calls his mark (brand) of the beast. 1 These saints will be resurrected and raptured at the end of the great tribulation – the last half of the tribulation age. Revelation 19 and 20 picture a much larger multitude, comprising the first group of saints pictured in chapter 7, and a much bigger group of saints who will have been resurrected and raptured into Heaven at the ends of the 2nd and 3rd ages of history. 2
#7. His GLORIOUS Strategic Plan’s Climax – The most glorious (eternally shining) aspect of Revelation is the MASSIVE New Jerusalem, a cubed city of over 2.7 billion cubic miles, which The Lord will personally inhabit; and nations that will surround this city. In these two glorified/eternally lit, geographic zones, The Lord’s immortal, glowing saints will enjoy life and serve Him forever. 3
Biblically, I intuit the residents in that city might be Jewish saints, serving as priests unto The Lord, eternally. 4 Residents in the surrounding nations will have freewill access to the city. They (we) might be The Lord’s Gentile saints, with some of us serving as kings and in their majestic entourages and courts/staffs, over nations, cities and other sub-regions. I intuit this arrangement might possibly parallel The Lord’s plan during The Millennial Reign age on this current version of Earth, distinguishing between His declared plans for Jewish, and for Gentile saints, namely:
A. Immortal Jewish saints in a, then, GREATLY expanded Israel, and Jerusalem then raised up very high (possibly the results of the several predicted, great/global earthquakes) serving as priests and overseeing Jewish apocalypse survivors and their descendants; and
B. Immortal Gentile saints serving as kings (and their staffs/entourages) over nations, cities and other sub-regions, ruling over apocalypse survivors and their descendants across the Gentile world. 5
Conclusion
I trust this series will trigger your interest in The Book of Revelation. I pray you will perceptively derive the promised blessings for anyone ‘…who reads, hears and keeps those things which are written therein…’ (Revelation 1:3 and 22:7-9) Moreover, I earnestly desire and hope this series will serve as a solid foundation to broaden and deepen your comprehension of the other 65 books of The Bible. Reading and understanding them ‘in the light from’ Revelation, has greatly magnified my strategic insights into, and about The Lord’s Multi-millennial Strategic Plan for Humanity. Knowing the end points of any complex story is truly eye-opening to understanding and appreciating the entire story, right??
As you read, please keep in mind The Lord’s promise in Joel 2:28-29, reiterated in Acts 2:17-18, as well as His strategic tactic for revealing insights to us, as noted in Isaiah 28:10 & 13. These indicate He will be releasing more clarifying insights to us …down the road.
Your comments and feedback are appreciated.
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1 Revelation refers to the anti-Christ (and his regime) as the beast. This typology comports with how wicked kings/national leaders are pictured in futuristic visions in Daniel 7. The mark of the beast will be the anti-Christ’s regime requirement for anyone to participate in financial and economic activities. See the 6 references to this mark in Revelation 13-to-19.
2 See: Missed Insights from Matthew 27 (Series), and also Christians in the Great Tribulation, for an overview of my understanding of:
(a) the several, combined ‘resurrection and rapture’ events Revelation 20 calls ‘the first resurrection’, i.e., resurrection to eternal life (for The Lord’s saints only); and
(b) the final global resurrection and rapture event before The Great White Throne Judgment (for all unspent at sinners from across the 6 ages on this current Earth, plus all saints likely from the 5th and 6th ages of history who will still be alive, or who will have died.
(Yes, it’s kinda complicated to explain and understand. Revelation 20 clearly reveals there will indeed be saints on Earth, AFTER The Millennial Reign age ends! Most people likely overlook this strategic point!)
3 See: What If? (Subsequent Creations), Look at Me …Then (Poem), and Daniel 12:3. It is interesting how many Bible scholars conclude this city will be a cube. This concept blows our minds. Ergo, we think this infers a cube city, e.g., possibly with floors and ceilings of some kind. This point warrants more strategic analysis of exactly what Revelation signals to us.
4 See: Exodus 19:6.
5 See: Tips to Understand The Bible.
