The Sealed Book

[Esaias]

According to Ussher's Annals, creation began in 4004 BC. It's been 6020/6021 years since then. Thus, the Seventh Millennium of man's (Biblical) history began about 20 years ago.

The Pharisees calculate the age of the current world to be about 5778 years old. However, there are problems with the Rabbinic chronology, most notably the intentional vaporizing of 240 years by the rabbis in the second century AD in order to make Bar Kokhba satisfy a then-current messianic expectancy related to Daniel's seventy weeks.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Esaias

According to Ussher's Annals, creation began in 4004 BC. It's been 6020/6021 years since then. Thus, the Seventh Millennium of man's (Biblical) history began about 20 years ago.

The Pharisees calculate the age of the current world to be about 5778 years old. However, there are problems with the Rabbinic chronology, most notably the intentional vaporizing of 240 years by the rabbis in the second century AD in order to make Bar Kokhba satisfy a then-current messianic expectancy related to Daniel's seventy weeks.

Most Bible chronologists agree with Ussher with only minor differences of 10-20 years.

If one follows the Greek chronology the differences will be even greater (pushing Creation even further back).

While I do believe there MAY be something significant about the seventh millennium, I haven't seen anything that requires it to be equivalent to the millennium of Revelation 20. I used to think there was a connection, but I cannot say there MUST be a connection.

Also, there is a difference between actual solar years, modern calendar years, ancient calendar years, and Bible prophetic years (which appear to be 360 days long, not 365.25). Being able to correlate all four is a daunting task, to say the least. God speed on getting that accomplished.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by phareztamar

Come and See

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

With, admittedly, no hard scriptural evidence, it still makes the most human sense that when Jesus takes the book from the right hand of the Ancient of days, He would in a single sitting break open the seven seals. Not a protracted 2,000 year seal-opening ceremony, but a single sitting event some 19 centuries ago. What we see today are the long protracted results of that event. Before John's very eyes he sees what that voice had said was: "things which must be hereafter". Jesus had already told John to write:
1.) the things which thou hast seen.
2.) the things which are.
3.) the things which shall be hereafter.
We start with the four " Come and see " horsemen. At each seal John must be told to come...and once there...to see.

Thunder announces the white horse of the first broken seal. Thunder is the prolonged after-sound of lightening. With the breaking of this seal the rider bolts from his holding cell like lightening, rolling across the landscape as thunder. The rider has an archers bow and he is given a crown. Not only does he go forth conquering and to conquer, but perhaps more importantly, he never returns as in the bottom of Zechariah.

From our own late perspective how perfectly this matches with Satan's propensity to strike at beginnings...in the garden of creation, in the earthly ministry of my Lord, and here shortly after the birth of the new covenant church. This rider conquered at his release 1900 years ago, and continues to ride and conquer today. The tares sowed shortly after the birth of the new testament church have grown in size and in respect and social standing, until as overspreading trees these denominations blanket the entire landscape. They have grown for 1900 years. The apostolic Jesus name church of Acts...the greatest of all of my Lord's many creations...becomes just one of thousands of ecclesiastic disciplines, even though it is the only true and right one. After 1900 years the true gospel from scripture, and true doctrine from scripture, are much the rare exception rather than the rule. So did my Lord at the very start of his Matthew 24 prophecy, and repeated often, command us: " let no man deceive you ".

The white horse rider comes with an army of spirits and underlings long trapped by the seal. This force has influenced global religious activities, the birth of Islam and charismatic liberalism, and all the branches of Luther, Calvin, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, the many Orthodox's, Baptist, Presbyterian, and all the twigs that sprout from these. What we witness today is the " and to conquer " of the white horse who never returned. Every false denomination born after Pentecost are the handiwork of this white horse rider. He is spiritual deception and cunning, and he is nearing the end of his ride. None today can argue his success...look around you...nor deny him his crown.

The red horse of the second seal is the spirit of war released upon the earth some 1900 years ago. Power is given to him to take peace from the earth, that men should kill one another. He too rides with an army of underlings and spirits. Since the birth of the church nearly 2,000 years ago there have been over 275 documented wars killing over a half billion souls across our planet. Men killing one another...violently, brutally, and painfully. The red horse rider has wielded well his great sword after at last being freed from the binding of his seal. He still looms large on the horizon today, because he also has never returned as in the bottom by the myrtle.

The black horse of the third seal is a spirit of famine released upon the world 1900 years ago. The history is long and horrifying, as over 350 million souls have starved to death since the birth of church. This rider also never returns as in the bottom, and still rides today. Every war from the second rider brings a famine from the third rider.

The last " Come and see " of the fourth seal introduces John to a pale horse who's rider is named death. Unlike the previous three riders, this rider has a partner riding with him. The partner's name is hell. These two...death and hell...are given power over one fourth of the earth. Today that would roughly number 1.7 billion souls. Their power is to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the field. Again from our perspective the history of this past 1900 years is long and horrifying. Just one example is the Black Death associated with the Mongol expansion, wherein over 200 million souls lost their lives.

Adding these all up, the bottom line is that every since Jesus loosed these four spirits some 1900 years ago, they have wreaked havoc across the planet. Billions upon billions of souls have died...lost without God...and nearly the entire world is deceived at the hands of these four horsemen. They and their armies have fulfilled their mission, and it is found in our own history books.

......"what shall be hereafter" is 2 chapters prior to chapter 6.

It(chapter 4) is saying that chapter 6 is future tense.

[Aquila]

If Revelation is about two women, the whore (the earthly city of Jerusalem) and the bride (the spiritual city of the church), then I would have to wager that, based on my studies, the sealed book is God's divorce decree against Jerusalem and the OT system. At least, this is what I'm discovering in my studies.

[TGBTG]

Originally Posted by phareztamar

Fail to see how the analogy falls flat. The scientific, natural light of our world was created on the fourth day. It was made the ruler of the day, the ruler of light. When Jesus came into the world he proclaimed that he is the light of the world. We are called children of the day.

The natural light of our world according to Gen 1 was created on the FIRST day. Matter of fact, there were already 2 full DAYS and NIGHTS before the sun was created according to Gen 1.

Gen 1
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day

Before the first day, it was all darkness. When God created light, darkness was separated. So also, when Jesus came into the world, He proclaimed that he is the light of the world, thus separating darkness

You cannot therefore say the creation of the sun on the fourth day corresponds to Jesus coming in the 4000th year.
The creation of light on the FIRST day is more analogous to Jesus coming into the world. (if one wants to build an analogy)

Obviously, this does not fit into your "one day is a 1000" year model.

You're, perhaps inadvertently, fitting the scripture into your presupposed timeline to make your view of prophecy work.

[thephnxman]

His NAME is Jesus!

Originally Posted by TGBTG

The natural light of our world according to Gen 1 was created on the FIRST day. Matter of fact, there were already
2 full DAYS and NIGHTS before the sun was created according to Gen 1.
Gen 1:3__And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day
Before the first day, it was all darkness. When God created light, darkness was separated. So also, when Jesus came into
the world, He proclaimed that he is the light of the world, thus separating darkness
You cannot therefore say the creation of the sun on the fourth day corresponds to Jesus coming in the
4000th year.
The creation of light on the FIRST day is more analogous to Jesus coming into the world. (if one wants to build
an analogy). Obviously, this does not fit into your "one day is a 1000" year model.
You're, perhaps inadvertently, fitting the scripture into your presupposed timeline to make your view of prophecy
work.

TGBTG: You make some good points.

We must ask ourselves: 'What existed first: the spiritual, or the natural?
Of course we must answer: the spiritual.

Gn 1:2 __ "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep...". So this was prior to the creation of the
sun, the moon, and the stars. It speaks of the matter from which man was
formed: it was not fully developed, but in confusion (without form), empty
(without God's handiwork), and with iniquity abiding within (in darkness).

God SAW the problem, and spoke to resolve the issue: "Let there be Light."
God saw that the the Light was good; therefore, the darkness was bad (evil).
That light was NOT the natural light, but "...the light that lights every man that
comes into the world." It was man's salvation! So the first Law of Creation is:
the separation of light from darkness. Man in sin can be saved; but light cannot
have fellowship with darkness.

Brother Villa

[phareztamar]

Originally Posted by TGBTG

The natural light of our world according to Gen 1 was created on the FIRST day. Matter of fact, there were already 2 full DAYS and NIGHTS before the sun was created according to Gen 1.

Gen 1
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day

Before the first day, it was all darkness. When God created light, darkness was separated. So also, when Jesus came into the world, He proclaimed that he is the light of the world, thus separating darkness

You cannot therefore say the creation of the sun on the fourth day corresponds to Jesus coming in the 4000th year.
The creation of light on the FIRST day is more analogous to Jesus coming into the world. (if one wants to build an analogy)

Obviously, this does not fit into your "one day is a 1000" year model.

You're, perhaps inadvertently, fitting the scripture into your presupposed timeline to make your view of prophecy work.

While I certainly appreciate your concern for my inadvertent errancy, I respectfully disagree with your summary. On the fourth day when God made two great lights...the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night...it seems clear what the allegorical meanings are. Same with the stars, unless you believe that the earth will somehow survive the stars falling to earth in the Revelation. So yes, I can and do say that the making of the sun on the fourth day corresponds to Jesus coming in the 4,000th year.

[thephnxman]

His NAME is Jesus!

Originally Posted by phareztamar

While I certainly appreciate your concern for my inadvertent errancy, I respectfully disagree with your summary. On the fourth day when God made two great lights...the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night...it seems clear what the allegorical meanings are. Same with the stars, unless you believe that the earth will somehow survive the stars falling to earth in the Revelation. So yes, I can and do say that the making of the sun on the fourth day corresponds to Jesus coming in the 4,000th year.

Here is my take on the 4th day.

(1) Each day begins in the evening, wich means we are prone to sin. Then it
becomes darker as sin progressively worsens.
(2) The light of the moon denotes mercy; while the light of the sun, grace.
(3) The stars represent those who believed in the gospel that saves; and their
fall from heaven (you guessed it), represents the apostasy or...fall from grace.

Matthew describes it thus: " the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken:" The darkening of the sun implies (I believe) the lack of faith
in that generation, and men rejecting (shrugging off) mercy. What about the
shaking? "...Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this
word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as
of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain."

But that's only my take on that.

Brother Villa