| The Royal Marriages, Summary continued Rev. 12 (see also 2:26-27) A woman having birth-pangs delivers a manchild "who [is] to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child [is] caught up unto God and to his [heavenly] throne." War in heaven follows, and Satan with his angelic host is defeated: "[T]he accuser of our brethren is cast down... [T]hey overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the[ir] death." Cast to Earth, "having great wrath because he knows he has [only] a short time," Satan "persecutes the woman," who escapes "into the wilderness" for 1260 days. He thereafter empowers the Beast to subdue the world (Rev. 13). The rod of iron = the word of God, spoken and empowered with authority. All of these things were foreshadowed during and after the war against Amalek, who represented the host of Satan. At that time Moses, Aaron and Hur ascended a mountain, and there raised up "the rod of God" against Amalek, causing their defeat. Ex. 17:8f. The Israelites (= the woman) thereafter escaped into the wilderness. Amalek then invaded Egypt (= the world), and subdued and brutalized it. (Velikovsky, Ages in Chaos, I, II) Revelation 6:12-17 Sixth Seal (= the Last Trump): a great earthquake, sun darkened, moon turned blood-red, falling stars: "the wrath of the Lamb...is come." "...the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet...[to] gather his elect..." Matt. 24:29-31; 1 Thes. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51f. Very comparable signs took place at Mount Sinai = the First Trump: "thunderings and lightnings...a thick cloud...the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud...smoke...fire...the whole mountain quaked greatly...then the LORD came down" before the assembled hosts of Israel. Ex. 19:16f. 52days. This close relationship between 1) the assembly of Israel and descent of the Lord upon Mount Sinai, and 2) the "general assembly [of the] Church of the firstborn" and coming of Christ to "Mount Zion," is clearly stated in Hebrews 12:18f. That passage derives from an ancient Jewish teaching, alluded to also in 1 Cor. 15:52, that there are to be two great trumpet-reckonings of God's people. The second/Last Trump, the great of the two trumpets blown by the Lord (not angels), is to announce the Judgment of the living and the resurrection of the dead. (See http://www.aaabc.net/~drpatrick/page119.html) Rev. 7:1-8 " 'Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.' " 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel are sealed, 12,000 per tribe, with the "Father's name...written on their foreheads," 14:1. The day after the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, Moses confirmed a blood covenant between the Lord and Israel. Then Moses, Aaron, Aaron's eldest sons, and "seventy of the elders of Israel" went up on Mount Sinai before God. Ex. 24:9-11 53 days. The 70 and the 144,000 were/will be elect groups sanctified by God for his service soon after His descent. Rev. 7:9f. "...a great multitude...standing before the [heavenly] throne...[having] come out of the Great Tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ... And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them." The Raptured Church, after having been purified, is here fully "grow[n] into a holy temple in the Lord...a dwelling place of God..." Eph. 2:21-22 These things were well foreshadowed during the Exodus, and also in the days of Esther. Even after the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, Israel continued to go through trials and preparations before the Lord could actually dwell among them. After 111/2 months (the latter six of them being used to build the Tabernacle), "[T]he Tabernacle was raised up," "all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD...and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle." Ex. 40:17, 34; Lev. 9:5 2nd year, 1st month, 1st day. The virgin Esther underwent six months of myrrh (bitterness), and six months of "sweet odors," before coming before the throne of the king and entering into marriage with him. Esth. 2:1f. This foreshadows the marriage of the Lamb-King-Messiah, and the Church's ultimate union with him after her own period of trials and purification. Rev. 8:1 Seventh Seal: "...silence in heaven for about half an hour." Right after the glory of God filled the Tabernacle, Moses and the priests were "not able to enter" it, and so priestly services came to a brief standstill. Ex. 40:35 The Seven Trumpets: "The Time of Jacob's Trouble" Rev. 8:2-6 Preparations begin for the seven angelic trumpets to sound. An angel brings a golden censer to the heavenly altar of sacrifice, and is given incense "with the prayers of all the saints" to offer upon the golden altar of incense before the throne. He then casts fire from the altar of sacrifice to Earth, causing consternations. At Mount Sinai, Aaron's elder sons took their censers with fire in them and "offered profane fire before the LORD... And fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died..." Lev. 10:1-2 Same day that the Tabernacle was raised up and infilled. "Judgment must begin at the house of God." 1 Pet. 4:17; Ezek. 9:6 Rev. 8:7 First Trumpet: hail and fire, mingled with blood and thrown to Earth, burns "trees" and "all the green grass." (Some people understand this literally. Others, citing past prophecies, say the trees and grass represent types of men. Cf. Ezek. 17:4, Matt. 3:10, Ps. 92:7.) During the Exodus, "...the fire of the LORD burned among them [the complainers of Israel], and consumed" some of them. Num. 11:1 2nd yr., 2nd mo., 22nd day. Later that same day, the 70 elders of Israel were empowered with authority: "...Moses...gathered the seventy... and placed them around the Tabernacle. Then the LORD came down in the cloud...and took of the Spirit that was upon [Moses], and placed it upon the seventy elders; and...they prophesied..." Num. 11:24-25 In the days of Esther, "When the virgins were gathered together...into the king's palace...then Mordecai sat in the king's gate." Esth. 2: 19, 13 That is, after the royal marriage, Mordecai received a seat of authority in the kingdom, in the place where the kingdom's public business and judgments were conducted. Allegorically, this foretells that the 144,000 will receive limited kingdom authority soon after the royal marriage of Christ with the Virgin Church is completed. Rev. 8:8-9 Second Trumpet: "The sea" is made bloody by a burning mountain. Many of its "creatures having souls" die, and many ships are destroyed. During the Exodus, the Lord sent quail "from the sea," which caused a great plague (bloody diarrhea?) that killed many Israelites. Num. 11:4f. 2nd yr., 2nd mo., 23rd+ days. Rev. 8:10-11 Third Trumpet: "a great star...from heaven, burning like a torch," falls onto rivers and springs. It poisons them, thereby killing many people. Rev. 8:12-13 Fourth Trumpet: thereafter, Earth's atmosphere is greatly darkened. These judgment-trumpets apparently refer to nuclear missiles, radiation poisoning, and heavy smoke from massive fires. When Miriam and Aaron rebelled during the Exodus, the Lord judged them "in a pillar of cloud," apparently foreshadowing the clouds and smoke of A-bomb blasts. Miriam became leprous, "as white as snow," and was "shut out of the camp," apparently foreshadowing quarantined victims of radiation. Num. 12 2nd yr., 3rd mo., 23rd+ days. Continue Previous page Return to Index Return to Index page 2 |