Decoding the book of Revelation step by step

In the fifth and sixth trumpets we will find a description of the siege and fall of Jerusalem. This happened in the middle of the 7 year Jewish-Roman war in the year 70. Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. As we have seen in previous posts, description like this are like hooks that connect to other Images and Visions in Revelation. Here we find an angel that falls from heaven to earth. That reminds us of the Vision of the Woman with the 12 Stars , where there was a war in heaven and the devil was kicked out and thrown on earth. That means we can position this Vision in our global timeline right after the devil fell on earth when he was about to send the stream of water after the woman. And that is just before the fall of Jerusalem. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss; and smoke rose up from the shaft, like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and air were darke...

Together with the Visions of the Woman with 12 Stars and the Two Prophets , the Vision of the Dragon in the Abyss forms the common theme of Revelation. These three cover the whole human history from Jesus until the end of times. The first two are connected because they can both be connected to fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple in the year 70. And they both cover a period of 1260 prophetic days where Israel is not in its homeland. The way the Vision of the Dragon in the Abyss is connected to these is by this sentence in chapter 11:7 Revelation 11:7 When they have finished their witnessing, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them, gain victory over them, and kill them. There's only one beast that comes from the abyss and that's the one mentioned in Revelation 20. So let's have a look at that chapter. Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2 He seized ...

Chronologically in time, this story of the Woman with 12 Stars is the start of everything that is happening in the book of Revelation. Chronologically it precedes the Vision of the Two Prophets , even thought the order in which it appears in Revelation is reversed. Let's discuss the text. Revelation 12:1 Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. This reminds of the dream of Joseph where the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down for him. These where his father, mother and brothers. This is an image of the nation of Israel with the twelve tribes. But we might even say that this is the True Israel, meaning that part of Israel that respects and obeys God, hence the sun that is upon her. 2 She was pregnant, and she cried out because she was in labor, in pain from giving birth. This refers to the Messiah that is about to come out of Israel. 3 Then another sign appeare...

The story of the two witnesses is the Heart of Revelation. When you understand this story, you already understand half of the book. So let's have a good look at it. Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod, which was like a pole. And I was told, “Get up and measure God’s temple, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But don’t measure the court outside the temple. Leave that out, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Why does somebody have a measuring rod? Either to build something or to break something down, or both. The temple needs to be measured. This seems to indicate the physical temple has to be broken down and a new spiritual temple can be built, consisting of living stones that are the believers in Jesus Messiah. The court outside should not be measured, that is: not be broken down. This indicates that the 'age of the (non-Jewish) nations' has arrived. There was a break-up be...