Revelations on the Book of Revelations

D L Henderson
8 min readJan 5, 2025

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January 6, 2025

Before getting into the subject matter, I would like to say that this is a much longer essay than I like to publish. However, please keep in mind that a diverse multitude of Theologians have written volumes upon volumes on this Book… All in all, I think that they make it much more complicated than what is truly needed. I pray that readers may receive a basic understanding of the symbolism within its pages and understand they only need to get the gist of the message, that is, essentially, what I am trying to communicate…

There are many divergent intellectual discussions on the Book of Revelations by various scholars with ThD after their names. To be sure, I am not one of them. However, I am a Born Again Bible Believing Christian, and I have the privilege of hearing God’s intended meanings — which never contradict other Bible verses but always do clarify all in sensible ways.

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” — 1 Corinthians 2:14, New International Version (NIV).

So, I am not claiming superior intellect nor a higher education level, but simply a better communicative connection with the “Professor” who really matters..

Another advantage is that I have come to understand that prophecies, as those in the Book of Revelations, are eternal, not temporal. What that means is that these verses are not necessarily in a linear timeline and can even at times more or less be stacked one upon another, happening at the same time… and the full understanding comes from a line upon line teaching format.

I hope that this makes some sense to you.

Now, in the very first verse, Revelation 1:1, “…what must soon come to pass…” has a bit of a different connotation for me than, say, “eventually happen,” as some see it. After checking the Greek definition for the word “soon,” I see it as the events happening very quickly. instantaneously. (“Definition: Speed, swiftness, quickness” — https://biblehub.com)

I back this up to be in line with Matthew 24:27 — “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” — Berean Standard Bible (BSB).

Do you see what that means?

It means that the events foretold in the Book of Revelation are going to come like a flash of lightning — not as happening back then, nor as slowly developing past historical events, but today, in the Now. So,when it comes, that is, when Jesus returns, when He comes, He will be here in a moment, like a flash of lightning.

This understanding also ties in with Jesus’ many warnings:

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” — Luke 21:34, NIV.

I hope I have helped you up to this point in navigating through these mysterious waters. If so, we can continue…

The next section of Revelation — only two chapters long — are addressed to seven churches which the Apostle Paul and his companions established in Asia on their missionary journeys. They were real assemblies of Born Again Believers. Still and all, they have timeless messages and warnings for all individuals and all churches established from that era till this present day..

How is this aspect known?

Simply by reading the directive spoken to all of those people in all of those churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

In the passages there are prescient and timeless words of approval, correction, and warning. They are concise and direct and have no need for interpretation but only that people who call themselves Christian take heed and apply them to their lives, their beliefs, and in working out their faith in the real world…

At this point I strongly urge Believers to prayerfully read those two chapters. Yes, there are verses with symbolism. Still, God is faithful to reveal to individuals what they need to understand. God your Father in heaven wants you to understand what you need to understand, in order that you might live and learn, benefitting from all the wisdom you are ready to receive…

Next are two chapters with a spectacular scenario like an amazing screenplay in three — no, in a four-dimensional format. As far as any insight which I might have, it occurred to me that all the creatures “full of eyes” speak to God’s omniscience and omnipresence. The rest of the vision is an awesome reveal of Heaven — where God is.

Then, in the ensuing chapters, there is the description of what is commonly called “The Great Tribulation.” These, as I understand them, are the consequences of all the hurt and harm Mankind has done from their disobedience to God and for their vile and arrogant deeds.

What happens next — whether concurrently or chronologically — is not something I understand completely, but very soon, I do know that people won’t be able to deny it is actually happening. Nevertheless, I trust in what Jesus said to be the truth: I know that Jesus said things would get worse and worse to the point where, if God had not shortened those days, no one would be able to survive.

So the most important thing that I do know is I don’t want to be under all those calamities because of God’s Judgment. Do you? I don’t have to know all the details. Do you? I certainly hope not!

I hope to stay right with God, and everybody else should too. So, let me remind you, it’s totally up to you. You can choose God, Jesus. and the Bible, or you can pretend your way is correct, that you know better and are comfortable in your own conceits…

Up to this point I am surmising that these chapters have been a view with the perspective of Heaven. The chapters following are kind of a review from the Earthly perspective which begins with the story of the Nativity, the flight into Egypt in which Satan’s evil flood attempted to kill baby Jesus by slaughtering all the youngest children in Bethlehem.

The ending chapters are the reveal of the New Heaven and Earth located inside the New Paradise of God with the new City of David — the new Jerusalem — the river and the two Trees of Life… That’s where I want to be… How about you?

Well, that’s all I wish to convey so far, and I hope you understand and take advantage of the opportunity God has given us in the Gospel of Jesus who died for us… It’s something we all should consider…

In conclusion, let me quote the ending promise of the Book of the Revelation:

“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. — Revelation 22:10–17, NIV.

Addendum:

The Beast I perceive to be the World Monetary System. The world’s way of doing business with its worldwide economic system which is governed by a board… to anyone who has taken a serious look at it and tried to figure it out realizes that it is a beast in many ways and impossible to get on top of… No… wait a sec…the Bible puts someone on top of the Beast, the Whore Babylon…

The bible verse about the Whore has some reveals:

One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”

So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” I could see that she was drunk — drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement. — Revelation 17:1–6, New Living Translation (NLT)

Just a side note: Washington, D.C.’s architecture was designed to be on seven hills and have other structural similarities to Roman during its Empirical days of grandeur… So, those theologians who say that the Beast was the Roman Empire were nor too far off… but they were still off….

Another clue is in this verse: “For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.” — Revelation 18:3, NLT.

Maybe you, too, can understand why I deduced that the U.S. of A. is the new version of the old Babylon+ian Empire.

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D L Henderson
D L Henderson

Written by D L Henderson

Born 1950; HS 1968; Born again 1972; Cornell ILR; Steward, Local President/Business Agent; Husband, father, grandfather; winner/loser/everything in between

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