Category Archives: Bible Prophecy

Yesterday morning, I read about the Fifth Trumpet of Revelation (Rev 9:1-12). Yesterday evening, Dearest and I watched “Operation: Thunderbolt” about the 1976 rescue of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian terrorists at Entebbe airport in Uganda.

When the movie showed the four C-130s preparing to take off on their rescue mission, the noise they made reminded me of my Bible reading, so I paused the movie to look it up and read it to Dearest. We both agreed; if you consider that John had never seen an airplane, C-130s are a darn good fit for the “locusts” he described.

The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, and they had hair like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth, and they had chests like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into battle. They had tails like scorpions, with stingers; with their tails they had power to harm people for five months.

“Locusts”

“Like horses ready for battle”

“On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold and their faces were like human faces”

If the upper windows caught the sun light, it would look like a gold crown, with eyes and nose below.

“They had hair like women’s hair”

“Their teeth were like lions’ teeth and they had chests like iron breastplates”

“The sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into battle”

“They had tails like scorpions, with stingers”

“With their tails they had power to harm people” (but not any plant or tree)

C-130s drop cargo out the back. A cargo of some form of biological weapon would fit the description.

P.S., Today, we watched “Operation Thunderbolt: The Documentary”, which rounded out the human drama of the story with more information. We hadn’t realized the commander of the mission was Bibi Netanyahu’s brother or that the hostages returned to Israel on our bicentennial, July 4, 1976. Netflix has both on DVD; look for the 1977 production date on them. There is a third choice that Netflix commenters say is nowhere near as good, so I skipped it.

A few days before Jesus died (probably on Wednesday of Holy Week), he and some of his disciples went up on the Mount of Olives where Jesus talked about the End Times. In particular, he predicted that his “coming in the clouds” would be a Rapture event, NOT the last ingathering for Final Judgment.

I am going to be quoting and paraphrasing from the Olivet Discourse without verse references simply for clarity and ease of understanding, not to twist the original meaning in any way. I encourage you to read these five chapters in full for yourselves: Matthew (24-25), Mark (13), and Luke (17, 21).

There will be wars and insurrections; such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end. Because of the increase in evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. They will seize you and hand you over. You will even be handed over by loved ones. They will persecute you and they will kill you.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and all the tribes of the Earth will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

According to Jesus himself, four sky signs will occur on the day he comes upon the clouds with power and glory:

1. the sun will be darkened,
2. the moon will not give its light,
3. the stars will fall from the sky, and
4. the sign of the Son of Man will appear.

When Seal Six is opened (Rev 6:12-14), John sees four things in the sky, the three Jesus specified, plus a fourth thing that I think is likely “the sign of the Son of Man”:

1. the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth,
2. the whole moon became like blood,
3. the stars in the sky fell to the earth, and then
4. the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up.

Before I continue, let me be clear that I was very concerned I not interpret these texts wrongly. Remember when I skipped ahead and talked about the Trumpets and Bowls? I did that to find out what sky signs John saw accompanying Jesus’ final victory at Armageddon.

See https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/revelation-trumpets-and-bowls/ for why I believe the Trumpets and Bowls are matchers.

The Trumpet Seven/Bowl Seven/End of Days sky signs say nothing about the sun or the moon; moreover, instead of stars (fire) falling from the sky, there are gigantic hailstones (ice). I think it’s quite clear that the “Jesus in the clouds” event is NOT the same as the End of Days event.

This interpretation also fits with the End Times prophecy God gave to Joel:

The sun will darken, the moon turn blood-red,

Before the day of the LORD arrives, that great and terrible day.

Then everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will escape harm. (Joel 3:4-5)

I think where Joel speaks of “that great and terrible day”, he means End of Days and that where he speaks of the dark sun and blood moon, he is talking about the Seal Six Rapture event. Joel notes at the Rapture time, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will escape harm.” Jesus taught the same thing during the Olivet Discourse:

In the days of Noah, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, in the days of Lot, they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, then on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

I tell you, on that night, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the earth/heavens to the other. There will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left. There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, the other left behind.

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life. Be vigilant at all times lest that day catch you by surprise like a trap. Stay awake! Be watchful! Be alert! You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. Pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.

When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Remember the wife of Lot. A person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.

Contrast these paragraphs with later in the Olivet Discourse, when Jesus talks about the Final Judgment:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

There are two huge differences.

1. The first day involves the Lord miraculously offering the chance of rescue to his elect before the Great Tribulation AND the possibility for each of us to miss out on the offer (as Lot’s wife did) through an excessive concern for the things of this life.
2. The second day comes after the Great Tribulation AND attendance will be absolutely mandatory for all, living or dead.

If it’s so important that we be ready to say yes, just as Noah and Lot said yes, then we’d best understand what the signs will be. God gave us the list at least three times.

God told Joel who told us in the Old Testament book of Joel:

1. The sun will darken,
2. the moon turn blood-red,
3. Then everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will escape harm.

Jesus told us while he was here:

1. the sun will be darkened,
2. the moon will not give its light,
3. the stars will fall from the sky, and
4. the sign of the Son of Man will appear.

God told John who told us in the New Testament book of Revelation:

1. the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth,
2. the whole moon became like blood,
3. the stars in the sky fell to the earth, and then
4. the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up.

It looks to me like “the sign of the Son of Man” will be the sky dividing like a torn scroll curling up. The footnote in my Bible says the words translated as “was divided” literally mean “was split” like a broken papyrus roll torn in two, each half then curling up to form a roll on either side.

I checked other translations to be sure I had the image correct.

Divided/Split Apart/Separated/Parted

• NABRE “The sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up.”
• NET “The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up”
• NAS “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up”
• Holman “The sky separated like a scroll being rolled up”
• Aramaic “And the Heavens were parted like scrolls being rolled up”

Departed/Vanished/Receded/Was Removed/Rolled Up/Passed Away

• KJB, LDS, Webster’s “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together”
• Young’s Literal “and heaven departed as a scroll rolled up”
• ISV and God’s Word “The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up”
• ESV “The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up”
• NIV “The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up”
• ASV, ERV “And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up”
• WEB “The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up”
• NLT “The sky was rolled up like a scroll”
• Weymouth “The sky too passed away, as if a scroll were being rolled up”

When the sky splits open, it will presumably reveal something. My first thought about that puzzling image was that it reminded me of what John said right after Letter Seven:

After this I had a vision of an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpetlike voice that had spoken to me before, saying, ‘Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards’. At once I was caught up in spirit. A throne was there in heaven. [Rev 4:1-2]

This seems valid, since the images of doors – locked and open – feature prominently in the Letters that occur right before (Philadelphia) and right after (Laodicea) the opening of Seal Six.

The other image that jumps to mind is the veil in the Temple that tore down the middle when Jesus died, revealing the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant, which were representations of God’s dwelling place in Heaven. Keep in mind that any “door” God rips in the sky will be trans-dimensional. We’re not talking about the out-dated, simplistic cosmology of God’s dwelling place being literally above the sky; we know it’s not. Still, I think the graphic below is helpful in visualizing the “torn scroll sky as door to Heaven” event.

There is one further piece of evidence for my interpretation that I want to share here before I let you go. Revelation 6:13 does not just say, “The stars in the sky fell to the earth,” but that they fell “like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind.” Is it just me or does fruit plopping out of a tree just not spring to mind as a descriptor for flaming meteors streaking down?

John’s incongruous fig image stuck in my head, so when I was reading the Olivet Discourse, I was absolutely stunned to realize that, in all three Gospels, the exact same two lines follow immediately after the list of sky signs:

Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates. (Matthew 24:29-33, Mark 13: 24-29, Luke 21:25-31).

Wow. Stars falling and fig trees. Jesus at the gates. Could it get any more obvious?

——————–

Source for parallel Bible translations @ http://bible.cc/revelation/6-14.htm.

Until I started this Revelation study, I was only aware of two End Time events – the Second Coming and the Final Judgment. I had the impression these happened together at the very end, but what I’m finding in the Scriptures is that the Second Coming comes before while the Final Judgment comes after the Great Tribulation.

In First Corinthians, St. Paul said,

“In Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.” [1 Cor 15:22-24]

These look like three separate events to me.

• 1) Christ the firstfruits.
• 2) Then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
• 3) Then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom.

I found another multi-part End Time prophecy in Isaiah 25 that seems to support this interpretation:

“On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations. He will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces.” [Is 25:7-8]

• 1) He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples.
• 2) He will destroy the web that is woven over all nations.
• 3) He will destroy death forever.

and

• 1, 2, 3) The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces.

If these three sets of threes really are matchers, they should line up convincingly without any twisting of Scripture. The ones all match up beautifully.

1) Christ the firstfruits. Jesus’ rose on the Feast of Firstfruits. The First Triduum timeline was:

1. Friday, April 3, 33 AD – Preparation Day: Jesus was being crucified while Passover lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple.
2. Saturday, April 4, 33 AD – Sabbath Passover: Jesus was in the tomb on a day when the mandated Passover rest day coincided with the mandated Sabbath rest day. A day of double rest like this is called a High Sabbath.
3. Sunday, April 5, 33 AD – Feast of Firstfruits: Jesus rose from the dead. In biblical times, the first crop harvested in spring-time was barley, a very important staple in the diet of the Jewish people, particularly for the poor who could not afford wheat. Leviticus records God’s command that newly harvested barley not be eaten until the firstfruits of that harvest had been offered to Him on the day after the Sabbath that fell within the week-long Festival of Unleavened Bread. In 33 AD, this fell on the Sunday Jesus rose from the dead.

1) He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples.

• VEIL: “When Jesus died, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.” [Matt 21:50-53]
• DEATH: “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala saw the stone removed from the tomb.” [John 20:1, paraphrased]

1) The Lord will wipe away tears.

“Mary of Magdala stayed outside the tomb weeping. Then, Jesus appeared and said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Go to my brothers and tell them.’ So she went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’.” [John 20:11-18, paraphrased]

So far so good. But we must be very cautious when moving from recounting the events of the first Holy Week, which are well attested to by history, into interpreting the confusing and much disputed prophecies regarding the Second Coming and Final Judgment. In particular, we need to understand what the torn veil and moved stone mean.

The Veil

The Tabernacle in the Jewish Temple had two rooms – the most sacred inner room where God’s presence dwelt and the sacred outer room where priests kept the seven oil lamps on the menorah lit continually, burned incense twice a day, and changed out the twelves loaves of showbread once a week.

The veil was an enormous embroidered curtain that hung between the two rooms to protect sinners from the perfection of God. It was too big and too thick to have been torn by any action of man. When Jesus died, the veil miraculously tore from top to bottom, signifying that Jesus had paid for all our sins. Through him, we have no need for a barrier. “Through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil.” [Hebrews 10:19-22]

The Stone

The tearing of the veil was both miraculous and a sign; so too was the moving of the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. Matthew tells us it was moved by an angel, who said to Mary Magdalene and her companion, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” [Matt 28:1-6, paraphrased]

Jesus himself clearly did not need the stone moved to exit the tomb; on the road to Emmaus he “vanished from their sight” [Luke 24:31] then later appeared to them inside a locked room [John 20:19]. No, the moving of the stone was for us, a miraculous sign that Jesus had conquered death “and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” [2 Tim 1:10]

This has gotten long, so I’ll let you go with this interesting thought:

The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God’s dwelling place, to which we have access now through Christ. If you keep the Temple Tabernacle in mind, the geography of John’s visions are easier to visualize.

• God’s throne is located in the Holy of Holies.
• The “seven spirits before his throne” are the flames of the menorah.
• The souls of the martyrs (Seal Five) are under the altar of showbread.
• And the angel with the gold censer is at the altar of incense.

I need to jump ahead for a skinny minute and show you why I think the Seven Trumpets and the Seven Bowls repeat the pattern I found with the Seven Letters and Seven Seals. Namely, they provide us with parallel (not consecutive) descriptions of seven (not fourteen) End Times events. As before, they break down into four natural and/or man-made disasters, plus three supernatural disasters.

Trumpet One and Bowl One could be describing something natural, like a really horrific meteor shower. Or it could be describing World War III fought with biological, chemical and nuclear WMDs. Maybe both. It is the end of the world, after all.

Trumpet Two and Bowl Two: Something huge hitting the ocean could set off boat-destroying tsunamis. The boats in the photo were beached by one.

The deaths and red water are also easily accounted for by some massive disruption in the temperature and salinity of the sea where the “burning mountain” falls. Photos below: In the last couple of years, three salt water areas turned to “blood” when something set off a red algae bloom.

Trumpet Three and Bowl Three: Disruptions in fresh water quality can also cause a “blood” effect and make the water undrinkable. Photos below: In the last couple of years, three fresh water areas turned to “blood” for various reasons. Red algae is a marine organism, but as I understand it, the French lake did experience an influx of salt water for some reason. In Texas, prolonged drought caused the reservoir water to evaporate, leaving high concentrations of organic material and very little oxygen in the remaining water. The fish died and a red bacteria flourished. In China, the cause was believed to be a pollutant or a dye spill. In areas where the soil is red, a mud slide can also have this effect.

I’m not bothered much by the “third” vs. “all” in either the salt or fresh water scenarios; they could easily be the result of the seer having been shown the same events from two points of view, one more global (a third) and one closer in (all).

Trumpet Four and Bowl Four: Together, these accurately describe what scientists believe would happen if a large-scale war set numerous cities ablaze simultaneously, pumping major amounts of smoke into the upper atmosphere, where it would spread and block the sun, moon and stars globally.

• A 2007 study concluded that if one-third of the world’s current nuclear arsenal were detonated, the resulting climate disruption would be catastrophic and last for many years. Global precipitation and average surface temperatures would drop dramatically.
• A 2008 study further concluded that the smoke from such a large nuclear exchange would also trigger a series of destructive chemical reactions in the ozone layer that protects us from most of the DNA-damaging UV rays coming from the Sun.

Diagram below show how these climatic disruptions would be largest over the land areas where much of the world’s food is grown.

As we had with the Letters and Seals, an interlude in the text separates the sevens into a group of fours and a group of three. Another interlude separates the threes into a group of twos and a pair of ones. The interlude after the 4th Trumpet is the Three Woes (Rev 8). The interlude after 6th Trumpet is the Small Scroll and the Two Witnesses (Rev 10 and 11).

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_layer

UPDATE: I added a chart of the first Fours.

If you’re new to this series, catch up @

• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-twenty/
• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-nineteen/ (and prev)

I’ve talked about how, in the Book of Revelation, the first four of the seven Letters and the first four of the seven Seals work in parallel to describe the first 1500 years of Christian history, from the Age of the Apostles up to the Reformation. I’ve also shown how the four Seraphim, the four Horsemen and the interlude at the end of the fourth Letter suggest that these first four Letters/Seals are distinct in some way from the last three Letters/Seals.

In Scripture, seven is the number for completeness, because it is made up of four, the number for all that God created, plus three, the number for God Himself.

The first four Letters are about the four types of temporal relationships that political bodies can have with believers – tolerant, hostile, controlling and controlled.

The first four Seals are about the four types of temporal suffering God sends to chastise wayward believers – “sword, famine, wild beasts and plague” (Ezekiel 14:21).

I was stumped for weeks as to what the the second three Letters/Seals had to do with each other or with anything else. Then I noticed there is another interlude between the sixth and seventh Seals that could indicate the three is comprised of a two – for a matching and/or contrasting pair – plus a one – for God. This happens elsewhere in Scripture.

For example, there were three in the Garden of Eden, the two first humans (one male and one female) and one God the Father. Similarly, there were three crucified at Golgotha, two criminals (one lost and one saved), plus one God the Son.

Letters Five and Six

The first four Letters covered the ages of the church from Jesus to the Reformation, addressing the four types of relationships that can exist between political and religious institutions.

I think Letters Five and Six contrast the kind of relationships that can exist between individual believers and religious institutions.

Sardis is addressed to the insider in a church community, a person whose activities in the church give him a reputation as a good Christian. My mother always called this kind of person “a pillar of the church” (and not always in the nicest way).

Philadelphia is addressed to the outsider in a church community, a person who doesn’t fit in very well (or at all), but whose faith is true. Jesus promised to make this person into “a pillar in the temple of my God.”

[For a longer discussion of Letters Five and Six, see “The Seven Churches of Revelation, part seventeen” @ https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-seventeen/%5D

Seals Five and Six

The first four Seals also covered the ages of the church from Jesus to the Reformation, addressing human suffering via the four types of God’s Tough Love – war, hunger, disease and natural disasters.

I think Seals Five and Six continue the theme of suffering, bracketing the historical period from 1517 until the “great day of God’s wrath” (whatever that is).

Fifth Seal (Rev 6:9-11): The Beginning of the Age of Many Churches (ca 1517)

When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God.

They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?”

Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.

About 70 million Christians have been killed for their faith since Jesus walked the Earth.

• Most of them have been since the Protestant Reformation began in 1517.
• Sixty-five percent (about 45.5 million) were killed just in the 20th century!

Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12-17): The End of the Age of Many Churches (Only God knows the date or hour)

Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth and the whole moon became like blood.

The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind. Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

The kings of the earth, the nobles, the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags. They cried out to the mountains and the rocks,

“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come and who can withstand it?”

All the way through the first five Letters, Jesus says he will come at some point, but as you read through the Letters, the urgency increases until He says to (6) Philadelphia, “I am coming quickly”, then to (7) Laodicea, “I stand at the door.”

It seems to me that something really dramatic has to happen between Philadelphia and Laodicea, KWIM?

This is when the interlude in the seven Seals occurs. And it’s a BIG interlude … all of chapter 7!

I need to keep working on this, so just let me close with this thought.

I’m trying really hard here to stick to the Scriptures and not impose any denominational bias on what I see in the words. I’ve read up a bit on Catholic teaching about the Rapture. [Summary: “There ain’t gonna be one.”] But I am finding evidence for it in my own Scripture studies that doesn’t include any of the interpretations or citations I’ve found anywhere else. So maybe I’m wayyyyyyy off. Or maybe not. In short … please keep that salt flowing and be assured that I am well aware of the fact that I have to answer to God Almighty for every word I post on this subject.

————

Sources:

• New American Bible online @ http://www.usccb.org/bible/
• Conclusions of Study of Christian Martyrs http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=26402
• History of Christianity http://creationwiki.org/History_of_Christianity

If you’re new to this series, catch up @ https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-nineteen/ (and prev)

The first book I read about the Book of Revelation was written in 1880. The author held to the idea that the Letters describe historical periods. The author mentioned that this idea had generally fallen out of favor with other Bible scholars, but I was intrigued by it. I did my own pondering and concluded he was right in general, but wrong about the historical times he assigned to each of the Letters.

Recently, I got hold of a 2006 book that cites Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, J. Vernon McGee and the author, Daymond R. Duck, all espousing the Letters as Church Ages interpretation, so I guess the idea came back into vogue at some point. I disagree with all their dates and they disagree with each other, but I can’t comment beyond that, since the book just lists the Letters and historical dates for each of the four men, without explaining anything.

Nevertheless, they all seem to share the same anti-Catholic bias from which the 1880 author also suffered. I attribute this to two things.

• One: Protestants seem to have little to no interest in the history of Christianity between Justinian and Martin Luther.
• Two: Catholics are actively discouraged from participating in End Times prophecy discussions. The prevailing attitude in Catholic circles is that the Book of Revelation is about stuff that happened a long time ago, so we shouldn’t bother our pretty little heads about it.

Too bad I don’t listen so good. ;o) Or maybe not. I concentrated in Medieval Studies in college and taught RCIA at my parish. I bring some things to this discussion that others do not, like a solid grounding in the good stuff about Catholicism and no indoctrination into a particular End Time interpretation. Plus, I have always hung out with non-Catholic Christians who, too often, have a more vibrant faith than the folks in my own home parish pews, so I’ve got no prejudice against any denomination. I think this all allows me to come at Revelation with fresh eyes.

As for the words of Jesus that are oft-repeated by Catholics when End Times prophecy comes up – “Of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. [Matt 24:36] – I’d just like to point out that the entire chapter prior to this verse is full of signs of the End Times, at the end of which, Jesus said: “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates.” [Matt 24:32-35]  It seems to me we’re supposed to be watching and understanding the signs, not so we can go all hysterical, but so we can be ready.

When our kids were deployed, we never knew the “day and hour” they’d return until they literally marched in the door. But we always had a general idea, along the lines of “mid to late August” or something. They were not allowed to communicate specifics about troop movements, but as the time grew closer, we’d get tidbits of information and the FRG would start sending updates for those families that wanted to be on base for the welcoming ceremony.

But even then, the wait at the base could be hours long, as families with signs and flags and squirmy kids sat in bleachers waiting and waiting and waiting. Then the door would burst open and they’d march in.

And everyone would start screaming and cheering.

They’d line up and the CO would give a “Mission Accomplished” speech.

Then they’d be released, at which point, the folks in the bleachers would flood down to the floor for hugs and tears and photos.

That’s how I feel about Jesus coming again. I am eager for the “day and hour” and I want to understand all the signs. If that makes me a crappy Catholic, so be it.

————

Sources:

New American Bible online @ http://www.usccb.org/bible/

If you’re new to this series, catch up @

https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-eighteen/ (and prev)

I make jewelry, so I figured these gemstone references would be a quick study. Ha! Silly me.

• Revelation 4 says, “On the throne sat one whose appearance sparkled like JASPER and CARNELIAN. Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an EMERALD.”
• Exodus 24 says, “Moses beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be SAPPHIRE tilework, as clear as the sky itself.”

It seems mineralogy didn’t even exist until the 16th c. AD, so the gem names we use don’t correspond to the ones used in the Bible. On top of that, different translators choose different modern gem names, depending on what they think the original authors might have meant. Said translators don’t seem to know much about the history of gems in the Middle East, since “sapphire” is common in Bible translations, but the gemstone we know as sapphire was unknown to the people who wrote the originals. Ahem.

Unlike sapphires, emeralds were very well known among the people of the Bible lands. One of the earliest known emerald mines were located near the Red Sea in Egypt. Cleopatra is said to have been particularly fond of them.

We also need to remember that whatever Bible writers meant by “sparkle” isn’t the dazzling display we see in our faceted gemstones. As you can see above, ancient jewelers could do some faceting, but the type that makes transparent and translucent gems really flash wasn’t invented until the 14th century AD and the “Father of Modern Diamong Cutting”, Louis de Berquen of Flanders, lived in the 15th century AD.

The gems (and settings) with which both the Old and New Testament writers were familiar looked more like the 10th c. AD Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire:

Learning these things made the scripture passages above both more and less puzzling. Yes, emeralds can sparkle brilliantly, if they’re facet cut. Cabochons? Meh. Not so much.

I have particular trouble with “sparkled like jasper and carnelian”, seeing as jasper and carnelian are both opaque stones, so “shine” yes, “sparkle” no.

Not to mention that “sapphire tilework” (or lapis lazuli for that matter) is never, to my knowledge, “as clear as the sky itself.” As far as my visualizing goes, I’m at the point of assuming the stones refer to color and signify high status, royalty, wealth. It seems fairly certain that emerald means green, sapphire (lapis lazuli) means blue, and carnelian means orangey-red.

Hmm … come to think … those colors make up three parts of the four natural elements – green for EARTH, blue for WATER, orange-red for FIRE — which leaves jasper for AIR.

Jasper proved to be a gigantic puzzle. Mineralogy defines jasper as an opaque, impure variety of silica that was a favorite gem in the ancient world.

One site says the name means “spotted or speckled stone.” Another notes the Hebrew word that gets translated to jasper – “yashepheh” – comes from a root word meaning “to polish.” Either works, since jaspers are multi-colored and capable of taking a high polish.

“Jasper” is also a variation of the Persian name Kaspar or Gaspar, meaning ‘treasurer or treasure bringer.” This is considered to be the source for the name “Casper” for the Magus who brought Baby Jesus a gift of frankincense. The proper names given the Magi are not biblical; they date from the early Middle Ages. This one is fun, though, since it connects up the visions of heaven with Baby Jesus, wealth and the incense that carries our prayers.

Pliny the Elder, who lived and wrote around the same time that the book of Revelation was written, describes “iaspis” (the Greek word in Revelation that gets translated into “jasper”) as “being green and often transparent.” Color me confused! Jaspers come in an astonishing variety of colors, but they’re all basically opaque.

To be sure, “green and often transparent” works a heckuva lot better for AIR than any of the opaque stones we properly classify as jasper. But … the other two familiar greenish, transparent gemstones, were (like emerald) known in ancient times and had their own names (that weren’t yashepheh or iaspis).

The only gemstone I could find that might fit what Pliny was describing is now known as “hiddenite.” It ranges from light to dark green and is transparent. Although it was only recently discovered (ca. 1879 in North Carolina), deposits have since been found in Brazil, China, Madagascar, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Note the AFGHANISTAN. Lapis lazuli was being mined in Afghanistan as early as the 3rd millennium BC. Lapis jewelry has been found in archeological digs much older than our Bible passages and in places as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania, on the far western side of Northern Africa.

It seems very possible to me that what we now call hiddenite was mined somewhere, maybe Afghanistan, back in 1st c. AD, when it was known as “iaspis”, but that the mine played out and knowledge of the gem itself was lost until the 19th century. It sure fits the bill! And I really like it for AIR.

Revelation 4 says, “On the throne sat one whose appearance sparkled like hiddenite/AIR and carnelian/FIRE. Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald/EARTH.”

Exodus 24 says, “Moses beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be lapis lazuli/WATER tilework, as clear as the sky itself.”

Wow … now THAT I can visualize!

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Sources:

• New American Bible online @ http://www.usccb.org/bible/
• Precious stones of the Bible @ http://www.preciousstonesofthebible.com/stonegallery.html
• Cutting and polishing a raw gemstone @ http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/students/polishing/project.htm
• What is Jasper? @ http://www.thatcrystalsite.com/articles/what-is-jasper.php
• Jasper @ http://www.desertrosedirect.com/stone-database/jasper.html
• Jasper @ http://original.biblebrowser.com/hebrew/3471.htm
• Jasper @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_%28name%29
• History of Emeralds @ http://www.jewelsforme.com/emerald-history.asp
• Ancient Sculpture Gallery @ http://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/j010.html
• Hiddenite @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiddenite
• Hiddenite @ http://www.thunderhealing.com/rock/h.html
• And other sites I forgot to copy/paste.

If you’re new to this series, catch up @

• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-thirteen/ (and prev)
• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-fourteen/
• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-fifteen/
• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-sixteen/
• https://polination.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-part-seventeen/

I’ve been trying to understand what, if any, correlation there might be between the last three Letters and the last three Seals. But I got kind of side-tracked, trying to visualize the geography of Heaven. I’m a very visual person, so I need the pictures in my head to make some kind of sense.

The seventh and last Revelation Letter (Laodicea) ends in Chapter 3, verse 22: “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” In the very next lines (Rev 4:1ff), John reports being “caught up” and taken through “an open door to heaven”, where he saw a throne:

On the throne sat one whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald. In front of the throne was something that resembled a sea of glass like crystal.

Exodus 24 reports God’s floor similarly:

Moses beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be sapphire tilework, as clear as the sky itself.

Ezekiel (Ez 1:1ff) describes God’s floor from underneath. N.b., Firmament is Bible speak for sky.

Above the firmament … was the likeness of a throne that looked like sapphire; and upon this likeness of a throne was seated, up above, a figure that looked like a human being. … Something like the appearance of fire and brilliant light [like a rainbow] surrounded him. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

Besides the “floor of Heaven is our sky” thing, we also learn from various Bible visionaries about two different kinds of angels. Six-winged seraphim, who worship God in Heaven around the throne, and four-winged cherubim, who appear to have some guardian/warrior type functions down here in our atmosphere.

Note: The singulars are seraph and cherub; plurals are seraphs or seraphim and cherubs or cherubim, though cherubim is preferred, what with the mixing up of cherubs with putti. See below.

SERAPHIM

[Revelation 4:7-8] The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, [who] were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

[Isaiah 6:1-3] I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,a with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other: “Holy, holy, holy* is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!”

I’m thinking the “multitude of the heavenly host” who appeared at Christ’s birth were also seraphim. Luke 2:13-15 says they sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”, and then they “went away from [the shepherds] to heaven.”

CHERUBIM

[Genesis 3:24] God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, “stationing the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword east of the garden of Eden, to guard the way.”

[Ezekiel 1:3-10] Four living creatures appeared. They were in human form, but each had four faces, a human face, and on the right the face of a lion, and on the left, the face of an ox, and each had the face of an eagle. Each had four wings; human hands were under their wings. Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass.

PUTTI

Those fat little baby angels we mistakenly refer to as cherubs are obviously NOT the cherubim of the Bible. The correct term for them is putti (singular: putto). Originally, putti were totally secular spirits in Classical mythology, like Cupid.

In their enthusiasm for Greek and Roman stuff, Renaissance artists started mushing putti into Christian scenes. Below: Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. They’re cute, but they’re not biblical.

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Sources:

New American Bible online @ http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Putto @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putto