Revealing the Hidden Secrets

Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Brief Survey

First: The man behind the Revelation

Second: The Outline of the Revelation

Introduction

Chapter 1

Glory in the Highest

I. The Marvelous King

II. The Honorable One

III. The Angelic Host

Chapter 2

The Church

on Earth

I. Form of the Church

II. History of the Church

III. The Time of the Church

IV. Reign of the Church

Chapter 3

Anti-Christ in the World

I. The World’s Great Events

II. The Road to the End

III. Armageddon

Chapter 4

The Real Life

I. The Last Day

II. Eternal Life

Chapter 5

The Soul of Revelation’s Message

Afterword

Subjects Indexed

Bibliography

This book is dedicated to the memory

of Claud Beckham, the gentleman and

the friend, whom I will never forget.

Acknowledgments

This book is for you and for all those who believe that we still have a chance to make a better world and avoid a dark future.

Special appreciation is due to Cynthia Snyder for her work with me. In fact, Cynthia did much more than just correct my English grammar: She was the first-hand reader to my drafts, and many times challenged my analysis and my argument.

Special thanks also to Professor Maher Rizkalla, from Purdue University School of Engineering and Technology, for his goodness to me and my family since we moved to Indiana.

This book is for everyone, in the sense that it is not against any denomination or any individual. The Word of God never was anti-personal; all of it is for people’s own good.

I believe we are all in the same boat, facing the same challenges from the same deceiver, who is the only real enemy of the entire human race.

Foreword

This book, which I am glad to present, is a result of some years of careful study and deep research. In fact, the idea to write a commentary on the Revelation to John goes back to the year 2001, after the disaster of September 11.

On that day I felt shock, as did many here and around the world; and my puzzled mind asked what this ordeal denoted. I started my research looking for a sign to lead me, something to help understand the event. But, I confess, neither from the world media nor from Bible prophecy did I find anything that could give a sharp answer about what had just happened in America.

Two years after that, by the year 2003, America launched its military campaign in the land of the Euphrates. Along with the occupation of Iraq, something unexpected occurred. Instead of prosperity and freedom, the land of the Euphrates turned to great disorder. Day after day, the most rich and secular country among the Arab nations drained away from its former wealth and power. And the clouds of civil war appeared on the horizon, along with unbelievable havoc. At that time, I remembered that the book of the Revelation to John mentioned the Euphrates two times (Rv 9:14, 16:12), and referred to the Iraqi river being dried up.

So the land of the Euphrates was the target of 9/11, not America as we all think.

At last, I understood that the solo super power was a toy in the Devil’s hand. Satan used the most powerful nation in the world, the mighty America, to dry Euphrates. Then the door can open to Eastern troops, which will march toward the Battle of Armageddon.

That being said, keep in mind that I am not a politician, and my book is not intended to discuss a political matter. But have no doubt, if I have something to say within a theological framework, I will not hesitate to stand up for it.

Thus, this was the first clue I caught. From there, little by little, the hidden secrets in the book of the Revelation to John revealed themselves, and the whole picture, which once was an ambiguous code, became readable.

Perhaps the most astonishing discovery is the huge number of specific details, systematized in an amazing order. This is true whether the Revelation to John speaks about world events or Church events.

At this point, I must clarify that my book is written for the general welfare of both Christian and non-believing readers. That is because part of my book concerns everything belonging to the Church, while the other part makes serious points pertaining to the world.

Therefore, if you are an entry-level Christian, it is important for you to know the whole picture of the Church and her history, for your eternal life depends completely on your decision to be on the right side. Also, if you are to be in God’s house for a long time, it is good for you to elevate your soul much higher than a worldly perspective.

If, on the other hand, you are an atheist, who relies only upon the human senses and denies the existence of heaven, you will also benefit from my work. The part of the book that focuses upon earthly conditions uses logical methods to prove that there is no way for any human to know the times and ages of the future; that is for God alone to know.

Finally, am I qualified to write a commentary work about the Revelation to John?

Well, I have a Master of Theology degree from Seton Hall University. I also have a deep passion for God’s Word, particularly everything relative to history and prophecy. Even before my graduate theology work, when I was teaching Sunday school, Bible study was my favorite pastime. But beyond my qualifications, it is my hope that the book itself will prove my ability to produce a unique, logical and spiritual work.

Therefore, I encourage you to read my book for your own benefit, and for the salvation of the world; and remember that the time is very short.

If you do not take my word seriously, please look around you … in the land of the Euphrates, in the European Union, in the Middle East with the Arab-Israeli conflict, and at the developing situation with Iran… and then add to that what we see in the Christian world, inside many so-called churches.

Just remember that God’s business is not subject to our mood, but is a life or death question.

Brief Survey

First: The man behind the Revelation

Without taking the tradition of the Church into consideration, it will be difficult to establish a solid connection between the John whose name appears four times in the book of the Revelation (Rv 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8) and John the apostle of Jesus Christ who wrote the fourth gospel and the letters of 1, 2 and 3 John.

Undoubtedly, John is the name of the man through whom the book of the Revelation came to us. Furthermore, it appears that John of the Revelation was well know to the seven churches of Asia (Rv 1:4), not only as their brother and partner in hardship (Rv 1:9), but also as the one they knew was on the island of Patmos on account of the word of God and of witness to Jesus (Rv 1:9). However, the tradition of the Church links the Apostle John with one of those churches in Asia, especially Ephesus. The tradition of the Church also is our source for believing that John the apostle was exiled to the island of Patmos in the reign of the Emperor Domitian about AD 95. Therefore, according to the tradition of the Church, we can accept easily that the man who wrote the book of Revelation is the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn 21:20).

John was a Galilean fisherman, from Capernaum on the shore of the lake of Galilee. There he lived with his father Zebedee and his mother Salome, and his older brother, James. Fishing was certainly Zebedee’s family business and the main source of their income.

It seems that fishing provided enough for all the family to live comfortably, if not wealthily. They would hire people to work for them (Mk 1:20). Perhaps because of that business, Zebedee was well known even in Jerusalem and in the high priest’s house (Jn 18:15-16); and Salome, too, was able to give money to Jesus’ ministry (Lk 8:3; Mk 15:40-41). Besides, while John and his brother James helped their father, they worked their own business with Peter (Lk 5:10). It appears that they and Peter each had a share in one fishing boat or probably more (Lk 5:11). So John was in a good living with a bright future the day Jesus called him.

Amazingly, John left everything and followed Jesus (Mt 4:21-22; Mk 1: 19-20).

From that day on John became one of three special disciples around the Lord. John, with Peter and James, were the only three in Jarius’ house when the Lord raised Jarius’ daughter from death (Mk 5:22-43). The three were also witnesses of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1). Furthermore, John was one of the three on Gethsemane, who saw Jesus’ agony (Mk 14:33-34).

After the resurrection of the Lord, when the New Testament Church was established, John’s status never changed. He continued to be, with Peter and James, the ones recognized as pillars in the Church (Ga 2:9). Therefore, in all the lists of the disciples, his name always is among the first four names (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:14-19; Lk 16: 13-16; Ac 1:13).

John was favored because of the wonderful faith he had ever since he saw Jesus and stayed with him all day (Jn 1:39). In that day, he believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Jn 20:31).

However, John’s inflexible individuality and his narrow-mindedness, which did not allow him to recognize the aliens (Mk 9:38; Lk 9:49 and 54) was still needed for a long time to change into another man. John turned from a man in love with the law to a man who appreciated the law of love.

According to the tradition of the Church, John lived until the end of the First Century, residing into his old age in Ephesus. There he sleeps and was buried.

John is the only disciple who went to heaven without being martyred. He also is the only one to whom Jesus gave the care of his mother, Mary, the mother of the Lord. Also he is the only one chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal to us the secrets of the future in the book of the Revelation to John. Finally, John was the only disciple about whom the Lord said to Peter If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? (Jn 21:21).

Second: The Outline of the Revelation

The book of the Revelation to John has an introduction, eight parts, and a conclusion.

I. Introduction: Rv 1:1-20

• The Revelation is about what is now to take place very soon (1:1).

• From John to the seven churches of Asia (1:4, with apostolic greeting, 1:5)

• Description of the Son of Man (1:12-20)

II. First Part: The seven letters to the churches of Asia (Rv ch. 2-3)

• To the church in Ephesus (2:1-7)

• To the church in Smyrna (2:8-11)

• To the church in Pergamum (2:12-17)

• To the church in Thyatira (2:18-29)

• To the church ins Sardis (3:1-6)

• To the church in Philadelphia (3:7-13)

• To the church in Laodicea (3:14-22)

III. Second Part: Vision (Rv ch. 4-5)

• Throne standing in heaven (ch. 4).

• A Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed (ch. 5)

IV. Third Part: The seven seals (Rv 6:1-17; 8: 1-6)

• A white horse (6:1-2)

• A red horse (6:3-4)

• A black horse (6:5-6)

• A pale horse (6:7-8)

• The souls of all the people who had been killed (6:9-11)

• A violent earthquake (6:12-17)

• There was a silence in heaven for about half an hour (8:1-6)

V. Fourth Part: Vision (Rv ch. 7)

• A hundred and forty-four thousand (7:1-8)

• A huge number of people, impossible for anyone to count (7:9-17)

VI. Fifth Part: The seven trumpets (Rv 8:7-13; 9: 1-21; 11:15-19)

• Hail and fire mixed with blood (8:7)

• A great mountain blazing with fire (8:8-9)

• A huge star fell from the sky (8:10-11)

• A third of the sun and third of the moon and a third of the stars were blasted (8:12-13)

• A star had fallen from heaven (9:1-12)

• Release the four angels that are chained up at the great river Euphrates (9:13-21)

• The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Christ (11:15-19)

VII.Sixth Part: Vision (Rv 10:1-11; 11:1-14; ch. 12-15)

• A small scroll (10:1-11)

• Measuring God’s sanctuary and the altar; facts of the Holy City; the two witnesses (11:1-14)

• The woman and the dragon (12:1-17)

• Two beasts (13:1-18)

• Mount Zion, the Lamb, and 144,000 people (14:1-13)

• One like a Son of Man sitting on a white cloud (14:14-20)

• Before the bowls of plagues (15:1-8)

VIII. Seventh Part: The seven bowls of plagues (Rv 16:1-21)

• Disgusting and virulent sores (16:1-21)

• The sea turned into blood, like the blood of a corpse (16:3)

• The rivers and springs of water turned into