I cannot compete with all the information you seem to have at hand regarding the Book of Revelation and its interpretation but I can speak from my study and personal revelation. I tend to ignore much of what modern Christianity has to say about any subject so in that respect I am uneducated. However, consider the following:
The Book of Revelation cannot be understood except by spiritual revelation. So many of the purported interpretations are obviously intellectual as man tries to understand the symbolism and mystery through his mind, like the hero in The DaVinci Code book. The allegory and symbolism is certainly there but understanding it requires spiritual understanding because the book speaks to spiritual fulfillments and events. John makes this clear from the outset:
�After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, �Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.� Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne�. (Revelation 4:1-20.
Most intellects tend to apply revelation to events in human history that we consider significant but often God does not place emphasis on what is noteworthy or newsworthy to us. He is speaking what is important to Him.
The Book was written originally as an encouragement to the churches overseen by John who were under great persecution at the time. The first 3 chapters are directed specifically to those churches. They contain information that is valuable to us today in how we relate to God. Analyzing all the information contained therein would require volumes but John addresses basic principles such as being lukewarm, false prophets influencing the churches, tolerationof evil spirits in their midst like Jezebel etc, returning to the first love and not to be distracted by doing many works, the influence of religion and its codes of morality and conduct, and those who have come to the point that they no longer need God because they feel they are rich and have need of nothing.
The reason the book cannot be literally, intellectually applied to this event or that is that it really is speaking in broad and sweeping terms. For one example intellectuals put the appearing of the anti-Christ at the end of time when John himself said the anti-Christ existed as early as his time. He said: �Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour� (1 John 2:18). Antichrist is a spirit, one who denies Christ and can appear anywhere and at any time. Looking for the appearance of that spirit in one person in the end time contradicts scripture.
The Book is speaking of nations and peoples and events in general. Neither are they necessarily sequential in their unfolding. No one can argue that in the 2000 years since Christ we have had great wars, severe famines, devastating plagues, natural disasters, upheavals and tribulations such as the world has never seen before. The plague in the 1500s in Europe killed a third or more of the population of the entire earth. Wars and conflicts killed countless millions. The 4 horseman of the apocalypse have done their work i.e the white horse the conqueror, the red horse death, the black horse economic disaster and the ashen horse plagues and pestilence. These we have had with us for the entirety of human existence including the last 2000 years.
If I was to undertake to tell you all about the Book of Revelation and the spiritual meanings of its mysteries it would take more time than I have now and volumes of literature explaining the true meaning of the beast, the false prophet, the 2 witnesses, 666, the woman with the 12 stars etc but to get what God is saying you don�t even need to know all of that.
Remember this: The true title of the Book is: �The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ� as revealed to John the Beloved Disciple. Its not really about the end times and the end of the earth. It is about a revealing of Jesus Christ which has been unfolding since man fell from the Garden. It is a book of hope promising that through all the trials and tribulations of man through the ages that God promises a Kingdom, His kingdom, the New Heaven and the New Earth that will come and encompass the earth. Then he will wipe the tears from man�s eyes, abolish sickness, abolish death, banish the evil one and exalt those who through all this remained faithful. False religion will also be done away with, the religion that in the name of God intermingled with Kings and evil nations to from an alliance of evil that was very nearly destructive. God says that unless the time was cut short that no flesh would remain alive. The Book is a book of worship because of the overwhelming love of God for humanity. He reveals himself in the Book. He says that through all of the hardships that we were on His mind the whole time and stands ready to forgive and deliver beyond our wildest expectations.
After the fall God subjected all of creation to futility from its former state of perfection. Paul said: �For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God�( Romans 8:20-21). Futility is a state of chaos that produces nothing of any value. In depicting the seven seals, trumpets etc. God is describing this state of futility that will exist until His Son sits on the throne. All of the tribulations and so called events are simply the unveiling of the extent of the futility the sin of man initiated by his disobedience which aptly describes the human condition that has existed through the ages. In order to reveal Christ He must also reveal the extent of what Christ actually did in delivering us from this futility which includes all the terrifying events depicted in the Book of Revelation.
Also important is that Paul said it was us, the true Sons of God, who will deliver creation from this divinely imposed futility. Paul goes on to say: �The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God�... For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body� (Romans 8:16-18, 20-23).
Paul says the sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed. Revelation confirms this, Despite the sufferings of man under futility the appearing of Christ does away with futility so thoroughly that they are forgotten in view of the glory revealed. All of creation (animal, vegetable, stars and the cosmos and man) groans for this deliverance to fully take place. Fact be known it is happening now, for those with eyes to see it, but that�s another subject.
Revelation shows the magnitude of the evil that was released into the world by just the one act of disobedience. It was unnecessary in that if man had obeyed God from the beginning the course to perfection would have been much easier. But alas, man had to suffer as depicted in the Book, just as Christ had to suffer in order to unravel the situation that we put ourselves in in the first place.
Having said all that you got me interested in all of this so I will share with you what is probably the true meaning of some of the symbolism contained in the Book. Below is a brief overview. There is much more that could be said.
Having understood that all the evils released by the opening of the seals, the trumpets and the terrors to be a description of the evil released by man�s original sin, consider the following.
First of all in Chapter 7, 2 distinct groups are recognized-the 144,000 (Rev, 7:4-8) and the multitude (vs. 9-11). Since physical Israel was no longer the favored nation after Christ (see Romans chapters 9-11) the 144,000 are the select group who takes part in the first resurrection. Revelation 20:6 says: �Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years�. The number 144,000 is not literal but symbolic of members of the original 12 tribes of Israel that carried the promise of God to physical Israel and ultimately to all of humanity. Thus the 144,000 are the saints of God, or those conformed to his image, who have thoroughly had their robes washed in Christ�s blood making them perfect. The second group is probably comprised of all the Christians who have been saved, that is who have received Christ as their Savior. 2 Thessalonians also makes a distinction between the two groups. Speaking of Christ�s return Paul said: �� when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at [or admired by] among all who have believed� (2 Thess 1:10). Thus Christ is revealed in one group and admired by the second group.
That there are those who are to be conformed to the image of Christ, and be Sons like him, is without dispute in the scriptures. John said: �Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, (1 John 3:2). Hebrews is clear that it is God�s purpose to bring many Sons, like Christ, to glory (Hebrews 2:10).
The entire Old Testament, for that matter, is a type and shadow of the Christ that was to come. Christ told the Pharisees: �You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;� (John 5:39). So the symbolism of physical Israel, symbolic of God�s chosen people, is used in Revelation and throughout the scriptures.
The woman described in chapter 12 is actually God, personified by Mary, who gave birth to Christ who was to rule and was immediately caught up to the throne. Before she gave birth Satan tried to destroy the man child, probably in many ways, but most notably through the �so called� slaughter of the innocents by Herrod. At the same time, not necessarily sequentially, the battle in heaven and the defeat and fall of Satan is depicted (see also Isaiah Chapter 14). The woman, who became symbolic of the church, went away and was protected as she gave birth to many more Sons, like Christ (see Hebrews 2:10 which says: �For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings�.
The dragon is Satan. Revelation says: �And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;� (Revelation 20:2). The dragon stood on the seashore (symbolic of the sea of humanity) and watched as the Beast emerged from the sea of humanity. The Beast represents nations and kings who have opposed God throughout the ages. As to their exact identity one can only speculate but the list must include Babylonia, Assyria, Macedonia, Rome, Persia and the great nations that at one time ruled most of the known earth at one time or another. Some speculate the identity of current nations but none of these including the United States, has exercised total power as the nations of old did. The nations were Satanically inspired in that the serpent gave them their power. When the scripture says that humanity worshipped the beast and likewise the serpent who was behind the whole thing, it does not necessarily mean worship in the religious sense. Worship literally means �to bow down to, to serve, to adore� which humanity was forced to do in view of the power of the nations over them.
Persia, although known as the liberator of the Jews, was included in the list because we know from the Book of Daniel that they were dominated by Satanic power. As Paul said we war against powers and principalities and not flesh and blood, like wise Persia was ruled by Satanic power. Daniel�s answer to prayer was delayed when the angel sent to him was delayed as follows: �But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia�. (Daniel 10:13).
The second beast, with 2 horns like a lamb, is likely the religious power who rivaled that of and co-mingled with the nations. This beast apparently came like a wolf in sheep�s (lamb�s) clothing because, although appearing like a peaceful lamb, it was in fact speaking Satanic words given to it by the dragon Satan (Revelation 13:11). These verses in chapter 13:11-15 seem to indicate the intermingling between the first beast (the nations) and religion (probably the Catholic Church, also known as the �universal church�). In view of the foregoing verses the number 666 becomes apparent.
Six is traditionally known as the number of man. Seven is the number of God and six, being below 7, indicates that man was made for a time lower than the angels in heavenly ranking. The fact that 3 sixes are mentioned is symbolic of the Satanic trinity mentioned in the preceding verses that of the serpent, the first beast of nations and the second religious beast. Scripture says that a three-fold cord is not easily broken, similar to the three fold cord of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (see Ecclesiastes 4:12). Thus the three entities formed a strong unholy alliance that exercised great power and authority. Here, their power is demonstrated in the economic realm where nothing (including essential food) can be purchased except from the three powers. Holding the purse strings means holding absolute power thus the number 666 and the mark that would prevent man from buying and selling anything except through the alliance.
Chapters 17-18 again depict the alliance between the nations and the church. The woman, who sat upon the beast of nations, was clothed in religious purple and was responsible for putting to death the true saints in the name of religion. Some say verses 17:9 et. sq. represent the seven hills of Rome upon which the city was built which would have had obvious meaning for the people of that time who read the book. Rome was first ruled by Emperors in cooperation with the church until the fall of Rome in 7 A.D. when thereafter the Church and the Popes ruled Rome for centuries. A lot of the symbolism in those chapters does refer to Rome and the church since the letter was written to churches that were under persecution by those very sources, either Rome or later the Roman religious church.
Then comes the fulfillment which is the most important part of the Book to be addressed later.
Are you trying to tell me that Revelation was written for spritual events that reflects in historical events from the past and their is no more prophecy to be fulfilled?
Seems to me Revelation would have been named conclusion!
