Over the years I've heard rumors that John of Patmos wrote the Book of Revelation while in a hallucination induced by the fungus ergot.
1. Rev 1:10 says John was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day." He was inspired by the Holy Spirit. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of prophecy and John had this gift in a big way, seeing numerous visions and revelations while on the Isle of Patmos.
2. The Bible begins with Genesis and the creation of the world and it's heavens and the things in it. It ends with the end of the world and the creation of a new heaven and earth. The book of Revelation begins with the seven churches which are a metaphoric prophecy of the age from Penticost until the end of the church age and the resurrection. I believe the woman of Thyatira could be analogous to the harlot, Mystery Babylon of Rev 17,18.
3. After the seven churches comes the opening of the sealed book with the 1st six seals a preview of the end times. The seventh seal opens the seven trumpets which go to the resurrection and catching up into heaven of the church/Christian believers at the seventh and last trumpet. The 7th trumpet also ushers in the time of the cup of God's wrath upon earth filled and the seven bowls of his wrath are poured out upon earth with bigtime global warming, lots of bad stuff and culminating at the seventh bowl with a worldwide shaking/earthquake and Armageddon leaving relatively few inhabitants left upon earth. It is at this time the Jesus returns to earth with his followers and sets up an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem, becoming literally king of the Jews as was stated on his cross and ruling the whole planet from Mt Zion/temple mount in Jerusalem.
Uriah Smith a Seventh Day Adventist from way back is not a reliable source of understanding Revelation, imo. Seventh Day Adventism has improved over the last few decades, becoming more evangelical, but they still have some problems with the prophecies according to Revelation, Daniel and some other prophets.
While looking around for any historical support for this claim, I tripped across a website that claims that Revelation is heresy.....
The prophesies of a numberless monetary system, a speaking image which people view in relation to worship, the ability to view things worldwide from one point on earth, the ability to destroy a city in an hour by fire, global warming, wild weather phenomena, a 200 million army emerging from the east, Israel becoming a nation with focus on Jerusalem, severe persecution of Christians, the ability to preach the gospel to all nations via a messenger flying/orbiting in heaven, emergence of increased grass, brush and forest fires, the emergence of one world government, etc, all of which are being fulfilled show the book to be reliable, imo.
This message has been edited by buzsaw, 07-17-2004 12:34 AM
The immeasurable present is forever consuming the eternal future and extending the infinite past. buz
™ Version 4.2
