Revelation Study Caution

veteran · Aug 22, 2010

This is a caution for the new babe in Christ Jesus. Having just come to Christ a new babe may think our Lord's Book of Revelation will immediately be opened to their understanding. I've even heard sermons that just by reading it without actually understanding it one will be blessed (misinterpretation of the Rev.1:3 verse). There's a danger in that thinking, because understanding Revelation involves an understanding especially in God's Old Testament prophets, and basically, understanding in most all of God's Word. I think many who have been studying The Bible for years well know this by now. Our Lord Jesus said...

Mark 4:23-25
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And He said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
(KJV)

In the Luke 8:18 version of that, our Lord warned to "Take heed therefore how ye hear", like with what manner you hear. It's about who, and how, we listen to God's Word. Our Lord Jesus then compared that to how well we'll be able to produce good fruit in Him.

How we approach study of our Lord's Book of Revelation is like that too. There is a danger using man's approach of progressivism to study Revelation. What I mean by that is how we're used to learning a subject in public schools or universities. With secular education, the material usually flows in order, from one chapter to the next. The next chapter picks up in order where the previous chapter left off. That is not always HOW information in our Lord's Book of Revelation is presented though. It is different in that even some parts of a prophecy covered in detail in a later chapter can be first summarized or brushed upon in an earlier chapter. An example is Rev.1:6-7 about Christ having made us kings and priests, and His coming with clouds when every eye shall see Him. That has not happenned yet, and more detail of it is given in later Revelation chapters, along with other events that go with it.

So you sit down in earnest and open our Lord's Book of Revelation, asking The LORD to open your eyes, and then go about trying to apply man's method of study to understand it, thinking that each event written as you go through its chapters 'should' happen in consecutive or chronological order, one right after the other. That won't work. The reason why is simple. The timeline of written events often move backwards and forwards in time. If you try to apply the written events in a consecutive type order like you would with a subject like history, the order of events will be all jumbled up.

There IS one specific order of events in Revelation our Lord did put in consecutive order for us, and that's the last three trumpet - woe periods. We can depend on the order of the events given within those 3 woe - 3 trumpet periods. The 3 Woes begin at the end of Rev.8, and continue through the end of Rev.11. Do you think our Lord Jesus definitely wants us to understand that particular section of events? Yes, that's the idea it's pointing to.

Evidently, our Lord did not want to reveal the order of all the Revelation events to just anyone. Simply because He moved event timelines back and forth means we have to first become familiar with the written events. And most of the symbols and metaphors in Revelation were actually given in previous Books of His Word, especially in the Old Testament prophets. That points to His wanting us to become familiar with all of His Word of Truth.

It's customary to treat all the seven seals as happenning in order first, then the seven trumpets happen in order, and then in final the seven vials for the end. Afterall, that's pretty much how those events are layed out while going through the Revelation chapters. That's about assuming the order the events are written happen in chronological order. But when you start actually comparing the type of events in the seals, trumpets, and vials with each other, you should begin to see the order of the written layout is not always the order when all the events happen. Note the events of the 7th vial and the 7th trumpet.

Rev 16:17
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done."
(KJV)

Rev 11:15
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
(KJV)

Rev 10:7
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.
(KJV)

Those 7th vial and 7th trumpet events are time related. The time of God's wrath is given with the 7th trumpet in Rev.11, and also with the 6th-7th seals, and with the 7th vial in Rev.16. Is that pointing to an order of all 7 seals happen first, then all 7 trumpets happen next, and then all 7 vials happen? No. It is pointing to the 7th trumpet, 7th vial, and 6th-7th seal events all ending at the same time.

omnicopy · Aug 22, 2010

So you think the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials are all happening at once. Interesting!

veteran · Aug 22, 2010

omnicopy said:
So you think the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials are all happening at once. Interesting!

Not necessarily, and I wish it were that easy.

But I do definitely see, the last trumpet, last seal (and a portion of the 6th seal), and the last vial, all ending at the same time.

And I also very much believe the order of events our Lord Jesus gave within the 3 Woe periods serve as an anchor for understanding the event order in the previous and later Revelation chapters. He tied the 5th, 6th, and 7th trumpets within those 3 woe periods, so the only way to get those events out of order is to not heed that section as written. Some do that very thing by using the other Revelation sections as their anchor for the order of events.

Study the section of the 3 woe periods first, which are the last three trumpets (end of Rev.8 through end of Rev.11), and then go to the previous and later Revelation chapters about the seals and vials, compare their events to those of the 3 woe periods, and you'll begin to discover much.

All that assumes one has first got a healthy understanding in the rest of God's Word, especially in the OT prophets. It's obvious to me through years of Bible study that our Lord saw no reason to give us the many details about the end of this world that was first written in the OT prophets all over again in His Book of Revelation. It would be like an Algebra teacher having to re-teach the class on how to do basic arithmetic. This is why He only gave specific metaphors and symbols in Revelation that point back to the rest of His Word.

Pato · Apr 1, 2011

veteran said:
Not necessarily, and I wish it were that easy.

But I do definitely see, the last trumpet, last seal (and a portion of the 6th seal), and the last vial, all ending at the same time.

I do not see how this can be, the 6th seal reveals signs in the heavens, sun, moon etc, eclipses, earthquakes on the earth etc, after this the 7th seal is opened and there is heavenly silence while the 7 angels with the trumpets prepare to sound. With their sounding comes different geological destruction on the earth, but it affects primarily 1/3 of the earth's resources etc and the last 3 trumpets have not yet been blown. When they sound, we see more catastrophe occurring. The 7th trumpet annonces Christ's Kingdom and return. After all this we see the 7 vials being poured out, all the other things have already occurred but now the wrath of God is poured out on the earth.
Fast forward to the 7 vials of the wrath of God, the plagues poured out although similar to those in the trumpets are definately more intense. They couldn't last for very long bc mankind would all die out with extreme heat, no water, no food etc. The last vial gathers the armies of the earth together at Armegeddon where they then advance onward toward thr camp of the saints and be defeated by Christ etc....

veteran · Apr 1, 2011

Pato said:
I do not see how this can be, the 6th seal reveals signs in the heavens, sun, moon etc, eclipses, earthquakes on the earth etc, after this the 7th seal is opened and there is heavenly silence while the 7 angels with the trumpets prepare to sound. With their sounding comes different geological destruction on the earth, but it affects primarily 1/3 of the earth's resources etc and the last 3 trumpets have not yet been blown. When they sound, we see more catastrophe occurring. The 7th trumpet annonces Christ's Kingdom and return. After all this we see the 7 vials being poured out, all the other things have already occurred but now the wrath of God is poured out on the earth.
Fast forward to the 7 vials of the wrath of God, the plagues poured out although similar to those in the trumpets are definately more intense. They couldn't last for very long bc mankind would all die out with extreme heat, no water, no food etc. The last vial gathers the armies of the earth together at Armegeddon where they then advance onward toward thr camp of the saints and be defeated by Christ etc....

Consider this...

Rev 16:12-17
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
(KJV)

The event of our Lord's coming is linked with the day of The LORD and His coming "as a thief in the night" per Paul in 1 Thess.5 and Peter in 2 Pet.3:10. In between the 6th and 7th vials our Lord gives a warning that He comes as thief, and blessed are those that watch and keep their garments (righteousness), lest they appear in shame.

So how is it our Lord is giving that warning to His saints in between those 6th and 7th vials? Especially if the 7th trumpet is supposed happen prior to any of the vials?

Note also back in Rev.9 with the 6th trumpet event linked to that river Euphrates event on the 6th vial. In Rev.9 with the 6th trumpet loosing of the four angels bound at the river Euphrates, that is a Heavenly type view of the event, while this 6th vial drying up of the river looses literal kings upon the earth. It's tying the 6th trumpet and 6th vial as happnning at the same time.

In Matthew 24 and Mark 13 our Lord Jesus gave 7 specific signs for the end of this world. Those 7 signs parallel the 7 seals. But they also parallel the 7 trumpets and 7 vials too. Once again, our Lord gave only 7 signs of the end in His Olivet Dicourse upon the Mount of Olives. He did not given 21 signs.

teleiosis · Apr 1, 2011

An overview to the book of Revelation can establish a methodology for dividing up the component visions. Revelation cannot be read as a novel straight through. Doing that repeats several unique and specific events and confuses the sequence of any whole timeline approach. For instance, to read the book of Revelation as a novel describing the final one ‘seven’ then has the misfortunate circumstance of adding up all the references to one half of the one ‘seven’ as coming up with seventeen and half years (Rev 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, 12:14, and 13:5). Repeated events are one indication that an event is being described in more than one way through the use of parallel accounts.

Another repeated event is the end of the one ‘seven.’ Those references can be found twice in chapter eleven, and again at the end of chapter sixteen. Each account mentions an earth-changing Great Earthquake which collapses cities and smoothes out mountain ranges and eliminates mountain peaks (and so islands which are sea mounts that protrude above sea level). Another end minus the earthquake occurs in chapter 19.

· [sup]REV 11:13[/sup] At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

· [sup]REV 11:19[/sup] Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

· [sup]REV 16:18[/sup] Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. [sup]19[/sup] The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. [sup]20[/sup] Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. [sup]21[/sup] From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

A fourth “end” can be found in chapter 19 because that matches Revelation 16:16 which, right before the seventh Bowl is poured out, the nations are gathered at Armageddon. In verse 19:19, John sees the nations collected for the final battle from which the anti-Christ is captured ending his reign and thus the one ‘seven.’ The anti-Christ and false prophet are captured alive and judged in Heaven and sent alive into Hell (which also satisfies Rev 11:18 with the destruction of those who destroyed the earth).

These repeated events as the story is told and retold from a different perspective, make the book of Revelation difficult to read and understand. The reader’s head reels from having to go through alternating and repeating themes of tribulation and wrath. Literally, it is often confusing, until in exasperation, a conclusion that the book is all figurative provides a reassuring measure that nobody can figure it out. However, when the nature of parallel accounts are applied, order can be discerned within smaller linear narratives which set an orderly, even numbered, sequence of events.

The manner in which parallel accounts can be recognized is by the shift in both scene and focus such that timelines are replayed and overlap. The manner of prophecy is like a limited view of each component in a complex movement. While it will be experienced in whole like listening to an orchestra: to foretell it is like to write a symphony section by section. Revelation is like reading the composition of a symphony by reading each individual section one after another. Thus not only will not only repeat events, but will have discernable breaks with a change of both scene and focus. This section then will center on specific and unique events that are repeated, and shifts in focus and scene to describe a transition to another aspect of the end times.

Discounting John’s narrative as a single account to order the events then sets each of the visions to be analyzed within their own context. Switching to the analogy of film, instead of looking at different major divisions as scene changes in a single movie; each parallel account -literally like another movie- films the future from a different vantage point in order to cover all the action occurring at different levels. Discerning the time each vision spans thus depends upon the evidence within each one. Historical time markers that are specific and unique, repeated specific and unique events and repeated time markers will allow for an assignment of time spans based on what the Bible has written.

Guestman · Apr 23, 2011

Jesus said that it is "babes" that would understand the Bible, including the book of Revelation. He said in prayer to his Father: "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes."(Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21) That this is the way God approves, Jesus further said: "Yes, O Father, because to do thus came to be the way approved by you."(Matt 11:26) Just who are the "babes" that Jesus spoke of ?

Jesus used the word "babe" (Greek nepios) that literally means a baby that has not yet learned to speak (Strong's G3516), as at 1 Corinthians 13:11 by the apostle Paul. However, in the context of Matthew 11:25, Jesus used it as a contrast between those who were "wise and intellectual" by the world's standards and an infant. What is the difference ? Those of the "world" (Greek ko´smos ), the mass of mankind apart from God's approved servants, are always vying for "king of the mountain", pitting one against another, as to who is more "wise and intellectual". The apostle Paul wrote that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."(1 Cor 8:1) Those who are "wise and intellectual" that Jesus spoke of, seek knowledge of the "world" but fail to gain any depth of understanding of the Bible, including Revelation.

On the other hand, a "babe" that Jesus used is like an infant or small child, teachable, humble, whereas those who are "wise and intellectual" are unwilling to be humbly taught by our Creator. These often display an arrogant and haughty attitude, being unteachable by God, which includes the religious leaders of Christendom.

Hence, the Bible, with the book of Revelation, are only grasped by those who are "babes", humble and teachable ones, for Jesus said of those who are the symbolic ' woman's sons ' at Isaiah 54, that these "will all be taught by Jehovah".(John 6:45; Isa 54:13) These "sons" are being "taught by Jehovah" and are thus able to unveil or reveal the deep symbolisms of Revelation, just as they are being "taught by God to love one another."(1 Thess 4:9; John 13:34, 35)

Charlie · Apr 23, 2011

Those who take the time to co-ordinate all the events of the final seals and trumpets with other prophecies, including OT prophecies, will come to the realization they depict scenes, some of which can only occur at the end of the 1,000 years.

All the events of all the vials, the wrath of God, will be completed before the start of the 1,000 years whereas the wrath of the Lamb, of Rev. 6:16, will come at the end of the 1,000 years.

God Bless you. Charlie.

veteran · Apr 23, 2011

Guestman said:
Jesus said that it is "babes" that would understand the Bible, including the book of Revelation. He said in prayer to his Father: "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes."(Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21) That this is the way God approves, Jesus further said: "Yes, O Father, because to do thus came to be the way approved by you."(Matt 11:26) Just who are the "babes" that Jesus spoke of ?

Jesus used the word "babe" (Greek nepios) that literally means a baby that has not yet learned to speak (Strong's G3516), as at 1 Corinthians 13:11 by the apostle Paul. However, in the context of Matthew 11:25, Jesus used it as a contrast between those who were "wise and intellectual" by the world's standards and an infant. What is the difference ? Those of the "world" (Greek ko´smos ), the mass of mankind apart from God's approved servants, are always vying for "king of the mountain", pitting one against another, as to who is more "wise and intellectual". The apostle Paul wrote that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."(1 Cor 8:1) Those who are "wise and intellectual" that Jesus spoke of, seek knowledge of the "world" but fail to gain any depth of understanding of the Bible, including Revelation.

On the other hand, a "babe" that Jesus used is like an infant or small child, teachable, humble, whereas those who are "wise and intellectual" are unwilling to be humbly taught by our Creator. These often display an arrogant and haughty attitude, being unteachable by God, which includes the religious leaders of Christendom.

Hence, the Bible, with the book of Revelation, are only grasped by those who are "babes", humble and teachable ones, for Jesus said of those who are the symbolic ' woman's sons ' at Isaiah 54, that these "will all be taught by Jehovah".(John 6:45; Isa 54:13) These "sons" are being "taught by Jehovah" and are thus able to unveil or reveal the deep symbolisms of Revelation, just as they are being "taught by God to love one another."(1 Thess 4:9; John 13:34, 35)

Well, there's another example of how a 'babe' is used, it's by Apostle Paul...

Heb 5:11-14
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
(KJV)

That's the kind of "babe" I was talking about. Many would rather stay on a milk teaching like a babe instead of maturing to the "strong meat" of God's Word. The "strong meat" has nothing to do with intellectualism. It has everything to do with disciplined Bible study.

Guestman · Apr 26, 2011

veteran said:
Well, there's another example of how a 'babe' is used, it's by Apostle Paul...

Heb 5:11-14
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
(KJV)[/font]

That's the kind of "babe" I was talking about. Many would rather stay on a milk teaching like a babe instead of maturing to the "strong meat" of God's Word. The "strong meat" has nothing to do with intellectualism. It has everything to do with disciplined Bible study.

It is true that the word "babe" (Greek nepios) has different meanings in the Bible, such as a small child (Matt 21:16) or of those who are not spiritually mature.(1 Cor 3:1; Heb 5:13) There is also other expressions in the Bible, such as the Greek bre´phos that refers to an “infant.” (Luke 1:41), te´knon (child, Matt 10:21), te·kni´on (little child, John 13:33), pai·di´on (young child, Matt 2:8), and ar´sen (male child, Rev 12:13).

However, in grasping the Bible and its book of Revelation, Jesus used the Greek word nepios in a different sense, of being teachable and humble, as opposed to those who are "wise and intellectual."(Matt 11:25) Due to the fact that many are "set in their ways", whether it be because of their upbringing or personality trait or stubbornness, the Bible is to them a closed book.(Eze 3:7) Jesus said that the majority of mankind would not be receptive to our Creator, for most are on the "broad and spacious....road leading off into destruction."(Matt 7:13) Only a "few" are teachable and humble, like a small "babe", sincerely desirous of knowing what the Bible really teaches, and are thus on the "cramped...road leading off into life."(Matt 7:14)

These have put aside or removed personal bias and prejudice in order to "keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you."(Matt 7:7) As a result, Jesus said that "everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened."(Matt 7:8) These let the Bible speak for itself, reading it with an open mind rather than trying to impose a preferred belief, even one that has been cherished for a long time, which can cause doctrinal bias.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that "we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom....This wisdom not one of the rulers of this system of things came to know....it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God."(1 Cor 2:10) Thus, "God's wisdom" wrapped "in a sacred secret", is hidden from most. Only a few are able to comprehend "the deep things of God", those who are like "babes", teachable and humble, allowing themselves to be directed by God's holy spirit and his organization.(Luke 12:42)

Jesus said that in these "last days", during his invisible "presence" (Greek parousia, Matt 24:3, 27, 37, 39) that God's people would be fed spiritually by a "faithful and discreet slave", providing "meat in due season."(Matt 24:45, King James Bible) This would include the book of Revelation, along with all the rest of the Bible, that would be revealed or unveiled. Proverbs 4:18 says that "the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." Hence, the "light", or Bible truth, is getting brighter and brighter, with the Bible now being able to be understood deeply by those who are "babes", for it is God's timetable or "day" for this to be done.

veteran · Apr 27, 2011

Guestman said:
It is true that the word "babe" (Greek nepios) has different meanings in the Bible, such as a small child (Matt 21:16) or of those who are not spiritually mature.(1 Cor 3:1; Heb 5:13) There is also other expressions in the Bible, such as the Greek bre´phos that refers to an “infant.” (Luke 1:41), te´knon (child, Matt 10:21), te·kni´on (little child, John 13:33), pai·di´on (young child, Matt 2:8), and ar´sen (male child, Rev 12:13).

However, in grasping the Bible and its book of Revelation, Jesus used the Greek word nepios in a different sense, of being teachable and humble, as opposed to those who are "wise and intellectual."(Matt 11:25) Due to the fact that many are "set in their ways", whether it be because of their upbringing or personality trait or stubbornness, the Bible is to them a closed book.(Eze 3:7) Jesus said that the majority of mankind would not be receptive to our Creator, for most are on the "broad and spacious....road leading off into destruction."(Matt 7:13) Only a "few" are teachable and humble, like a small "babe", sincerely desirous of knowing what the Bible really teaches, and are thus on the "cramped...road leading off into life."(Matt 7:14)

These have put aside or removed personal bias and prejudice in order to "keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you."(Matt 7:7) As a result, Jesus said that "everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened."(Matt 7:8) These let the Bible speak for itself, reading it with an open mind rather than trying to impose a preferred belief, even one that has been cherished for a long time, which can cause doctrinal bias.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that "we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom....This wisdom not one of the rulers of this system of things came to know....it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God."(1 Cor 2:10) Thus, "God's wisdom" wrapped "in a sacred secret", is hidden from most. Only a few are able to comprehend "the deep things of God", those who are like "babes", teachable and humble, allowing themselves to be directed by God's holy spirit and his organization.(Luke 12:42)

Jesus said that in these "last days", during his invisible "presence" (Greek parousia, Matt 24:3, 27, 37, 39) that God's people would be fed spiritually by a "faithful and discreet slave", providing "meat in due season."(Matt 24:45, King James Bible) This would include the book of Revelation, along with all the rest of the Bible, that would be revealed or unveiled. Proverbs 4:18 says that "the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." Hence, the "light", or Bible truth, is getting brighter and brighter, with the Bible now being able to be understood deeply by those who are "babes", for it is God's timetable or "day" for this to be done.

A babe on the milk like Hebrews 5 is declaring is about laziness, not intellectualism, self-pride, and lack of humbleness. When those ought to be teachers as said there, those were still sucking on the milk of God's Word. It's about lack of discipline. That's the problem many have today also. They'd rather let someone else do their Bible studying for them and listen to others instead of God directly in His Word. It's as simple as that.

Guestman · Apr 29, 2011

The world is filled with those who are academically smart or "wise", perhaps having went to a prestigious college or university, but is spiritually illiterate, despite that some are considered Bible scholars. The apostle Paul wrote "that not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame."(1 Cor 1:26, 27) David, who as a shepherd recognized that God only condescends to humble ones, said: "For Jehovah is high, and yet the humble one he sees; But the lofty one he knows only from a distance."(Ps 138:6)

That a "babe" or child used by Jesus as an example of humility is vital to understanding the Bible, is seen by what Jesus told his apostles, when asked by them: "Who really is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?”(Matt 18:1) Setting a young child before them, he said to them: "Truly I say to you, Unless you turn around and become as young children (Greek paidion), you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, whoever will humble himself like this young child is the one that is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens."(Matt 18:3, 4) Without humility, understanding the Bible is like going in circles - you're moving but going nowhere.

Those who are selected as "kings and priests" of God's kingdom (Rev 1:6) would grasp the "deep things of God" because of their humility, "like a young child." Without humility, the Bible is closed to all. Jesus further showed the necessity of being humble by giving an illustration of a Pharisee and a tax collector. After the Pharisee had exonerated himself, showing himself arrogant and having put the tax collector down, basically calling him an ‛am-ha·’a´rets (Hebrew, Gen 23:7; Ex 5:5) or "people of the land"(a contemptuous expression used by the Jewish religious leaders toward the common people, John 7:47-49), the tax collector just humbly said: "O God, be gracious to me a sinner."(Luke 18:9-13)

Thus to show the absolute necessity of having humility, Jesus said: "I tell you, This man (tax collector) went down to his home proved more righteous than that man (the Pharisee); because everyone that exalts himself will be humiliated, but he that humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 18:14) Thus Jesus emphasized the need to be humble, free from pride, having lowliness of mind. Being reared in a society in which the self-righteous Pharisees were so influential and position and rank were always stressed, it was necessary for Jesus to teach his disciples what is required, that of humility, in order to "be exalted" by God, be it authority within the Christian congregation or understanding the "deep things of God."(1 Cor 2:10)

In unlocking the "mysteries of the kingdom"(Matt 13:11), which definitely includes Revelation, Jesus used the Greek word sy·ni´e·mi, that literally means "to mentally put the pieces together", six times at Matthew 13.(Matt 13:13,14,15, 19, 23, 51; sy·ni´e·mi, Strong's 4920) To his disciples, Jesus said: "To you it is granted to understand (Greek ginosko) the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those people it is not granted."(Matt 13:11) Hence, the book of Revelation is open to those who are humble or teachable, like a "babe"(Matt 11:25) or "young child".(Matt 18:4) To everyone else, it remains closed.

To those having "lowliness of mind", the meaning of who the "rider" on "the white horse" becomes clear, when he was given "a crown"(Rev 6:2), what followed afterwards with regard to the "fiery-colored horse" and how "peace (was) taken away from the earth"(Rev 6:4), what was the "deadly plague" that devasted the earth during 1918-1919 when the "rider" on the "pale horse" went forth.(Rev 6:8) Also, who is the "woman" at Revelation 12, along what is the "male child" that she gave birth to, and when Satan was thrown out of heaven and "hurled down to the earth."(Rev 12:9)

In addition, what the "wild beast" is at Revelation 13:1, 2 and who the "beast" with "two horns"(Rev 13:11) that gave "breath" to the "image of the beast."(Rev 13:15) can be understood by those who put aside bias and prejudice, having lowliness of mind" like Jesus. The "mystery: Babylon the Great" (Rev 17:5) is no longer a mystery, nor as to who the "scarlet-colored wild beast" that the "harlot rides.(Rev 17:3), what Armageddon is. (Rev 16:16)

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