Chapter 9: John sees the fifth trumpet blown. The pagan Romans, symbolized as locusts, invade Judea. They torment the Christ-rejecting Jews for five months (May-September 66 AD), inciting them to rebel against the Roman Empire. John sees the sixth trumpet blown. Roman armies stationed at the Euphrates River in Syria march on to Judea, straight to Jerusalem (Late 66 AD) where they kill numerous Christ-rejecting Jews.
Chapter 10: John has a vision of an angel. The angel symbolically depicts the uniting of the Jews (the Land) and the Gentiles (the Sea), and declares the “mystery of God” to be almost complete. [Romans 11.25; Ephesians 3.4-6; Colossians 1.27] He gives John a “little scroll” to eat and prophesy, a symbolic representation of John being given the Revelation itself.
Chapter 11: John is told to measure the Temple of God, which is the Body of Christ, the Church. [John 2.19-21; 1 Corinthians 3.16; Ephesians 2.19-22] The “outer court” of the temple and the city of Jerusalem (symbolic representations of apostate Israel) are left to the Gentiles (the Romans) to trample upon for 42 months. (February 67 – August 70 AD) John sees two witnesses (symbolic representations of the law and the prophets which pointed to Jesus) who mirror Jesus‘ life and “the great city” Jerusalem (apostate Israel). They are depicted as being “conquered” by Rome, but are resurrected and taken to heaven, a depiction of the Church’s victory in Christ. “The great city” Jerusalem is destroyed. The seventh trumpet is blown, and the Kingdom of God overcomes the world, a depiction of the end of the world when all are either rewarded or destroyed.
Chapter 12: John’s visions start over. A “woman” (natural Israel) gives birth to a “male child” (Christ) despite the opposition of the dragon (Satan). (Circa 4 BC) Christ is taken up to God’s throne (symbolically representing his victory upon the cross), and Satan and the fallen angels are exiled from heaven because of the power of Christ’s sacrifice (symbolically depicted as a war between the righteous angels, led by Michael, and wicked angels, led by Satan). (30 AD) The dragon attempts to destroy the woman (Satan’s attempts to destroy the Jewish apostles when they founded the Church), but fails. (30-35 AD) He goes on to make war upon “the rest of the woman’s offspring” (the Church as it grew to include more members, particularly the Gentiles). (35-64 AD)
Chapter 13: Satan gives his power to the Roman Empire and its Emperors (depicted as a sea-beast with seven heads). John gives a prophecy about the Empire’s death and subsequent resurrection that took place following Nero’s suicide. (68-69 AD) John describes the present persecution of the Christians by the Roman Empire, prophesying that it would last for 42 months. (November 64 – June 68 AD) John sees apostate Israel (depicted as an earth-beast disguised as a lamb) ally itself with the Roman Empire in this persecution. Apostate Israel’s false prophets perform false miracles in order to deceive people into rejecting Christ and following Caesar. (30-67 AD) The “mark of the beast” is Hebrew gematria that codifies the name of Nero Caesar into the number 666. The name is not believed to have been codified because John was afraid of persecution (he was already being persecuted), but because of the symbolism behind the number 666. The “mark” is not a literal tattoo, but refers to how apostate Israel required its opponents to submit to the Roman Emperors or face persecution. Anyone who took the mark was spared from the wrath of Rome and apostate Israel.
Chapter 10: John has a vision of an angel. The angel symbolically depicts the uniting of the Jews (the Land) and the Gentiles (the Sea), and declares the “mystery of God” to be almost complete. [Romans 11.25; Ephesians 3.4-6; Colossians 1.27] He gives John a “little scroll” to eat and prophesy, a symbolic representation of John being given the Revelation itself.
Chapter 11: John is told to measure the Temple of God, which is the Body of Christ, the Church. [John 2.19-21; 1 Corinthians 3.16; Ephesians 2.19-22] The “outer court” of the temple and the city of Jerusalem (symbolic representations of apostate Israel) are left to the Gentiles (the Romans) to trample upon for 42 months. (February 67 – August 70 AD) John sees two witnesses (symbolic representations of the law and the prophets which pointed to Jesus) who mirror Jesus‘ life and “the great city” Jerusalem (apostate Israel). They are depicted as being “conquered” by Rome, but are resurrected and taken to heaven, a depiction of the Church’s victory in Christ. “The great city” Jerusalem is destroyed. The seventh trumpet is blown, and the Kingdom of God overcomes the world, a depiction of the end of the world when all are either rewarded or destroyed.
Chapter 12: John’s visions start over. A “woman” (natural Israel) gives birth to a “male child” (Christ) despite the opposition of the dragon (Satan). (Circa 4 BC) Christ is taken up to God’s throne (symbolically representing his victory upon the cross), and Satan and the fallen angels are exiled from heaven because of the power of Christ’s sacrifice (symbolically depicted as a war between the righteous angels, led by Michael, and wicked angels, led by Satan). (30 AD) The dragon attempts to destroy the woman (Satan’s attempts to destroy the Jewish apostles when they founded the Church), but fails. (30-35 AD) He goes on to make war upon “the rest of the woman’s offspring” (the Church as it grew to include more members, particularly the Gentiles). (35-64 AD)
Chapter 13: Satan gives his power to the Roman Empire and its Emperors (depicted as a sea-beast with seven heads). John gives a prophecy about the Empire’s death and subsequent resurrection that took place following Nero’s suicide. (68-69 AD) John describes the present persecution of the Christians by the Roman Empire, prophesying that it would last for 42 months. (November 64 – June 68 AD) John sees apostate Israel (depicted as an earth-beast disguised as a lamb) ally itself with the Roman Empire in this persecution. Apostate Israel’s false prophets perform false miracles in order to deceive people into rejecting Christ and following Caesar. (30-67 AD) The “mark of the beast” is Hebrew gematria that codifies the name of Nero Caesar into the number 666. The name is not believed to have been codified because John was afraid of persecution (he was already being persecuted), but because of the symbolism behind the number 666. The “mark” is not a literal tattoo, but refers to how apostate Israel required its opponents to submit to the Roman Emperors or face persecution. Anyone who took the mark was spared from the wrath of Rome and apostate Israel.
