0 Revelation Introduction

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 9:6

Trivia: What did the 144,000 have written on their foreheads (Rev 14:1)?

The time is at hand. - Revelation 1:3 22:10

Revelation for Skeptics

Everything in Revelation should probably be highlighted, because it's all violent, cruel, or absurd in one way or another. But that would make it too hard to read, and it's hard enough as it is.

Revelation has my vote for the worst book in the Bible. And since the Bible, Quran, and the Book of Mormon are the three worst books ever written, that's saying something.

Here are some highlights:

  • John believes "the time is at hand," and that the things that he writes about in Revelation will "shortly come to pass." 1:1, 3; 22:10
  • "He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him." 1:7
  • Jesus has white hair, eyes of fire, feet of brass, and has a sword sticking out of his mouth. 1:13-16
  • False Jews are members of "the synagogue of Satan." 2:9, 3:9
  • God has seven spirits. 3:1, 4:5, 5:6
  • John has Jesus lie by saying: "Behold, I come quickly." 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20
  • God gave power to someone sitting on a red horse "to take from the earth ... that they should kill one another." 6:4
  • Death and Hell kill 1/4 the human population. 6:6
  • Only 144,000 celibate, male, Jews will be saved. (Those who were not "defiled with women.") 7:4, 14:3-4
  • Horse-like locusts with human heads, women's hair, lion's teeth, and scorpion's tails. They sting people and torture them for five months. 9:7-10
  • Four angels, with an army of 200 million, killed a third of the earth's population. 9:15-19
  • An angel tells John to eat a book. He does, and it tastes good, but it makes his belly bitter. 10:10
  • God will send an earthquake that will kill 7000 people. 11:13
  • "And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon." So even in heaven, one can't be safe from war or dragons. 12:7
  • Those who receive the mark of the beast will "drink of the wine of the wrath of God ... and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone ... and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." 14:10-11
  • Jesus and his angel friends slaughter people with sickles. 14:14-20
  •  "The great winepress of the wrath of God ... was trodden ... and the blood came ... even unto the horses bridles." 14:19
  •  The great harlot is "full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." She will be made "desolate and naked," and her flesh will be eaten by kings. 17:1-16
  •  Jesus, whose clothes are dipped in blood, has a sharp sword sticking out of his mouth. Thus attired, he treads the winepress of the wrath of God. 19:13-15
  •  An angel calls all the fowls to feast upon dead human bodies, or as the angel calls it "the supper of the great God." (Angel food?) 19:17-18
  •  The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into a lake of fire. The rest were killed with the sword of Jesus. "And all the fowls were filled with their flesh." 19:20-21
  •  When the thousand years are over, God will send Satan to deceive us all. 20:7-8
  •  Whoever isn't found listed in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. 20:15
  •  Those who are fearful or unbelieving will be cast into "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." 21:8
  •  Anyone who adds to the words in Revelation (or to the rest of the Bible) will be struck with plagues, and anyone that tries to remove anything from it will have his name removed from the book of life. 22:18-19

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