1. Revelation 9:3. Are these real locusts? Man-made weapons?

Locusts with the power of scorpions? Locusts directed away from believers? Real locusts that could kill but do not? Locusts that look like horses prepared for battle? Locusts crowned with gold? Locusts with human faces? Locusts with the hair of women? With teeth like lions? Locusts with iron breastplates? Locusts whose wings make the noise of automobiles (chariots)?

No, not real locusts for sure. Beyond that we speculate. My speculation is that these are man made, and perhaps are being stockpiled somewhere on the earth now.

But then we can’t forget where all this began: they come out of the Pit of hell. Are they therefore supernatural beings?

I can ask more questions than I can answer on this one.

2. Revelation 9:11. Is Abaddon/Apollyon the same as Satan?

I don’t believe so, though that is the popular theory. Apollyon (or Abaddon if you prefer the Greek) is the angel of this Pit. This is his specific job and location. The devil is not omni-present. He is taking care of some other business on the surface, connected to the antichrist himself. This Apollyon seems to be one of his chief agents left in charge of the prison.

3. Revelation 9:15-17. Are these horses real?

Again, I think not. 200,000,000 men on horseback. But the horses’ heads are like the heads of lions. Out of the mouth of these horses, proceeds fire and brimstone. Never seen a horse do that.

Come to think of it, the men on top of the horses are a bit strange too. The riders have fiery breastplates. Maybe they are manufactured too. Are these tanks, or some engine of war we have not yet seen?

4. Revelation 10:2. What is the “Little Book”?

More imagery, yet very real to John in that moment. He sees a book in an angel’s hand and is told to take it, and eat it. The taste is sweet, but it didn’t set well with his stomach. Bitter.

Then the statement that John will continue to prophesy to many nations. And that statement is tied to what John just did.

Ezekiel had a similar experience, remember, Ezekiel 3. “ ‘Feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll (book) which I am giving you.’ Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.”

Then, after a lot of rejection, and warnings about same, the Spirit of God lifted Ezekiel, took him away, and “I went embittered in the rage of my spirit…”

See the pattern? God’s Word is so tasty. We love to spend hours in it, right? We love to read it, hear it, and I hope, live it. But it creates problems eventually. Division. Rejection. Bitterness. Discouragement.

But Ezekiel kept preaching it. And evidently John was released from Patmos, and also preached. Or is that promise merely a reference to the fact that John is still preaching by means of the book he wrote, that now circulates all over this world, and has for centuries?

Even so, the bitterness of that word caught up with John here on Patmos and in other more awful persecutions he was called upon to bear.

5. Revelation 11:2. How is it that the “nations” control the area around the Temple?

My idea is that the world ruler makes a deal with Israel and the Arabs to bring a measure of peace to the Middle East, everyone’s longed-for goal. To the Jews will be awarded their Temple, finally. But the area around the Temple will become internationalized, and the peoples of earth who so desire will come there as tourists and visitors, even more so than now. Perhaps the Palestinians will finally receive their own state inside the boundaries of present-day Israel.

6. Revelation 11:9. How can all people on earth see these two prophets?

When this was written and for many centuries after, such a thing was considered impossible. Now it is inevitable that a story as big as this will be captured by all the major news networks and broadcast via TV and Smart Phone all over the world.

7. Revelation 11:15. By the 7^th trumpet, where have we come in history (again)?

Here comes Jesus. History is over once more. But the book is far from over. There follows now even more close-ups of events only mentioned before. The entire Tribulation period of 1260 days (three and one half years) is covered in detail before the final round of judgments falls.

8. Revelation 12:9. When did the casting out from Heaven take place?

There seems to be a progression of falling when it comes to Satan and his angels. We first see him in the Garden of Eden, presumably already cast out from his high position in Heaven. Job’s story took place at roughly the time of the Genesis patriarchs, and so can be included with this phase of his existence. He has access to Heaven in those days, but seems to be dwelling elsewhere. He is called the prince of the power of the air, and thus seems to have inhabited the space around the earth, causing all the havoc here via his world system.

Finally, here in Revelation it seems that he loses even access to the higher realms, and is cast to earth to take his second- last shot inside the body of the antichrist. He is angry but focused. His man and he must take over the planet by the power play of all power plays. The entire earth will be thrown into chaos before it is over.

The fall will be complete when this same devil is imprisoned for 1,000 years, released to give it one more attempt. After his pitiful failure, he will be thrown into the lake of fire, where he and his companions of 1,000 years prior will be tormented day and night forever.

9. Revelation 12:17. Who are the “rest of the offspring” of the woman?

First, we establish that the woman is not Mary, but Israel. She looks like Mary at first, giving birth as she does to One Who is to rule all nations, after He is caught up to God in what we call the ascension. The Son is Jesus, but in this case, we must ask Mary to recede into the background and join her people. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and all the rest have given birth to this One. Sun, moon, and stars, that you sometimes see in pictures of Mary, are references back to the dream of Joseph, who rightly predicted through those symbols, that father, mother, and the 11 sons of Jacob would one day be forced to honor Joseph.

The reason we must rule out Mary as the woman here is, the rest of the chapter. The woman is persecuted by the devil. Then the woman is miraculously removed to the wilderness and protected from harm. The devil is frustrated, and decides to go after her other children.

Those other children are people who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. In other words, the true Christians.

10. Revelation 12:3, 13:2. Who is the beast from the sea, and who the dragon?

I will not be detailed here, as the text bears this out easily enough. The beast from the sea (the Mediterranean, to be exact) is the man of sin, the antichrist. The dragon is the Devil.

11. Revelation 13:3. Is this a death and resurrection?

Yes. This meshes with chapter 17 that lets us know that antichrist, though the eighth world ruler, is one of the seven world rulers that have already reigned. One of those seven is going to return to the planet, and this will be why so many will follow him. He will be mimicking the power of Jesus by this Satan-empowered resurrection.

12. Revelation 13:5. Does this match up with Paul in II Thessalonians 2?

John: “…a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies…”

Paul: “…the man of lawlessness… opposes, and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God…

And what about Daniel? 7:20: “… that horn which had… a mouth uttering great boasts…” 7:25: “…he will speak out against the Most High…” 8:25: “…he will magnify himself in his heart…” 11:36: “… he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of Gods…”