Book of Revelations

The Book of Revelations is the last book in the Bible. It is by far the most puzzling and interesting one as it purports to talk about what is going to happen, albeit in a coded manner. Many Christians had written books to interpret it, but none seem to have done much good to the readers.

So the first question I have is, why did the Bible-god need to encrypt his messages? If so many people are headed for hell to be burned forever, I am sure a human being would sound an alarm and warn as many as possible. But here the Bible-god seems to be playing a game with us, like the reality show Amazing Race.

Secondly, the visions were given to only one person, John, alone on a deserted island Patmos. That means there is no other witness to verify his claims.

Then the first verse says,

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John

Those things John saw was to take place soon, yet up to today, Christian scholars are waiting for them to happen. In another verse, John seemed to imply that all Jesus should be back before those who pierced him die,

7BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

But I am very puzzled when John said every eye will see Jesus. How can that be? Did John know that the earth is round? How can Jesus then appear to all on earth? And why must Jesus come with the clouds? I had in my earlier posts conjectured about the possibility of a spaceship being used, as 3 elements often accompanied the presence of the Bible-god - clouds, fire, thunder. So was John seeing Jesus coming in a spaceship?

Talking about such visions, our scientists are have discovered that images can be projected onto empty space, without the need for a physical screen. Was John watching such a show? (Read about this technology here, or search for 'projection on air' at Googles).

The first 3 chapters then talks about the messages for the 7 churches which were present then. Hence we can assume that they are not relevant today.

Then in chapter 4,

1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."

I wonder why heaven would need a door. For security? Then, how did John know that it was heaven? Was it his own assumption? John was obviously looking up, fo rthe voice told him to 'come up here'. We know that 'up' there is empty space, so I think what John was something in the sky. A spaceship again?

Then John saw a man-like being whom he assume is God. I also wonder why the throne of god must always be accompanied by a rainbow??? There were also 24 others who must have looked like human beings.

Chapter 4
3And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

Again we read the same signs I had been talking about - lightning (or fire) and thunder.

Chapter 4
5Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;

Now John seemed to be hinting that there are people living inside the earth?

1I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?"
3And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.

Then John recorded that he heard (but did not see) the voice of thousands and thousands of angels. It could be a recording of voices and there were no angels at all? It can be done with our technology today.

11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels (AF)around the throne and the (AG)living creatures and the (AH)elders; and the number of them was (AI)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,

Christians today preach love and peace. But in this passage, we read about saints asking Jesus to take revenge for them, and the Bible-god ask them to wait. Are we seeing the same revengeful Bible-god from the Old Testament?

Chapter 6
9When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O (Lord, (holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

In the next chapter, John wrote that he saw 4 angels at the 4 corners of the earth. Was it meant to be literal? Was John of the idea that the earth was a flat square? And why 4 winds?

Chapter 7
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

Is there measurement of time in heaven? It cannot be, as time is measured using the movement of the earth. Yet John said there was silence in heaven for half an hour???

Chapter 8
1When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The rest of Chapter records how the Bible-god is going to sent all kinds of natural disasters to earth. How can a genuine god be so revengeful and destructive? Can this be a god of love? I also wonder how John could know that it was one-third of this and one-third of that. And why one-third?

2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3(D)Another angel came and stood at the (altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand.
5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood,
9and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a (AA)third of the rivers and on the (springs of waters.
11The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a (third of the waters became (wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12The fourth angel sounded, and a (third of the (sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a (third of it, and the night in the same way.

13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in (midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "(Woe, woe, woe to (those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the (three angels who are about to sound!"