Prepare: Revelation by Way of Daniel

By Beverly Ridgewell

The heart of God is for us to understand the book of Revelation. PREPARE was written for that purpose. Beginning with an eye-opening foundation in Daniel, PREPARE unveils the end times in a riveting chapter-by-chapter walk-through of the book of Revelation. You will have a clear understanding of the timeline, events, and their significance for the end times when you finish this book. And you will see just how close we are to Christs return!

In PREPARE, you will learn:

the proper sequence of events in the book of Revelation;

the three conditions necessary to automatically trigger the end times (two are in place, and the third is ready to go);

about the rapture: is it pretrib? midtrib? posttrib?or something else?;

the riddle unveiling Antichrists identity;

the necessary conditions for the second coming of Christ and the onset of Gods wrath.

PREPARE is for:

pastors who have been afraid to teach Revelation until now;

the average Christian who is grasping to understand what is happening in this world, and how it relates to Biblical prophecy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512724912

Beverly Ridgewell

Beverly Ridgewell is a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” A teacher and nurse by education and a Christian for thirty-four years, Beverly now teaches Revelation in the Ohio Valley area.

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PREPARE

Revelation by way of Daniel

BEVERLY RIDGEWELL

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Copyright © 2016 Beverly Ridgewell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2492-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2493-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2491-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015921205

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/20/2016

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapters

I. Daniel’s Prophecy Of The Endtimes

II. The Four Pillars For Understanding Revelation

III. Revelation 1

IV. Revelation 2 & 3

V. Revelation 4 & 5

VI. Revelation 6

VII. Revelation 7

VIII. Revelation 8 & 9

IX. Revelation 10 & 11

X. Daniel 2

XI. Daniel 7

XII. Revelation 12

XIII. Revelation 13

XIV. Revelation 14

XV. Revelation 15

XVI. Revelation 16

XVII. Revelation 17

XVIII. Revelation 18

XIX. Revelation 19

XX. Revelation 20

XXI. Revelation Chapters 21 & 22

Extra : Antichrist, Rome, And Magog

PREFACE

When 9/11 hit, I felt a profound shaking in my spirit. What was taking place in New York City was a foreshadowing of what is described in Revelation 18. The outward event was the destruction of the twin towers. But inwardly, I sensed a course correction of destiny, ultimately leading us to what Christians call the end times.

I went to the Lord and asked Him a question. How can You be bringing end times on us, when the church doesn’t even understand the book of Revelation? And the Lord said to me, Well, how about you? You write a book to help people understand Revelation. And so I did. It’s only taken fourteen years.

I have had a love for eschatology (the study of end times) throughout my entire thirty-four years as a Christian. During that time, I have read, studied, and listened to a multitude of end time teachers. I began with Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth, and took off from there. Some of the other teachers included: Gordon Lindsay, David Jeremiah, John Hagee, Mark Hitchcock, Grant Jeffrey, Perry Stone, Chuck Missler, Dave Hunt, Pat Robertson, and many others.

However, at some point in time, I also began to read, study, and listen to Marv Rosenthal, Robert Van Kampen, Derek Prince, Alan Kurschner, Jonathan Cahn, Leonard Ravenhill, Joel Richardson, and others who had a different take on some areas of Revelation.

What I have discovered is that there is a LOT OF agreement among prophecy teachers about the end times, and that the differences of thought are narrowing as time progresses. We have been seeing through a veil, but that veil is being dissolved and lifted as we draw near to the culmination of this age. I predict that the honest teachers out there will very soon find themselves on the same page, in agreement with each other. If this book can help that process, then it has been well worth the time and effort spent on it.

The majority of my study has been spent in the Word itself. Whenever I get confused, I always go back to the Word. What does it plainly say and teach? Am I reading it in the context of the entire passage, or am I just pulling out verses here and there to support a theory? I find that Jesus was out to reveal things to us, and not impress us with how much He knows (though He Himself is omniscient). What has unfolded, however, is some mind-blowing stuff.

I have tried to keep this book simple in its explanations, and yet deliver the truth of Revelation without holding back. It is a book for the average reader, which isn’t to infer that a theologian may not benefit from its material. In fact, I would encourage all the experts to give thoughtful attention to what is laid out in this book. Despite its simplicity, there are some real bombshells in it.

This book is meant to be an aid in understanding both Revelation and Daniel. It is not a replacement for your Bible. Read both, hand-in-hand. Be a Berean.

Any gold contained in this book came from the Holy Spirit. Credit Him for it. Any dross came from me, Beverly. Spit out the dross and keep the gold. I have tried to keep it as dross-free as possible, but anyone who has ever tackled Revelation knows that is easier said than done.

This book could not have been humanly possible without the love and support of my husband of thirty-three years, Gary Ridgewell. He has been a tower of strength, a source of Godly wisdom, and a great encourager to me to finish this book. Along with him have been my boys, my sisters and brothers, and a boatload of nieces and nephews. Of special mention is my niece, Lydia Powers, who helped me in my computer-challenged state to finish this manuscript. There is also my longtime friend and sister in the Lord, Anita James, and my Tuesday morning Ladies’ Bible study group. Both Anita and the ladies allowed me to teach Revelation to them, which has helped hone this book immensely. Finally, there are many others like Nancy and Miss Barb, who in helping our family, have enabled me to write this book. May God bless you all!

INTRODUCTION

Many of us don’t want to hear about Revelation. We don’t want to consider the possibility that our lives, our children’s lives, our homes and possessions, medical care, security, and even basic provisions of food may someday be laid on the line for our faith in Jesus Christ/Yeshua. We are immersed in our own day-to-day lives, because we’ve had the luxury of being free from persecution and martyrdom. Materialism, patriotism, and the American gospel have caused enough of us to become dulled, proud, and complacent. We love our lives enough to avoid the thought that our present way of life may come to an end. Yet in other parts of the world where sheer survival is at stake, we would find Christians who truly look and hope for the second coming of Christ as their blessed hope, just as the early church regarded it.

Things are about to change for the American church. And yet, in this upcoming greatest upheaval of all times, we will find the One who is the source of everything that’s been truly precious to us. His plan for us has never changed.

Almighty God deemed it so important that we know and understand the events that comprise the 70th week of Daniel (also known as end times), that He gave a detailed revelation of it to His Son for the benefit of His church. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place. (Revelation 1:1)

The Lord does not bring judgment on earth without first warning His servants. He loves us and never wants His people to be caught off guard or unprepared. Even when Israel and Judah as nations had turned their backs on God, He still sent His servants, the prophets, to warn His people and to give them guidance on what to do. The Lord stayed faithful to His covenant with them, even though they had not been faithful to Him. As members of the body of Christ, we live under a new and better covenant. And be assured, the voice of the prophets is already going forth in the body with the message, Prepare!

Why is it so crucial for believers to have a foreknowledge of the actual events that take place in end times? Jesus answered that question in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24.

Jesus had just stunned His disciples with the news that the fabulous Herodian temple, the pride and joy of Israel, would be so totally destroyed that not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. His point? The things of this word—even those things that have God’s name attached to them—are all coming down. We are not to be so attached to the things of this life that we neglect the eternal ones coming at the end of this present age. The study of Revelation is essential in helping us keep a proper perspective of our present life. It shouts to us that the world as we know it will fast come to an end.

Now Jesus had His disciples’ full attention. Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3). The followers of Jesus had just received news that their world would be totally shaken with the destruction of their temple. The only thing they could now cling to for hope and security was the promise that Messiah would soon set up His kingdom and save Israel from her enemies. Someday soon, the only hope we will have in this world will be the blessed hope of the return of Jesus Christ.

Alarmed, the disciples pressed Jesus for details of the destruction of the temple, and, much more importantly, the sign of Jesus’ advent as Messiah. And Jesus answered them by giving a brief outline of the events of the end of the age. But years later He would give a much more detailed and lengthy description to the Apostle John in the book of Revelation, to be left for the generation of believers who would actually have to go through end times!

And yet, the book of Revelation is one of the least taught, most misunderstood books in churches today! The very book that God took special pains to divulge, coupled with the blessings and cursings that are given three times in Revelation for those who read and keep the words of Revelation (blessings), and those who may in any way, shape, or form try to alter its words (cursings), should make us all sit up and take wide-awake notice!

Why is it so crucial that we have a foreknowledge of the actual events of end times? And Jesus answered and said to them: Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. (Matthew 24:4)

This is a remarkable statement. How is it possible that Christians—evangelical and otherwise—could possibly be deceived into following false christs and false prophets?

Scripture tells us that when the man of sin, Antichrist, comes on the scene, he will come in the power and working of Satan himself, with all signs and lying wonders. We do not take that warning seriously enough. Satan is a powerful adversary.

Satan’s signs and lying wonders will be so persuasive that if you are not being led by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the word of God, your faith may fail to endure through until the return of Jesus for His own! It is not just for head knowledge that God gave us Revelation, but because He deemed it necessary for the very survival of His church! It was given to us in order that we may be prepared for the events when they happen. As we will see in Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, five out of seven of them were not ready for His coming! If Revelation is not read and taught in church, then we are foolishly rejecting our preparation and survival guide for end times. It is not a FEMA manual that will get us through.

The American gospel that the Church (untried and on beds of relative ease) will be snatched away or raptured out of the world before any of the events of end times (the 70th week of Daniel) take place, has been taught to the vast majority of Christians. However, the teachings of Jesus, Peter, and Paul when plainly considered, say otherwise. They clearly teach that believers should expect persecution for their faith. And their own writings place believers right in the midst of the tribulation to come (more on that in a later chapter). WHEN, not if, the Church steps over into the end times, many may be shocked and dismayed that they are indeed facing Antichrist and his persecutions. Satan can and will use this dismay to bring doubt and attacks on our faith (which we must contend for). Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; to false christs and false prophets.

The Church today is preaching, for the most part, a watered-down, almost dead word. What we desperately need is FIRE AND THE WORD OF GOD. The missing fire is God’s Holy Spirit. We cannot endure what’s to come without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. He was given at Pentecost to a church that was getting ready to undergo intense persecution. We desperately need that same One’s empowerment today.

To the American Christian, in particular, this book is dedicated.

Church, wake up and prepare!

CHAPTER I

DANIEL’S PROPHECY OF THE ENDTIMES

God’s physical sign that we are approaching the end of the age is the resurrection of the nation of Israel. Out of Israel came Messiah the first time. And to Israel will Messiah return the second time. The season of His return is centered around future events that will happen to the nation of Israel.

Almighty God began prophesying to us in the book of Genesis and didn’t stop until He had finished Revelation.