The Hidden Reality: A Personalized Study of Revelation

By Laurelynne Hepfner

The Hidden Reality explains the contents of Revelation in respect to our personal lives. In this book, the scriptures are written out, and the language of the study is easy to understand.

If you want to know how your life fits in with the prophecy of Revelation, this book is for you. This study will remove the mystery of what you

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685564711

Laurelynne Hepfner

LAURELYNNE HEPFNER has a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in Bible studies, a bachelor's degree in teaching high school science, and a practical nursing license. From age 17 to 65, she has been involved in Bible teaching for adults, teenagers, and children in Jamaica, the Canadian bush, Peru, Amazon, Taiwan, South Africa, among the American Indians, and in several local churches. She raised and homeschooled her three children and now is enjoying retirement and writing.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Pregnant Woman

Revelation, Chapter 12

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth (Revelation 12:1–2).

The woman in the story is covered with the sun. The sun suggests the light of righteousness given to the nation of Israel when God gave them the law on Mount Sinai and made them a distinct nation. The moon under her feet suggests her position of dominance in the world that God intended to give to Israel. The twelve stars are the twelve tribes that make up the people of Israel. This pregnant woman is definitely symbolic of the nation of Israel.

Every pregnancy has a gestation period. A child will be born when the time of waiting has been completed. This gestation period is compared to the time of waiting for the Messiah to be born. Israel knew from prophecies given by God that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, be a descendant of David, and would rule over the nation of Israel.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah […] out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel (Micah 5:2a).

The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 23:5–6

This story says that the woman is in pain and about to give birth to her baby. It was time for the Messiah to be born and bring peace to Israel and set up His kingdom.

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law (Galatians 4:4).

We know that it was time for the Messiah from the prophecies given in Daniel. Daniel lists the kingdoms of the world, and Christ’s kingdom comes by destroying the kingdom of Rome. The four kingdoms in Daniel’s vision are:

the head of gold, the Babylonian empire,

breast and arms of silver, the Medes and the Persians,

belly and thighs of brass, the Grecians,

the legs of iron with feet of part iron and clay, the Romans.

Finally there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will smash and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron so this will be a divided kingdom […] In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 2:40–44a

The Messiah, Jesus, was born when Rome was ruling, but the nation did not believe He was their Messiah. Jesus wept after the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah because they forfeited the peace He would have given to them as their king.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’ (Luke 19:41–42).

It seems the end of time, or the last days, began with the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is easy for us to think that the end of time is still in the future, but actually, we are currently living in the days of the Revelation prophecy, if not the great tribulation, the church age.

Little children, it is the last time (1 John 2:18a, KJV).

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth (Revelation 12:3–4a).

The dragon is a sign that appears in heaven. It has seven heads and ten horns with crowns. The interpretation of a dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a crown on each head is given in Revelation, chapter 17.

The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings […] The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast (Revelation 17:9b, 12).

The dragon with seven heads and seven crowns are seven satanically ruled kingdoms, and the ten horns are ten kings that will receive authority with the beast for one hour.

Can Satan rule a kingdom? In the temptation of Jesus, Satan offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus in exchange for his worship.

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to’ (Luke 4:5–6).

Don’t be surprised if Satan offers you something in exchange for choosing to serve him. Jesus was our example to teach us to refuse all of Satan’s offers, no matter how appealing they might be.

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21b).

The stars are angels that God created. The dragon pulls one-third of the heavenly stars with him when he is cast out of heaven. We call these angels, who chose to disobey God and follow Satan, demons. These words of Jesus confirm that the devil has angels.

Then he will say to them on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matthew 25:41).

The dragon flings one-third of the angels to the earth. Earth seems to be the working place of the devil and his angels, seemingly to corrupt humanity and destroy it. If the number of righteous angels left in heaven is innumerable, it is hard to comprehend how many evil angels roam the earth.

Then I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand (Revelation 5:11a).

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Revelation 12:4–5

Israel produced the Messiah of the world, Jesus. Satan was there to destroy Jesus. We see the death of Jesus on the cross at age thirty-three, but Jesus was not destroyed but snatched up to God in the resurrection.

Jesus said […] ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’ (John 20:17b).

It might be interesting to wonder what the motive was for Satan to turn from obeying God and destroy the man child which God would send. Perhaps one of the parables of Jesus gives us a clue, the evil people in the parable wanted to inherit the land of the owner’s son, so they killed the son.

Let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours (Luke 20:14b).

Jesus’ everlasting kingdom will be set up on earth, and the righteous will inherit the earth with Him. Perhaps Satan desired to have his own kingdom on the earth.

The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6).

This number, 1,260, is a little less than three and a half years. There are 365 days in a year, and when you multiply three and a half by the number of days in a year, you get seventeen days more than the given number 1,260 days: 3.5 x 365 = 1,277 days.

Israel used lunar months, which each contained thirty days. If you multiply thirty days by twelve months in a year, you get 360 days. If you multiply 360 by three and a half years, you get 1,260 days. One thousand two hundred sixty could represent three and a half years to the Jews. This same number, 1,260, is used in Revelation 11:2.

But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

Revelation 11:2–3

Forty-two months divided by thirty days (Jewish month) does equal three and a half years. So, we have three things that involve the same amount of time:

The Gentiles trample the Holy City for three and a half years.

The two witnesses prophesy for three and a half years.

The woman flees to the desert, where God takes care of her for three and a half years.

Perhaps all three will happen at the same time—the Gentiles will invade and trample the city of Jerusalem, causing the nation (woman) to flee to the desert where God will take care of them, but two witnesses will remain in the city for a specific purpose, for three and a half years.

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven (Revelation 12:7–8).

This is a picture of good and bad angels fighting in the heavens. It is hard for us to picture real fighting between angels. We think an all-powerful God would just speak a word and defeat the evil angels, but it seems there is a realm of angel activity, just like earth is a realm of human activity. God doesn’t just speak a word and defeat evil on earth. On earth, we have conflict between good and evil. So it seems there is conflict between good and evil in the realm of angel activity.

Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.

Daniel 10:12–13

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ (Jude 1:9)

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Revelation 12:9–10

The dragon we are told is the ancient serpent called the devil and Satan. This reference of Satan being a serpent is referring to the serpent which deceived Eve at the beginning of humanity in the Garden of Eden.

Satan and his angels were kicked out of heaven down to the earth. We know all the angels were created holy and were living in heaven with a holy God. When some of them became evil, it seems heaven would have become more like the earth is now, having both good and evil beings and actions.

When Jesus lived a victorious human life, proving one could choose righteousness and reject evil, it seems Satan was exiled from heaven, and salvation from sin was obtained for humanity.

Satan is called an accuser of Christians. We see Satan as an accuser in the book of Job when Satan came to God’s meeting with the righteous angels and accused Job before God.

Satan replied, ‘Man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face’ (Job 2:4–5).

This scripture says Satan accuses the Christians before God day and night, but Michael and his angels fought in a war, and Satan was cast out.

If Satan accuses all people before God, what do you think he says about you? Could this determine the kind of trials you face? Do you think you will continue to face that type of trial until you prove yourself faithful and victorious?

It is not clear when Satan is thrown out of heaven, down to the earth. The story says it was after the baby was snatched up to heaven. That could have been after the resurrection, or it could be a future time during the three and a half years of tribulation. I would guess that if the last days began with the coming of Jesus Christ, Satan was cast out with the victory of the crucifixion and resurrection.

The modern-day seer, Baba Vanga, predicted that in the year 2021, a dragon would take over the planet. Perhaps this dragon is actually the devil and not China, as people are trying to interpret the prediction.

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

Revelation 12:11–12

The overcoming, spoken about in this verse, is not about a country going to war but overcoming temptations and persecutions in life. It could be looked at as spiritual warfare. Our clue to overcoming is twofold, our outspoken testimony on our part and our all-powerful, miracle-working Savior who intervenes for us, which is God’s part.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10).

Do you have trouble being an overcomer? Try being more outspoken for God and righteousness and see how quickly the God, who hears even our careless words, will hear the words of your testimony and come swinging His fiery sword on your behalf.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2 Chronicles 16:9, KJV).

Some of the overcomers will face death. Job said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust him (Job 13:15, KJV). One doesn’t feel like rejoicing at the death of a righteous person, but this verse, Revelation 12:12, tells us heaven rejoices at the victory of every Christian, whether in life or in death.

Satan and his angels know their time is short before their final judgment. The angels reveal they know the time of their torture in the lake of fire.

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. What do you want with us, Son of God? They shouted. Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"

Matthew 8:28–29

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

Revelation 12:13–14

I noticed the woman was given the wings of a great eagle. The eagle could be a reference to the country of the United States, which uses the symbol of the eagle. Whatever the eagle wings are, it enables this woman to escape to someplace in the desert where God protects her. The woman could be the entire Jewish nation, the leaders of the nation, or the religious leaders. God prepares a place of safety for this specific group for a specific time period.

They will be in the desert time, times and half a time. This is the three and a half years already mentioned. (Time = one year, times = two years, half a time = half a year.) The previous mentioning said 1,260 days, also forty-two months. This expression says time, times, and half a time, so we have three ways to say three and a half years.

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 12:15–17

Water is often symbolic of people; in this case, it seems like it is an army. If it is literally water, the water is large, like a river. Perhaps it is a natural disaster. We have seen disasters with floods and tsunamis. God opens the earth, perhaps with an earthquake, and consumes the water or the army.

When Satan sees he cannot destroy this specific group of people whom God is helping, he attacks the rest of her offspring. If the ones in the desert are the leaders of the nation (perhaps the leaders were rushed to safety) or the leaders of the church, then probably the offspring Satan attacks is in the nation of Israel. If the entire nation is protected in the desert, then the offspring is probably believers of Jesus Christ in other nations. Whoever the offspring are, it is clear they obey God’s commands and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Thus the account ends with Satan persecuting those who obey God’s commandments and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ. Today’s Christians are Satan’s target and will continue to be until the end of all things. The purpose of this account of the woman and the dragon is so we can see the hidden reality of the conflicts of good and evil.

Those statements—why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this? I just don’t understand. Will this ever end?—are part of Satan’s attacks against those who obey God’s commands and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ. God fights for the believer and offers armor to clothe us.

The armor pictured in Ephesians 6:10–18 is often seen as its symbolism—a breastplate, helmet, sword, shield, etc., but the real armor is what the symbolism stands for—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, being filled with the Spirit, and prayer. These qualities will protect us from the devil who goes through all the earth to persecute those who hold the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

The Throne

Room of God

Revelation, Chapter 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this’ (Revelation 4:1).

John, the writer of the book of Revelation, is hearing a voice speaking to him. This voice he describes as sounding like a trumpet. It seems the sound of a trumpet has been God’s choice to make a proclamation since He chose to speak to mankind from Mount Sinai.

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightning, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled (Exodus 19:16, KJV).

The great, all-powerful God has other voices. What kind have you heard? Elijah went through a traumatic experience and didn’t need a loud and powerful voice speaking to him. God chose to speak to him in a still, small voice. God’s voice will be there for you in the time of darkness that you face.

Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction […] whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ (Isaiah 30:20a–21).

Sometimes God uses people to be His voice. John the Baptist was called a voice crying in the wilderness. Whichever the method is that God uses, the child of God realizes it is God’s voice speaking to him.

When he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice (John 10:4, KJV).

John is called up to the heavenly realm to hear Revelation, chapters 4–22. When He enters the door into the heavenly realm, he finds himself before God’s throne.

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne (Revelation 4:2–3).

It is interesting that John describes the one sitting on the throne using two opaque gemstones, jasper and carnelian. It almost gives one the idea that it appeared to be a statue or representation of God and not God Himself. The rainbow must have been green in color, resembling the glow of an emerald.

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads (Revelation 4:4).

The number twenty-four is two twelves. It could be twelve people from the Old Testament and twelve people from the New Testament. When we think of the word elders, we think of New Testament church leadership. It also brings to mind age and the need to give respect.

The white clothing is the only kind of clothing described in heaven and is symbolic of the righteousness of the saints. There are eleven references to white clothing in the book of Revelation, which seems to say God wants us to pay attention to our actions. Don’t grow weary of the mention of white garments but let each reference chisel the truth deeper into your heart.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Revelation 19:8, KJV).

The elders had crowns on their heads. There are different kinds of crowns mentioned in the Bible. The crowns the elders wear are not labeled, but we can identify them as a reward they were given.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12)