Not Your Grandmother's Book of Revelation: Using Scripture to Explain the Book of Revelation

By Charyl Craddock

Unlike most other commentaries on the Book of Revelation, Not Your Grandmother's Book of Revelation presents Scripture to dispel the many misinterpretations that have been perpetuated for the last one hundred years. Many of those misinterpretations have a foundation from the book Dispensational Truths by Baptist Pastor and Biblical scholar Charles Larkin, which was published in 1918. In addition to the influence of Mr. Larkin's book, many misinterpretations result from the false belief that the Book of Revelation is written in chronological order and that all of the events shown to John will occur during the final seven years, Daniel's seventieth week. In this book, Scripture is presented that positively establishes that the Revelation of Christ as recorded by John is written in the order that the events were shown to John, not chronologically; that the events of the vision, "the events that shall be hereafter" (Revelation 1:19), began occurring during the second and third century after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the first three and a half years after the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and "many" will be a peaceful time during which Israel will build the third Temple; the final three and a half years, the Great Tribulation, is the pouring out of the wrath of Satan, not the wrath of God; and that Jesus told the apostles that the First Resurrection, the "Rapture" does not occur until "immediately after the tribulation" (Matthew 24:29). It will be shown that America is in the Book of Revelation. A detailed description of the Antichrist, False Prophet, one-world government "Beast," and "mark of the Beast" are presented, as is a synopsis of all chapters and the prophecies of Daniel. Finally, a timeline of the events of the vision is presented.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098051846

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Not Your Grandmother's Book of Revelation

Using Scripture to Explain the Book of Revelation

Charyl Craddock

Copyright © 2020 by Charyl Craddock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Revelation 5

Revelation 7

Revelation 10

Revelation 11

Revelation 12

Revelation 14

Revelation 17

Revelation 18

Revelation 19

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Introduction

First, let me assert that I believe everything in this book is important, but I am aware of human nature and know that not everyone will read every page. Therefore, I sincerely request that you read the last two chapters if you do not read all of them. If you have questions about what is written in the last two chapters, you can refer to that section in the book for more information.

This book is unlike any you have read. It will be revealed through numerous passages of Scripture how much of the Book of Revelation has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. These misinterpretations will be detailed, and the Biblically accurate explanation will be given. This begins with an explanation of how the Book of Revelation is written and how to read it correctly.

Your frame of mind while reading this book is critical to how well you receive the message it contains. If you read it in a prayerful attitude, asking the Holy Ghost to give you understanding, and read, then reread any parts that are unclear, you will get a better understanding of what God intended us to know about the days ahead. Remember, when reading the explanations of the misinterpretations, that God’s Word is uncompromising, inerrant, complete truth. If you have believed something that you were told by a person, no matter how many times or for how long a time, or how spiritual or scholarly that person may be, but it does not follow completely with Scripture, it is the person who erred, not God’s Word.

We have a habit of unconsciously manipulating Scripture to make it fit what we have been led to believe to be true. The first priority of this book is to correct many wrong interpretations of end-time prophecy through providing the appropriate Scripture passages that reveal such interpretations to be false. This book will only achieve its underlying goal if you read it with an open mind and are willing to deny what you have been taught if it conflicts with what God has said.

Over the past forty years or so, I had studied the Book of Revelation four different times under three different pastors and my Sunday school teacher. The fifth time, I co-taught the study and typed up the entire Book of Revelations with the commentary for each of the ladies in the class. Each of those times, I heard, and taught, the version that most of you have probably heard many times. When John goes to Heaven in the fourth chapter, it symbolizes the Rapture of the Church. The first seal, the white horseman, is the Antichrist. The opening of the seventh seal initiates the sounding of the trumpets, along with many other misinterpretations.

Then one evening in October 2017, I attended a class on Dr. Irvin Baxter’s Understanding the End Time series with two friends from my church. The study had eighteen lessons, but my life was changed that very first night. Not very far into the lesson, on the PowerPoint slide was Daniel 7:17 with the verse written as "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. I stared at the word shall" and instantly realized that I had read that verse numerous times but had never paid any attention to that one small word. I had always read it with the interpretation that I had heard so many times. The four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 represented the four empires of Daniel chapter 2: the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires. Now I was being told that they could not possibly be those empires because of that one small word. These beasts could not represent empires that already existed if they were to arise, which means in the future.

The discrepancy in the description of the beasts in Daniel 7 will be discussed in detail in Chapter 7, the chapter on the Antichrist. But it is important that you know that there were many other verses where I had done exactly the same thing—ignored words in Scripture that differed from what I had always been taught. This is true for many other parts of Scripture, not just those associated with prophecy. I have learned more in the past year than ever before because now I read God’s Word with my mind and my heart completely open to what it says, not what someone told me. So how can it be that so many truly spiritual and scholarly and knowledgeable preachers and teachers, including Dr. David Jeremiah, well known pastor, author, and evangelist, could be wrong, but what I am presenting in this book is right? First, because it is based on the Understanding the End Time series by Dr. Irvin Baxter, who is also a well-known pastor, author, and evangelist, and on the twenty-five years of research and study of my mentor Joe Mack.

Second, everything in this book is supported by Scripture. The Scriptures are included so that you do not have to take my word for anything; you have God’s Word for it. Believe me. Mr. Mack would not have it any other way. Anytime that I tried to include my thoughts as to how I believe something might happen, but it was not explained in Scripture or inspiration by God to Dr. Baxter, I had to delete it. I thought that by qualifying a statement that it was merely a possible explanation was acceptable. But Mr. Mack correctly pointed out that including such explanations could influence a reader’s thinking just as those who had influenced me in the past.

If you do not learn anything else from this book, please learn that it is important to read God’s Word carefully and prayerfully. God’s truth is truth, whether we believe it or not. We can’t change what God has said just because it doesn’t fit what we have heard or what we believe or what we want it to say.

The prophecies of Daniel are an integral part in understanding Revelation and will be referenced throughout this book. The prophecy of the seventy weeks of Israel’s redemption, Daniel chapter 9, is discussed in a separate chapter because it explains the reason for the final seven years.

Events that will occur in the near future will be discussed and a timeline of those events will be given.

Many Christians and many churches do not study the Book of Revelation. They believe that it is impossible to understand all of the symbols that permeate the prophecy.

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand. (Revelation 1:3)

The Lord would not tell us to read the prophecy, and promise a blessing for doing so, if we are not able to understand its message.

May God guide and assist you as you study this commentary on the Book of Revelation. I know that you will receive a blessing for doing so because God promised a blessing for all who keep the sayings of this prophecy. Bless you. Amen.

Terminology

End Time

The time during which any of the events of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Lord and His coming Kingdom can occur.

Time of the End

The last seven years before the coming of the Lord, Daniel’s seventieth week, begins at the signing of the seven-year peace agreement that confirms the covenant.

End of Time

The time between the end of the Great Tribulation and the beginning of Christ’s reign on Earth.

Time of the Gentiles

The time during which Gentiles were given dominion over Israel because of their disobedience; it began with the captivity of Judah in Babylon. It will end at the fullness of the Gentiles.

The Fullness of the Gentiles

When the peace agreement that affirms the covenant is signed, then God will return His focus to redeeming Israel, the seventieth week will begin. The chosen of Israel will be protected throughout the Tribulation, but not from the Battle. When Israel calls out to the Lord to save them during the Battle of Armageddon, the Lord will return, will Rapture the saints, the Fullness of the Gentiles, and He will end the Battle of Armageddon. Then Israel’s blindness will be lifted, and all of Israel that remain will be saved (Romans 11:25–27).

The Church Age

At the time of Jesus’s ascension, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the power of the Holy Ghost and then to witness to everyone to the uttermost part of the Earth (Acts 1:8). The Church Age began at the Day of Pentecost when the disciples received the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1–4). It will end at the coming of the Lord, at the first resurrection and the rapture of the church (Matthew 24:31).

Chapter 1

Keys to Understanding the Book of Revelation

Format

The first concept that is critical to understanding the Book of Revelation is the format in which it is written.

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. (Revelation 1:19)

The Book of Revelation is written in three categories, or parts. John was told to write of the past, present, and future from his day forward.

The first part, the things which thou hast seen, or things in the past, were the things in chapter 1, which tell of the Glory of Christ which were shown to John.

The second part, the things which are, or things current in John’s day, were the things in chapters 2 and 3 that were dictated by Christ and addressed to the seven churches in Asia Minor at the time of John’s vision. The practices of these churches are guidelines for today’s churches as to what is to be emulated and what is to be prohibited.

The third part, the things which shall be hereafter, or things in the near and far future, were all of the events in the vision that was presented to John that he recorded in chapters 4–22.

Misinterpretation: Events of the Prophecy Not Limited to the Tribulation

It is commonly believed that a peace agreement confirming the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:18) must be signed before any of the events of John’s prophecy can occur. While the peace agreement is a prerequisite for some of the events, such as the Abomination of Desolation and Christ’s Second Coming, there is no Scriptural support that it is a prerequisite for all of the events. To the contrary, John was told twice at the beginning and once at the end of the vision that he was in the end time.

John was told for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3, 22:10). He was told that the events he was about to see would be the things which shall be hereafter (Revelation 1:19). The term hereafter means starting at that time and continuing into the future. The end time began at the end of the first century.

Order

The second concept that is critical to understanding the Book of Revelation is the order in which the events described will occur. Conventional teaching believes that the Book of Revelation is written in chronological order; that the events will occur in the order in which they appear in the book. This is another misinterpretation that must be clarified. It is one of, if not, the largest stumbling block to understanding the prophecy. The interpretation is drastically changed if the events are not restricted to a chronological order.

If verses from different chapters describe the same event, then they must occur at the same time and not one after the other as they would occur if recorded in chronological order. Just as the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—record the same events: the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ from different perspectives, so too Revelation 6:12–17, 11:15–19, 16:17–21; Matthew 24:29; Ezekiel 38:12–22 all describe the same future event from different perspectives.

To demonstrate that these passages do refer to the same event, the Second Coming of the Lord, consider ten phrases that are shared by these five passages of Scripture: great earthquake, sun darkened, moon darkened and turns to blood, stars fall, mountains and islands moved, great voices, lightning and thunder, great hail, powers in heaven, and God’s wrath.

And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:12–17)

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The Kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.

And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.

Saying, we give thee thanks, o Lord God almighty, which art, and which wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power and hast reigned.

And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the Prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:15–19)

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, It is done.

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. (Revelation 16:17–21)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Matthew 24:29)

To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, thus saith the Lord God; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shall thou not know it?

And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

And thou shalt come up against My people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by My servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come up in My face.

For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken. Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Ezekiel 38:12–22)

Ten Phrases Common to Five Passages

If the Book of Revelation is written in chronological order, then the greatest earthquake ever seen must happen five times: Revelation 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 11:19, and 16:18. The sun will go dark two times: Revelation 11:19 and 16:10. Great hail, 125-pound chunks of ice, must fall twice: Revelation 11:19 and 16:21. All mountains and islands will disappear twice: Revelation 6:14 and 16:20. God’s wrath must be poured out seven times: Revelation 6:17, 11:18, 14:9–10, 14:19, 15:1, 16:1, and 19:15.

These events only occur once, after the Great Tribulation, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the Battle of Armageddon. The Book of Revelation is not written in chronological order. The seals, trumpets, and vials overlap. The sixth seal, seventh trumpet, and seventh vial describe one event and occur simultaneously.

Purpose

The third concept that is important to understanding the Book of Revelation is to know the purpose of the prophecy, to know why it is important to understand what will happen during the time of the end. Why should we study this long and difficult book of the Bible that is filled with frightening beasts, weird and unusual animals and insects, death, and destruction?

First, we should study the Book of Revelation because God thinks it is so important that it is the only book in the Bible for which He will give a blessing to all who read it. Revelation 1:3 promises a blessing for those who read, hear, and keep the things that were revealed to John.

Second, the purpose of the vision was to tell of the events before, during, and after the Coming of the Lord. This is the single most important event yet to occur. God wants all to know what to watch for and what we are to do during the rapidly approaching time of the end.

Third, since we are getting so close to the end, our ability to understand the prophecy has been increased.

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)

And I heard, but I understood not: Then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

And He said, Go thy way Daniel: For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: And none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:8–10)

Daniel was given the prophecy of the time of the end more than five hundred years before Jesus’s time on Earth. He did not live in the end time as John did, and as we do. He could not understand. John was told not to seal up the prophecy for the time is at hand (Revelation 22:10).

If we let our eyes run to and fro over the prophecies, our knowledge shall be increased, and we will be wise and understand. Many misinterpretations have been widely circulated concerning the events to come, but as many faithfully seek the truth, these false doctrines are being shown for what they are. We must seek the truth in the Words of God, not of men, and understanding will be given to us.

Layout

The final concept that can assist us in understanding the Book of Revelation is to be aware of how it is laid out. As shown, it is not in chronological order, and that point is reinforced by the way in which the chapters are laid out. There are several chapters interspersed throughout the book that are parenthetical chapters. These chapters provide important information but can cause confusion because their content is so different from the chapters around them.

Chapter 6 describes the opening of six of the seven seals. Chapter 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal and then the sounding of the first of the trumpets. But in between is chapter 7, a parenthetical chapter. Chapter 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000 children of Israel and the worship of the multitude of tribulation saints in heaven, neither of which have anything to do with opening the seals or sounding the trumpets.

Another example of this is chapter 10. Chapters 8 and 9 describe the sounding of six of the seven trumpets. Chapter 11 begins with John being told to measure the Temple, but not the courtyard, showing that the third Temple will be built but the Temple Mount will be shared with the Gentiles. In between, chapter 10 tells of seven thunders that speak to John, but he is not allowed to write what they told him. Then he is given a book to ingest, to make a part of himself so that he can teach what it says to others when he leaves Patmos. Neither of these have anything to do with the sounding of the trumpets or the building of the Temple.

It is critical to realize that the parenthetical chapters are included to provide important information of future events but should not be construed as a continuation of the previous chapter or as a prerequisite of the following chapter.

As previously stated, the Book of Revelation is not written in chronological order as evidenced by the events of the Lord’s Second Coming being described in several different chapters. According to Dr. Irvin Baxter (2019, 4),

We need to understand another very important fact as we are taking this overview of the entire Book of Revelation. Revelation contains four different accounts of the Second Coming of Jesus, or we might say four different accounts of the unveiling of Jesus. The entire book is about the Unveiling of Jesus Christ, or the revealing of Jesus Christ to the world at the time of the Second Coming.

A Summary by Chapter of the Book of Revelation

Part 1: The Things Which Thou Hast Seen

Chapter 1

John is shown Jesus Christ in all of His Glory, not as He had appeared on earth. A blessing is promised. John is given instructions. Jesus controls the seven stars and seven candlesticks of the churches in Asia Minor.

Part 2: The Things Which Are

Chapters 2 and 3

Christ dictated letters to the Seven Churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), commending them for correct behavior and reproving them for wrong behavior.

Part 3: The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter

Chapter 4

God’s throne in Heaven, twenty-four elders, four living creatures (cherubim), seven spirits of God.

Chapter 5

Jesus is the rightful heir to the world and is worthy to open the seals on the scroll, the deed to the earth.

Chapter 6

Six of the seven seals are opened.

Chapter 7

God’s angel seals 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel, who bring the greatest revival across the world of Jew and Gentile alike; the multitude of tribulation saints praise God in Heaven.

Chapters 8 and 9

The seventh seal is opened; six of the seven trumpets sound.

Chapter 10

John hears the seven thunders but is forbidden to write about them; John ingests a book, sweet to the mouth but bitter to the stomach, that is filled with things that he is to preach when he gets off of Patmos.

Chapter 11

John measures the third Temple but not the courtyard, which is under Gentile rule. God’s two witnesses are given power to prophesy for 1,260 days; then, they will be slain and be resurrected three and a half days later. An earthquake kills seven thousand in Jerusalem and splits the Mount of Olives in two; the seventh trumpet sounds.

Chapter 12

A woman with a crown of twelve stars (Israel) gives birth to a son (Jesus). There is war in Heaven between Satan and the Archangel Michael. Satan is confined to the Earth and comes in great wrath. Israel is given two wings of a great eagle (USA) to take her to her safe place.

Chapter 13

The four beast nations of Daniel’s chapter 7 merge to form the one-world government beast controlled by the Antichrist; the second beast with the horns of a lamb and voice of a dragon, the False Prophet, arises from the earth. Economic control is established with the Mark of the Beast.

Chapter 14

The Lord appears on Mount Zion with the 144,000. Babylon is fallen, is fallen. Two great simultaneous harvests on Earth: the wheat and tares, the winepress of God’s wrath.

Chapter 15

Seven angels in Heaven with seven plagues of God’s wrath are given seven vials to hold those plagues.

Chapter 16

The seven vials of God’s wrath are poured out on those who worshipped the beast and on the invading armies at Armageddon

Chapter 17

Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations, the false world religion, is revealed; the beast’s heads and horns are explained. The Harlot sits on seven mountains; the one-world government destroys the one world religion.

Chapter 18

The destruction of the false one world religion is described