2nd Discourse on the Book of Revelation 4:4 - Ch. 8

Rev 4:4
24 Elders = Elders who had been faithful in the work of the ministry and were dead; who belonged to the church of God and were then in the paradise of God

Rev 4:6
"Sea of glass like unto crystal" = Earth in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.

Rev 4:7

4 Beasts:

Lion = Heaven

Calf = Paradise of God

Man = Happiness of Man

Eagle = Beasts, Creeping things, and Fowls of the air

Rev 4: 8

Wings = Power to move, and act

Eyes within = knowledge and light within

Holy, holy, holy = greatest in holiness

was, is and is to come = superlative in time as well

Rev Chapter 5

Book with 7 seals = The revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy. God's plan to enable us to become like Him (The earth during the 7000 years of its continuance or temporal existence). 

5:5

The Lion of the tribe of Juda, The Root of David = Christ

Here is the British coat of arms. The Lion with the crown on the left is symbolic of Judah and his kingdom. The Unicorn on the right in chains is symbolic of Ephraim and the Northern tribes in bondage/subjection to Judah. Judah took on the symbol of the Lion, and that symbol has remained even until this day. Christ is of the line of Judah, and heir to the throne of David. Christ is the Lion with the power and authority to open the book with the 7 seals.

JST 5:6

“In the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having 12 horns and 12 eyes, which are the 12 servants of God, sent forth into all the earth.” = 12 Apostles having power and authority, light and knowledge and trumpets to proclaim the gospel to all of the earth.

5:7

Christ takes the book from God sitting upon his throne

5:8-14

All creatures worship and sing praises to God and the Lamb

Rev Chapter 6

Although D&C 77: 7 informs us that each of the 7 seals represent 1000 years in the earths temporal existence I like to look at the 7 seals in this manner:

1^st seal = The Premortal life, Michael and his angels battling Lucifer

2^nd seal = Earth life, Lucifer wreaking havoc upon the earth

3^rd seal = The Day of Judgment. We'll be judged according to our works and deeds. The oil symbolically represents being sealed to God while the wine symbolizes the Atonement. They with the oil and wine have accepted Christ’s atonement and have been sealed to him.

4^th seal = Physical and Spiritual Death

5^th seal = The resurrection of the saints up to the Second Coming

6^th seal = The events just prior to the Second Coming

7^th seal (chapters 8-11) = The signs of the times and the destruction of everything Telestial at the Second Coming

Rev 7:1

The 4 angels = "Angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the 4 parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness." D&C 77:8

Rev 7:2

Angel ascending from the east = "he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the 12 tribes of Israel... this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things." D&C 77:9

Rev 7:4-8

 144,000 = 12,000 High Priests from each tribe who are to administer the everlasting gospel.  They "are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people... to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn." D&C 77:11 (A great missionary force sent forth).

Rev 7:9-17

They who have washed their garments and made them white through the blood of Christ. Celestial beings worshiping God in the Celestial kingdom.

1st Discourse on the Book of Revelation (Ch 1 - 4:6)

As I read through the Book of Revelation on my mission it was as if a light bulb had suddenly turned on. Everything that was confusing and abstract became clear and plain as I saw the fulfillment of the various prophecies happening around me on a daily basis. In the words of Joseph Smith, the Book of Revelation is "one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written."

In order to make it plain to others to read I have decided to record my notes and thoughts in a series of discourses on the book.

(Also it helps to read the book how it was written, and not how it has been changed. So I'll be referring to the Inspired Version of the Bible, and not just the King James Version).

First here are some notes on symbolism of numbers:

3~Heaven, The Godhead

4~Earth in its 4 quarters, Fallen man (every nation, kindred, tongue, and people)

7~Perfection, complete, whole

12~Authority, Power, Tribes of Israel (family of God)

40~Period of Preparation or Judgment

100~Emphasis, really important

Word importance:

Base~Fast, Great, Strong, etc. (mentioned once)

Comparative ~Faster, Greater, Stronger, etc. (mentioned twice)

Superlative~Fastest, Greatest, Strongest, etc. (mentioned thrice: was, is and is to come; holy, holy, holy; and others)

Basic Background:

This revelation was given to John by Christ through an angel. This revelation was given while John was on the Isle of Patmos around 90AD, and was written prior to both the book of John and the epistles of John. Throughout the book it is common for a verse to refer to the pre-earth life and then immediately jump to the second coming or the afterlife in the next verse, and vice-versa. A great deal of temple symbolism is also expounded upon in this book, and so it also helps having  gone through the temple to understand this book in greater detail. Additionally some things are meant to be taken more symbolically than literally, while other things are to be taken more literally than symbolically.

One of the first example of how you can take a symbolic or literal interpretation is the 7 churches  mentioned in chapter one. On a symbolic note these churches can simply refer to the church and its members as a whole (going back to the symbolism of 7). On a literal interpretation the cities being spoken about reside or are relatively close to these actual cities, all lying in modern-day turkey:

1. Ephesus = Kusadasi, Turkey

2. Smyrna = Izmir, Turkey

3. Pergamos = Dikili, Turkey

4. Thyatira = Akhisar, Turkey

5. Sardis = Turgutlu, Turkey

6. Philadelphia = Odemis, Turkey

7. Laodicea = Bozdogan, Turkey

Rev 1:6

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father" 

             = Our foreordination and potential.

Rev 1:7

The second coming of Christ, and how the unprepared shall feel.

Rev 1:13-16

One of the most beautifully written descriptions of Christ in his glory (compare with Rev 2:18; JST Rev 4:3; Daniel 10:5-6; and D&C 110: 2-3).

Rev 1:18

Superlative description of his life. Christ holds the Keys of Death and Hell, not Satan. (The combination of Death and Hell is the awful monster spoken of by Jacob in 2 Nephi 9:10,19, 26, which Christ had to conquer and overcome from within. He had to descend below all things and into these awful monsters to overcome them and receive the keys of them.)

Promises given to those who overcome the world:

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."  ~ Rev 2: 7

=The Atonement, the fountain of living waters, the sustaining substance of Celestial Beings.

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." ~Rev 2: 10

= A kingdom to rule and reign over.

"He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." ~Rev 2: 11

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." ~ Rev 2: 17

= The hidden manna could be reference to the Passover Matza that is hidden until the end of the meal and is eaten in remembrance of the sacrificed lamb. See my previous post on this. Our new name will permit us to enter into God's presence. The white stone will be our own Urim and Thummim as is expounded upon in D&C 130: 6-11; Rev 4: 6.

"And to him who overcometh, and keepeth my commandments unto the end, will I give power over many kingdoms;

"And he shall rule them with the word of God; and they shall be in his hands as the vessels of clay in the hands of a potter; and he shall govern them by faith, with equity and justice, even as I received of my Father.

"And I will give him the morning star." ~ JST Rev 2: 26-28

= As it is written. Kingdoms and Dominions to rule and reign over

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." ~Rev 3: 5

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." ~ Rev 3: 12

= Now that sounds incredible! Not only will we be a part of God and his city but we will even become part of the family of Christ. His new name will be given unto us, and written upon us!

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." ~Rev 3: 21

Which Direction Does Your Tent Door Face?

Towards the Temple or towards the World? Hopefully after General Conference this should be an easy answer for you.

From the scriptures we learn of two powerful illustrations about the importance of facing our tent door in the right direction. In the Book of Mormon we read about the General Conference that King Benjamin called:

“And it came to pass that after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a proclamation throughout all the land, that the people gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them.
 “And there were a great number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied exceedingly and waxed great in the land.

                                                                      …
 “And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.
 “And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;”

~Mosiah 1: 1-2, 5-6

The result led to a deeper conversion to the truth among the listeners. 

The second illustration paints a different picture, yet emphasizes the same point. In the book of Genesis we read about Lot and his poor decision to pitch his tent towards Sodom:

“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”

~Gen 13:12-13

 At first it seems innocent for Lot to face his tent towards Sodom as he was well without the walls of the city, and wasn’t part of their wickedness. However this choice doesn’t seem so innocent in the following chapters. In the very next chapter we read that Lot dwelt in Sodom. Eventually the wickedness in the city became so great that the Lord had to destroy it. Before destroying the city the Lord sent angels to save Lot before the city was destroyed. Yet, although Lot was saved physically from harm, his spirit was greatly harmed and stained with unrighteousness by staying in the city. Peter recounts what happened to Lot before he was delivered:

“And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
“(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”

~2 Peter 2: 7-8

To stay pure and clean we cannot live in the midst of sin. We must flee from Babylon and into the Mountains of Ephraim to dwell. For in the mountains dwells the Lord, his servants and his house. Let us then face our tent towards the temple, and the Prophets that we may be able to withstand the enemy in the war against sin.