Who Wrote the Book of Revelation? 

i see you ended it at 7 episodes how auspicious

I don't need a physical printed version (no wall space) could you post a downloadable version in .PNG 0r .JPG? I'd pay for it.

Curious, as I had a friend in high school who was also a witness, but very lax towards the religious stuff, is leaving always punished this hard? I also remember catching him later and he made it pretty clear without outright saying it that he had a hard time leaving town for a better job because his parents wouldn't have been able to matchmake for him, which I found pretty shocking.

@@d0nutwaffle yes. My two children are 19 and 20. They have not seen all four of their grandparents in 6 years. My brother and his wife left after us. They have a 3 year son. My parents have not seen him also. Some JWs are more lax then my parents and in laws but if a family member is caught taking to an apostate (someone who leaves) they can be kick out also.

Yes...if you officially leave or are kicked out, family and friends have to shun you (but for a few loopholes like family staying in the same house or rare "necessary family business" like attending a funeral. As soon as it is legal to do so (at 18), a child might find themselves kicked out of the home to fend for themselves. Matchmaking isn't typical or official policy. Of course, if you work for family or other JWs (having little college if any--as high education is frowned on), then that can present another obstacle to leaving. Members who fail to shun those disfellowshipped or disassocated can find themselves punished themselves. Of course, one can "fade" and go inactive, but often what is experienced is an informal soft shunning where members gradually back away as they realize you are not attending meetings and going door-to-door anymore.

Thanks for the replies and really, I have to say, this really does paint JW more as a cult than I though before.

Indeed--it is a doomsday cult. Growing up, commentary on Daniel and Revelation was my bread and butter. But if you look at the leadership's enforced prohibition on blood transfusions since 1945--thousands of members have died needlessly, including children. More than Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, and Heaven's Gate combined and many times over.

Seconded.

Do you happen to know which cult it is?

@@halukonal1400 He literally states it in the video.

@@blue-pi2kt Apparently, I missed that part

I'm amused at how he keeps repeating "...any day now."

hi

Great posters for sure!

Yes, your posters are good. But the self-shilling is awkward. 🙄

Why does the Zadokite priests in your chart seems to contradict Chronicles? Especially the ancestors from Johanan I to Zadok II. Secondly, why is Ezra not an immediate descendant of Seraiah in the Chart?

They look very nice indeed! Are they also divided between verifiable history and religious tradition? Like on Matt’s Ancient Family trees chart?

Ah, good to know. Thanks.

I have read yet another, more symbolic Christian interpretation: both these numbers 666/616 were originally written in Greek numeric system as χξς`/χις` respectively. Thus, the number of the beast is a symbol that separates, replaces Christs abbrevation symbol in Greek χς or ΧC, a false Christ or Antichrist.

I once saw Bill Gates "turned into" 666. I do not remember the formula, but it had a few weird details. Given the num,ber of number systems one could (perhaps) make a "666-modificator" that could "massage" most names into 666.

One theory I heard says that 666 is a code number which means tradition.

I also read another theory on this. Some think the versions that used 616 were refering to Caligula (aka Gaias Caesar, which in Greek adds up to 616). Caligula had commited an act that compares to Antiochus in demanding the Temple make offerings to other gods, specifically himself. So some historians think that some communities, especially those of Jewish Christians, thought of him as the Beast more than Nero.

I appreciate your open-mindedness! One can always disagree and stay friends, and respect each other's opinions without agreeing! Much love!

I'm Catholic and our approach to the Bible is textual rather than literal. An in depth study of Biblical literature using critical methods unlocks layers of meaning not found in a strictly literalist interpretation.

If your story only has value because it is "true" not because it has a message worth hearing then you need a better story.

This content is NOT new, but the result of the theological research au the beginning of the 20th century. Every person studying theology knows that the Bible is written by men.

Shook some people 's faith? Comparing Bible prophecy with history has only strengthened my faith.

:0

"Hard times is when it's the end of the world, but you can't see. You need a little...revelation...if you will, baby, haha" Dusty Rhodes, probably.

On Matt's point about the word "prophecy" I've heard it can be one of two things, whereas he said its just the one. A forth-telling, or telling the future like most people today associate the word with. Or a fore-telling, or telling/explaining the times we're in.

Well, not exactly the same, but you could watch my series of videos on "the wheel of time", and how it connects to escathology of several religious traditions.

There's is much in the bible about the future. It sometimes gets confused because we like to make everything about us. The end of days is prophesied as a warning. We are to live everyday like Jesus is coming tomorrow. We know Hes prob not but we should be ready.

Welcome to the 21st century. A time completely removed from any ancient culture where we only view things in black n white. No nuance, no grey area, no mystery. Just fact or fiction

@@Luinedhel wheels are of less importance now that chariots have gone out of fashion... time is connected to a jet engine now... maybe you could update your title...

@@flipflopski2951 OK, either that was a joke, or you're unaware that I meant the series of books called "the wheel of time". In any case, you're welcome to watch the videos 😉

Eisegesis (out-of-context reading & interpretation) reigns supreme when it comes to Daniel and Revelation, so my general modality is to not engage when either one is mentioned. I did a couple units of the Apokalypsis in uni, and also did some personal study of Daniel (particularly the dating of the book of Daniel, since I was engaged in evangelistic efforts at the time). What I read managed to break my Christian faith, which I’m thankful for in retrospect.

@@cfletcher1030 isn't it telling that learning more about the Bible can make someone less Christian? 😬

​@@cfletcher1030a story doesn't need to be true, it just needs to have a message worth hearing. if it doesn't, find a better one. I am not criticising your decision btw. It is one I made myself.

Same! I've seen some charts online, but an explanation video would be amazing

I would pay so much for this

This

I think you have it right. It’s archetypes not bound to merely one period

It’s happening. Eufrat river

@@Rx_Sqx it's happened many times

@@sterlingwelch4528 it hasn’t at all, this is the first time.

@@Rx_Sqx the last reset apocalypse we had is the muddflood. Why don't your enlighten yourself and check it out. It was not that long ago. Look it up on RU-vid!! Lots of evidence for truth seekers.

How long did u belong to that church?

@@EXPLOREWITHME. for over 50 years. I am now 66 years old and an atheist.

He might end up with his head hanging off his neck if he try to "disrespect" Islam..

Added to that, both are often seen as genres that predict the future, but their actual true purpose is to highlight issues in their contemporary societies.

@@anarlote5658 That's a very interesting point I had never thought about. In 1984 for example, while it has interesting applicability, people seem to forget it is supposed to be about Stalinism.

@@rsmapping8539 yeah but the argument for that is that the "they" or whatever are using stalinism as a blueprint for the society they want, and the fact that the book applies eerily well today is supposed proof of that.

One major difference that I see between Daniel and Revelation, and 1984, is that 1984 is missing the underlying thread of hope one sees in the apocalyptic books. Or rather, that in 1984 the hope is revealed to be an illusion all along. (1984 is the only dystopian novel I have read to date.) The apocalyptic books seem to carry the message, "Things may look bad here, but keep the faith and we will survive." 1984 carries the message: "If things progress to this point, there is no hope for us."

@@MarsJenkar 1984 does have a certain note of hope, though it is obscure. The book ends with an epilogue commenting on the 'doublespeak' promoted by the Party. However, this epilogue is written in the past tense, implying that the Big Brother regime does eventually collapse. How this happens, and what sort of society replaces it, are left uncertain.

I used to listen to him before bed. Not the best way to have a peaceful night's sleep.

It’s a very interesting topic I got into last year. If you’ve ever heard of the Bible Project, they have a few podcast episodes about what spiritual beings are and why we eventually refer to all of them as angels (it’s implied in the Bible that angels are one type of spiritual being). The only problem is that each episode ranges from 30 minutes to an hour, so you’d be in for a ride.

Hochelaga has some videos on this topic!

Does Lutheran Bible lack Revelations?

@@kacperwoch4368 No. Martin could not find a theological reason to delete it - "other than no two people have ever agreed on it".

Luther was given to removing books that didn't agree with his theology. Protestantism very nearly lost the Book of James because of that.

@@gre8 Glad he couldn't get that removed. I've been reading the Book of James starting last week, great stuff.

@@thearea51raidwasboring Indeed. It is one of the gems of the New Testament.

It must be a Triceratops, I hear they have one at the Ark Encounter so it must be true.

Well, it'd be a decaceratops since it has ten horns!

Agreed

The NRSV New Interpreters' Study Bible has a very excellent historical-critical commentary. It is a rather hefty purchase, but it is very worth if you are considering academic study of the Bible.

There is a lot of interpretations. The main ones are the Futurist Interpretation of the most evangelical Churchs, and the Preterist Interpretation of the sholars and catholics, there are others but they are not all that wide spread. Basically, the Futurist Interpretation says the following: Lion and Lamb refers to Jesus, the Woman of chapter 12 refers to either the Church or Israel, the Dragon refers to Satan and his spiritual Army, the Beast refers to Rome and all other evil kingdoms related to Rome (including the supposed future kingdom of the Antichrist), the second Beast refers to a False Prophet (most will say the Catholic Church), and the Woman of Babylon of chapter 17 and 18 also refers to the Catholic Church. All the seven plagues like the Seals and Chalices refers to real and literal natural disasters in the end times (the last 3,5 years of the Earth), but there is some more symbols. If you want a more in deph explanation, them is best search by yourself, but this is basically what evangelical christians believe about this.

How far you wanna go? Can take an hour or it can take a year. Depends on the depth of the rabbit hole you dig.

@@sonofcronos7831 The historicist view is the accurate view.

Check out The Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History on the streaming service Great Courses Plus

Growing up Catholic, I don't seem to recall Revelation ever attempting to be interpreted to find a doomsday or anything. Why is this something that a lot of churches fall into?

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep it is happening more in protestant church. Especially in evangelical christian with non liturgical or low churches.

@@TheTeKuZa I remember our priests talking a lot more about theological ideals and what people in the early church were thinking about. Not literally "anti-Christ this and that". I certainly didn't learn about the Nero thing though. I learned about that from, no joke, History Channel. And I'm 23 so not even when History Channel was apparently decent.

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep i am an Indonesian Methodist christian. I must say that our ministry never preach or teach about end times, except about bodily resurrection and heaven represented by new jerusalem/new earth. But I admit that after the fall of Suharto president, a lot of christian books came and translated, all of them if not all were american origin. Our church was conservative mainline but increasingly became a charismatic evangelical (mainly because UMC is broken). I must say that in here baptists, charismatics, and pentecostal churches are all american influenced if not build by them, have substantial liberal apocalyptic interpretation like Matts cult. While evangelical sola scripturists (calvinists more than others) are pro anglo saxon west and despised eastern tradition or simply anti russia china or asian in general and increasingly like a political party than a church, and use Matt's cult intrepretation whenever needed.

Come now, that's clearly a heptaceratops.

@@SamAronow you right

@@SamAronow It should be a dekaceratops.

I think that was intentional in the case of this episode. Assessing the political context of when they were written gives us a picture of what the writer believed.

Lol

Now you are pagan r8 Everybody wants to be pagan now

Zero mention that Revelations is about Rome destroying Jerusalem?

Exactly. And I had no idea that it could have been describing a current event, rather than a future prophecy.

He didn't just "try to make them the fall guy". He literally prosecuted and found Christians "guilty" of burning Rome, meteing out punishments as having them torn apart by dogs and mass crucifixion, as recorded in Christian and Roman histories. This was obviously a local persecution to Rome, but it began the long Roman policy of at very least making Christianity an illegal religion, even if the degree to which it was actively persecuted varied over time and region. Furthermore, evidence suggests that both Paul and Peter died during Nero's persecution, a loss which would have been traumatic to the early church considering the two men's importance to the development of the religion. Furthermore, it is important to know that Nero was actually quite popular with the common people of Rome. He has a negative image today, but that is largely based on the writings of the Christians he persecuted and aristocracy he fleeced. Amongst the soldiers, the provinces, and people he was incredibly popular, to the point that after his death, others attempted to drum up popular support for their claim to the Empire by saying they were Nero-reborn. Considering that Revelations was likely written in the late 1st century, it seems much more likely to me that Nero was used as a byword for evil amongst the Christians specifically because of his persecution of them, rather than because of his general reputation.

What is interesting as well was how the interpretation of prophecy changed in response to historical events and the enemy of the moment in the USA.