The book of Revelation is the most mysterious and intriguing prophetic book out of all the 66 books in the Bible. For many centuries, scholars and theologians have attempted to decode the symbols that encrypt the prophecies of this book. Many ideas have been conceived and presented, most of which are erroneous interpretations that do not fully validate scripture. Many people are discouraged from studying Revelation because of the countless ideas taught by theologians and ministers that have turned out to be false or inaccurate. Little do people know that the word of God is its own interpreter; we do not have to add our own opinions to scripture in order to make sense of it. Isaiah 28:10 tells us that we must take the word of God precept upon precept, line upon line. This means that we must compare and match scriptures with other scriptures in order to understand the whole Bible.
“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” Isaiah 28:10
The apostle Peter also taught that no prophecy of the scripture came by the will of man; this means that men did not make up the prophecies on their own and called it the gospel. Anyone who claims to have received a word or a prophecy from God that does not perfectly align with scripture is considered a heretic and a false prophet. All prophecies and scriptures in the Bible were inspired by the Holy Ghost, directly from God Almighty, whereas all heresies and false doctrines of men are inspired by Satan, the father of lies. It is the Lord God who inspired the prophets of the Bible to prophesy.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20-21
For the record, there are no “lost books” of the Bible; all of the books God intended to be read by His people are included in the Bible. The so-called “lost books,” such as those in the Apocrypha, were never lost but rejected because of the books’ discrepancies with the true scriptures. These books are uninspired and should never be referred to when studying the books of the Bible. We have the complete word of God exactly as He wanted it in the 66 books of the Bible. We can be assured that not one iota of scripture is lost.
The word apocalypse derives from the Greek word apokálypsis1 (apok-al-oop-sis) meaning revelation, which means to reveal, hence the name of the book. Jesus warned us that the last days will be like the days of Noah. During Noah’s time the earth was filled with violence and every thought of man’s heart was evil (Genesis 6). That time has returned in the last days; people are colder today than they have ever been and our society has changed for the worse. Even the love of some Christians for God has waxed cold and the faith of some has become null and void.
--- From Preface, Behold, I Come Quickly by Stephanie M. Perry
Want to read more about the end times as well as understand the symbols that encode the book of Revelation? Check out the Bible study book by Stephanie M. Perry, Behold, I Come Quickly. It is available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon and hardcover on Barnes & Noble! You can also buy Behold, I Come Quickly on Google Play Books.
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