If the listener wishes to skip the intro, history, and overall context which sets up the ABCs, then they should start at this point and going forward for the purely Revelation ABCs presentation which starts with Chapter 3.

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Chapter 3: The ABC’s of Revelation "Seal up the book until the time of the end . . . the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:4-10)

The Wise Shall Understand:

Jesus taught ultimate truth that even the greatest philosophers and theologians marvel at, and He did it in a way that was accessible to even a little child. Much has been written concerning the symbols and times set forth in the vision given to St. John on the Isle of Patmos at the end of the first century. Many elaborate charts have been created by ingenious students of prophesy in an attempt to understand the seemingly complicated and bizarre depiction of John's experience. The Word of God is line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept, and careful study and the anointing of the Holy Spirit brings understanding and clarity to Biblical prophesy and what God wants to convey to His people.

In the realm of science, technology evidences this principle of higher-level simplicity. An emerging technology always initially appears as a variation of the contemporary applied scientific state. However, as the new technology advances, it becomes increasingly complex and takes on its own character, e.g. the motorized kite at Kitty Hawk evolved into the Red Baron's bi-plane and onward to the multi-pistoned marvels of World War II. At a certain point, the system takes a quantum leap via a paradigm shift, and we see simplicity at an entirely new level, e.g. the introduction of the jet engine at the end of WWII.

The framework of the study of God's prophetic word is similar to that process - the simpler and more meaningful interpretation is to be preferred. Only the Holy Spirit can usher in the quantum leap that brings us into a new way of viewing the prophetic Word as the time draws near for its fulfillment. Each new generation of prophetic scholars stands on the shoulders of giants and must never take credit for that which only the Holy Spirit can reveal. As the prophet Daniel foretold:

"I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, My lord, what will the outcome of all this be? He replied, go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Dan 12:8-10 NIV)

I always wondered how the Antichrist Reich could recover and rebuild after each plague bombarded the world system into oblivion. Not much gets done when the world is constantly cleaning up from judgements and rebuilding from disasters. Another enigma was how the 7th Seal becomes the first Trumpet Judgement, and the 7th Trumpet becomes the first Bowl Judgement, and how the three woes fit into the judgments of the two witnesses: Moses and Elijah (the representatives of the Law and the Prophets).