Comments about Revelation

    Well everyone, you are probably wondering why I have not blogged yet about my recent reading of the book of Revelation from the Bible.  Well it is because I am a little shaken up by it. I skimmed the book of John a few days before, and I felt like that book was almost exactly what Jesus might have written himself, and then a few days later, I read the book of Revelation, written by John who said he was “in the spirit” when he wrote it.  I believe that. I believe it is definitely true.  I can’t remember if I was at the mall when I read it or at the mall right after I read it, but something about being at the mall and thinking about all those scary but amazing things really made me want to not see people get scorched or singed by the lake of fire.  It is definitely not a joke and I am thankful that the worst part has already happened, which is when Christ got the wrath of God heaped on him and defeated death.  That was the sixth seal, that was opened kind of like a game show but out of the seven seals that get opened, that one is the one where the price is right womp womp womp losing horn definitely sounded.  It had to do with death and wrath and a certain number that I won’t mention but is the reason why 777 is a jackpot number.  Then during the seventh seal there was thirty minutes of silence in heaven.  That is interesting and I wonder what was going on or what will someday happen. 

     There is also later a part in revelation where it talks about a Babylonian city of prostitution being destroyed forever and all of God’s people rejoicing over its permanent destruction.  I think it has to do with all cultures of trafficking and abuse and bad movies that are projected into cities that could have been nice places to live. People joke about stuff like that and there is a restaurant called “Babylon” near the hospital where I get my mental illness treatment.  But if you read revelation you will see that you do not want to be part of that problem.  The book’s description about how people who believe in Jesus will endure and prevail and are “called, chosen, and faithful,” is comforting and I found it to have an inclusive feel to it and not as exclusive as I sometimes fear.  One of the highlights in the book is the description of multitudes of people from all tribes and nations gathering around God and saying “Salvation belongs to the Lord,” etc.  There are too many people to count, and I think the way it is phrased leaves a possibility that even with that crowd they could still be representatives for even more people. Also, I think it is interesting because it might mean that we see a storyline that makes us realize that everything good that happened was from God and things were not as much up to us as we would want to take credit for sometimes.  But towards the end there is a mention not just of wanting to have your name in the Book of Life, but other books that have recorded people’s goodness and deeds. It sounds kind of like a stack of books but it really could be a whole library that includes books and stories written by cartoon animals. People might say not to say stuff like that but I think people’s guardian angel animals might have recorded a lot of indisputable interpretations of things that happen, and a merciful and kind perception of people’s lives and suffering. Anyway a key word from the book is forever and ever.  The beast that makes us have to be patient in these times will be punished and tormented forever and ever.  Aside from that, there is also a “second death” in the lake of fire for people like bad Babylon entities. I think there is kind of a possibility of total destruction for some people instead of eternal torment, which might help anyone who is confused by warnings about hell that make it sound like God has decided to torture us forever if we make even one mistake.  Some theology does come across that way sometimes.

    Anyway this new information about the Book of Life and other books might change some of my perceptions about Judgement Day and make me expect more poetic justice and a literary scene as opposed to a huge network of courtroom trials and a TV show that mixes the Price is Right with the People’s court, Dante’s Inferno, and Bosch’s Judgement Day paintings. It honestly could be as simple as going to a nice sunlit room in a calm library, reading a children’s book about breakfast food, and remembering that you did in fact invite your sad friend to the diner that time, or that you didn’t steal anything else from the mall after learning your lesson from the little stone cross pendant incident in middle school.