Go back to 70 AD and see how the commander of the world's most powerful army looked over a great city burning.
August 10, 70 AD is the day that Revelation speaks of
Until 63 AD, the Empire considered the jesus-movement (Christians) as a sect within Judaism - a recognized religion within the Empire.
But in July of 64 AD, Nero agreed with the Sanhedrin that the Jesus movement, the Christians were NOT a part of Judaism and the persecution of Christians started.
This state-sponsored persecution lasted from July 64 to Feb 67 AD
Then in 66 AD the Jews revolted.
The Jewish-Roman war lasted 42 months, 3.5 years, 1260 days as we read in Daniel and Revelations
The first three chapters give the historical setting -- and remember the numbers are critical - it is a symbolic book
7 = sign of completeness
3 number of God
4 number of earth
6 incompleteness.
repeat 3 times means the Most - so 666 is the MOST incomplete.
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Revelations chapters 4 through 18 mention the saints - those who make up the church, on average almost once every chapter. These saints, the church are ON EARTH - not 'raptured away'
In 5:5 we read that the Lamb Has conquered so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals - He has already established a Kingdom - present tense. The Kingdom is in existence even before the events of the Apocalypse take place, even before we get to the description of the Millennium
God's Kingdom WAS established whn the Lamb "didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation'
Then 144,000 - remember the book of Revelations is filled with symbolic numbers. 144,000 is twelve squared times ten cubed. These are the Jesus-movement Jews in the Church before the fall of the temple in 70 AD.
Sorry Pal, you can’t spiritualize away the fact that God’s Word says the whole earth is dead after the seven-year tribulation (except for Israel’s remnant hiding in the mountains).
You’re stuck on your doctrine which I think you hold more dear than the plain Word of God, but either way this discussion has come to a dead end.
I’ll look for your surprised face in Heaven prior to the utterly unimaginable horror that will take place during the seven-year period of the Wrath of the Lamb to which God’s children are not appointed according to I & II Thessalonians.
Good luck.