Ok campion. If the Book of Revelation was written about things that happened "shortly" in YOUR definition of the time frame (not God's) then tell me...
When in the 1st century did an army from the east of 200 million soldiers come to invade Israel? rev 9:16. There were not 200 million people in all the earth in John's day
When in the 1st century did two witnesses for Jesus get murdered, their bodies lay dead in the street for 3 1/2 days, and then suddenly have life return to them and they stand on their feet again while "terror struck those who saw them"? (REV 11:8-11). WHen did that happen in the 1st century? When, at the VERY HOUR this was happening, did a great earthquake destroy a tenth of Jerusalem? (rev 11:13)
If it is not God's direct will that the Temple be re-built (if the "temple" is some allegorized "Jesus's body" or somesuch as you say) then why in REV 11:1 does God tell John to measure the Temple and count all the people praying in it, but NOT the courtyard out front? (Remember the 2nd Temple was destroyed 25 years before Revelation was written.)
Keep in mind, people "allegorized" the depictions of Israel in Revelation for 18 + centuries because they never expected God to bring His Chosen People back to their land which he promised them through Abraham "forever and ever". How shocked the "allegorizers" and "spiritualizers" were on May 14th 1948!! Now, when the Temple is re-built, ALL the prophesies in Revelation will be ready to happen. Christians are happy about that becuase it means the Rapture is imminent.
IN answer to your question about the seven heads... they were seven world kingdoms, in order, Assyrian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, (Before Christ) Roman, was the 6th, and the 7th will also be the Revived Roman One-World Empire (headed by the Anti-Christ) and Roman One-World Church (headed by the False Prophet). You stated in a previous post that you believe Nero was the antichrist. Nero died in 68AD, before Revelation was even written. (95 AD)
If you respond, Campion, I must ask you to do so without resorting to the personal insults which you specialize in. This is a theological discussion, and your personal invective towards me does not illuminate.
In other words, it's okay for you to make patronizing, insulting comments about Catholics. That's how you express your "Christian love". However, when I truthfully observe that Catholics don't have a lock on ignorance of Scripture, that's a "personal insult" and I'm supposed to shut up.
If you can't take the heat ...
When in the 1st century did an army from the east of 200 million soldiers come to invade Israel? rev 9:16. There were not 200 million people in all the earth in John's day
The "army" in question is angelic, not human, unless you are seriously going to argue that humanoid locusts riding horses with lions' heads are going to invade Israel in the near future.
When in the 1st century did two witnesses for Jesus get murdered, their bodies lay dead in the street for 3 1/2 days, and then suddenly have life return to them and they stand on their feet again while "terror struck those who saw them"? (REV 11:8-11). WHen did that happen in the 1st century? When, at the VERY HOUR this was happening, did a great earthquake destroy a tenth of Jerusalem? (rev 11:13)
The "two witnesses" are an allegory for the law and the prophets, who witness against the apostate Judaism of AD 70. If you look at the plagues they invoke -- calling down fire from heaven, turning the water to blood, etc. -- they correspond directly to those invoked by Moses and Elijah.
why in REV 11:1 does God tell John to measure the Temple and count all the people praying in it, but NOT the courtyard out front? (Remember the 2nd Temple was destroyed 25 years before Revelation was written.)
No, I don't "remember" that, because I don't believe it.
Keep in mind, people "allegorized" the depictions of Israel in Revelation for 18 + centuries because they never expected God to bring His Chosen People back to their land which he promised them through Abraham "forever and ever".
See, you hypocritically claim that I specialize in "insults," and you cavalierly throw garbage like this around. Why don't you try giving your opponents the benefit of the doubt? Maybe their view of Revelation came about because they think it's faithful to the text?!?
Now, when the Temple is re-built, ALL the prophesies in Revelation will be ready to happen. Christians are happy about that becuase it means the Rapture is imminent.
This would be the Rapture that was predicted to happen in 1988 ... or the one that was supposed to happen in 1994 ... I understand the current prediction is that it will be 40 years from 1967. When nothing happens by 2007, call me back.
IN answer to your question about the seven heads... they were seven world kingdoms, in order, Assyrian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, (Before Christ) Roman, was the 6th, and the 7th will also be the Revived Roman One-World Empire (headed by the Anti-Christ) and Roman One-World Church (headed by the False Prophet).
Nothing in Revelation talks about a "Roman One-World Church". The word used to describe the whore "Mystery Babylon" is polis (city), not ekklesia (church). In fact, Rev. 11 directly explains what the "great city" was -- "that city allegorically called 'Sodom' and 'Egypt', where their Lord was crucified". That's not Rome.
And the verse specifies seven kings, not kingdoms. Why are you allegorizing this? I thought allegory was bad?