A key to the revelations of st. john. By Joseph Smith.

 A key to the revelations of st. john.

By Joseph Smith.

Q.—What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse of the Revelations?

A.—It is the Earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.

Q.—What are we to understand by the four Beasts, spoken of in the same verse?

A.—They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator John, in describing heaven, the Paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; that, which is spiritual, being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal, is in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the Spirit of Man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.

Q.—Are the four beasts limited to individual beasts, or do they represent classes or orders?

A.—They are limited to four individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the classes of beings, in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.

Q.—What are we to understand by the eyes, and wings, which the beasts had?

A.—Their eyes are a representation of light, and knowledge; that is, they are full of knowledge; and their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, &c.

Q.—What are we to understand by the four and twenty Elders, spoken of by John?

A.—We are to understand that these Elders whom John saw, were Elders who had been faithful in the work of the ministry and were dead; who belonged to the seven churches,—and were then in the Paradise of God.

Q.—What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals?

A.—We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and works of God; the hidden things of His economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence,

Q.—What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was sealed?

A.—We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of the first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh. ​Q.—What are we to understand by the four Angels, spoken of in the 7th chap, and 1st verse of Revelations?

A.—We are to understand that they are four Angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting Gospel to commit to every Nation, Kindred, Tongue, and People; having power to shut up the Heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness.

Q.—What are we to understand by the Angel ascending from the East, Revlations 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

A.— We are to understand that the Angel ascending from the East, is he to whom is given the seal of the Living God, over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore he crieth unto the four Angels having the Everlasting Gospel, saying, hurt not the Earth, neither the Sea, nor the Trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads; and if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things,

Q.—What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished?

A.— They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand year, or the opening of the sixth seal.

Q.—What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel; twelve thousand out of every tribe?

A.—We are to understand that those who are sealed are High Priests, ordained unto the Holy Order of God, to administer the Everlasting Gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every Nation, Kindred, Tongue, and People, by the Angels to whom is given power over the Nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come, to the Church of the First Born.

Q.—What are we to understand by the sounding of the Trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelations?

A.—We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth; even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven Angels, are the preparing, and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years;—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.

Q.—When are the things to be accomplished, which are written in the 9th chapter of Revelations?

A.—They are to be accomplished after the opening of the seventh seal, before the coming of Christ.

Q.—What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelations? ​A. — We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias; who, as it is written, must come and restore all things.

Q.—What is to be understood by the two witnesses, in the eleventh chapter of Revelations?

A.—They are two Prophets that are to he raised up to the Jewish Nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews, after they are gathered, and build the city of Jerusalem, in the land of their fathers.

Caleb and sophia

 

Ezekiel stew

Ezekiel bread

The identity of the black horse

The black horse in revelations is death. Hell follows. This is a mystery! It is so that men may bite and devour one another! Wait! There is also a king to demonic locusts! It has a king named Abaddon! This means destruction! Locusts do not have kings according to Proverbs! Might it not be that the dark horse acts as king of the demon locusts! And bite and devouring! This is believed to be disentions, according to James!

Revelation 1

Revelation 1 New International Version (NIV)

Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Greetings and Doxology

4 John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[b]
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[c]
So shall it be! Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John’s Vision of Christ

9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[d] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[e] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
2. Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
3. Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10
4. Revelation 1:13 See Daniel 7:13.
5. Revelation 1:20 Or messengers

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

tobit 14 end of book

Parting Advice.1So the words of Tobit’s hymn of praise came to an end. Tobit died in peace at the age of a hundred and twelve and was buried with honor in Nineveh.2He was fifty-eight years old when he lost his eyesight, and after he recovered it he lived in prosperity, giving alms; he continued to fear God and give thanks to the divine Majesty.

3As he was dying, he summoned his son Tobiah and Tobiah’s seven sons, and commanded him, “Son, take your children^a4and flee into Media, for I believe God’s word that Nahum^* spoke against Nineveh. It will all happen and will overtake Assyria and Nineveh; indeed all that was said by Israel’s prophets whom God sent will come to pass. Not one of all their words will remain unfulfilled, but everything will take place in the time appointed for it. So it will be safer in Media than in Assyria or Babylon. For I know and believe that whatever God has said will be accomplished. It will happen, and not a single word of the prophecies will fail.

As for our kindred who dwell in the land of Israel, they will all be scattered and taken into captivity from the good land. All the land of Israel will become a wilderness; even Samaria and Jerusalem will be a wilderness! For a time, the house of God will be desolate and will be burned.^b5But God will again have mercy on them and bring them back to the land of Israel. They will build the house again, but it will not be like the first until the era when the appointed times will be completed.^* Afterward all of them will return from their captivity, and they will rebuild Jerusalem with due honor. In it the house of God will also be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel said of it.^c6^d All the nations of the world will turn and reverence God in truth; all will cast away their idols, which have deceitfully led them into error.^*7They will bless the God of the ages in righteousness. All the Israelites truly mindful of God, who are to be saved in those days, will be gathered together and will come to Jerusalem; in security will they dwell forever in the land of Abraham, which will be given to them. Those who love God sincerely will rejoice, but those who commit sin and wickedness will disappear completely from the land.^e

8"Now, my children, follow my instructions. Worship God sincerely and do what is pleasing to him. 9 you must instruct your children to do what is right and to give alms, to be mindful of God and at all times to bless his name sincerely and with all their strength. Now, as for you, son, leave Nineveh; do not stay here.10The day you bury your mother next to me, do not even stay overnight within the confines of the city. For I see that there is much wickedness in it, and much treachery is practiced in it, and people are not ashamed. See, my son, all that Nadin^* did to Ahiqar, the very one who reared him. Was not Ahiqar brought down alive into the earth? Yet God made Nadin’s disgraceful crime rebound against him. Ahiqar came out again into the light, but Nadin went into the everlasting darkness, for he had tried to kill Ahiqar. Because Ahiqar had given alms he escaped from the deadly trap Nadin had set for him. But Nadin fell into the deadly trap himself, and it destroyed him.^f11So, my children, see what almsgiving does, and also what wickedness does—it kills! But now my spirit is about to leave me.”

Death of Tobit and Tobiah. They laid him on his bed, and he died; and he was buried with honor.12When Tobiah’s mother died, he buried her next to his father. He then departed with his wife and children for Media, where he settled in Ecbatana with his father-in-law Raguel.^g13He took respectful care of his aging father-in-law and mother-in-law; and he buried them at Ecbatana in Media. Then he inherited Raguel’s estate as well as that of his father Tobit.14He died highly respected at the age of one hundred seventeen.15But before he died, he saw and heard of the destruction of Nineveh. He saw the inhabitants of the city being led captive into Media by Cyaxares,^* the king of Media. Tobiah blessed God for all that he had done against the Ninevites and Assyrians. Before dying he rejoiced over Nineveh, and he blessed the Lord God forever and ever.

* [14:4–5] Nahum: one of the minor prophets, whose book contains oracles of doom against Nineveh. Here, in keeping with the period in which the story is set, the author makes Tobit speak as if the punishment of Nineveh, the destruction of Jerusalem (587 B.C.), the exile from Judah and the return, would all take place in the future. The technique of using the facts of past history as seemingly future predictions is a frequent device of apocalyptic writers. The good land: a favorite name for the promised land. Cf. Dt 1:35; 3:25; 4:21–22.

* [14:5] Until the era…completed: a reference to the coming of the day of the Lord, when a new, more perfect temple was to be expected. Cf. Heb 9:1–14.

* [14:6] Conversion of the nations is also to come with the day of the Lord.

* [14:10] Nadin: in the Story of Ahiqar, the hero Ahiqar, chancellor under the Assyrian kings Sennacherib and Esarhaddon, adopts his nephew Nadin and prepares him to become his successor. But Nadin treacherously plots to have his uncle put to death. Ahiqar hides in a friend’s house and is finally vindicated when Nadin’s scheme is discovered. Thereupon Nadin is thrown into a dungeon where he dies. It was Ahiqar’s almsgiving that delivered him from death; see note on 2:2. The Greek and Latin versions of the Book of Tobit read the name as Nadab, but the Aramaic form has the ancient name Nadin, which is also found in the fifth-century B.C. Aramaic Story of Ahiqar.

* [14:15] Cyaxares: Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, and Cyaxares conquered and destroyed Nineveh in 612 B.C.; see note on 1:15.

a. [14:3] Gn 47:29–30.

b. [14:4] Na 2:2–3:19.

c. [14:5] Neh 12:27; Jer 31:38.

d. [14:6] Is 60:1–4.

e. [14:7] Is 60:21; Jer 32:37; Ez 34:28; 37:25; 39:26.

f. [14:10] Tb 1:21–22.

g. [14:12] Tb 4:4.