UNVEILED! The Ancient Secrets of Daniel & The Revelation of Jesus Christ JOAN H. RICHARDSON Unveiled! The Ancient Secrets of Daniel & The Revelation of Jesus Christ Written by Joan H. Richardson Copyright © 2017, 2020 by Joan H. Richardson Printed in the United States of America ISBN 9781545602058 All rights reserved solely by the writer. This writer guarantees all contents are original except for quotations that do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the writer. The views expressed in this book are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unless otherwise designated, Scriptures are taken from The Holy Bible: King James Version – public domain. Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (YLT) – public domain. Scripture taken from The Holy Bible New International Version ® (NIV) Copyright © 2011 by Biblica. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from The New American Standard Bible ® (NASB) Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the New King James Version ® (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® (HCSB) Copyright © 2009 by Holman Bible Publisher. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations taken from the Tree of Life ® (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ® (ESV) Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Underscores in the Biblical texts are added for emphasis. Brackets are added outside the text for clarification. ii The Revelation of Jesus Christ CHAPTER 20 20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose num- ber is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brim- stone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 227 The Revelation 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:1-15 NKJV) Insights If the original scrolls had chapters, 20:1-3 might have ended chapter 19. Verse 4 would begin chapter 20 with its thrones for the elect judges from heaven. Twenty-four elders are seated on its thrones in 4:4 and worship the Lamb in 5:8. They worship the Father in chapters 4, 5, 11, and 19 and worship Yeshua in 5:11- 14. They worship before and after the thousand years. Jesus said His twelve apostles would be judges in His Kingdom. (in Mat. 19:28; Lk. 22:30) They’re among those in 20:4. The four living creatures also praise the Lamb in chapter 5: 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10 ESV) During the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution, John Nelson Darby believed an idea that attracted millions of Christians but weakened our resolve to face death for Christ.213 It was only a thought, but it might be why Jesus asked, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? ( Lk. 18:8b) Shortly before Darwin, Darby introduced the hypothesis of a pretribulation rapture. Is Darwin’s proof found in mathematics, or are the odds against it? Where is the evidence? We look to teachers who are often deceived by their own assumptions. After repeatedly listening to false ideas, we’re deaf to the truth while wondering why we can’t understand the words of nature’s God. And if we can’t, we presume no one else can. 228 Insights: Chapter 20 The Bible tells us God created male and female. Was it by evolution, selective mutation, random chance, or by design? But evolution can’t be explained by common sense, so atheists deny the self-evident truth of the creation of male and female. We’re upset that creation is denied, but have we believed immediately after the tribulation, the Lord comes on a cloud for the elect? or have we believed our own desires and not His words? Paul wrote the living do not ascend before the dead rise. The first resurrection of the church in 20:4-5 is of the beheaded who resisted the beast. None of the living ascend before the dead rise from their graves. Jesus appears on a cloud immediately after the tribulation. (cf. Rev. 6:12-17; Mat. 24:30; 1 Thes. 4:17) Most of us are confused about which saints are raised from death and which of the living ascend with them. False teachings have fooled and blinded the church to what the Bible says. We think it’s fine to be casual about the faith, but we sin by our presumption. In meekness, we receive the Word as it truly is. Without a verse to substantiate a “pretribulation rapture,” our false hope cannot prepare us to meet Christ after the tribulation. Shunning the words of God by our own desires, we gainsay by serpentine paths, insisting a rapture takes us up without facing martyrdom. Churches worldwide are fooled by that teaching, but just two resurrections remain: one at midnight and the other at daybreak. The martyrs who resist the beast will be caught up together with the elect when most of the saints are still sleeping: 35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Lk. 12:35-40 NIV) 229 The Revelation The First Resurrection Christ the firstfruits rose with believers in the promise of the new covenant. He has always revealed Himself to all who search for God and believe His words. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.