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Aramaic Text of Revelation Forms Sword and Staff on a Map
#12
As lightning and hail light up my little town of Copperopolis today, I have another breakthrough post ? I think I?ve just learned the historical identity of the two witnesses in Revelation 11, by realizing this image of the 'double-edged sword & shepherd?s staff' tracks the events in Revelation 11 (just as it tracks the events in Revelation 12 as highlighted in my last post).

[Image: Sword-Staff-Timeline-Revelation-2.jpg]

Yes, today?s post should surprise and hopefully bring smiles to some readers, but it will also leave others confused or skeptical or indifferent, and that?s okay. As for me, I know I was surprised when I put these pieces together ? I realized that either the sword & staff reveals the identity of the two witnesses of Revelation 11, or at least it foreshadows their identity (favoring a wheels within wheels interpretation of Revelation, where Rev 11 is fulfilled first by a big wheel in history (1,950 years), and then fulfilled in a smaller wheel (around 7-years) during the tribulation at the end of this age, and who knows how much more).

In a nutshell, the two Revelation 11 witnesses/lampstands are the first two lampstands in Revelation 2 (Ephesus and Smyrna). As I?ll show in this post, the historical timeline of the sword & staff reveals that Ephesus & Smyrna represent ?faithful Catholics? (probably ?Messianic Judeans? under Catholic protection, or ?Hebrew Catholics? especially) during the 1,260 years of their witness/martyrdom (68AD through 1328AD).

Now, people who have read my research papers know that I can be quite critical of the Catholic Church when I discuss Church transgressions and crimes in history. I was certainly not expecting to find this evidence supporting the Catholic church as the home (or guardian) for Yahshua?s chosen. But indeed, it is where the hard evidence points?

Rev 11:1-2 begins with 42-months of someone trampling the holy city, which likely represents the Roman siege of Jerusalem that lasted 42 months (from mid-66AD through part of 70AD). That time period begins the sword in our image, because believers in Yahshua must flee Jerusalem (as the sword moves toward Ephesus). Remember that Rev 11:1-2 instructs John to measure; even to measure "to those who worship in it". How do you measure people in the temple? Do you see it yet? Do you feel it in your heart? The golden ratio is a sign to you...

And then in Rev 11:3 we are introduced to the two witnesses (who are called ?two lampstands?) that testify for 1,260 days in sackcloth (incidentally, the sackcloth is a clue that Yahshua?s chosen are a specific group of humble and faithful people under Catholic protection, rather than the often decadent Catholic institution as a whole). These two lampstands represent the first two lampstands in Revelation 2 (Ephesus and Smyrna), because these two lampstands define the shape of the sword that is precisely 1,260 miles long. 1,260 miles = 1,260 years. In my last post, we saw this miles-to-years conversion working in Revelation 12, and it works here too in Revelation 11.

Rev 11:5 says that enemies [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]rh0nd 09bd[/font] (?who seek/agree they will cause harm?) to the witnesses are [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]Nkh[/font] (?likewise?) themselves killed. The Aramaic grammar here is important, to avoid doctrinal presumptions about the logistics here; so please refer to the Crawford codex. And indeed, during these 1,260 days (meaning years in this particular prophetic cycle), people from every religious persuasion were killing each other as Roman Catholicism rose to a zenith of power in the developed world. During this time Jews and Muslims and Catholics killed their enemies (often each other) and were killed by their enemies (especially during the Crusades over Israel). During this time many Jews continued to convert to Catholicism (often through forced conversions). And indeed, at the end of this time, in 1328, Catholicism reached its pinnacle, because in this year (1328) the black plague became pandemic, which changed the world - in only a 'little time' (recall this expression from Revelation 12, regarding the dragon's power) the plague brought the church and the world into a state of both chaos and genocide.

Rev 11:6 says that during the 1,260 days the witnesses send plagues, such as stopping rain, and turning water into blood. We find no hard historical evidence for literal miracles like these, so in this theory ?water? would be symbolic for ?peoples? (i.e., holy wars shed blood of peoples), and the ?rain? would be symbolic for ?blessings? (i.e., Catholicism dominated the world during this time and therefore Catholics could stop rain/blessings by withdrawing support for any area or community; or in another theory, it was the Jewish moneylenders who really directed commerce and war and were able to grant or withdraw support for whomever they pleased). Note too how the authority to ?shut heaven? reminds of Yahshua?s promise in Matthew 16:18 that Simon Peter was given the keys to heaven, to bind and loose at his will.

Then in Rev 11:7 [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]Jwhtwdhs[/font] (?their testimony/martyrdom?) is completed (in 1328 the sword is complete and the new image begins of the shepherd?s staff); at this point a war begins against the two witnesses (the duration of this war is not specified in Rev 11), and then the two witnesses are eventually slaughtered by the beast that rises from the sea. In this theory, the beast would represent the ?masses? (often self-proclaimed ?Christians?) who tortured and slaughtered Jews and Messianic Jews (?Jew sympathizers?) during the time of the black plague (especially beginning around 1346). The most infamous ?reason? for persecution was the claim that Jews caused the plague by poisoning wells. Notably, this was not the first time ?Christians? had engaged in mass-slaughtering of Jews and minorities, but scholars agree it rose to an unprecedented level of genocide/holocaust during these years of the black plague. For helpful insights, see David Nirenberg?s book Communities of Violence. The Catholic pope at the time (Clement) issued an order to stop the genocide (indeed, Catholic history is filled with examples of Catholics protecting Jewish people), but still many angry people (protesters, or ?Catholic Protestants?, if you will) rejected his orders and continued to slaughter Jews and others. The key take away point is that the ?Church? was divided and could not control its own rage ? the beast from the sea/people likely came from within its own people. So the sword and staff also gives a clue as to the identity of the beast of the sea: the Roman See?

Then in Rev 11:8-9, for 3.5 days (meaning years prophetically) the bodies of the witnesses lay in the streets of their lord (which could refer to Jerusalem as the place where Yahshua was crucified, or Rome because Peter is the ?lord? of the Catholics), so these witnesses? bodies cannot be buried. This phenomenon is well-documented during the black plague as bodies piled up in the streets and were not buried (especially in Rome).

Also in Rev 11:9, it is important to note that people from different languages, tribes, and nations see these bodies in the streets. During these 3.5 years of Rome (1346-1349), there were more pilgrims coming and going from Rome than there were actual residents. Rome was the foremost tourist/pilgrimage destination of the entire world.

Regarding Rev 11:10... Did any 'Christians' ever celebrate over the genocide of Jews? Yes. Did any 'Christians' also claim the Jews tormented the world? Yes, many 'Christians' circulated the false rumor (blood libel) that the Jews caused the black plague by poisoning wells. (Note the dalet before ?they tormented? in Rev 11:10, because it can be read like a quote (that is, quoting the persecutors who are accusing the Jews of tormenting the world).

Then in Rev 11:11-12, after 3.5 days (again, years) the witnesses are given new life and rise up in the clouds. Again, there is no historical evidence for a literal fulfillment of this prophecy. So we examine the symbolism? In the bible, clouds represent people, so here in Rev 11 this would represent the life-saving protection that Jews received from the Polish people as the black plague progressed. Indeed, the Jews were on track to become extinct by about 1350 until the King of Poland (Casimir the Great) offered them sanctuary from the groups that were literally hunting Jews, burning them en masse, etc. Accordingly, there was mass-exodus of Jews to Poland at that time.

Then in Rev 11:13, at the end of these 3.5 days (years) there is a great earthquake and 7,000 men die, and a remainder repents. In the entire world, there was only one historic earthquake during this time frame that could possibly meet this description, and it was the greatest earthquake in Rome?s recorded history (an estimated 8.5 on the Richter scale), in the year 1349. Apocalyptic fever was high during this time, as the masses believed the black death and the great earthquake were plagues from God. According to historians, there were countless Christians who thought it was the end of the world.

After this earthquake in 1349 Rome was ravaged, and there was a great purging/repenting in Rome. An entire movement had begun around flagellation, for example. Catholicism was also in the midst of financial scandals and critical territorial struggles (especially with France), which is why many historians label this time period around 1349 as the turning point of Catholicism. And indeed, this is precisely when Protestantism arose ? which eventually changed the entire world.

Rev 11:14 helps confirm this as we read that two woes are gone (representing the two lampstands associated with Ephesus and Smyrna) and now the third woe comes (representing the third lampstand of Pergamus).

So putting all the pieces together, we see the sword (Jerusalem, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus) represents early Catholicism (or Messianic Jews under Catholic protection), and the staff (Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) represents late Catholicism/Protestantism (or again, Messianic Jews under Catholic/Protestant protection). The sword & staff are divided in one perspective, but unified in another, just like Catholicism and Protestantism.

[Image: Sword-Staff-Timeline-Revelation-Catholic...tant-2.jpg]

In Rev 11:15, the seventh angel sounds his trumpet (which reminds of the 7-assemblies) as we read that the kingdom of Alha and the messiah has arrived. (Alternatively, you can read [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]twh[/font] here as the third person singular past indicative ("he was") -- the conventional reading of [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]twh[/font] here is a passive verb ("has become"), such that Alha and the messiah are now taking reign over earth. Curiously though, the angel's words here in the alterntive reading are a riddle or tribute where the answer is Yahshua -- "he was the kingdom of this world, and he was our Alha, and he was His chosen one, and he is made king to a world/age worlds/ages.") If the conventional reading is correct (passive verb), does this time somehow represent the fall of early Catholicism and the rise of Protestantism? Perhaps, but I think that view would be too simplistic and earthly. Rather, what was happening in the 14th century was a spirit of religious freedom for both Protestants and Catholics. Indeed, there were Protestants who killed and tortured people just as there were Catholics who performed such shameful deeds. But there were also Catholics and Protestants who were tolerant and caring and loving, so the arrival of the kingdom of Alha represented the freedom to pursue one?s ideals directly in the messiah, because the Protestant Reformation (regardless of any virtues of Protestantism itself) created a new freedom of religion for both Catholics and Protestants. Just like when Yahshua proclaimed freedom by overturning the money tables in the temple, or the apostles proclaimed freedom by choosing to follow the exiled Yahshua, so too the Protestant Reformation symbolized the rejection of the almighty religious institution (whether Jewish or Catholic or other) to lead a man. Our leader is not Yahshua-ism, or Protestantism, or Catholicism. Our leader is Yahshua directly. Realize this fact in this moment, in your life with Yahshua, and the kingdom of Alha has come near to you.

In Rev 11:16-17 we see the 24-elders praising Alha and thanking Alha for reigning. This represents Alha controlling time (i.e., 24 hours each day), which is relevant to the sword and staff because it is built by one time sign [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]0td9[/font] (?church?) upon another.

In Rev 11:18 the nations rage and are destroyed. This represents the wars at the top of the staff (Thyatira = WWI; Sardis = WWII; Philadelphia= Arab/Israeli War; Laodicea = WWIII?)

Also in Rev 11:18 we read that the time has come to judge the dead and for Yahshua to give rewards to his servants, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. This represents the end of the age with plagues and a reaping of the earth, which is symbolized by the great tribulation that is coming at (or after) the end of the staff (in Laodicea). Can you feel it coming, and can you feel it now? Do you see the wheels within wheels?

In Rev 11:19 we read that heaven opens and the ark of the covenant becomes visible. In a way, this represents the entire sword & staff image that reveals (as shown in my post above) an open tabernacle door and key to the temple, which is where the ark of the covenant is kept. Remember again Simon Peter?s keys to heaven.

And then the chapter concludes in Rev 11:19 with the great signs of lightning, thunder, voices, and fire. These are among the many signs to expect at the end of this age (likely at the 7th trumpet), shortly before the millennial reign is going to begin?

Per Matthew 16:18, there is one church built on Simon Peter. And that one church either represents Roman Catholicism or it does not. This sword and staff suggests the one church is either Catholic or under Catholic protection, and that whether you're a Messianic Jew or a Roman Catholic or a Protestant, the real church is in [font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"](w4y[/font]
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Re: Aramaic Text of Revelation Forms Sword and Staff on a Map - by gregglaser - 04-07-2015, 10:43 PM

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