Question: How does Revelation 14:20:
"even unto the horse bridles, by the space
of a thousand and six furlongs"
Answer:
The answer to this question will illustrate how one combines the words
of Jesus Christ and the prophets of the Old Testament to the time measurement of Revelation to understand the meaning of Revelation.
(Verses taken from King James Version)
Horses of the Apocalyse linked to "years"
As readers of How Near Armageddon will know, my interpretation of Revelation is based on the correlation of the years of the discovery of biblical scrolls in the years c216, c 800, 1896 and 1947, with the symbolism of the four horses of the Apocalypse, as disclosed in Revelation, chapter 6. It is also based on the belief that we may be very close to the end time. This correlation and belief was confirmed by a divine direction that I experienced in 1996.
2000 years
A correlation of almost the entire Revelation could be made with the history of the Christian church, world-wide, from the time of the birth of Jesus Christ to the year 2000. How Near Armageddon illustrates that each chapter contributes to a total time measurement of 2000 years.
The interpretation of Revelation revealed that Revelation can be understood if one realises that its meaning lies in the measurement of the time of a "hour", "day", "month" and "year". The time span of a "year", as we know it, also corresponds to the number 666, "man's number" (Rev 13:18) which is 666 years in the time measurement of Revelation. Discoveries in those years reveal the aspects of the beast of Revelation.
Happenings of the year 2000 seem to reveal that we may be very close to the final signs in Revelation. (See also FORUM: Q&A Questions IV and VI on this website.)
Measuring the foundations of the earth
So that the reader does not become too confused concerning How Near Armageddon's total time measurement here is a short summary.
Revelation divides the time of two thousand years as follows:
- Each millennium is divided into "three and a half days", making a total time of "seven days" up to the time 2004. A "day" constitutes 288 years. Therefore "three and a half days" is equal to 1008 years.
- The colours of the gemstones of the foundations of the New Jerusalem are placed on the time span of "three days" and in this way Revelation reveals its message.
- Each millennium is also divided into "a thousand years"
- The difference between these two time measurements is 8 years, constituting a "short season". This "short season" is at the end of each millennium. Revelation indicates it as "about half an hour", because it is effected by the shifting of the calendar over a period of two thousand years.
- Revelation lays much accent on the last 144 years 1860 to 2004, which is the last "half-day" of the "seven days" and divides this time span into 6 "hours" of 24 years. Revelation also indicates a time span of 6 years in the last 144 years, which is a "month".
- These time measurements could only be established by correlating the verses of Revelation with the history of the Christian Church, world-wide, in the past two thousand years.
According to Revelation 9:15-16 "the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day and a month and a year". In the total interpretation of Revelation the number "four" seems to be linked to the time 2000 to 2004. It may therefore be that the total time measurement in Revelation may come together in the following four years. Revelation, chapter 14, from which the verse in this Q&A question is taken, is going to illustrate that chapter 14 may have direct bearing on the year 2000.
Readers of How Near Armageddon will also know that certain chapters of Revelation seem to indicate in their opening verses, the end time, and then move back in history to cover a period of history. Therefore, in the analysis, the chapter indicates the end time at the beginning and the end of the chapter.
Isaiah: 47:10
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done….
Revelation chapter 14, seems to reveal the time span of the time 1860 to 2004.
Let us take a closer look at the beginning of Revelation, chapter 14.
Revelation 14:1
" And I looked, and lo, a Lamb, stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having their Father's name written on their foreheads."
(Every word in Revelation relates meaning. This is the reason why there is such a stern warning at the end of Revelation that not a single word must be removed or added to the original script (Rev 22:18-19). I believe that when we are studying the verses that relate to the very end time, this aspect is of the greatest significance for the words of the beginning and final verses of each chapter are brought together to indicate what is going to happen in the very end time. What is more, this can only be understood when you have understood Revelation's total time measurement in How Near Armageddon and the signs of the end time become apparent.)
We are now going to analyse Rev 14:1
"And I looked, and, lo a Lamb stood on the mount Sion"
What Revelation is doing is indicating the end time. It is also linking Jesus Christ (a Lamb) to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (mount Sion) and the knowledge that the words of Jesus Christ open the book Revelation. This is conveyed through the word "looked" - the word "look" is used twice in Revelation 3 and 4 in connection with the opening of the book Revelation. As readers of How Near Armageddon know, the words spoken by Jesus Christ reveal the meaning of Revelation). Therefore in the year 2000, we must not ignore the words of Jesus Christ regarding the temple of Jerusalem and the words connected to Jerusalem regarding the very end time: Luke 21:20 " And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know the desolation thereof is nigh". (This may also have to do with the realisation that time measurement in the Revelation of Jesus Christ may convey the meaning of the number of days in Daniel 12:11-12, to the time of the last years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century - see FORUM: Q&A, question IV)
144 000
The word "stood" relates to "stand" (Rev 20:12 "I saw the dead small and great, stand before God"). Note that "stand" is combined with "small and great".
We know from How Near Armageddon that the words "small and great" indicate the time about 2004. This was established by correlating the time of 144 years to the words of Revelation 13:16 " small and great, rich and poor, free and bond (freeman and slave (New International Version)", to the time span of 144 years from 1860 to 2004, with the midpoint 1932. This was indicated by history, 1860 (the time of the American Civil War that was fought for the freedom of the slaves) and 1932 (the time of the Great Depression). "Small and great " is linked to the year 2004, which could indicate that Christ is coming to save particularly the little children that are innocently falling victim to Aids and a corrupt society - as well as the cloning of the unborn foetus (which man wishes to destroy through foetal stem cell cloning). It could be that Christ wishes to save children from the possible implications of manipulation of cells of the human body. (In How Near Armageddon, through time measurement, the "beast out of the earth" seems to relate to the cloning of frogs in the year 1952. Symbolically an innocent beginning to something that ultimately becomes unacceptable to God (a lamb that can also be a dragon - Rev 13:11). See also "Revelation and Human Cloning" in Reviews.
I mention the combination of the time 2004 and the cloning of the human foetus for it is through the repetition of words relating to the very end time that we can interpret the revealing of the signs of the end time as they are going to happen in the introductory and closing verses of each chapter.
The mention of "one hundred and forty and four" (144) in Rev 14:1 indicates the time 1860 to 2004, also the end time. The "000" indicates the redeemed from the entire earth.
The time measurement that Revelation is conveying in the first verse of Revelation, chapter 14 is to indicate that this chapter ends in the time 2000 to 2004.
Through an analysis of the last verse of chapter 14, this is going to be confirmed.
1860 -2004
In How Near Armageddon, chapter 15, that deals with the entire interpretation of Revelation, chapter 14, it is illustrated how the time 1860 to 2004 (144 years) is divided into six "hours" of 24 years each. Each "half hour" corresponds to the colours of the foundations of the New Jerusalem.
The last foundation is the colour purple, the colour of the amethyst stone. In the time 1860 to 2004 the colours are conveyed through " fruits" of the earth. Therefore the time 1992 to 2004 corresponds to the words "vine" or "wine" or "winepress".
Let us now look at the words of the last verse of Revelation, chapter 14.
Rev 14:19-20
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth and cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Earth and heaven
When I wrote How Near Armageddon in the time 1996 to 1999, I could not have known what was going to be revealed to us in the year 2000. I am therefore very grateful that I can through the Internet indicate how happenings in the year 2000 may correlate with Revelation.
It must be noted that in order to understand Revelation, chapter 14, in How Near Armageddon, the foundations of the New Jerusalem (the colours of the gemstones) were placed on the time measurement of "hours" in the time 1860 to 2004 to understand the meaning.
2000-2004
It was the words of the prophet, Jeremiah that made me contemplate whether the use of the word "earth" in the end verse of this chapter might indicate the time 2000 and not 2004.
Jeremiah 31:37
"If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel"
This verse indicates that if the time has come that the foundations of the earth can be searched out, then we will also know that "heaven" can be measured. This means that there might be a specific time span indicated by the word "heaven" in Revelation. It seems as if the time span may be the time 2000 to 2004. I base this on specifically on the following:
- The words of Revelation 6:14 "And the heaven departed as a scroll". Also the reference: Isaiah 34:4 "and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll". These words meaning that in the time 2000 we will know that the foundations of the earth can be measured as in How Near Armageddon (scroll) and that there is a time span "heaven" that is part of the scroll.
- There is the possibility that the "days" of Daniel 12:11-12 relates to the time 2000. Therefore this might well be the time that is the beginning of the measurement of "heaven" in Revelation. This might mean that where the word "heaven" in Revelation is combined with certain prepositions (e.g. "out of heaven", midst of heaven", from heaven) might bring greater clarity as to the time measurement beyond 2000.
- This argument is further substantiated by the words of Daniel 7:2 "the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea." Taking into account the meaning of "sea" in Revelation, this could be the time of much protest of the peoples of the nations against governments, leaders and world institutions. This is of course happening to day and it could be that these protests are ultimately going to lead to man's downfall. In Revelation 7:1 it is said that "four angels" were "holding the four winds of the earth". This could mean that there will be great climatic change in the time 2000 to 2004 and could relate to the word "plague of hael" in the closing verse of Revelation, chapter 16.
(The concept of "heaven" or the time measurement of heaven in Revelation will be discussed in a following Q&A in Forum).
Short season
In the total time measurement of Revelation, a "season" is twelve years.
There is the further implication that the "short season" at the end of the second millennium might be in the time 1992 to about 2000. If the time 2000 to 2004 is measured as "heaven", then the short season might be the time of eight years, namely 1992 to 2000. This short season being the last measurement of time within 2000 years. The end of the measurement of "temple". I say this for Revelation places great accent on the number 144 - one hundred and forty and four. (This will be further debated in the following Q&A concerning the measurement of "heaven" in Revelation.)
earth
As far as Revelation 14:19 is concerned, the words "vine of the earth" in conjunction with the word "cast" indicate that in the time 1992 to 2004 (the half-hour corresponding to the colour purple). There is the additional implication that within this time, we may be coming to the end of the time measurement of "earth", and the beginning of the time measurement of "heaven". In this time we are possibly also going to see a separation of Israel from God indicated by the word "cast". In the light of the interpretation of the " the abomination of desolation" in the interpretation of Revelation, this could be the time that Israel moves to becoming a secular state. The winepress of God's wrath could be Armageddon conveyed through the word "gather". (See also Rev 16:16 "gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.")
Rev 14:20
And the winepress was trodden without the city (outside the city) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by a space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Each group of words indicate time measurement in Revelation
" The winepress was trodden"
In the total time measurement of How Near Armageddon the last foundation of the New Jerusalem (the last stone, the amethyst, indicated by the colour purple) corresponds to the time of 72 years (generation) on earth 1860 to 1932. This is also the end of the "third day" of the second millennium. This was the time of many wars world wide, also the time of the First World War.
(Note: There is verification that man has become separated from God in the words of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 63:3-4: "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in my anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood will be sprinkled on my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come". Of significance is the time span of a "day" and "year" used in connection with the treading of the winepress.)
The meaning of "winepress" is further highlighted through the words of Jesus Christ and the parable of the vineyard, where "winepress" is linked to a situation where men would have no regard for another's property or his workers. So wicked would they be that they would kill not only his servants, but also his son and heir. In the time 1992 to the end time, it seems as if lawlessness against the possessions of others will be apparent. In that parable the coming of the lord is linked to the "vineyard" and the destruction of the wicked men. Matthew 21:40-41 "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh….. he will miserably destroy those wicked men….and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen which shall render the fruits of their seasons". Note the Biblical link in this parable of the "fruits of their seasons", "winepress", "vineyard" and the "coming of the lord".
"Outside the city" relates to the place where Christ was crucified outside the city (Hebrews13: 12) of Jerusalem, but also to all the martyrs that died for their Christian faith. It seems as if the wars of the twentieth century were brought upon the world for the death of the martyrs.
In How Near Armageddon it is indicated that "outside the city" also indicates the time 1932 to 2004 (This was derived from the time measurement of "three days" in Revelation being equal to the time of the "great city" - the time 1068 to 1932. The reference from the prophets was found in Jonah 3:3 "Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey". It is part of what I believe to be the Sign of Jonah - that the vital clues to Revelation's time measurement lie in the book of the prophet Jonah).
1932 to 2004 was the time of the Second World War, but also all the wars fought to establish the "rule of men" throughout the world. The Second World War is further pinpointed according to time measurement in Revelation, as the "hour" (24 years) of the Fall of Babylon (1932 to 1956).
"blood came out of the winepress" - Note that Revelation repeats the word "winepress". (In How Near Armageddon the colour purple is placed a second time on the measurement of time 1992 to 2004.) This could mean that in the time 2000 we might be gathering to a second great battle, namely, Armageddon.
"blood came out"
The words "blood came out" also seem to have a double meaning. It relates to the blood that came out of the body of Christ on the cross - John 19:34 "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." The time of the death on the cross. Therefore a time that Christians will die because of their faith.
The words "came out " are also often used in the Bible in relation to birth.
(The bringing together in this chapter - that deals with the time 1860 to 2004 - the symbolism of the birth and death of Jesus Christ indicates that the measurement of "temple" (time measured from the birth of Christ) and "altar" (time measured from the crucifixion) end in the time 2000- 2004. - See How Near Armageddon: Rev 11:1 "measure the temple of God and the altar")
See also 1 Chronicles 21:29 " the altar of burnt offering was at that season". In this reference the word "altar" is linked to "season".
Revelation seems to indicate the time 2000. This is substantiated by the words "even up to the horse bridles". The word "even" meaning "equal to".
Here we have to go back to the words of the prophets. These words "even until the horse bridles" might indicate a watershed in the time that the message of Christianity, as the only way to the Father can be carried out. By the time 2000, the equalisation of religions will have undermined this message. I derive this from the meaning of "bridle" in the Bible, meaning to "bridle" a horse and "restraint".
2 Kings 18:23
"I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thou part to set riders upon them"
(In How Near Armageddon the time measurement of a "year" is linked to the symbolism connected to the riders of the four horses of the Apocalypse.)
In other words there seems to be a cynical message that in the year 2000 - taking into account the symbolism connected to the horses of the Apocalypse - The rider cannot be placed on a white horse for the message of Christ is undermined in the ruling of the nations through the equalisation of all religions; not on a red horse for few will be prepared to go to war for their faith; the scales carried by the rider on the black horse symbolises the power of majority rule in the rule of men that not necessarily follows the teaching of Christ; the time of the pale horse is a time of the moral decline throughout the world, greater abuse of children, and a rule of law that undermines the ruling of the nations according to the teachings of Christ. Not even everlasting death (the rider on the pale horse) can make an impression on the faithless inhabitants of the earth in the year 2000.
Isaiah 30:28
This reference may mean that in the ruling of the nations in the year 2000, the parliaments of the nations no longer take the truths of the Scriptures into account. By keeping quiet in order to appease men, they may make the wrong decisions at the end time.
"by the space"
Revelation seems to convey the meaning of the end time through the repetition of words. We therefore have to look where in revelation the word "space" is used. It occurs in Revelation 2:2 "I gave her space to repent of her fornication";
Rev 8:1 "about the space of half an hour" and Rev 17:10 "he must continue a short space". "Space " in all these verses relate to the same time, that is the end of the second millennium. In Revelation a "short space" and "about half an hour" is about twelve years. This seems to be verified by Revelation itself.
"of a thousand and six hundred furlongs" ("1600 furlongs")
In the total interpretation of Revelation "0" at the end of a number indicates one section of the total earth; "00", two sections of the earth and "000" the entire earth. The measurement of a "furlong" is also in Rev 21:16 to indicate the length, breadth and height of the New Jerusalem " 12 000 furlongs". This is symbolic for the resurrection of the total amount of Christians who died for their faith in the last two millennia. (This is based on the fact that the word 'stadia' is only used in these two verses of Revelation.) Therefore 1600 furlongs indicates the last number of Christians that will die for their faith in two sections of the earth, in the time about 16 years before 2000. Refer also to Rev 6:11 "rest yet for a little season until …their fellow brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
This time measurement seems to be verified by the history of the end of the twentieth century. From about 1984 there was an increase in the deaths of Christians who are in a minority in many countries of the Far East, Middle East and Africa. It was from about 1984 that there was an increase in death caused by the plague (Rev 16:21) AIDS. (This reference to the plague is based on the linking of the word "space" to "fornication " in Rev 2:2.) Ultimately Revelation seems to link all its chapters to the time about 2000-2004.
I therefore believe, through the analysis of Revelation, chapter 14, that the basis of the measurement of time in Revelation, chapter 14 is a "year", as we know it to be. It also conveys the relationship of the times (years) of the horses of the Apocalypse (through the words 'horse bridles') to the last number of the time span of 144 years, namely the year 2000("two thousand horses").
Furlong
In the year 2000 it is interesting to note the origin of the word "furlong". The universal Greek measure of length, the 'stadium' which is 600 Greek feet, was the length of the race-track at Olympia and is common in the New Testament. We call the stadium a 'furlong', it being an eighth part of the Roman mile. 2000 and 2004 are years of the Olympic Games.
