[Note: UB = Urantia Book]
     Numerous passages in Revelation are considered in a separate paper: Paper [1] "Is Israel Flirting With Armageddon?"

     Subsequent to John's writing of the Book of Revelation, large portions were lost and other portions were removed. It is preserved in only fragmentary and adulterated form. John's revelation was revised by later Christian religious leaders which further distorted John's revelation. [UB 139:4:14]
     Therefore, any effort to unravel this book is guaranteed to give you an Excedrin headache.
     However, the authors of The Urantia Book clarified some of the statements in the Book of Revelation. Without help from celestial sources, I see no chance that numerous erroneous and/or distorted statements in the Book of Revelation can be corrected.

[1] Tree of Life. The Tree of Life was a gift from the Most Highs of Edentia, the capital of our constellation of Norlatiadek.
Revelation 2:7: . . . To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 22:2: . . . and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [UB 73:6:1]
     The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" may be a figure of speech, a symbolic designation covering a multitude of human experiences, but the 'tree of life' was not a myth; it was real and for a long time was present on Urantia. When the Most Highs of Edentia approved the commission of Caligastia as Planetary Prince of Urantia and those of the one hundred Jerusem citizens as his administrative staff, they sent to the planet, by the Melchizedeks, a shrub of Edentia, and this plant grew to be the tree of life on Urantia. [UB 73:6.3] [Genesis 2:9]
     Caligastia [the Planetary Prince] and his Staff of One Hundred arrived from Jerusem, the capital of our local system of Satania, about 500,000 years ago.
     The members of the Staff of One Hundred, visible to mortals, were given specially constructed bodies by the Life Carriers and other celestial beings so that with the aid of the fruit of the Tree of Life they were immortal or undying as long as they remained loyal to Jesus and God, or did not default in their assignment. [UB 66:0] [UB 66:4:12,13]

[2] Bringing persons into the kingdom.
Revelation 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man will open, I will come in. [UB 159:3:2]
     The physical bodies of mortals are “the temples of God.” [1Corinthians 3:16]
     Notwithstanding that the Sovereign Creator Sons come near the creatures of their inhabited worlds and “draw all men to themselves”; [John 12:32]
though they “stand at the door” of consciousness “and knock” and delight to come in to all who will “open the doors of their hearts”; [Revelation 3:20]
although there does exist this intimate personal communion between the Creator Sons and their mortal creatures, nevertheless, mortal men have something from God himself which actually dwells within them; their bodies are the temples thereof. [UB 1:4:2]

[3] The First Garden of Eden.
     The description of the first Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis is quite limited.
     The Urantia Book, Paper 73, "The Garden of Eden," describes in some detail the planning and building of the first Garden of Eden. Van, one of the loyal members of Caligastia’s Staff of One Hundred, and his more than three thousand human associates were in charge of selecting and preparing the Garden.
     In the center of the Garden temple Van planted the long-guarded Tree of Life whose fruit had sustained him for more than 150,000 years. He knew that Adam and Eve would also require the fruit of the Tree of Life that would enable them to live on indefinitely as long as they did not default in their assignment.
     At the center of the Edenic peninsula was the exquisite stone temple of the Universal Father, the sacred shrine of the Garden. To the north the administrative headquarters was established; to the south were built the homes for the workers and their families; to the west was provided the allotment of ground for the proposed schools of the educational system of the expected Son [Adam], while in the “east of Eden” were built the domiciles intended for the promised Son and his immediate offspring. The architectural plans for Eden provided homes and abundant land for one million human beings.
[UB 73:5:1] [Genesis 2:8]
     Adam and Eve arrived on earth 37,848 years ago from the year A.D. 1934.
[UB 73:2:3; 73:3:6; 73:6:1,5] [UB 74:0]

[4] The "Devil" [Caligastia, the Fallen Planetary Prince].
     There are numerous references to the devil [or devils] in the Book of Revelation.
     The doctrine of a personal devil on Urantia, though it had some foundation in the planetary presence of the traitorous and iniquitous Caligastia, was nevertheless wholly fictitious in its teachings that such a "devil" could influence the normal human mind against its free and natural choosing. Even before Michael's [Jesus'] bestowal on earth, neither Caligastia nor Daligastia [the associate of Caligastia] was ever able to oppress mortals or to coerce any normal individual into doing anything against the human will. The free will of man is supreme in moral affairs; even the indwelling Thought Adjuster [Indwelling Spirit] refuses to compel man to think a single thought or to perform a single act against the choosing of man's own will.
     Caligastia, the "devil" and rebel of the realm, now shorn of all power to harm his former subjects, awaits the final adjudication by the Uversa Ancients of Days of all rebels who participated in the Lucifer rebellion.
[UB 53:8:9] [UB 66:8:6,7] [UB 67:2:1]
COMMENT. It is my understanding that Caligastia and his followers are still on our planet awaiting the Final Battle. The Final Battle will be waged between the forces of good and the forces of evil: those personalities loyal to Jesus and God vs. the followers of Caligastia and his rebellious subjects.

[5] The Seven Spirits of God.
Revelation 4:5: And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
     At Revelation 19:6 there appears the passage:
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Whether this Scripture is related to Revelation 4:5 I do not know.
     The voices are the universe broadcasts from Salvington to the local systems.
     They are the Seven Spirits of God sent forth to all the universe.
     Without getting too technical, I might note that these Seven Spirits are the personalized physical power, cosmic mind, and spiritual presence of the triune Deity.
     The seven adjutants [spirits] are the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of worship, the spirit of counsel, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of courage, the spirit of understanding, and the spirit of intuition [of quick perception]. The seven spirits are stationed on Salvington, the capital of our local universe of Nebadon.
Revelation 5:6: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
     These are the “seven spirits of God,” “like lamps burning before the throne,” which the prophet [John] saw in the symbols of vision. But he did not see the seats of the four and twenty sentinels about these seven adjutant mind-spirits. This record represents the confusion of two presentations, one pertaining to the universe headquarters and the other to the system capital. The seats of the four and twenty elders are on Jerusem, the headquarters of your local system of inhabited worlds.
[UB 16:4:1] [UB 34:4:7-9] [Revelation 3:1; 4:5; 5:6]
COMMENT: The "Lamb . . . having seven horns and seven eyes:" no doubt these multiheaded beasts with numerous heads, horns, and eyes in the Book of Revelation are based on various legends and myths.

[6] The Four and Twenty Counselors [Elders] on Jerusem.
Revelation 4:2,4: And immediately I [John] was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
     The throne in the center of this group is the judgment seat of the presiding archangel, the throne of the resurrection roll call of mercy and justice for all Satania [our local system]. This judgment seat has always been on Jerusem, but the twenty-four surrounding seats were placed in position no more than nineteen hundred years ago, soon after Christ Michael [Jesus] was elevated to the full sovereignty of Nebadon [our local universe]. [Revelation, Chapters 4,5 and other places] [UB 45:4]
COMMENT: Christians will recognize the name of several of the counselors: Adam, Eve, Enoch, Moses, Elijah, Machiventa Melchizedek [the sage of Salem], and John the Baptist.

[7] The Sea of Glass.
Revelation 4:6: And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: . . .
Revelation 15:2: And I saw as it were a sea of glass . . .
     Crystal fields are found on almost all architectural worlds; and they serve many purposes aside from their decorative value, being utilized for portraying superuniverse reflectivity to assembled groups and as a factor in the energy-transformation technique for modifying the currents of space and for adapting other incoming physical-energy streams.
     In Edentia, the capital of our constellation Norlatiadek, the sea of glass is the receiving area. This sea of glass is one enormous circular crystal about one hundred miles in circumference and about thirty miles in depth. This magnificent crystal serves as the receiving field for all transport seraphim and other beings arriving from points outside the sphere; such a sea of glass greatly facilitates the landing of transport seraphim.
     Worlds in the universe capitals are all architectural worlds constructed according to plans and specifications. They are not evolutionary worlds as is our planet. There are thousands upon thousands of architectural worlds in each local universe.
[UB 15:2:10,11] [UB 37:10:1] [UB 43:1:7,10,11]

[8] The Four Beasts.
Revelation 5:6: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, . . .
. . . it was of Salvington that John wrote:
     And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices”—the universe broadcasts to the local systems. He also envisaged the directional control creatures of the local universe, the living compasses of the headquarters world. This directional control in Nebadon is maintained by the four control creatures of Salvington, who operate over the universe currents and are ably assisted by the first functioning mind-spirit, the adjutant of intuition, the spirit of “quick understanding.” But the description of these four creatures—called beasts—has been sadly marred; they are of unparalleled beauty and exquisite form.
[UB 34:4:9] [Revelation Chapters 4,5,6]

[9] The Seven Trumpets.
     The sounding of the seven trumpets [angels] is described in Revelation, Chapters 8-11.
     The angels of nation life are the "angels of the trumpets," directors of the political performances of Urantia national life. The group now functioning [in the mid-1930s] in the overcontrol of international relations is the fourth corps to serve on the planet. It is particularly through the ministry of this seraphic division that "the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men."
[UB 114:6:8] [Daniel 4:17,25,32 and other places]
     When the first governor general arrived on Urantia, concurrent with the outpouring of the Spirit of Truth, he was accompanied by twelve corps of special seraphim, Seraphington graduates, who were immediately assigned to certain special planetary services. These exalted angels are known as the master seraphim of planetary supervision and are, aside from the overcontrol of the planetary Most High observer, under the immediate direction of the resident governor general.
[UB 114:3] [UB 114:6:1,8]
     The trumpets are now sounding. Perhaps the visible End Times Events will begin in the near future.
     The Urantia Book, Paper 114, "Seraphic Planetary Government," describes in some detail our seraphic planetary government. It contains fascinating information regarding the celestial oversight of our planet.

[10] Sleeping Survivors.
Revelation 7:9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number . . .
     It was said of Christ Michael [Jesus] that, when he ascended on high at the conclusion of his work on earth, "He led a great multitude of captives." And these captives were the sleeping survivors from the days of Adam to the day of the Master's resurrection on earth. [UB 30:4:4]

[11] In the Presence of God on Paradise.
     After many ages of work and study, we awake to life everlasting on the shores of the eternal abode. It is on Paradise that we will finally stand in the presence of God the Father.
     The last rest of time has been enjoyed; the last transition sleep has been experienced; now you awake to life everlasting on the shores of the eternal abode.
     And there shall be no more sleep. The presence of God and his Son are before you, and you are eternally his servants; you have seen his face, and his name is your spirit. There shall be no night there; and they need no light of the sun, for the Great Source and Center [God the Father] gives them light; they shall live forever and ever. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away.
[Revelation 7:16,17; 21:4, 23, 25] [UB 27:1:5]

COMMENTS. Revelation, Chapter 21 may refer in part to the new temple that will be constructed on earth in the far future and to that distant age when surviving mortals will stand in the presence of God on Paradise. In common with other passages in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 21 contains erroneous or misleading information.
     God the Father will not dwell with mortals on earth as suggested in Revelation 21:3. God never leaves Paradise. If he should leave Paradise, the universe would instantly collapse. [UB 4:1:6]
     There will be no "lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" as stated in Revelation 21:8. The "second death" refers to young children who have been resurrected in heaven but who do not choose the Paradise Ascension Program. [Revelation 20:14] [See Item 29]
Revelation 21:12: "the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel."
     There were never twelve tribes of the children of Israel. At most, there were three or four tribes.
[The Urantia Book, Paper 97, Sections 8 and 9]

[12] The Fifth Trumpet.
Revelation 9:1-10: And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power; And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men; And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions; And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails . . .

COMMENTS. It appears that the description of these locusts fell prey to some creative writing by later religious leaders after John recorded his vision. If we remove the embellishment, we are still left with some very vicious locusts.
     I was told by celestial sources that the explosions on the Day of Armageddon will act as a powerful X-ray on every living cell on the planet which will result in the significant modification of the DNA of every living creature or thing. What will be the effect of this powerful X-ray on locusts? Mosquitoes? Scorpions? Wasps? Will the powerful X-ray render their stings so vicious that they are almost unbearable?
     If hiding places can be found, persons will surely hide themselves wherever concealment is available to avoid the vicious stings:
Revelation 6:15,16: Men hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us . . .
Revelation 9:6: And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

[13] Nuclear Winter?
Revelation 6:12 . . . and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair . . . and the moon became as blood;
Isaiah 24:1: . . . The Lord turneth it [the earth] upside down . . .[If this is a literal statement, what does it mean?]
COMMENTS. How will these events affect global weather patterns? During the period when the sun is obscured, there will be a drop in worldwide temperature. Will the drop in global temperature be significant? Is it possible that in some areas the temperatures will drop to freezing or near-freezing?
Revelation 8:7: The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood . . .
Revelation 11:19: . . . there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 16:21: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
COMMENTS. A talent is a unit of weight varying from about 60 pounds to 100 pounds. It is conceivable that there will be numerous volcanic eruptions on the Day of Armageddon. If so, some of the eruptions may hurl rocks as large as cars or even larger far into the air.
     If in some areas the temperature drops to freezing or near-freezing, large numbers of persons who survive the Day of Armageddon may freeze to death before they can starve to death.

[14 ] The Third Angel.
Revelation 14:9,10,11: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
     A footnote for these passages states: Unbelievers during the Tribulation will receive the mark of the beast and worship him. They will all receive God's eternal punishment in the lake of fire; The wine of the wrath of God is God's righteous anger.

COMMENTS. The foregoing passages contain much erroneous information.
Mark of the Beast: Mortals acquire the mark of the beast at birth because we are descended from animals. As we progress spiritually, we gradually erase all traces of our animal heritage. [See Item 30]
     Mortals who fail to create a soul with survival value will end their universe career at physical death. After physical death, non-survivors will experience nothing. They will not be tormented with fire and brimstone: they will not drink of the wine of the wrath of God. They will become as if they had never been.

[15] Jerusem.
     John the Revelator saw a vision of the arrival of a class of advancing mortals from the seventh mansion world to their first heaven, the glories of Jerusem. He recorded:
     “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who had gained the victory over the beast that was originally in them and over the image that persisted through the mansion worlds and finally over the last mark and trace, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, and singing the song of deliverance from mortal fear and death.” [Revelation 15:2]
     (Perfected space communication is to be had on all these worlds; and your anywhere reception of such communications is made possible by carrying the “harp of God,” a morontia contrivance compensating for the inability to directly adjust the immature morontia sensory mechanism to the reception of space communications.) [UB 47:10:2]

     Paul also had a view of the ascendant-citizen corps of perfecting mortals on Jerusem, for he wrote:
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the grand assembly of Michael [Jesus], and to the spirits of just men being made perfect."
[UB 47:10:2] [Hebrews 12:22,23]
     Paul learned of the existence of the mansion worlds and of the reality of morontia materials:
“They have in heaven a better and more enduring substance.” [Hebrews 10:34]
     And these morontia materials are real, literal, even as in “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” And each of these marvelous spheres is “a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” [Hebrews 11:10,16]
     On Mansion World Number 6 we "are becoming more and more adorable as we leave behind the coarse vestiges of planetary animal origin." It is on Mansion World Number 7 that we "will be purged of all the remnants of unfortunate heredity, unwholesome environment, and unspiritual planetary tendencies." The last remnants of the "mark of the beast" are here eradicated.
[UB 47:8:7; 47:9:1; 47:10:2,3]

[16] Opening of the Book of Life.
There are numerous references to the Book of Life in the New Testament. Examples: [Philippians 4:3] [Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27]
Revelation 20:11-13: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
[Also See Daniel 7:9,10]
Comment. The concept of Hell was formulated by primitive man thousands and thousands of years ago and was subsequently written into the Bible. The Jewish traditions of heaven and hell and the doctrine of devils as recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, while founded on the lingering traditions of Lucifer and Caligastia, were principally derived from the Zoroastrians during the times when the Jews were under the political and cultural dominance of the Persians. [UB 95:6:6]

     When a Paradise Son has finished the judgment of a realm and the dead are called to record (the so-called resurrection), it is literally true that the seraphic guardians of the slumbering personalities respond to “the voice of the archangel.” The roll call of a dispensation termination is proclaimed by an attendant archangel. This is the archangel of the resurrection, sometimes referred to as the “archangel of Michael.” [UB 37:3:6] [1Thessalonians 4:16] [Jude 1:9]

Tertiary Seconaphim: Memories of Mercy.
     The Memories of Mercy maintain a full, replete, and up to the minute record of every mortal. This record discloses the moral debt of the children of mercy--their spiritual liabilities--to be set down against their assets of the saving provision established by the Sons of God. In revealing the Father’s pre-existent mercy, the Sons of God establish the necessary credit to insure the survival of all. A mercy credit is established for the survival of each rational creature, a credit of lavish proportions and one of sufficient grace to insure the survival of every soul who really desires divine citizenship.
     The Memory of Mercy is a living trial balance, a current statement of your account with the supernatural forces of the realms. These are the living records of mercy ministration which are read into the testimony of the courts of Uversa when each individual’s right to unending life comes up for adjudication, when "thrones are cast up and the Ancients of Days are seated. The broadcasts of Uversa issue and come forth from before them, and then thousand times ten thousand stand before them. The judgment is set, and the books are opened." [Daniel 7:9,10] Your individual drawing credits are always far in excess of your ability to exhaust the reserve if you are sincere of purpose and honest of heart.
     However, when mercy is exhausted, when a mortal’s mercy credits are totally depleted, then does justice prevail and righteousness decree. For mercy is not to be thrust upon those who despise it; mercy is not a gift to be trampled under foot by the persistent rebels of time. [UB 28:6:5-7]

[17] Events of the far future.
Revelation 21:1,2: I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a princess adorned for the prince.
[Revelation, Chapter 21] [Isaiah 66:22,23] [UB 52:7:11] [UB 55:1:1]
     At this time a holy temple is constructed on the planet. Although the planetary temples have been spoken of as "coming down from heaven," they actually are constructed on the planet by the Morontia Power Supervisors in association with the Master Physical Controllers, two orders of celestial personalities.
     The construction of the temple signalizes the dawn of the era of light and life on a planet. On our planet this event is far, far into the future. [UB 55:1:3]
     On this occasion Jesus, our paradise bestowal Son, will honor the event by his presence. If this is the second coming of Jesus, then he will not come again for many thousands of years. However, this does not preclude the possibility that he could visit our planet again long before that date. Is it possible that Jesus might make a guest appearance during the End Times Events? [UB 55:1:1]
     This is the same renovated earth, the advanced planetary stage, that the olden seer [Isaiah] envisioned when he wrote:
"For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall you and your children survive; and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me," says the Lord. [Isaiah 66:22,23] [UB 52:7:12]

     The Apostle Peter made two statements regarding events of the distant future after mortals have achieved a significantly higher level of spiritual development: It is the mortals of such a distant age who are described as "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an exalted people; and you shall show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into this marvelous light." [1Peter 2:9] [UB 52:7:13]
     All the worlds of Satania [our local system] can join in the hope of the one [the Apostle Peter] who wrote:
"Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."
[2Peter 3:13,14] [UB 52:7:15]

[18] The Great Seraphim, Loyalatia.
     The great seraphim, Loyalatia, when your seer [John] "fell down to worship before the feet of the angel," said: "See that you do it not; I am a fellow servant with you and with your races, who are all enjoined to worship God."
[UB 38:2:5] [Revelation 22:8,9]
Alone in Gethsemane.
     When Jesus had prayed the second time in Gethsemane just before his arrest, a mighty angel came down by his side and, speaking to him, touched him and strengthened him. [UB 182:3:2]
     Each time he [Jesus] prayed in the garden, his humanity laid a firmer faith-hold upon his divinity; his human will more completely became one with the divine will of his Father. Among other words spoken to him by the mighty angel was the message that the Father desired his Son to finish his earth bestowal by passing through the creature experience of death just as all mortal creatures must experience material dissolution in passing from the existence of time into the progression of eternity. [UB 182:3:6]
COMMENT. Whether this mighty angel who spoke to Jesus was Loyalatia I do not know.
     However, we are told that it was a certain Brilliant Evening Star who attended upon Jesus throughout his mortal bestowal on our planet. Seraphim are one of the orders of the angelic hosts. [UB 13:1:19] [UB 114:2:2]

[19] The Great Seven Year Tribulation.
     At various places in the Book of Revelation [and in other passages in the Bible] a seven year period of great tribulation is described during which horrific conditions will prevail on earth. The Seven Year Tribulation, as described in the Book of Revelation, is a period of time during which the years of tribulation are unbelievably fraught with God's wrath and judgment, his cup of indignation; worldwide persecution of the followers of Jesus; darkness; and sorrow.
Matthew 24:21,22: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
     A footnote for Matthew 24:21 states: In no other period of history [past or future] of the world will there be so much suffering and universal destruction as during the seven years called the Great Tribulation. These years are fraught with wrath, judgment, darkness, trouble, suffering, desolation, gloominess, indignation, and sorrow. The scriptural representations of the Great Tribulation are wholly negative with no attempt to minimize the severity of human suffering in that time.

COMMENTS. God is never wrathful, jealous, or indignant. Nor does God chastise his children in anger. But we mortals have filled our cup of iniquity to overflowing. We must now reap the consequences of worldwide spiritual and moral depravity. The coming years of tribulation will indeed try men's souls as we endure these horrendous years which are surely almost upon us.
     These years of tribulation must be endured by all mortals worldwide, including the Christians. There will be no escape. These years will try men's souls. Millions of persons may sink into insanity, and large numbers may commit suicide. Mortals who are spiritually immature or spiritually bankrupt simply will not be prepared to cope with the horrendous conditions with which they will be faced on a daily basis, year after year.
     Will these horrific days be shortened "for the elect's sake?" If there are "elects" who are they? One possibility: A place will be prepared for those persons who choose to enter which will mitigate at least some of the suffering of these catastrophic years.
     Whether these years of tribulation will last for exactly seven years I do not know. Is it possible that Elijah might appear during these years to "lead us out of the desert?"

[20] Revelation 20:4: "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God."
     From the Qur'an, Surah 47:4: Therefore, when you meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; at length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: until the war lays down its burdens. . . .

I quote from God's War On Terror by Walid Shoebat:
     From its inception and throughout its history to this very day, beheading has been part and parcel of the religion of Islam. The Bible even predicted it for the Last Days as the primary method by which martyrs would be killed. No other world religion or empire practiced systematic beheading like Islam. The Roman Empire's primary method of execution of non-citizens was crucifixion, while the Catholic Church's [primary method] was [by] drowning or burning. Only Islam has such a long-standing historical tradition of beheading, with even specific commandments recorded in its "holy book" to "strike off their necks." By this, the martyrs will face the fate predicted in the Bible.
     According to Shoebat, Allah, the God of Islam is a pagan god of war.
     Killing in the name of Allah while playing the role of victim is nothing new in the religion of Islam. [Page 168]

[21] Beasts in the Book of Revelation: Based on Legends?
     There are numerous references to beasts in the Book of Revelation. Examples:
Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Revelation 17:7 . . . and of the beast that carrieth her [the Mother of Harlots, the great whore], which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
COMMENTS. In Greek mythology there is the legend of a chimera [ki MEER a] which was a fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as having the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent.
     It appears likely that the multiheaded beasts in the Book of Revelation were based on various legendary monsters made up of grotesquely disparate parts.
     If we assume that John recorded only what he saw in the great revelation given to him, then it is apparent that the various multiheaded beasts were written into the record after the times of John.

[22] The Worlds of the Archangels.
     The seventh group of the encircling Salvington worlds, with their associated satellites, is assigned to the archangels. Sphere number one and all of its six tributary satellites are occupied by the personality record keepers. This enormous corps of recorders busy themselves with keeping straight the record of each mortal of time from the moment of birth up through the universe career until such an individual either leaves Salvington for the superuniverse regime or is “blotted out of recorded existence” by the mandate of the Ancients of Days. [UB 37:3:7]
     It is on these worlds that personality records and identification sureties are classified, filed, and preserved during that time which intervenes between mortal death and the hour of repersonalization, the resurrection from death. [UB 37:3:8]
     During the transit of surviving mortals from the world of origin to the mansion worlds, whether they experience personality reassembly on the third period or ascend at the time of a group resurrection, the record of personality constitution is faithfully preserved by the archangels on their worlds of special activities. These beings are not the custodians of personality (as the guardian seraphim are of the soul), but it is nonetheless true that every identifiable factor of personality is effectually safeguarded in the custody of these dependable trustees of mortal survival. As to the exact whereabouts of mortal personality during the time intervening between death and survival, we do not know. [UB 112:5:15]

[23] Coming up through Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:13,14: And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
     The shadow of the mortal nature grows less and less as the mansion worlds are ascended one by one. You are becoming more and more adorable as you leave behind the coarse vestiges of planetary animal origin. “Coming up through great tribulation” serves to make glorified mortals very kind and understanding, very sympathetic and tolerant. [UB 47:8:7]
COMMENT. Mortals are descended from animals. When we reach the mansion worlds, one great task will be to remove all traces of our animal heritage. In future ages, many mortals may remove all traces of their animal heritage before reaching the Mansion Worlds.

[24] Abaddon.
Revelation 9:11: And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
     This is a reference to the Lucifer Rebellion: Abaddon was chief of the staff of Caligastia [our Planetary Prince]. He followed his master into rebellion and has ever since acted as chief executive of the Urantia rebels. Beelzebub was the leader of the disloyal midway creatures who allied themselves with the forces of the traitorous Caligastia.
[UB 53:1:5] [UB 77:7:4] [UB 150:4:2] [UB 153:4:2,3] [UB 169:0:7]
Matthew 12:24: But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
[Also Matthew 10:25; 12:27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15; 11:18; 11:19]

[25] War in Heaven.
Revelation 12:7-9: And there was war in heaven: Michael [Jesus] and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil [Caligastia], and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [UB 53:7:13]
     The dragon was Lucifer, Satan, and the apostate princes. The dragon eventually became the symbolic representation of all the rebellious personalities. [UB 53:1:6]
     There was war in heaven; Michael’s [Jesus'] commander and his angels fought against the dragon (Lucifer, Satan, and the apostate princes); and the dragon and his rebellious angels fought but prevailed not.

     This “war in heaven” was not a physical battle as such a conflict might be conceived on Urantia. In the early days of the struggle Lucifer held forth continuously in the planetary amphitheater [in Jerusem]. Gabriel conducted an unceasing exposure of the rebel sophistries from his headquarters taken up near at hand. The various personalities present on the sphere who were in doubt as to their attitude would journey back and forth between these discussions until they arrived at a final decision.
     But this war in heaven was very terrible and very real. While displaying none of the barbarities so characteristic of physical warfare on the immature worlds, this conflict was far more deadly; material life is in jeopardy in material combat, but the war in heaven was fought in terms of life eternal. [UB 53:5:6,7]

     Upon the triumph of Michael [Jesus], “Gabriel came down from Salvington and bound the dragon (all the rebel leaders) for an age.” Of the Jerusem seraphic rebels it is written: “And the angels who kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in sure chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day.”
[Jude 1:6] [Revelation 20:2]
     Among the angels joining Lucifer were slightly over one-third of the administrator angels. One third of all the Jerusem cherubim attached to the administrator angels were lost with their disloyal seraphim. [UB 53:7:6]
     Of the planetary angelic helpers, those assigned to the Material Sons, about one third were deceived, and almost ten per cent of the transition ministers were ensnared. In symbol John saw this when he wrote of the great red dragon, saying: “And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down in darkness.”
[Revelation 12:4] [UB 53:7:7]

     The greatest loss occurred in the angelic ranks, but most of the lower orders of intelligence were involved in disloyalty. Of the 681,227 Material Sons [the Adams and Eves] lost in Satania, ninety-five per cent were casualties of the Lucifer rebellion. Large numbers of midway creatures were lost on those individual planets whose Planetary Princes joined the Lucifer cause. [Thirty-seven Planetary Princes joined Lucifer.]
[UB 53:7:1,8]
     In many respects this rebellion [the third in our local universe] was the most widespread and disastrous of all such occurrences in Nebadon. More personalities were involved in this insurrection than in both of the others. And it is to their everlasting dishonor that the emissaries of Lucifer and Satan spared not the infant-training schools on the finaliter cultural planet but rather sought to corrupt these developing minds in mercy salvaged from the evolutionary worlds. [UB 53:7:9]
     Large numbers of the "fallen angels" have sincerely repented of their folly. Millions of those who joined Lucifer but who refuse to repent are now confined on the prison worlds in Jerusem.

[26] Trinity Teacher Sons. New Heaven and a New Earth.
     The Trinity Teacher Sons are the divine Sons of the Paradise Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit unite to personalize the versatile Trinity Teacher Sons, who range the grand universe as the supernal teachers of all personalities, human and divine. [UB 7:6:6] [UB 52:7:1]
     They are affectionately devoted to the educational ministry to mortal creatures and the lower orders of spiritual beings. Our planet has not yet qualified for a mission of the Teacher Son. When on a thousand-year mission to a planet, they do not incarnate or otherwise so materialize themselves as to be visible to mortal beings. [UB 20:8:1; 9:1,3]
     The Trinity Teacher Sons may return many times to the same world. But sooner or later, in connection with the termination of one of their missions, the Planetary Prince is elevated to the position of Planetary Sovereign, and the System Sovereign appears to proclaim the entrance of such a world upon the era of light and life. [UB 52:7:10]
     It was of the conclusion of the terminal mission of the Teacher Sons (at least that would be the chronology on a normal world) that John wrote:
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a princess adorned for the prince.” [Revelation 21:2] [UB 52:7:11]

[27] Armageddon.
     The Armageddon mentioned in The Urantia Book was the headquarters of the orange race about 300,000 years ago. But the orange race was doomed to extinction. [UB 64:6:12]
     Before the end came, this people [the orange race] lost much cultural and spiritual ground. But there was a great revival of higher living as a result of the wise leadership of Porshunta, the master mind of this unfortunate race, who ministered to them when their headquarters was at Armageddon some three hundred thousand years ago. [UB 64:6:12]
     However, "Armageddon" as described in the Book of Revelation is understood to be a future event.
Revelation 16:16: And he [Jesus?] gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Revelation 9:16: And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand [200,000,000]: and I heard the number of them.
COMMENTS.There is no area in Israel large enough to accommodate 200,000,000 soldiers. Further, it would be logistically impossible to provide for such an inconceivably huge body of men. Therefore, it appears that such an event will not occur.

[28] Second Death.
Revelation 20:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8]
COMMENTS. When children die young, they are resurrected in heaven. There they are provided physical bodies such as they had on earth. As they mature, at some point, they make the decision to accept or reject the Paradise ascent. If they reject the Paradise plan, their death at some future date automatically terminates their probationary careers. There is no adjudication of such cases; there is no resurrection from such a second death. They simply become as though they had not been. [UB 47:2:7]

[29] Mark of the Beast.
Revelation 13:15-18: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
COMMENTS.Large numbers of devout Christians have spent many anxious moments debating whether they will be sufficiently courageous to refuse the mark of the beast. They can relax: During the Years of Tribulation they will suffer almost unendurable pain. But they will not have to contend with the threat of the mark of the beast. We mortals are descended from animals; therefore, we acquire the mark of the beast at birth. As one of the consequences of the Lucifer Rebellion, even today, huge numbers of mortals, as regards spiritual development, are barely above the animals from which we are descended. [Also see Revelation 16:2; 19:20; 20:4]

[30] Numerous places described in the Book of Revelation do not exist, such as Hell, bottomless pit, etc. Many definitions are erroneous, such as "second death," mark of the beast, etc. The following examples illustrate the unreliability of John's vision as it has come down to us.
     [A] Not one word shall be added to or taken away from this prophecy. No doubt this instruction was meant to cause Christians to be fearful of tampering with the Book of Revelation after the Christian religious leaders had completed their revision of it. [Revelation 22:18,19]
     [B] The "devil." Caligastia, our apostate Planetary Prince, is known as the devil on our planet.
     [C] Multiheaded, -horned, -eyed beasts. It is reasonable to conjecture that these colorfully described beasts are based on legends and myths.
     [D] Hell, lake which burneth with fire; fire and brimstone, bottomless pit, perdition . . . There is no such place as Hell. The concept of Hell was developed by primitive man.
     [E] Second death. The second death is erroneously defined in the Book of Revelation.
     [F] Twelve tribes of the children of Israel. There were never more than three or four tribes.
     [G] Distorted description of locusts and horses. The locusts and horses no doubt fell prey to some creative writing.
     [H] Mark of the beast [Six hundred threescore and six: 666]. Mortals acquire the mark of the beast at birth as we are descended from animals.
     [I] Wrath of God, cup of his indignation, God's wrath and judgment, vials of the wrath of God. Primitive man thought that his gods were just like himself, only much more powerful.
     [J] 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. The number 144,000 is a fictitious number.
     [K] Two hundred thousand thousand [200,000,000] horsemen. These 200,000,000 horsemen are surely the result of someone's fertile imagination.
     [L] Distorted description of the two witnesses [Will there be two witnesses?] Even if there are two witnesses, it is very doubtful that they will perform the numerous miracles attributed to them.
     [M] Various celestial beings holding a sharp sickle. It is doubtful that John saw visions of angels holding sharp sickles.
     [N] Seven plagues of the seven angels. It is entirely possible that after the Day of Armageddon mortals may suffer from numerous sicknesses due to radiation-laced fall-out from various sources.
     [O] Person on white horse, holding sharp sword in mouth with which to smite the nations, ruling with a rod of iron. This person is probably the result of someone's imagination.
     [P] Persons reigning with Christ for a thousand years. Jesus will not come to earth to reign for a thousand years; therefore he will not come to earth to reign for a thousand years with mortals.

Conclusion. Much of the information in the Book of Revelation must be viewed as totally inaccurate. The book is so distorted and fragmented that it really seems counterproductive to attempt an accurate interpretation of it. Attempting to interpret the Book of Revelation is truly a Herculean task -- formidable, laborious. Too much of the information was borrowed from primitive man, legends, and myths. Too, early Christian religious leaders did not hesitate to repeatedly revise John's vision. Fortunately, the authors of The Urantia Book clarified several of its passages.
     Even with generous celestial assistance I suspect that some of my statements are in error.