The spirit, the seal, the horse and the trumpet

Last week, we saw how Setswana and Nguni words help clarify terms that describe Revelation’s Seven Spirits of the Churches. The Ephesus (efficas) spirit premised on the Nguni term fika: reach [a desirable outcome]. The Smyrna spirit was na (towards/like) se (unto) myrrh in modern Tswana syntax – “myrrh” being a type of sweet-smelling plant. “Pergamos” meant “to loftily place” (Tswana: pega/ pagama), but it had another meaning discussed later

Revelation is perhaps the most ill-understood book of the New Testament, mainly because people do not understand that the same events are repeatedly described using different images and symbols e.g. the First Spirit occurs in the same period as the First Seal and the first (White) Horse. Instead, many interpreters place some symbols in the future whereas – as we will see – just about everything therein has already happened. As such, “spirits” referred to particular doctrines, “horses” symbolised Rome’s approach to these doctrines, “seals” referred to a change in the political landscape, and “trumpets” and “plagues” to the specific forces and events that changed that political landscape. The only thing to note is that – per my Truth-Matrix – the “trumpets” and “plagues” only begin from the Fourth Spirit of the Church.

The recurring figure ‘seven’ reflected the seven stages by which both the tenets of Judaism and the Gnostic message of Jesus were to be usurped and compromised. Nevertheless, in the First (Ephesus) Spir-it of the Churches, differences in religious doctrine were espoused relatively peacefully – which is why in Rev. 6:2 it is symbolised by a ‘white horse’. But the fact that the horse was called to “go forth and con-quer” reflects Paul policy of running a race to win it by any means (1 Cor. 9:20-27). Indeed, after stoning Stephan (S’tab-Aan) to death in 34 AD, Paul usurped Stephan’s intended role of “Aan (i.e. John) the Scribe” and began ‘white-washing’ the teachings of both Judaism and Christianity in his epistles.

Editor's Comment
Stakeholders must step up veggie supply

The Ministry of Agriculture, local producers, retailers, and industry associations must work together to overcome the obstacles hindering vegetable production and distribution.This collaborative approach is essential to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of vegetables in the market.Firstly, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide support and guidance to local farmers to enhance their productivity and efficiency. This could...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up