From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary   The pic above is of the top tier of the book shelf in my apartment, which sits directly in my front of my cluttered Balt WOW Flexi-Desk with my MacBook Pro. For inspiration, my mom's 1950's Underwood Typewriter sits at my left with its original Waco Typewriter Co. cover. GAbriel - RAphael - MIchael ... 1 who is really 3 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/1 From the Book of Revelation, Chapter 1, Verses 3: Blessed is the one* who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near. * [1:3] Blessed is the one: this is the first of seven beatitudes in this book; the others are in Rev 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14. This prophetic message: literally, “the words of the prophecy”; so Rev 22:7, 10, 18, 19 by inclusion. The appointed time: when Jesus will return in glory; cf. Rev 1:7; 3:11; 22:7, 10, 12, 20.  ST. GABRIEL - "G" the 7th letter of the English alphabet GAbriel - (Hebrew: גַּבְרִיאֵל Gavri'el "God is my strength", Arabic: جبريل or جبرائيل Jibril or Jibra'il), in the Abrahamic religions, is an angel who typically serves as God's messenger. Gabriel is the patron saint of messengers, those who work for broadcasting and telecommunications such as radio and television, postal workers, clerics, diplomats, and stamp collectors.* *Guiley, Rosemary (2004). Encyclopedia of Angels (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc. p. 140. ISBN 9780816050239. OCLC 718132289. Retrieved 2013-11-15. In the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions about the Tribulation and the 2nd Coming of Christ. (Daniel 7:1-28, 8:15–26, 9:21–27). http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7 http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/8 http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/9 Daniel's vision of the 4 beasts with 10 horns (1 horn, the antichrist, sweeping away 3 horns, to make room for it, in Dan 7:1-8) "collapsed" into 2 beasts in St. John's vision written in the Book of Revelation...Rev.13:1-18. The 1st Beast, with 10 horns and 7 heads, is the "Lawless One of Chaos" written about by St. Paul in his 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians, Chap. 2, verses 1-12. The 2nd Beast or False Prophet, with 2 horns, is the "One Who Restrains" or "antichrist", also in 2Thes.2:1-12. The 2nd Coming of Christ (One like a son of man*) in Dan.7:13-14 matches the same vision of St. John in Rev.5:1-14. http://www.usccb.org/bible/2thessalonians/2 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/5 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/13 From the NAB (New American Bible) footnotes for Dan.7:13: * [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels). http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/13 Daniel's vision of the 4 beasts represents the 1st 4 Seals of the Lamb's Scroll in Rev.6:1-8. His vision of the 4th beast (see above), described as "so very terrible and different from the others, devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws, and trampling with its feet what was left" symbolically matches the 4th Seal in Rev.6:7-8 and the 1st and 2nd beasts in Rev. 13:1-18. http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/6 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/13 Rev.6:7-8 7When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 8I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth. Rev.13:1-2, 11 1Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name[s]. 2The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear’s, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. 11Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb’s but spoke like a dragon. [antichrist] From my 1st book, Tribulation by G.R. Miller, the "blasphemous names" are the names of Greek and Roman gods used to name Oil Exploration and Production rigs: Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Dionysis, Athena, Atlas, Neptune, Brutus, Mars, Pluto, Thunder Horse (Pegasus), Triton, Ursa. Jupiter, Trident, Hercules, Polaris, Helios (BP Company Logo), Vulcan, Zeus. "Whole world followed after the beast": World reliance on fossil fuels and their derivatives (primarily gasoline and diesel). The world is constantly monitoring the commodity prices of oil, coal, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel because they can have such financially adverse affects on our lives. The "fourth living creature" is from Rev.4:7: The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being, and the fourth looked like an eagle* in flight. http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/4 * [4:7] Lion…calf…human being…eagle: these symbolize, respectively, what is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest in creation. Calf: traditionally translated “ox,” the Greek word refers to a heifer or young bull. Since the second century, these four creatures have been used as symbols of the evangelists Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John, respectively. The eagle is also referenced in Rev.12:14: But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle,* so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. [3 1/2 years is the timespan of the Tribulation]. http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12 The biblical symbolism of an Eagle from the New American Bible footnotes: * [12:14] Great eagle: symbol of the power and swiftness of divine help; cf. Ex 19:4; Dt 32:11; Is 40:31. Daniel's visions of good destroying evil continue in chapters 8 and 9, with the stories of the "desolating sin", "desolating abomination" and an "impudent king, skilled in intrigue", who when he rises against the Prince of princes, is "broken without a hand being raised". Gabriel the Archangel is also a character in other ancient Jewish writings such as the Book of Enoch. Chapter 20 mentions Seven Holy Angels who "watch", that often are considered the Seven Archangels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Saraqael, Raguel, and Remiel. http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/noncanonical-literature/noncanonical-literature-ot-pseudepigrapha/book-of-enoch/ From the New Testament, in the Gospel According to St. Luke, the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah (father of St. John the Baptist) and the Virgin Mary (Holy Mother of Jesus), foretelling the births of St. John the Baptist and Jesus (both considered Messengers from God in Mk.11), respectively (Lk.1:11–38). http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/11 http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/11 In Islam, Gabriel is an archangel whom God sent with Revelation to various prophets, including Muhammad. The 96th chapter of the Quran, Al-'Alaq, is believed by Muslims to have been the first chapter revealed by Gabriel to Muhammad. https://quran.com From Haleem, M. A. S. Abdel. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics) (Kindle Locations 7633-7634). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. Introduction: A Meccan sura named after the term ‘alaq in verse 2. The first five verses are known to be the first revelation of the Qur’an when the Prophet was instructed to read. The second part came later to show that man transgresses when he becomes self-satisfied (as exemplified by a specific individual, Abu fahl). Text: In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy 1Read! In the name of your Lord who created: 2He created man from a clinging form. 3Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One 4who taught by [means of] the pen, 5who taught man what he did not know. 6But man exceeds all bounds 7when he thinks he is self-sufficient: 8[Prophet], all will return to your Lord. 9Have you seen the man who forbids 10[Our] servant to pray? 11Have you seen whether he is rightly guided, 12or encourages true piety? 13Have you seen whether he denies the truth and turns away from it? 14Does he not realize that God sees all? 15No! If he does not stop, We shall drag him by his forehead— 16his lying, sinful forehead. 17Let him summon his comrades; 18We shall summon the guards of Hell. 19No! Do not obey him [Prophet]: bow downd in worship and draw close. From Politico on 11-18-15: Trump: 'Absolutely no choice' but to close mosques http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/trump-close-mosques-216008 ST. RAPHAEL - "R" the 18th letter of the English alphabetRAphael - (Hebrew רָפָאֵל, Rāfāʾēl, "It is God who heals", "God Heals", "God, Please Heal") In Mt.9:9-13, The Call of Matthew, the Pharisees (Jewish leaders of that time) saw that Christ was eating with those they deemed "undesirable" and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Christ heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9 Raphael's presence, primarily limited to the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, is discussed to the Book of Tobit, a deuterocanonical book. From the Introduction to the Book of Tobit in the New American Bible: http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Tobit&ch= The Book of Tobit, named after its principal character, combines Jewish piety and morality with folklore in a fascinating story that has enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles. Prayers, psalms, and words of wisdom, as well as the skillfully constructed story itself, provide valuable insights into the faith and the religious milieu of its unknown author. The book was probably written early in the second century B.C.; it is not known where. Tobit, a devout and wealthy Israelite living among the captives deported to Nineveh from the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 B.C., suffers severe reverses and is finally blinded. Because of his misfortunes he begs the Lord to let him die. But recalling the large sum he had formerly deposited in far-off Media, he sends his son Tobiah there to bring back the money. In Media, at this same time, a young woman, Sarah, also prays for death, because she has lost seven husbands, each killed in turn on his wedding night by the demon Asmodeus. God hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah and sends the angel Raphael in human form to aid them both. Raphael makes the trip to Media with Tobiah. When Tobiah is attacked by a large fish as he bathes in the Tigris River, Raphael orders him to seize it and to remove its gall, heart, and liver because they are useful for medicine. Later, at Raphael’s urging, Tobiah marries Sarah, and uses the fish’s heart and liver to drive Asmodeus* from the bridal chamber. Returning to Nineveh with his wife and his father’s money, Tobiah rubs the fish’s gall into his father’s eyes and cures him. Finally, Raphael reveals his true identity and returns to heaven. Tobit then utters his beautiful hymn of praise. Before dying, Tobit tells his son to leave Nineveh because God will destroy that wicked city. After Tobiah buries his father and mother, he and his family depart for Media, where he later learns that the destruction of Nineveh has taken place. NAB Footnotes from the Book of Tobit, Chapter 3. * [3:8] Asmodeus: in Persian aeshma daeva, “demon of wrath,” adopted into Aramaic with the sense of “the Destroyer.” It will be subdued (8:3) by Raphael (v. 17), whose name means “God has healed.” http://www.usccb.org/bible/tobit/2 http://www.usccb.org/bible/tobit/3 http://www.usccb.org/bible/tobit/8 From Chapter 2, the "white scales" in Tobit's eyes are cataracts. ST. MICHAEL - "M" the 13th letter of the English alphabetMIchael - Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל, translit. Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl, lit. 'Who is like God?' or 'Who can compare with God?'; Arabic: ميخائيل, translit. Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, he is called "Saint Michael the Archangel" and "Saint Michael". In the Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox traditions, he is called "Taxiarch Archangel Michael" or simply "Archangel Michael". In the New American Bible, Michael symbolizes the archangel, guardian and champion of Israel; cf. Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9. In the Book of Daniel Chapter 10, Michael describes "a great war" to Daniel . This is consistent with St. John seeing the final conflict at the Mountain of Meggido as part of the 6th Trumpet and 6th Bowl / Plague, described in Revelation Chapters 9 and 16, respectively. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) translates the "Kings of East" to be the Parthian Empire. http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/10 http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/12 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/9 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/16 The ancient Parthian empire overlaid on a current map of the Middle East is very close to the area of Iran and it's surrounding neighbor countries. "The four angels* who are bound at the banks of the great river Euphrates.": Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey. In 2008, the following numbers were the respective populations: Iran 71,956,322, Iraq 30,711,152, Syria 22,581,290, Turkey 73,914,260 totaling 197,163,024 people. Data provided by Wikipedia. The below info. is from Central Intelligence Agency (2013-10-08). The CIA World Factbook 2014: In 2013, the following numbers were the respective populations: Iran 79,853,900, Iraq 31,858,481, Syria 22,457,336, Turkey 80,694,485 totaling 214,864,202 people, with Iraq having the largest annual growth of 2.29% and Syria the least at 0.15% because of the war. Iran's religions are Muslim (official) 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i) 2% Iraq's religions are Muslim (official) 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Syria's religions are Sunni Muslim (Islam— official ) 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite , Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations ) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Turkey's religions are Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) In the Letter of Jude (the last Catholic Epistle) when Michael argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, he did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment* upon him but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” NAB Footnotes: * [9] The archangel Michael…judgment: a reference to an incident in the apocryphal Assumption of Moses. Dt 34:6 had said of Moses, literally in Greek, “they buried him” or “he (God?) buried him” (taken to mean “he was buried”). The later account tells how Michael, who was sent to bury him, was challenged by the devil’s interest in the body. Our author draws out the point that if an archangel refrained from reviling even the devil, how wrong it is for mere human beings to revile glorious beings (angels). http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Jude&ch= http://www.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/34 Symbolically, Michael and the Devil are in a struggle for the souls of those who practice strict Mosaic Law. (See the Churches of Smyrna and Thyatira in Revelation Chapter 2.) http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/2 In the Book of Revelation Chapter 12 Verses 7-9, 18: 7 Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, 8but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. 18It took its position on the sand of the sea.  Michael is one of the two archangels mentioned in the Quran in Al-Baqara (The Cow) 2:97-100, alongside Jibrail (Gabriel): https://quran.com/2 97Say [Prophet], ‘If anyone is an enemy of Gabriel— who by God’s leave brought down the Qur’an to your heart confirming previous scriptures as a guide and good news for the faithful— 98if anyone is an enemy of God, His angels and His messengers, of Gabriel and Michael, then God is certainly the enemy of such disbelievers.’ 99For We have sent down clear messages to you and only those who defy [God] would refuse to believe them. 100How is it that whenever they make a covenant or a pledge, some of them throw it away? In fact, most of them do not believe. URIEL - "U" the 21st letter of the English alphabet In the 9th Chapter of the Book of Enoch, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, along with Uriel, watch the destruction of the earth. Uriel is considered the 4th Archangel, her name in Hebrew (אוּרִיאֵל) meaning "El/God is my light". http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/noncanonical-literature/noncanonical-literature-ot-pseudepigrapha/book-of-enoch/ Book of Enoch 9:1-16 1. And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. 2. And they said one to another: 'The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their crying up to the gates of heaven. 3 And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, "Bring our cause before the Most High.".' 4. And they said to the Lord of the ages: 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, 〈and God of the ages〉, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! 5. Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. 6. Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: 7. And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. Azâzêl and Semjâzâ are described in some Abrahamic traditions as "fallen angels" . Azâzêl, discussed in Leviticus Chapter 16, was one of the two male goats, who were to be sacrificed to God and one of the two was selected by lot, for "for absolute removal". This goat was then cast out in the desert as part of Yom Kippur. http://www.usccb.org/bible/leviticus/16 I'm making a case, consistent with title pic, that Uriel is the Angel with the Small Scroll from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 10...The Statue of Liberty.  From my Blog, "Immigration and What The Statue of Liberty Means To Me"; http://www.tribulation7.com/blog/my-9th-blog-immigration-and-what-the-statue-of-liberty-means-to-me "The 'mighty angel come down from heaven wrapped in a cloud, with a halo around his head' is the Statue of Liberty. The French named the statue “La Liberté éclairant le monde” which translated means “Liberty Enlightening the World”. The statue is of Libertas, a [cloud-white] robed female figure representing the Roman goddess of freedom. She has 7 rays coming from the halo [or crown] on her head. When originally erected, the statue was copper colored; thereby, St. John’s vision of a face like the sun and feet like pillars of fire is understandable. She gets her blue-green color from copper oxidation along with several other chemical including one related to sulfur emissions . From NAB Footnotes of Rev.10:1-14: * [10:1–11:14] An interlude in two scenes (Rev 10:1–11 and Rev 11:1–14) precedes the sounding of the seventh trumpet; cf. Rev 7:1–17. The first vision describes an angel astride sea and land like a colossus, with a small scroll open, the contents of which indicate that the end is imminent (Rev 10). The second vision is of the measuring of the temple and of two witnesses, whose martyrdom means that the kingdom of God is about to be inaugurated. In this case, the Archangel Gabriel is the seventh angel blowing the seventh trumpet. Gabriel's trumpet ("horn") also is part of the lyrics in The Eyes of Texas (1903) where it signifies the Rapture (described in Mt.24:40-41, Lk.17:34-35, 2Cor12:2, 1Thes4:17, Rev.12:5, & Rev.20:4-6), which follows the Tribulation. http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/24 http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/17 http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/12 http://www.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/4 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12 http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/20 The New Colossus, “Anthem Of Freedom”, by Jewish American poet, Emma Lazarus. The poem says: Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” 
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AuthorSomeone once criticized me on Pinterest about not reading enough. I read and write about good vs evil and right now, that's all I have time for. My favorite books are the Bible and anything written by John le Carre. Archives
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