While interviewing the producer of an Imax Jerusalem film they were Claiming a Miracle happened in Jerusalem every year when they go into the tomb of Jesus and produce fire from heaven. BIGGGGGGGGGG HUGGGGGE Problem is that this is what they described in Revelation 13 as being the Anti Anointed or Beast who would make fire appear before men claiming it came down from heaven. So they (the anti Kohanim) always had this ritual that John of Patmos was warning people about.
REV 13:12 It [Paul or Peter or Rome through the Church]
exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and Paul, (*Peter or the Church)
makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast (Jesus)
whose mortal wound was healed.
13:13 It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men.
to understand the book of revelation you have to understand the source of it, and for a jew that should be easier than most other books of the christian bible since it's not likely that anyone other than jews can appreciate the symbolism, even to the structure of it. also, an appreciation of the psalms, see psalm 2, psalm 119, and psalm 137. now, the book of revelation is 22 chapters, and the number 7 is featured quite a bit. so what is 22 divided by 7? maybe it's nothing important, but chapter 22 verses 8, 9, and 10 explain a lot more than most christians are willing to know.
As far as the Book of Revelation is concerned I respect the opinion of Martin Luther (for whom the Lutheran Church was named):
“About this book of Revelation of John, I leave everyone free to hold his own opinion. I would not have anyone bound to my opinion or judgment. I say what I feel. I miss more than one thing in this book and it makes me consider it to be neither Apostolic nor prophetic.
“First and foremost, the apostles do not deal with visions, but prophecy in clear and plain words, as do Peter, Paul and Christ in the gospels. For it befits the apostolic office to speak clearly of Christ and his deeds without images and visions. Moreover there is no prophet in the Old Testament, to say nothing of the New, who deals so exclusively with visions and images. For myself, I think it approximates the Fourth Book of Esdras; I can in no way detect that the Holy spirit produced it (Luther's Works, vol.35, p.398).
“They are supposed to be blessed who keep what is written in this book and yet no one knows what this is, to say noting of keeping it. This is just the same as if we did not have the book as all. And there are many far better books available for us to keep (Ibid, p. 399).
“This is the way it has been with this book heretofore. Many have tried their hands at it, but until this very day they have attained no certainty. Some have even brewed into it many stupid things out of their own heads. Because its interpretation is uncertain and its meaning hidden, we have also let it alone until now because some of the ancient fathers held that it was not the work of St. John the apostle. For our part, we share this doubt” (Ibid, p. 400).
Martin Luther made a good point. If God really wanted you to know something, He is capable of getting His message across with specificity and clarity. I think everyone would agree that if He were truly omniscient, he could do that, and if He were truly fair, He would do that. After all, what kind of God would subject mankind to eternal damnation for not following His word when His word was - at best - confusing. This is why I agree with Luther that the Book of Revelation is not divinely inspired.
I have studied the Bible for over 60 years and have done substantial research into the book of Revelation. I have read hundreds of interpretations of this Book, some quite scholarly, yet the one thing that is missing is from all these interpretation is unanimity of opinion. From reading what others say on USMB and similar forums, it appears that there are as many interpretations of the Book as there are readers of the Book. I find the Book of Revelation to be an impenetrable veil of enigmatic symbolism. In spite of all my best efforts I must confess that I am no closer to deciphering its meaning than I was when I first began my studies. Although it is called the Book of Revelation, it reveals little and hides much.