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Introduction
- 1st – Interpretation…
- Next book…
- Having finished Jude – we pick up our study through the Bible today in Revelation
- Revelations is the 27th – and FINAL – book of the NEW Testament…
- It has 22 chapters – and 404 verses – it will take about 6 months to finish!
- Challenging Book…
- There is no doubt the Book of REVELATION is VERY controversial…
- People have a LOT of different ideas about what this book means…
- The main reason for the DIFFERENCES – is how the book is INTERPRETED!
- 1st – Allegorical…
- The FIRST way people try and INTERPRET the Book is ALLEGORICALLY…
- ALLEGORY – means to have a HIDDEN or SECOND meaning…
- The idea being the Book is NOT to be taken literally…
- It is to be INTERPRETED as a series of ILLUSTRATIONS meant to teach MORAL truths!
- The problem with ALLEGORY…
- The use of allegory in teachings is a common practice in many churches today…
- Unfortunately it is a VERY dangerous way to INTERPRET the Bible…
- IGNORING the obvious meaning of a passage – teachers seek a DEEPER meaning…
- ABANDONING boundaries – the passage is left to be ANYTHING the teacher wants…
- This had led to many FALSE teachings – HERESIES being taught in churches!
- The FIRST way people try and INTERPRET the Book is ALLEGORICALLY…
- 2nd – Historical…
- The SECOND way people try to INTERPRET the Book is HISTORICALLY…
- The idea being John was writing about events that have ALREADY taken place…
- Connecting the Book to the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D.
- We call this view – PRETERIST – from Latin [praeter] – meaning something in the PAST…
- This is the most COMMON view of the book of Revelation in the church today!
- PRETERIST believe there is no RAPTURE…
- They do not believe the WORLD will get WORSE – or in the rise of the ANTICHRIST…
- They believe instead the WORLD will get BETTER…
- Following the Great COMMISSION – the church will establish the KINGDOM of God…
- They see the MILLENNIAL reign of Jesus as SYMBOLIC – a LONG time…
- They are AMILLENNIAL – there is NO 1000 year REIGN of Christ – Revelation 20:1-4
- Or POSTMILLENNIAL – Jesus will come back AFTER the church builds His KINGDOM!
- The problem with PRETERISM…
- Satan is BOUND during the MILLENNIAL reign – Revelation 20:2
- If satan is currently CHAINED up – his leash is too long…
- The WORLD is NOT getting better – it is getting WORSE…
- People are NOT coming to know Jesus – they are FALLING away…
- FALLING AWAY – apostasia – meaning to depart – II Thessalonians 2:3
- The world has become POST CHRISTIAN – where many if not most – have DEPARTED…
- In many parts of Europe today – less than 10% of people attend church regularly…
- Across the world – church attendance has plummeted over the past TWENTY years!
- Matthew 24:12 – “Sin will be rampant everywhere – and the love of many will grow cold.”
- The SECOND way people try to INTERPRET the Book is HISTORICALLY…
- 3rd – Literal…
- The THIRD way people can INTERPRET the Book is LITERALLY…
- This is the CORRECT view – and how we will be going through Revelation…
- Which means once we get to past – Revelation 1-3
- We will be dealing with EVENTS that have not yet occurred – Revelation 4-22
- There will be IMAGERY given in the Book…
- When the BOOK uses key WORDS – such as LIKE or AS…
- Revelation 1:14 – “His head and hair were white like wool – as white as snow – and His eyes like a flame of fire.”
- Jesus LITERALLY – had HAIR that was WHITE as SNOW…
- But His hair was NOT made of WOOL – it looked LIKE wool…
- And His eyes were NOT on FIRE – they looked LIKE a flame of fire!
- The Bible does use symbolism…
- Galatians 4:24 – “Which things are symbolic [ἀλληγορέω].”
- The Bible does use IMAGERY – but when it does it tell us…
- The key to PROPER Bible interpretation – take the text LITERALLY!
- The THIRD way people can INTERPRET the Book is LITERALLY…
- Next book…
- 2nd – Author… vs. 1-2
- 1st – John the APOSTLE…
- Not the same as John the Baptist – wrote MANY books in the NT…
- He wrote the Gospel of John – as well as I – II – III John – and the book of Revelation
- This is very little debate over who wrote to the book – John references himself FIVE times!
- Revelation 1:1 – Revelation 1:4 – Revelation 1:9 – Revelation 21:2 – Revelation 22:8
- 2nd – Jesus Christ… vs. 1
- The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him…
- To show His servants things which must shortly take place…
- And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John!
- The MESSAGE was given to JOHN – but it came from GOD…
- It was a MESSAGE about things that would QUICKLY [τάχος] happen…
- Do NOT miss – the WORDS of this BOOK – are coming QUICKLY!
- God gave the MESSAGE to Jesus – who then gave it to His SERVANTS [δοῦλος]
- The MESSAGE was SENT [ἀποστέλλω] by an ANGEL – who delivered it to JOHN!
- John may have written the WORDS – but they are the WORD of God…
- If I wrote an email to someone – they would not give credit to the computer…
- It was just the tool that was used by me to send the message!
- In the same way God used men – to SPEAK to us – though the Old Testament!
- II Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…”
- The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him…
- 3rd – How the REVELATION was given… vs. 2
- Who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus – to all things that he saw!
- John received this REVELATION – through what he SAW – Revelation 1:2
- SAW [εἴδω] – used 70x throughout the Book…
- But John also received this REVELATION – from what he HEARD – Revelation 1:10
- HEARD [ἀκούω] – used 46x throughout the Book!
- John was not given us his IDEAS – or his OPINIONS…
- He is giving us the WORD [λόγος] of God he had WITNESSED [μαρτυρέω]!
- There is a whole world out there – who does NOT know Jesus…
- Like John we are called to bring the REVELATION of Jesus to them…
- Not by giving them our idea or options – they do not need those…
- We do so by telling them about what we have HEARD [Bible] and SEEN [in our lives]!
- 1st – John the APOSTLE…
- 3rd – The Audience…
- The SEVEN churches…
- Revelation 1:11 – “Write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia…”
- The BOOK was written to the SEVEN churches in the Roman province of Asia Minor [Turkey]
- There are THREE views on WHO these SEVEN churches are!
- 1st – Literal CHURCHES…
- Jesus is addressing the SEVEN churches located in what is today modern day Turkey…
- Ephesus / Smyrna / Pergamos / Thyatira / Sardis / Philadelphia / and Laodicea…
- There is no doubt there were LITERAL churches – we have visited the ruins!
- 2nd – CHURCH history…
- It is also possible that these churches represent the HISTORY of the CHURCH…
- Ephesus represents the early church – beginning with the book of Acts…
- With the remainder running sequentially through the last 2000 years…
- Up until Laodicea that represents the final church just before the rapture!
- 3rd – Kinds of CHURCHES…
- The churches can also be interpreted as different KINDS of CHURCHES…
- The condition of ALL churches today can be found in the example of one of these SEVEN…
- Jesus is addresses SEVEN literal churches – but the application is for ALL!
- The SEVEN churches…
- 4th – Where and when…
- 1st – Where it was written…
- Unlike the other FOUR books that the Apostle John wrote…
- We know EXACTLY where the BOOK of Revelation was written…
- Revelation 1:9 – “I John… was on the island that is called Patmos.”
- PATMOS – is a small island about 70km off the coast of Ephesus [Turkey]
- It is a small rocky island – about 16km long – 9km wide…
- The Romans used the island as a PRISON for their worst criminals…
- Church tradition [Tertullian] – tells us Rome tried to kill John by boiling him in oil…
- When he miraculously survived – he was exiled to PATMOS…
- There on a desolate island – with no distractions – he received this REVELATION of Jesus!
- We have BUSY lives – full of all kinds of DISTRACTIONS…
- We are bombarded constantly with things – cell phones – demanding our attention…
- Then we wonder why we do not SEE Jesus – why He is not REVEALED to us…
- It might be time to put away the distractions – sit quietly – and LISTEN…
- God may be trying to SPEAK to us – we have just been too BUSY to hear Him!
- 2nd – When it was written…
- Although we do NOT know the time – the best guess is around 95 A.D.
- According to some of the early church fathers – Irenaeus – Eusebius – Jerome
- John was exiled to PATMOS – in the FOURTEENTH year of Emperor Domitian – 95 A.D.
- He was then released from PATMOS – under the reign of Emperor Nerva – 96 A.D.
- And he went to Ephesus and served as the pastor there till his death – 98 A.D.
- 1st – Where it was written…
- 5th – Purpose…
- 1st – The REVELATION of Jesus Christ…
- REVELATION [ἀποκάλυψις] – where we get the word APOCALYPSE…
- APOCALYPSE – has come to mean something catastrophic…
- People associate the WORD with the END of the WORLD…
- But is actually means to UNCOVER something that was HIDDEN…
- This BOOK is meant to UNCOVER or REVEAL to us – Jesus Christ!
- 2nd – All about Jesus…
- The BOOK of REVELATION – also REVEALS to us – WHO Jesus is!
- Jesus – the FIRST person to be PERMANENTLY risen from the dead – Revelation 1:5
- Jesus – the FIRST and the LAST – Beginning and the END of ALL things – Revelation 1:8
- Jesus – who has the KEYS of death and hell – Revelation 1:18
- Jesus – the LION of Judah – who can open the SEALS – Revelation 5:5
- Jesus – the LAMB of God – slain before the world began – Revelation 13:8
- Jesus – the KING over all kings – the LORD over all lords – Revelation 19:16
- This book is ALL about Jesus – He is the FOCUS of the REVELATION…
- Therefore if we come to the BOOK looking AMAZING prophecies about the FUTURE…
- If we are excited to get into REVELATION – because it talks about the END times…
- Then we are missing the POINT – we want to read this BOOK because it REVEALS Jesus!
- 3rd – The CONTRAST…
- The BOOK of REVELATION – REVEALS to a very different Jesus from the Gospels…
- The Jesus of the GOSPELS – was the Healer – Peacemaker – and Servant…
- And when He rose into Jerusalem for the final time – he came on a DONKEY – Mathew 21:1
- Zechariah 12:9 – “Your King is coming to you… having salvation… riding on a donkey!”
- A king would never come to conquer riding on a DONKEY – it was a sign of PEACE…
- Jesus was not coming to conquer – He came to bring PEACE between God and Man!
- The Second coming…
- The Jesus of the book of REVELATION – is the Judge – Conqueror – and King…
- Jesus will NOT be riding a DONKEY when He returns!
- Revelation 19:11 – “I saw heaven opened – and behold – a white HORSE. He who sat on him was called Faithful and True – and in righteousness He judges and makes WAR.”
- When Jesus comes for the SECOND time – He will NOT come to make PEACE…
- He will come with all the armies of heaven for WAR – to set up His Kingdom here on Earth!
- The BOOK of REVELATION – REVEALS to a very different Jesus from the Gospels…
- 4th – The OLD Testament
- The BOOK of REVELATION – also REVEALS to us – the OLD Testament…
- In the 404 verses of REVELATION – there are 278 references to the OT!
- There are MANY churches today who no longer teach the Old Testament…
- Some have gone so far as to say that it is NOT history – just FABLES…
- Those same churches tend to AVOID the book of REVELATION!
- Most people assume that the book of REVELATION is something NEW…
- But more the HALF of the BOOK – is built off of quotes from the OLD…
- Because the majority of people – even in the church – do not KNOW the OT…
- They tend to find the IMAGERY unfamiliar – and the BOOK as a whole confusing…
- Which is WHY it is so IMPORTANT to know the WHOLE Bible!
- 5th – Jesus is COMING…
- The BOOK of REVELATION – also REVEALS to us – Jesus is COMING!
- Revelation 1:7 – “Behold – He is coming with clouds – and every eye will see Him – even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so Amen.”
- Most of us probably did not wake up this morning – and think I might see Jesus today…
- But as we go through this BOOK – it WILL change our perspective…
- We will be left to ask the all important question – are we ready…
- No man knows the day and the hour – so we need to be constantly prepared!
- Luke 21:28 – “Stand straight and look up – for your salvation is near…”
- 1st – The REVELATION of Jesus Christ…
- 6th – Outline…
- 1st – THREE sections…
- Revelation 1:19 – “Write the things which you HAVE [past] seen – and the things which ARE [present] – and the things which WILL [future] take place after this.”
- The BOOK of REVELATION has a VERY simple outline – all based on sets of THREE…
- PAST – John wrote the things he HAD seen – vison of Jesus – Revelation 1
- PRESENT – John wrote the things which ARE – the SEVEN churches – Revelation 2-3
- FUTURE – the final section – are the things which will take place AFTER this – Revelation 4-22
- 2nd – THREE events…
- The final section is also broken up into THREE sections…
- Revelation 4-5 – the RAPTURE of the church [as seen from heaven]
- Revelation 6-18 – the WRATH of God [the Great Tribulation]
- Revelation 19-22 – The RETURN of Jesus Christ [the Second coming]
- 3rd – THREE Judgements…
- Revelation 6-18 – the WRATH of God is broken up into THREE sets of Judgements…
- The seven SEAL judgments – Revelation 6-8
- The seven TRUMPET judgments – Revelation 8-14
- The seven BOWL judgment – Revelation 15-18
- 1st – THREE sections…
- 7th – The blessing… vs. 3
- 1st – Reading…
- Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy!
- BLESSED [μακάριος] – to have GREAT Joy
- The FIRST of SEVEN blessings in Revelation…
- The BLESSING is for those who READ the WORDS [λόγος] of this PROPHECY…
- READ [ἀναγινώσκω] – from the ROOT word to KNOW…
- Not just KNOW these WORDS – even the SPACE between [ἀνα] the WORDS…
- Because they are PROPHECY [προφητεία] – to declare the PLANS and PURPOSES of God!
- The NEWS can tell us what happened yesterday – but what about tomorrow…
- There is NO truth in HOROSCOPES – the best people can do is GUESS!
- Which is why READING the book of REVELATION is a BLESSING…
- Not only does it REVEAL Jesus to us – it also tells us about the PLANS of God…
- We get to KNOW what the FUTURE holds – as we learn about the one who HOLD the FUTURE!
- 2nd – Hearing…
- The BLESSING is for those who HEAR the WORDS [λόγος] of this PROPHECY…
- HEAR [ἀκούω] – to LISTEN and UNDERSTAND!
- We are often challenged in our BUSY schedule to find TIME for the BIBLE…
- But what are we LISTENING to – when we exercise – or are stuck in TRAFFIC!
- We are NOT limited to just READING – we can also LISTEN…
- We can LISTEN to an audio tract of the Bible – LISTEN to the BOOK of REVELATION!
- 3rd – Keeping…
- And keep those things which are written in it – for the time is near!
- The BLESSING is for those who KEEP the WORDS [λόγος] of this PROPHECY…
- KEEP [τηρέω] – to GUARD the WORDS written in the BOOK…
- Because they are NEAR – the TIME of them being fulfilled is CLOSE!
- The Bible is not a textbook to memorize – it is an instruction manual to OBEY…
- We can KNOW all words – but if it does not change our actions – it means NOTHING…
- Jesus is COMING – the WORDS of this PROPHECY are CLOSE to being fulfilled…
- If we want to be BLESSED – we will not just READ – LISTEN – we will DO!
- James 1:22 – “Be doers of the word – and not hearers only…”
- 1st – Reading…
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