Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

This lesson covers 5:1-17 (the first half of chapter 5)

• The fall of Israel is a kind of death; this requires a song of mourning (v.1).
  • Israel is alone, desolate (v.2).
  • Her population has been drastically reduced (v.3).
• Yet there is a glimmer of hope here (vv.4,6,14). The Lord urges them to seek him.
  • Not that this will avert the national catastrophe, which is inevitable, ineluctable.
  • The alternative to seeking Yahweh is to "seek Bethel" (v.5) --idolatry--the golden calf.
• Pilgrimage sites:
  • Bethel 3x (Genesis 28:19, Jeremiah 11 (1 Kings 12:26-33)
  • Gilgal 2x (Joshua 5:2-12)
  • Beersheba 1x (Genesis 22:19, 26:23, 46:1-5: associated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, respectively)
  • Where you "go to church" is important; not all choices are equal.
• Another word-play (v.5):
  • Gilgal galoh yigleh
  • Gilgal will surely go into exile.
• Justice is absent, therefore judgment will come (vv.7-9).
  • Wormwood -- see Deuteronomy 29:18, Jeremiah 23:15, Lamentations 3:19, Amos 6:12
  • Pleiades, Orion – dig at Canaanite astrology?
  • Yahweh is able to bring back the primeval watery chaos.
• Israel has shut its ears.
  • She hates those who speak the truth to her (v.10; see also Galatians 4:16).
  • Oppressing the poor, her goal is to improve her own lifestyle (v.11-12; see Haggai 1:3ff).
  • This is sin, pure and simple. Yet the public square is the place where God's people should demonstrate morality (v.15).
  • Speaking out seems useless (v.13), though Amos will of course prophesy, since he has heard the lion's roar.
  • She claims the Lord is with her, but she is deceived (v.14; see also Matthew 7:21-23).
  • Yahweh wants to show grace (v.15), but his mercy is conditional on man's response.
• Conclusion
  • Judgment is certain, and great mourning will be made (vv.16-17).
  • The fire (v.6, also implicit in chapter 2) doesn’t just come from Yahweh; it is Yahweh!

Advanced

• Wormwood (v.7)-- see Deuteronomy 29:18, Jeremiah 23:15, Lamentations 3:19, Amos 6:12.
• The two constellations (v.8) are also mentioned in Job 38:31.
• About the gate (vv.10,12,15). Inside it were alcoves or actual rooms, which served in effect as courtrooms.
• Re: v.11, cut stone was a luxury introduced by Solomon (1 Kings 5:13-18, 7:1-12). It was not cheap, this involved quarrying, cutting, dressing, transporting.
• About the aphorism of v.13: 5:13: It's not referring to Amos, otherwise this would contradict 2:1-12, 3:3-8, 7:10-17. It may imply acquiescence to the judgment of God.
• "The remnant of Joseph" (v.15) refers to two of the largest tribes of Northern Israel, Ephraim (also occasionally used as another name for Israel) and Manasseh (which actually existed in two half-tribes). Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's sons (Genesis 41:50-52).
• The chiasm of chapter 5
  • Lamentation announcement (1-3)
    • Admonition (4-6)
      • Accusation (7)
        • Hymn (8)
          • Yahweh is his name! (8)
        • Hymn (9)
      • Accusation (10-13)
    • Admonition (14-15)
  • Lamentation announcement (16-17)

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

This lesson explores Amos 4:1-13.

• By this point in the book of Amos all the major themes of the book have been introduced.
• From here to chapter 7 the material in Amos is more personal: directed against unfaithful Israel in more personal terms, and opening a window into Amos' personal life.
• The boom will fall (by the 720s, Assyria will have taken northern Israel into exile)! First to be challenged are the aristocratic women of Samaria.

The fat cows of Bashan (4:1-3)

• Bashan was a fertile region of Gilead along the Yarmuk river in Transjordan, and its cows were a special breed.
• These women will be prodded like the corpulent cattle they are!
• Amos recognizes the important and responsible place of women in society. (He was thus hardly misogynist or chauvinistic.)
• “One does not have to dirty one’s hands in the actual business of exploitation; someone else can do it, someone else can engage in the dirty work. It is possible to delegate dirty deeds, but it is not possible to avoid their guilt.” “Those whose lives of luxury had been lived at the expense of the poor would be dragged off into judgment.” – Craigie 152…
• Note the parallels between chapter 4 and chapter 6.

The pilgrim festivals at Gilgal and Bethel (4:4-5)

• Gilgal and Bethel (along with Dan and Samaria) served as religious centers for the corrupt northern kingdom.
• After a parody of invitation to worship come five oracles of judgment. ("O come, all ye faithless..")

Though disciplined, they have not responded (4:6-11)!

• There's a similarity to the wicked refusing to repent in Revelation, or Pharaoh failing to respond to the evidence and message from Moses.
• Various disciplines/punishments
  • cleanness of teeth =  famine
  • lack of rainfall (Jeremiah 5:24)
  • thirst
  • blight
  • agricultural woes
  • plague
  • war
  • city after city overthrown (Samaria not until 732, all Israel not until 722)
  • All these threats were uttered in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28).

Prepare to meet your God (4:12-13)!

• Irony: unlike the shallow and hypocritical preparations the Israelites went through before visiting their idolatrous shrines, Amos is talking about really meeting God (for real).
• The true meaning of the Day of the Lord will be expounded in the next chapter.

Lessons for us:

• Examine our lifestyle. Are we guilty of conspicuous consumption?
• Ask whether we're living lives of self-indulgence (1 Timothy 5:6).
• Discover whether we might be oppressing the poor even indirectly.
• Listening to repeated warnings, rebukes, input… Are there common themes when I receive input from other disciples? From my spouse? Even from my own conscience?
• Recognize that the Lord expects a response. Constant hardening will lead us to a very dark and perilous place.
• We mustn't intellectualize judgment day.

Further:

• Gilgal and Bethel (4:4) were on the prophet Samuel's regular circuit (1 Samuel 7:16).
• Among the various literary devices used by the prophet, Amos makes effective use of summary quotations:
  • 4:1 – callous demands of idle rich women: “Bring us some drinks.”
  • 6:13 – people exulting in military prowess: “Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?”
  • 8:5 – greedy merchants: “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?
  • 9:10 – complacent populace: “Disaster shall not overtake us.”

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

This lesson explores Amos 3:1-15.

Introduction (vv.1-2)

• Redemption, then mission.
• With privilege comes responsibility!

Hearing the roar and responding accordingly (vv.3-8)

• Stimulus and response
  • Action and reaction
  • Cause and effect
• The lion has roared; we must respond!
  • The true prophet cannot ignore the voice of Yahweh any more than a sensible person can ignore the roar of a lion.
  • Do I feel that I must speak, that I cannot keep quiet?
    • “If I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9).
    • “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16b).
  • How about us?
    • How's my evangelism?
    • Am I willing to engage in earnest discussion with Christians who have drifted from the Lord and need a word from him?
    • Am I having conversations at work? with family members? with neighbors?
  • "To a person endowed with prophetic sight, everyone else appears blind; to a person whose ear perceives God's voice, everyone else appears deaf. No one is just; no knowing is strong enough, no trust complete enough. The prophet hates the approximate, he shuns the middle of the road. Man must live on the summit to avoid the abyss. There is nothing to hold to except God. Carried away by the challenge, the demand to straighten out man's ways, the prophet is strange, one-sided, an unbearable extremist." – Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets

The boom will fall (vv.9-15)

• The announcement is to be made in the hearing of Ashdod and Egypt, peoples south of Samaria, who could serve as witnesses of Yahweh’s righteous punishment (as they fell to Assyria at a later time). Israel would have considered themselves morally superior to Ashdod and Egypt.
• Samaria
  • The city, which was the capital of the northern kingdom, was built by Omri and Ahab his successor, rose up 300 feet, and seemed impregnable. Its fortification walls were massive.
  • But massive fortifications offer no protection if our lives are weakened with corruption! Samaria will fall!
  • Two houses (like Ahab's regular house in Jezreel, and winter house in Samaria [at a higher elevation], 1 Kings 21:1,18) are excessive when many have no home of their own. Opulence is inappropriate when the poor are being dispossessed (5:11).
• Yahweh offended not only by exploitation but also by conspicuous consumption.
• Amos saw that neither reform nor even revolution could bring Israel back to God. Domestic politics had no hope. Only international intervention – the exile threatened in Deuteronomy – could succeed.
• The imagery of v.12 is that of a lion attack. All that remains of the materialistic, idolatrous city are fragments of fine furniture.

Conclusion

• As hard-hitting as these words would have been—or should have been—to their original hearers, they should hit us even harder!
• And the prophet isn’t done yet–not by a long shot!

Advanced

• The Asiatic lion was found in Palestine until about 1300 AD, and is mentioned often in scripture (Judges 14:6; 1 Samuel 17:34-36; 2 Samuel 23:20, etc). God himself is compared to a lion at least 10x in the O.T.
• With respect to v.8, Amos could not have deviated from his commission. Recall the anonymous prophet of Judah who was rebuked by the older northern prophet (from Bethel) for violating the revealed word of God (1 Kings 13). The young prophet was killed by a lion!
• Archaeological excavation of Samaria revealed great storehouses in the palace complex “store up violence” (v.10)? In one storeroom, 200 ivory plaques were uncovered (see 1 Kings 22:39: "houses of ivory").
• In v.12 the imagery alludes to proof of attack, as in Exodus 22:10-13. Only fragments of Israel's extravagance will remain after the attack!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• Israel: instead of viewing themselves as belonging exclusively to God, they viewed God as belonging exclusively to them. (See also 3:2.)
• This next section in the book of Amos serves as a bridge between the seven shorter oracles against the nations and the longer series of oracles against Israel, including a number of themes, such as:
  • mistreatment of the poor
  • corruption of worship
  • opposition to the ministry of the prophets
  • the inescapable judgment by earthquake

The oracle against Israel

• 6-7a    Oppressing the poor.
• 7b        Cult prostitution and incest (Leviticus 18). We see male cult prostitutes even in Israel (1 Kings 14:24)
• 8a        Heavy-handed loans. Garments were to be returned by the evening (Deuteronomy 24:12)!
• 8b        Drinking problems (a common theme in the prophets, esp. charged against religious leaders).
• Application: business ethics, concern for the impoverished, sexual sin, drug & alcohol abuse.
• 9-10     God led his people out of Egypt into Canaan. With privilege comes responsibility. They've forgotten God's salvation (2 Peter 1:10)..
• 11-12   They opposed the prophets and Nazirites (Numbers 6).
• 13-16   The judgment:
  • No way to get up! Crushing, irrevocable pressure.
  • No escape, regardless of one's speed, military prowess, and courage.
  • The surprise: Israel has become a foreign nation to Yahweh.

Conclusion

• “A perversion of the true faith is always more evident in other denominations or religions than it is in our own. But worst of all, we can always detect abuses in the actions of others more easily than we can in our own actions. Amos held up the mirror to Israel…” (Peter Craigie, Daily Study Bible 145)
• How does this apply to me? Some penetrating questions:
  • If I'm critical of members of other groups, is it possible I’m oblivious to the moral failures, doctrinal omissions, and other shortcomings of my own group?
  • Am I aware of the plight of the poor? When is the last time I read a book on this subject? Do I make purchases without thinking where the product came from -- perhaps from companies that exploit the poor, or don't pay a fair wage?
  • Is my conscience desensitized towards hypocrisy in my own fellowship?
  • Do I have a clear understanding of the big picture of Old Testament history?

Advanced:

• In 2:6-16 there is no explicit mention of fire as in 1:4,7,10,12,14; 2:2,5. The fire of judgment is nevertheless implicit.
• Amorite is a virtual synonym of Canaanite.
• For more about the Nazirites:
  • Listen to the Samson podcast at this website.
  • Read the relevant chapter in Principle-Centered Parenting.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• There are oracles against nations in most of the prophetic books of the Bible.
• In 1:3 to 2:5 there are 7 doom oracles.
• Yahweh is lord over the gentile nations, so why should we think Israel will be judged less strictly?

The seven oracles of doom

• Damascus (1:3-5) is the chief city of Syria (Aram)
  • It may be the world's oldest continuously inhabited city.
  • Gilead, east of the Jordan and bordering Syria, included Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
  • “I destroyed 592 towns of the 16 districts of the country of Damascus, rendering them like hills over which the flood had passed.” – Tiglath-Pileser III, Annals
  • Syria will go into exile (the divine punishment of last resort against the covenant people in the law of Moses)
• Gaza (1:6-8), one of the 5 cities of Philistia (Gath is often omitted in oracles against the Philistines).
  • Exodus 21:16 forbids kidnapping, and by implication the slave trade.
  • Hear the slavery podcast for more discussion.
  • Again, there will be no escape for the nation that has defied the righteous standards of Yahweh.
• Tyre (1:9-10)
  • 100 miles NW of Jerusalem, modern Lebanon
  • Again, condemnation of the slave trade
• Edom (1:11-12)
  • Ammon, Moab, and Edom are the lands east of Canaan, partly in (modern) Jordan, partly in Israel.
  • Obadiah (plus Jeremiah, et al) contains oracles against Edom.
  • The sin was a lack of brotherly love. Instead, bitterness, vengeance, lack of forgiveness.
• Ammon (1:13-15)
  • Barbaric cruelty: pregnant women were ripped open to ensure that male offspring would not rise up to avenge their enemies.
    • Tiglath-Pileser I was praised by his chroniclers in the 11th C. BC for the ruthless murder of pregnant women and the children in their wombs.
    • Menahem (2 Kings 15:16), ruling a few years after the time of Amos, did the same thing.
  • Again, there will be no escape from the impending judgment.
• Moab (2:1-3)
  • Burned bones to lime amounts to desecration of the dead, a serious transgression in ancient times.
  • At Kerioth (v.2) was a shrine to Chemosh.
• Judah (2:4-5), the southern part of the divided kingdom
  • She survived longer (till 586 BC, when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem).
  • She was only relatively more righteous than the northern kingdom of Israel, which fell in 722 BC at the hand of the Assyrians.
  • Including Judah proves that Amos wasn’t prejudiced.
• Seven nations have been singled out. But Amos isn’t done yet. We come to the climax in 2:6-16, which is the substance of our third lesson in the series.

Conclusion

The Lord is sovereign over all the world, over all nations. If the nations are held responsible for their actions, how much more the people of God!  Yet instead of viewing themselves as belonging exclusively to God, Israel viewed God as belonging exclusively to them.

Advanced:

• The 7 target nations were all at one time under the control of David.
• Three acts… four (x, x+1) is a common literary device in the wisdom literature. (See Proverbs 6:16-19, 30:18-19,21-23,29-31; Sirach 26:5-6.) This implies each nation has done more than enough to deserve punishment.
• House of Hazael (v.4) probably refers to Hazael (c.843-796) and Ben-Hadad III (c.796-770), who caused much trouble for Jehoram, Jehu, and Jehoahaz.
• Gath is usually ignored in oracles against the Philistines. Sargon of Assyria destroyed Gath in 711 BC.
• Re: v.11, brother may mean treaty-partner, as in 1 Samuel 20:29, 1 Kings 9:13.
• Kerioth may be singled out because it contained a shrine for Chemosh, as recorded in the Mesha inscription. (Click here to learn about this inscription.)

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

O.T. background

• Remember separation of Israel and Judah, two centuries earlier (1 Kings 12:25-33), under Jeroboam I
  • Rival shrines – with idolatry
  • Rival priesthood – low standard of leadership
  • Rival holidays – to prevent northerners from choosing to blend the two religious systems
  • This evil king is immediately challenged by a prophet (1 Kings 13).
• It just so happens that in Amos' time (8th C. BC) the northern king is Jeroboam II.
• Amos was written near the end of his reign.
• Amaziah is false priest at Bethel in the time of Amos (d.767)
• Recall  the promises and threats related to covenant faithfulness (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28)
  • Blessings: physical, economic, military, and national blessings
  • Punishments: agricultural failure, anxiety, pain, fear, exile
• The earthquake: in the days of Uzziah, the king of Judah (742 BC). See also Zechariah 14:5.

Economic situation

• 760s-750s is a boom time
  • Neighboring nations are too weak or distracted to constitute any significant threat to the prosperity of Israel.
  • International trade is strong
  • Borders restored to limits of 931 BC (end of time of Solomon)
  • Leisured upper class with a decadent lifestyle (2:8, 4:1, 6:1)
  • The poor are oppressed
• But the bubble is about to burst in a serious way!
  • The oppressive upper class will be brought down.
  • The nation will be delivered over to its enemies (Assyrian exile, 722 BC).

The man

• Earliest writing prophet and earliest minor prophet
• Contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea, Micah
• A shepherd and dresser of fig trees (7:14-15)
• From Tekoa, a town in southern Judah
  • 6-10 miles south of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 14:2,4,9; 2 Chronicles 11:6, 20:20; Jeremiah 6:1)
  • The modern Arab village of Tekua, 2700’ above sea level.
  • The wilderness of Tekoa sinks 4000’ to the east.
• He was a southerner called to preach up north.
• Amos is Hebrew for “load, burden.” What was his burden? With what message had the Lord loaded him?

Prologue to the Book of Amos (1:1-2)

• Roar of a lion -- see 3:8 (also Joel 3:16, Hosea 11:10).
• Like most of the prophetic literature, Amos is a mixture of poetry and prose.
• Usually prophets mix judgment and restoration oracles. In Amos, little hope is expressed till the very end.
• Withering of the top of Carmel (usually green) signifies the extreme judgment of God
• Spiritual drought > literal drought (e.g. 8:11-12)

Message of the Book

• Religion without righteousness is worthless.
  • Malachi 1, Revelation 3.
  • Moderation, "balance" render religion worthless.
• How we treat others reflects quality of our relationship with God.
  • Similarities to James. The James of the O.T.
  • No other prophet so carefully scrutinizes and condemns the justice system in Israel.
  • Demand for justice (5:24).
  • Idolatry has no ethical demands! True religion is invalidated if we do not love our fellow man.
• God isn’t only interested in the covenant people; he’s concerned about the nations.
  • See 3:9, 4:10, 6:14, 9:7.
  • International vista!
• Israel will be punished.
  • The 16 oracles mainly feature doom.
  • Not until the end of chapter 9 is there any hope.

Impact

• In the Bible:
  • Amos significantly influenced Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets.
  • A couple of passages are quoted in the New Testament, which we will cover later on.
• In our day
  • Inspiration for Civil Rights movement
  • Social consciousness among many churches today
  • Our own lives: If they were held responsible to practice the righteousness of the God whom they worshipped, aren’t we even more responsible to take a stand for the justice of God?

Conclusion

"The words of Amos burst upon the landscape of the Northern kingdom, Israel, with all the terror and surprise of a lion’s roar. Though their main targets were the palaces of Samaria and the shrines at Bethel and Gilgal, the prophet’s words were to resound throughout Israel’s entire landscape leaving no part nor person unscathed" (Tyndale commentary, p.87).

Advanced:

• Amos comes immediately after Hosea in the LXX.
• Learn about Jeroboam I by listening to Old Testament Character podcast 33.

Further study:

• Francine Rivers, The Prophet (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2006)
• Hosea-Jonah, The Word Biblical Commentary (New York: Word, 1987)
• The Twelve Prophets, Volume 1 : Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, The Daily Study Bible Series (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1984)
• Joel & Amos, The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove:  Inter-Varsity Press, 1989)
• Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1999)
• Podcast on the person Amos (at this website), here.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

If you prefer not to listen to the audio, but prefer only to read the questions below, that is fine -- but the answers are in the podcast file.

Click on the arrow to play the podcast (16 minutes), or right click here, in order to save the audio file and listen later.

1. How many confessions of faith do we find in John's gospel?
2. In John 14:6, Jesus claims to be "the way, the ___, and the ___."
3. Whom did Jesus see under the fig tree?
4. How many chapters of the NT come from John, in Christian tradition?
5. Who proclaimed, "My Lord and my God!"?
6. Whoever denies that Jesus came in the flesh is the antichrist. This definition appears in which two letters?
7. In Revelation there is a dramatic contrast between two cities. Name them.
8. Who helped Joseph of Arimathea to reclaim the body of Jesus after his crucifixion?
9. Diotrephes and Demetrius: Which was the good guy?
10. Three keys for understanding Revelation are reasonable level of familiarity with apocalyptic, some knowledge of history, and a solid grounding in _____.
11. Which is the first of the seven "I am" sayings?
12. Walking in the light (1 John 1:7) is equivalent to walking as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6): True or False?
13. Who asked "What is truth?"?
14. The elder preferred pen and ink over face-to-face interactions: True or False?
15. What is the name NT scholars have given to the chapters from John 2 to John 11?
16. The first miracle Jesus ever performed was turning water to wine: True or False?
17. What is the literal meaning of apocalypse?  a. mystery  b. symbol  c. unveiling  d. revelation
18. According to John, all Christians have received an anointing, and do not need special (elite) instruction: True or False?
19. Jesus' crucifixion takes place in Matt 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John ___.
20. To whom is 3 John addressed?  a. Publius  b. Philip  c. an angel  d. Gaius
21. In John 21, what animal does the number 153 pertain to?
22. To which island was the apostle John exiled?
23. Which action of Jesus reminded his disciples of Psalm 69 ("Zeal for your house will consume me")?
24. A simple "discipleship study," including three passages in which Jesus explicitly uses the word "disciple," can be constructed from which three chapters of John?
25. Who wrote, "Do not love the world or the things of the world..."?

Grading scale
23-25 -- Excellent
20-22 -- Great
17-19 -- Good
14-16 -- Fair
< 14 -- Poor

If you found the test to be too easy, there is a more challenging (though shorter) test. Click here.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Review of the first two lessons and the idea of the third.

• Introductory matters, and Rev 1 
• A Tale of Two Cities
  • Rome
  • The  Heavenly Jerusalem
  • Selections from 17-18, 21-22 
• Three keys to interpretation, and three vital lessons.
• Two ultimate outcomes, two kingdoms, two cities.
• One God, one gospel (14:6), one faith. The Christian version of reality is the correct one — not the world’s misconstrued version of reality.

Scriptural focus: Rev 12:10-12 (Rev 12 as the message of the Apocalypse in miniature) and Rev 22:8-21:

12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God
    and the authority of his Messiah,
for the accuser of our comradeshas been thrown down,
    who accuses them day and night before our God.
11 But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.
12 Rejoice then, you heavens
    and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
    for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath,
    because he knows that his time is short!

*    *   *   *    *   *   *    *   *   *    *   *

22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servantwith you and your comradesthe prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” 12 “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19 if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Further study:

• Revelation & the End of the World (audio series, 3 hours, plus 60 pages of chapters notes)
• The Book of Revelation: “The Blast of the Trumpet” (James Greig)
• Last Things series (Armageddon, Rapture & Tribulation, Heaven & Hell, etc)
• Rethinking Hell (website)
• Understanding the Apocalypse (first lesson; 7 in all, with John Boyles)
• Christ Through the Ages: Revelation -- King of Kings (login required)
• Revelation, by Jim McGuiggan (book)
• What Happens After We Die? (book)
• What's The Truth about Heaven & Hell? (book)

Summary (McGuiggan):

... What have we seen in this book? The central thrust is comfort and assurance of ultimate triumph. In its unique way, the book told of a coming and terrible storm... We saw that the heart of the universe is a heavenly throne! That God and the Lamb rule -- not Italy!

We saw the seals reveal, the trumpets warn and the bowls punish in a full and complete way. We saw the saints sealed against the coming fury upon the ungodly -- the world, piece by piece, attacked; her seas bloodied as well as her water supplies; her commerce was ruined and her armies defeated while their property was invaded; her gods were punished while her society ran riot in decadence.

We saw that the church under the heel of the oppressor and the witnesses preaching in sackcloth, while death was awaiting them. But we saw the inner sanctuary hold and the witnesses loyally preach and, after death, vindicated in resurrection. We saw the people of God in a wildnerness, yet nourished while the Devil is raging on earth and in heaven.

We saw Rome go under in blood and fire and smoke -- Rome in all her apocalyptic manifestations, from the civil persecution (the sea beast) to the religious pervert (the earth beast). The God of all power broils the sea beast; and the seductive power of a commercially successful Rome (Harlot) is set on fire by no man's hand and burns as Nero's fire never did -- eternally and thoroughly.

We saw the end of Rome, pictured in the battle of Armageddon, and we heard the serpent thrash as he was bound and salted away for a thousand years, while the saints, living and dead, sat enthroned with their Lord!

We saw the full story of those who died in the service of the beast. They were raised to no thrones but to die one more time, finally, in a lake of fire. We hear from God, through the "little time" of loosing the Devil, that all attempts by the Devil are doomed to failure, anytime and anywhere.

And then we saw the picture of the Church of God. Consecrated in her service; glorious and honored in her reputation and appearance; unbeatable in her strength; intimate in her communion; a blessing to the world and beloved of her Lord. Her future secure and her triumphs eternal!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Review of Rev A:

1. John contributed 50 chapters to the NT (out of 260).
2. The book is called Revelation (no 's') or the Apocalypse.
3. Geographical locations are important, like Patmos, Rome, Asia, and Ephesus.
4. The book combines three literary genres (types): Letter, Prophecy, and Apocalyptic.
5. [The text read in the last lesson was Rev 1.]
6. Three interpretive keys: familiarity with apocalyptic; some knowledge of ancient history; solid grounding in the OT.
7. Three points emerging from the Apocalypse: God is in control, not Caesar. Hold on to your faith! Things may get worse before they get better.

Themes / Angles of Approach to Revelation

• There are many great themes in the book of Revelation.
• When you have time, for example, look for the seven beatitudes, study the seven letters (much is known about each recipient church -- see NT chapter notes), or compare the end of Zech with the end of Rev.

Two kingdoms:

• Roman Empire
• Kingdom of God

Two ultimate outcomes:

• Destruction
• Life in the new world

Two cities:

• Rome -- earthly, corrupt, deceptive... pictured as a harlot, and as Babylon (not simply the city of Rome on the Italian peninsula, but the kingdoms of man)
• Jerusalem -- heavenly, pure, beautiful -- the abode of the righteous (not the earthly city of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed a quarter century before John’s vision and the Apocalypse)
• Reading selection from Rev 17-18, 21-22.
• See also Gal 4:26; Heb 11:16.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

(1) General

• 1 Paul 87 chapters ~ 1/4 of NT
• 2 Luke 52 chapters ~ 1/4 of NT
• 3 Thus P + L = 1/2 of NT
• 4 Matthew 28 chapters
• 5 Peter 24 chapters
• 6 John 50 chapters
• Heb, Jas, Jud (19 chapters in all)
• 260 chapters in the NT, of which John's contribution is about 15% (by pages).

2) Name

• Revelation
• Not ‘s’ (even though multiple things are revealed)
• Apocalypse 

3) Geography

• Patmos = island a few hours off the west coast of Asia Minor
• Rome = chief city of the empire
• Ephesus+ (7 cities in all) = principal city of western Asia Minor
• Asia = westernmost province in Asia Minor (modern Turkey)

4) Literary genres

• Prophecy - “Book of prophecy”: Telling people what they need to hear.
• Letter (2-3 only): epistles 
• Apocalyptic (mainly): An OT genre find in the latter parts of Daniel and Zechariah, but also in many other locations. In the NT, most prominent in Matt 24 (= Mark 13 = Luke 21) and Rev.

5) Text

1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servantswhat must soon take place; he madeit known by sending his angel to his servantJohn, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freedus from our sins by his blood, 6 and madeus to be a kingdom, priests servinghis God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds;
    every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
    and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus 10 I was in the spiriton the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19 Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

• Revelation (v.1) = apocalypse. One like the Son of Man -- he is an apocalyptic figure.
• Prophecy (v.3)
  • Biblical prophecy normally deals with the immediate, not distant, future.
  • Nearness of fulfillment: "what must soon take place" (v.1); "the time is near" (v.3). See Dan 8:26. 
  • This does not mean that the fundamental truths of Rev no longer apply. But exercise caution when interpreting.
• Letters, perhaps including all of Rev (v.11).
• Notice too the quotations from and allusions to various OT passages.

6) Keys to interpretation

• Familiarity with apocalyptic: fantasy, symbolism, numerology, things are not what they seem: Revelation = unveiling, revelation, disclosure.
• History: Rome mainly; also Israel and early church
• Old Testament—most important

7) Key points:

• God is in control, not Caesar.
• Hold to your faith.
• Things may get worse before they get better.