The Book of Revelation
Session 1 – Introduction
Revelation 1:10 (NKJV) "…I heard behind me a loud voice…"
I heard – the Gospel preached…
Revelation 1:12 (NKJV) "…Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me…"
I turned – repentance by the sinner…
Revelation 1:17 (NKJKV) "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead…"
I saw – the Light of salvation…
I fell – in worship to the King!
1) First note that Revelation is singular and not a plural "Revelations."
a) Revelation is "Apocalypse" (apokalupsis) and it means "unveiling."
b) Revelation of what? Of Jesus Christ, how He really is today. The Revelation belongs to Him and He is the Revelation.
2) From the very beginning, Revelation makes its priority clear. While it speaks of the Antichrist, God's judgment, earthly calamity, and Mystery Babylon, its central message is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Miss Him, and you miss the whole book.
Revelation 1:3 (NKJV), "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."
3) The blessing comes to those who read, hear, and keep what is written. We are blessed because:
a) The book keeps our focus on Jesus Christ from beginning to end.
b) The Holy Spirit ministers to us personally through God's Word.
c) We are reminded that we are the victors.
d) We gain confidence that we are overcomers.
e) We live with the assurance that Jesus Christ's return is imminent and could happen at any moment.
i) How should the nearness of Christ's return influence our priorities, decisions, and daily walk?
4) Why is this book so strange to the reader?
a) Because of our Biblical literacy.
b) Because of our lack of understanding of the Old Testament.
i) The Book of Revelation has 404 verses, and of those versus there are 800 allusions to the Old Testament.
ii) The more you know about the Old Testament the more comfortable you will be with the meaning of the types/idioms of the Book of the Revelation.
5) Who is the One making things known to us all?
John 16:13 (NKJV) "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears he will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
6) Do your own homework.
Acts 17:11 (NKJV) "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
7) This study will cost you some of your precious presuppositions (what you already believe before you start thinking about a subject).
a) God means what He says and says what He means and He proves it.
b) The Bible is 66 books written by 40 different authors and it is an integrated whole. Matthew 5:17-18 (NKJV) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
c) There is nothing trivial in the Bible, it is, after all, God's Word. Romans 15:4 (NKJV) "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."
d) The Bible is the best commentary on the Bible.
i) In what ways does seeing Scripture as one integrated whole help us better understand Revelation?
8) Types and Metaphors (Signified – Rendered into codes)
Hosea 12:10 (NKJV) "I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets."
9) God uses grammatical expressions to get ideas across. These are not just words, but visual descriptors to turn words into a thought that aids in understanding.
a) Models/ Types/ Similes
i) Genesis 22 – Abraham and Isaac (The sacrificing of a son – first place that the word "love" is used).
ii) Daniel 3 – Nebuchadnezzar's Image (The four great empires)
iii) Ruth – Redemption of the land (Naomi), the Goel "Kinsman Redeemer/Avenger of Blood" (Boaz), and the gentile bride (Ruth).
iv) Joshua – Model of the book of Revelation.
b) Metaphors/ Allegories
i) Tabernacle
(1) I am the Bread of Life – the show bread in the Tabernacle.
(2) I am the Light – the seven branched lampstand was the only light in the Tabernacle.
(3) I am the Door – only one door to the Tabernacle.
(4) I am the Good Shepherd – He that enters in the proper way and properly prepared is the legitimate shepherd of the flock.
(5) I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life – One way into the Tabernacle, the truth of the Ten Commandments in the Ark, and the Life that comes from the sacrifice at the altar.
(6) I am the True Vine, you are the branches – Single lampstand beaten out of solid gold…single branch (Jesus) and six (number of man) branches.
(7) I am the Resurrection and the Life – The Mercy Seat (beaten out of a solid piece of gold) were the blood is sprinkled (John 20:12).
c) Burning Bush
d) Thorn bush of the desert – Part of the curse from the garden (metaphor for sin).
e) Fire is symbol of judgment and the bush was on fire but not consumed – (metaphor for grace).
f) Idioms (Saying or expression)
i) "Friend of God" – Abraham in Genesis 18 and the Disciples in John 15 (they were given prophetic insights).
ii) "Beloved" in Daniel and John (they were given apocalyptic writings).
iii) How do visual descriptors deepen understanding and aid spiritual memory?
10) Signified: (1:1) "And [God] …signified it." There are 4591 sēmainō (σημαινω) {say-mah'-ee-no} form the root sema (a mark, of uncertain derivation). "Render into a code," and every code is explained somewhere in Scripture in the other books or in Revelation.
a) Sememe = a basic unit of meaning (As a pixel is to a picture):
i) To give a sign, to signify, indicate.
ii) To make known.
b) The word is translated "sign" (15:1), "wonder" (12:1, 3) and "miracle" (19:20). This same word is used by John for the miracles of Jesus in the gospel. It is a "spiritual code" understood only by those who know Christ personally.
11) Prophecy Nut?
a) There are 1,845 references to Jesus Christ's rule on the earth in the Old Testament and a total of 17 OT books make a special point to such an event.
b) There are 216 chapters in the New Testament of which have 318 references to the Second Coming. The Second Coming is mentioned in 23 of the 27 New Testament books, but remember that three of the NT books are single-chapter books that are sent to an individual.
c) The Old Testament has 23,210 verses, of which 6,641 are prophetic – 28%.
d) The New Testament has 7,914 verses, of which 1,711 are prophetic – 21%.
e) Both Testaments together have 31,214 verses, of which 8,352 are prophetic – 27%.
f) For every prophecy relating to His First Coming, there are eight that relate to His Second Coming.
g) We must remember to test all the issues within this study against the "whole counsel of God."
"In some sense, the book [of Revelation] is the conclusion to all previous biblical revelation and logically reflects the interpretation of the rest of the Bible." [John Walvoord]
h) We should make no excuses for studying prophecy.
2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJV) "19And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart; 20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
i) Peter says that prophecy is not a "private interpretation" and that it will shine "light into a dark place." Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." So when you hear basic truths from a multiple of godly teachers you will notice that they all will line up in agreement.
John 5:39 (NKJV) "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."
j) First, there is no Apocrypha because here Jesus is speaking of the "Scriptures" that are available at that time and all that was there, then, is what we call the Old Testament.
k) Second, the study of prophecy is the study of "Scripture…which testify of [Jesus Christ]," and will have no shame in my love of Him and of the Word that speaks of Him.
l) Psalm 40:7 (KJV) "The volume of the book it is written of me"…the entire Book is written of Him and…(Revelation 19:10 (NKJV)) "…for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
12) Traditional Views
a) Preterist: the book was for then only.
b) Historicist: the book is a historical book only.
c) Idealist: the book is an allegorical book only.
i) These three are nonsense…dangerous…and depending on how far one goes…it will become heretical.
d) Futurist: it is a book of prophecy. (Which we will mostly take up.)
e) Preterist (from latin praeteritum, "the thing that is past") thinks that the fulfillment of most of Revelation's visions already occurred in the distant past, during the early years of the Christian church.
f) Historicist understands the literary order of the visions, especially in 4:1-20:6, to symbolize the chronological order of successive historical events that span the entire era from the apostolic church to the return of Christ and the new heaven and earth.
g) Idealist agrees with historicism that Revelation's visions symbolize the conflict between Christ and His church on the one hand, and Satan and his evil conspirators on the other, form the apostolic age to Christ's second coming. This view also sees the visions' literary order need not reflect the temporal order of particular events.
h) Futurist Likewise treats the order of divisions as reflecting the order of a particular historical event (with some exceptions). Futurists, however, typically view the visions of chapter 4-22 as representing events still future to 21st century readers, thus a distant future from the standpoint of John and the churches of Asia. For many futurists these coming events include a discrete seven-year period of intense tribulation (chapters 6-19), followed by a Millennium (chapter 20:1-6) in which Christ will rule on earth before the general resurrection and inauguration of the new heaven and new earth (chapter 20:7-22:5).
i) How does understanding Revelation as future prophecy affect your hope, urgency, and faithfulness today?
13) What does the book itself have to say:
Revelation 1:3 (NKJV) "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near."
Revelation 10:11 (NKJV) "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
Revelation 22:10 (NKJV) "And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand."
Revelation 22:18-19 (NKJV) "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, for the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
14) Hermeneutic: the principles and methods used to interpret and understand Scripture, especially its meaning in context.
a) Allegorical – the Bible is a story in which people, things, and events have a symbolic meaning.
b) Literal – understanding the Bible according to its plain, normal meaning, as intended by the author, while recognizing figures of speech, symbolism, and literary context.
15) Eschatology: Is the branch of theology that deals with the "last things." It studies what the Bible teaches about the end of history and god's final purpose.
a) It includes topics such as:
i) The return of Jesus Christ.
ii) The resurrection of the dead.
iii) Judgement.
iv) Heaven and hell.
v) The final victory of God's kingdom.
16) Genesis vs. Revelation
Genesis is the Beginning and Creation Revelation is the Completion and the Redemption
Earth Created 1:1 Earth Passes Away 21:1
Sun, moon, and stars 1:14-16 Sun/moon/stars struck 8:12
Earth's government 37 Earth's judgment 16:8
Sun to govern the Day 1:16 No need of the sun 21:23
Darkness called night 1:5 No night there 22:5
Waters He called seas 1:10 No more sea 21:1
A river for Earth's blessing 2:10-14 A river for the New Earth 22:1, 2
Man in God's Image 1:26 Man headed by Satan's Image 13
Entrance of sin 3 End of sin 21, 22
Curse pronounced 3:14-17 No more curse 22:3
Death entered 3:19 No more death 21:4
Cherubim first mentioned 3:24 Cherubim final mention 19:4
Man driven out of Eden 3:24 Man restored 22
Tree of life guarded 3:24 Access of the Tree of life 22:14
Sorrow & suffering entered 3:17 No more sorrow 22:4
Nimrod founds Babylon 10:8-10 Babylon falls 17, 18
God's Flood to destroy an evil generation 6-9 Satan's flood to destroy the elect 12:15
A bride for Abraham's son 24 A bride for Abraham's seed 19
Marriage of 1st Adam 2:18-23 Marriage of Last Adam 19
Man's dominion ceased and Satan's begun. 3:24 Satan's ended and Man's restored 22
17) Sevens in Revelation
Seven Churches 1:4, 11, 20
Seven Lampstands 1:12, 13, 20; 2:1
Seven Spirits 1:4, 3:1; 4:5; 5:6
Seven Stars 1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1
Seven Lamps 4;5
Seven "Title-pairs" 2:3
Seven Promises to the Overcomer 2; 3
Seven Seals 5:1, 6
Seven Horns 5:6
Seven Eyes 5:6
Seven Angels 8:, 6; 15:1, 6, 7, 8; 16:1; 17:1; 21:9
Seven Trumpets 8:2, 6
Seven Thunders 10:3, 4
Seven Thousand 11:13
Seven Heads 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9
Seven Crowns 12:3
Seven Plagues 15:1, 6, 8; 21:9
Seven Bowls 15:7; 17:1; 21:9
Seven Mountains 17:9
Seven Kings 17:10, 11
Seven Features 1
Seven Divisions in each Letter 2, 3
Seven Personages 12: 13 (Woman, Man-Child, Red Dragon, 7-headed Beast, False Prophet, Michael, & the Lamb)
Seven Beatitudes 1:3, 14:3, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14
Seven Years of Judgments 11:3; 12:6, 14; 13:5
Seven "I Am's" of Christ 1:8, 11, 17, 18; 21:6; 22:13, 16
Seven New Things 20, 21
And many more…
18) Who Wrote Revelation?
a) God himself wrote the book as so mentioned in the first statement. God dictated it, through Jesus, by an angel, to John, who wrote it down and sent the completed book to the seven churches (1:1, 4). Modern critics see no inspired prophecy at all in the book, but only the "unbridled play of religious fantasy, clothing itself in unreal visual form."
b) The human author is well-established by not only the Apostolic Fathers, but also by the judgment of the great body of Christian believers as being the apostle John, the "Beloved Disciple." He wrote five books of the New Testament:
i) The Gospel of John
ii) 1 John
iii) 2 John
iv) 3 John
v) Revelation
19) When Was Revelation Written?
a) John has been banished to the island of Patmos. This happened, according to apostolic tradition, during the persecution of the Christians under Emperor Domitian, around A.D. 95. The next year John was released and permitted to return to Ephesus. The use of the past tense ("[I] was on the island of Patmos") may indicated that he saw the visions on Patmos but wrote the book after his release and his return to Ephesus, around A.D. 96. Others believe that John transcribe the visions immediately while on Patmos, in response to Jesus' command to "write" (1:11, 19).
20) Historical Background of Revelation
a) These visions were given and written by the light of the burning martyrs of John's time. The church was approximately 66 years old and had grown exponentially.
b) The first imperial persecution of Christians, 30 years before this book was written was instigated by Emperor Nero in A.D. 64-67. In that persecution many Christians were crucified, or thrown to wild beasts, or wrapped in combustible garments and burned to death while Nero laughed at the pitiful shrieks of the burning men, women, and children. Paul and Peter suffered martyrdom in Nero's persecution.
c) The second imperial persecution was under Emperor Domitian (A.D. 95). It was short but extremely server. More than 40,000 Christians were tortured and killed. It was during this period of persecution in which John was banished to the island of Patmos.
d) The third imperial persecution, that of Trajan, was soon to begin (A.D. 98). John had lived through the first two and was now about to enter the third of Rome's efforts to blot out the Christian faith. Those were dark days for the church. And still darker days were coming.
e) But persecution form without was not the only problem. The church itself, from within, was beginning to show signs of corruption and apostasy.
f) God gave these visions, evidently, to help prepare and steady the church for the awful days ahead, and to comfort the church with the certainty that He stands at the beginning as well as a the end of history.
21) The Divine Outline (In Three Parts)
a) In Revelation 1:19 God commands John to write about three distinct time periods.
b) Chapter 1: "Write, the things which you have seen," that is, the things of Chapter 1 the vision of Jesus Christ the glorious coming King. This introduces the main topic of the entire book…Jesus Christ.
c) Chapter 2-3: "And the things which are," represented by the seven letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. These letters outline the condition of the churches in John's day, but they can also be viewed as prefiguring the modern-day church as well as the individual believer throughout the church age.
d) Chapter 4-22: "And the things which will take place after this, (meta tauta)," covers the events yet to be revealed, from the end of the church age to the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth.
22) Revelation – Chapter 1
[1] The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…
a) It is singular, "Revelation" and not "Revelation(s)."
b) "Gave Him" – Can Jesus learn?
Mark 13:32 (NKJV) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Acts 1:6, 7 (NKJV) "Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority."
Luke 2:52 (NKJV) "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
