REVELATION

MOST IMPORTANT!

THE GOSPEL IN REVELATION IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS IN THE REST OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Don't get lost in the imagery. Salvation still comes from Jesus's death and resurrection through faith!

NEXT MOST IMPORTANT:

The major emphasis in Revelation is directed at suffering churches. The Lord is encouraging the stand fast in times of persecution, because Christ has already won the victory at Calvary, and this will become evident at the end. In short - WE WIN!

Revelation is a type of literature (other types are poetry, short stories, gospel, letters) called Apocalyptic:

It is a literature of persecution.

It is a Jewish genre.

It is highly symbolic. Think crazy dreams you have had.

It often uses gematria – number games.

The book is notoriously difficult to interpret – at least the symbolic passages are. Lifeway has made it a practice for years to offer three or four different interpretations.

I'm going to show you primarily two. The first you are familiar with a bit. The second is not nearly as much fun, but I think it's mostly correct.

The first is primarily a premillenial interpretation. It goes something like this:

After the age of the Church -

The Great Tribulation

The Rapture and the Return of Jesus.

Argument whether church will be raptured before or after the tribulation. This is a first world argument, especially in America and England. The church has undergone tribulation throughout its history. Read what's happening from ISIS, Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood.

The Millennium, or Thousand Year Reign of Christ on Earth

Armageddon (Or some put it elsewhere, for example to kick off the whole end times.)

Devil etc thrown in lake of fire

Heaven begins, some say in New Jerusalem on earth.

Now all of the above reads Revelation and other Apocalypses in Bible as future history. The goal of interpretation then becomes untangling the symbols to tell us what will happen.

My observation is that no two of these guys agree.

I prefer Amillenialism.

This approach says the book is talking about what was going on in the churches that received it. (The 7 churches of the letters were actual churches, though some think they are symbolic of various ages of the church – see what I mean about agreement?)

Note the war in heaven in Chapter 12. For some reason I always picture it as being fought with swords and shields. But this is angel war, spiritual war. Michael won that war BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB (v 11). It's the same gospel!

Note also in Chapter 20, the dead who come to life are the martyrs, who were killed for their testimony to Jesus. Most ignore this and apply it to all Christians. Remember the book was written to a church in persecution. Perhaps this is a special reward for those who remained faithful unto death.

Be very careful about those who patch together their systems of the future by cutting up verses from here or there and trying to interlock them like jigsaw puzzles. Competent Bible scholars always begin their efforts by understanding what that particular book meant in its own time to its first readers. There's no evidence that the visions in Daniel can be properly coordinated into Revelation. Likely the four horsemen in Zechariah influenced – or at least were referenced by the author of Revelation, but be very careful how you blend the two references. They were several hundred years apart with a different situation involved.

From time to time you will hear people say this and that has happened and the end must be near. Folks, the Bible says THE END WAS ALREADY NEAR WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN. MOST OF THAT PROPHESY HAD BEEN FULFILLED FOR 2000 YEARS. Obviously, the last two or three chapters are future, but I'm skeptical of the rest. Nevertheless, He's coming, but I'm not on the program committee!

Now for the lesson for Sun, July 19:

The title is NOT RevelationS. The word is singular, but it is not the Revelation of John though some Bibles print it that way. The book itselve begins with “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him...” God gave the revelation to His Son, who in turn gave it to his servants or slaves. If “servants” is the translation, think bond servants, people who sold themselves into slavery for a period of time to pay a debt. We usually read “servants” and translate it in our heads as ourselves, serving Him as we choose. Not the idea at all! Our faith translates into following, which translates into obedience. A disciple is obedient to his master.

Note “quickly take place.” Not the far future. Those receiving the message were under persecution THEN and needed relief NOW! Not 2000 years in the future. Remember this book is not written just for those alive at the world's end. God inspired it for at least 2000 years and who knows for how long. But if the time was at hand then, how much more should you and I live with a sense of urgency!

God sent it to these slaves through an angel who appeared to John. This John was a “martyr,” one who witnessed to Christ in danger of his life or freedom. The word “martyr” means witness, and was used in those days of early Christians who held up for their faith as their lives were being threatened.

Verse 3 refers to those who read the letter aloud to those who cannot read. Think of a group – 10-20 Christians sitting in a circle in a house church. Someone stands and reads aloud a copy of this book or scroll, to those who may never have learned to read. God promises a blessing to those who enter this conversation with him through the reading-listening encounter. But only hearing is not enough. Keeping or obeying what is written as so often Scripture points out. Don't miss his added statement “the time is near.” Relief from their troubles are on the way!

Verse 4 is full of theology:

Seven churches of Asia. He had specific churches in mind. Did he make seven copies of this material and send on to each of the churches? Or did he make one copy as a circular letter to be carried by “pony express” from one church to the next? We don't know, but the difference between the seven letters indicate they were going to specific churches as they existed at the time. Others have suggested that the seven are types of churches that are always existing. Still others propose the churches are abstracts of the entire church through the “church age,” meaning each church represents the prevailing view throughout the church world in each two or four hundred years. I pefer the book was addressed to seven churches at the time with the obvious understanding that churches never remain static and one letter fits us this year and another ten or fifty years later. Which one hits your church the most today?

Grace and peace – like Paul's frequent greeting, melding the routine Greek and Hebrew salutations.

Who is, was, and is to come – God's OT name, YHWH is a form of the verb to be. He is the eternal one, who lives outside of time and indeed, created time!

Jesus Christ is the “faithful witness,” the example to persecuted Christians. He was true to Himself to the point of death, as we should be. Two more of the many characteristics John might have chosen are “firstborn from the dead,” and “ruler of the kinds of the earth.” Firstborn takes us back to Paul – if Christ is not raised, then our faith is vain. But he IS raised and has opened the grave for all believers. Caesar was king and likely a persecuting king at this time. But Christ is the true ruler, and He will reign. If you don't know the hymn, look it up – Jesus Shall Reign where'er the sun, does his successive journeys run!

The message continues praising Jesus Christ as loving us and freeing us from sin! Our chains are gone! Next it says He made us a kingdom, not gave us a kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not a place, it is a people! You and me and millions of others. That kingdom is a kingdom of priests – you, me, and millions of others. We go directly to God through Christ with no other human intermediary. Again he bursts forth in praise to God the Father – glory and dominion into eternity!

Verse 7 – a universal crowd will see the return of the Savior, believers and non-believers alike. Mourn over Him probably means the huge sense of awe at His appearing. May refer especially to non-believers and their fear at discovering how wrong they were, but don't you think every one of us, including the most ardent ones looking forward to His coming, may be so overwhelmed that we collapse before Him?

Verse 8 – Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. A-Z. The beginning and the end. Once again the Eternal One, the Almighty!