The Revelation Of Jesus Christ - Introduction
THREE STEP PROCESS OF BIBLE STUDY
All Bible study consist of three processes. The first process is:
1. Observation – deals with the question - What do I see? If you have been a Christian for a while – we usually jump to interpretation to quickly because we think we know what the Bible says. During our study here I want us to slow down and take a good hard look at what is written. What does the Bible actually say? After we find out what it says we need to move on to the next step:
2. Interpretation – deals with the question, “What does it mean?” Most of us are very good at this process. Take for example John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son.” How do we interpret this – “God loves everybody.” How do we get to this interpretation? Because all of us are in the world therefore God must love everybody. This is a process of interpretation.
After we have seen what it says and found out what it means it is time for:
3. Application – deals the questions: “How should this affect my life?” In other words, “What should I be doing now?” Biblical principles should be applied to your life.
RESOURCES
1. Bible – I suggest a Bible translation that you can understand. For Bible study I do not recommend a paraphrase. You need to find a Bible that takes the original langue and strives to put it in an understandable English translation. You may want to look at more than one translation in order to get a better grasp of what is being said.
2. Concordance – Next to the Bible this is perhaps the most important tool out there. The concordance will list every word in the Bible and will give you a text reference. This becomes very helpful if you can remember a portion of a verse but do not know where the verse is located. You can look up one of the words in the verse and then look at the references and find the verse you were looking for.
3. Commentaries – Commentaries are books of comments written about a particular book of the Bible. These are helpful if you want some insight as to what the passage is saying. They are other people’s interpretations of what the text means. Remember: they are only other people’s interpretations. In other words – they are giving you their opinions.
Another recourse that is out there for those of you who use computers is found at: E-Sword.net Here you can download a Bible study program for your computer. This program will give you various Bibles and commentaries. You can do a word search which acts as a concordance. So in that one program you have all the resources I have talked about. For me – this program has help me save a massive amount of hours when it comes to Bible study.
As we begin looking at the Book of Revelation we need to remember that there have been various:
METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
There have been many approaches to this book, but these can be divided into four major systems:
1. Preterist View: This view holds that all of Revelation has been fulfilled in the past. It had to do with local references in John’s day. The book refers to events were fulfilled in the first century A.D., or shortly thereafter. In other words this view holds that the Book of Revelation was already fulfilled in the Roman Empire – that it is a symbolic history of the first century.
2. Historical View: Fulfillment of Revelation is going on in history. It was written primarily to encourage the original readers but God has been at work and continues to work down through history. As such it would encourage Christians no matter when they lived and will end at the coming of Christ.
3. Spiritual View: The point of the book is to encourage Christians. The book does not deal with any specific historical situation. Instead, it is simply enforcing the principle that good will ultimately triumph over evil. As such the book is applicable to any age. Simply stated this view holds that what you find in Revelation does not really refer to any actual historical events. It is a story of the struggle between good and evil.
4. Futurist View: This theory holds that the Book of Revelation is primarily prophetic in nature – especially from Revelation 4 on to the end of the book. This is the view the premillennialists hold. This view allows for a literal interpretation of while recognizing that the Book of Revelation is full of symbolism. I personally have been influenced by this approach – however I have some cautions with this approach.
We must be careful not to allow our imagination to run wild. Do not read more into the text than is there. Be careful not to read too much of “our world” into the text. Try not to try to correlate every image to a modern equivalent – every generation has had its Antichrist & Babylon!
The Book of Revelation is a book filled with symbols. Some symbols are explained – some are not. But don’t loose the Big Picture!
What is the Big Picture?
Mankind started well – then it went bad fast! The promise of a deliverer was first given in “the seed of a women”. The hope was passed on to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob who passed it on to his sons. Then it was beautifully illustrated in Exodus. It was longed for by the Judges, amplified in the Kings, and predicted by the Prophets. Finally it was fulfilled in the Gospels. Jesus came as a suffering servant to die for the sins of the world. But not until the Revelation does it all come to its fullest climax. Christ rides out of heaven to destroy Sin and Satan, and to restore creation to its original glory for our good, and His good pleasure forever! That is why it is important to know and study our Bible. The Bible tells us:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB)
THEME OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Of the events recorded in this great prophecy, there is one, ever and always recurring —
THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Book in the truest sense is the Revelation, the Unveiling, the Disclosure, the Manifestation of Christ—the glorious Being in the midst of the golden candlesticks—the slain Lamb standing before the throne—the Lion of the tribe of Judah—the Conqueror on the white horse—the enthroned Judge. All the other elements and details of the visions, gorgeous as they are, are subordinate and subsidiary to this. The earthly cry is, "Come, Lord Jesus!" The heavenly cry is, "Worthy is the Lamb!" Christ is thus 'all in all' to the Church on earth and to the Church of the glorified. (John Mac Duff, 1871)
GENERAL OUTLINE
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." Revelation 1:19
Part 1. "The things seen;" or The Opening Vision
Revelation 1
Part 2. "The things which are now;" or Christ's Charges to the Seven Churches
Revelation 2-3
Part 3. "The things which will take place later;" or Christ in Heaven Ruling Heaven and Earth
Revelation 4-22
MAJOR THEMES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
God's Sovereignty
Explanation:
God is sovereign. He is greater than any power in the universe. God is not to be compared with any leader, government, or religion. He controls history for the purpose of uniting true believers in loving fellowship with him.
Importance:
Though Satan's power may temporarily increase, we are not to be led astray. God is all-powerful. He is in control. He will bring his true family safely into eternal life. Because he cares for us, we can trust him with our very life.
Christ's Return
Explanation:
Christ came to earth as a "Lamb," the symbol of his perfect sacrifice for our sin. He will return as the triumphant "Lion," the rightful ruler and conqueror. He will defeat Satan, settle accounts with all those who reject him, and bring his faithful people into eternity.
Importance:
Assurance of Christ's return gives suffering Christians the strength to endure. We can look forward to his return as king and judge. Since no one knows the time when he will appear, we must be ready at all times by keeping our faith strong.
God's Faithful People
Explanation:
John wrote to encourage the church to resist the demands to worship the Roman emperor. He warns all God's faithful people to be devoted only to Christ. Revelation identifies who the faithful people are and what they should be doing until Christ returns.
Importance:
You can take your place in the ranks of God's faithful people by believing in Christ. Victory is sure for those who resist temptation and make loyalty to Christ their top priority.
Judgment
Explanation:
One day God's anger toward sin will be fully and completely unleashed. Satan will be defeated with all of his agents. False religion will be destroyed. God will reward the faithful with eternal life, but all who refuse to believe in him will face eternal punishment.
Importance:
Evil and injustice will not prevail forever. God's final judgment will put an end to these. We need to be certain of our commitment to Jesus if we want to escape this great final judgment. No one who rejects Christ will escape God's punishment.
Hope
Explanation:
One day God will create a new heaven and a new earth. All believers will live with him forever in perfect peace and security. Those who have already died will be raised to life. These promises for the future bring us hope.
Importance:
Our great hope is that what Christ promises will come true. When we have confidence in our final destination, we can follow Christ with unwavering dedication no matter what we must face. We can be encouraged by hoping in Christ's return.
Before we move on let me just mention the number 7.
The Number Seven In The Book of Revelation
• Seven colors make a perfect light spectrum.
• Seven musical notes are on a scale.
• There are seven days in a week.
• There were seven feasts of Jehovah in Leviticus 23.
• In Revelation, the number seven appears 55 times.
• The number seven seems to represent completeness.
The Revelation Of Jesus Christ
I. Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Rev 1
A. The Purpose of the Book – The Revelation Of Jesus Christ
1. To Reveal Jesus Christ – Rev 1:1
Rev 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants,”
Jesus wished to reveal Himself:
*To the Jews
*To the Gentiles
*To the Saints
In the Book of Revelation He reveals Himself as:
(1.) As the faithful witness 1:5
(2.) As the first begotten of the dead 1:5
(3.) As the prince of the kings 1:5
(4.) As Him that loved us 1:5
(5.) As the Alpha and Omega 1:8
(6.) As the one who is, who was, and who is to come 1:8
(7.) As the Almighty 1:8
(8.) As the first and the last 1:17
(9.) As the living one 1:18
(10.) As the one who holds the keys of hell and death 1:18
(11.) As the one who holds the seven stars 2:1
(12.) As the one who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks 2:1
(13.) As the one with the 2 edged sword 2:12
(14.) As the Son of God 2:18
(15.) As the amen 3:14
(16.) As the faithful and true witness 3:14
(17.) As the beginning of creation 3:14
(18.) As the Lion of the tribe of Judah 5:5
(19.) As the Root of David 5:5
(20.) As the Lamb of God 5:6; 6:1; 7:9; 8:1; 22:1
(21.) As the Lord 6:10
(22.) As the Word of God 19:13
(23.) As the King of kings and Lord of lords 19:16
(24.) As the root and descendant of David 22:16
(25.) As the bright and morning star 22:16
In the Book of Revelation He will reveal things:
2. To Reveal Things –Rev 1:1
(1) The things seen – Rev 1
(2) The present things – Rev 2-3
(3) The future things – Rev 4-22
(a) The judgments – Rev 17:1
(b) The bride – Rev 21:9
(c) The city – Rev 21:10
(d) The river – Rev 22:1
(e) The tree of life – Rev 22:2
