The Book of Revelation
WHO: The Beloved Apostle John
WHAT: The book of Revelation is the written record of dramatic, God-sent visions given to one of God’s servants to uncover something’s previously hidden.
WHERE: He wrote this book in his old age of about 90 from the lonely island of Patmos where he ad been banished for his testimony of Christ.
WHEN: John wrote this book around AD 90-96
WHY: To Unveil What Christ wants people to Know
HOW: Trust, Believe, and have Faith in Jesus Christ
The Greek word for Revelation is apokalupsis. It is the word from which we get our English word apocalypse. It literally means, “an unveiling”.
The second coming of Jesus will be so different from His first coming when His glory was veiled.
He came the 1st time in Shame; He is coming again in Splendor.
He came the 1st time to a Tree; He is coming again to a Throne.
He came the 1st time and stood before Pilate; He is coming again, and Pilate will stand before Him to be Judged.
He came the 1st time as a Servant; He is coming again as a Sovereign.
Why do we have the Book of Revelation?
A- To show us things to come.
There is a blessing in the Book of Revelation.
Rev 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads and blessed are those who hear the words of thus prophecy and keeps what is written in it, because the time is near!”
Read It
Hear It
Keep It
You are to get your head out of the clouds of prophecy and put your feet on the pavement of soul winning.
The Comforting Promise of Revelation
3 Blessings you get from Revelation
I. It will Unlock the Mystery of History
II. It will bring Sense to our Suffering
III. It will bring Stability in Chaotic Times
We are always living on the edge of eternity
The Future is Here.
Making Numbers Count
The Book of Revelation is full of symbols, signs, analogies, hyperboles, figures of speech, and cryptic numbers.
Many people have asked: Do we interpret Revelation literally or symbolically? The answer is yes! We interpret it Literally & Symbolically
# 1
one is the number of unity
the number that potrays the nature of God.
There is 1 God his name is Jehovah
He is the one and only
Deuteronomy 6:4
#1 tells me there is one God! He is Jehovah! 1 Corinthians 8:6
#2
Two is the number of witness
The Old Testament taught that no one could bring accusation without a witness to confirm. Deuteronomy 19:15 and John 8:17
#2 tells me that Jesus is the faithful and true witness. God has given us His Word in the divine inspiration of the Old and New Testament.
#3
Three is the divine number of God in His tri-unity. God is not only one, but He is also three in one.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is [one], and which was [two], and which is to come [three], the Almighty”
Example of the #3 Matthew 28:19, Isaiah 6:3
Everything that God made in this world is a reflection of His triune examples:
Examples of Triune
· Space– height, width & depth
· Time - past, present, & future
· Radiation Types- Ultraviolet, visible & near-infrared radiation
#3 tells me that the God of the Bible is a triune God who is Father, Son and Holy Sprit.
#4
The number four is the earth number.
There have only been four world empires in all of history.
The bible speaks of the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:12, Ezekiel 7:2, & Revelation 7:1
What does “the four corners” mean? =>
Does it mean the world is Flat? NO
A- The four points of a compass North South East West
#4 tells me that the earth is my Father’s world. Genesis 1:1
#5 & #10
Five and Ten speak of completeness.
We have 5 fingers 5 toes and 5 senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch)
God gave us 10 Commandments, which is “ the whole duty of man” {Ecclesiastes 12:13)
The # 10 speaks of fullness. When God Judged Egypt, he sent 10 plagues.
1. Blood (Exodus 7:14-24)
2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
3. Lice (Exodus 8:16-19)
4. Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)
5. Pestilence (Exodus 9:1-7)
6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
7. Hail (Exodus 9:13-35
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
9. Darkness (Exodus 10-21-29)
10. Death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:1-10)
#5 tells me that whatever God begins, He will complete. Philippians 1:6
#6
The number six is probably the most famous number when people discuss the symbolic us of the numbers in God’s Word.
6 is the number of Man (Revelation 13:18)
Man was created on the 6th day
By the beast identifying himself as 666, he is pretending to be God, 3 is the number of God and 6 is the number of man. The Antichrist will sit in the temple of God promoting himself as God.
#6 tells me that you and I are sinners. Romans 3:23
#7
Seven is the number of perfection.
Natural man will never be a 7, apart from grace, because everyman, woman and child are a sinner in need of salvation.
God has written the #7 through everything. For example
How many days are in a week?
How many notes are in a musical scale?
When Joshua cane against Jericho, how many times did he march around the city? (Joshua 6:12-16)
How many parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13?
#7 Tells me that God has provided perfection and that perfection is in Jesus
#8
The number stand for new beginnings or the new birth.
As we learned earlier there are 7 notes in a musical scale, but the 8th note begins the next octave.
Jewish children in the Old Testament were circumcised on the 8th day
How many people were saved out of the ark after the flood? Genesis 7:13
Noah & Wife
Shem & Wife
Ham & Wife
Japheth & Wife
When a leper was cleansed of leprosy and was given a fresh start, he was pronounced clean on the 8th day (Leviticus 14:10-11)
#8 tells me that every man, woman, and child can have a brand-new life through Jesus Christ – Romans 6:4
#12
Twelve is God’s governmental number.
If you multiple 3 (the divine #) and 4 ( the earth #) you get 12.
It is God ruling and reigning over the earth.
How many apostles were there in the New Testament?
How many patriarch were there in the Old Testament?
#12 tells me that one of these days every child of God will enter heaven through one of the 12 gates, and we see the Lord rule & reign in glory – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
+A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Revelation 1
Revelation is a complex book, and it has baffled interpreters for centuries. We can
avoid a great deal of confusion by understanding the literary structure of this book. This
approach will allow us to understand the individual scenes within the overall structure of
Revelation and keep us from getting unnecessarily bogged down in the details of each
vision. John gives hints throughout the book to indicate a change of subject, or a flashback
to an earlier scene.
In chapter 1, John relates the circumstances that led to the writing of this book (1:1-20).
In chapters 2 and 3, Jesus gives special messages to the seven churches of Asia
Minor (2:1–3:22).
Suddenly, John is caught up into heaven, where he sees a vision of God Almighty on
his throne. All of Christ’s followers and the heavenly angels are worshiping God (4:1-11).
John watches as God gives a scroll with seven seals to the worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ
(5:1-14). The Lamb begins to open the seals one by one. As each seal is opened, a new
vision appears.
As the first four seals are opened, riders appear on horses of different colors: war,
famine, disease, and death are in their path (6:1-8). As the fifth seal is opened, John
sees those in heaven who have been martyred for their faith in Christ (6:9-11).
A set of contrasting images appears at the opening of the sixth seal. On one side, there
is a great earthquake, stars fall from the sky, and the sky rolls up like a scroll (6:12-17).
On the other side, multitudes are before the throne, worshiping and praising God and the
Lamb (7:1-17).
Then, the seventh seal is opened (8:1-5), unveiling a series of God’s judgments
announced by seven angels with seven trumpets. The first four angels bring hail, fire,
a mountain of fire, and a falling star—the sun and moon are darkened (8:6-13). The fifth
trumpet announces the coming of locusts with the power to sting (9:1-12). The sixth
trumpet heralds the coming of an army of warriors on horses (9:13-21). In 10:1-11, John
is given a small scroll to eat. Following this, John is commanded to measure the Temple
of God (11:1-2). He sees two witnesses, who proclaim God’s judgment on the earth for
three and a half years (11:3-14).
Finally, the seventh trumpet sounds, calling the rival forces of good and evil to the final
battle. On one side is Satan and his forces; on the other side stands Jesus Christ with
his forces (11:15–13:18). In the midst of this call to battle, John sees three angels
announcing the final judgment (14:6-13). Two angels begin to reap this harvest of judgment
on the earth (14:14-20). Following on the heels of these two angels are seven more
angels, who pour out God’s judgment on the earth from seven bowls (15:1–16:21). One
of these angels from the group of seven reveals to John a vision of a “great prostitute”
called Babylon (symbolizing the Roman Empire), riding a scarlet beast (17:1-18). After
the defeat of Babylon (18:1-24), a great multitude in heaven shouts praise to God for his
mighty victory (19:1-10).
The final three chapters of the book of Revelation catalog the events that finalize
Christ’s victory over the enemy: Satan’s 1,000-year imprisonment (20:1-10), the final
judgment (20:11-15), and the creation of a new earth and a new Jerusalem (21:1–22:6).
An angel then gives John final instructions concerning the visions John has seen and
what to do once he has written them all down (22:7-11).
Revelation concludes with the promise of Christ’s return, an offer to drink of the water
of life that flows through the great street of the new Jerusalem, and a warning to those
who read the book (22:12-21). May we pray with John, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
(22:20).
The Bible ends with a message of warning and hope for men and women of every
generation. Christ is victorious, and all evil has been done away with. As you read the
book of Revelation, marvel at God’s grace in the salvation of the saints and his power
over the evil forces of Satan, and remember the hope of this victory to come.
