Revelation Simplified

We’ve Been Doing the Bible Simplified Series for a Long Time

We’ve Done an Overview for 65 of the 66 Books

And We’re Going to Simplify that 66th Book Tonight

The One Everyone Wants to Talk and Know More About:

Revelation

One Very Important Thing to Remember When Reading Revelation is:

It was to 1st Century Christians Under Roman Occupation

It was Not Written to 21st Century Americans

What was Written was Meant to Be Understood By its Original Audience

If We Allow Our Historical and Cultural Context…

To Lead Us to a Different Interpretation Than They would have Understood…

Then Our Interpretation is Wrong

Revelation is Applicable for 21st Century Americans Like Us

But to Properly Interpret and Apply it Today…

We Must Seek to Understand it the Way They would have Understood it

Author & Audience

Revelation 1:1–3 (NASB95)

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

The Things Revealed in this Book Come From Jesus, Himself

But They Were Given to John to Write Down…

Making John the Author

Tradition Says this is the Apostle John

Revelation 1:4–11 (NASB95)

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 released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. 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 and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

We Learn a Lot About the Book of Revelation From the 1st Chapter:

John is the Author

He Received His Revelation on the Island of Patmos

The Recipients are 7 Churches in Asia

John Shares with These Churches…

In the Tribulation

In the Kingdom

In the Perseverance

Which are Found in Jesus

John and These 7 Churches are Suffering for Their Allegiance to King Jesus

And We See a Major Theme of this Book Throughout the 1st Chapter:

Jesus is the Almighty Savior and King Over All

Purpose

First and Foremost, Revelation is a Book of Hope and Encouragement

What Jesus Reveals to John is Meant to Encourage These 7 Churches

To Encourage Them to:

Persevere Through Times of Extreme Persecution that Were Coming

Roman Authorities were Beginning to Enforce Emperor Worship

Christians Who Continued to Confess that Christ is Lord, Not Caesar…

Were Beginning to Face Hostility

They Must Stand Firm and Not Give into the Empire’s Demands

Not Compromise the Teachings or Ethics of the Kingdom

Some were Following False Teaching

Some were Flirting with Paganism

Some were Allowing Their Lusts/Desires to Lead to…

Sinful Practices and Spiritual Apathy

Jesus’ Revelation to John was to Encourage These Churches…

To Not Give in to the Devil in Any of These Ways

The Final Showdown Between God and Satan is Coming

Satan is Going to Increase His Persecution of Believers…

But They Must Endure, Even if it Leads to Their Death

Jesus will Grant Them Eternal Life in the Age to Come

And He will Destroy All Wickedness

The Book of Revelation is a Spiritual Picture…

Of Good Surrounded By Evil

But When the Real King, Jesus, Returns…

Good will Be Victorious Over Evil

Revelation is to Offer Us Hope and Encouragement…

In a Hopeless and Discouraging World

Literary Form

If You Know Anything About the Book of Revelation…

You Likely Know that it is Very Different From the Other NT Books

It is Apocalyptic Literature

Apocalypse is a Common Word that People Use…

When Referring to the End of the World

That’s Not What Apocalypse Means

The Book Begins with the Words:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”

“Revelation” = apokalypsis = To Uncover/Reveal Something

In this Book, Jesus is Uncovering to John…

The Unseen Spiritual Forces that are Operating Behind the Scenes

These Spiritual Forces are at Work in Controlling Events in History

In Our Modern Western World, We Try to have a Natural Explanation for Everything

But Jesus Reveals Otherwise

So Much of What Goes on in the World…

Is the Work of Spiritual Forces in the Heavenly Realm

There is an Ongoing Spiritual War Taking Place…

Just Behind the Veil

A Battle Between Good and Evil

God and His Forces (Both Earthly and Heavenly)

Vs. Satan and His Forces (Both Earthly and Heavenly)

Jesus Reveals that He has Already Won the War…

Through His Sacrificial Death and Resurrection

But that Doesn’t Stop the Dragon/Devil From…

Continuing His Assault Against the Church Until Jesus’ Return

He Continues to Tempt and Torment Christians with:

Persecution

False Teaching

Lustful Desires

Jesus Uncovers/Reveals These Things in Typical Apocalyptic Fashion:

Lots of Symbolism

Many Times These Symbols are Hard for Us to Understand

There are Several Times Where John Tells Us What Certain Symbols Mean

But Other Times, Knowledge of Other Apocalyptic Literature can Help

Revelation Uses a Lot of the Same Symbolism…

As Apocalyptic Books Like Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah

It’s Important to Remember When Reading Revelation…

That Most Things are Not to be Taken Literally

People Normally have a Lot of Questions or Opinions About Revelation

When are the Events in this Book Supposed to Take Place?

What About the 1,000 Year Reign?

What is the Mark of the Beast?

There’s a Lot More Questions that could Be Asked as Well

We’re Doing Q&A on Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Nights

There’s You Some Ammo for the Question Box

I Will Give One Bit of Information About How I Interpret Revelation

If I’m Correct, Hopefully it’ll Simplify the Book for You

I’m What You’d Call a Partial-Preterist

That is: I Believe Most (Not All) of the Events in Revelation have Already Happened

But I Also Believe the Principles of the Book Remain to this Day

Evil, in its Many Forms, is Trying to Destroy the Church

We Must Remain Faithful and Dedicated…

Not Allowing the Evil Forces to Corrupt Us

Jesus is Coming and He is Going to Bring Judgment Upon All Evil

Key Passage

I Chose a Passage that I Think Paints the Perfect Picture of What Revelation is About

Revelation 20:7–10 (NLT)

7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city.

Satan has Been Released and He’s Ready to Destroy God’s People

He’s Gathered All of His People From Around the World

They have God’s People Surrounded

All Hope Seems to Be Lost

But that’s Not How this Story Goes

But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. 10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Just When it Seems All Hope is Lost…

The King Sends Judgment Down From Heaven…

And Defeats the Devil and His Armies

This is a Perfect Illustration of What the Book of Revelation Communicates

In this Age, We are Surrounded By Evil that is Seeking to Destroy Us

We are Tempted, Persecuted, and Made to Suffer

But Jesus, the Powerful Lion and Slain Lamb has Already Won the War

And We Know that He will Defeat All Evil When He Returns

And He will Rescue Us From All Danger

Revelation is a Book of Encouragement and Hope

And it Ends the Way it Began

With New Creation

With Humanity in Perfect Fellowship with God in a Garden Paradise

With Access to the Tree of Life Forever

Everything has Come Full Circle…

As Every Good Story Does

Evil is Vanquished

The Curse is Gone

Life Never Ends

Revelation 21:1–7 (NASB95)

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.