Intro to Revelation

Introduction to Revelation

Revelation was written by the Apostle John in approximately the 94-95 A.D. time frame. He was banished to the Island of Patmos during that time for his witness for his beloved savior Jesus Christ. The word Revelation in Greek is where we get our English Word Apokalypsi where we get our English word Apocalypse. It literally means “An unveiling” or a revealing of things not prior known. If you Remember, Daniel was shown the things of the end times and was told to seal it up. Now the Apostle John is being shown these things, an unveiling the things which Daniel saw. So to have a good grasp on the content of Revelation, one must have a solid understanding of the all of the prophets, but especially the Book of Daniel, especially the latter chapters. It is my intent today focus on V.1 and “the things that must soon take place” to set the broadly set the framework from the inauguration of tribulation in to the eternal state before moving through the rest of the book.

The Chain of Custody

John was on the Island of Patmos on a Sunday, or the Lords Day (seen in V.9) when he received this Revelation of Jesus Christ.

This revelation has a chain of Custody as it were as seen in V.1. Like all things within the Trinity, it is ordained and originates with God the Father. God gave this revelation to him (Jesus Christ), and he (Jesus) gave it to his angel, who then gave it John. This Chain of custody will be important when it comes time to understand who the angels of the 7 churches of Asia Minor are, but for now, why did God ordain this unveiling via an angel to the Apostle John. Well V.1 Tells us, to tell the slaves of Jesus what must soon take place.

The Things That Will Soon Take Place

The time line of Revelation is 1 heptad long. A heptad is a grouping of 7. This will be a 7 year period inaugurated when the Antichrist signs a treaty between Isreal and the many and we get this information specifcally out of Daniel 9: 25-27. We will get into this more deeply at a later date, but as for now the things which will soon take place is what is referred to as the 7 year tribulation period.

The 7 Seals

The imagery here is a sealed land deed and Jesus is the one in heaven who has the authority to unseal arbitrate its contents. The first seal as we discussed earlier is the Antichrist coming onto the world scene and brokering a peace treaty between Isreal and many nations.

The Second seal is peace being taken away from earth resulting in civil violence, war and death.

The 3rd seal, as I will explain in detail later, is hyperinflation as a result of the earth producing little to no crops (Joel 1)

The 4th seal is massive death due to plague and pestilence.

The 5th seal is Jesus comforting what we call the tribulation saints who have been martyred on an unprecedented scale. Because the church has been raptured, we give them a special distinction that communicates they were in unbelief at the rapture, hence why they go through the Tribulation, but they later came to faith during the 7 year tribulation.

Sixth seal is a severe global earthquake, and the darkening of the cosmic bodies; sun, moon, and stars. the sky is furled back and all of the inhabitance of the earth acknowledge God’s wrath has come and its unbearable.

the 7th seal brings forth the 7 trumpet judgement.

The 7 Trumpets

7 angels come forth with seven trumpet judgments. The first trumpet judgement is a judgement against vegetation, burning up 1/3 grass trees and plants on earth.

the second trumpet brings forth a salt water judgement, turning 1/3 of salt water in to blood.

the third trumpet judgement is a freshwater judgement turning 1/3 of the fresh waters bitter which can more accurately be translated as piousness.

The 4th trumpet judgement is a cosmic judgement. The light produced by the sun, stars, and moon are made dimmer by a fraction of 1/3, resulting in darker nights, and longer nights, and shorter days, and darker days.

The 5th trumpet judgement is a demonic judgement. An angel unlocks the abyss allowing all of the confined demons, numbering over 200,000,000 are released to to torture all who do not have the seal of God.

The 6th trumpet, ironically the number 6 being used frequently to picture man in scripture, is a judgement against mankind. 4 angels, demonic in nature as clued in by the fact that they were bound, in conjunction with those who came from the abyss kills 1/3 of mankind.

The 7th seal brings forth the 7 bowl judgements.

Mid-Trib

many significant things happen at the middle of tribulation all at the same time. The two witnesses who have been prophesying since the beginning of tribulation are executed by the Abbaddon also called Apollyon, the king from the abyss who came out when it was unlocked. They are resurrected into heaven after 3 days. Satan looses his access to the throne room. and tries to no avail to pursue the remnant of God who flees to the wilderness, then really ramps up his persecution of the tribulation saints.

The false prophet comes onto the world scene and inaugurates the mark of the beast and makes an idol of the Antichrist in the temple which by consequence inaugurates the 1 world economy and one world religion.

7 bowls

After mid-tribulation the only thing left are the 7 bowl judgement.

The first bowl brings extremely painful and festering sores on those who took the mark of the beast and worshipped the idol that was placed in the temple by the false prophet.

The second bowl turns the rest of the salt waters into blood

The 3rd bowl turns the rest of the fresh waters into blood.

the 4th bowl judgement brings an extreme scorching heat from the darkened sun to burn people.

The 5th bowl is a judgement against the government of the antichrist. The spiritually dark world is plunged into literal and total darkness.

The 6th bowl dries up the river of blood that was the Euphrates River to set the stage for the battle of Armageddon.

The 7th bowl is the final judgement and with it God’s wrath is complete. An unprecedented earthquake occurs unlike anything ever experienced in history. it rains 100 pound stones on earth, and Babylon the great, the great city is wiped from existence.

Armageddon and the Millennial Reign

After these judgement are complete, exactly 7 years after the Antichrist first took power, for the first time since Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus finally returns in full glory for every eye to see. He steps foot on the Mountain of olives splitting it from east to west, and proceeds to Valley of Migeddo where all of the unbelievers of the earth are gathered to wage war with Jesus, but he merely speaks, and they are slaughtered in an instant. The Antichrist and False Prophet are the first to inhabit the Lake of Fire, and Satan is bound in chains and thrown into the Abyss.

Jesus then proceeds to Jerusalem where he takes the thrown of David, inaugurating his Kingship and Millennial Reign with his church saints. Those who lived through the tribulation will walk into the Kingdom, they and their offspring will enjoy 1000 years of perfect peace, rule, and prosperity, with evident signs of the lessening of the consequences of the curse, Longer lives, earth is more producing of crops, perfect peace, elimination of predator-prey relationships and much more.

Final Satanic Rebellion, Great White Throne, Anti-creation

Now keep in mind, because people will be living to centuries years old, the few that are left on earth at the tribulation will have multiplied beyond comprehension over the next thousand years. At the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ, Satan is released. He goes across the globe to rally people who are still unglorified and susceptible to the same spiritual blindness that's in the world today against Jesus. They surround the city with the people he loves but crushes the rebellion in an instant and casts Satan into the Lake of Fire, thus the unholy trinity are the first 3 to taste the eternal tortures.

The unrighteous of all time are resurrected and united with physical bodies at the Great White Throne Judgement. Earth and the universe flee and are no where to be found. This is scene is depicted in 2 Peter 3:10

2 Peter 3:10 ESV

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

It is what theologians call the anti-creation, where all of the old matter is burned away and is no more.

It is then where the unrighteous of all time face their judge, jury, and executioner. Because they are not in the book of life, they are judged by the deeds of their life. Becuase the human life is long and big story of sin, they are without excuse and are cast into the lake of fire for all of eternity.

Eternal state

The new heaven and new earth come down from God. The righteous of all time will be in their glorified bodies at a time like no other in history. There will be no more sin, and we will be in perfect glory and fellowship with God and one another for the rest of eternity. perfect peace, perfect joy, perfect contentment, in need of nothing, no more death, anger, sin, destruction, aging, illness, in need of nothing in the glory of God.

The blessing

Back to V.1-3 these things are ordained by God and are certain to happen soon. V.3 promises a blessings to those who not only hear this and keep what is in it. I think by application we can draw out a few things.

1) God is in total control of everything despite a human perception of Chaos.

2) God has told us that it is going to get much worse before it gets better. As we creep to the end, we should expect to see evil and persecution ramp up in the world, but be encouraged, we will be out of this world before the worst of it occurs.

3) In all of our struggles, and persecutions we can take comfort because God has unveiled and told you the end game. What God says will always come to pass, and God says one day you will be glorified, and ONE DAY in the future every wrong will be made right. Jesus will do it right, not right now.

Now that we have the framework of revelation, next week and in the coming weeks, Lord willing, we will dive into more detail about the details of the encounter of this unveiling as well as the what Jesus likes and hates about 7 literal churches in Asia Minor, but also his universal church and our local body by application.

but until then,

You are a child of God, and the daughter or son of the coming King, take comfort and confidence in that, come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen!

Lets Pray...........