Study of Revelation and End Times

Week 1 - Introduction

Now with the study of end times, it will not be a study of strictly the Book of Revelations, but a study of eschatology, which is the doctrine of last things or end times.

With that, the study of end times is made up of a study of the Book of Revelations, a long with a large part of the Book of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and other added Scriptures from throughout the Bible, to show the fulfillment of prophecy but also Scripture that help provide insight into the end times from other places throughout the Bible.

The study of Revelation and end times is not an easy study to teach or to prepare, as there are places in Revelation that can go in multiple directions, like for instance the rapture, when it takes place or if it takes place.

it is also a study that is very in depth and will take quit some time to go through because there is a lot to cover in the study of Revelation.

So why study end times?

To answer that I believe that Tony Evans gives a great insight in his introduction to the book of Revelation in his study Bible for the purpose of the Book of Revelation.

He says, “This book has two goals: to encourage Christians to live righteous and holy lives in light of the prophetic timetable that is to come and to challenge unbelievers about the judgment ahead if they reject Christ.”

Therefore, as we study end times, we need to allow it to challenge us to live righteous and holy lives that unbelievers might be drawn unto Christ, because time is running out.

But also, to help us to see the need and the urgency to get out and go forth into the streets and share the good news of Jesus Christ to the unbelievers.

2 Peter 3:8–9 NASB95

8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

I watched a sermon once titled are we living in the last days? And the pastor stated (Yes), and said, “If you look at it from one perspective the apostles were living in the last days.”

See according to 2 Peter 3:8 we are only on say day 2 since Jesus ascended from the earth in God’s timing, as it says, with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day.

This pastor that was preaching the sermon said we are on day two and 86 seconds, so he said maybe God the Father is waiting for day three to be fulfilled to send Jesus back.

I mean he has a great point; Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, maybe we just haven’t made it quite far enough into day three for Jesus to return.

And when a thousand years is just a day in God’s timing, it might be another twenty or thirty years or a couple hundred years before Jesus returns.

Or it could be just days, or minutes, see that is the thing, we just do not know, because as we read on in 2 Peter, we are told how it will be.

2 Peter 3:10 NASB95

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The day of the Lord here is referring to Jesus second coming when He comes to judge the world, to remove all evil from the earth.

But the thing we need to see in 2 Peter 3:10 is that it will come like a thief, just as Jesus was telling the people in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:43 that if the homeowner would have known when the thief was coming, he would have been prepared.

we are given some promises, something to look forward to as Christians, something to encourage each other with in 1 Thessalonians 4.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NASB95

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they do not have to grieve or be without hope, because our loved one that were believers are with Christ, no they did not go up in the rapture, but they are already with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:8 NASB95

8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

See they feel asleep as Jesus would say, but they took their last breath here on earth but as Christians, we immediately take our next breath in the presence of Jesus.

And those that have gone on before us, and if we die before the rapture, will be with Jesus to gather the believers up for the rapture.

The Lord Himself will descend into the clouds, that is our atmosphere with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God and at that point the dead in Christ shall rise.

Now we must not get this misunderstood here the dead and Christ shall rise, this is our physical body will come out of the grave to be united and transformed into a new heavenly body.

Then those that are still alive will be caught up into the clouds to meet Jesus and those that have come with him, and we will always be with him.

we are told to encourage one another with these words.

we are told about this changing of our bodies in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:51–57 NASB95

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our bodies will change from our physical bodies to our heavenly/spiritual bodies in the twinkling or blink of an eye.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NASB95

2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

We are reminded that the day of the Lord comes just like a thief in the night, again this is a future time of judgment after the rapture, but we must know that the rapture will also come like a thief in the night.

A thief does not send you a note in advance, saying hey, tomorrow night around midnight, I plan to break into your house and still all your valuables.

Therefore, we must be ready for that day, and we must make sure those around us, our loved ones, our friends, our co-workers, and those we meet know that the day of the Lord is approaching and is near.

We must not just warn them but also help them be prepared for the day of the Lord.

Jesus even says in the Olivet Discourse that He does not even know the time or the hour, only the Father in heaven only knows the time.

Matthew 24:36 NASB95

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Here Jesus says no one knows not the angels, nor the Son but the Father alone.

We all have heard people over the years say that the world will end on such and such date, or that Jesus will return on such and such date. What really blow my minds is when these people are those that claim to be pastors, I automatically think, they must not read the same Bible I do, or they missed reading Matthew 24:36, because if they had read that verse they would know that there is no way they could predict the date.

Then there is the timing of the Rapture, or if there will be a rapture. There are four different views of the raptures, some even claim a fifth view.

The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. The three primary views are pre-tribulation (the rapture occurs before the tribulation), mid-tribulation (the rapture occurs at or near the mid-point of the tribulation), and the post-tribulation (the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation). There are Scripture to back up each of these views. A fourth view, known as pre-wrath, is a slightly modification of the mid-tribulation position. Then the fifth and final view is that there is not a rapture, but we know that Scripture speaks of a rapture.

We will look at these positions more, later on in the study, but this is just one of the things that causes Revelation to be difficult to teach, why some shy away from teaching it, but also why we must take our time digging into Scripture and through multiple places in Scripture to get the full view of Revelation, and end times.

There maybe times we look at things, like the timing of the rapture for example, and just have to agree to disagree. Because again, there are Scripture to back up each view point, so there is no concrete evidence to back one viewpoint up to say that is the exact view point that it will be. Therefore, all we can do is examine the Scriptures, and allow them to speak to us and go with what we feel like the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. But that does not mean the next person is wrong because they feel like a different view is right.

If you have questions please stop me and asks them, or if you do not understand something do not hesitate to ask me to explain it better. If there is something you feel I did not cover, or do not explain or go in depth enough, please let me know, this is for all of us to learn.

Also let me say, that you have to come into this ready to learn, with an open heart and mind. As I studied this the first time, and am beginning to study this the second time, I have to tell myself, I cannot say well this is how I have always heard it, because then we will not learn. The first time I studied this I learned a lot of things that I thought was one way, but as I dug into these Scriptures I learned it was different then what I grew up hearing.

Revelation 1:1 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,

John was compelled to use words to write down the revelation, but he received it primarily in pictures - we can only imagine a sky-sized, three-dimensional, high-definition viewing.

The revelation John received reminds the church of every age that Jesus Christ is Lord of all; that He will be the ultimate victor over the devil and his representatives; and that Christ’s triumph over death at the resurrection ensured that death will have no power over those who belong to Him.

Regardless of what comes upon the earth in terms of tests and trials, the Christian knows the final outcome: all things lead to Christ’s eternal kingdom. This should encourage God’s people to follow Christ no matter the cost and the exchange the world’s offerings for Christ’s eternal kingdom.

Reading and studying the book of Revelation requires having ears to hear.

The Book of Revelation promises a special blessing for those who take the time to peer into the future with the apostle John.

Revelation 1:3 NASB95

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.

IF we do, we will see that God wins. Christ triumphs. Righteousness prevails. Satan loses. Sorrow, sickness, and death disappear. A new heaven and earth emerge from the ashes of the old. And God Himself wipes away the tears from every eye.

regardless of what happens in this life - no matter how depressing the world news or how difficult the season we might be enduring - life in Christ has a happy ending … and nothing in earth, heaven, or hell can ever take that away.

when the heartache of this present world weighs heavily on us, we have only to look up and look ahead at the radiant end of one story and the joyous beginning of a new story that will never end. An eternal story with one central them: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” (5:12)