The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsBig Idea: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about making the glory of Christ Known.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Outline of Revelation
Outline of Revelation
The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1–20)
The Prologue (1:1–8)
The Vision of the Glorified Christ (1:9–18)
John’s Commission to Write (1:19–20)
The Things Which Are (2:1–3:22)
The Letter to the Church at Ephesus (2:1–7)
The Letter to the Church at Smyrna (2:8–11)
The Letter to the Church at Pergamum (2:12–17)
The Letter to the Church at Thyatira (2:18–29)
The Letter to the Church at Sardis (3:1–6)
The Letter to the Church at Philadelphia (3:7–13)
The Letter to the Church at Laodicea (3:14–22)
The Things Which Will Take Place After This (4:1–22:21)
Worship Before God’s Heavenly Throne (4:1–5:14)
The Tribulation (6:1–18:24)
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (19:1–21)
The Millennium (20:1–10)
The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11–15)
The Eternal State (21:1–22:21)1
1 John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 11.
Outline of Chapter One
Outline of Chapter One
Big Idea: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about making the glory of Christ Known.
The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1–20)
The Prologue (1:1–8)
The Revelation of Jesus - (1:1-2)
The Blessing (1:3)
The Recipients (1:4, 11)
The Sender (1:4-8)
Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness
Jesus Christ, the Firstborn From the Dead
Jesus Christ, the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth
Jesus, the Lover
Jesus, the Kingdom Maker
Jesus, the Priest Maker
Jesus, Returning With the Clouds
Jesus, The Object of Every Eye
Jesus, the Alpha and Omega
The Vision of the Glorified Christ (1:9–18)
John, the Witness (1:9-11)
The Son of Man (1:12-18)
John’s Commission to Write (1:19–20)
Introduction
Introduction
Disclaimers
Various interpretations of end times
Pre-tribulation
Mid-tribulation
Post-tribulation
No tribulation
Pre mil, amil, post mil
It is NOT my intent to teach each and every view. I may from time to time reference them, but I plan to teach what I believe is most likely to be the sequence of events
ON THAT NOTE…Godly men whom I hold in great respect DO have differing views and they have their own scripture which they use to support it.
My view comes from having and holding a Dispensational view of scripture that continues to hold a distinction between Israel and the Church.
Some today, namely our reformed brothers and sister in Christ, see the church as REPLACING Israel…that we are IN FACT Israel.
I do not see that scripture teaches this. I still see a clear distinction between the two.
But, when you cast that view out and believe we are Israel and that we have replaced them, it necessitates a different understanding of Daniel’s and Ezekiel’s visions and thus a different perspective of Revelation and the end time events that is depicts.
But, I get ahead of myself. Those are things we will not begin to address yet for several weeks.
With that said, let’s jump in.
What do you think the book of Revelation is about?
Let’s begin by reading Chapter 1.
Revelation 1.
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
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 kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and 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 tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. 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 partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account 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 a trumpet
11 saying, “Write what you see in a book 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.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,
15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Big Idea: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about making the glory of Christ Known.
Revelation was written around 96 AD under Domitian.
The church was under persecution.
John, who would pen the book, had been exiled to Patmos.
Patmos is a barren, volcanic rock island in the Aegean Sea. At it’s widest points, it is 10 miles long and five to six miles wide.
Located 40 miles offshore from Miletus (A city in Asia Minor about 30 miles south of Ephesus).
According to Romand historian Tacitus, exile to such islands was a common form of punishment in the first century.
Conditions would have been harsh. Exhausting labor under watchful eye (and probably a ready whip). Insufficient food and clothing. Sleeping on bare ground. AS a 90 year old man.
It is here, on this island, under these conditions that God gives the most extensive revelation of the future ever to be given.
Some of the themes we will see in the book..
…the sovereignty of God over forces both natural and supernatural,
the fierce antagonism of Satan and his henchmen toward the people of God,
the return of Christ and his victory over the forces of evil,
the judgment that will fall upon those who have followed the beast,
and the everlasting blessedness of those who belong to the Lamb.
11 Robert H. Mounce, What Are We Waiting For? A Commentary on Revelation (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2004), ix.
In Revelation 1:19 we will see…
19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
Revelation 1 are the things which you have seen. We will begin here.
The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1–20)
The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1–20)
Big Idea: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about making the glory of Christ Known.
The Prologue (1:1–8)
The Prologue (1:1–8)
The Revelation of Jesus - (1:1-2)
The Revelation of Jesus - (1:1-2)
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
The Revelation….
SINGULAR - Revelation, singular.
Revelation - Apokalypsis
What does Apokalypsis sound like?
What does apocalypse mean?
Modern understanding is that of doom and destruction. However, in John’s day, it bore the idea of something that had been previously unknown about to be known. It would have had an air of excitement and anticipation to it.
To make fully known
To disclose
To uncover
Unveil
Revelation is a book of prophecy, dealing with the future.
It is full of symbolism.
Of Jesus Christ….
Jesus is both the author (through inspiration and John’s penmanship) and the central figure in the book of Revelation.
It is about Jesus bringing judgment on the world through their rebellion.
It is about His glory.
He will show up unexpectedly throughout the book.
Revelation is first and foremost ABOUT JESUS more than it is about us. (As is true with all scripture).
Things we learn about Jesus from Chapter One
He received the word, the revelation from the Father to show us.
He made this revelation and work known to John through his angel
He is the faithful witness
He is the firstborn from the dead
He is the ruler of the kings of earth
He loves us
He released us/freed us from our sins by his blood
He made us a kingdom
He made us priests to His God and Father
To him belongs glory forever
He is coming in the clouds
Every eye will see Him, including those who pierced him
All tribes of the earth will wail and mourn on account of him
He had the appearance of the son of man, clothed in long robe with golden sash on his chest, his hair white as wool, his eyes a flame of fire, his feet burnished bronze, his voice like the roar of many waters.
He held seven stars in his right hand
A sharp two edged sword came out of his mouth
His face shone like the sun in full strength
He is the first and the last
He is the living one
He died, but is alive forevermore
He has the keys to Death and Hades
Revelation is the Father’s gift to the son for His humble, faithful service.
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
It is the fulfillment of…
The events of the book, yet to come….
The things that will be…
Are the fulfillment of Phil 2:5-11, particularly verses 9-11.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the events that Revelation details, Jesus will be fully revealed to all the world and all the world will bow the knee to Him, willing or not. They will.
The first token of the Father’s pleasure with the obedient Son was His resurrection; the second was His ascension; the third was the sending of the Holy Spirit; and the last was the gift of the book of Revelation, which promises and reveals the glory that will be Christ’s at His second coming.
The book of Revelation, then, details the Son’s inheritance from the Father.1
1 John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 18.
This is the Father’s gift to the Son, the full exaltation of His glory and worth FOR ALL the world to see…for in the events that transpire here…ALL THE WORLD WILL SEE…even if they choose to reject…they will see.
Which soon must take place…
Soon is relative isn’t it? lol
God’s time is not ours…
2 Peter 3:8.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Do not get distracted trying to figure out the exact time…If God wanted us to know, he would have shown us.
What’s more, the things that must soon come to pass FIRST came into view during the OT time, during the life Daniel.
Daniel 2:1-45.
1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.
2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.
6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.”
8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm—
9 if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.
11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.
15 He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.
16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
So King Nebuchadnezzar dream a dream that deeply troubled him
BUT sensing that his wise men would try to use the dream to manipulate him, he demands that not only do they interpret the dream but that they tell him the contents of the dream.
Sensing the impossibility of the task, they become anguished, for the king has threatened their lives if they cannot do this.
Daniel, hearing of it approaches the king and ask for a meeting that he my show him the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.
30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
So Daniel, along with Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael pray for God to reveal it to them so that they may save all the wise men who will be killed with out.
God reveals it.
And this dream that follows has EVERYTHING to do with the events of Revelation.
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.
32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,
38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.
39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.
41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
The Book of Daniel Slide
This chart depicts the various visions that Daniel was given throughout the book.
Throughout the study of Revelation, we will come back to these again and will consider more of Daniel in greater degree.
The point, for now, is this…Daniel was given visions that directly apply our study of Revelation.
This vision depicts the rise and fall of many nations that will follow that of King Nebuchadnezzar’s, stretching all the way into the time of Revelation, to a future that is not yet, even for us.
The head represented Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s own kingdom.
Silver would be Medo Persia
The bronze/Brass would be Greece, which we also be divided into four kingdoms
The legs of Iron would be Rome
and the Feet would be the ten federated kingdoms which would stretch over the tribulation period.
Each of the four major kingdoms (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome) would be depicted by four beasts throughout the book of Daniel.
When you compare the book of Daniel, next to that of Revelation, it looks something like this…
Daniel and Revelation Slide
We will dig more into these connects in weeks ahead, but the truth is, these events which MUST SOON take place were introduced as far back as the time of Daniel…
Soon is relative….
Daniel expressed that these days were “in the latter days” and “after this.”
Jesus said that these things must happen “first” and that the end is “Not yet”.
John writing later in life adds a new perspective to it by calling it SOON.
In eschatology (The study of end times) and apocalyptic literature, the future is always viewed as imminent without the necessity of intervening time. Regardless of how much time may pass until it comes to be, it is always viewed as imminent, close, soon.
Imminency describes an event possible any day, impossible no day. Meaning, it WILL happen and could be any day.
So, when John says these things may SOON happen, or will SOON happen, this is what he means. It WILL happen and could be any day…but that any day could take any number of actual days before it happens.
So, John bore witness, through the angel that God sent to Him of the things to come.
The Blessing (1:3)
The Blessing (1:3)
Revelation BEGINS and ENDS with a blessing to those who READ, HEAR, and KEEP the words of this book.
Revelation 1:3; 22:7, 12, 18-20.
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
There is a BOTH a blessing and a warning…
A blessing for those who keep it…
A warning for those who ignore or distort it…
Blessing means to receive favor and benefit.
For those who READ ALOUD (probably reflective the day in which the word was read publicly in gathering places since not everyone had their own personal copy), HEAR, and KEEP the words of this book, who respond in humility, repentance, and submission to God, there is BLESSING, favor from God!
The read, hear, and keep are written in the present tense, reminding us that these should be an ongoing way of life for us…to read, hear, and keep the words of God.
And by the way, HEAR means, hear with understanding and reception. Not just to hear the words spoken, but to comprehend and thus KEEP them, respond to them.
Why should we read the words of this prophecy? What should be our motivation to hear these words and to keep the commands written in it? Because it’s God’s Word. That should be enough. But like a father who loves to give treats to his child when they are doing the right thing, He says, “By the way, when you do what you should be doing, I’m going to bless you to pieces.”
Amir Tsarfati
Revealing Revelation
This ought to give us motivation to read and understand the words of this book!
Throughout the book, we are given promise of blessing…
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them’ ” (14:13).
“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame” (16:15);
“blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (19:9);
“blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection” (20:6);
“blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (22:14).
Thus, we have the promise of blessing if we take these words to heart and heed them.
THUS, my challenge to us all, AS I CHALLENGE EVERY TIME WE OPEN THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK…come with humble hearts to hear, to confronted, convicted, challenged, and encouraged to see God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Big Idea: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all about making the glory of Christ Known.
The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1–20)
The Prologue (1:1–8)
The Revelation of Jesus - (1:1-2)
The Blessing (1:3)
The Recipients (1:4, 11)
The Sender (1:4-8)
The Vision of the Glorified Christ (1:9–18)
John, the Witness (1:9-11)
The Son of Man (1:12-18)
John’s Commission to Write (1:19–20)
As we study this book together, may we ever be growing together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.
Application
Application
What do you hope to learn from our study in the book of Revelation? How do you hope to grow as a result of studying it?
Why is it important to understand that the book of Revelation is primarily about Jesus?
It keeps us from making it about ourselves
It keeps us from making it primarily about our future and the things to come
It keeps us from worrying and fretting about the things it reveals to us…it is about Jesus! God is showing us the Son through this book! We ought to be excited!
It helps us make sure we are rightly interpreting the book.
Why would God promise a blessing to those we read, hear, and keep the words of this book?
Because the message is so important and powerful, he wants to encourage us to read it.
Like all scripture, if we are faithfully obeying God, there is a blessing. For us to read, hear, and keep the word reveals a heart that is being shaped and molded by the Spirit and there is blessing in such a humble heart.
How does that promise of blessing affect the way you approach the study of this book?
Should make us excited, enthusiastic, etc.
What questions do you have as you begin a study of the book of Revelation?