Overview of Revelation- Lesson 2

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Pastor Palmer

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Aim: The book of Revelation gives believers hope for today in Jesus' final victory over evil.

Introduction:

Last week I was watching a show where the competitor found a note which led him to a box that was locked…attached to the outside of the box, was another note telling him how to find the key to open the box.

Now- he has to do all of this without anyone else knowing what he is doing.

So he goes and finally gets the key…which was at the top of a giant cliff tangled in some vines.

He goes back to the box…unlocks it and opens it and he finds…another locked box…and another note...

this time he has a choice…he can keep the prize OR he can forfeit it and see what is inside the next box by again going and finding ANOTHER hidden key.

So he goes..gets the key…opens it…ANOTHER smaller locked box is of course inside.

and the cycle continues…

now- he chose to stop and not go for the smaller box…

which…as a viewer…irritated me…

I wanted to know what was in the smaller box.

Like- come on buddy- what do you mean your stopping.

I wanted to know the secret…what is the box…

I think it’s easy to approach the book of Revelation like it’s a box that is locked and if we can just get the key- if we can just figure out the riddle or the puzzle..then we will unlock the next box…

But the book of Revelation is not a game.

It is not a puzzle to be solved, it is a gift to be opened and enjoyed.

While the symbols and imagery in Revelation can feel confusing or hard to understand- God isn’t trying to trick you or play games with you..

In fact, in Revelation 1:1, right away we are told the purpose of this book….

it says”: “The Revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to SHOW his servants what must soon take place.”

if you want the secret of Revelation to be revealed here it is:

The book of Revelation was written to give believers hope for today in Jesus' final victory over evil.

There is no secret code or hidden message.

Just hope. For you…and for me…

Today we are going to do an overview of the whole book of Revelation.

So that…when you are tempted to try to solve what feels like a riddle…or when you are simply lost in the details or the imagery…you can remember the purpose..HOPE.

So we are going to look at the book of Revelation in 2 divisions…

1st…Hope Revealed…

and then...

Victory Assured…

Open up your Bibles with me to the book of Revelation.

Division 1: Hope Revealed

Let’s start by reading Revelation 1:1….

“The Revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw- that is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Now first.…for my grammar enthusiasts out there…notice…that it says, the REVELATION from Jesus Christ….not the REVELATIONS from Jesus Christ. No s…it’s not plural..…ok..glad we cleared that up.

Now- The word Revelation translates to the Greek word apokalupsis-or in English- apocolypsis.

Our culture has gotten really crazy with this word making scary movies out of it…

But an apocalypses simply means to reveal, or uncover something that was previously hidden.

And apocalypse also tells us that it is going to be highly metaphorical and symbolic.

Through Revelation, God invites you to view your current circumstances through a heavenly perspective instead of a worldly one.

It’s like the veil has been pulled back to give us a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes.

The purpose of Revelation is not to freak you out with scary symbols and images, but instead it is to reveal HOPE.

by magnifying Jesus…

so let’s look at how Hope is revealed through persecution and also through magnifying Jesus.

Through persecution…then through magnifying Jesus…

in/Through persecution

JOHN

Revelation 1:1 told us that this vision was given to John.

Most scholars agree that the John who was given the vision is the apostle John-who also wrote the gospel of John.

We know from scripture that John was an ordinary Jewish man, working as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be his disciple and follow him.

and when Jesus called…John left everything…and went…

John was also one of the disciples closest to Jesus- getting to see intimate and personal moments

Your lesson this week led you to the book of Matthew where John is present at Jesus’ transfiguration and also to the book of John where John was the only disciple present at the cross.

When John wrote his gospel, he referred to himself as “the one who Jesus loved,” not because Jesus loved him more, but because he could never get over the fact that Jesus loved him…

As we open up Revelation, John tells us a little bit more about his current situation in Revelation 1:9

Revelation 1:9 (NIV)

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

What John reveals to us here is that he was suffering persecution because he wouldn’t stop proclaiming the gospel- or the testimony- of Jesus, and apparently because of his witness for Jesus, church history would tell us that he was exiled to the island of Patmos.

There is some debate as to the exact timing of John’s writing.

There are a few scholars who believe that it was an early date of AD 68-70 during the rule of Emperor Nero,

while other scholars argue a later date of AD 96 during the reign of Domitian.

Regardless, both Nero and Domitian were known for their persecution of Christians, in fact some referred to Domitian as a second Nero.

Domitian demanded that everyone address him as “lord and god”

He is described as power hungry and violent.

AUDIENCE/Context-> believers suffering

Revelation is unique in that it is an apocalypse (or revelation), a prophecy, and a letter.

John was writing a personal note to the church.

Like John, the church was also experiencing intense suffering and persecution because of their faith.

They were in desperate need of Hope.

but this is also a prophecy- and like we talked about last week prophecy in scripture encourages God’s people while also calling them to action.

So God steps in…he speaks directly into their persecution…into their pain and suffering…he uses language that would have been understood by them at the time…and the words of this prophecy call them to ACTION. To LIVE DIFFERENTLY because of their HOPE.

One author said that the biggest challenge in the book of Revelation is not figuring out all the symbols and imagery- instead the biggest challenge will be living out what the book of Revelation calls you to.

The people would have been faced with the decision to face persecution OR compromise and give in to the messages of the world around them.

in/Through the Glorified Jesus/magnifying Jesus

Revelation 1:1 also tells us that this is a Revelation of, from, and about Jesus…

The images and symbols used in the book of Revelation can be confusing nad

despite different approaches

Because Revelation uses so much imagery- faithful Christians have taken different approaches as far as interpretation.

If you have a BSF lesson book- you can read about these 4 viewpoints if you would like on page 4 of the preface.

If you did not purchase a lesson book, your group leader can send you the pdf or you can search on mybsf.org and under resources type: book

Your BSF notes will reflect a combination of these views, recognizing that the book was written to a first century audience facing persecution for their faith in Christ…but also taking a futurist approach which says that Revelation predicts a future time of tribulation prior to the second coming of Christ.

To say that we could get lost in the details unpacking these approaches is an understatement.

Let’s remember that every one of is in this room is a co-learner.

If you have a strong viewpoint- we ask that you hold it while remembering to respect others views while also being open and teachable.

If you have never heard of these viewpoints- you don’t need to worry- the terms aren’t mentioned Bible and they will not be a focus of our lessons, teaching or notes.

Our purpose is not to win arguments about what viewpoint is correct

Remember, Revelation is less interested in timelines and symbols and way more interested in exalting Jesus!

If you read this book and miss Jesus- you have missed the main message!

The Lamb. The King. The Hope.

Jesus emerges in Revelation as the Lamb…the King…and The Hope…

They needed the lamb….because when Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, died for the sins of humanity, he made a way for all who would put their faith in Him to have life in His presence forever…and NO ONE- could take that away from them.

The power of humans stops at death…yes humans have the power to kill others, but Jesus- the risen Lamb holds the keys to death and hades..he has power over death and brings everlasting life to all who believe.

at the same time believers needed to remember who their true King was in the midst of persecution.

Nothing was happening outside of God’s sovereign control. Jesus was on the throne- seated at the right hand of the Father…RIGHT NOW..

The church needed to hear this message because they needed reminded who they were really serving.

If they were serving worldly kings, then the temptation would be to compromise- to give into the messages of the world that pulled them away from their true King..their savior and their hope.

But if they remember that Jesus is ruling and reigning and that HE is the one they serve, then instead of bowing to the world, they bow before Jesus.

They face persecution and suffering because they know who sits on the throne.

We may not be facing the exact same earthly rulers that they were- but for believers today, the pull to compromise and give into the messages of the world is still a very real and daily struggle.

Revelation calls believers to persevere- to stand firm- to hold fast to the truth of scripture- to bow to Jesus….the Risen Lamb and Reigning King.

the one who is, was, and always will be…our hope.

Principle: Jesus, the hope of Revelation, inspires believers to persevere.

Application:

Where might you be tempted to compromise with the world?

This week, ask God to reveal to you places in your life where you are compromising- they may not be obvious to you.

As you get ready to go verse by verse through the book of Revelation- ask the Lord to give you an open and teachable heart.

Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you- to reveal to you what God wants to show you and teach you through your study of Revelation.

Division 2: Victory Assured

Revelation gives us hope because victory is assured.

and we know that victory is assured because of Jesus …

The structure of Revelation

The structure of Revelation takes you through an prologue and and epilogue…with a series of 4 visions in the middle.

Prologue (Rev. 1:1-8)

The book opens in Revelation 1:1-8 with a prologue. Here John greets his listeners and let’s them know that by hearing and taking to heart the words of the prophecy he is about to give- they will be blessed.

VISION 1: Letters to the Churches (Revelation 1:9- chp. 3)

That takes us to chp 1, vs 9- which is the 1st of 4 visions.

This vision takes us through the end of chp. 3

In this first vision we have Jesus revealed in glory followed by letters letters or sermons written to 7 churches in Asia.

These letter contains an invitation for the hearers to hear and to act. And are both an encouragement and a challenge to the churches to live differently…

To live faithfully and wholly devoted to God RIGHT NOW.

VISION 2 (4-16)

vision 2 takes us from chapters 4-16 and describes judgement.

Some scholars view these as a series of judgements while others view this as one judgement from multiple different perspectives.

This vision though, begins in chp 4…in the throne room..where we are given a glimpse of God on the throne….

and there, in the throne room- is the lamb of God and the glorious King. Assuring us of victory before the judgement is ever pronounced.

….worthy????

The vision continues with judgements described in 3 groups of 7:

7 seals

7 trumpets

7 bowls

God’s plan to redeem and restore creation moves forward…

vision 2 will give you a new perspective on good and evil…

VISION 3 (17-21:8)

The 3rd vision starts in chp. 17 and goes through chp. 21:8.

VISION 4 (21:9-22:5)

Epilogue (22:6-32)

symbols/imagery/numbers

The symbols and imagery found in the book of Revelation are not new.

In fact- when you come across a symbol- you can count on it probably coming up somewhere else in scripture.

Theologians differ on the exact number of OT allusions or references found in Revelation, but most would argue that out of 404 verses there are roughly 800 citations or Allusions to the OT..

That means- if you REALLY want a commentary this year…you have all you need …right here..in the OT…

Remember that Revelation was not written for scholars- it was written for ordinary people like you and me- and the people listening at that time would have known their OT. They would have understood the references that were being made.

This year as we go through Revelation you are going to get good use out of your whole Bible. We are not going to look up every single reference or allusion, but often we will go back to the OT so we can rightly understand what the original hearers would have heard.

Within the book of Revelation in the midst of the rich language and imagery- we get a unique picture of the working of the trinity.

The trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…who are all equally God…yet 3 distinct persons…

One is not greater than the other…ALL are equally God and cooperate and collaborate in everything that God accomplishes.

In the book of Revelation it is the Holy Spirit who revealed to John the things to come and instructed him to write down everything he saw.

It is God the Father who sits on the throne with power, honor, and glory to hold the scroll of judgment in His hand,

and it is God the Son who is the only worthy one to take the scroll and carry out the judgment.

Just as all three members of the Trinity were actively involved in creation- together-they will also bring about the completion of God’s redemption story.

and as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit work together in distinct ways- they demonstrate the wonder’s of God’s glory.

The unity and working of the Trinity is a concept our minds cannot understand, but one that we claim because of scripture.

as you go through Revelation this year- do not overlook the trinity…during our last study of Revelation I was challenged to put a triangle in my Bible every time I saw the trinity at work. Something I still do to this day. and I encourage you to do the same…It wasn’t until I looked for it- that I found the wonder and beauty of the interworking of the trinity in the pages of scripture.

God is there..always working…with one voice and one purpose…

read the text

read the text

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Because of Jesus

Jesus wins and he gives his people victory.

Jesus rose. Jesus reigns. And ultimately Jesus wins.

Principle: Revelation assures believers of Christ's final victory over evil.

Application:

Conclusion

Let’s Pray