Introduction to Revelation September 29, 2024

Congregational Scripture Reading

Revelation 1:7–8 ESV

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.”

Introduction

Imagine a time only a mere 60 to 70 years after the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity went from being a new group of people to something that was seen as a threat. The Roman government realized that the growth of Christianity spelled a clear and present threat to their way of life and worship. And so several Roman emperors did everything they could to get rid of Christianity and eradicate it from the empire.

One of these emperors was known as Domitian. Here is known for being particularly vicious in persecuting imprisoning and putting Christians to death. This was around AD 95. 95 years after the birth of Christ.

This was the time where the Book of Revelation, a letter written by the apostle John was written. He wrote this book to the Roman province of Asia. He wrote it to a number of towns there were 20 to 50 miles apart and revelation actually lists these towns in the order in which a letter carrier would go through them while delivering letters.

This letter is prophetic but it also was meant for encouragement of local Christians. And as much as this letter is full of fantastic visions and sometimes hard to understand imagery it's still fundamentally a call for Christians to live out their faith in the world therein.

The purpose of the letter is not to serve as a puzzle for people who like to decipher prophecy the purpose of the letter is to encourage and to challenge christians. And what we have to remember throughout the entire letter as one of the first verses in the letter.

Revelation 1:7 ESV

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.

No matter how much scholars and the rest of us may disagree on how it's all going to work out in the end Jesus will return and bring history to its final conclusion as his story.

So one of the difficult things about revelation is always understanding the the literature. We feel like we can understand the gospels because they read like stories. We feel like we can understand the book of proverbs because we can wrap our minds around a wise saying. But when it comes to literature like revelation we deal with a lot of symbols throughout the book. Here at our church we try to take the Bible literally as much as possible. But taking the Bible literally in the book of revelations means understanding it's not meant to be read literally. At least not all the time.

Symbols in Revelation

Numbers

Fractions: Incompleteness

Four: The Earth

Five: Punishment

Six: Evil

Seven: God or heaven

Ten and Twelve: Completeness

Colors

White: Purity

Emerald Green: life

Pale Green: Death

Gold: Value

Red: Sin

Black: Famine

Sound

Revelation 1:10 ESV

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

Revelation 14:6 ESV

6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.

Revelation 6:9–10 ESV

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Revelation 18:11 ESV

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

Revelation 10:3 ESV

3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

Revelation 1:15 ESV

15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

Revelation 12:1–2 ESV

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

Revelation and the Old Testament

The relationship that revelation has with the Old Testament is interesting because it doesn't necessarily quote the Old Testament but you can't understand revolution without the imagery from the exodus psalms Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel and zachariah. Not to mention that it alludes to most of the books of the Old Testament except Joshua Ruth first chronicles Ezra Ecclesiastes Solomon Solomon Jonah habakkuk and haggai. It really summarizes everything that that comes before it in the Bible.

The Author

Most people understand the author of revelation to be John the Apostle. One of the original 12 disciples.

John 21:20 ESV

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”

John 21:24 ESV

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

He was one of the sons of Zebedee, known as the “Sons of Thunder”

He wrote the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John and and the book of Revelation

Four Schools of Interpreting Revelation

The Preterist School: Everything has already been fulfilled

The Historical School: The predictions cover the period between John’s day and the return of Christ.

The Futurist School: The predictions are all in the future

The Symbolic School: The events are symbolic of the ongoing conflict between ad God and evil: neither historical nor future events are indicated.

The Millennium

OK the idea of a Millennium is a 1000 year period of time. It's talked about in revelation and it describes a time when important events will happen for humanity. Scholars throughout history have disagreed over what this Millennium is and when it will happen. When we get to the passages that talk about this we will unpack this a little bit more. And hopefully come to a better understanding of this idea of a Millennium or period of 1000 years because there are several very good viewpoints on this and several schools of thought here. But I'm not going to get into them today.

Four Principles for Interpreting Revelation

Figurative language

1. Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

• Example: “She’s as busy as a bee.”

2. Metaphor

A direct comparison between two things without using “like” or “as.”

• Example: “Time is money.”

3. Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

• Example: “I’ve told you a million times.”

4. Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human objects or abstract concepts.

• Example: “The wind howled through the trees.”

5. Idioms

Expressions that have a figurative meaning different from the literal meaning.

• Example: “Break the ice” (to initiate conversation).

People use figures of speech in every written language. The same is true in the Book of Revelation. But we need to discipline ourselves to understand revelation according to how it would have been read in the 1st century.

Simplicity of Meaning

This idea is common both in biblical interpretation and in science as well it's the idea that the simplest explanation of a complex situation is usually preferred unless there's a really good reason to think otherwise.

So when you want to understand a passage in revelation look for the simplest possible meaning.

Telescoping of time

This is an interesting principle but what it means is that biblical prophecy can referable to near and far events. Let me give you an example:

Isaiah 61:1–3 ESV

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Many scholars see this as referring both to the first and second comings of Christ.

Time lines

It is not possible to establish with absolute certainty when the events of revelation happened or will happen it's not that we should disregard timelines or attempts to understand whether these events happened or will happen. But the Bible always calls our attention to focus on what prophecy means for us as much as the events that are prophesied. Revelation calls us to love and obey Jesus, not just to interpret the prophecies of the book.

The Open and Close of Revelation

Revelation 1:3 ESV

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.

Revelation 22:7 ESV

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation Principles for Interpreting Revelation

Revelation both opens and closes with promises of blessings to those who heed its teachings (1:3; 22:7), not to those who intellectually decipher its prophetic landscapes.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible prophecy always served to call people to action not to simply state what would happen. Whenever a prophecy was given it was not given so that you could predict the future. It was given to inspire men and women to make righteous choices in their lives And so when we study the Book of Revelation God Is less concerned with our capacity to unravel the secrets that scholars have disagreed on for ages he simply calls us to be faithful in studying and living out obedience to Him and his word

Closing Congregational Prayer

Psalm 25:1–5 ESV

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.