Understanding Revelation

Lead Vocalist (Joel)

Welcome & Announcements (Mike K)

Good morning family!

If you received a connect card, please fill it out and put in offering plate

Announcements:

1) Discover Class

2) __________________________________________

3) __________________________________________

4) __________________________________________

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Isaiah 45:22-23)

Prayer of Praise (Zoe Bounds)

There is One Gospel

The First Hymn

Prayer of Confession (Stephen Keatts), Failure to read Scripture

Assurance of Pardon (John 5:24)

And Can It Be

Turn Your Eyes

Scripture Reading (Revelation 1:1-3)—page 1218 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Mike K)

Prayer for PBC—Help us to love your Word

Prayer for kingdom partner—Christ Fellowship (Peter Hess)

Prayer for US—President of the United States

Prayer for the world—Algeria

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

Once there was a group of seminary students playing basketball when they saw a janitor reading a book in the corner.

Seeing that it was the Bible, they asked the janitor what he was reading.

“Revelation,” he answered.

Hearing this, the young scholars thought they would try to help the poor soul make sense of so complicated a book. “Do you understand what you are reading?” they asked.

To their surprise, the lowly janitor responded “Yes!”

The arrogant seminary students were certain that a lowly janitor couldn’t possibly understand such a complicated book. So they smugly asked him, “What is the book of Revelation about, then?”

The lesser-educated but better-informed man humbly replied: “Jesus is gonna win!” [1]

Turn to Revelation 1

How do you approach the book of Revelation?

Do you approach it like the arrogant seminary students, thinking that a certain level of expertise is necessary to understand it’s contents?

Have you studied all the top prophecy books and watched all the right online videos so you know exactly what this book is about?

Or have you taken the opposite approach, avoiding it entirely?

Do you skip it in or skim it in your Bible reading because you don’t understand it?

Are you like the famous twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth, who exclaimed, “If I only knew what to do with Revelation!” [2]

As we begin our study in the book of Revelation, my prayer is you will be like the janitor.

That you would humbly take up this beautiful book, read it, study it with me, and see the simple and glorious truth that Jesus is gonna win.

The Big idea I hope to communicate with God’s help this morning is that The book of Revelation is meant to be understood by all of God’s people.

In order to convince you of this, we’re going to begin our study by considering Seven Characteristics of the book of Revelation.

Whether or not you’re a note-taker, I highly encourage you to take notes today because these characteristics will be absolutely crucial as we study this book over the next year or so.

Like lenses which help you to see clearly, these seven characteristics will help us to understand this crucial book of the Bible.

If you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

1) Revelation is APOCALYPTIC

Revelation 1:1—The revelation. . .

That word “revelation” in verse 1 is, of course, where we get the title of this book. But there is much more here for us to consider than a title for this book.

The word translated “revelation” is the word apokalupsis in the original language, which is where we get our English word “apocalypse.”

Now today we use the word “apocalyptic” to describe anything related to the end of the world.

But when this book was written, the word was used to describe a genre of ancient literature.

Much like your local library has books in different genres—like fiction, self-help, and biography—the Bible is written in different genres as well.

One of those genres is called apocalyptic literature.

Apocalyptic literature is a style of religious writing that uses vivid symbols to reveal God’s plan for the future.

In addition to the book of Revelation, you can find apocalyptic literature in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel.

Alright, how will knowing this help you understand the book of Revelation?

Because many people forget that the book of Revelation is written as apocalyptic literature, they come up with all sorts of strange ideas about its meaning.

G.K. Chesterton— “Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators.” [3]

Just consider one example:

SHOW RECURRING SYMBOLS IN REVELATION CHART

Look at how John describes Jesus in…

Revelation 1:14–16—The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 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.

It would be a mistake to interpret this vision literally. Jesus doesn’t have white hair, shiny feet, and a sword for a tongue.

Instead, we’re going to recognize this vision is symbolic, and work to understand what each symbol represents.

Certainly there are parts of the Bible that are NOT intended to be symbolic.

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are not presented as symbols, but as real events that transformed human history.

But there are other parts of the Bible that ARE intended to be understood symbolically.

When you’re reading Psalm 23, do you insist that God will literally make you lie down in green pastures? Do you believe there is literally a valley called “the shadow of death” that you must walk through? Or do you understand these are poetic symbols that are communicating powerful truth?

So as we work to understand the book of Revelation, we’ll fight to remember its an apocalyptic book, which means we will typically interpret it symbolically unless the context directs us to do otherwise.

Second, if you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

2) Revelation is about JESUS

Revelation 1:1—The revelation of Jesus Christ, . . .

Martin Luther once argued that the book of Revelation should be removed from the Bible because “Christ is neither taught nor know in it.” [4]

How wrong he was!

From beginning to end, the book of Revelation is all about Jesus!

He is the faithful witness who speaks truth without compromise (Rev. 1:5).

He is the firstborn from the dead, who guarantee that death does not get the final word (Rev. 1:5).

He is the ruler of the kings of the earth, seated above every president, emperor, and power structure the world has ever known (Rev. 1:5).

He is the Son of Man, clothed in glory and walking among His churches (Rev. 1:12–13).

He is the One who holds the seven stars in His hand, ruling and protecting His church (Rev. 1:16, 20).

He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is worthy to open the scroll (Rev. 5:5).

He is also the Lamb who was slain, who by His blood ransomed people from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:6, 9).

He is the child who defeats the dragon and rules the nations (Rev. 12:5)

He is the Rider on the white horse, faithful and true, who judges in righteousness (Rev. 19:11–16).

He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things (Rev. 22:13).

He is coming soon (Rev. 22:20).

Far too often people turn the book of Revelation into some sort of spiritual horoscope to help us understand the future or what’s going on in the news.

But this book isn’t about the pope, or Hitler, or Vladimir Putin.

And it’s not about the European Union, or the nation of Israel, or the United States of America.

It’s about Jesus!

So every week as we study this book, we should ask ourselves “what does this teach me about Jesus?” and “how should I respond?”

Third, if you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

3) Revelation is SCRIPTURE

Revelation 1:1—The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him . . .

The book of Revelation is not merely an important book, it is an inspired book.

The words we’ll be studying over the next year are not the words of man, but the Word of God.

The Apostle Paul tells us this about the Scriptures in…

2 Timothy 3:16–17—All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Notice the Scripture does four things:

Scripture teaches and reproves us.

It tells us what we should believe and exposes the lies that we shouldn’t believe.

The book of Revelation is going to do the same. It will teach us the truth about Christ and His second coming and show us some of our ideas about Jesus and His return are wrong.

Scripture corrects and trains us.

The Bible doesn’t only tell us what to believe, it tells us how to behave.

It corrects us when we’re doing what we shouldn’t and trains us to do what we should.

If we read the book of Revelation merely as a means to learn about the future and not as a corrective to our behavior in the present we’re reading it wrong. This book—like all Scripture—is meant to correct us where we’ve gone astray.

I love the way G.K. Beale explains this in his fabulous commentary: “[Revelation] is not intended as an apocalyptic curiosity to tantalize the intellect but to inform Christians about how God wants them to live in the light of recent redemptive history. The book contains information for the mind, but it is information that entails ethical obligation.” [5]

As we read this book, we must remember it is from God. It is Scripture. God intends to use this book to help make us complete.

Fourth, if you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

4) Revelation is a LETTER

Revelation 1:1—The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants. . .

Who are the servants mentioned here? To whom is the book of Revelation written?

As with all Scripture, there is both an immediate answer to that question and the ultimate answer to that question.

Consider for example, the book of Titus that Sterling is preaching through. Who is the intended audience of the book of Titus?

Titus, of course! He was a pastor in the 1st century on the island of Crete.

But the book of Titus was also intended for all Christians in all ages, which is why we include it in our Bibles.

The same is true for the book of Revelation.

Ultimately, this book is intended for all Christians.

That’s why we read things like the blessing in verse 3, which we’ll get to in a few moments.

It’s obvious this book is intended to bless everyone who reads it.

But the original audience of the book of Revelation is clearly given to us in verse 4…

Revelation 1:4—John to the seven churches that are in Asia. . .

The book of Revelation was a letter written to seven real churches in modern-day Turkey that were facing real suffering in the late first century.

We’ll talk more about these seven churches in the coming weeks, but for now I want you to understand a principle that is crucial to understanding the book of Revelation, and every book of Scripture.

The meaning of a text is what the original author was intending to communicate to his original audience.

In his wonderful book on Revelation More Than Conquerors, William Hendriksen talks about a commentary on the book of Revelation.

He doesn’t give a title or an author, but frankly it sounds like a lot of the books on Revelation and the end times that have been published over the last 100 years. This particular book had “copious and detailed references to Napoleon, wars in the Balkans, [World War 1], . . . Hitler and Mussolini, and so on.”

Hendriksen writes this...

“These kinds of explanations, and others like them, must at once be dismissed. For what possible good would the suffering and severely persecuted Christians of John’s day have derived from specific and detailed predictions concerning European conditions that would prevail some two thousand years later? A sound interpretation of the Apocalypse must take as its starting point the position that the book was intended for believers living in John’s day and age.” [6]

As we study this book, we need to begin with the original author and the original audience.

We need to make sure we’re not swept away with interpretations about computer chips and barcodes and Apache helicopters and the United Nations—ideas that wouldn’t have made any sense to John’s original audience.

Whatever our interpretation, it must make sense for all Christians in every age, not merely Western Christians living in the 21st century.

But even though we must interpret the book of Revelation in light of it’s original audience, we must admit that this book is telling us about the future. If you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

5) Revelation is PROPHETIC

Revelation 1:1—The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.

Bible scholar Joel Beeke says that phrase “is the key to understanding the book of Revelation.” [7]

Think about that word “soon” for a moment. Now think about the fact that it’s been over 1900 years since this letter was written.

How are we supposed to understand that little word “soon”?

One Bible teacher says the tension here is kind of like a rubber band that’s stretched out as far as it can go. [8]

When we’re uncomfortable with tension like this, we try to ease the tension.

There’s two main ways people have tried to ease this tension.

Some try to push everything into the past.

They interpret that word “soon” in verse 1 very literally.

The Apostle John is writing about something that happened shortly after this book was written.

Many argue that this letter must’ve been written in the middle of the 1st century and these events would then be referring to the cataclysmic events surrounding the destruction of the Jewish temple in A.D. 70.

This position, called…

A. PRETERISM believes Revelation describes events in the first century.

The word preterism is derived from a Latin word, meaning “that which is past.”

Now to be fair, there are two types of preterism: full preterism and partial preterism.

Full preterists believe Jesus returned in A.D. 70 and we are now living in the new heavens and the new earth. This view is heresy and must be rejected.

But partial preterists (including faithful Bible teachers like R.C. Sproul) are different. While they believe most of Revelation is referring to 1st century events, they do believe Jesus is still coming.

My personal view is that partial preterism does a disservice to the text because it makes the book of Revelation into a historical document that has little relevance for modern Christians.

While preterism tries to resolve the tension by pushing everything into the past, others try to resolve the tension by pushing everything into the future.

They interpret that word “soon” in verse 1 to mean “suddenly.”

In this view, the book of Revelation is mostly describing events that haven’t happened yet.

This position, called…

B) FUTURISM believes Revelation predicts future events at the end of the age.

This view, which is probably the most popular view among evangelicals from the twentieth century onwards, is held by many faithful Bible teachers like John MacArthur, John Piper, Al Mohler, and others.

My personal view is that this futurism does a disservice to the text because it makes the book of Revelation into a futuristic document that had little relevance for its original audience.

My position is that we shouldn’t try to resolve the tension here!

Instead of trying to push everything into the past or everything into the future, I believe the book of Revelation is relevant for all Christians in every age.

I agree with Joel Beeke, who says “things that must soon take place” can be translated “things which must soon begin to happen.” [9]

The book of Revelation is describing events that began to happen in the world of John’s original audience, and continue to happen until Christ returns.

This position, called…

C) IDEALISM believes Revelation depicts realities that are true in every age until Christ returns.

This is the approach I will take as we study the book of Revelation together.

SHOW THREE MAIN APPROACHES CHART

Every Christian in every age experiences tribulation.

Every Christian in every age experiences God’s grace to endure.

Every Christian in every age is tempted to take the mark of the beast.

Every Christian in every age is sealed by God.

Every Christian in every age will experience the harsh realities of wars, diseases, and natural disasters that plague our world.

Every Christian in every age will experience the power of the gospel to advance in a world where Satan can no longer deceive the nations.

Yes, this book is telling us about things that are going to happen in the future. But whether the return of Christ happens in two years or two thousand, this book is still relevant to every one of us.

But even if you disagree with the way I approach the prophecies in this book, I hope you will be encouraged and edified as we study them together.

If you want to understand the book of Revelation, you need to understand that…

6) Revelation is an UNVEILING

The book of Revelation is not meant to confuse you. It’s not meant to be mysterious.

The title “revelation” is our first clue. This is a book that’s revealing something to us.

It’s even more clear in…

Revelation 1:1–2— . . . He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

God the Father sent His Son to reveal Himself to the Apostle John through an angel so that you and I could understand how we’re supposed to live until Jesus returns.

Now I personally believe one reason why Revelation has confused so many is because we have overlooked the pattern throughout the book.

The book of Revelation is filled with the number seven, which as we’ve already seen is a number symbolizing completeness.

And if you study this book carefully, you’ll notice the Apostle John brilliantly divides this book into seven sections, each which unveils truth about what it looks like to live faithfully until Christ returns.

SHOW REVELATION OUTLINE

The Son of Man and the Seven Churches (1:1–3:22)

The Lamb and the Seven Seals (4:1–8:1)

The Seven Trumpets (8:2–11:19)

The War with the Dragon (12:1–14:20)

The Seven Bowls of Wrath (15:1–16:21)

The Fall of Babylon the Great (17:1–19:21)

The Victory of Jerusalem the Bride (20:1–22:21) [10]

The problem people run into when understanding Revelation is they think each of these seven sections occurs in chronological order.

Have you ever watched a football game when it’s not quite clear if the football crossed the plane into the end zone before the ball carrier’s knee hit the ground? When that happens the officiating crew reviews one replay after another, all from different angles, until they’re able to make a decision.

The book of Revelation is much the same way. Every one of those seven sections is like a different camera angle, showing you the same events from another perspectice.

Instead, of interpreting the book of Revelation chronologically, I would argue that…

The book of Revelation consists of seven parallel sections, each depicting life in the last days and culminating in the second coming of Christ.

Let me just show you a few examples of this...

Revelation 7:16–17—They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

When do believers experience a world without hunger, thirst, or tears? When Christ returns!

Revelation 11:18—The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.

When are the dead judged? When are God’s people rewarded? When Christ returns!

Revelation 15:1—Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

When is the wrath of God finished? When Christ returns!

I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. Every single one of the seven sections in Revelation is an unveiling of the same events.

With different language and different symbols and different intensities we are seeing the same events over and over again.

This is what life looks like until Jesus returns.

If you want to understand the book of Revelation, you finally need to understand that…

7) Revelation is GOOD

Revelation 1:3—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.

That word blessed can be translated as “happy.” This book is meant to make you happy.

Revelation will make you happy if you read it.

Even if you don’t understand everything you read, you can still rejoice in the truths you do understand.

Even if the only thing you grasp is that “Jesus is gonna win,” that should be enough to make you overwhelmingly happy.

Revelation will make you happy if you hear it.

As we gather week after week to study this book over the next year, I pray God will use my preaching to bring you joy.

I pray you’ll understand it better when we’re done than you did when we started. And I pray that your deeper understanding will lead to deeper joy.

Revelation will make you happy if you obey it.

That’s what the Apostle John means by those who “keep what is written in it.”

But who among us can look at a book like this and say “I’ve obeyed it perfectly?”

The answer, of course, is nobody. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

And that’s why the book of Revelation is so important. Because it tells us that Jesus, the Lion of Judah who is going to win in the end, is also the Lamb of God who was slain on our behalf.

EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL

Would you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus?

And if you have, rejoice for your king is coming soon!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Hallelujah What a Savior

Benediction (1 Thessalonians 3:13)