A Jet Tour of Revelation

Begins with a blessing

— This book begins with a blessing

— “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” ( 1:3 )

— God wants to teach us this book

— But it is one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted books of the bible

Ends with a blessing

— It begins with a blessing and it ends with a blessing

— “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” ( 22:7 )

Theme of the Book

— Theme of the book is not just to tell us a lot of facts about the end-times

— The theme is the Revelation of Jesus Christ ( 1:1 )

— The book depicts him as the risen, glorified Son of God ministering among the churches ( 1:10ff), as the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth

Things that will happen soon

— Always a sense of urgency

— “things which must shortly take place” ( Rev 1:1b, cf. 2:5, 16; 3:11; 11:14; 22:12 )

— apokalýptō, revelation, unveiling

— We will learn things about Jesus we would never know without this book

Sent an angel

— The Lord sent an angel to John while he was a prisoner on the island of Patmos

— John wrote down what he saw

Audience

— John is writing to the seven ( 7 ) churches in Asia Minor

— Modern Day Turkey

— These are actual churches at the time

Greeting

— “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” ( 1:4b )

The 7-fold Spirit

— and from the seven spirits ( 1:4 )

— fullness of the spirit, His ministry

— 7 unique ministries of the Sprit recorded in Is 11:2

Sent with Greetings

— “ and from Jesus Christ” ( 1:5 )

— A letter from the trinity makes this a very special letter

Dedication to Jesus Christ

— “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” ( 1:5 )

The Theme

— The theme is a series of visions of Christ’s second coming

— “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” ( 1:7 )

A Series of Visions

— A series of visions that John saw

— He starts with, “I John” as if he can’t believe what he is seeing

— He is on the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel

In the Spirit

— John was “in the spirit” ( 1:4 )

— under the control of the Holy Spirit

7 Lampstands

— In his first vision he sees Christ moving among 7 lampstands

— each lampstand represents a real modern day church

— 1:16 tells us that there are 7 stars who are messengers who represent the churches

— and 1:20 tells us that the 7 stars are angels and seven lampstands are churches

— Christ is moving among His church

Outline of the Book

— There is the past, present and future

— “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” ( 1:19 )

Past

— The past are the thing you have seen

Present

— The present is the message to the seven churches

Future

— The future is everything that will take place in 4-22

Phase 2: The Present

The Church Age: Chapters 2-3

— These are real churches

— This fits the historical, cultural and geographical content

— These are representative of churches that have always existed in history and today

— So, the provide direction for our current church as we may find ourselves in one of these conditions

— This letter went to each of the churches along a postal route counter clockwise starting with Ephesus, John’s home church

( 1 ) Ephesus

— The church at Ephesus was orthodox but cold

— “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” ( 2:4 )

( 2 ) Smyrna

— Nothing negative to say about this church.

— Why This was a persecuted church

— A persecuted church is pure. Once persecution starts people get out

( 3) Pergamum

— Pergamum is the church that married the world

— This is the church that Christ battles with

— “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” ( 2:16 )

( 4 ) Thyatira

— The church at Thyatira tolerates sin

— She is compared to a Jezebel like women, seducing to commit fornication and eats things sacrificed to idols

— A church that will not discipline sin and purify its ranks

( 5 ) Sardis

— Chapter 3 starts with the church at Sardis

— This is the dead church

— There is no growth, no productivity, no life

( 6 ) Philadelphia

— Philadelphia is the faithful church, a missionary church

— Like Sardis, the persecuted church, there is no condemnation for Philadelphia

— ( you ) “have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” ( 3:8b )

( 7 ) Laodicea

— This long section, chapter 3:14-22, deals with the church at Laodicea

— Laodicea is an apostate, unsaved church

— The church of liberalism today

— “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” ( 3:15-16 )

Every message ends the same

— The Lord ends each message to each church with the same message

— It is a message for all of us

— “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”

Last time we hear “church”

— When we are done with chapter 4 we don’t see the word “church” again in Revelation under we get to the last chapter

— Go back and remember what I said to the churches

—"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches” ( 22:16 )

Leave the Church Age: Chapter 4

— In chapter 4 we’ve left the church age

— When does the rapture happen?

MacArthur

People always say, “Where, where does the rapture come in?”  it’s in the white spaces between chapter 3 and 4.  Yeah, the church on earth in chapter 2 and 3, and all of a sudden, we appear in heaven, and I want you to see what happens.  The theme of Heaven is worship.  We go from earth to heaven.

— After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” ( Rev 4:1 )

Now Phase 3: The Future

— John saw things in the past

— Chapters 2 & 3 were things that are, the present

— Now, John will see future events

— John is now in heaven and sees God on His throne

— “jasper” - diamond

— “sardius “ - ruby

— “emerald rainbow” - probably God’s faithfulness

Who’s Up There?

— “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” ( 4:4 )

— 24 Elders

— The Christ’s church

— A time of rewards

— And John sees 4 living creatures saying “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” ( 4:8 )

— And so, verse 8, verse 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 – everybody worshiping, worshiping, worshiping—

Worship is broken: Chapter 5

— Worship is broken when we get to chapter 5

— All of heaven is worshipping and they say “Well, who is worthy to take the earth back and give it to God and restore it to its paradise and intention? 

— Who is worthy?”  And no one is found

— John begins to weep and then comes the lamb to take back the title deed to the earth promised in the OT

— “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” ( Ps 2:8 )

— “Well, who is worthy to take the earth back and give it to God and restore it to its paradise and intention?  Who is worthy?”  And no one is found. 

MacArthur

And so you see then that the beginning of this age starts in heaven – or this phase rather – starts in heaven.  God on the throne holds a title deed to the earth.  All heaven is worshiping.  And they say, “Well, who is worthy to take the earth back and give it to God and restore it to its paradise and intention?  Who is worthy?”  And no one is found.  And all of a sudden, John sees himself weeping.  And then comes the Lamb, and the Lamb takes the title deed to the earth as if to say, “I’ll unroll that scroll; I’ll take back the earth.”  And when that is established in verse 7, then all heaven begins the hallelujahs again.

Unrolling the Scroll: Chapter 6

— In Chapter 6 John sees angel after angel unroll one of the 7 seals

— Each seal brings destruction - but only partial because God’s judgement is not complete

First Seal: Peace

— The first seal is peace

— Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ( 6:1 )

— The rider has a bow but no arrows; a peaceful conqueror

— A false peace organized by the Antichrist

— But peace is short-lived

Second Seal: War

— The second seal is opened an there is war

— “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” ( 6:4 )

— These are the four horseman of the apocalypse

Third Seal: Famine

— The third seal is opened and war is followed by famine

— When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. ( 6:5 )

— You will work all day and barely have enough money to buy food

— Wine and oil are a rich man’s food

Fourth Seal: Death

— The fourth seal is opened and famine is followed by death

— ”So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” ( 6:8 )

Fifth Seal: Cry of the Martyrs

— The fifth seal is opened and we hear the cry of the martyrs

— These are the redeemed peopled during the tribulation

— “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ( 6:10 )

— Naturally, they are asking the Lord how long must we wait for vengeance

— He says, just be patient. Here’s a white robe ( 6:11 )

Sixth Seal: Earthquake, Heavens gone

— And just before the Lord announces the seventh seal, there is a great earthquake

— An earthquake before the 7th trumpet, 7th bowel and at Christ’s death

— The 7th seal opens and sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” 

— Joel talked about that, and so did Peter on the Day of Pentecost

— This is scary and men great and small are terrorized with fear

— And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” ( 6:15-17 )

— The stars will fall out of heaven like a shaking a fig tree

— All of heaven will roll up like a scroll. Or like rolling up a curtain.

Some are blessed: Chapter 7

— In chapter 7, God hits the pause button

— Amidst all this terror, God blesses 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each tribe

— Dan is omitted from the count because of Idolatry

— Replaced by Levi

— Reinstated in Ezekiel 48

— All the records were lost but God knows who they are

— These are sealed, protected by God and cannot be hurt

— They will be incredibly productive saving souls during the tribulation:

— “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

( 7:9 )

— They are the fruit of the 144,000

The Seventh Seal

— The seventh seal is a like a Russian Doll

— The seventh ( 7 ) seal is made up of 7 trumpets and the 7th trumpet is 7 bowels

— A very silent and solemn moment in heaven when this opened

— “ When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” ( 8:1 )

MacArthur

Now you come to the seventh seal in chapter 8.  And the seventh seal is very often a response to the first six, or the seventh trumpet a response to the first six, or the seventh bowl a response to the first six.  And verse 1, by the way, is some people’s life verse to prove there are no women in heaven, because it says there will be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour.  But I think that may be pressing the point a little.

1st Trumpet: Vegetation killed

— “The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” ( 8:7 )

— Judgement on vegetation but also a judgement on man because he can’t live without vegetation

2nd Trumpet: The Seas

— 1/3 of the sea is turned to blood ( 8:8-9 )

— 1/3 of the sea life is destroyed

— 1/3 of the ships are destroyed

— Everything is a sinking, stinking mess

— Notice 1/3 for each of the seals up until this point; God’s judgement is not final yet

3rd Trumpet: Fresh Water

— 1/3 of the world’s fresh water supply is destroyed ( 8:10 )

— Many died from putrid, polluted water

— This is the source of our drinking water in So Cal: Colorado River, Northern Ca snow melt, Russian River, Owens Valley, Sacramento Delta, and the American River

4th Trumpet: Heavens

— 1/3 of the Sun

— 1/3 of the moon

— 1/3 of the heavens go dark

— 1/3 of the day was darkness when it should have been light; utter chaos

— An angel announces the news. It’s going to get worse!

— And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” ( 8:13 )

5th Trumpet: Demons

— “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” ( 9:1 )

— Satan is given the key to the bottomless pit to unleash demons who have been there for centuries

— Like smoke out of a pit they will gush out all over the earth to join the ones that are already here

— There will be so many that it will be like smoking blotting out the sun

— They will be like scorpions who are given the power to torment men for five months

— It will hurt like the bite of a scorpion

— Men will be unable to find relier or die

— Death will take a holiday

— And this swarm of demons has a king, his name is Apollyon (greek) - “Destroyer”

6th Trumpet Euphrates River

— Euphrates River is opened up, as it were, “…and the angels –“ verse 15 “ – who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year to slay the third part of men.” 

— 1/3 of the world is slaughtered

— An army of 200 million and kill one third of the world with fire, smoke, brimstone

— “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.” ( 9:20 )

Another Pause: Chapter 10

— John sees another vision in heaven

— His face is like the sun and his feet are like pillars of fire

— There is more but John is told not to write it down

— He is not allowed to tell us what happens next

— “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” ( 10:4 )

— John eats the scroll, it is bitter sweet

— Sweet that judgement is finally coming

— bitter because judgement is coming

Two Witnesses: Chapter 11

— Two great men will preach Christ and be called the two witnesses

— The world will hate them ( 11:5 )

— Fire will come out of their mouths to devour their enemies

Power to control nature

— They will have the power to control nature

— Turn rivers into blood, stop the rain

Satan kills them

— Satan kills them and their dead bodies lie in the street for 3.5 days

— People all over the world rejoice and send presents to each other

— “Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.” ( 11:11 )

Great Fear

— Then God calls them up to heaven “Come up here”

— And then a great earthquake

7th Trumpet: Kingdom Announced

— “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” ( 11:15 )

More Details: Chapter 12

— Chapter 12 is another break before the final seven bowl judgements

— This chapter describes Satan’s incessant persecution of Isreal and the Messiah and God’s people

— The Women is Israel; the Child is Christ and the Dragon is Satan

— There is a war in heaven with Satan and Michael

— “ And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” ( 12:7-9 )

The Antichrist: Chapter 13

— The Antichrist, who is a man, is a demon-possessed world ruler

— And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. ( 13:5 )

— He is given 32 months or 3 1/2 years to exercise his authority, power and influence

— He has a cohort, another man, the false prophet ( 13:11 )

The False Prophet

— The false prophet’s job is tell everyone to worship the Antichrist

— he performs wonders, sings and builds an image of the beast and makes it come alive

— Or maybe he puts a demon into the idol and it becomes a demon-possessed statue ( 13:15 )

The Mark

— Everyone receives a mark ( 13:16 )

— Without the mark you can’t buy or sell

— In Israel all the taxi cabs start with 666 - not significant

— We are already getting to this point where you need a number; cashless society

The Victory of Christ: Chapter 14

— Everyone in heaven is singing praise because we are coming to the final judgment

— The focus is on Armageddon and we get a glimpse here

— “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” ( 14:14 )

— The Lord is coming in judgement

— ”And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.” ( 14:20 )

— And the winepress will be trodden, the blood 4-5 feet hight for 200 miles

Pause before the last Judgement: Chapter 15

— A pause before the final judgment like with the 7th seal and 7th trumpet

— These last 7 judgements will come in quick succession - bang, bang, bang

— These are so severe that they have to be short

— The temple is filled with smoke

— “The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” ( 15:8 )

The Final Bowel Judgements: Chapter 16-17

1st Bowel: sores

— foul and loathsome sores of all who did not have the mark of the beast

— cancerous

2nd Bowel: Sea

— 100% of the oceans are polluted ( 16:3 )

3rd Bowel: Fresh Water

— All the fresh water is polluted ( 16:4-7 )

4th Bowel: Heat

— Men are scorched by the sun

— “and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” ( 16:9b )

5th Bowel: Darkness

— Full of darkness

— Men gnawed their tongues because of the great pain

— Can men be saved now? No, they can only blaspheme God

— ”They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.” ( 16:11 )

6th Bowel: Euphrates River

— The river Euphrates dries up which makes it easier for the armies from the East to cross an descend on Israel

— Setup for the final battle of Armageddon

— Napoleon said that it was the finest battle place he had ever seen on the face of the earth

— 3 Demons gather the whole world to attack

MacArthur

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

Their reason for coming may be to rebel against Antichrist, whose failure to alleviate the world’s suffering will no doubt erode his popularity. Or, this may be a final act of rabid anti-Semitism intent on destroying Israel, perhaps in retaliation for the plagues sent by her God.

7th Bowel: Earthquake

— The end of chapter 16

— There is a great earthquake and lightening with hail 100 lb. blocks of ice ( 16:21 )

— Every island is washed away ( 16:20 ) and mountains are gone as well

False Religion: Chapter 17

— Chapters 17 and 18 review the first 3 1/2 years

— They tell us more about why God judged the world

— Chapter 17 describes the world’s religious system

The Harlot

— The false church is referred to as a harlot

— “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,” ( 17:1 )

Antichrist and the Harlot

— The Antichrist is a political leader and the harlot is a religious leader

— They work together ( the beast carries her )

— “And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” ( 17:3 )

— Finally, Antichrist is consumed with his own power and kills the harlot

— “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.”( 17:16 )

— Now, the Antichrist will have the whole world worship him alone

Economic System: Chapter 18

— Chapter 18 takes us back over the same time period but asks a different question

— What is going on with the world other than in religious terms

— We see the world economic system collapsing

— Demons have taken over the world

— No one is shopping anymore

— All transportation has fallen apart; nothing is the same anymore; no eating or drinking or getting married

— And people in verse 19 are throwing dirt all over their heads, weeping and wailing, “Alas, alas; it’s over; it’s over.”

The Party is over on earth but just beginning in Heaven: Chapter 19

— There is rejoicing in heaven

— Hallelujah: verse 1, 3, 4, 6

—What are the excited about?

— “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ( 19:6 )

— Jesus is coming back to earth and he will fight in the battle of Armageddon

— “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” ( 19:6 )

— He comes in blazing glory

— Verse 20, the beast, the false prophet are both cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone

— These are the first two occupants of Hell

— Satan will join them shortly

— And the people in the armies who remained are slaughtered with the sword at Armageddon by the Lord

The Lord Sets up His kingdom: Chapter 20

Sets up thrones

— The Lord now sets up his earthly millennial kingdom and will rule visibly from Jerusalem

— The Lord sets up thrones

— “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.” ( 20:4 )

— These thrones are for the saints and those who did not receive the mark of the beast and paid with their lives

— They will sit on the thrones and reign with Christ for a thousand years

Satan’s final rebellion

— Hard to believe but Stan is released after a thousand years and he wants revenge ( 20:7 )

— Some people will have physical bodies and have children

— Some of those won’t even believe in Jesus Christ, though He’s been reigning in the city of Jerusalem for a thousand years.

— Isn’t that amazing?  Not so amazing.  They didn’t recognize Him the first time He came either

— They rejected Him when they did know who He was

— Satan goes and deceives the nations of the world and assembles them ( Gog and Magog ) at Jerusalem

— Gog and Magog were ancient enemies of God, wouldn’t try to read anything into it

— People from all over the world still hate God and assault him to take him down

— God sends fire down and obliviates all of them and the world and universe all pass away

The Great White Throne

— And then in verse 11, all the unsaved of all history are collected to the great white thrown judgment

—   And verse 15 says when their names are not found written in the book of life, they were cast into hell

—   That’s the end of the thousand-year kingdom.

The new heaven and new earth

— Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

— God will be dwell with man ( 20:3 )

The Last invitation: Chapter 22

— This is the last invitation for man

— “ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” ( 22:17 )

— That, my friend, is the last invitation.  Come.  Come to Christ.  Come and drink.  Come and partake of His salvation.  Because if this happens, it will be too late.

— When the judgement comes it will be too late - you will be that way forever

— He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” ( 22:11 )

— In other words, whatever you are when it happens is what you’re going to be forever.  Can you say with John, “Even so,” what? “come Lord Jesus; I’m ready”?  I hope so.

Additional Resources

A Jet Tour of Revelation by John MacArthur: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1290/a-jet-tour-through-revelation

MacArthur, John. Revelation 1-11. Moody Press, 1999.

MacArthur, John. Revelation 12-22. Moody Press, 2000

R.C Sproul, Book of Revelation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNmxmLMruRo