Past Learning or 'past learning'- Revelation a practical book
Notes
Transcript
End times course
End times course
I have a question for you
are you past learning or are you learing from the past
Revelation Hard but worthwhile
Revelation Hard but worthwhile
We often shy away from Reading or teaching from the book of revelation. As it is
Hard - it is full of historical context, pictorial language and references to Old Testament imagery.
Confusing - is this a literal book or is it symbolic, is it for the time it was written, or for now. It keeps repeating itself.
and frankly a bit weird - it contains beasts, dragons, people with numbers on their head.
But it is one of the only books that promises a reward for reading it.
Revelation is the only book in the Bible that motivates its readers by promising a blessing for those who will read and obey it. The promise is made at the beginning and the end:
revelation 1:3
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
The word blessed means “happy; blissful; joyous.” It may seem strange to associate joy with the sometimes chilling drama of the book of Revelation, but Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps us understand why this is a logical reaction for those who read the book: “Revelation was written in order that God’s people who were passing through terrible persecutions and terrible adversity might still be able to go on rejoicing. It is a book that showed them the ultimate victory of the Lord over Satan and all the other forces of evil.… It was written for men and women who had been in trouble, and it was meant to help them, not only people who would live 2,000 years later.… If your understanding of the book of Revelation does not help you rejoice, you are misunderstanding it.”
profitable for personal application
John was not interested in merely stimulating the imaginations of his readers. His goal was to influence their lives and change the way they lived.
Our conduct today is affected by what we know of tomorrow and what we can see of those who went before us. The book of Revelation tells us of God’s plan for the future and assures us that we are on the winning side. It is written in the here and now of history and gives us the successes and mistakes of those whom John was writing to. It allows us to both be inspired by them and learn from their mistakes.
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams
When we know that truth as well, it gives us courage to persevere through the downturns. Like castaways who keep on rowing because the map shows an island ahead, we’ll have the courage to press on.
Perhaps there is a reason we are disinclined to read this book the devil tries to discourage people from reading this amazing book. “The devil has turned thousands of people away from this portion of God’s Word. He does not want anyone to read a book that tells of his being cast out of heaven, bound in a bottomless pit for a thousand years and eventually cast into the lake of fire to be ‘tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ Nor is he anxious for us to read of the ultimate triumph of his number one enemy, Jesus Christ. Yet alone learn from it that we may shine that light of Jesus today.
A Practical Book
studying Revelation motivates us to live productive lives
Some people think a keen awareness of the second coming of Christ will turn us into lazy souls who stand around gazing upward in some kind of useless trance. But in reality, the opposite is true. In the greatest sermon ever preached on the Second Coming (the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24–25), Jesus listed the “signs of the times” and described the events surrounding His return. Then He told a series of stories illustrating the importance of being productive and prepared. “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing,” He said (Matthew 24:46).
Denis Lyle, a Baptist pastor in Belfast, Northern Ireland, tells of a tourist who visited a beautiful mansion on a lovely lakeshore in Switzerland. The house was surrounded by well-kept gardens connected by tidy pathways. There wasn’t a weed in sight.
“How long have you been caretaker here?” the tourist asked the gardener.
“I’ve been here twenty years.”
“And during that time how often has the owner of the property been in residence?”
The gardener smiled. “He has been here only four times.”
“And to think,” the visitor exclaimed, “all these years you’ve kept this house and garden in such superb condition. You tend them as if you expected him to come tomorrow.”
“Oh no,” replied the gardener, “I look after them as if I expected him to come today.”
Jesus is coming back—coming any minute, coming soon, maybe coming today. These are some of His last words recorded in the Bible: “Surely I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:20). The more aware we are of His impending return, the more motivated we’ll be in our work for Him in these last days.
studying revelation motivates us to live positive lives
The book of Revelation also promotes a positive mind-set. As we study it, we begin to realise that everything that is happening in our world today is heading somewhere. In the book of Revelation, as in no other book, we see God’s sovereign hand upon the affairs of the world. We see Him in control even though so much here on earth seems out of control.
John says that Jesus Christ is “the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). This is not a statement about the future reign of Christ. It is a statement about His present reign. Jesus not only will be King, He is already King over the kings of the earth.
studying revelation motivates us how to live
We can take lessons from this drawing on the future tense of the book - the things that are yet to come
... Several years ago, Dr. J. C. Massee - a well know us Baptist, went to a show he felt he shouldn’t have attended. After a few minutes, he abruptly rose and left. His friends followed him out, asking what was wrong. Dr. Massee explained that Jesus could come at any moment. “I don’t want Him to [find] me here!” he said.
The Bible says, “When He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2–3).
We can draw from the historical nature of the book to learn lessons of how we should be today.
Setting the context.
Setting the context.
Let me give you the context that saw the writing of the book of Revelation.
It was a Sunday morning in the first century AD, and the members of the Ephesian church were gathering to worship in the spacious atrium in the villa of Marcellus, a wealthy Roman convert who freely offered his home as a meeting place.
As the members arrived, their faces were taut with uncertainty. Tension filled the air, like a mooring line ready to snap. The meeting began as usual, with a hymn, but today the church sang with little feeling. Their minds were distracted by the ominous rumours coming out of Rome. After a prayer and a reading from the prophet Isaiah, Tychicus, one of the deacons, stood to address the congregation.
“Dear brothers and sisters, the church leaders have asked me to inform you of evil tidings. A decree has just been posted in the forum telling us that the Roman emperor Domitian has assumed the title ‘master and god.’ He has demanded that everyone in the empire swear an oath to worship him. He has already launched an aggressive campaign to enforce the edict in every city under Rome’s jurisdiction. What is worse, he has especially singled out Jews and Christians because he suspects our disloyalty to Rome.”
A voice from the crowd called out, “Are the rumours true that the edict has already been enforced in some of the other churches?”
The deacon nodded soberly. “A fortnight ago Roman soldiers invaded all the Christian homes they could find in Pergamos and demanded that every member immediately take the oath of worship to Domitian.”
“Did they do it?” another tremulous voice asked.
A pained look crossed Tychicus’s face. “It grieves me to report that two-thirds of them gave in and took the oath.”
A gasp rippled through the crowd. “What happened to those who would not bow?” someone asked.
“I am sorry to tell you that they were brutally flogged and executed. And we can be sure the same thing will soon happen here in Ephesus.”
The room fell silent. Finally someone asked, “What can we do?”
Suddenly the door burst open, and eight Roman soldiers barged in. They were dressed in armour and carried swords. The startled Christians stared wide eyed, and mothers drew their children close to them.
The commanding officer opened a small scroll and read the emperor’s demand. “You must cease to worship your God,” he proclaimed. “It is lawful to worship only Domitian.”
AGENTS of the APOCALYPSE
A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times
DR. DAVID JEREMIAH
This was the context From which Revelation was written it is set in time of Persecution, violence, murder, imprisonment, torture and John being exiled to the island of Patmos.
Revelation written as a letter
Revelation written as a letter
Revelation is set as a as a letter Addressing Seven of the churches under his care
We can learn a great about the churches then. We can see their social, economic and cultural settings - influenced by their location and their communities.
We can see their successes and are encouraged to emulate them
We can also see where they are not doing so well, so that we may avoid their mistakes.
Chapters two and three of revelation serve as a health check for the church.
Who is the church?
Chapters two and three of revelation serve as a health check for you and me.
The seven churches.
The seven churches.
John writes to Seven churches and I don’t have time to expand on each of them. But is is fair to say that the appraisal for each church is both fair and brutal. The text tells us what is good about each of these churches but it pulls no punches about their failings. It does this not to condemn but to facilitate change that each church may escape that natural consequences of what they are doing as well as God’s judgement. We can draw some parallels from these churches.
The seven churches are:
Map
Ephesus, Smyra, Perganum, Thyratira, Sardis, Philidelphia, Laodocia.
Ephasus
Ephasus
Revelation paints a picture of each church let me read you what it says about the church at Ephesus.
Rev. 2:1-3
1 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights’ circle, speaks:
2 “I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. 3 I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.
All good so far but wait.
Rev. 2:4-5
4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Followed by
Rev. 2:6
6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
This a bad news sandwich
Little Sally is great at football. She failed all her exams but she is always helpful in class…
It is likely that these seven churches were chosen to receive letters because of the lessons they provided for “all the churches”
The letters starts with Ephesus – active but stale, insular, without love and moves through the churches highlighting both there positives and their errrm improvement points, though you will see if you read Revelation 2 & 3 you will see that some of the problems are somewhat dramatic.
Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna, thirty-five miles to the north, was a harbour city. Its large Jewish population bitterly opposed Christianity. When Domitian issued an edict declaring emperor worship mandatory for all inhabitants of the Roman Empire, he exempted the Jews from this requirement. The Jews did not want this religious freedom extended to Christians
The church at Smyrna is held up as a role model for others. Against this church Christ voiced no criticism,
The church was suffering through spiritual warfare. A local synagogue of Jews was engaged in slander that resulted in church members being jailed for a short time (ten days). All of this represented a test of their faith.
Rev 2:8-9a
8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life: 9 I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:10b Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. [1]
Pergamum
Pergamum
Pergamum was a tough place too. Revelation calls it the place where Satan’s throne is. It was a place of Emperor worship and persecution for Christians. A faithful man named Antipas had already been put to death. On the sharp, double-edged sword,
Unlike Smyrna the church some members had bowed to the pressures of the environment they were in and were siding with the Nicolations taking part in pagan practices and immoral behaviour – possibly to fit in. They watered down the truth and – statements like all roads lead to God. Or truth is what you believe probably got bandied around. Or statements like marriage does mean that in this day and age. Or Lets mis out that bit of scripture because it might offend, or make us seem intolerant.
The warning here is for the church to hold fast to the core beliefs despite the temptation to fit in.
Thyratira
Thyratira
Thyatira was thirty miles southeast of Pergamum on the Lycus River. Each of its trade guilds was devoted to a patron god or goddess, and social events centred on their worship. The pressure for Christians to participate in this idolatrous lifestyle, both for economic and social reasons, was great. The letter to Thyatira is the longest of the seven messages and the centerpiece of all seven. This is odd, considering that Thyatira was the smallest and least consequential city of the group.
Unlike the church at Ephesus, the church at Thyatira was not guilty of a lack of love. Significant spiritual growth was taking place. There is little criticism the focus is on hold fast – keep going, don’t compromise like Pergamum.
Sardis
Sardis
Sardis, thirty miles southeast of Thyatira, was one of the most ancient cities in Asia Minor, founded around 1200 BC. In AD 17 an earthquake destroyed Sardis (and Philadelphia, see note at v. 7), but it was later rebuilt with the help of Emperor Tiberius. The people of Sardis were fascinated with death and immortality, observing the fertility cycles of nature and the worship of Artemis, the fertility goddess.
There is no praise for the church in Sardis, and the Lord’s criticism is haunting. Spiritually they were as good as dead.
This letter is intended as an urgent spiritual wake-up call. If the church at Sardis did not strengthen what remained spiritually, they would die, because they had not followed through on the works that honoured God. It had become a members club – concerned with its own existence rather than the mission of the Kingdom.
Amongst the church though there were still one or two faithful individuals – Jesus is keen to show that these will not be condemned by the actions of those around them. Rev. 3:4
4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, forty miles southeast of Sardis, suffered long-term effects from the earthquake of AD 17. So, the people planned for the future with earthquakes in mind. They adapted to the situation to ensure they could operate as a church. Although there is little extrabiblical evidence for a Jewish community in the city, the letter indicates a situation similar to that of Smyrna. Nothing is known of the origin of the church, but there was a connection with Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, like the other six local churches.
Christ commended the faithful works of this small congregation, in spite of their little power. The open door that no one can close opens to heaven and God’s kingdom (Col 4:3–4).[2] Size is not an indicator of health or effectiveness. Obedience, acts and love are.
The final letter is to
Laodicea
Laodicea
Rev 3:15-17
15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Laodicea, forty-five miles southeast of Philadelphia and ninety miles east of Ephesus, was an important trade center. Like Philadelphia, it lay in a region prone to earthquakes. The city had to bring in its water supply through an aqueduct. This made it vulnerable to drought and disruption by enemies.
3:15–16 Because the water in Laodicea was piped in, it was neither cold and refreshing nor hot and therapeutic. The lukewarm water was thus not useful. The spiritual worthlessness of the church in Laodicea was nauseating to Christ (I am going to vomit you out of my mouth).
Despite this stark appraisal they were guided to what they should do
Rev 3:17-19
17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.
3:17–19 Because many believers in the Laodicean church were rich and arrogant, they were completely blind to the fact that they were spiritually wretched and naked. The only way Christ would give them spiritual sight and make them spiritually rich and properly dressed was for them to repent (see note at 2:5) and be zealous to him, no longer going through the motions spiritually (i.e., being lukewarm)
A book of Encouragement
A book of Encouragement
Despite the touch language the letter to these churches was one of encouragement. They were all going through tough times - earthquakes and persecution but had each responded in very different ways. Some compromising, others holding fast. The letter were direct recognition of their situations and encouragement to either to keep going or reminding them that all was not lost, that they were free to return to God and Jesus was waiting to enter back into the churches and lives, he had been pushed out of.
Rev 3:20
20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Some 2000 years later the issues of these churches can be apparent in people’s lives and regrettably in some churches. Apathy – Watered down faith, conforming the world. Shaping scripture to fit the zeitgeist – moral compromise. Luke warm going through the motions, more concerned with the social aspects of church than the mission of Jesus.
Which is why all the way through the story of the seven churches (7 number for completeness) is It does not have to be this way, Rev 2:13
13 I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death among you, where Satan lives.
Is repeated to say avoid the pain and the trouble learn from the lessons of these 7. Avoid the bad bits and model the good.
Lessons to draw
Lessons to draw
The study of Revelation isn’t just for “prophecy freaks” or “Second Coming scholars.”
I have skimmed over the second and third Chapter to demonstrate
It’s for every Christian who loves Jesus Christ and is anticipating His appearing.
It’s comprehensible and it’s compelling, and it will change our lives if we allow it. It is a practical book with tangible benefits, and those who study it are happier, healthier people, that walk closer with God as his Nature and plans are revealed by the HS.