Introduction To Revelation

Introduction:

I want to welcome you again this morning.

First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.

I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.

I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.

That being said, having finished the book of Acts a couple of weeks ago, today we are launching into a new book of the Bible.

But it’s not just any book in the Bible, it’s the final book in the Bible. A book that many Christians find difficult to read, understand, and a little bit disturbing, largely because the book deals with the end of the world as we know it.

So, if you haven’t guessed it, the book we are going to launch into today is the book of Revelation.

Now, before we get too far down the road here, I want to give some clarification as to what our study is going to entail. And to do that, today I need to give you some introductory information about the book.

Which means today’s message will be a little different since it will be more in a teaching format rather than a preaching.

So, let me begin by just saying that the book of Revelation is probably the most complicated book in the Bible to study, understand, and preach, primarily for two reasons:

First, it’s a book written in three different literary genres that intertwine with one another throughout the book.

The first literary genre we see in Revelation is what we call an “Epistle”. And we see this genre mostly in chapters 1-3.

And this should be a familiar genre to us because most of the letters in the NT are written in this genre and are basically letters addressed to specific individuals or groups of people for specific and varied purposes.

So, for example, Paul wrote the Epistle of Romans to the to the Church in Rome in order to encourage them in their faith and challenge them to embrace the gospel.

And he wrote the Epistle of Ephesians to the Church in Ephesus in order to help them understand the importance of relying on God’s grace.

And so you see, Paul wrote to each church for specific reasons in order to address certain topics and challenge the church go continue to grow in different aspects of their faith.

However, not all of Paul’s letters are addressed to churches. For instance, the Epistle to Timothy was written to an individual named Timothy in order to give him personal instruction and encouragement.

All that to say, Epistles were letters written to groups or individuals for instructive purposes.

The second genre we see in the book of Revelation is that of "Prophecy”. This type of genre would be similar to what we see in OT books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the like.

And for the most part prophecy is written to a specific group of people for the purpose of rebuke, a challenge to repent, and a warning of judgment to come if things don’t change.

The final literary genre we see in Revelation is referred to as “Apocalyptic”, and it comprises a large part of the book of Revelation and is the hardest too interpret.

So, what is apocalyptic literature?

The word itself comes from the Greek word for “revelation”, and typically involves detailed events of the end times.

And while there are many definitions of “apocalyptic”, its best to understand it as an “intensification of prophecy”.

Which means apocalyptic writing contains a heightened and vivid description of what is to come.

For example, in Revelation, there are vivid descriptions of God’s glory, His throne, the angelic beings that surround the throne, and the heavenly temple God resides in.

In addition to being vividly descriptive, the Apocalyptic writing of Revelation is meant to give us insight into how heaven operates and relates to us.

And as a result, it forces us to realize that God’s perspective of life and our perspective are far different.

Which is why I think Revelation can be disturbing because it turns our reality and perception of life on its head as it reveals the true nature of who God is, what He expects, and what awaits those who embrace Him and what awaits those who do not.

All that to say, because the book of Revelation contains three different literary genres, it can be difficult to teach.

Second, in addition to three different literary genres, the book is heavily tied to the OT, specifically the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah. And so in order to understand it, one has to have a decent grasp on OT prophecy.

That being said, for the purpose of this series, we are only going to deal with the portion of Revelation that is written largely in the Epistle format, which consists of the first three chapters of Revelation.

And we’re doing that for two reasons:

First, if we’re going to understand the book of Revelation, then first and foremost we need to understand to who and why this book was written.

Which is exactly what chapters 1-3 focus on. Because like any epistle, chapters 1-3 were written to a specific group of people for a specific purpose.

Which means if we want to understand how Revelation applies to us, we first need to understand how it applied to the group it was written to.

Second, because the book is such a complicated book, I felt it would be best to take it in chunks versus trying to eat it all at once.

And the best way to do that is by splitting it up into its natural sections, which is why chapters 1-3 will be its own series. A series we have titled “The Seven Letters”.

Why the seven letters? We’ll get to that in a minute.

But first, there are a few things we still need to understand and need to be willing to do if we’re going to benefit from this series.

#1, we need to understand that this is not a study based on the Left Behind series, which is a great series. But that’s not what this is.

So if you’ve read the books or seen the movie, our series probably isn’t going to line up with that.

#2, in order to benefit from this study, the best thing you could do is empty your mind of any preconceived ideas or teachings you’ve had on this book. And by saying that, I’m not saying other teachings are wrong and ours will be right.

The fact is, I don’t have all the answers for the questions this book will bring up. Nobody does. And if somebody tells you they do, they’re lying.

However, since we are taking an Expository approach to the book, I think we have a good chance of answering a lot of questions we may have.

Finally, just so we are clear, our goal in this series is not to determine when the rapture is, who the antichrist is, or whether the covid vaccine is the mark of the beast. Because if that’s what you’re hoping to gain from this series, you’re going to be disappointed. Because quite frankly, while those are important subject matters in the book, they were never meant to be the focus of the book.

And so I just want to put that out there so we are all on the same page as we start this series.

Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, that’s all fine. So what will this series focus on.”

It’s going to focus largely on the condition and challenges the early early church was facing at the end of the first century.

Because what we need to understand is that 1st century Christians were not only facing severe persecution, but they were living in a wordly culture which made sin seem normal and righteousness appear strange.

And as a result, some of the churches of that day were in real danger of conforming to what was considered the “normal” values of the world system rather than to God’s truth.

And the truth is, that’s exactly where the church finds itself today.

Because like the church then, we live in a world where up is down and down is up. Where biological males are claiming to be female. And biological females are claiming to be males. And in some cases where people are even beginning to identify as animals.

Church we live in a world where sin has been labeled as “normal” and righteousness has been labeled as strange, hateful or unenlightened.

Which means, the focus of revelation is to encourage Christians to hold their ground, challenge those who are not, and instruct them on how to conduct themselves as we await the return of Jesus.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that seems super relevant to me.

And so in order to get us started in this series, we have two goals today:

Goal #1 - To Establish Context.

And what I mean by context is the who, when, why, and where.

To answer questions like:

Who wrote the book of Revelation?

When was it written?

Why was it written?

And those are all important questions to ask and answer because from those answers we will be able to form the basis of our study, which will then lead us to understand how this book applies to us today.

Goal #2 - After establishing our context, I want to give you an overview of what this series is going to entail. In other words, what you can expect over the next several weeks.

Goal #3 - As we close today to leave you with a couple of challenges concerning this series. Challenges that will be necessary for you to embrace if you want to truly benefit and grow as a result of this study.

So, with all of that as our basis, let’s get started as we work to establish the context of this book. And to do that we are going to start with the most basic question, the question being, “Who wrote this book?”

Thankfully it’s not a difficult quesiton to answer, because beginning in verse 1, the author introduces himself. So, who is it? Let’s find out as we jump into the first verse of the book:

Revelation 1:1 ESV

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

What I want you to notice is the writer identifies himself as John, a servant of Jesus.

So, a great question would be, “Who is John?”

Well, according to church tradition, he is none other than the Apostle John, the John we read about in the Gospels, one of the 12 disciples,

Now you might be thinking, “Ok, that’s great. Good to know. But why is that important?”

It’s important because it gives the book of Revelation a tremendous amount of credibility and establishes the legitimacy of the book. Which is important when it comes to apocalyptic writings since most apocalyptic writings appear to be of a fantasifull.

But this book wasn’t written by Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. This book was written by somebody who spent three years walking with Jesus. A person who witnessed the resurrected Christ. A person who had intimate knowledge of who Jesus was. So much so, that the Bible actually refers to John as the one Jesus loved. Which means, John and Jesus were tight.

And we see this in the opening verses as John writes:

Revelation 1:2 ESV

2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

All that to say, the fact that John receives the revelation and then writes it down tells us right away that this is coming from a credible source.

In other words, this isn’t something somebody made up. This is something one of Jesus’s key disciples wrote down as the vision was given to him.

So, who wrote Revelation? John the Apostle.

This leads us to why it was written.

So, why was it written? Well, based on what John says in verse 1, it was given too John to show Christians the things that must soon take place.

In other words, it was meant to give Christians a preview of things to come.

So, why is that important? It’s important because before things get good, they’re going to get really bad. And all you have to do to confirm that is turn on your television.

And so as I stated a moment ago, one of the goals of Revelation is to bring encouragement to believers of all ages as the world continues to decline.

Encouragement to know that despite the chaos around us, that God is working out His purposes even in the midst of tragedy, suffering, and what seems to be Satanic victories.

Encouragement to know that in the end God wins and the enemy loses.

And we know that to be true, because if you skip to the end of Revelation, Satan and his demonic forces lose bad, and they lose badly.

An so in a way, the book of Revelation is the Bible’s battle cry of victory. A book that details out the final victory of God over the forces of evil. A book that’s meant to bring encouragement to God’s people regardless of what is happening around us. To remind us that in the end, God wins, and if God wins, we win.

And so knowing why this book was written is super important for us, because in a world that seems to be falling apart, the book of Revelation reminds us that God is in full control.

But as I said a moment ago, it was also written to help us navigate our faith and avoid the danger of adopting the world system. Which is something Christians must constantly be on guard against.

This now leads us to who it was written to.

And this is important because who it is written to helps us understand not only why it was written, but how it applies to us today.

So, who was it written to? John tells us:

Revelation 1:4 ESV

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: 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,

John says the book is intended specifically for the seven churches in Asia. Seven specific churches that were alive and functioning at the end of the first century.

So, who are these churches?

They were all churches located in what we know as modern day Turkey.

Here’s a map that shows their location:

Show Map

The church Smyrna, Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatire, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.

So, a great question would be, “Why these 7 churches?”

A few reasons:

For one, they represented some of the leading churches at the end of the 1st century. Churches that in many respects represented the Gentile Christian church.

If John were writing to churches today, it might entail churches like Hillsong, Elevation, or other prevalent churches that tend to have quite a bit of influence.

Or it could entail denominations, so if John were writing to the church today, he might write to the Assemblies of God, the Baptist, the Presbyterians, The Methodist, and the Catholics.

The point is, John is writing to key churches.

Second, while all of these churches are geographically close to one another, like churches today, they are each have their own culture, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges.

And that would be true of churches as well today.

Third, because they are all different, they are intended to represent the universal church.

In other words, as we read about these churches, what we have to keep in mind is that they represent the church at large not just in that day, but throughout time.

Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, but how do you know that’s what the 7 churches are meant to represent? I mean wouldn’t it take more than 7 churches to represent all the churches that have existed or will exist?”

Great question, and here’s how we know that’s what is intended, and it’s based off of the number 7. Because when it comes to apocalyptic literature, one of the key features of this genre is symbolism. And symbols have meaning.

And so when it comes to the number 7, in the book of Revelation, and throughout the Bible, 7 represents the number of completion.

For example, when God created the heavens and the earth, how many days did it take? It took 6, and on the 7th God rested, because 7 was the day of completion.

When we think about how many days complete a week we are talking about how many days? 7, right?

And so when it comes to the 7 churches, these churches represent the complete church. The universal church.

And that’s important for us, because if they represent the universal church, they represent us as well.

So, for example, in studying these churches, we might say, “Oh wow, we sound a-lot like the church in Sardis.” Or, oh wow, we sound like the church in Smyrna.”

You see how that works?

All that to say, these aren’t random churches. They are churches that have been specifically targeted for this Revelation in order to communicate a message to any church that will exist.

Kind of cool, right?

But what’s even more interesting is the order in which these churches are given to us. Because the churches are given to us in what is called a “chiastic structure” called a chiasm.

So, what’s a chiasm?

A chiasm is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. The result then is a “mirror” effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in a passage.

Clear as mud?

Let me give you an example of what this looks like.

Using alphabetical letters a chiasm would look something like this:

ABXBA

In this structure the two ideas, notice that the (A and B) are repeated twice and in reverse order, but a third idea (X) is inserted before the repetition begins.

Which means by its position, the insertion of X is meant to be emphasized.

And this is exactly what John is doing in the ordering of the seven churches, because as he puts the churches in this order, the goal is to help us see a patterned emphasis.

So, a great quesiton would be, “What’s the emphasis?”

The emphasis is going to be on whether the church is healthy or not, why they aren’t healthy, and what they need to do to in order to become a healthy church.

So, by way of introduction to the seven churches, I want to give you an overview of this chiastic structure and what each church in the structure represents. Because this will become the basis of our study as we look at each church individually through this series.

So, as we look at the structure, here’s how it’s laid out.

The first church is the church in Ephesus. And what we’re going to discover about the church at Ephesus in our study, is that this is not a healthy church and one that Jesus was not pleased with. In fact, it’s a church Jesus is on the verge of closing.

So, what that tells us is the (A) in our chiastic structure = a church that is not healthy.

The second church John lists is the church in Smyrna. And what we’re going to discover about this church is that this is a church that is healthy and that Jesus is extremely pleased with.

So, what that tells us is that (B) = is a healthy church.

The third church is Pergamum. And for this church, what we’re going to discover is that it’s a church that Jesus says is somewhat healthy.

In other words, there’s things Jesus is happy with and things He’s not happy with when it comes to this church. It’s a church in the middle.

Which means (X) in our chiasm = somewhat healthy.

The fourth church is Thyatira. And what we’re going to discover about this church is like Pergamum, it’s a somewhat healthy church as well. Which means it’s an (X) as well.

The fifth church is Sardis. And again like Pergamum and Thyatira, it’s a somewhat healthy church as well. Which means Sardis is an (X) as well.

The sixth church is Philadelphia, and as we’re going to discover it’s a church that is healthy and that Jesus is well pleased with. Which means like Smyrna, this church = B in our chiastic structure, which means we are now going down the mirror side of the chiasm.

This now leads us to the seventh church, Laodicea, and as we’re going to learn, this is not a healthy church and one Jesus is very displeased happy with. In fact, like the church in Ephesus, Jesus is about to close their doors.

Which means Laodicea = (A) which brings us to the end of our chiastic structure.

So, if we put it all together, the chiastic structure for these churches looks something like this:

A - Ephesus: Unhealthy Church

B - Smyrna: Healthy Church

X - Pergamum, Thyatira, & Sardis: Somewhat Healthy Church

B - Philadelphia: Healthy Church

A - Laodicea: Unhealthy Church

Do you see the pattern?

The question then is, “What do we learn from this pattern?”

We learn a few things:

First, they are all churches that are facing persecution and intense pressure from the secular culture to conform to worldly thinking and standards.

Second, based on the structure we can see what the main point is and where the main emphasis lies.

Because generally speaking, the main point in a chiastic structure lies on the outside parallels and the emphasis is found in the middle.

So, the main point would be, Jesus is not happy that some of his churches are not healthy, and the main emphasis is the ones who are somewhat healthy and need to get their act together.

So based on that, what this tells us about the churches in Asia, is that for that the most part they are in serious trouble.

Serious trouble because on the outer ends we have two churches that Jesus is about to wipe off the map, and in the middle we have three churches that are not in the best health.

And there are only two churches that Jesus is actually pleased with.

So, what does that tell us? It tell’s us that if these churches represent the universal church, and they do, then typically in any generation, the church is not a healthy witnessing church.

And that within the context of the church world, only a handful of churches remain faithful like the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia.

That’s not very encouraging, is it?

But I think what we’re going to discover though is that it’s true. That the majority of churches aren’t what they could be, a few churches are everything they should be, and a few are on the verge of collapse.

Which means, one of the main questions we are going to ask ourselves as we go through this study is, “Which church are we? Where do we fall in the chiasm?”

And that’s a critical question for us to ask because that will determine how pleased or unpleased Jesus is with our church. Which will largely determine the effectiveness and longevity or our church.

Which for me is the reason I want to do this series. Because if we are going to accomplish the mission of the gospel that we spent 3 years studying in Acts, then we need to be a healthy church. We need to be a church that has the ability to accomplish the mission.

And not only that, but I want to be a church that Jesus is pleased with.

And so one of my primary goals in doing this study isn’t to figure out who the antichrist is or when Jesus is coming back. My primary goal for us is to determine are we the kind of church that Jesus is going to come back for?

In other words, do we as church and as believers represent who He is. Do we share the same heart and vision he does for the lost? Are we willing to make sacrifices and give our all in oder to advance the Kingdom of God?

That’s what I hope do discover.

So, as you can see, there’s a lot riding on this series because by the end of this series we will have been forced to ask some hard questions about ourselves, about our faith, and about our church.

This now leads to one moe thing I want to touch on and why it’s important that you are here next week. Because as we go through this study, what we need to understand is that while John penned this book, he’s not the author.

In other words, John is just a scribe here as the book is dictated to him through this vision.

So, a great question would be, “Who’s dictating the book to John?”

Well, we see it in the opening verses of this letter:

Revelation 1:4–5 ESV

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: 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, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

What I want you to notice is that this Revelation comes from Jesus Himself. A revelation from our risen and glorified savior. From the one who sits on the throne and rules all.

Kind of a big deal, right?

Which is why next week is so important because in the next few verses the glorified Jesus is going to appear to John. And John is going to give us a description of what Jesus looks like now. And quite honestly, I think it’s going to surprise you and give you an entirely different perspective of Jesus. Because this isn’t the Jesus we see walking around on the “Chosen” series. This is the glorified Jesus. This is King Jesus. And his appearance is so overwhelming and terrifying that when John sees Him he falls down as if dead.

And so if we’re going to study this book, we need to have a good understanding, perspective, and respect for who the revelator actually is.

Next week will give us that perspective. So you don’t want to miss.

But until next week, I do want to close with some challenges as we prepare for this exciting series:

Challenge #1 - Be Committed.

I know it goes without saying that I’d like to see each and everyone of you in church every week. And I know that life happens and you have to miss a Sunday from time to time.

But over the next several weeks I want to challenge you to make attending service for this series a priority. Because I truly believe that this study is setting us up for where God wants us to go individually and as a church.

The fact is, the world continues to spiral out of control. And whether Jesus comes back tomorrow, next week, in 10 years, or in 100 years, we has a church need to be ready today for His return. We need to be a church that He would come back for. A church that represents Him. A church that He would be pleased with.

But the only way to be that church is to know what He expects of us.

That’s what this study is going to give us. Because after we finish the seven letters, we will know exactly what being the church represents and what Jesus expects not only from our church, but from you as an individual.

So, over the next several weeks, be committed. And if you have to miss, make sure you at least go online and watch the service.

Challenge #2 - Be Open.

When I say be open, I’m talking about having an open heart. I’m talking about being open to what God might want to speak to you through this series. Because the fact is, I think more than any series we’ve ever done, this study is going to challenge us to consider where we are at in our faith more than ever.

In addition to that, it’s going to reveal the serious nature of you and I being right before God. Of you and I daily shedding ourselves more and more of this world and embracing the life that Jesus offers us.

But for that to happen, you’re going to have to be open. You’re going to have to be willing to consider some changes that maybe need to take place in your life. Some priorities that need to be adjusted. Or maybe even a new perspective of what it means to be a Christian that you need to be willing to embrace.

You need to be willing to have the heart of David, who in the midst of recognizing some changes that needed to take place in his life prayed this:

Psalm 51:10 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

So, my challenge to you over the next several weeks is to be open.

Challenge #3 - Be Encouraged.

The fact is, while this study is full of a lot of warning, primarily it is meant to be an encouragement to those who read it. In fact, we are told that in the first few verses. We see it in verse 3:

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.

John says blessed is the who how reads aloud this book, and blessed is the one who hears and keeps what is written in it.

The word translated blessed hear literally means happy. It’s the idea that because you read this book, you will be encouraged.

Why will you be encouraged? Because if you are a Christian, this book is all about God winning. It’s all about the victory that comes in knowing Jesus Christ.

Which is why John says, “for the time is near..”

What time? The time that Jesus returns for His church. The time that Jesus establishes His Kingdom on earth. The time when we receive the promise.

The Apostle John puts it like this in 1 John 3:

1 John 3:2 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

You see what this study is going to remind us of, is that Jesus is coming back. And that one day we won’t have to deal with all the chaos and challenges of this life, because we will be with Him.

Amen. So, as we go through this study be encouraged.

Church, we are getting ready to embark on an exciting journey. We are about to hear from Jesus Himself. Exciting days are ahead.

Let’s Pray