Revelation 1:1-3 (Intro to Series)

Faithlife Study Bible Revelation as a Concept

The English word “revelation” derives from the Latin word revelatio, which refers to the act of making something known. Similarly in Hebrew, the word gala means “uncover” and is used in a wide variety of contexts that include references to divine communication. The equivalent Greek terms are apokalupsis, which means “unveiling,” “uncovering,” or “making something known,”

Normally when we think of the term “Apocalypse”, we think of end times, death, war, and judgment, but in reality, the term “Apocalypse” simply means the same thing as the term “Revelation”. Therefore, the book of Revelation is known as apocalyptic literature, because it was written to unveil the events of Jesus Christ during the end of time and His second return.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Eschatology

ESCHATOLOGY The study of the end times, including death, the intermediate state, the afterlife, judgment, the millennium, heaven, and hell. Also refers to the time of Jesus’ second coming. The word eschatology comes from a combination of Greek words meaning “the study of last things.”

Eschatology is another term that we are going to be using as we go throughout this study. It is big term that simply means “The study of end times.”

Faithlife Study Bible Revelation as a Concept

Conceptually, revelation involves a four-place relation in which a subject (the revealer) reveals an object (that which is revealed) to a recipient (the audience of the revelation) by certain means (the instrument of revelation).

Faithlife Study Bible Revelation as a Concept

In a theological context, God is generally considered to be both the revealer and the revealed. In this sense, revelation is always God’s self-revelation. This is not to say that God’s revelation does not include information about things other than Himself, but rather that even when such information is offered, it is offered with an ultimate goal of making known God’s person, plans, and purposes.

Faithlife Study Bible Introduction to Revelation

The initial audience of Revelation is seven churches in Asia (1:4, 11); “Asia” refers to the Roman province of Asia, which was located at the western end of Asia Minor. John writes to them from Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea, where he had been exiled (1:9). He wants to strengthen them in the face of cultural pressure and outright persecution.

Faithlife Study Bible (Introduction to Revelation)

Revelation draws back the curtain on the unseen realities of life for God’s people. There is a spiritual battle going on, and the risen Jesus reveals these visions to John so that God’s Church will be aware of what is happening now and in the future.

Faithlife Study Bible Introduction to Revelation

Revelation conveys the reality of evil using images that can be disconcerting and even terrifying, but that is not the book’s ultimate message. Jesus wants His Church to know that, despite opposition and persecution in the present, His purposes will prevail in the end. God reigns on the throne of the universe, and the slain Lamb, Jesus, has triumphed through His sacrificial death and resurrection (5:6, 9). No matter how much the forces of evil might appear to be victorious, their defeat is a foregone conclusion.

Faithlife Study Bible Introduction to Revelation

John’s visions in Revelation deliver the same message of hope today that they gave to his original audience. Jesus has already prevailed, and He will one day come in power to fully vindicate His people and dwell with them in the renewed heaven and earth. Assured of this truth, believers can have hope. All of God’s people have a part to play in the cosmic battle between light and darkness; we are not to sit on the sidelines and wait for the end of history. Jesus Himself calls us to be conquerors with Him (2:7; 17:14; 21:7).

Revelation 2:7 NKJV

7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’

Revelation 17:14 NKJV

14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 21:7 NKJV

7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Faithlife Study Bible Understanding John’s Revelation

In Revelation, John adopts Daniel’s eschatological schema. Jewish and early Christian eschatology—which draws on the book of Daniel—understood the end of days to be a threefold process, beginning with tribulation (which would last three-and-a-half years, or perhaps longer). This period would be followed by God’s judgment on the nations of the world, with particular emphasis on those who oppressed His people. After that, the kingdom of God would be established—a just, utopian society. John adopts this threefold perspective in Revelation.

Daniel 9:21–27 NKJV

21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

Daniel receives a visit from Gabriel and Gabriel explains the vision that Daniel has had concerning the end of time. Gabriel explains the following events:

This explanation is in regards to the vision that Daniel has had, and is given to offer insight and understanding. (vs. 22-23)

“A period of seventy sets of seven”. (vs. 24)

This seems to imply that each “set” of seven is a seven year span.

This means that there will be 70, 7 year spans of time, or 70 weeks of 7 years. Each “week” is a reference to 7 years, instead of 7 days. This would be a total of 490 years.

This vision is to lay out the time it will take for Israel to “finish their rebellion”. (vs. 24)

Seven sets of seven, coupled with 62 sets of seven, will pass from the moment the temple is commanded to be rebuilt until the time of Jesus’ first coming. That is a total of 69 sets of seven. (vs. 25)

That would equal a total of 483 years from the time of the temple being rebuilt to the time of Jesus’ coming. Depending on where you start the time clock, this has a lot of merit, in that it lines up with the history of what we know and the timeline that has been established.

After the initial 483 years, the Anointed One (Jesus Christ) will be killed, and it will seem that He accomplished nothing while here. Once this takes place, another ruler will rise and bring a flood of war, misery, and destruction to Jerusalem. This will continue until the very end. (vs. 26)

We know that all things up to this point have already come to pass. The temple was destroyed by Nero in the first century. Heavy persecution also fell upon the church, which drove them away and scattered them abroad.

It seems to imply that this same ruler would make a treaty with Israel for the span of the last set of seven years. This treaty would allow them to perform their ritual sacrifices and offerings. After only half of that span is accomplished, the ruler ends the sacrifices and offerings and then set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration until his time is over. (vs. 27)

If this is the same ruler, this has obviously already passed. If not, we seem to be waiting on this last week to transpire.

The most common viewpoint, is that we are still waiting on this last week to take place. 69 weeks have been fulfilled, but the last week is still yet to come.