Introduction to Revelation

Introduction:

“Praise must fill our hearts when we read the words of this Prophecy and remember the grace which has saved us from all which is coming upon this age. Another blessing is the assurance of ultimate victory and glory.”–Arno C. Gaebelein

There is nothing quite like this letter, Revelation. This is one of the the least preached through books of the bible and probably has the most books written about it. Spurgeon only preached 30 something sermons in Revelation in fact.

Unique place in the Canon:

It has a unique place in our Canon as being the last book of the Bible. We get the name for this book from the very first word—”Revelation,” or in the Greek, Apokalupsis.

Revelation: Making fully known, revelation, disclosure.

What makes Revelation so exciting to read and study is the fact that we are to look forward to the future consummation of all things and the triumph of God. This letter also ties up the loose ends of the first sixty-five books of the Bible. In fact, that is how the book can best be understood, by knowing the whole Bible!

The characters, symbols, events, numbers, colors, and so forth, are nearly all previously encountered in the Word of God. Some have called this letter the “Grand Central Station” of the Bible because it is here where all the trains end up. The trains of thought that begun in Genesis, such as the concept of the scarlet line of redemption, the nation of Israel, the Gentile nations, the church, Satan the adversary of God and His people, the Antichrist, and so much more.

Genre:

There are many different types of genre’s that we find in Scripture. Here are a few:

Law: Leviticus and Deuteronomy fall into this category. The purpose of law is to express God’s sovereign will concerning government, priestly duties, social responsibilities, etc. Knowledge of Hebrew manners and customs of the time, as well as a knowledge of the covenants, will complement a reading of this material.

History: Almost every book in the Bible contains some history, but Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Acts are predominately history. Knowledge of secular history is crucial, as it dovetails perfectly with biblical history and makes interpretation much more robust.

Wisdom: This is the genre of aphorisms that teach the meaning of life and how to live. Some of the language used in this genre is metaphorical and poetic, and this should be taken into account during analysis. Included are the books Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.

Poetry: These include books of rhythmic prose, parallelism, and metaphor, such as Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Psalms. We know that many of the psalms were written by David, himself a musician, or David’s worship leader, Asaph. Because poetry doesn’t translate easily, we lose some of the musical “flow” in English. Nevertheless, we find a similar use of idiom, comparison and refrain in this genre as we find in modern music.

Narrative: This genre includes the Gospels, which are biographical narratives about Jesus, and the books of Ruth, Esther, and Jonah. A reader may find bits of other genres within the Gospels, such as parables and discourse.

Epistles/letters: these are the letters found in the NT, they are letters, usually in a formal style. These are mostly from the apostles to various churches or individuals. These letters have a style very similar to our modern letters, with an opening, a greeting, a body, and a closing. the content of the Epistles involves clarification of prior teaching, rebuke, explanation, correction of false teachings, and a deeper dive into the teachings of Jesus. The reader would do well to understand the cultural, historical and social situation of the original recipients in order to get the most out of an analysis of these books.

Prophecy: The prophetic writings are the OT books of Isaiah through Malachi, and the book we are studying tonight. They include predictions of future events, warnings of coming judgement, and an overview of God’s plan for Israel.

Apocalyptic literature is a specific form of prophecy, largely involving symbols and imagery and predicting disasters and destruction. We find this type of language in Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation.

The prophetic and apocalyptic books are the ones most often subjected to faulty eisegesis and personal interpretation based on emotion or preconceived bias. However as Amos points out:

Amos 3:7 NKJV

7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Therefore, we know that the truth has been told, and it can be known via careful exegesis, a familiarity with the rest of the Bible, and prayerful consideration. Something will not be made clear to us except in the fullness of time, so it is best not to assume to know everything when it comes to these two types of literature.

There are three types of genres Revelation could fall into. And in all likelihood it is all three. As we just discussed genre is important to understand because it can change the type of interpretations we receive.

The first type of Genre we see is “prophecy:”

Revelation 1:3 NKJV

3 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.

Prophecy for the church has always been intended to be read aloud in the context of Christian worship, and this claim to be a prophecy is confirmed by the epilogue to the book:

Revelation 22:6–7 NKJV

6 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

(which echoes 1:1-3) and especially Revelation 22:18-19

Revelation 22:18–19 NKJV

18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The second type of genre we see is “apocalypse” literature. Because of all the symbolism and imagery and prediction of disasters and destruction. This is a type of literature that we are not super familiar with. For the Christian reading Revelation they would have been very familiar with it.

There are extra-canonical works such as the 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch. These are not found in our bible nor should they be, but they share a similar literary style. Apocalyptic literature we find in Scripture is to point us to the saving grace of God and that He ultimately wins against evil and sin. And those found in Him are saved, while justice is dished out to the enemies of God.

The third genre is that Revelation was to be read in 7 churches, making it a very unique epistle.

As we noticed last week and as we go through Revelation. The first three chapters are pretty simple to understand and grasp. Because they give us a lot of explanation and guidance. Much like what we find in Paul’s and Peter’s writings. However there is a genre change at chapter 4 onward.

Authorship:

The letter tells us the author’s name is John:

Revelation 1:1 NKJV

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

Revelation 1:4 NKJV

4 John, to the seven churches which 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,

Revelation 1:9 NKJV

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 22:8 NKJV

8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

There is a strong case and external evidence supports the view that the John meant is the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, who labored for many years in Ephesus (located in Asia Minor where all seven churches addressed in chapters 2 and 3 were located too). He was exiled by Domitian to Patmos, where he had an encounter with the risen Savior.

Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen, all ascribe the book to John. More recently a book called the Apocryphon of John (written around A.D. 150), was found in Egypt that specifically attributes Revelation to John.

dating the book is nearly impossible. Some believe that it was written in the 50’s or 60’s (under the reign of Claudius and Nero), while some think that is was written later in the 90’s.

Themes and Scope:

The theme is God wins. God’s people who are bitterly persecuted are rewarded, those who persecuted them are judged.

Other book about different views

Three views of the coming of Christ:

Post-tribulation. The church will be raptured after the seven-years of tribulation

Mid-tribulation. The church will be raptured after three and one-half years of the tribulation (at the middle of the tribulation).

Pre-tribulation. The church will be raptured before the tribulation and saved from all tribulation. These people Christ may return at any time.

The word rapture does not appear in the Bible. Rapture means a “catching away” of Christians to be with the Lord. Also note a difference between persecution and tribulation. Persecution comes from man, but tribulation is the punishment of God toward man.

The Book of Revelation The Progressive Recapitulation (Parallelism) Position

A. Introduction: apocalypse, epistle, prophecy (1:1–3, 4–8, 9–20)

B. Vision: the saints on earth (chs. 2–3)

C. The Heavenly Sanhedrin Convened for Judgment and Enthronement (chs. 4–5)

D. Seven Seals (6:1–8:1)

E. Seven Trumpets (8:2–9:21)

F. Theophany: the Lord’s messenger descending to sea and land (ch. 10)

G. War against the Saints on Earth (ch. 11)

G′. War against the Dragon in Heaven (ch. 12)

F′. Counter-Theophany: Yamm’s two messengers ascending from sea and land (ch. 13)

E′. Unnumbered Series of Seven Proclamations (ch. 14)

D′. Seven Bowls (chs. 15–16)

C′. The Heavenly Sanhedrin Convened for Judgment and the Messianic Reign (chs. 17–20; cf. 20:4–15)

B′. Vision: the saints in heaven (21:1–22:5)

A′. Conclusion: apocalypse, epistle, prophecy (22:6–9, 10–20, 21)

The number 7 appears often:

Seven churches

Seven seals

Seven trumpets

Seven signs

Seven vials

Seven-fold judgement

Seven-fold triumph

Comparison of Genesis and Revelation:

God// God

First heaven and earth// Last heaven and earth

First rest// Final rest

Paradise lost// Paradise regained

The tree and the river// the tree and the river

Husband and wife// the Lamb and the bride

Satan victorious// Satan defeated

Judgement pronounced// Judgement executed

The divine face hidden// We shall see Jesus’ face

The curse pronounced// the cursed removed

The gates are shut against us// the gates are never shut

Death overtook all men// there is no more death

All faces wet with tears// All tears wiped away

Terror came with the night// No terror because there is no night

Banished from the tree of life// We have a right to the tree of life

Exiled from the earthly garden// Inheritors of the heavenly city

The cherubim keeping man out// The cherubim welcoming man in