Revelation Bible Study #02
Revelation Lesson #2 Chapter 1:1-19
Grace and Peace To You
If there is anything we need today it is the Grace and Peace of God
We are covered by sin, full of our self, and unsettled about the future.
We need the Grace and Peace of God Today
The Great Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, calls this first part of Revelation … The Christ John Knew, The Christ John Saw, The Christ John Heard
Let me take a turn on that today as we study
What do you Know about Jesus?
What have you Seen of Jesus?
What have you Heard from Jesus?
John says
READ v 4-19
This is more than just "hello" - grace and peace - this is a proclamation of the greatest need we have in our lives today and the greatest need that this Revelation will fulfill in our lives, that is GRACE and PEACE
I will go a step further and say that if you come to Revelation without realizing and seeking Grace and Peace you will probably come up short of being full of what you need, desperately, from this book.
Today we are going to see the Outline, the Purpose, The Provision
Simply in vv19, 17, and 18
I see the Outline
1) Things which you have seen
2) Things which Are Now
3) What will take Place
I See The Purpose
To Dispel Fear
Be Not Afraid
I See the Provision
I AM
We will come back to that at the End but lets walk through this chapter
I'm using right now an outline by Warren Wiersbe for these verses then come back to what the Lord showed me today
The Christ (or God) John Knew vv4-8
A. We See the Father
1. him which is, which was, which is to come v 4 - He is ETERNAL God
2. He stands APART from History, looks down on his and can observe it, direct it, make conclusions, decisions, plans, based on the totality of his external understanding of History
3. CS Lewis pictures God as seeing our life in it's totality and able to draw a line himself that parallels or intersects every step of our life as he sees fit
B. We See the Spirit
1. the "seven spirits before the throne, or the sevenfold Spirit before the Throne"
2. Isaiah 11:2 -of … ?2? The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord-
Speaks of the Holy Spirit as Spirit 1) the Lord 2) Wisdom 3) understanding 4) counsel 5) power 6) knowledge 7) fear of the Lord
3. 7 = completeness - 3 is the number of divine completeness 4 = earthly completeness the two together heaven over earth, = 7 - we will see completeness in this 7 fold Spirit; 7 lamps; 7 eyes; The Spirit POINTS to Christ that was what Jesus said in John 13 and John 16 that he would do
C. The Son
1. 3 Fold Person
a. Prophet - Faithful Witness
b. Priest - Firstborn from the Dead - preaching Resurrection to Us
c. King - Ruler of the Kings of the Earth
2. 3 Fold Work of Christ completed in the Cross
a. Lover - He Loved us - laying down his life
b. Redeemer - Freed us from our sins
c. Sanctifier - a Kingdom and Priests - or Kingdom OF Priests - what we lost in authority and dominion through Adam we regain in Christ
He KNOWS that he Is Returning
Verse 7/8 - He knows what he has seen and is about to tell us but as he writes in light of what he has already seen, he just has a praise and prophesy fit for a minute - "HOLD MY MULE I've Got to Shout"
LOOK - he IS coming in the clouds (usually clouds symbolized judgment)
Every eye will see - you may not believe me now but wait
Even those who pierced him - The Pagan unbelieving world
The people of the earth will mourn - It won't be a happy day for them
(I think he was saying "but I'm going to be praising")
Because Jesus is the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End The Almighty
El Shaddai - The Lord
This is NOT the Rapture or Parousia of the church this is a PUBLIC return not a THIEF in the Night and it means the opportunity for Grace and Mercy are gone and thus the wicked will mourn and they will know what "time it is"
The Christ John Heard vv9-11
John wasn't making up this Revelation - every bit of it was from God - Through Christ Jesus to Us
John wants to make sure we know he is nothing more than we
V 0 I am Your COMPANION - we are in the same boat - on the same journey
Which is …
1. Suffering
2. Kingdom
3. Patient Endurance
Which he says those three are OURS in Jesus - that is he is Taking Grateful Ownership of Suffering, the Kingdom and Endurance - Longsuffering
V 10 - I was "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day"
John was exiled for preaching boldly as the pastor of Ephesus was an old man closing in on the end of the Century
Well It was SUNDAY - so he would have done what he always did and been in the Spirit
a. Worship / Prayer / Meditation
b. Focus on Christ
c. Reading Scripture - at this late date of 94 AD he would have had probably copies of the other writings of the Apostles in addition to the Old Testament Scriptures
V11 - I HEARD … Write on a Scroll
-1 that is "write this down, preserve this, this is going to be good, this is not just for YOU
-2 Write to 7 churches - number of heavenly and earthly completeness - by this time there would have been at least 3 other churches in Asia 10 so this represented completeness in the Church
-3 Trumpet - clear - clarion - attention grabbing - startling
-4 He wheeled around to see
** It doesn't matter where you are or what the circumstance even in Exile you can know, hear, and see God
The Christ John Saw
We are at times too familiar with Christ - he is more than your BIG Brother
Yes he is accessible, and loving, caring, but we cannot see him as we've seen him in the gospels if we are going to see him in his completeness as we see him in Revelation
The closest thing we get in the Gospels to seeing Jesus this way was on the Mount of Transfiguration
Paul says in 2 Cor 5:16 from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so NO LONGER
John needed a fresh look at Jesus
-5 this is NOT the baby in the manger
-6 this is NOT the teacher on the hill
-7 this is NOT the helpless lamb being slaughtered
-8 this is NOT even the glorified body rising into the Heavens
A. Among the 7 Lampstands - Christ in the Center of His Church
1. the 7 churches or the completeness of ALL of his churches
2. we are the lampstands NOT the LIGHT we merely hold and shine the light
` B. Robe - with a Sash around his chest - symbolized his rank and authority
a Priestly Garment
This is a similar description to the one Daniel saw in Dan 10:5,6
C. Christ Eternal - White Hair Like wool/snow -v14
Dan. 7:9 ?9? "As I looked,
"thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
C. Eyes v14 - Like Blazing Fire - seeing all and judging all in the midst of the churches
D. Feet v15 - Like Burning Bronze - Judgment - like the brazen altar where sin was judged
E. Voice v15 - Like Rushing Waters - i.e. loud, reverberating like coming from all around - in Daniel his voice was like a Multitude
1. power of his Word like the waves or a Sea Like no storm surge this world has seen
2. streams of divine revelation all come together in Christ (read PS 29 if Time)
F. Seven Stars in his Hands v 16 - more later but this is 7 Pastors or ALL the Pastors
G. Mouth - Double Edged Sword - That is the Word of God but a Word that Cuts and Judges and Divides
H. Face v16 - like the Sun in all it's brilliance - God's Glory in Christ - Like the Sun, Beautiful, Bright, Powerful, Awesome, You want to look upon it but you can't - and RISING when it seems the night has gotten the Darkest and the Longest and Morning will never come, the Morning Star Rises - That is Jesus our bright and morning Star and will appear when it seems the darkest before God's Wrath rains down
I. v17 - John falls at his feet - on earth he laid his head on his chest in familiarity but here he falls at his feet in wonder, awe, and fear
1. we need a fresh sense of the FEAR of God
2. awe of his majesty and wonder
Which brings me BACK to the Beginning
If the Outline is what has been - what is now - what will be
It can be fearful
In the midst of our sin and deadness we lay on the ground as dead just like John
But Jesus Reaches down and touches us
We've talked a little about the symbolism of numbers and the number of man is 6 - that is it comes up short of 7 - no matter how long 6 is 6 it will NEVER been 7 it can never enter into the 7. The work of Friday can NEVER become the Rest of Saturday
We are DEAD and will always come up Short Romans 3:23 - all have sinned
But Jesus Reaches down and says "Do Not Be Afraid"
The Purpose of this Book I said was for Jesus to reach down and touch us and Say - DO NOT BE AFRAID
V 18 Let me Give you Reasons NOT to Be Afraid
Let me Give you GRACE and Peace
Remember the Outline <RIGHT IT OUT>
The Things you have Seen
The Things which are Now
The Things that Will Be
A. God -
1. was (have seen)
2. is (is now)
3. is to come (will be)
B. Jesus
1. I Am the Living One - zao (zdah-o) to live, breathe, to have true worthy life, endless life, having vital power like living water, exerting the same power upon the soul
2. I WAS DEAD - nekros (nek-ros) breathed its last deceased destitute of life (what you have SEEN - what was)
3. Behold - idou (id-oo) LOOK - "Check it out"
4. I AM ALIVE for ever and ever - AM - I EXIST in the STATE of LIFE -
(what is now) -
5. FOR EVER and EVER - aion (ahee-on) - forever, an unbroken age,
" ever and ever" = eternity X eternity = a really long time dude
6. I Hold the Keys of Death and Hades - (what is to come) - whatever happens don't worry because I am in control of all of this even what seems to be your worst nightmare or the terrible visions you will see, God is the KEY KEEPER
7 - Faithful Witness -(was)
8. - Firstborn from the dead (is now)
9. - Ruler of the kings of the earth (is to come)
He has Loved Us
He has Freed us
He Will Sanctify Us
Be NOT Afraid my Child because I AM is In the House
Grace and Peace to You
Wednesday Night Bible study Fall 2005-Spring 2006
The following resources were used among others in preparation
Bibliography:
Revelation Four Views: A Parallel Commentary – Steve Gregg
W.A. Criswell Expository Sermons on Revelation
Dr. J.A. Seiss Expositions on Revelations
MacArthur Bible Studies: Revelation – John MacArthur
Dr. David Jeremiah Expositions on Revelation
The Pulpit Commentary: Revelation
Wiersbe: The Bible Exposition Commentary
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