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Current Bible Study on The Book of Revelations

INTRODUCTION

As we embark on our study of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, it is important that we receive a preview in order to help us understand the book, its importance, the writer, its message, its meanings, and what our attitudes should be toward it.  This should help us in grasping what God is saying to His people as He prepares to fulfill all biblical prophecy.

Each book of the Bible is important, but the last book has the added significance of being the consummation and climax of God’s revelation.  The book of Revelation is especially significant because it concerns “things which must soon take place.”  Many of what is in the Bible we wouldn’t know if Revelation wasn’t a part of it.  It is the major (but the not only) prophetic book in the New Testament.  John was commanded not to seal the book (22:10), and those who read it are promised a special blessing (1:3).  Apparently, therefore, the book was expected to be understandable and helpful to those who read it.  It is an apocalypse, designed not to mystify but to clarify.

The writer of Revelation is John the Apostle.  John was one of the original disciples of Jesus Christ, and is the only one of the remaining eleven (after the death of Judas) who was not killed because of his faith.  He was the son of Zebedee, and came from a family of prosperous fishermen.  He, along with his brother James and Peter, had a special relationship with the Lord, and was part of Jesus’ inner circle.  The writing of Revelation is estimated to have taken place at around 95-96 A.D., while John was exiled to a rocky island in the Mediterranean, the isle of Patmos, by the Roman emperor Domitian.  And the reason for his being exiled is because he wouldn’t quit preaching the gospel.  The original audience to whom John was writing were the seven churches in Asia (Ephesus, Smyrna, Thyatira, Philadelphia, Pergamos, Sardis, and Laodicea), and all believers everywhere.  The overall general purpose of the book is to reveal the full identity of Christ and to give warning and hope to believers.  Along with the general purpose, John had three purposes for writing Revelation.

  1.   The immediate purpose:  to allow Jesus to proclaim, “Behold, I come quickly.”  The seven churches Asia and their world needed a word of encouragement, of counsel, and of warning.
  1.   The historical purpose:  To allow Jesus Christ to proclaim to His followers and to the world of every generation, “Behold, I come quickly.”  God knows that every generation needs a word of encouragement, of counsel, and of warning, just as the seven churches of Asia did.
  1.   The godly purpose:  to give to the church and to the world “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1).  This revelation is both the unveiling of the person of Jesus Christ as the central figure of history and the unveiling of the message of His heart.

The book of Revelation has nine special features.

  1.   Revelation is “An Apocalyptic Book.”  Apocalyptic writings are marked by symbolism, dreams, and visions.
  1.   Revelation is “A Book of Prophecy.”  It has by far more prophecy than any other book of the New Testament.  It is about “things which must shortly come to pass”—about things that had not happened when they were given to John by the risen Lord.
  1.   Revelation is “A Book of Old Testament Interpretation.”  It is said that there are at least four hundred allusions to Old Testament scriptures.
  1.   Revelation is “A Book of Consummation” or “A Book of Final Things.”  It deals primarily with the “Book of Destiny”, which is a book that is kept by God Himself, a book that pictures the events surrounding the climax of human history.  It is a book of God’s redemptive purpose.
  1.   Revelation is “The Book Written to the Obedient Reader.”  It gives special promise to the person who heeds the message of the book.
  1.   Revelation is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
  1.   Revelation is “God’s Last Word to a World About to End.”
  1.   Revelation is “The Book of Four Major Interpretations.” 
  2.   The Preterist or Historical Interpretation
  •   The Idealist or Spiritualist Interpretation
  •   The Continuous or Historical Interpretation
  •   The Futurist Interpretation

Revelation is “The Book That Must Be Biblically Interpreted.”  While the work of commentators and biblical expositors are important and we should study them as believers, we must first study the Word of God.  The Word is our primary source, and these are secondary sources for understanding God’s Word.  The Bible speaks for itself and it speaks in a very powerful way. 

The point is this:  Revelation is a book that must be read and studied and allowed to speak for itself.  It is a book that must be Biblically interpreted.  Revelation is so full of symbols that a person must look elsewhere in Scripture to find out what the symbols mean in order to know what their meaning in Revelation is.  Therefore, a person must be willing to take the time to search the Scripture if he/she wishes to study Revelation, for it is part of God’s Holy Word. 

Generally speaking, there are two attitudes toward Revelation.  Some say the book cannot be understood and therefore should not be studied, taught or preached.  Their argument is that differences of interpretation have divided Christians, and therefore one should not attempt to interpret the book.  Others consider themselves so sure of every detail in the book that they set dates and propose highly fanciful interpretations.  To them, Revelation seems to be the only book in the Bible worth studying.  However, the proper attitude toward this book does not lie in either extreme.  The book is important and profitable, as is all of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16), but it is not the only book in the Bible worthy of close scrutiny.  We should approach it as worthy of all Spirit-directed and careful study we can give it, focusing on every God-given ability on its words and fitting it into the whole of God’s truth as contained in the Bible.  Let our approach never be theoretical and detached, but always personal and involved. 

THE MESSAGES OF THE GLORIFIED CHRIST TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES   (1:9-3:22)           

A. The Son of Man, the Glorified Christ (9-20)

We now come to the circumstances leading up to the glorious vision John had of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to deliver this revelation to him. 

 

  1. John describes himself as their “brother” and “companion” (9a)
  •   In tribulation
  •   In the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ

John does not exalt himself above his fellow believers but calls himself a brother.  He shared in their sufferings.  Though he was an apostle, he was their brother.  He valued himself upon his relation to the church, rather than his authority in the church.  Like the rest of the saints, he too was a persecuted man, banished, and perhaps imprisoned for his devotion to Christ.    

He was their companion in tribulation.  None of the persecuted saints of God suffered alone.  Others experienced the same trials.

He was their companion in patience.  Not only did he share in their suffering circumstances, but also in their suffering graces.  He joined with them in suffering for the cause of Christ, in undergoing intense persecution as he wrote this letter.  All believers belong to the kingdom because of our submission to God through Christ Jesus, and life in the kingdom involves patient suffering as we wait for the King to return.  We must encourage each other to be stedfast and faithful, and remind one another of our future reward with God (see Romans 5:2-5)

John and the saints needed courage and endurance to face persecution and suffering.  Almost all believers were socially, politically, or economically suffering because of the persecution from the Roman Empire, and some were killed for their faith. 

  1. For his part, John was exiled to Patmos (9b)
  •   For the Word of God
  •   For the testimony of Jesus Christ

He would not stop preaching the gospel.  He had a case of the “can’t help its”, like when he and Peter responded to the threats from the religious leaders in Acts 4:20.  The Word must be shared, not only with other believers but also with unbelievers as well.

Patmos was a small rocky island in the Aegan Sea, located anywhere up to 50 miles southwest of Ephesus.  John was sent there into exile by the Roman emperor Domitian.  He took comfort in knowing that he wasn’t sent there for any evil or criminal acts, but that it was for bearing witness to Christ as the Savior, and that was a cause worth suffering for, and the Spirit of glory rested upon him. 

  1.   John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day (10a)
  2.   The frame of his soul
  3.   The day of the vision

John was “in the Spirit”.  This seems to indicate a trancelike state of spiritual ecstasy, or being in a serious, heavenly, spiritual frame, under the blessed gracious influences of the Spirit of God.  He was also in the spirit of worship, and though there was no one else there with him, John was a “one-person church”. 

The vision came to him on “the Lord’s Day”, Sunday, the first day of the week, the day the Christian church observes for worship in remembrance of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead.

  1.   What John heard (10b-11)
  2.   A loud voice, AS that of a trumpet (10b)
  3.   What the voice said to him…(11)

o   “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last”

o   “What you see, write in a book”

o   “Send it to the seven churches which are in Asia”

An alarm was given to John, like the sound of a trumpet.  That alarm was the voice of Christ, who identified Himself the same as the Lord God in verse 8, “I am Alpha and Omega”.  He also identified Himself as the “first and the last” as He commanded John to commit to writing the things that were about to be revealed to him, and to send it immediately to the seven Asian churches whose names are mentioned.

  1.   What John saw (12-17a)
  2.   He turned to see the voice, and saw…

 

Seven golden candlesticks (12)

The candlesticks represented the seven churches in Asia. The churches are compared to candlesticks because they hold forth the light of the gospel.  Note that the churches ARE NOT candles, for only Christ is our light, and His gospel is our lamp, but the churches receive their light from Christ and the gospel, and hold it forth to others.  They are golden candlesticks because they should be precious and pure, comparable to fine gold.  Not only the ministers, but the entire church ought to be such, and our light should so shine before men as to engage others to give glory to God (Matt.5:16)

 

In the midst of the seven candlesticks, One LIKE the Son of Man (13a)

This shows the Lord Jesus in the midst of His churches, being true to His promise to be with them always, and filling them with light, life, and love, for He is the very animating informing soul of the church.  No matter what the churches face, Jesus protects them with His all-encompassing love and reassuring power.  He’s still among His churches today through His Spirit.  Our churches need to remember that when we face persecution, and when we’re troubled by internal strife and conflict.

 

We have very little knowledge of what Jesus looked like while He was here on earth.  There’s record of Him having a beard (Isaiah 50:6), and there was nothing in His personal appearance that would especially attract people to Him (Isaiah 53:2), although children did like Him (Matthew 18:2).  John recognized Him because He lived with Him and followed Him for three years, and had seen Him as the Galilean preacher and as the glorified Son of God at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8).  Here however, a description is given of how He appears in glory and how we shall see Him some day.  Note the number of similes (“like” and “as”)—the only way He could be described to finite creatures like ourselves.

 

  •         Clothed with a garment down to the feet, girded about the chest with a golden band (13b)

This speaks of a princely and priestly robe, which denotes righteousness and honor, as well as a breast-plate of the high priest, on which the names of His people are engraved.  This reveals Him as the High Priest who goes into God’s presence to obtain forgiveness of sin for those who have believed in Him.

 

  •         His head and hair white LIKE wool, white AS snow (14a)

He’s known as the Ancient of Days, but His white hair is not to be mistaken as a sign of decay, but as a crown of glory.  This represents the wisdom of age, and the purity of His divine holiness.

 

  •         His eyes were AS a flame of fire (14b)

They were piercing in their fiery holiness, and penetrating into the very hearts of men.  This symbolizes judgment of all evil.  The true character of each church is transparent to His eyes. 

 

  •         His feet were LIKE fine brass, as if refined in a furnace (15a)

John’s eyes dropped from the Lord’s eyes to His feet, which were like burnished bronze (highly rubbed and polished).  This may picture the trials He experienced in His earthly life that make Him a sympathetic High Priest (Heb. 4:15), and an experienced Judge.  It also shows Him as strong and stedfast, supporting His own interest, subduing His enemies, and treading them to powder. 

 

  •         His voice AS the sound of many waters (15b)

He can and will make Himself heard to those who are far off as well as to those who are near.  Like the noise of a mighty waterfall, His voice of authority stands out above all the rest and drowns out all who try to talk back or offer excuses to Him.  His gospel is a profluent and mighty stream, fed by the upper springs of infinite wisdom and knowledge.

 

  •         In His right hand, seven stars (16a)

His right hand is the place of honor, and the seven stars represent the angels, or the ministers (pastors) of the seven churches, who are under His direction.  These leaders receive their light and influence from Him, and are secured and preserved by Him.

           

  •         Out of His mouth, a sharp two-edged sword (16b)

This is the Word of God, the basis for all judgment, which both wounds and heals, and strikes at sins on the right hand and on the left (Heb. 4:12).  The sword symbolizes the power and force of the Lord’s message, for His words of judgment are as sharp as swords.

 

  •         His countenance was AS the sun shining in its strength (16c)

Christ’s overall appearance was such that it overwhelmed John.  Its strength was too bright and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold.

As we study Revelation it will change our mental picture of Jesus Christ.  As we consider the things that have formed our impression of Him, such as paintings, movies, Sunday School art, etc., do we ever picture Him with a gold sash and snow white and woolly        hair?  Does His eyes flash fire and His feet glow like bronze?  When we imagine Him speaking to us, does His voice thunder like mighty ocean waters?  As we read and study this book, let us reevaluate the way we think of Jesus and allow His powerful presence to transform our lives.

  1.   Upon seeing Him, John fell at His feet AS dead (17a)

The awesomeness of the vision caused John to prostrate himself before the glorified Christ, waiting for His mercy.  He was overpowered with the greatness of the lustre and glory in which Christ appeared, though he had been so familiar with Him before. 

 

  1.   This resulted in a threefold word of comfort for John (17b) 

Look at the condescending goodness of the Lord Jesus.  He laid His hand on John, raised him up, put strength in him, and spoke kind words to him.  He said to him:

 

  1.   “Fear not” (Don’t be afraid) (17c)

First, He commanded away John’s fears

 

  1.   “I am the First and the Last” (17d)

Secondly, He acquaints John with His divine nature, as He presents Himself as the self-existent, eternal One

 

  1.   “I am He that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (18a)

Third, He acquaints John with His former sufferings, His resurrection and life.  He is the Conqueror over death.

 

  1.   “I have the keys of hell and death” (18b)

With His office and authority, by having the keys He controls hell, the place that holds the immaterial part of humans after physical death, and He controls death, the experience of the material part.

 

Though our sins have convicted and sentenced us, Jesus holds the keys of hell and death.  Only He can free us from eternal bondage to Satan.  He alone has the power and authority to set us free from sin’s control.  Death does not hold the last word about human existence.  When it has closed its doors upon a life, Christ still holds the keys to death and opens the way for believers into paradise.  Therefore, for believers it’s comforting to now Christ has the final word.

 

  1.   The command to write (19)

“The things which you have seen”

“The things which are”

“The things which shall be hereafter”

 

This verse forms an outline of Revelation, and is followed in verse 20 by the Lord’s own explanations of two features of the vision.

 

  1.   The mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks (20)

The stars are the angels of the churches, strongly believed to be the leaders, or the pastors, although some may see them as heavenly angels designated to guard the local churches.  The candlesticks represent light-bearing local churches.  Because the letters sent to the churches contain reprimands, it is doubtful that these angels are heavenly messengers.  If they are earthly leaders, or messengers, which they are believed to be, they are accountable to God for the churches they represent.