Revelation

The Apocalypse of John.

Introduction:

This book is notoriously difficult to interpret because it is in the ancient genre of Apocalyptic writing, which we are unfamiliar with in our culture.

Some people just stay away.

Others dive in and get a little too enthusiastic.

For 2000 years, Christians have claimed this book means the world will end very soon. Yet here we still are.

Other Christians claim everything prophesied in this book was fulfilled in the first century of the church.

These things are written as as code, full of strange symbols, so it is easy to come away with many different interpretations -- more so than any other biblical book.

Before descending into the endless debates about what all the mysterious images mean, we will focus on the clearest teachings:

that God gave Jesus the power to rule over all the earth, and that Jesus is giving believers that power as well.

that Jesus is not just a merciful lord but also a vengeful one who will destroy those who do not believe in him.

Christians will conquer by wearing the white robes of Christ, which are dipped in the blood of the lamb.

1. The Vision of the Son of Man

John who?

4: Seven spirits?

Jesus Christ is the RULER of KINGS.

He has made Christians a kingdom.

7: Coming with clouds is a reference to Daniel 7. Compare.

All tribes on earth will wail -- shouldn't people be happy at the coming of Jesus?

10: In the spirit?

11: Seven churches - where are they now?

19: 'Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.' Note this book is about some things that are already going on in the church 2000 years ago. It's not necessarily about the far future.

2. To the Churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira

What does it mean that the churches have angels over them?

What does it look like to test false apostles?

4: Faithful toil without love. Unfortunately, many conservative churches are like this. What's your evidence that your church does not need this as a reminder?

5: The lampstand seems to refer to the power and light Christ gives a church to be his witness in a given city or location. Back then, there was only one church community per city. Now in America we have so many churches in every town, who sometimes don't even speak to each other or know each other or want to know each other. Is that a problem we can solve?

9: The synagogue of Satan are those Jews who did not submit to Jesus and did not love his chosen people.

11: 'The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’' What is the second death?

13: Jesus keeps his eye on all his witnesses.

14: What is the teaching of Balaam? Compare with 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 1:11. From the beginning of the church, there are teachers who have tolerated sexual immorality and those who have sought to use their office to make money. It is a perpetual problem to this very day. It's not just liberal churches who suffer from this, but also many so-called conservative churches will not discipline their members for divorce, adultery, and sexual wrongdoing, and many, many pastors work in the church just for a steady salary and a comfortable lifestyle.

15: The Nicolaitans?

16: Sword of his mouth?

17: Hidden manna? White stone?

19-23:

Loosely, we could today criticize some liberal churches as being like Thyatira, those who are being diligent to love and serve the needy, but theytolerate women who teach sexual immorality. That has to be stopped right away -- Jesus promises to strike her children dead.

But there were some in Thyatira who did not hold that teaching. So regardless of what sort of community you are apart of, or any potential sins and heresy in your town, Jesus searches your mind and heart and knows if you're on his side or the world's. Jesus will give to each of you according to your works. Many Christians forget that though we are saved by God's grace through faith, our reward is through our works.

The deep things of Satan?

24: As long as we hold fast to purity and love and faith, rejecting promiscuity and idolatry, Christ does not lay on us any other burden.

26: Good works of love and mercy are the way we receive authority over the nations.

27: What does it mean for the believer to rule with a rod of iron? Consider Psalm 2. God rules and has given rule to Jesus. Jesus promises he will give rule of the nations over to the one who believes in him.

3. To the Churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea

Already in the first generations of the church, believers in Jesus became hypocritical and corrupt. It has always been thus.

5:

Repeatedly the believers in churches are exhorted to conquer. What does that mean? Conquering sin?

Remember, we are not just to confess the name of Jesus. We want Jesus to confess our name before God and the angels.

7: the key of David?

Opening and shutting -- binding and loosing?

8: Jesus doesn't need us to be powerful. He'll make us powerful when he wants us to be. First he just wants us to keep his word and hold fast to what we've been given and honor his name.

9: The synagogue of Satan will learn who Jesus loves, who are the true Jews.

10: Jesus tests those on earth, but some are exempt -- tribulations are distributed unevenly, although it's still fair to say it's the 'whole earth' being tested.

16-18:

Those who have comfortable things in life sometimes use those to cover up the fact that they are spiritually very hollow and and wretched. This is true of many Americans. We need the spiritual garments of Christ's righteousness to clothe our shame.

4. The Throne in Heaven

Compare with description of God's throne and creatures in prophetic literature.

The meaning of the creatures:

The meaning of the elders:

5. The Scroll and the Lamb

Behold the lion... we see a lamb.

The voices of angels, the voices of all creatures praising Christ

6. The Seven Seals

The four horsemen:

The souls of slain martyrs cry out for God to avenge their blood.

This is one of the few times in scripture that souls in the intermediate state of death are described. Here, souls are given a white robe and told to rest.

The wrath of the Lamb

7. The 144,000 Sealed & The Great Multitude

Why are 12,000 from every tribe sealed?

All tribes and peoples and languages will praise Christ and the salvation God has given to us through him.

14: What is the great tribulation?

8. The First Four Trumpets

1: Silence in heaven after all the singing of countless thousands of angels?

The trumpets bring disasters upon earth.

What is the star Wormwood?

9. The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

The woe of the Locusts

Who is Abaddon, Apollyon?

The woe of the Four Angels

The point of all these torments is to get people to give up worshiping demons and idols, but people do not repent.

10. The Angel With A Rainbow Over His Head

What does it mean for the mystery of God to be fulfilled?

Eating the scroll

11: “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

11. The Two Witnesses

Told by an angel to measure - compare with Ezekiel

Who are the two witnesses?

Moses and Elijah?

Jesus and John the Baptist?

Peter and Paul?

The Old and the New Testament?

Two preachers unknown to us, disciples sent out two by two?

The seventh trumpet and the third woe:

the temple in heaven is opened and the ark of the covenant is seen.

12. The Woman and the Dragon & The War in Heaven

A woman in the heavens clothed in sun moon and stars giving birth.

The dragon pursues the child.

Why is a third of things always being destroyed?

Presumably, this is a retelling of Mary giving birth to Jesus and how they had to flee to avoid being overtaken by Herod. This fits with the ark of the covenant having just been revealed in the last verse before this chapter, as Mary was like an ark who contained within herself God's glory, Jesus, the new covenant.

Whether the dragon represents any of the enemies of Christ, Herod, the Scribes, or Rome, although they sought to devour him, God brought him up to his throne to rule with a rod of iron.

The War in Heaven: Other passages in scripture relevant to this?

Michael cast down the serpent from angelic places, so the serpent seeks to rule on earth.

10-12: The devil exerts his wrath and wages war through accusations and deception, but he is conquered by the blood of the lamb and the word of the testimony of martyrs.

Still, things on earth and sea can be made miserable by the devil's work of accusing Christians and seeking to destroy them.

13. The First & Second Beast

What are the beasts?

The first beast is a blasphemer and allowed to conquer the saints.

The saints must endure and be faithful as they are taken captive or slain with swords.

Second beast seems to be a lamb but it speaks like a dragon.

It can perform signs and wonders and deceive those on earth, and even make speaking images.

Is 666 the emperor Nero?

14. The Lamb and the Angels Harvest

God teaches the 144,000 virgins a secret song.

The mark of the beast on one's forehead vs. the mark of Christ

The torment of fire happens in the presence of holy angels and Christ.

Jesus and the angels take people and punish them. They did not keep the commandments of God or their faith in Jesus.

15. The Sea of Glass

The sea of glass mingles with fire.

8 - 'no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.' ?

16. The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath

Because mankind is cruel to the saints and prophets of God, they must suffer.

However, we can see in some places wherever people receive saints and prophets with honor, even if they are not fully 'Christians' of belief and understanding, we can still hope they receive some reward and repentance of sin.

Three unclean spirits like frogs bring kings to be assembled for battle.

The place called Armageddon --

The great city destroyed. Does Babylon mean Babylon?

17. The Whore of Babylon

Who is the whore of Babylon?

We can connect her with Jezebel mentioned in chapter 2, the false prophetess.

She may also be the synagogue of Satan, those who accused Christians to have them punished by Rome.

She may be the great cities of earth, like Babylon and Rome, who were so powerful but committed so much sexual immorality. This includes Jerusalem, which was not faithful to God and had to be punished. This would account for the people and the beast turning against her and burning her up like fire, the way Rome burned Jerusalem.

They tried to destroy God's people, but God has destroyed them while his believers remain.

18. Fallen Is Babylon The Great

Is our society as corrupt and worthy of destruction as Jerusalem was back then?

Surely, every nation on earth has committed sexual immorality with us. We have lived in luxury. Merchants will mourn when America can no longer buy their cargo and slave labor.

13: Important note of anti-slavery sentiment.

This condemnation is true of all churches that abandon God and then turn to persecute believers: your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.

19. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Compare with parables and other scripture passages about the wedding feast.

In the beginning of the bible, Adam and Eve are naked in a garden. But here at the end of scripture, we do not return to a wild garden state. Instead, we are clothed with righteousness, living in the righteous city.

15: From the mouth of Jesus comes a sharp sword which strikes down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. Jesus saves and destroys which peoples he wishes.

The great supper of God is not just a big party.

It's feasting on the lost glory of the armies of the world and the fallen empires. All their effort and striving was in vain, insofar as they strived against God's chosen.

To this day Christians still feed on the legacy of the Roman empire, even though the caesars are long gone.

20. The Millennium

Millennial eschatology: has the millennium happened from 70 AD to 1070, or is it still happening, or is it going to happen?

It seems like the saints in some sense, literally or metaphorically, have a special early resurrection where they reign with Christ even before the rest of mankind has risen from the dead.