Revelation = “Apocalypse” = unveiling. [Note: singular, not plural!] Revelation of what? Of Jesus Christ, how He really is today, not just the “future events.”
Revelation is the only book with a Promise! Why? What makes this book so special? First of all, the Holy Spirit ministering through the Word will make it special.
The Book of Revelation is a “lens” that puts the entire Bible into focus. The lens is focused on the person of Jesus Christ, and his destiny is imminent. This is a book of victory: We are overcomers! We are the ultimate winners in the game of life! (I read the ending: we win!)
One of the reasons this book strikes us as strange is because of our lack of understanding concerning the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation has 404 verses, and in those verses there are 800 allusions to the Old Testament. The more we know about the Bible, and the Old Testament in particular, the more comfortable we will be with the idioms found in the Book of Revelation.
It is relevant: only the Biblically illiterate are unable to see that we are, indeed, in the “last days.”
The Holy Spirit shall teach you all things (Jhn 16:13). Don’t believe Chuck Missler (Act 17:11). Do your own homework.
Our Presuppositions:
God uses expressions to get ideas across; not just words, but “models.” These are types, “foreshadowings,” and analogies.
| Types: | |||
| Gen 22 | Abraham & Isaac | ||
| Dan 3 | Nebuchadnezzar’s Image | ||
| Ruth | Redemption of the land, etc. | ||
| Joshua | Model of the book of Revelation | ||
| Metaphors: | |||
| Tabernacle | |||
| Burning Bush | |||
| Idioms: | |||
| “Friend of God” - prophetic insights (Abraham, Gen 18; Disciples, John 15). “Beloved” - apocalyptic writings (Daniel, John). | |||
| Signified by God = in “code” (Rev 1:1) “to give a sign or signal.” There are, in the Bible, 4591 semaino {say-mah’-ee-no} from sema (a mark, of uncertain derivation); [Sememe = a basic unit of meaning]. It has two meanings: | |||
| 1) to give a sign, to signify, indicate. | |||
| 2) to make known. | |||
...every code is explained in Scripture...every book required....
The word is translated “sign” (Rev 15:1), “wonder” (Rev 12:1, 3) and “miracle” (Rev 19:20). This same word is used by John for the miracles of Christ. It’s a “spiritual code” understood only by those who know Christ personally.
This is a spiritual and supernatural experience =>Prayer! (Satan will not want you here.) Prepare to be challenged to alter your view of everything. This will be the most “expensive” program you’ll ever take! It will cost you some cherished ideas...
Aids: Bible (with “pharisee” tabs!); concordance(s); commentaries/teaching tapes...Smith, Lindsey, Barnhouse; study Hisslop, Anderson, et al.
Prophecy = God’s entire plan in perspective. I believe we are plunging into a period of time about which the Bible says more than any other period of time in history—including the time that Jesus walked on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and climbed the mountains of Judea.
There are 1,845 references to Christ’s rule on the earth in the Old Testament. A total of 17 OT books give prominence to the event.
Of 216 chapters in the New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming. It is mentioned in 23 of the 27 books (excepting three that are single-chapter letters to private individuals, and Galatians).
For every prophecy relating to His first coming, there are eight treating His Second Coming. Still, most people assume that the future is but a linear extrapolation of the present; life will just go on. But the Bible says otherwise.
During this study, when we encounter issues which seem controversial, remember to test it against the “whole counsel of God,” with Christ at the center (Rev 1:1):
| “More sure word...” | 2Pe 1:19 | |
| “Search the Scriptures...of me” | John 5:39 | |
| “Volume of the book...of me” | Ps 40:7 | |
| “Testimony of Jesus...” | Rev 19:10 |
Fulfillment of our prayer: “Thy kingdom come....”
Revelation is the continuation (climax) of Acts, covering the period of time from Acts (30 years of the Church) to Jesus’ Second Coming (2000 years of the Church). Redemption is the key issue in the Book of Revelation (not salvation).
Redemption is greater than the Creation:
| Preterist: | Then only; | \ | ||||
| Historicist: | History only; | } | nonsense | |||
| Idealist: | Allegorical | / | ||||
| Futurist: | Prophetic | |||||
The Book of Revelation claims the latter (Rev 1:3; Rev 22:7,10,18,19; note also Rev 10:11).
Genesis = Beginning; Creation
Revelation = Redemption; Completion
| Genesis | Revelation | |
| Earth Created | Gen 1:1 | |
| Earth Passed away | Rev 21:1 | |
| Sun, moon, stars | Gen 1:14-16 | Rev 6:12; Rev 8:12 |
| Earth’s government | Gen 37 | |
| Earth’s judgment | Rev 16:8 | |
| Sun to govern Day | Gen 1:16 | |
| No need of sun | Rev 21:23 | |
| Darkness called night | Gen 1:5 | |
| No night there | Rev 22:5 | |
| Waters He called seas | Gen 1:10 | |
| No more sea | Rev 21:1 | |
| A river for earth’s blessing | Gen 2:10-14 | |
| A river for New Earth | Rev 22:1-2 | |
| Man in God’s Image | Gen 1:26 | |
| Man Headed by Satan’s Image | Rev 13 | |
| Entrance of sin | Gen 3 | |
| End of sin | Rev 21; Rev 22 | |
| Curse pronounced | Gen 3:14-17 | |
| No more curse | Rev 22:3 | |
| Death entered | Gen 3:19 | |
| No more death | Rev 21:4 | |
| Cherubim first mentioned | Gen 3:24 | |
| Cherubim final mention | Rev 19:4 | |
| Man driven out of Eden | Gen 3:24 | |
| Man restored | Rev 22 | |
| Tree of life guarded | Gen 3:24 | |
| Access to Tree of life | Rev 22:14 | |
| Sorrow & suffering enter | Gen 3:17 | |
| No more sorrow | Rev 22:4 | |
| Religion, art, and science separated from God | Gen 4 | |
| Judged, destroyed | Rev 18 | |
| Nimrod founds Babylon | Gen 10:8-10 | |
| Babylon falls | Rev 17; Rev 18 | |
| God’s Flood to Destroy evil generation | Gen 6-9 | |
| Satan’s flood to Destroy elect generation | Rev 12 | |
| A bow: God’s promise | Gen 9:13 | |
| A bow for remembrance | Rev 4:3; Rev 10:1 | |
| Sodom & Egypt: | ||
| Corruption, judgement | Gen 13; Gen 19 | |
| “Sodom & Egypt” (Jerusalem) | Rev 11:8 | |
| A confederation vs. | ||
| Abraham’s people | Gen 14 | |
| Abraham’s Seed | Rev 12 | |
| A bride for Abraham’s son | Gen 24 | |
| A bride for Abraham’s Seed | Rev 19 | |
| Marriage of 1st Adam | Gen 2:18-23 | |
| Marriage of Last Adam | Rev 19 | |
| Promised Seed: | ||
| Possess gate of enemies | Gen 29:8 | |
| Promised Seed possessing | Rev 19 | |
| Man’s dominion ceased and Satan’s begun | Gen 3:24 | |
| Satan’s domain ended and man’s restored | Rev 22 |
| Seven Churches | Rev 1:4, 11, 20 |
| Seven Lampstands | Rev 1:12-13, 20; Rev 2:1 |
| Seven Spirits | Rev 1:4; Rev 3:1; Rev 4:5; Rev 5:6 |
| Seven Stars | Rev 1:16, 20; Rev 2:1; Rev 3:1 |
| Seven Lamps | Rev 4; Rev 5 |
| Seven “Title-pairs” | Rev 2; Rev 3 |
| Seven Promises to the Overcomer | Rev 2; Rev 3 |
| Seven Seals | Rev 5:1, 6 |
| Seven Horns | Rev 5:6 |
| Seven Eyes | Rev 5:6 |
| Seven Angels | Rev 8:2, 6; Rev 15:1, 6-8; Rev 16:1; Rev 17:1; Rev 21:9 |
| Seven Trumpets | Rev 8:2, 6 |
| Seven Thunders | Rev 10:3-4 |
| Seven Thousand | Rev 11:13 |
| Seven Heads | Rev 12:3; Rev 13:1; Rev 17:3, 7, 9 |
| Seven Crowns | Rev 12:3 |
| Seven Plagues | Rev 15:1, 6, 8; Rev 21:9 |
| Seven Bowls | Rev 15:7; Rev 17:1; Rev 21:9 |
| Seven Mountains | Rev 17:9 |
| Seven Kings | Rev 17:10-11 |
| some are more subtle) | |
| Seven Features | Rev 1 |
| Seven Divisions in each Letter | Rev 2; Rev 3 |
| Seven Personages | Rev 12; Rev 13 (Volume 2) |
| (Woman, Man-Child, Red Dragon, 7-headed Beast, False Prophet, Michael, Lamb) | |
| Seven Beatitudes | Rev 1:3; Rev 14:3; Rev 16:15; Rev 19:9; Rev 20:6; Rev 22:7; Rev 22:14 |
| Seven Years of Judgments | Rev 11:3; Rev 12:6, 14; Rev 13:5 |
| Seven “I Am’s” of Christ | Rev 1:8, 11, 17-18; Rev 21:6; Rev 22:13, 16 |
| Seven Doxologies in heaven | Rev 4:9-11; Rev 5:8-13; Rev 7:9-12; Rev 11:16-18; Rev 14:2-3; Rev 15:2-4; Rev 19:1-6 |
| Seven New Things | Rev 20; Rev 21 |
| ...and many, many more. | (Seven times as many?) |
| Basic Divisions (found in Rev 1:19): | ||
| Rev 1 | The things which thou hast seen. | |
| Rev 2-3 | The things which are. | |
| Rev 4-22 | The things which shall be after these things. | |
| Four times John says he was “...in the Spirit...” | ||
| Where: | ||
| Rev 1:10 | on the day of the Lord | Patmos |
| Rev 4:2 | straightway I was... | A throne in heaven |
| Rev 17:3 | carried me away... | in the wilderness |
| Rev 21:10 | carried me away... | to a mountain |
| “Thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake” | ||
| Rev 4:5 | Throne | |
| Rev 8:5 | Seals | |
| Rev 11:19 | Trumpets | |
| Rev 16:18 | Bowls | |
| Rev 1:6 (2 items) | Glory, dominion | |
| Rev 4:11 (3 item) | Glory, honor, power | |
| Rev 5:13 (4 items) | Blessing, honor, glory, power | |
| Rev 7:12 (7 items) | Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, might |
| 1) | Rev 4:8 | Holy, holy, holy | ||
| 2) | Rev 4:11; Rev 5:8-10 | worthy art thou | ||
| 3) | Rev 5:11-13 | unto Him that sitteth | ||
| 4) | Rev 7:9-10 | Salvation to our God | ||
| Rev 7:11-12 | Amen; Blessing... | |||
| 5) | Rev 11:15 | Kingdoms of the world | ||
| Rev 11:16-18 | We give thee thanks | |||
| 6) | Rev 15:2-4 | great & marvelous... | ||
| 7) | Rev 19:1-8 | 4 hallelujahs |
| Past | Present | Future | |
| God (Rev 1:4) |
Which Was (Col 1:15-17; Jn 8:58) |
Which Is (Heb 7:25) |
Which Is to Come (Rev 1:7) |
| Jesus Christ (Rev 1:5) |
The Faithful Witness (John 14:1-3; John 8:14) |
First Begotten of the Dead (Col 1:18-20) |
Prince of the Kings of the Earth (Mat 25:31-32; 1Cr 15:24-25) |
| Unto Him That (Rev 1:5) |
Loved Us (Gal 2:20; John 3:16) |
Washed Us from Our Sins in His Own Blood (Heb 7:25; Heb 9:14) |
Made Us Kings/Priests (1Pe 2:9; Luk 19:17; Rev 2:26-27; Rev 5:10; Rev 20:4; Rev 22:5) |
| Write (Rev 1:19) |
The Things Which Thou Hast Seen (Rev 1:12-18) |
The Things Which Are (Rev 2 & Rev 3) |
The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter (Rev 4-22) |
Israel => Land
Church => Heaven
Lamb => Own throne
Satan => Bound
| Wife of YHWH | (Israel) | Woman of Rev 12 | ||
| Virgin Bride | (Church) | Bride of Christ | ||
| Harlot | Mystery | Babylon |
In preparation for this study, you should really read the entire Bible! You need to understand the following: