Alright, we’ve got a lot to cover, so we’re just going to get started. Let me tell you what our goals are for this time together –
1) That you feel like you can study Revelation and apply it
2) That you’d develop a better understanding of what the Bible says about ‘eschatology,’ or the end times
3) That you’d get the theme of the book.
And here’s the theme of the book: Jesus’ death and resurrection has saved a people for God from every nation and secured his position as King and Judge of the world. Therefore, persevere in your witness to Jesus Christ. Be comforted, Jesus is coming soon. And beware, lest you compromise and not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Here’s where we’re going. First, we’re going to look at principles for interpreting the book. Second, before we get to the book, we’re going to get a whole picture of what the New Testament teaches about eschatology, or the end times. Third, we’re going to just do a run through of the book. Last, we’ll have a short time for q and a – so write down questions as they come up.
Let’s pray, and then we’ll get to it.
First, let’s look at some principles for interpreting Revelation.
First principle, we need to exercise humility here. This is a difficult book. We need to be able to distinguish major issues from minor. There are essential issues to the Christian faith – namely, the Trinity and justification by faith alone. If you don’t have a good, in depth understanding of those things, your homework is to go learn them.
Second, Revelation is a book of symbols. Revelation 1:1 says this: The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place. The word ‘show’, there means to show by ‘signs.’
In other words, the things that John saw are symbols. Don’t try to mix interpretive methods – take some things literally and some things as symbols. What John saw were symbols, including the numbers. Jesus does not have seven eyeballs.
Third, Revelation is a series of visions that are not in chronological order. They’re introduced with the formula, “I saw” and “after this.” One way that we see that Revelation isn’t chronological is that the world ends 5 times. Think of Revelation like replays while you’re watching football. When you watch a replay, it’s from a different camera. What’s going on in Revelation is that we’re watching the same scenes over and over from different cameras.
Fourth, interpret unclear passages with clear passages. You don’t base doctrine (what you believe) on passages that aren’t clear.
Fifth, the New Testament interprets and explains the Old Testament. Now, the Old Testament can inform us about concepts in the New; BUT, the New Testament is the fulfillment of things in the Old that were shadows and are now explained. Paul says in Col. 1:25-26 that his ministry is to ‘make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints’ – and he’s talking about Christ and the Gospel.
Sixth, our present world situation does not interpret Scripture. Scripture, not your interpretation of world events, should tell you who the beast is.
Seventh, this book is about the whole period of the end. We’ll get into this a little more in a moment, but Revelation 1:1 (and a few other times) says that the book is about the ‘things that must soon take place.’ This is a direct allusion to Daniel 2:28-29, 44-45.
The vision was about the whole period that would begin with the first coming of Christ. So the book of Revelation is about the whole period between Christ’s first and second comings – not just about some time far off in the distant future.
So – given that we need to interpret unclear passages with clear passages, we need to take a look at what the whole New Testament says about what I just said – that there is a period which is described as being between Christ’s first and second comings. We need to look at what the whole New Testament says about the ‘end times,’ or ‘eschatology.’
First, we need to see that God talks about two ages. Turn to 1 Cor. 2:6-10, by the way. Matt 12:32 says, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
1 Cor 2:6-7 say this: “among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away, but we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God…”
A few observations. This age exists, but will end. The wisdom from the next age has been revealed already. What is this wisdom? In the context of the book, it’s that Jesus died for our sins, rose for our justification and is returning to establish a new world – and all the effects of those truths.
So the future age, heaven, has come crashing into the present dying age in the person and work of Jesus.
God also talks about this in terms of the Kingdom of God. He says this when he’s talking about his judging humanity at the end of the world: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…”(Matt 7:21). So there’s a future aspect of the Kingdom of God. We are to enter it in the future.
However, there’s also a present aspect of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said in Matt. 12:28, “if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” So there’s both a present aspect of the Kingdom of God – Jesus reigns now as King through his Spirit’s work on earth – giving people faith and citizenship in heaven by saving them – and he will reign in the future when he returns to judge and recreate the world physically.
This is the point of most of the parables about the Kingdom of God, by the way. It exists now in an invisible way; Jesus reigns as King from heaven; but at the end it will be made visible.
Make sure you check out those other Scripture references.
A third way God talks about the two ages is using the terms ‘flesh’ and ‘Spirit.’ Flesh refers to things that pertain to this present age; Spirit refs to things that pertain to athe next age – the age in which everything is governed by the Spirit of God. That’s why in John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of the flesh – in this present earth – AND born again of the Spirit – such that the Spirit gives him a new soul that belongs to the New heavens and New earth and thinks and desires accordingly.
1 peter 3:18 also reflects this reality: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God by being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” So Christ’s resurrection is something that pertains to the age of the Spirit.
A fourth way God talks about the ‘end times’ is with the language of New Creation. We live in creation – the old creation. When Jesus returns, he will re-create the physical world. 2 Peter 3:13 says this about when Jesus returns: “…according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
BUT, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” So if you are united to Christ, through faith, you are a new creation. You have a new soul, mind, heart and you belong to the future creation, which is yet to come.
A fifth way that God talks about the end times is in the language of resurrection. Daniel 12:2 prophesied a coming time when the dead would all physically rise and be judged. But Colossians 1 says that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead; so the resurrection has begun; and Ephesians 2 says we have been ‘raised with him.’ So the future resurrection has already begun in Jesus’ resurrection and in his giving new spiritual life.
BUT, 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 say this: “as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits (the first that guarantees the rest; it’s a harvest analogy – the first fruits shows that your crop will come through), then at his coming those who belong to Christ”
So there will be a future resurrection from the dead as well. It’s begun, and it will be completed when Jesus returns to earth.
Sixth way the Scriptures talk about the end times: ‘in terms of ‘latter days.’ This phrase is all OVER the Bible. We talked about Daniel’s prophecy to the Babylonian King before; he introduces it by saying that his prophecy is about the ‘latter days.’
This phrase is all over the new testament. For instance, Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “Long ago, at many times and in various ways, God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”
In other words, the latter days have begun with the coming of Jesus! That means that the latter days do not refer to some distant future time. They are now.
I want to make one final note, a seventh, about the end times according to the New Testament. And that’s that Jesus is the true Israel; he is obedient Israel. And when we come to faith in Christ, we are united to him in God’s sight. Therefore, the promises that God made to Israel are not ethnically guaranteed – they’re guaranteed by being in Christ. In other words – the promises given to Israel are given to the Church.
While I’m talking, flip to Galatians 3. We get this from the fact that when the New Testament cites the Old, it always does it in a way that shows that the Old was talking about Jesus and His Church.
That means that there is only one people of God. There are not two. There is one people, and it is a people because of Jesus alone. Galatians 3:16, 22, 26-27, 29 say this: “the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say ‘and to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one ‘and to your offspring,’ who is Christ.” “The Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” “In Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God, through faith, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ… and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”
This paradigm shows up all over the New Testament. You can see it notably in Romans 4 and 11, Ephesians 2, all over Matthew, 1 Peter 2 – everywhere.
I think we’ve now got some good background for being able to interpret the book. Let’s march through it.
1:1-9 introduces the book. We saw in verse 1 already that Revelation is a book of symbols that is about the time that has begun through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
V. 4 says its to the seven churches. These were of course real churches – but 7 also represents wholeness or completeness; the idea is that this letter is applicable to the whole church.
v. 5 says that Jesus is the faithful witness and firstborn from the dead; and he’s about to exhort us to be faithful witnesses, encouraging us that we will rise from the dead.
Look at the comfort offered: Jesus was, is, and is to come – in other words, he’s sovereign over history – he’s in control of everything – even persecution. And v. 7 tells us that he is coming back and the enemies of his people will mourn.
Then, v. 10, John hears a voice that sounds like a trumpet – the announcement that the end times have arrived and that the heavenly armies are ready for battle, and he looks and sees Jesus dressed in the attire of a Kingly, priestly judge – scary, and ready to judge in holiness – And more than that, Jesus appears with the same description that God has in Daniel 7.
He is standing amidst lampstands, which were temple furniture.
The temple was the symbol for the place where God dwelt. But if you look at the references to ‘temple’ in the New Testament, we see that in Jesus, the whole Church is the temple.
And we see in Zechariah 4 that God would build his temple – and his lampstands to show off his light – his glory – to worship him – by the power of his Spirit.
And so the Church is God’s temple – it is powered by the Holy Spirit to show off God’s light to the world. And Jesus dwells among his people, his Church.
Jesus is pictured as holding seven stars in v. 16; 20 tells us that these are representative angels for the churches. And Jesus shows that he rules heaven and earth.
In v. 17, Jesus tells John, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” In other words, Jesus has control over all history. He rose from the dead – and he controls who dies and lives, who is saved, and who is damned.
This vision of Jesus now begins to tell John what to write to the churches. Most of the letters have these common characteristics: there’s an opening, commendations, rebukes, a promises if they repent, and warnings.
In the openings, Jesus says something about himself that’s pertinent to the church. For example, he reminds a church that’s about to suffer severe persecution that he died and came to life. He reminds a church that needs to repent of major compromising that he is a judge with a sword.
Jesus then gives commendations; most often, it’s that they’re not tolerating false teaching. And you’ll notice in the New Testament that false doctrine and sinful living are never divorced. Wrong doctrine was leading to unholy living, and Jesus commends the churches that aren’t falling prey to that.
He also commends some churches for being bold for Christ’s sake, despite persecution or even martyrdom.
Then he rebukes most of the churches, mostly for compromise. They’ve started to live like the culture. They’ve started to live like everyone around them, but with Christian veneer.
Jesus gives promises to those who will repent: they will inherit eternal life and have fellowship with Jesus forever – and they will be vindicated against the persecuting nations.
He then ends with a warning: if they don’t repent, he will remove their lampstand – their church. And when Jesus says, as in 2:7, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says,” is saying something that he said while on earth (See Matt 13), and alluding to Isaiah 6. And what he’s saying is that those who have pure hearts before God – who are born again – those will hear and obey. However, those that do not have born again souls will hear these words and be hardened – and these words are judgment to them.
The next vision begins in chapter 4:1 – “After this, I looked…” And John sees God in his glory, as he appeared in Ezekiel chapters 1/9/10 and Daniel 7 . V. 4 tells us that there are 24 elders – representing the fullness of God’s people – 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles. Everything worshiping God. We see God as judge with lightning and thunder – and v. 6 says, “and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass…”
The sea to ancient Jews represented chaos and evil. God is seen to rule over evil.
Rev 5:1: “I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll…” instantly John would’ve remembered the scroll in Daniel 7 and Daniel 12, which was sealed in Daniel 12 until the last days should begin. Its contents – the way that God would redeem his people from this present evil age and punish those who persecuted them.
v.3 – no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll – and John weeps – because if no one can open it the people of God cannot be saved and vindicated against their persecutors.
But Jesus shows up – v. 5 “Weep no more, behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David” – that’s a reference to Gen. 49 and 2 Sam 7, promising a King that would save God’s people, “has conquered so that he can open the scroll”
And how did he conquer? V. 6 “I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain.” He conquered by his death. His seven eyes represent his sovereignty over all things.
And the lamb is worshiped – look at v. 9, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…”
Jesus is worthy to reign over history because he died for and therefore saved his people – from every culture all over the world.
As he opens the seals, demons come forward to harm humanity. Jesus is sovereign over demons – for example, 6:7-8, “When he (Jesus) opened the 4th seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘come!’ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him”
What’s the point here? Jesus is sovereign over earthly calamity – even when it’s brought about by Satan – and it is the beginning of judgment against the world.
6:9-11: “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer…”
Christians cry out for justice against those who persecuted them because of their witness to Christ. The world’s people throughout Revelation are called ‘earth dwellers,’ by the way. And their white robes are promises for vindication- they are the righteous ones and God will judge those who harmed them.
The Lamb opens the sixth seal – and a bunch of things happen that will only happen at the final day – and vv. 16 and 17 say that everyone on earth will cry out in fear, and speaking of the Father and Jesus v. 17 says – for the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand?
And then God wants us to know who will stand. 7:3 “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Notice that his had to happen before judgments began – so before the world was. And seals are a symbol of ownership. In other words, God has set his ownership on a people. The 144,000 represents the full number of God’s people – 12 being the number of the people of God, squared and multiplied by a thousand – it’s a great multitude of the fullness of God’s people.
And then John has another vision – this same people again – v. 9: “A great multiude that no one could number, from every nation… STANDING before the throne” – worshiping. Why? Because they were sealed by God and they – v. 14 – have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Jesus opens the final seal in 8:1. Silence we see in the Old Testament, especially Hab. 2:20/Zech2:13 – is a sign of the final judgment. And we see that God ends the world in response to the prayers of the saints – v. 5 – then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. These are the same signs of the world’s end as in ch’s 11 and 16.
Already a second vision of judgment has begun in 8:2 – seven angels with trumpets show up. John would’ve instantly thought of the way that ancient Israel attacked Jericho by blowing trumpets – and that Jesus had said that his coming would be with a trumpet blast.
vv.6-12 tell us that Jesus is judging the world through economic distress. V.13 – “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle (representing judgment from jer. 4:13/hos8:1) crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “woe, woe, woe (shorthand for being under God’s condemnation) to those who dwell on the earth…”
And chapter 9 tells us of how God pours out his wrath on those who will not repent – through depression and death – through demonic oppression.
10:1 – “I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud (like Jesus in Dan.7), with a rainbow over his head (like God’s throne in Rev.4) and his face was like the sun (Jesus in ch. 1), and his legs like pillars of fire (like God’s presence with Israel in the wilderness)” - who do you think this is?
Jesus gives John a scroll to eat that’s bitter and sweet – just like the prophecy he must preach; blessings and judgments.
11:1-2-Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff (measuring is a symbol of spiritual protection from Satan), and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there’ (remember, the temple is God’s people – John immediately would’ve thought, too of Ezekiel 40-48 – the promise of God’s latter days temple), but do not measure the court outside the temple, leave that out, for it is given over to the nations (in other words, Rev.13:6 shows us with this that God’s people’s citizenship in heaven will be protected – but they will not be protected from persecution) – and they will trample the holy city for fort-two months (a symbolic reference to the time of trial of the people of God, from Daniel 7:25,9:27;11-12; calling to mind the length of Elijah’s ministry of judgments against Israel AND the number of encampments of Israel in the wilderness before entering into the promised land.)
vv.3-4 “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses (two were required in the Old testament to accuse someone at trial), and they will prophesy for 1260 days (3.5 years), clothed in sackcloth (mourning sin). These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”
Again, this is a reference to Zechariah 4. The lamps are the Church. The Church is seen to have a prophetic ministry – proclaiming the Gospel and judgments if the world will not repent.
At the end of the Church’s ministry, it seems to be defeated, but then God pours out his wrath and ends the world. V.15: Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
The scene changes radically again. 12:1 “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars”- the people of God; see Is. 60:19-20 and Genesis 37:9. The people of God are about to give birth to the Son of God – Jesus. But a dragon waits to eat the child. He’s born and caught up to reign with God; and God protects the woman spiritually in the wilderness.
Another scene tells the same story: the angels fight a war against Satan and his angles and cast him out of heaven.
When does this happen? V. 10-Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down.
When did Satan lose his ability to accuse the saints, as in Zech. 3? With the cross of Christ; Rom. 8:34- “who is to condemn? Christ is the one who died-more than that, who was raised…” – and during Jesus’ ministry, in Luke 10:18, he said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”
But the dragon goes off to make war against God’s people.
Chapter 13 begins to tell us how. Satan calls up a sea monster (reference to Job 40) that looks a lot like him – exercising complete authority (hence the heads and horns). The beast is a conglomeration of all the beasts of Daniel 7 which represent the different kingdoms that persecuted God’s people. It’s all the beasts because the worldly authorities still exist and still persecute the church wherever it is .
Why was its head wounded? Because Jesus died on the cross – Gen. 3:15. But the thing’s still living – just as Jesus’ death has secured the new creation – but the old one, controlled by sin, still lingers.
Our allegiance will either be to the beast – the world’s political systems – or Christ. And the only way to be secured is to be written in the Lamb’s book of life, by grace – v. 8.
Who’s the beast, then? Saddam? Hitler? Anti-Christian Sudanese factions? Muslim or Communist governments that kill Christians? Nero? Yes, yes, yes.
A second beast comes – resembling the beast in Daniel 8 and in Job 41. It’s the world’s religious system, which has been tied in to the political and economic systems – so much that Christians will be persecuted for not being identified as part of the system. (a lot of this is direct reference to Rome in the 1st century, btw – but, it also makes specific and direct references to Christian compromisers – false teachers within the Church)
Another vision: ch. 14. – but this time, instead of the name of the beast on the foreheads of people in the world, we see Jesus with his people, who are sealed by him (allusion to Ezekiel 9). The contrast? They have NOT compromised. They have not been spiritual whores .
We then see three angels, proclaiming the Gospel, and declaring the judgment of God against anyone who allies themselves with the world’s political or religious systems.
Why the announcements of blessings and judgments? 14:12: Here is a call for the endurance of the saints!
The next scene: two angels reap the earth of all of those who are identified with the world’s systems: and God pours out his wrath on them; and the world ends.
15:1: Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. In other words, this is the last in the series of complete judgment scenes we’ll see.
And what do we see? Bowls of God’s wrath, and plagues like the ones ancient Egypt experienced when they wouldn’t let God’s people free. Implicit in this is that all the things the world holds dear – worships – will be taken away by God; whether explicit false gods and false doctrines or money, sex, and power.
Again at the end of this we see the world powers gather to destroy the Church once and for all – but then God ends it.
17 - John then sees a vision of a prostitute who rides the beast. She’s beautiful, mimicking the bride of Christ – but she is in league with the world system and the devil himself. She is false doctrine, false religion – the culture of the people
Jesus will decree that the world political system will crush the people and religion at the last, and then Jesus will conquer all of the world powers.
Ch. 18-19:10 is a song celebrating the collapse of the world’s false religious system. The 1st main point is in v. 4: “Come out of her my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.”
I wonder if we believe false doctrines or tolerate them. I wonder if we are living in a way that is indiscernibly different from the world; Jesus says, ‘come out!’
The 2nd main point is v. 20: “rejoice over her, o heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!” we’re to rejoice – because if we suffer with Christ at the hands of the world, God will vindicate us at the final day.
Chapter 19 gives us two scenes: 1st, the bride of Christ, vindicated by God; 2nd, Jesus and his army riding to judge the rest of the world. The results are the opposite of the wedding feast of the bride of Christ. Vv. 20-21: And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” And the world ends – the Bride, who is righteous and hasn’t compromised, has a marriage feast with Christ; the rest are a feast for birds.
Ch. 20 - New scene: God gives life to those Satan has persecuted. They have conquered the devil and gained life through suffering to bear witness to Christ. Satan is allowed to make a frontal attack on God’s people again – but Jesus casts him into hell.
The rest are now judged. 20:12- And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. V.15- and if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
God judges everyone based on works – but for those who are in Christ – we are in his book of life, his death is for us, and we gain what we’ll see in chapters 21-22.
John sees the new heavens and new earth – and there’s no evil, since there’s no sea (v. 1). This is also the new Jerusalem – the city where God dwells. This is also the bride of Christ – the Church.
John has to measure the city, seen in its glory, later – and he finds that it’s a cube – it has the same shape as the Most Holy Place in the temple – God’s throne room – the very center of the temple.
So – v. 22 – and I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
In chapter 22, we see that the Bride, the city, the temple, and the new creation is a garden – just like Eden, and fellowship with God is completely restored.
vv. 18-19 are a reference to Deut 4:1-2, 12:32, 29:19-20 – the point is that you don’t get to pick and choose which commands of Christ’s you obey. You do not compromise.
And for those who do not compromise, Jesus death counts in their place, and they will inherit the new creation forever.
vv. 20-21 – He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”
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