The Revelation Series

Hey guys, the slides are made available.

Unfortunately, my notes are not accessible in the PDF (and besides- isn't that cheating?)

I'll post my notes to this page after each program, so bookmark it and check back frequently.

REVELATION

.pdf

Download PDF • 5.30MB

NOTES:

SUMMARY of REVELATION

•The last book of the Bible is the last book recognized as orthodox Canon. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

•Written by the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, 95AD

•The Revelation means Apocalupsis (to reveal or unveil) contrasted with Apocrypha (means to hide or conceal)

•If we remember back in Daniel, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel “But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.” Dan 12:4

•The Revelation contains 404 passages, and in them, has 278 references back to the Old Testament

•Although the book is largely given in signs, the signs (symbols) aren’t arbitrary or open for interpretation. They pull from the OT.

•The number 7 is used in Revelation 52 times. Seven: Letters, churches, angels, lampstands, spirits before the throne, seals, trumpets, thunders, bowls, horns, eyes, heads, etc.

•The number 7 is the foundation of God's word. It derives much of its meaning from being tied directly to creation and symbolizes completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual).

•The book has three major divisions; Past (Chapter 1), Present (Chapters 2-3), and Future (Chapters 4-22) This is from Rev 1:19

Controversy: Was Revelation written early, or late? FTR, the late dating is correct. How do we know? Three Major Proofs

Testimony of the Ante Nicene ECF:

1. Irenaeus' testimony in Against Heresies 30, states that John received the Revelation toward the end of the reign of Domitian (81-96AD)

2. Clement of Alexandria (150-215) mentions that John was exiled to the isle of Patmos until “after the death of the tyrant” (a ref to Domitian who died in 96AD) (Who Is the Rich Man? 42) Eusebius identifies the “tyrant” as Domitian (Ecclesiastical History III.23)

3. Victorinus (d. 304AD) mentions that John had the vision of the apocalypse “while he was on the island of Patmos condemned to the mines by Caesar Domitian”

4. Eusebius (260-340AD) known as ‘the father of church history’ due to his classical work Ecclesiastical History. He dates the book of Revelation to the reign of Domitian several times

5. Jerome (A.D. 340-420) said, “In the fourteenth then after Nero, Domitian having raised up a second persecution, he [John] was banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse” (Lives of Illustrious Men 9)

The Seven Letters

1. The City of Laodicea had a devastating earthquake in 60AD. Tacitus wrote, “One of the famous cities of Asia, Laodicea, was that same year overthrown by an earthquake, and, without any relief from us, recovered itself by its own resources.” Estimates is that it took 25-30 years to rebuild Laodicea. The lukewarm persona of the church doesn’t seem fitting for a first-generation church. More in line with a second=generation church.

2. Antipas Martyred: Revelation 2:13 says that Antipas of Pergamum was martyred for his faith in Christ. Tradition records that Antipas was roasted alive in AD 92 in a brazen bull-shaped altar.

3. No Smyrna? According to the Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, who was a disciple of John, he stated there was no church in Smyrna during Paul’s day

4. No Nicolaitans? The Pauline Epistles never address the “Nicolaitans” who seem to be plaguing the seven churches

The Antichrist Criteria

1. Caesar Nero died on June 9, 68AD by suicide, thus CANNOT be the Antichrist. (did not fulfill 2 Thess 2: 8, or Rev 19:20)

2. Nero’s persecution was largely localized to Rome proper, while Domitian's persecution was widespread

3. Why was that? Domitian was first Caesar to demand to be worshipped as a ‘living god’ and thus, attempted to implement his self-worship throughout the Roman Empire, but was significantly felt in Asia Minor

CHAPT 1

The heavy use of trinity clauses

1.who is, who was, who is to come

2.the faithful witness, firstborn from the dead, ruler over the kings of the earth

3.tribulation, kingdom, patience

4.who lives, write the things you’ve seen, what is, what is to come after 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must [a]shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

(engys [engoos] from primary verb agcho-meaning to squeeze or throttle; nigh (13x), at hand (6x), nigh at hand (4x), near (4x), nigh unto (1x), and ready (1x)

Greeting the Seven Churches

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:  (Why not the churches in Rome, or Judaea, or Antioch?

Christian were first called that in Antioch. The Church began in the Middle East, and has circumvented the globe many times, but the influence began moving westward, and is now in China, which are in Asia (maybe the church ages ends like it began?)

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Trinity of trinities, (kings and priests as opposed to Israel- who were to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6))

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (when before the Sanhedrin’s court- Matt 26:64)

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation (thlipsi and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

Tribulation: pressure (literally or figuratively):—afflicted(-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble. John 16:33 is not the same as Jer 31:7, Dan 7:24, Matthew 24:21’s “megas thlipsis”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 

14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;  (compare with Dan 7:9)

16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. (reflect back on Transfiguration- Luke 9:28-36)

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 

●

(reflect back on Transfiguration- Luke 9:28-36: it seems that every time Jesus went to pray, His disciples were “heavy with sleep” [ever notice how the disciples always are caught sleeping when He is praying] The phrase “heavy with sleep is bareo hypnos--- (bareō - to burden, weigh down, depress //// hypnos (hoopnos) - sleep)

18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 

20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

CHAPTER 6: Part 1

One of the first things we find in chapter six is a change of perspective: In chapter 1, the focus is on Christ. Chapters 2-3, the focus is on the church (on earth), chapters 4-5, the attention moves to heaven and the throne room of God, in chapter six, the attention moves back to the earth. During the time we have been viewing the scene of God’s Throne Room in the third heaven, what has been happening on the earth?       

1.     The sudden rapture (a thief in the night) will create global chaos       

2.     This will result in economic calamity, collapsing of nations, fear and confusion will overtake the people

Read Chapter 6: 1-8

First Seal: The Conqueror

6 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the [a]seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come [b]and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales[c] in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A [d]quart of wheat for a [e]denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And [f]power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

The Four Horsemen

o   Correlations with Matt 24

o   Deception

o   War

o   Famines

o   Natural disasters, Pestilence, Death

o   Correlations with Ezekiel 14:21: For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it?

o   Four chariots from Zechariah 6:1-8 (represents judgment against Israel’s enemies)

o   Come and See

(GotQuestions.org) The purpose of the four living creatures also has to do with declaring the holiness of God and leading in worship and adoration of God, and they are involved in some way with God’s justice, for when He opens the first four seals and sends out the four horsemen to destroy, their powerful voices, like thunder, command “come” (Revelation 6:1–8). The horsemen respond to the summons of the four powerful creatures.

o   Two of JTB disciples follow Jesus (Andrew and Peter or John)

• John 1:39: He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

• John 1:46: Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

• Are the riders’ individuals? Or do they represent a “force” that is unleashed upon the world

• 
  

MAN OR MOVEMENT?

For example, the Rider on the White Horse: This horsemen represents either an individual leader, a ruler, whose rise in the ranks like Napoleon Bonaparte did during the French Revolution (the world after the rapture will be a most opportune time for deception (2 Thess 2:9-11), which means he will conquer politically by flattery, lies, and thru a false peace (Dan 9:27, 11:21), but it will be a façade quickly undone. OR it could represent a “force of peace” as John MacArthur believes it “symbolizes the deceptive short-lived world peace. The rider and the horse is not a particular individual, but a force, the force of peace. It’ll feature many false deliverers, many false messiahs led by the ultimate false messiah, the Antichrist, the ultimate false christ, the supreme human tool of Satan.”

If we were to compare the present state of world lurching in Hegelian fashion towards a progressive, Marxist, dystopia) versus the populist movements who are desperately seeking a savior, it seems the latter may provide the fertile fields from whence a man of the people could arise:

From Ken Ortize: “What America needs is not a political or social reformation, as much as a spiritual reformation. What we need is not just a return to prosperity, but a return to faith and the fear of God. As Jesus warned, " What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36) --Jesus left us a warning: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. The final condition of that man is worse than the first.” [Luke 11:24,25 NASB] If conservatives succeed in pushing progressives out of power, our house may be swept and put in order; but without a spiritual awakening, the change will be temporary, and the final condition... worse than the first; for our faith will be in "a man", not in God! All the underlying problems will remain: We will continue to drift into sinful rebellion against God, while being unaware because the economy prospers. 

• It would seem that a movement is what it begins as (Dan 2:42-43, 7:23-26), and a Man rises up amongst in its ranks (Little Horn- Daniel 8:23-26, 9:27)

• A Man can be both the Movement and the Personification of that Movement: (ex. Adolph Hitler was the face of the Third Reich)

WRT The Living Creatures:

o   (Living Creatures) A tetramorph is a symbolic representation of Matthew (Lion), Mark (Ox), Luke (Man), and John (Eagle) through the imagery of four creatures

Rider on the White Horse (Rallies the movement) [This begins the 70th Week’s Clock) 

o   First Living Creature (The Lion) (AC mimicking Jesus) [Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah-chapter 5:]

o   Deception/false peace

o   Crown (Stephanos-not a crown earned, but an honorary crown given)

[Only Jesus wears the diadem]

o   Bow without arrows- symbolizes peace- he conquers through deception

o   Read: Dan 8:23-26

o   Note that it is NOT Jesus.

o   Jesus opens the seal, He cannot be the one comes out of the thing He opens

o   In all instances where Jesus has a weapon, it’s a sword, not a bow

o   The first thing Jesus warns of in Matt 24, is not to be deceived. Matthew 24:5, Jesus says, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."

o   Force for deception

o   Personification: Man of Lawlessness, Son of Perdition, The Antichrist

o   Adolph H was the personification of the Third Reich

Rider on the Red Horse (enforces agenda)

o   Second Living Creature (Ox-could represent strength a/o sacrifice)

o   Large Sword: Violence/bloodshed

o   Force for war/bloodshed

o   Personification: Man of War, The Assyrian, a General?

o   Every powerful leader has a competent ‘man of war’ to lead his armies

Rider on the Black Horse (controls economy)

o   Third Living Creature: Man (could signal intelligence or understanding- most famines and scarcities are caused by man’s mismanagement of resources, hoarding, war, greed, etc.)

o   Famine

o   Force for obedience (uses hunger and scarcity)

o   Personification: Banker/Asset Manager (think BlackRock)

o   Denarius-was daily standard wage- people will work all day just to feed themselves,

Oil and wine were luxuries only the wealthy could afford

o   Minister of Economics?

o   Great Depression (1929-39)

o   Unemployment 25%

o   US/global trade collapsed

o   Poverty, widespread hunger, and political extremism

o   Hyperinflation in Weimar, Germany (1921-23)

o   2008 Global Financial Crisis

Rider on the Pale Horse (Depopulation?)

o   Fourth Living Creature: Eagle (could represent the speed and swiftness for which death happens)

o   Death and Hell

o   Force for punishment

o   Personification: Scientist? Doctor? Bill Gates?

o   Death and Hell mentioned 3 times together: Rev 1:18, 6:8, 20:14

o   Black Death (1347-1351) 200M deaths (30% of Europe’s population)

o   Spanish Flu (1918-19) 50-100M

o   HIV/AIDs- 1981-Present) 40M

Chapter 10

The Lord Jesus Christ or Michael the Archangel?