Today starts our study of the last book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation. I’ll have to be honest, it is with a bit of trepidation that I approach this book in God’s Word. It’s not that I’m afraid of it, I think it’s just the overall reputation the book has. I think the devil has done a great job at sowing confusion and misunderstanding regarding Revelation and that in turn does a good job of keeping people away from it. I can’t think of any other book in God’s Word that intimidates people more than Revelation. In general, most people think of Revelation as difficult, confusing, unorderly, or even as a fairy-tale like book. I’ve been through an intense personal study of Revelation using a very good study commentary and I was surprised to find it to be one of the most orderly, outlined, rhythmic books in all of God’s Word. In fact, what would you expect from a book that is entirely given to John directly from Jesus Christ? We serve a God of amazing order and rhythm and I expect nothing less in His Word. Stop for a minute and just reflect on the order and rhythm of the heavens. The planets and the stars are a beautiful symphony of rotations and revolutions silently and elegantly spinning and moving in perfect pre-determined orbital paths. This celestial pattern seems deceptively simple in its execution, yet in its deceptive simplicity, it holds the delicate keys to life. Did you know that the planet Earth sits at a steady 23.4 degrees tilt on its axis and that if it were to change just a few degrees the seasons would halt and all life on this planet would die? A few degrees. God has a specific order and balance to everything and His Holy Word is no different.
Today I’m going to do something a little different and instead of launching right into chapter 1 of Revelation, I’m going to spend some time walking us through an overview and an outline of the book. My goal is to provide us with an amazing picture of the order, structure and purpose of the book so we can shed any pre-conceived ideas about the book and its supposed difficulty. Of course like any book in God’s Word we will depend fully upon the Holy Spirit. He will ensure that we can understand what God has written. One of my favorite sayings is “you need God to understand God” and this rings especially true with the book of Revelation.
First and foremost, before we delve into the book of Revelation, we should bathe the study in prayer. You pray for me as I write this study and I’ll pray for you that God blesses a new deeper level of understanding and comprehension of this amazing book.
So let’s start with a brief overview of the book. Why was it written? Why does it sit here as the 66th and final book in God’s Word? Well, I’ve always heard the saying concerning planning that “if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time” and folks, we serve a God that is a planner to the extreme. He has a plan for us, He sent Jesus to fulfill a specific plan, and yes, He even has a plan for the end of this world as we know it. Why would He not? The one funny thing about Revelation to me is that He decided to even include it for us. I mean this is information we really don’t even need to be privy of, but He included it in His Word so we can know. The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to reveal the plan of how Jesus will usher in the end times. In fact, that's what revelation means, to "reveal" or "unveil." Everything comes to an end and this planet and its inhabitants are no different. The book of Revelation is simply Jesus revealing His end plan to John who wrote it down.
An important note for us is how we read the book of Revelation. In fact it should really be how we read the entire Bible. When we read God’s Word, we should “read only the parts in black.” That’s a funny saying I heard years ago and it means we should only read what’s printed on the page and nothing more. Don't read what's not there, don't read between the lines, and don't insert your own words in black. It’s amazing that 10 different people can read the same passage and get 10 different meanings. Folks, God’s Word is not meant for us to interpret it any ol’ way that we like. It’s not some weird fairy tale that needs us to come along and finally interpret it correctly after 4000 years in existence. We are not a gift to God’s Word, and we do not have the luxury to extract personal interpretations from it. (2 Peter 1:20) We should consult the Holy Spirit first through prayer and then if needed, a Godly teacher or study guide, but we don’t read it and just draw our own wild conclusions. This happens more in the book of Revelation that any other book in scripture. People jump into some of the difficult passages that they don’t understand and then draw out crazy ideas as to its meaning and then sow those ideas to others. It’s like the telephone game. It starts out truth and by the end it is an absolutely twisted (although sometimes funny) falseity of the truth. This is very important to consider as we study the book of Revelation. Jesus instructed John to “write down what you see” 12 different times, and he did. Read it as that and only that. Words given directly to a man by Jesus.
Within the plan and outline, the book of Revelation is different in many ways from all other books in God’s Word. Let’s look at 6 singular features that sets aside the book of Revelation.
1) It is the only prophetic book in the New Testament. There are 17 prophetic books in the Old Testament.
2) John reaches father into the past and father into the future than any other writer in God’s Word. He moves from the beginning in John 1:1, to creation in John 1:3 and then deep into eternity in Revelation.
3) There is a special blessing promised with the reading and hearing of the book of Revelation and it is stated within the book. No other book within God’s Word has this. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near.” (Rev 1:3)
4) There is a warning given within the book to any who might tamper with the contents of this book. This should be a dire warning to those that misinterpret or malign Revelation. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19)
5) It is a series of visions expressed in symbols which deal in reality. What John saw was real and he wrote it down according to the instructions given him by Jesus. In fact, many times he was so awed by what he saw, Jesus had to remind him to keep writing! (Rev 21:5)
6) Revelation is basically a ‘hub’ of prophecy, it does not originate anything. Rather it consummates or concludes prophecy which has begun elsewhere. There are over 500 references to the Old Testament within Revelation. Out of the 404 verses in the book, 278 refer to the Old Testament. It marries prophecy in a way that no other book does.
It’s also important to note that the book of Revelation has a very clear outline. In fact it's alarming in its order. What most think to be a random, scattered book is by far the most orderly in God’s Word. I think this is indicative of where it comes from. All scripture is God breathed and was written by men as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21) So you have inspiration from God given to men through the Holy Spirit and then written by the men. In this book, Jesus comes to John and gives him the book directly. For most of the book John was brought into heaven so that he could personally witness it and write it all down. I think that the things of God are impossible for men to understand and God saw the need for John to witness these things personally and then simply write down what he saw. I know that I’m a very visual learner and I need to see and do rather than just hear. John got to see and hear directly alongside Jesus. I think this direct messaging from Jesus and the personal observation of John brings about the amazing outline of order we see in Revelation.
The book has 3 distinct divisions within its 22 chapters.
1) The person of Jesus Christ – chapter 1
2) The possession of Jesus Christ – chapters 2-3
3) The program of Jesus Christ – chapter 4-22
What will really amaze you is the sub-points that fall under these 3 main headings. Can you say 7? Yep, 7’s. The number of completion in God’s Word is 7 and the book of Revelation is completing God’s plan, so do you think that the number 7 shows up in Revelation? Does it ever. Check this out.
1) Under division one, the person of Christ in chapter 1, we see 7 main points.
2) Under division two, the possession of Christ in chapter 2, we find Jesus judging the 7 churches.
3) Under division 3, the program of Jesus, chapters 4-22, we find a host of 7’s. The great tribulation is 7 years. The 7 seals upon the book are opened resulting in the 7 judgements. The blowing of the 7 trumpets result in the 7 plagues. There are 7 characters during the great tribulation. The 7 bowls of judgement which bring the 7 wraths of God.
Wow, there is tremendous order here. A three point outline supported by subpoints that are supported by 7 points each. And it should not surprise us, we serve a God of order. I would expect nothing less from Jesus. I bet He was very neat as a kid.
As we wrap up our introduction to the book of Revelation, I would like to add a comment on it as well as the entirety of God’s Word. The purpose of it all can be summed up in one word….Jesus. The beautiful, awe-inspiring, name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Folks, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about anti-christs, judgements, and beasts from the sea, but Jesus Christ. All of God’s Word including Revelation consistently points us to the holiness of Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God sent Jesus here to this planet to save you and for me from the death of our sin. This is not some big religious or church movement, God wants us to know His Son personally, pure and simple. Do you know Jesus personally? Do you walk with Him and talk with Him? Do you know of His amazing grace and love for you? Do you cast your cares and anxieties upon His able shoulders? My friends there is nothing that has ever been done for mankind like the gift of God placing His only Son Jesus upon the cross. That is what God’s Word is all about and that in a nutshell is what Revelation is all about. My goal is for us to have a great study of the book of Revelation, all the while keeping our ship firmly pointed in the direction of Jesus Christ.
Join me tomorrow as we start out the great book of Revelation with chapter 1.
God bless you all, if you’re reading this you’re being prayed for.
photo ~ Botanical Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
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