In the Footsteps of John: Walking through the Book of Revelation with John the Revelator

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Winfred Stanley
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c Ezekiel 28:19 Never shalt thou be The Devil s destiny is that he will be completely put out of existence What a relief to know that soon the tormenter will be gone forever Study Question 20 How can

1 c Ezekiel 28:19 Never shalt thou be The Devil s destiny is that he will be completely put out of existence What a relief to know that soon the tormenter will be gone forever Study Question 20 How can we defeat the Adversary? Revelation 12:11 a By the of the b By the of our c By being willing to rather than knowingly dishonour God Homework: Read James 4:7-9 for other helpful counsel on how to defeat Satan Study Question 21 In the light of Jesus matchless love for you right now and His blessed invitation of Revelation 22:17 for you to come be His child, will you decide to a ask Jesus to control your life, and b bear testimony to others of His love and power, and c consider your relationship with Jesus a matter of life and death? Program 3 - Page 12 In the Footsteps of John: Walking through the Book of Revelation with John the Revelator wwwlrhartleycom/john Program 3: Revelation's Adversary Ways of Interpreting Revelation As every reader of the Bible knows, the books of Daniel and Revelation are written largely in symbols Bible students, consequently, describe them as apocalyptic prophecy to distinguish from straightforward classical prophecy, such as we find in the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament In these two apocalyptic books God reveals the sweep of the moral controversy which has convulsed our planet, focusing on the ultimate victory of His cause and the final doom of the forces of evil Historical Method of Interpretation Your seminar author has followed the historical method of prophetic interpretation to explain the symbols and their meaning Sometimes this approach is called the historicist method or the continuous historical method The historicist method accepts the assumption that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are intended to unfold and to find fulfillment in historical time in the span between the prophets Daniel and John respectively and the final establishment of God's eternal kingdom The year-day principle (one symbolic day = one literal year) is an integral part of this method inasmuch as it functions to unroll the symbolic time periods so that we are able to locate the predicted events along the highway of history Jesus used the historicist method for interpreting Daniel when He announced, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15) Program 3 - Page 1

2 In this affirmation of prophetic fulfillment He alluded to Daniel's 70 week prophecy (Dan 9:24-27) which foretold the appearance of the Messiah Near the close of His life Jesus again referred to the same prophecy This time, however, He pointed to another aspect: to "the prince that [should] come [and should] destroy the city and the sanctuary" (v 26; see Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20) These events were to take place after His death and ascension Their historical fulfillment occurred in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in AD 70 The Protestant reformers likewise employed the historicist method On this basis they concluded that the Papacy was the focus of several of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation Preterist and Futurist Methods of Interpretation Sixteenth century Protestant interpretations of Daniel and Revelation shook the Roman Catholic Church In response the Catholic Counter- Reformation introduced the initial arguments for two different systems of prophetic interpretation: preterism and futurism These moves served to deflect the accusing finger of prophecy away from the papal system Preterism (from the Latin, praeter, meaning "past") argued that these prophetic books met their fulfillment in the pre-christian past or early centuries of the Christian era Preterism eventually penetrated Protestant thought in the late eighteenth century and became the standard view of liberal Protestantism Today, standard historical-critical scholarship places the composition of Daniel in the second century BC and sees its alleged prophecies as reflecting the person and times of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king of Syria The book of Revelation is restricted to a Roman setting in the first centuries of the Christian era Futurism entered Protestant ranks in the first quarter of the nineteenth b Acts 17:11 I must submit all new light to the scrutiny of the c John 7:17 If I am willing to do Jesus will I will know of the doctrine (teaching) whether it of d 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 I must receive a love of the Be careful what you believe Life and death are involved Satan s masterful misuse of Scripture is destroying millions Check every belief carefully by the Word of God Study Question 17 What dangerous animal is Satan like today? 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:12 A because he knows his time is Satan realises that time is very short How tragic that so few people on earth realise the same Part 4 The Foe s Final Fate Study Question 18 Where will Satan finally be placed? Revelation In the lake of and Study Question 19 What will the fire do to him and with what result? a Ezekiel 28:18 It will turn him into b Hebrews 2:14 He will be by Jesus Program 3 - Page 2 Program 3 - Page 11

3 working Study Question 13 How effective are his miracles in deceiving people? a Matthew 24:24 If it were they would the very b Matthew 7:21-13 So effective that on judgment day many will think they are until Jesus tells them they are Study Question 14 Would Satan ever quote Scripture to deceive? Matthew 4:1, 5, 6 Yes, he would He even quoted Scripture when tempting Misuse of Scripture is often Satan s most formidable weapon century The most prominent form of futurist interpretation today places the fulfillment of the bulk of Revelation (other than chapters 1-3) in a three and one-half year period of tribulation at the end of the age, commencing with a secret rapture of the church to heaven The seventieth week of the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 is detached from its setting and relocated as the last seven years of the world Many conservative Protestants have adopted futurism (with additions and variations) as their standard system for interpreting the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation Rome shrewdly knew that a change in the method of interpretation would lead inevitably to a change in conclusions It is easy to see that both preterism and futurism direct the prophetic spotlight away from Rome and her activities Preterism and present-day historical critical studies place all fulfillments in the past Futurism defers the fulfillment of the bulk of Revelation to a future point - at the end of the world after an alleged secret rapture (Historical-critical scholars also regard Daniel 11:40-45 as a prophecy that failed to materialize) Study Question 15 Who is Satan infuriated with in these last days? Revelation 12:17 a Those who keep the of b And have the of Jesus Christ Study Question 16 How can I be certain that Satan will not deceive me? a Isaiah 8:20 I must check my religion by the and (A phrase referring to the Word of God) Program 3 - Page 10 Program 3 - Page 3

4 Your seminar author is a proponent of the historicist method of interpreting Daniel and Revelation and is using it in this series, firstly because it makes good sense, secondly because it reveals God s unerring accuracy, and thirdly because it was the method used by Christ, the Gospel writers, Paul the Apostle and the Reformers There are a number of other methods of interpretation that are outside the scope of this seminar A brief review of the Book of Revelation quickly reveals several crucial points: 1 A terrifying, deadly, organized conflict is taking place, on this earth between good and evil 2 Jesus, the Son of God, powerfully leads the forces of good with love, courage, wisdom, kindness, patience, integrity, gentleness, serenity, sympathy, compassion, tact and geniality His leadership style is one of concern and fair-play for even His worst enemies He is worthy of our worship because He is our creator and our Redeemer 3 An adversary, on the other hand, leads the forces of evil in relentless, devastating assaults upon Jesus and His people According to the book of Revelation, that adversary, the antagonist in the drama, is the devil and Satan As a leader, he is unbelievably militant, crass, venomous, heartless, hateful and unscrupulous, yet, incredible as it may seem, He also, asks for our worship In this study we will consider shocking facts about the Devil which will doubtless astound you Remember that he is our bitterest enemy He is dead serious about destroying every one of us; and unless we are aware of his characteristics and strategy, the odds are very great that he will ensnare and ruin us, or else we will be duped into worshipping him We were created, in the beginning, with the desire to worship The truth is that all of us worship something With some it may be our own opinions or our assets We give homage to Satan when we permit anything, other than Jesus, to have first place in our lives The shocking, sobering facts are that every person on this planet is, this very day, either worshipping Jesus or giving homage to Satan Many pay homage to Satan innocently They would turn from him in disgust were his evil strategies exposed The central purpose of today s study is to expose the archenemy and to uplift Jesus, our Redeemer Program 3 - Page 4 e Revelation 2:13 He or God s people f Revelation12:12, 17 He is very with the who do God s will g John 8:44 He was a from the beginning he is a and the of it Part 3 Exposing Satan s Strategy Study Question 11 What amazing two-fold warning does God give of Satan s most effective deception strategies 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 a Verse 14 Satan appears as an of b Verse 15 His ministers appear as of Satan seldom poses as an evil one, but rather as a warm, loving friend or Christian worker He thus deceives the unwary by the millions In this guise he is at his most damaging, evil worst Satan usually does not work openly Rather, he works through human agents whom he can willingly or unwillingly even unbeknown to them use or manipulate (see Ephesians 6:12) Study Question 12 Can Satan really work miracles or does he only appear to do so? Revelation 16:23, 14; 2 Thessalonians 2:9 They are the of Program 3 - Page 9

5 and of thy was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created The point here is that Lucifer was a fabulous singer and musician d Verse 15 Thou wast The myth that Satan is a strange mixture of half beast/half man has caused thinking people everywhere to deny his existence Thus they become easy prey to his brilliant deceptions Study Question 9 What caused Lucifer s fall? a Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty In other words, he was b Isaiah 14:12-14 Pride and self-exultation caused him to decide that he would be like the Lucifer wanted to rise above and rule others, even God Jesus, on the other hand, took on the humble form of man and became a servant The lesson is clear: to serve and love and give is to be like Jesus; to insist that others serve us and to force and covet and grab is to be like Satan All of us will be on one side or the other Study Question 10 What strategies and characteristics of Satan are revealed by John? a Revelation 12:13 He God s people b Revelation 12:9; 20:8, 10 He c Revelation 12:10 He is an of the (See, for example, the first few chapters of the book of Job) d Revelation 2:10 He puts God s people in Program 3 - Page 8 Part 1: Aliases of the Enemy Study Question Study Question 1 - What are the names or titles applied to Revelation s Adversary in the Book of Revelation? a Revelation 2:10 b Revelation 12:9 c Revelation 12:9 d Revelation 12:9 e Revelation 12:10 Satan is specifically mentioned 55 times in the book of Revelation In addition, he is referred to indirectly, scores of times, as he works through his agents to destroy God s work and His people Satan means adversary or enemv Devil means slanderer Study Question 2 Where did the Devil come from? Revelation 12:7-9 Study Question 3 Why did he leave Heaven? Revelation 12:7-9, 2 Peter 2:4 He was had Program 3 - Page 5 out into the earth ; because he Study Question 4 Who were cast out with him? Revelation 12:7-10

6 Study Question 5 How many angels were cast out with him? Revelation 12:7-10 of the It is assuring to know that there are two good angels for every evil one, and Revelation 5:11 and Daniel 7:10 indicate that there are billions of angels It all fits together when we note how the Bible comments on the subject: Job 38:7 says the morning stars, or angels, sang together at the time of creation Rev 12:3,4 shows that one third of them fell with Satan 2 Peter 2:4 confirms that God did not spare the angels who sinned (This means that God did not let this rebellion stand He judged and punished these fallen angels Some translations say they went to hell Specifically, Peter uses the Greek word Tartarus, which was a part of the Greek underworld This is somewhat different from the other biblical references to hell, though it shares a close relation Peter says that these angels remain there, being held in chains, or pits, of darkness until God is ready to fully judge them for their sin) Jude 6 confirms that angels did fall Just think of it! One third of heaven s angels were deceived by Satan! He has incredible power to deceive and convince He who deceived the angels can much more easily deceive people We must never forget that staying close to Jesus is our only safety Study Question 6 What was the origin of the angels, including Satan? Colossians 1:16 They were by Think of it Both Jesus and the angel who became Satan lived in Heaven before the creation of this world Since Jesus created everything, He also Program 3 - Page 6 of created the angel who introduced sin into the universe Doubtless, the two loved each other deeply at one time How it must have torn at Jesus heart to see rebellion and sin begin and develop in the heart of this great angel till it was necessary to oust him from Heaven And sin is still the same today It always brings separation from God, heartache, sorrow and woe Study Question 7 What was Satan doing in Heaven before his fall, and what was his name? a Isaiah 14:12 His name was b Ezekiel 28:14; Psalm 80:1 He was a covering In these passages of Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, Satan depicted under the figure of the prince of Tyre and the king Babylon The imagery transcends a mere local application these two rulers What we see reflected in these heathen powers are the characteristics of their real king, Satan According to Psalm 80 verse 1, Gods throne is located between two cherubim (angels) One stands on each side in a position of highest honour and trust Lucifer was one of these cherubim before he fell Contrary to Scripture, in the art of the Renaissance, cherubim (singular: cherub) were depicted as chubby babies with wings Part 2 The Lustre of Lucifer Study Question 8 How does the Bible describe Lucifer before his fall? Ezekiel 28:12-17 a Verse 12 Full of, perfect in b Verse 13 Every precious was thy covering (In one of my seminars one attendee asked if Lucifer would have had more sparkles than Liberace!) c Verse 13 The workmanship of thy tabrets [timbrels or tambourines] Program 3 - Page 7

In much of the world, Satan is a joke, or myth and to be forgotten in more mature religious thought. People think of him like this picture:

In much of the world, Satan is a joke, or myth and to be forgotten in more mature religious thought. People think of him like this picture: This view of Satan is wrong but he likes this as it makes his