! Revelatin 1:1-7 Intr (rise fr reading prayer) As prmised, tnight we begin ur study f the great bk f Revelatin We ll begin with Jhn s intrductin f the Revelatin t his readers But first, a quick verview f the bk itself Basic prphetic histry: Church Age (ending with the rapture) Seven-Year Perid f Judgment First 3 ½ years Secnd 3 ½ years Millennial Kingdm Eternal Age (new heaven and earth) Revelatin recrd: Church Age: Chapters 1-3 (2,3 specifically) Seven-Year Perid f Judgment First Half: Chapters 4-11 Secnd Half: Chapters 12-19 Millennial Kingdm: Chapter 20 Eternal Age: Chapter 21-22 Reminder befre we begin: Understanding what is t cme is part f truly wrshiping f Jesus Testimny: Amunt f Biblical prphecy Matthew 24,25 Revelatin Nt an ptin We wrship One wh was, wh is, and wh is t cme But it s als nt the nly thing! (1:1a) Revelatin is the wrd apcalypse, which means unveiling r uncvering The Revelatin is therefre meant t make things knwn, plain and understd It s nt meant t sw cnfusin» we ll lk at it as plainly, literally and scientifically as pssible It is the revelatin f Jesus Christ Ultimately this bk shuld give us a clearer view f Jesus It s als the revelatin that Jesus is giving t us This revelatin is given the bndservants f Jesus Nt t the wrld T the peple f the Wrd This revelatin is given t shw his bndservants what must sn take place Sn (just like the time is near in verse 3) means that when it happens, it will happen quickly And it als keeps us n ur tes in a hpeful manner! (1:1b) Jhn will have an angelic tur guide fr Revelatin (like any gd tur f Israel, etc.)
! Jesus will appear many times in the Revelatin
The angel was dispatched t Jhn This is the last f the disciples Nw ~ 100 A.D. Jhn had written: Gspel 1,2,3 Jhn (1:2a) Jhn writes as an actual eyewitness He saw theses events and wrte f them as thugh writing f histry Frm Gd s perspective (utside f time) it is as histrical as is Genesis, Exdus, etc. (1:2b) Jhn knew that what he was writing was Scripture He was cmmissined and cmmanded t write this It was n par with the Old Testament It was n par with what had already been written and established f the New Testament It will cmplete the written Wrd f Gd (22:18,19) Equal t thus saith the Lrd It is the pure, undefiled testimny f Jesus Christ (1:3) This is a letter designed t be read publically t the believing cngregatins The pastr wuld read The cngregatin wuld hear There is a blessing prmised fr thse wh read the very wrds f this prphecy (nt just the ideas) There is a blessing prmised t thse wh take this prphecy t heart Because the time is near There are sbering, hrrible things aft in Revelatin We shuld live s as t prevent such things We shuld desire earnestly t see peple saved frm such things (1:4a) Jhn identifies himself simply by his name, nt by his apstleship He s seen Jesus in His glry. That ll keep yu humble He identifies his audience, which are 7 churches in the Rman prvince f Asia (tday lcated in western Turkey) (1:4b-5a) Grace and peace is a greeting custmarily assciated by Paul with Gd the Father and Gd the Sn, but here Jhn includes all members f the Trinity Gd the Father: him wh is, and wh was, and wh is t cme This is as clse as Jhn can get in Greek t the NAME in Exdus 3:14 I AM WHO I AM (Jehvah, Yahweh) Gd the Hly Spirit This culd als be translated as the Sevenfld Spirit Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit f the Lrd will rest n him [Messiah] the Spirit f wisdm and f understanding, the Spirit f cunsel and f pwer, the Spirit f knwledge and f the fear f the Lrd Already the secnd 7 f Revelatin Significant number
! Cmpleteness Creatin Redemptin (Ruth & Baz) Gd the Sn, Jesus Christ, abut whse deity there is much t see in Revelatin
(1:5b) Jesus is the faithful witness Witness is frm the Greek wrd martus (ur martyr) Became synnymus with dying withut breaking faith with the testimny t what is true Because f the early Christians Because f Jesus Jesus is the firstbrn frm the dead Firstbrn desn t mean that Jesus had a birth date It means He is withut equal and first in pririty It als means that He was the first human being t experience resurrected, eternal life Meaning that He is the surce fr all f the resurrectins t eternal life that are yet t cme! Jesus is the chief f the kings f the earth He is King f Kings and Lrd f Lrds Revelatin 19:16 Hw Revelatin has changed Jhn s understanding f his Savir! (1:5c-6) Nw just thinking abut Jesus causes Jhn t erupt int wnderful, spntaneus (and inspired!) praise f Jesus Jesus lved us (past tense) 1 Jhn 3:16 This is hw we knw what lve is: Jesus Christ laid dwn his life fr us He lved us when we were unclean and His enemies Rmans 5:8 But Gd demnstrates his wn lve fr us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died fr us His lve fr yu and me is prven and histrical It desn t mve r change It isn t subject t yu r yur life Lk t what is stable and prven (carrier versus replenishment ship) Then Jesus freed us frm ur sins by His bld He is the authr f ur relatinship (his and mine) It is His bld that paid the price It is His bld that makes us clean and wrthy f Heaven And t tp it all ff, Jesus has made us kings and priests t serve Gd! What an incredible psitin we have in Christ! We are made Gd s sns and daughters (Jhn 1:12) We are made kings and priests Kings gverned, and priests represented men t Gd and Gd t men Jhn has already seen the Revelatin He has seen the administratin f the Millennial Kingdm and beynd, and ur place in it He has seen that we will lead the earth in wrship f her rightful King and Lrd He has seen that we have been taken frm the cesspl, have been cleaned and have been made ryalty Hw exalted is the destiny f thse wh truly fllw Jesus!
! Hw great is the One wh makes such a destiny pssible! Wh is like Him?! Indeed, t Him be glry and pwer fr ever and ever! Amen!
(1:7) Final Nw inspired, see hw easily and seamlessly Jhn merges the Old and New Testament prphesies! Matthew 24:26,27 [Jesus] S if anyne tells yu, There he is, ut in the desert, d nt g ut; r, Here he is, in the inner rms, d nt believe it. Fr as lightning that cmes frm the east is visible even in the west, s will be the cming f the Sn f Man Acts 1:9-11 After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up befre their very eyes, and a clud hid him frm their sight. They were lking intently up int the sky as he was g ing, when suddenly tw men dressed in white std beside them. Men f Galilee, they said, why d yu stand here lking int the sky? This same Jesus, wh has been taken frm yu int heaven, will cme back in the same way yu have seen him g int heaven Matthew 24:30 [Jesus] At that time the sign f the Sn f Man will appear in the sky, and all the natins f the earth will murn. They will see the Sn f Man cming n the cluds f the sky, with pwer and great glry Daniel 7:13,14 [Daniel] In my visin at night I lked, and there befre me was ne like a sn f man, cming with the cluds f heaven. He apprached the Ancient f Days and was led int his presence. He was given authrity, glry and svereign pwer; all peples, natins and men f every language wrshiped him. His dminin is an everlasting dminin that will nt pass away, and his kingdm is ne that will never be destryed Zechariah 12:10 [Gd] And I will pur ut n the huse f David and the inhabitants f Jerusalem a spirit f grace and supplicatin. They will lk n me, the ne they have pierced, and they will murn fr him as ne murns fr an nly child, and grieve bitterly fr him as ne grieves fr a firstbrn sn Jhn s cnclusin f praise and inspiratin? S shall it be. Make it s! This is a great spt t end ur first study in Revelatin Lk at what the Revelatin has dne t Jhn He is fcused n Jesus He is in awe f Jesus In awe f His majesty In awe f His pwer In awe f His eternity In awe f His destiny In awe f ur destiny in Him This needs t be the end result f any study f the Revelatin Nt in awe f angels r demns beasts r dragns trumpets, seals and judgments It is the Revelatin f Jesus Christ Jhn had knwn Him well Jhn had seen Him resurrected Jhn had seen Him ascend int heaven Jhn had served Him faithfully fr ver 6 decades But nw he s seen Him as He really is! An ld man n the small island f Patms is bursting at the seams with wrship, gratitude and amazement
I hpe that s in stre fr all f us as we jurney thrugh the Revelatin Prayer Q&A (???)