Revelation – Last Days Living Introduction to Revelation Revelation 1:1-3 Message #1 of 22 – S727

Sermon given on February 19, 2017

Sunday Morning Service

Pastor Rick Lancaster

Introduction to Revelation Revelation 1:1-3 Opening Comments

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Turn to Revelation We begin a new series: Last Days Living I am excited to begin this study through the last book of the Bible Not everyone has the same opinion about this book I even know of some churches that avoid this book entirely There is no question that this book is not the easiest book to interpret But that is not a good reason to avoid it Especially, as we will see in our text today, that there is a blessing promised to those who read, hear, and heed what is written here Today is going to serve as an introduction into the book Before we begin, it is important to understand that I am not an expert on this book, or on prophecy, or on the end times This will be the fourth time I have taught through Revelation, third in the church and once in Indonesia As we go through this series I will let you know about resources that are available that can help you if you want to go deeper than we will be able to on a Sunday morning Also, there are several ways to teach through the book of Revelation, some broad covering all the different viewpoints, and styles of interpretation I intend to take a narrower approach, I am going to focus on the message of Revelation, and leave the other things for other venues Pastor Randy shared about world events that point to prophecies in the Bible The world stage is being set for the last parts of God’s plan of redemption Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and it tells us of things that will happen at the end of things Wycliffe Bible Commentary

It is not only the last book in the canonical arrangement of the Bible, but it is the necessary conclusion to God’s revelation to men.

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 The closer we get to the fulfillment of those prophecies, the better we should understand what they mean, and how we should live in light of those things  Every word in the Bible is about God revealing Himself to His creation – Revelation is no different  That’s exactly what I am hoping to accomplish through this study  Let’s pray now and then get into our text  Pray Teaching

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Introduction to Revelation Let’s begin Revelation 1:1a The first word in the Greek was the word we translate as ‘revelation’ The Greek word is transliterated as ‘apocalypse’ – which we often mistakenly define to mean the end of the world The very first word of the letter tells us what the purpose of the letter is; revelation – to reveal or unveil And the next words tell us the subject of that revelation: Jesus Christ Jesus is the key to understanding the book of Revelation I will be using the following outline for the book which describes how Jesus is revealed Revelation 1 – The glorified, risen Savior Revelation 2-3 – The Lord of the Church Revelation 4-5 – The Lamb of God Revelation 6-11 – The Judge of all mankind Revelation 12-13 – The miracle-born male Child Revelation 14-19 – The coming King Revelation 20-22 – The Lord of heaven and earth We will refer back to this outline as we go through this study The next phrase ‘which God gave Him to show His servants’ God the Father directed Jesus to reveal these things to God’s servants I think that is interesting – it doesn’t say it is revealed to God’s people, but to God’s servants, which implies that even within the church that not everyone fully appreciates this Revelation of Jesus

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 And my experience within the church proves that out  Jesus said the same thing regarding the usage of parables to teach people Matthew 13:11-13 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

 Jesus gives abundantly to those who have surrendered their life to Him  If you want more from God as you through his Word, give more of yourself to Him  This brings us to one of the main reasons why I have taught this book more than any other  ‘things which must shortly take place’  The things that this book predicts ‘must shortly take place’  ‘shortly’ uses the word that we use to create the word ‘tachometer’  When these things happen they will take place with suddenness, unexpectedly  Referring to the immanence of Christ’s Second Coming  Before Jesus left, He told His disciples that He was coming back  From the moment Jesus left, the church has been looking for His return  John wrote those words almost two thousand years ago  Every generation since Jesus ascended to heaven expects Jesus to come back for them  We teach prophecy and especially the book of Revelation to prepare each generation for Christ’s Second Coming  Jesus is coming again, and when he does it will be sudden and unexpected, so we must be ready now, for He could come at any moment  Next we are introduced to the human vehicle of the Revelation  Revelation 1:1a-2  This John is the apostle John, also wrote the Gospel of John as well as the three epistles of John  He is the last living of the disciples of Christ, the original Twelve 2/20/2017

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 In verse 9 we read that John received this revelation while on the Island of Patmos  He had been exiled there by the Roman Emperor Domitian in the midnineties AD  Domitian was responsible for a great wave of persecution toward Christians, because they refused to worship him as god  Insisted people refer to him as ‘Lord and God’  John was exiled because he wouldn’t do that and continued to teach that Jesus was the only true Lord and God  It was during this time of persecution, of isolation, of suffering for doing what was right and good that John was given the Revelation of Jesus  Such is always the case – during our times of persecution in the name of Christ, or isolation, or suffering, we often get the greatest revelations as to the person and ministry of Christ  It is often during our most difficult times that Jesus becomes more real to us  It was to just such a time that the Revelation came to John  The book of Revelation is his testimony of the things he was shown regarding the Second Coming of Christ  There are many things that make the Revelation unique in Scripture and the next verse is one of those things  Revelation 1:3  The Revelation is the only book in Scripture that promises a blessing like this  Threefold conduit to this blessing  ‘he who reads’ – In John’s time, written Scriptures were not common  People didn’t come to church with their Bibles, weren’t any yet – someone would read the Scripture out loud to the congregation  One of the reasons I teach Revelation is so that I can receive the blessing of reading  Now, everyone can receive that blessing themselves  ‘those who hear’ – implies listening for the goal of understanding

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 That is the blessing I am hoping to impart to you as we go through this study together, that you would grow in understanding of God and His plan  ‘and keep those things which are written’ = affected by the reading because of understanding and responding  For you Bible students, notice the phrase ‘this prophecy’  Both of those words are in the singular – which means this whole book is a singular prophecy  That is important when it comes to the topic of how to interpret what is written here  One last thing before I move into my closing thoughts  Verse three ends with: ‘for the time is near’  ‘the time’ is referring to the time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on the earth  Also referred to as the ‘last days’ or ‘the Day of the Lord’  John was inspired to write that time is ‘near’  Every generation is called to live expecting Jesus to come back during their lifetime  The question is, ‘How should we live as we wait?’  Peter wrote that the reality that Jesus was coming back should cause us to reflect upon how we are living our lives 2 Peter 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

 In this study of Revelation, I have three specific objectives  First – To Glorify God  The Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

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 Our second objective is to Growth in our Faith  As we grow in knowledge of God through His Word, our faith needs to grow with it  Faith being the knowledge God being translated into belief and behavior Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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Our third objective Blessing of Others Turn to Matthew 28 John said that ‘the time is near’ = the time of Christ’s Second Coming That time will be immediately preceded by the wrath of God being poured out on a wicked, God-hating, Christ-rejecting world That will be a time so terrible that there are no human experiences that can be drawn upon to describe it And before that happens, Jesus is going to come and collect His church out of this world Right before Jesus ascended to heaven He commissioned His church Matthew 28:18-20 The ‘end of the age’ is the age we are living in, the time between Christ’s first and second coming Every generation is closer to the end then the generation before, and no generation knows whether or not it will be the last one before Jesus comes The greatest blessing that you can bestow upon anyone is warn them of the danger ahead Jesus was given to this world so that whosoever would believe on Him would escape the judgment that this wicked world deserves ‘the time is near’ Jesus is coming back soon Are you ready? Does your life glorify God? Or are there things in your life that you know God disapproves of? What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes back? Are you growing in faith? What are you doing to grow in knowledge of Jesus and His Word? Can those around you see changes in your faith as your life becomes more like Christ’s life?

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 How deeply do you care that there are people around you who are destined to face God’s judgment? What are you doing to help them to see Jesus and warn them of the danger ahead?  Jesus is coming back, and it could be at any moment  As we study this radical book, let it do a radical work in your heart and life  Until you can say as John does at the very end of this book Revelation 22:20b Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 Let’s pray – Amen Resources

 Styles of Interpretation paper  There are several different styles for interpreting Revelation – we will be using the Futurist style  In the back is a handout describing the different styles, and why I chose the style I will be using  Can also request to have it emailed to you  Book  ‘The End’ by Mark Hitchcock  A very good description of the end times – easy to read – a must-read for all serious study of the events leading up to and following Christ’s Second Coming Final Words

 Announcements  This is the last chance you have to sign up for the Women’s Slumber Party – sign up at the Information Table  Encouragements  Read Revelation 1 before next Sunday  Communion elements – Prayer Team

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Styles of Interpretation Why we chose the futurist style Rick Lancaster | Revelation | February 19, 2017

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There are different styles of interpretation The book of Revelation is a prophetic book (Revelation 1:3). Prophetic books require a different style of interpretation that do other types of books like history (Genesis) or the gospels. Prophetic books look ahead from the perspective of the original writer and audience of the books. They tend to use a lot of symbolism and figurative language. In the sections below we will look at some of the different styles of interpretation. In theology this is called hermeneutics. It is important in the study of any Scripture or book of the Bible that we have a clear idea of the style of interpretation we are using, because it is the style of interpretation that leads us to the natural conclusions of our time of study. In the first section we will examine literal versus symbolic interpretation. Because so much of prophetic books like Revelation use symbolic language, we will need to be able to discern the places where we should use a literal interpretation, and what to do with symbolic language. In the second section we will examine some of the more common styles of interpretation that have developed for handling prophetic books like Revelation. And then we will conclude with an explanation of which method we will be using.

Literal or symbolic? At the very beginning of the book of Revelation is a promise of blessing to those who read, hear, and heed the words of the prophecy. It is implied in that blessing that understanding is possible. The very first word of the book is ‘Revelation’, which means unveiling or revealing. The book of Revelation is meant to be understood. The understanding of Revelation is complicated by the reality that it contains a great deal of symbolism. The question then is, ‘Do you interpret Revelation literally or symbolically?’ The simple answer is, ‘Yes, both.’ Revelation cannot be interpreted only literally or totally symbolically. We must discern what is to be interpreted literally and what should be interpreted symbolically. Follow these five guidelines when interpreting Revelation.

Interpret Revelation Literally Whenever possible we should interpret all Scripture literally. I like the saying, “God said what He meant, and He meant what He said.” Often it is best to take the simple meanings of the words used as the meaning God intended when He inspired the writer to record the words. In taking a literal interpretation we need to watch out for idioms or figures of speech. Every language and culture has sayings that mean something other than what the simple meaning of the words would indicate. In American culture the figure of speech ‘cut to the chase’ means get to the point, or get to the end of the conversation, tell me what you want. In the Bible Jesus uses an idiom in John chapter 11. Word comes to Jesus that His friend Lazarus is sick. Jesus waited a couple of days before telling His disciples that they were going to see Lazarus. Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping and that He was going to wake him up. After His disciples misunderstand what He means He says plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” The apostle Paul also uses the idiom of sleep to describe the death of believers. Interestingly, the idiom is not used for unbelievers. Wherever possible interpret prophecy literally, watching for idioms and figures of speech. Dr. David L. Cooper stated what has come to be known as the “Golden rule of interpretation”. “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word, at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.” 2/20/2017

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Not all prophecies can be taken literally. Prophetic books, like Revelation, make use of symbols. Interpreting symbols is where the prophetic books can become challenging. It takes more effort to interpret symbols. Use the next four guidelines when interpreting symbolic prophecies.

Look for built-in interpretation There is no question that the challenge on understanding Revelation comes from rightly understanding the symbols and symbolic language. Sometimes the meaning of the symbol is given in the text that contains the symbol. One example of that is found in Daniel chapter 2. King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. And in that dream he sees a great statue with a head of gold and four other parts going down the statue. At the end of chapter 2 Daniel is given the meaning of the dream/symbol. The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. The other four elements are four other kingdoms that will follow his. Interestingly, there have only been five great worlddominating kingdoms starting with Babylon, with the Roman Empire being the last. We see this same pattern in some of the parables that Jesus used to illustrate the kingdom of God. Some of the parables included an explanation of the meaning, others did not.

Compare parallel Bible passages While the Bible was penned by some forty different men, they were all inspired to write by the same Spirit. The Holy Spirit moved men to write the words we see recorded as Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because this is true, it is not a surprise to hear that some of the things in Revelation are found in other parts of Scripture. In fact, it has been estimated that of the 404 verses of Revelation, nearly 250 of them are quotes or allusions from the Old Testament. It is through Revelation that all the threads of prophecy in the Bible are woven together into an intense tapestry of God’s plan for the future. Revelation is the 66th book of the Bible. The better we know the other 65, the better will be our understanding of the book of Revelation. An example of this can be found in Revelation 13:1-10 describing the final world ruler before Christ returns. Compare that with Daniel 7:8-25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. Wherever possible let the Bible interpret the meaning of symbols in Scripture.

Be aware of time intervals Most of the Old Testament prophets wrote their prophecies between 400 and 700 years before the birth of Christ. It is clear in their writing that they did not see clearly the time gap between the first and second comings of Christ. In fact, they often combined the two advents into a single event. Even at the time of Christ, this was apparent as the disciples asked Jesus if He was going to establish His kingdom during His first coming (Acts 1:6). An example of this is Zechariah 9:9-10. Verse 9 points to the first advent of Christ, and verse 10 points to His return as King of kings at His second coming. We view the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament. Hundreds of verses in the Old Testament refer to the Messiah coming. Many of them point to His first coming and many to his second coming.

Distinguish between fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecies Because we believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, we believe that every prophecy will be fulfilled in time. A great many of the prophecies of the Old Testament have already been fulfilled. For example Isaiah prophesied more than 100 years before nation of Judah was sent away into captivity that a man named Cyrus would release them from that captivity (Isaiah 44:28, 2 Chronicles 36:22). 2/20/2017

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It is this ability to predict the future with absolute certainty that sets God apart from other socalled ‘gods’. Only God can predict the future, because He alone exists in the future. The Bible records hundreds of fulfilled prophecies. The same God who fulfilled the prophecies in the past is able to fulfill all prophecies that remain to be fulfilled. The book of Revelation makes this fairly simple in that most of the book (chapters 4-22) describe future events. Not everyone believes that, which we will discuss in the next section. Where this comes into play in our study of Revelation is when we are comparing other prophecies with the prophecies of Revelation. Fulfilled prophecies can be traced to a historical event, like the prophecy concerning Judah’s release from captivity in Babylon. Look for a literal fulfillment of the prophecy. In Zechariah 9:9 we are told that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. This prophecy was fulfilled literally by Jesus in Matthew 21 and Zechariah’s prophecy is quoted there. A partial fulfillment is not a fulfillment of the prophecy. This can take some amount of searching to make these connections, though there are many good Bible study tools that can aid you in your study. One of those is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge which can be accessed online through a number of Bible software applications. Not everyone holds the same views on how to handle prophecy in Scripture, and that is especially true in the book of Revelation. This brings us the next section of this paper.

styles of interpretation In the nearly two thousand years since John penned the Revelation, different views have evolved for its interpretation. Here is a summary of the four most common types of interpretation.

Nonliteral or allegorical interpretation This style of interpretation does not seek a literal fulfillment of the prophecies in Revelation. It considers the whole book to be symbolic of the cosmic battle between good and evil, between God and His enemies. This style of interpretation typically rejects the idea that Jesus is going set up a literal kingdom on the earth for 1,000 years. One of the many problems with this style of interpretation is that it requires one to ‘spiritualize’ many of Jesus’ words regarding the kingdom of God when a literal interpretation is much more natural.

Preterist interpretation This interpretation says that the Revelation was written for the Christians facing conflicts with Judaism and paganism. It suggests that the events of Revelation chapters 4 to 20 are a description of the Jewish war that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. Again, a non-literal interpretation is required to force the events in Revelation to fit the events of that time period. It is also difficult to accept this interpretation as it would require Revelation to have been written much earlier than the widely accepted date of about 95AD. Contemporary liberal Bible teachers often use a combination nonliteral and preterist interpretations for Revelation. Typically this is because they do not believe in a future time of judgment upon the wicked on the earth.

Historical interpretation This style of interpretation sees Revelation as a description of all of church history, which will culminate with the Second Coming of Christ. This style of interpretation often seeks to identify the characters of Revelation with people in history or sometimes with people in the current culture. Every generation of people using this style of interpretation sees in their own time the 2/20/2017

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characters of Revelation. That fact alone makes this style suspect. Seldom do people subscribing to this style agree with others as to the interpretation of the signs and people of Revelation.

Futuristic interpretation This style sees most of the book of Revelation (starting with chapter 4) as describing future events. This style of interpretation is the only one which allows for a literal interpretation of the events of Revelation. Even in the highly symbolic portions of the book, this view expects these prophecies to be fulfilled in a literal way. This means that there are things in the book of Revelation that will not be fully understood until they are fulfilled, as was true with many of the prophecies that were fulfilled in the past.

conclusion This has been a brief overview of the different styles of interpretation of Revelation. It is certainly not exhaustive, but meant to help the serious Bible student understand that not every Bible teacher sees things the same way. It is up to every student of the Word of God to determine for themselves how they will interpret prophetic Scriptures like Revelation. As a general rule we will be following the literal futuristic interpretation of Revelation. It is important to note that not everyone agrees with this style of interpretation. Many people who sincerely love Jesus hold differing viewpoints on this matter. It is not our place to argue with people about their viewpoints regarding prophecy. Even people who use the same style of interpretation as we do will have differing views on specifics of interpretation of Revelation. This will be discussed more fully when we get to the Rapture of the Church and the Millennium. Unless it is a salvation issue, let’s agree where agreement is possible and choose not to divide over areas where we do not agree. If you have any specific questions on the topics above, please do not hesitate to send me an email at [email protected]. If your question relates to something that we will covering in a future teaching I may defer responding until we get to it. I pray that God has blessed you and edified you through this humble offering. My prayer for you is that God will continue to stir up a passion for His Word in your heart.

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