Three prominent similarities: Same God . Look under a separate document for Lesson 2 for a grade sheet on which to record the scores and do a class average. Each lesson has questions, fill in the blank; matching, true false; etc., on one chapter of the Bible. Revelation 4:1:11 describes a scene in God’s heavenly throne room, and resembles similar visions in Ezekiel 1, Isaiah 6, and other Old Testament passages. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it (Revelation 4:2). And finally, he praised God for the promise that Christ would come again, the great future event when everything God has planned and promised will be fulfilled. It dissipates and defeats the purpose of the book. And God’s people had previously achieved military victories in Megiddo. The letter to the church in Thyatira appears in Revelation 2:18-29. In fact, Christians will receive glorified bodies much like Jesus had in his resurrection. There are a number of clues in the visions themselves that strongly suggest that John was describing the same sequence of events from different perspectives. His voice was powerful, like the rush of many waters, and a double-edged sword came out of his mouth. Because it contains a large amount of symbolism and because of the faulty approaches or methods of interpretation applied to its study, many have a difficult time grasping its meaning. This aspect of the last judgment completely removed the presence and effects of sin in the world, making way for the new heavens and the new earth. Preterism rightfully insists that John wasn’t merely writing for future generations, and that Christ’s concern for and encouragement of John’s original audience should inform our modern application of the book. These messengers communicated that Christ’s gospel will triumph over every opposing kingdom, and that when Jesus returns his enemies will be eternally condemned. They could only wreak havoc on the earth for five months, and they were only permitted to attack the wicked. This was the end of the age — the destruction of the present world that will take place when Christ returns. In this letter, John introduced Jesus as the one who holds the key of David, meaning that Jesus can open the doors of David’s kingdom to admit those he wishes, and lock the doors to keep others out. God held a scroll in his right hand, representing his plan for the destiny of the world. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. A second and different meaning is that it speaks of the unveiling of a mystery. This symbolized the fact that in the new earth, the curse of sin will be eradicated from creation. By the nature of its interpretation of Revelation, preterism has little to say about the development of God’s kingdom since the first century. He would come as a thief, attacking them by surprise. The four large visions in the body of Revelation are each introduced with a statement that John was “in the Spirit.” John consistently used this language to mark the beginning of new divisions in the main body of his book. The second part of the vision of the seven seals is the opening of the seals themselves in Revelation 6:1–8:1. We can summarize this message by saying that God will completely destroy everyone and everything that opposes him. In this section, John saw an angel descend from heaven and bind the great dragon, who is Satan. If you want to save some time, give the test to students as they enter or a few minutes before time for class to start. But they tolerated the false teaching of a particular woman, whom Jesus pejoratively called “Jezebel.”. First, the same God that ruled creation in the first century still rules the world today. When the sixth seal was opened, the entire earth experienced God’s judgment. Besides the multitude of smaller similarities we can find between ourselves and John’s original audience, there are at least three prominent similarities that can help guide our application. Look under a separate document for Lesson 2 for a grade sheet on which to record the scores and do a class average. For this reason, it seems best to read each series of visions as a distinct description of the entire history of God’s kingdom prior to Christ’s return. And then God’s eternal reign over the new heavens and new earth will begin. It is provided at the end of this lesson. Our class on Revelation provides a detailed verse-by-verse treatment of that beautiful book in 25 lessons with audio. This section shows us an important scroll with seven seals, and sets the stage for the opening of those seals in chapters 6–8. And I think that we need to be careful not to focus so much on those areas in which we disagree, although, we need to carry on fraternal discussion about it, but we don’t need to give the impression that the Bible is unclear and we really can’t understand things because there are such a large number of tremendously important truths upon which we all agree when we come to discuss those matters. John’s purpose was to encourage his readers to be faithful to Christ even when they were suffering. The Book of Revelation is a vision the Apostle John received on the Island of Patmos in approximately 95 A.D. The seventh trumpet introduces the worship that will take place in God’s throne room when his victory over all the kingdoms of earth is secure and when he renders his final judgment on all creation. And many modern enemies of the church can seem equally powerful. The Book of Revelation is probably the clearest example of this technique. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet (Revelation 1:10). We just don’t want to abstract it and isolate it from the rest of what we know about the character of God as revealed in Scripture. And he reminded them that eternal salvation was only for those who overcame trials and temptations. The dragon gave the beast from the sea power and authority over all the kingdoms of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the earth worshiped the beast. Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert (Revelation 17:3). Revelation promises a blessing to those who read and heed what it says, which means that the book is meant to be understood and … His resurrection body was transfigured in comparison with what it was before he died, but he still had the nail prints in his hands. And they were all living under that threat of losing their lives for the gospel. John pictures him as having white hair, white as snow, which is quite interesting because he is drawing there on Daniel 7, and the person with the white hair in Daniel 7 is Yahweh. Following this, the body of Revelation consists of four central visions: After the four central visions, the book ends with a conclusion in 22:6-21. | MP4 | RSS: Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. April 17, 2018 May 30, 2018 / Stephanie Dawn. It set in motion an army of unnatural locusts. The introduction begins with a prologue in Revelation 1:1-3 that stresses the book’s divine authority. The book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. Fourth, there is an evaluation of the church, consisting of commendations and often including rebukes. They would like to be able to explore this book, but very few teachers are prepared to go on that adventure with them. And because believers are united to Jesus, we suffer too. Those might be truths about God’s character, truths about his interaction with the world, truths about our obligations before him, truths about the course of history, or anything else John taught in the book of Revelation. [Dr. David W. Chapman], The purpose of the offers of blessing that we repeatedly encounter in the Revelation, it’s almost as though they’re part of the apocalyptic nature of the book because they’re assuring these people that though their reality, though what they actually see with their eyes indicates that they are cursed; they’re suffering, they’re insignificant, they’re at odds with Rome, they’re ostracized by the culture. We know that he will judge and there will be a judgment of the sheep and the goats and there will be some who will be cast into eternal punishment because they do not have forgiveness of sin through him, and there will be others who will be called to enter into the glory that is prepared for them from before the foundation of the world. And Paul is a great example of someone who’s put out of the synagogue. They prepare us to live for him in all periods of history, and to hope in Christ’s eventual return. We see this central concern in passages like Revelation 22:20. This judgment included everyone who had ever lived. In Revelation 2:4 Jesus told them that they had forsaken their first love; they had lost their enthusiasm and zeal for Christ and his kingdom. 1.2. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Historicism tends to ignore the global Church, often limiting John’s prophecies to events within Western Christianity — and sometimes even more narrowly to events within European Christianity. We are examining the letters from a historical, universal and prophetic point of view . And second, he conveyed threats of curses against all who were disloyal. Now that we’ve explored the judgment on Babylon, let’s examine the series dealing with the reign of the saints in Revelation 20:1–21:8. Suffering has always been a reality for believers. Every generation has believed that the thoughts contained in the book of Revelation pointed to ˝signs ˇ in their day and thus signaled the end of the world. So this is another teaching that should be held by all Christians even though we disagree with each other over details. Throughout this lesson, we’ve seen that Revelation assures us of God’s final victory, encourages our perseverance, and increases our longing for Christ’s return. Here’s where to start. In many different ways, the book of Revelation gives hope to all Christians in every age. That, I think, is something that is the common experience of many Christians in the world today and will become increasingly common even in the West in the next century. Revelation is a timeless message from God to his people. But I think more to the point, just frequently this stuff feels good, immorality feels good. Revelation 2–3 John writes the words of Jesus Christ to the leaders of the seven churches Invite a student to read aloud the following account by Sister Sydney S. Reynolds, a former member of the Primary general presidency. In John’s vision, the dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars from sky and flung them to the earth. And just as God once dwelled among his people Israel, Christ now dwells among his church. It originated from God the Father, was given to Jesus Christ, and was made known through an angel. Lesson 2: The Letters, Liturgy & a Seal Scroll Karlo gives a biblical exegesis of chapters 2 through 6 of the Book of Revelation, explaining the significance of the 7 letters to the 7 churches in Asia Minor, the liturgical images revealed and the sealed scroll. John saw one who looked like a man but was radiant. thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. This description emphasized the light of Christ’s glory and power. Everything comes in twos. Introduction to the Seven Churches. It correctly sees that Revelation begins with the situation of the seven churches. He is wearing a priestly robe. Philadelphia: Church Faithful (3:7-13) As He did to the other churches, Christ said to Philadelphia, … In Revelation 3:8, he gave them this assurance: I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. We can be confident in his love for us and his control over history. They probably represented all the creatures of the earth giving praise to God. The Book of Revelation 2:1-7. Despite intense persecution, faithful believers will be found pure and blameless. Finally, John saw that the New Jerusalem shone with the glory of God. The picture is not the message; rather the interpretation of the picture is the message. We can stand against the satanic forces at work in this world that might try to trick us into worshiping them, knowing that they enslave and curse their followers rather than bless them. And that reminds us that what the promises of blessing are intending to do in part for us as God’s people is to encourage us to persevere during times of trial and persecution, persevere in terms of clinging to Jesus and always aligning ourselves with his purposes, but also being very careful to live out the lifestyle of those who are known by the name of the Lord so that we are a holy people unto the Lord. And we began to see Gentiles responding. But God protected her, so Satan turned to attacking her offspring — believers who obey Christ and keep the testimony of Christ. In the dragon’s history, there was also a war in heaven, in which Michael and the angels fought the dragon. In verses 5-8, John offered praise to God, and this praise revealed some of his central concerns for his audience. And they encourage Christians in all periods of history to watch for this time. So it’s in some ways as if it’s a destruction, but the pattern is the pattern of Christ’s own resurrection body. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It correctly says that Revelation looks forward, above all, to the great events of Jesus Christ’s return. Look over chapters 4 through 11 of Revelation for the next class. And in the New Testament, the number twelve is associated with the twelve apostles, representing God’s people in the current age. Then a second reaper — this one an angel — harvested the remaining inhabitants of the world and crushed out their blood in the winepress of God’s wrath. These idolaters are crushed in God’s winepress in Revelation 14. Someone read from the letter to the church in Smyrna-2:9. The third seal produced a rider on a black horse that represented famine. But idealism also has shortcomings. John also included a greeting: from God the Father, who was described as him who is, who was, and who is to come; from the Holy Spirit, whose fullness or completeness is symbolized as the seven spirits before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, whom John calls the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Christians can respond to our future hope of full redemption in a spirit of hope. For instance, it can teach us about God’s character, and the way he rewards righteousness and punishes evil. Specifically, he wrote to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, located in Asia Minor. I wish you were either one or the other! The Book of Revelation 2:12-17. These insights increase our ability to read and to use Revelation as John intended. The book of Revelation gives hope to all Christians in every age. The third symbolic history revolves around the beast from the sea, and is found in Revelation 13:1-10. Futurism also rightly looks for a future day of final judgment, and the eventual restoration of all creation that is confirmed in other parts of Scripture, such as Romans 8:19-25. 4 Kitab Wahyu Pelajaran 2: Struktur dan Isi © 2013 oleh Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org Garis Besar I. Introduksi (0:20) II. There is a common, ecumenical — that is, worldwide — Christian view on certain things happening toward the end of time. Listen to how Revelation 19:20 describes their downfall: The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf… The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 19:20). Futurism is the view that the visions in Revelation won’t begin to be fulfilled until the final crisis immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. Which … This can give Christians a false sense of where they are in redemptive history, sometimes inclining them to inappropriate pessimism, and sometimes to inappropriate optimism. This symbolism points to the fact that in the new heavens and new earth, God will dwell among his people. His triumph is revealed in Jesus’ suffering. And believers interpret its symbols in a wide variety of ways. We’ll explore each series of visions, beginning with the seven seals in Revelation 4:1–8:1. After the introduction, we find the vision of Christ and its application to the seven churches in Revelation 1:9–3:22. So, John wrote to assure the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and the rest of the world that Christ knew their suffering and would see them through it. So we believe in “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. But historicism is problematic in other ways. We are going to look briefly at each letter to see what Jesus said to the churches and to see what lessons we can learn from what He told them. Home › The book of Revelation › The book of Revelation – Lesson 2, By Theology School on January 30, 2021 • ( 0 ). मसीह का विवरण 8. One day humans will be held accountable and have no excuse before God. To apply the lessons of Revelation to modern life we can look at similarities between John’s day and today. [Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker]. The book of Revelation talks about what will happen at the end of the world that we know. Like the history of the beast from the sea, this one would have exhorted them to resist idolatry and to be faithful to Jesus. The Letters, Liturgy & a Seal Scroll. And the fourth bowl created scorching heat from the sun. you also may like our study of Scripture and the Rosary Scripture and the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an … 8. Despite the problems the Jews in Smyrna created for the church, Jesus exhorted his followers to faithfulness, and encouraged them to trust him because he had overcome death. The sixth symbolic history is a vision of three angelic messengers, found in Revelation 14:6-11. And the book of Revelation is a little like a tapestry. These enemies are led by the beast and the false prophet, which are, respectively, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth from Revelation 13. 2:26-28; Rev. 4-soonNo. Both Colossae and Hierapolis were well known for having special water supplies. 1. All of history’s events are culminated in this fantastic story of Christ’s ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design. In apocalyptic writings, words paint a picture. If they would take advantage of this open door, Christ would make their enemies bow down at their feet, and the Philadelphian believers would inherit the New Jerusalem. Jesus says to John, “He holds the keys of death and Hades.” This is what the church was facing. And we can remember that those who are faithful to Christ in this life will receive glorious rewards in the next life. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. We still suffer hardship caused by events in nature. View fullsize. I think Revelation 2 and 3 are absolutely key to the letter of the book of Revelation because they give us in many ways the application points for the church, the characteristics that the churches are asked to manifest. ( Log Out /  You can set it up to total the points per week and get the average. Well, something similar happened here. Fill in the … But none of the members of his court could open the scroll. Lesson 2 - Chapter 1. Sometimes the recapitulation used very similar imagery, as in Jeremiah 30 and 31, where Jeremiah prophesied about the restoration of Israel. We know that heaven is going to be a place where indwelleth righteousness and Christ himself will reign, and we will glory in him, and there will be no doubt as to the power and wonder of Jesus Christ. John’s original audience would have understood that this conflict was at the root of their problems, and would have drawn encouragement from God’s protection and care for the woman. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The vision presents six trumpets, followed by an interlude, and then the seventh trumpet. It contains a curse to those who add to it or subtract from it. And it rightly notices that Revelation moves toward a climax — that a drama develops as we read through the book. We can choose the lamb, or … According to Revelation 4:1-2, this vision takes place at the heavenly throne and reveals coming events that were still in the future in John’s day. They had commendable zeal for sound doctrine, and didn’t tolerate wicked behavior. John saw that for the next thousand years, Satan would remain bound while the faithful Christian martyrs would come to life and reign with Christ. The significance of the imagery of the prostitute and beast is then revealed in the rest of the series. But while the visions of the seals and trumpets focused on divine judgments, the seven histories portrayed the spiritual conflict between Satan and the people of God. Like the earlier series of the seals, trumpets, histories and bowls, the structure of this series presents six messages of judgment and lament, followed by an interlude. He exhorted his readers to persevere in good works, in order to receive great blessings in the new heavens and new earth. Revelation promises a blessing to those who read and heed what it says, which means that the book is meant to be understood and that it can be understood. and (2) What rewards does He promise if they do this? He is the means by which we enter into God’s presence. We’re here to help you teach kids about the love of Jesus found in the book of Revelation. And the fourth seal brought a rider named Death, who rode a pale horse and represented death by sword, famine, plagues and wild beasts. For one thing, all forms of amillennialism affirm that the millennium is the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ. This is the second death.” Revelation 2:9 “I … Same people. The book of Revelation begins with a short introduction in 1:1-8. But we also agree with futurism that some of Revelation’s prophecies spoke about the events surrounding Christ’s return and the final judgment. When you look at Revelation 5, there is this great image of Jesus as lion and lamb. Next, John’s vision paused for an interlude in Revelation 16:15, where we read this announcement: Behold, I come like a thief! Have each student multiply each right answer by 8.3 and write it on his sheet. Revelation chapter 1 serves as an introduction to the book and in so doing it sets the tone for the rest of the book. And in verse 9 he is identified as Satan himself. Same fallen world . Regardless of our perspective on the timings and fulfillments of John’s visions, all Christians should agree that the book of Revelation is as relevant today as it was when John wrote it. “Because. The Book of Revelation is a vision the Apostle John received on the Island of Patmos in approximately 95 A.D. REVELATION BIBLE STUDY LESSON SHEETS. And Jesus warned that he would do something similar to the church in Sardis if they failed to repent. From the church in Thyatira we learn to be __________________ in our service. The first four trumpet blasts in Revelation 8:2-13 signaled judgments through the angelic armies on the four major regions of creation. The messages encourage Christ’s followers by proclaiming that the Lord will destroy all his enemies, and that the wicked will mourn the loss of their sinful enjoyments. To the Church in Smyrna. Now that we’ve explored the vision of Christ, let’s turn to John’s vision of coming events, recorded in Revelation 4:1–16:21. The second message, in Revelation 18:1-3, declares the utter defeat of Babylon and all the nations, kings and merchants she has seduced. The lesson author is Ranko Stefanovic, and he also wrote a companion book on the same topic, The Book of Revelation in the Bible Bookshelf series, which is available in Kindle format. For another, amillennialism doesn’t insist that the millennial reign of Jesus and the saints will constantly expand the kingdom and improve the world. It reminds us of the real persecution those churches experienced. The book of Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and misused books in the Bible. The silence created dramatic tension for those who first read John’s visions. Believers will receive resurrected bodies at the beginning of the millennium. I surrender all that I am to you. In John’s day, the Roman Empire seemed invulnerable to the churches of Asia Minor. Now that we’ve explored the purpose of the Book of Revelation, let’s turn our attention to its details. These saints had been slain because they had remained faithful to God and his Word. Jirair Tashjian. Lesson 2 The Star. So, when John used this technique in the book of Revelation, he was using a well-known, traditional, biblical strategy to convey his message. The fourth symbolic history centers on a second beast — one that rises from the earth. The heavens and earth would be remade, and a New Jerusalem would descend from heaven as the capital city of the new earth. As terrible as these calamities were, only a fourth of the earth was affected. ( Log Out /  Unbelievers won’t receive resurrected bodies. Helpful. Her history is found in Revelation 12:1-17, and resembles the birth of Jesus and Herod’s attempt to kill him. And so John has taken these two images in creating for us a multi-perspectival image on who Jesus is. [Dr. Carl R. Trueman], I think even though we’re removed now by two millennia from the world of the book of Revelation and its initial writing there really are some similarities between the Roman Empire of that day and this present era, among them the fact that in both cases there is life going on in a very, very diverse population, there are internal stresses and amazing polarities between the very rich and the very poor, the privileged, the less so, the marginalized. We might summarize the integrated strategy of application as consisting of two parts or steps. By her teaching she misleads my servants (Revelation 2:19-20). This vision was designed to encourage John’s original audience to remain faithful throughout their struggles against sin and Satan, because God’s future victory was certain. So, Christ warned them that if they didn’t repent and return to their earlier enthusiasm, he would remove their lampstand — their symbol of honor in heaven. And John emphasizes, doesn’t he, that Jesus is sovereign, that he is the resurrected one, he is the living one, he is the first and the last, he has conquered death, they need not fear. Jesus’ words to this church were positive, but they also included an implicit warning. But they had different overall appearances: one resembled a lion, another an ox, another a man, and another an eagle. Christ is with us. Post a picture of Christ as He appears in Revelation 1 or use the PowerPoint picture. THE BOOK OF REVELATION. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. If you choose to do it, have ready your visuals-overhead projector and transparencies, PowerPoint, chalkboard. And that reminds us of the need to persevere. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you (Revelation 2:13-14). [Dr. Matt Friedeman], It’s important for us to reflect on the question of why our zeal and love for Jesus Christ needs to be combined with, shall we say, sound, biblically grounded doctrine. But instead of a seventh message describing the final fight between Christ and his enemies, this series ends with a vision of the battle itself. It would be difficult for the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3 to believe that this book wasn’t written with their situation in mind. As low as $30/day. And the number of things that we agree on because of the clarity of Revelation is really quite astounding. Like John’s visions of the seals, trumpets, histories and bowls, his visions dealing with the judgment of Babylon also recapitulate church history. Here’s where to start. Jesus warned this church to reject these false teachings and to remain faithful to him.