Life201 – Bible Survey
NT, Revelation
(Lesson 10)
Revelation
1. The Apocalyptic Vision
1.1. “Revelation” is for “revealing!” It is a book to be seen and heard, not to remain as mystery or
riddle. In Rev.20, we repeatedly see the phrase, “and then I saw…” This is then written to the
churches to be read out aloud. It takes just barely over an hour to listen to the whole letter.
1.2. You must grow familiar. (Dennis Johnson) “..you cannot understand any individual passage in
Revelation unless you understand the book as a whole, but you cannot understand the book as a
whole unless you understand its individual passages.”
1.3. John receives the vision, but it is the “revelation of Christ.” It is for a church that’s under attack.
This explains the violence and disturbing pictures. It’s not sanitized as some polite churches
would like it.
1.4. It’s about “what must soon take place” [R.1:1], and that’s the cosmic conflict which will
ultimately result in the victory of God and His Christ.
1.5. It must be emphasized that there have been other prophesies in the Bible. This is not the only
book of its kind. The interpretive methods for prophetic genre applies here also.
2. Broad Structure (taken from Dennis Johnson’s Triumph of the Lamb):
2.1. Prologue [1:1-8]
2.2. Body [1:9-22:9]
2.2.1. “The things which are” [1:9-3:20] – Christ is with his churches and knows their conflict.
2.2.2. “The things which shall take place after these things” [4:1-22:9] – Christ will defeat and
destroy his enemies.
2.2.2.1. Scroll Opened [4:1-11:18] – current and coming woes, precursors of the end.
2.2.2.2. Scroll Delivered [10:1-22:9] – the cosmic conflict of the ages.
2.3. Epilogue [22:6-21] – “I am coming quickly”
3. The Message of Revelation (from William Hendriksen’s, More Than Conquerors, p.7-8)
3.1. “The purpose of the book of Revelation is to comfort the militant Church in its struggle against the forces of
evil. It is full of help and comfort for persecuted and suffering Christians. To them is given the assurance
that God sees their tears [7:17; 21:4]; their prayers are influential in world affairs [8:3,4] and their death is
precious in His sight. Their final victory is assured [15:2]; their blood will be avenged [19:2]; their Christ
lives and reigns for ever and forever. He governs the world in the interest of His Church [5:7,8]. He is
coming again to take His people to Himself in ‘the marriage supper of the Lamb’ and to live with them for
ever in a rejuvenated universe [21:22].”
3.2. “As we think of the glorious hope of the second coming, our hearts are filled with joy; our souls are
consumed with a breathless impatience; our eyes attempt to pierce the dark clouds which veil the future,
hoping that the glorious descent of the Son of man may burst upon the view. It is a longing which gushes
into words: ‘And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that hears, let him say, Com’ [22:17]”
3.3. “But as we consider these truths we realize that already He is with us—with us in the Spirit, walking in the
midst of the seven golden lampstands [1:12-20. ‘And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear no; I am
the first and the last, and the living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the
keys of Death and Hades.’ We are, indeed, more than conquerors through Him that loved us!”
4. Features of Revelation
4.1. Imageries make sense in the light of the OT imageries. It’s a prophetic conclusion. The
meanings of the symbols and imageries are built up from OT.
4.1.1. The divine court [Rev.1; 4; 10] = [Ezek.1; Dan.9-10]
Life201 – Bible Survey
NT, Revelation
4.1.2. The beast that emerges from the sea [Rev.13] = four beasts in [Dan.7], referring to the
world kingdoms
4.1.3. The two witnesses [R.11] = two olive trees of [Zech.4:14].
4.1.4. The woe of judgment on Babylon [R.18] = Tyre [Ezek.27] and Babylon [Jer.51; Isa.48]
4.1.5. Tree of Life in [Gen.2:9] = enters the scene only in [R.2:7; 22:2]]
4.1.6. As well as the serpent [Gen.3:1] = who now meets his doom in [R.12; 20]
4.2. Numbers count in Revelation. They are helpful clues.
4.2.1. “7” is the completeness: 7 horns & 7 eyes [R.5:6]; 7 heads, 7 diadems [R.12:3; 13:1; 17:3]
4.2.2. “10” is used as multiples of time, usually with times of affliction and conflict (dragon’s
heads R.12:3}. From many years to vast numbers. These numbers are flexible.
4.2.3. “12” is the number of the people of God: the tribes of Israel, number of elders, etc.
4.3. Recapituation: Letters to Churches [1-3]; Seals [4:1-8:1]; Trumpets, the warning signals of
coming judgment [8:2-11:18]; The Dragon and the Lamb, the heart of the conflict [11:19-15:4];
Bowls, God’s wrath completed [15:5-16:21]; The Harlot Babylon [17:1-19:10]; Thousand Years,
last battle and last judgment [19:11-21:8]; The New Creation and the Bride Jerusalem [21:122:21].
5. Controversies & Positions
5.1. Literalness of the “millennium kingdom” [Rev.20]
5.2. Literalness of 3 ½ and 3 ½ years of tribulation [Daniel 7]. That’s total of 7 years, but how literal
is the passage about those years?
5.3. The identity of Israel and the Church… same or different (in the treatment of eschatology)?
5.4. Varying eschatological views:
5.4.1. Amillennialism
5.4.2. Post-millenialism
5.4.3. Historic Pre-millenialism
5.4.4. Dispensational Pre-millennialism (the flamboyant step-child of eschatological views) +
Pre/Mid/Post-Tribulation return of Christ.
6. Summary of End Matters
6.1.
6.2.
6.3.
6.4.
6.5.
At the end, Jesus is going to return in glory. [Mt.25:31]
He is going to divide the nations and people between saved and condemned. [Mt.25:32-33]
He is going to give eternal life in Heaven for the believers. Award. [Mt.25:34-40]
He is going to punish the unbelievers in eternal torment. Condemn. [Mt.25:41-46]
God had the end in view from the start, so there is no mystery for Him. [Mt.25:34; Eph.1:4;
Heb.4:3; Rev.13:8] “Eschatology precedes soteriology!”
6.6. The “end’ was inaugurated when Christ came the first time, and his second coming will mark the
“end of the end” (also called the “consummation”). And there are no other distinct stages in
between these two points that are mentioned in the clear teachings of the Bible. [Matt.24:14]
6.7. Even as Jesus left the earth, He was, is and will always be with us, until the end of this age. This
is the ever-present reigning of Christ. [Matt.28:20]
6.8. There will be increase of grace as the gospel reaches all the earth. [Rom.5:20; 2Cor.4:15]
6.9. There will be increase of tribulation as people reject the gospel and some leave their faith.
[Matt.24:9-13; 21-22]
6.10. When we die, there will be a temporary separation from our body, but people will continue to
experience an intermediate conscious state, either in paradise or punishment. But when Christ
returns, the soul/spirit and the body will unite for the final state, either in Heaven or Hell.
[2Cor.5:8; Phil.1:23; Matt.25:46; Lk.12:47-48; Rev.14:11]