Winter Bible Study—Session 1
Revelation
8 January 2006
Good news!
-breaking with tradition, I don’t have a quiz for you!
--can I get an “amen”?
-instead we are going to get right into it
Revelation is an incredible book
-throughout the history of biblical interpretation, Revelation has been
a puzzle, a source of tremendous frustration, a source of great joy...
and students of the Bible have read it as a history book, a book of
hope, or a book that contains symbols (of varying degrees of
complexity) that reveal secrets about the end of the world
*What words would you use to describe it?
-for those very reasons people either can’t get enough of it or,
ironically, stay as far away from it as possible
When Martin Luther first translated and published the New Testament, he thought that Revelation should not have the same status or authority as the gospels or the letters of Paul or Peter. He thought it was an edifying book, but not of the same status. But what's interesting, even though he felt that way, it's the one book that he illustrated, because Revelation allowed him to make one of his central points, which was that the Pope was the Antichrist, and the end of the world was coming. Luther’s problem with Revelation? He said, “A book called Revelation should, in fact, reveal something.”
And so in Luther’s translation of Revelation you see the only pictures in the New Testament. You see the prostitute of Babylon wearing a papal crown. You see the seven-headed beast wearing a papal crown. You didn't have to read (and most people couldn’t). You got the message, and the message was clear. The papal office—not the individual popes but the papal Church—was where Satan was working to undermine Christendom. And the fact that Satan was there meant the world was coming to an end soon. Luther was sure he was living in the end times. Luther came to think of the pope as the Antichrist because, first, of general tradition at the time. The Antichrist was someone subverting the Church from within. So into Revelation he inserted a series of 26 woodcuts that juxtaposed some action in Christ's life with something in the papacy. Christ carrying his cross to be crucified; the pope being carried in his throne on the backs of people ... . Christ washing the feet of the disciples; the pope having his feet kissed. And over and over again, scenes from Christ's life juxtaposed with scenes from the papacy. ... Christ was always humble and serving; the papacy, the pope was always lordly and [lording] over others. Christ is Christ; the pope is Antichrist.
Luther’s interpretation, especially of the identity of the Antichrist, is still popular today.
*Not asking if you agree...how many of you have heard some
variation of that interpretation?
*It’s possible that Luther violated one of the cardinal rules of biblical
interpretation. What might that be?
Let’s move quickly to another great reformer, Jean Calvin
-Calvin wrote insightful commentaries on every book of the Bible...
except for—you
guessed it—Revelation
-legend à someone asked Calvin why he didn’t write a commentary
on Revelation and he replied simply, “I don’t understand it.”
Of course, that’s not the case any more, is it?
-today pretty much everyone understands Revelation
--Hal Lindsey
sold 35 million copies of The Late Great
Planet Earth
--Ernest Angley scared me to death with his book, Raptured!
--and, of course, we can’t forget the eleventy-billion copies sold of
the Left Behind series
--if you Google “rapture” you’ll get 4,700,000 results
--if you Google “Revelation” you’ll get 21,800,000 results
--if you Google “Second Coming” you’ll get 156,000,000 results
Many of those books and websites claim a special insight...
-the promo for Hal Lindsey’s The Apocalypse Code à Hal reveals a
key to interpreting the Book of Revelation, which was literally given
to him by the Holy Spirit while he agonized in prayer over the
meaning of certain apocalyptic symbols. This book will give you a
thrilling new way to understand the Book of Revelation...
Ground rules
1.
Understand that I do not have the key to unlocking Revelation
2.
Understand that we will disagree...and you still have to love
me
3.
If you can’t handle rule #2, then you might want to slip out
during the break
4.
We will not have time to tackle all the possible
interpretations of all the details of this book
5.
I will try to treat most
interpretations with respect...and I will treat all of you with the highest respect regardless of your
interpretation. ***Your particular interpretation of Revelation, no matter how loony it may be, will not cause you to
lose your salvation. We will leave here
just as we walked in—brothers and sisters in Christ.
6.
You must be somewhat open to learning about
interpretations that differ from
yours. You don’t necessarily have to
change your view, but you might be surprised to find an interpretation you
thought was airtight looks a little different when seen in light of the context
of the entire book.
7.
The pastor reserves the right to impose new ground rules as
the situation dictates or whenever it suits his fancy.
Listen to what I wrote in the newsletter à Even after you decide on a framework with which to interpret it (that’s the tough part), there are still many challenges.
-guess what? I am right!
--there are four, major interpretive traditions or approaches...and
chances are you hold to one of these, you just might not know it
(or you might not know what to call it)
--the vast majority of commentaries you read use one of these
approaches, but very few will tell you...and even fewer will
acknowledge the possible validity or even the existence of the
other three—and that’s a significant weakness if you are trying
to do serious study (the other option is to purchase
commentaries from all of the approaches)
--there are conservative theologians and Bible scholars who
adhere to all of these traditions...so there isn’t one that is
“liberal”, “moderate”, “conservative”, and “fundamentalist”
---remember that, please...you’ll sleep better at night and
you’ll still like me when this study is over
1. Preterist à all the events in Revelation were taking place at the time it was written; therefore, everything in Revelation is in the past. The pro side of this view is that it is extremely meaningful for John’s original audience, but the con side means that it has little meaning for us other than learning about Rome’s persecution of Christians at the end of the first century.
Kümmel à [Revelation]
is a book of its time, written out of its
time and for its time, not for the distant generations of the future or even of
the end-time. Tenney à The
preterist has an interpretation which has a firm pedestal, but which has no
finished sculpture to place on it.
2. Historicist à all the events in Revelation are a forecast for all of human history. This view holds that some of Revelation has already occurred, some will occur in the future, and most likely some is occurring as we speak. The upside is that this view sees all of history under the control of God. The downsides are a.) it would have made little sense to its original readers, b.) traditionally all of these events happen in Western Europe, c.) each advocate of this position works things out so that he or she is living in the end times, d.) there is virtually no agreement as to the meanings of symbols and events in the book.
3. Futurist à all the events in Revelation, from chapter 4 and onward, are still in the future. Revelation is predictive in nature (except for the first three chapters) and should be interpreted literally. This view usually leads its supporters to see their particular generation as the last. Those who hold to dispensationalist theology are part of this tradition. The advantage of this interpretation is that it, too, reveals that God is ultimately in control and has a higher purpose. The disadvantage is that it would have meant little to the 1st century church (or anyone except those alive at the end of time).
4. Idealist à few or none of the events in Revelation are actual happenings; rather, they are principles by which God acts throughout history. This book depicts the great spiritual drama that happens behind the visible reality. There are cataclysmic battles between Christ and Satan, the saints and antichristian world powers, and ending ultimately in final victory. On the positive side, this tradition is relevant for all ages, but negatively, it lacks any historical grounding.
My Personal Assumptions
-John, the Apostle, wrote this letter near the end of the 1st century
-it had direct relevance to the Church at the time
-there is more here than a mere historical account
-because of the type of literature, not all of it can be interpreted
literally
-God intended for them and us to understand it—some parts may be
code (“Babylon” may mean Rome, for example), but we can be
sure that the original readers understood it
The First-Century Church
-small in numbers; scattered throughout the Roman Empire
-persecution from Nero to Domitian “The Tyrant” (81-96) to Trajan
(98-117)
--emperors’ declaration of being “lord and god” and requiring
worship caused tremendous problems for believers
-they were a Church who were no doubt questioning their current
situation and their future
--why this hardship?
--why hasn’t Christ returned?
--is there any hope for the future?
Leon Morris à To a
church perplexed by such problems Revelation was written. We must not think of it as a kind of
intellectual puzzle... sent to a relaxed church with time on its hands and an
inclination for solving mysteries. It
was sent to a little, persecuted, frustrated church, one which did not know
what to make of the situation in which it found itself. John writes to meet the need of that church.
John’s Description of
Revelation
-the revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1)
--revelation = Gr. Apokalypsis à uncovering of something hidden;
making known what we could not find out for ourselves
-prophecy (1:3)
Purpose
-to show His servants what must soon take place (1:1)
How it Happened
-Read
Revelation 1:10-11
God
-Read
Revelation 1:8
Jesus
-Read Revelation 1:5-7, 12-18
The Key to the
Timing?
-Read
Revelation 1:19
The Mystery of the
First Chapter Explained
-Read Revelation 1:20
The Churches and
Their Order
1. Real and representative (dispensational)...John Nelson Darby (early 19th century), W.I. Scofield, Charles Ryrie
2. Real and symbolic
3. Real—geographic...centers of communication on Roman road
4. Real—no meaning to the order
Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)
-The Good News
-Jesus praised their deeds, their hard work, their perseverance
--on top of that, they were doctrinally sound...they knew the truth
and they defended it with a passion
--v. 6 à they stood up to the heresy of the Nicolaitans
---scholars are unsure what the false teachings were, but some
think it was the belief that Christians can live (morally)
however they wish
-The Bad News
-tragically, appearances can be deceiving…but the judgment of
Christ searches deep inside and it is always true
--2:2 à I know…
--we can’t fool God…He knows us…and He not only knows the
condition of our heart…He knows the health of our church’s heart
---Read Revelation 2:4
-The Prescription—Read Revelation 2:5a
--2
Corinthians 7:10 à
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads
to salvation and leaves no regret…
-The Promise
--allowed to eat from the Tree of Life
Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)
-The Good News
--Jesus understands their situation (2:9)
-The Bad News
--there is no bad news as far as their spiritual condition goes, but
there’s even more suffering ahead, even more persecution,
even the very real possibility of death because of your faith
-The Prescription
--do not fear...be faithful (2:10)
-The Promise
--Jesus will give the crown of life...protection from the 2nd death
Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)
-The Good News
--Christians in
Pergamum are living where Satan has his throne
---their city is where Satan lives
---Ray Summers calls Pergamum, “Hell’s Headquarters”
--Pergamum is given such a name because as the chief city in the
province, it is the center of worship of the Roman emperor
--as such, the Roman authorities don’t have a great deal of
tolerance for those who would dare worship “foreign gods”
---evidence of that is the execution of Antipas
--but there in the middle of all that violence…surrounded by that
sin, there are the faithful ones
--despite the pressure and the fear that came from the martyrdom
of Antipas—whom some say may have been their pastor—
Jesus commends them for not renouncing their faith even then
--what’s the difference between proclaiming
---Kurios Christos (Lord Christ)
---or Kurios Kaisaros (Lord Caesar)?
--what’s the difference?
---at the end of the first century in Pergamum in Mysia…it is the
difference between life and death
-The Bad News
--there was compromise (false teaching, unethical and immoral
behavior, following the Nicolaitans)
-- West African proverb à The man who tries to walk two roads
will split his pants.
-The Prescription
--repentance...turning from sin, turning to God
-The Promise
--given hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it
Thyatira
-The Good News
--Read
Revelation 2:19
-The Bad News
--Read Revelation 2:20 (the sin of toleration)
-The Prescription
--Read Revelation 2:25-26a
-The Promise
--Read Revelation 2:26b, 28
Sardis
-The Good News
--there is no persecution (and there is no other good news)
-The Bad News
--they have the reputation of being alive, but they are really dead
-The Prescription
--wake up—the temptation to compromise, the distractions are real
--strengthen what remains—as bad as it may seem, it’s not too late
--remember what you’ve received and heard—the truth, the gospel
--obey—do what you know is right
--repent—turn away from your sin…run back to God
-The Promise
--name will never be blotted out of the Book of Life
Philadelphia
-The Good News
--Read Revelation 3:10
-The Bad News
--none
-The Prescription
--Read
Revelation 3:11b
-The Promise
--Read
Revelation 3:11a, 12
Laodicea
-The Good News
--there is no persecution (and there is no other good news)
-The Bad News
--Read
Revelation 3:15-17
-The Prescription
--Read
Revelation 3:18-20
-The Promise
--Read
Revelation 3:22
Ninety seconds before his heat, Derek Redmond had to pull out of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea because of Achilles tendon problems. Following that injury, he had five surgeries, but Redmond never gave up on his Olympic dream.
I want you now to go with me to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. At the track and field stadium, the gun has just sounded for the 400-meter semifinals. About 100 meters into the race, Redmond crumples to the track with a torn right hamstring. Medical attendants rush out to assist, but as they approach him, he waves them all aside, struggles to his feet, then crawls and hops in a desperate effort to finish the race.
Even though he knew this would be a career-ending injury, he keeps saying to himself, "I'm not quitting. I'm going to finish this race." Painfully he works his way, hopping, crawling at times down the lane.
Up in the stands, a big guy wearing a T-shirt, tennis shoes, and a Nike cap that said "Just Do It" across the front barrels out of the stands, pushes aside a security guard, runs to Derek's side, and embraces him. He was Jim Redmond, Derek's father.
Now, arm around his son's waist, Derek's arm around his dad's thick shoulders and neck, they continue down the track. Mom and sister were watching this race back home on television. There, at the stadium, the crowd is standing, cheering. Derek and his daddy work their way around the track until, finally, arm in arm, they cross the finish line.
Think about it—if that's the way an earthly father responds to his son who is determined to finish a race no matter what the price…then how much more does our heavenly Father, run to the side of His child who is determined to finish?
Winter Bible Study—Session 1
Introduction and Revelation 1-3
The Four Major Interpretative
Traditions/Views/Approaches
-pros
-cons
-pros
-cons
-pros
-cons
-pros
-cons
The Seven Churches of Asia
Ephesus
(2:1-7)
Smyrna
(2:8-11)
Pergamum
(2:12-17)
Thyatira
(2:18-29)
Sardis
(3:1-6)
Philadelphia
(3:7-13)
Laodicea
(3:14-22)