THE NEW TESTAMENT
BIBLE STORYThe REVELATION of Jesus Christ
The REVELATION of Jesus Christ Introduction and Story Flow This introduction is taken from the NKJV Personal Study Bible, Thomas Nelson publishers, 1990,1995. The word "revelation" is a translation of the Greek term meaning "apocalypse," which refers to an unveiling of God's secret purpose.....An additional consideration in understanding Revelation is the frequent use of visions and symbols. In interpreting these, one should recognize that the author has interwoven many echoes from the Old Testament.Attention to these Old Testament settings may help us understand a given symbol or vision....This book certainly had relevance to the situation that surrounded its first readers. Yet its primary focus seems to be on events associated with the return of Christ.... AUTHOR AND DATE The tradition that John the apostle wrote Revelation was almost unchallenged through the second century. Five time the author names himself as John, but the term "apostle" is never used....several ling-guistic evidences support the early church tradition that John the apostle wrote the Revelation as well as the Gospel and epistles of John.The Revelation uses some vocabulary similar to the other books of John. also, the Revelation, the Gospel, and the epistles of John are all fond of contrasts. Dating the composition of Revelation is complicated.... (Most give it as between 80 and 96 A.D. - Keith Hunt) PURPOSE In all this John's message is that God's victory has already been won. The Lamb is the King of kings and Lord of lord..... ................. I have not given a lengthy introduction as some Bible Commentaries will do such as "Barne's Note on the New Testament. It is not really relevant per se. and I will skip the "Outline of Revelation" as presented in the above NKJV Personal Study Bible - Keith Hunt. REVELATION CAN BE UNDERSTOOD! Let's make it very clear from the start, the book of Revelation TODAY, CAN BE UNDERSTOOD! It is the REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST OF THINGS THAT MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS, and He bears witness by Himself and gave this prophecy to John to write and who then bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all the things that he saw. There is a blessing for all who read and take head to the words of this prophecy, and KEEP those things which as written in it; for the time is near (1-3). I want you to hang on to that phrase "for the time is near." and we shall compare it with similar phrases. Some have or try to understand this Revelation book as for the time shortly after the life of John. The truth of the matter is the book is written MAINLY in the time setting of the DAY OF THE LORD. That prophetic time frame mentioned in TWO DOZEN OR MORE prophetic time frames in the Old Testament, and the context of all of them is the events of the last THREE AND one half YEARS OF THIS AGE. GETTING EVEN MORE SPECIFIC, THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT "THE DAY" OF THE LORD, AS A DAY BEING ONE YEAR IN FULFILMENT. STORY FLOW There is most clearly a STORY FLOW through the book of Revelation. If we leave out what is not the story flow, but inset passages that explain the symbols, or go back in an event to bring you up to the overall present time we are in at that time in the prophecy. So a certain amount of "drop back" scenes play out in this mainly Revelation that is still yet beyond us. Let me again state, this is A REVEALING OF WHAT MUST COME SHORTLY BEFORE THE RETURN OF JESUS IN POWER AND GLORY. Angels were sent to John to help him see many things and to write about them, events that for the maim part of this book are taking place in that section of prophecy called "the day of the Lord" or "the day of God's wrath" or "the great day of His wrath has come (chap.6:17). Dr. Samuel Bacchiocchi - Departing from his church's general understanding of this phrase, he disagrees with his Seventh Day Adventist teaching on the phrase, as having nothing to do with the 7th day of the week, or the literal day of the week (the Lord's Day) some call "the Lord's day." It is correct to understand that phrase as concerning the end-time period of the last number of years at the end of this age. The phrase "Lord's Day" is used in many of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and refers to that time period shortly before the Messiah comes in glory and power to the earth (verses 1-3). The OUTLINE STORY FLOW IS: CHAPTER 1:9-19 John in the visionary Spirit see the glorified Son of man. CHAPTER 4. The setting of the vision continues in heaven at the Throne of God. CHAPTER 5. God hold a scroll in His right hand. No one is worthy to open the scroll except the Lamb, the lion of Judah, the Root of David, the Son of man, Jesus the Christ. CHAPTER 6. The 7 seals and the opening of the first 6. CHAPTER 7. The sealing of the servants of God. 12 thousand from the 12 tribes of Israel and a great multitude. This part of the vision does include a jump to where these servants or saints will be with the Lamb of God (Christ) and the Father into eternity. CHAPTER 7. The opening of the 7th seal. Seven angels with seven trumpets prepare themselves to sound. FOUR trumpets are sounded and various destruction come upon the earth. THREE trumpets remain to be sounded (called Woe, woe, woe) - verse 13. CHAPTER 9. The first WOE or 5TH TRUMPET sounds. The army from the bottomless pit comes and torments people FIVE months (verses 1-12). The second WOE or 6TH TRUMPET sounds. The army from the EAST of Euphrates comes and kills one third of mankind still left on earth (verses 13-21). CHAPTER 10. The vision continues and preparations words are given to get ready for the third WOE or the 7TH TRUMPET, the LAST TRUMPET, to sound. CHAPTER 11: 14-19. The third WOE comes quickly - the 7TH TRUMPET sounds. The time has now come for Christ to take the kingdoms of this world and reign over them. The time of the dead to be resurrected and given rewards. Jesus will come and destroy those who are destroying the earth. The "temple of God" is opened in heaven. CHAPTER 14:1-20. Jesus is to come on the wings so to speak of a white cloud. The harvest of mankind is to take place. Jesus will make war and the wine-press of blood will be like a river. CHAPTER 16. The 7TH TRUMPET WOE is made up of 7 LAST PLAGUES. The 6th vial is the gathering together of the armies of the Beast power into the place called Armageddon. The 7th vial is a mighty earthquake and hail, especially upon the prophetic "Babylon." CHAPTER 19:11-16. Jesus' literal coming riding on a white horse with armies from heaven. He takes rulership of the earth. Destroys the "beast man" and the "false prophet" in the lake of fire. CHAPTER 20. Christ and the saints rule the earth for 1,000 years (verses 1-6). Satan is chained and cast into the bottomless pit. At the end of the thousand years Satan is loosed, another battle takes place around Jerusalem. God is the winner. The WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT (verses 11-13). Billions who lived and were never called to salvation will be resurrected and offered eternal life. They will have to live by the Bible, and receive salvation exactly the same way as the saints already in the Kingdom of God. CHAPTER 21 AND 22. The NEW heaven and the NEW earth. God the Father will come with the new Jerusalem from heaven, to live and dwell with His children FOREVER MORE. We are given a small glimpse into that eternal age, as it will be on this earth, as the headquarters of the entire universe. INSET CHAPTERS. Basically the rest of the chapters and verses of the book of Revelation are what we call INSET chapters. They tell us VERY IMPORTANT things that effect the MAIN STORY flow. It is like the Hollywood films that tell a story flow, but now and again they go back in time, to different times and played out scenes, that fill-in certain parts for our knowledge, to give us a better and fuller understand of the main story flow events. Example: Revelation 11:1-13. The inset is about the TWO FINAL WITNESSES for God's truth living in Jerusalem for the 42 months that the Beast power exists at the end of this age. The 42 months include both the "great tribulation" and "the day of the Lord." The Two Witnesses live and preach the truth of God during that last period of time. They are killed and resurrected just very shortly before Jesus returns. Revelation 12 is an inset chapter. It is an overview of the TRUE Church of God, going way back to Genesis 37 and up to the coming GREAT tribulation, the wrath of the Day of God - last 42 months of this age. ................. NOTE: Many of the details of parts of the book of Revelation, such as Chapter 13, are dealt with in detail in other studies on this blog, under "prophecy" and "end times." I will in this New Testament Bible Story, when we get to those chapters, refer the reader to those in-depth studies, and not expounded them over again. Entered on my website October 2007 |
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