For those participating in the SOAP Bible Reading schedule, here is an introduction to the readings from Revelation that begin today (Taken from GotQuestions.org).
Author: Revelation 1:1,4,9 and 22:8 specifically identify the author of the Book of Revelation as the Apostle John.
Date of Writing: The Book of Revelation was likely written between 90 and 95 A.D.
Purpose of Writing: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave John to show his servants what must soon take place. This book is filled with mysteries and things to come. It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be certain. It gives us a tiny glimpse of Heaven and all of the glories awaiting we who keep our robes white. Revelation takes us through the great tribulation with all the woes and the final fire that all unbelievers will face for eternity. The book reiterates the fall of Satan and the doom he and his angels are bound for. We are shown the duties of all creatures and angels of heaven and the promises of the saints that will live forever and ever with Jesus in the New Jerusalem. I, like John, cannot find the words to describe what I read in the book of Revelation.
Brief Summary: The Revelation is lavish in colorful descriptions of the visions which proclaim for us the Last Days before Christ’s return and the ushering in of the new Heaven and new earth. The Revelation reveals the series of devastations poured out upon the earth; the mark of the beast, “666”; the climatic battle of Armageddon; the binding of Satan; the reign of the Lord; the Great White Throne Judgment; and the nature of the eternal city of God. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ are fulfilled and a concluding call to His Lordship assures us that He will soon return.
Practical Application: Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? If so, you have nothing to fear from God’s judgment of the world in the Book of Revelation. The judge is on our side. Before the final judgment begins, witness to friends and neighbors about God’s offer of eternal life in Christ. These events in this book are real. Live your life like you believe it and so that others will notice your joy about your future and want to join you in that new and glorious city.
Thanks for the thoughts, Charles. For myself, I have not read the book in chronological order either, but rather as a series of overlapping and progressive visions that essentially convey the same series of events. These events are repeated throughout history, but they do increase as we approach the end.
The point of the visions is not to provide a jigsaw puzzle outline of the end times, but to encourage believers with the basic message: things are going to get tougher, but its all under control… HANG ON!
Like you, I want to keep the focus on Jesus. I have refused to get bogged down in the details, my approach is encouragement and motivation. I have thoughts about the details, what they might mean, but I refuse to be dogmatic about it.
Thanks for the input!
Norm
I would like to contribute the following to your Bible study as a way to gain greater understanding and spur discussion.
I was puzzled by the book of Revelation for many years and searched for a way to understand its meaning. Revelation begins with the charge that it is a message to show Jesus’ followers “the things that must shortly take place”. Why shortly unless it is referring to those who will be living in the end times.
Revelation clearly says that we need to understand the revelation message, yet it seems unclear. Why would God send us a message that we could not understand and then expect us to follow it? How could we understand the truth? This was the first challenge of Revelation to me. A second challenge comes from the book of Matthew. Jesus said, “See that no one misleads you”. The bottom line, Jesus challenged us to try to understand the book of Revelation and to not be misled.
There are hundreds of interpretations and thousands of writings containing people’s views of the revelation. Who should I believe? As I studied and prayed for a way to address these challenges a thought came to me; could it be that Jesus has left us the information we need to unlock the mystery of the book of Revelation elsewhere in the Bible? This began my effort to assemble all the verses in the Bible that address the end times to see if they would guide me to greater understanding. This is what started me on the journey to write a book. It is an amazing story that is different than what I expected when I began. Jesus has provided us what we need to unlock Revelation, and I believe that the Holy Spirit showed me the way.
The key is that Revelation was written out of chronological order at God’s direction to conceal its meaning until the end-times. But why would the Apostle John, who was directed to write the revelation by God, write it out of order? The answer is that he didn’t. He was told to “Write in a book what you see.” Do you see the key? Revelation is confusing because it appears to be written in chronological order but is not. It is like a play that God showed John, but several scenes were shown to him out of chronological order. As a result, each generation could read events from their own time into the revelation events. This would lead them to believe that they were living in the end-times while preserving the true meaning of the revelation to be discovered as the end-times draws near. In this way people could read the same words over hundreds of years yet the details of the revelation could be seal up until the generation is alive that God wants to show “the things which must shortly take place”.
The reordered text reveals a new paradigm for understanding Revelation and answers many of the questions that have plagued Christians for hundreds of years.
Charles Huettner, Author
Jesus Reveals Revelation