REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 6.1.Introduction
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
Chapter
Six
Introduction
Revelation Chapter 6 modulates into the most
fearsome cataclysmic and catastrophic events the world has ever known. Many believe
this section of Scripture is dark, strange, difficult, and impossible to
comprehend. However, it is not a playground of symbols, riddles, and allegories
but the foundation of faith in Christ's established Church.
During Daniel's day, the visions of the end times were
never intended to be understood. They were purposely concealed.
Daniel
12:9 - And [The
Lord] said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are
closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
However, today this revelation is open.
Revelation
1:1 - The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
unto [Jesus Christ] to shew unto His
servants things which must shortly come to pass. and
He sent and signified it by His
angel unto His servant John.
It is beyond our imagination as to the drastic
judgments of God's wrath pouring out upon the earth. God's intent in revealing
these drastic disasters are twofold:
A. To the unbelievers - A cautioning
B. To the believers - A comforting
1. To the unbeliever, it is a forewarning of
impending judgment on unrighteousness. God has allowed sin to go rampant so that
sinners ascertain their disobedience against God. Through this awareness, they can
choose true repentance and acknowledge His Son, Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Before the Antediluvian Age, the inhabitants were
left to their autonomy. The Bible records the consequence of Adam's
disobedience: Since their flesh became so corrupted, He sent the flood to
destroy the earth.
Genesis
6:11 - The
earth also was corrupt before God,
and the earth was filled with violence.
Genesis
6:5 - And GOD
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
By this cause, Creator God was justified in His
retribution.
Romans
6:23 - For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Hebrews
10:30 - For
we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His
people.
Except for Noah, who was found righteous in His
eyes, God made a covenant with him and his family to replenish the earth (read
Genesis 6).
2. To the believers, this section is not to be
interpreted as fearful. It is simply a warning – Sin and disobedience have
consequences and are not left unpunished. Thus, the following judgments should
function as:
A. A witness tool for the unsaved: To bring them to
the grace and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, rather than spend an eternity
in hell by following the deceiver.
B. A reassurance Christ will not harm His children,
since they will be caught up with Him before the adjudication occurs. "Fear
not" (cf. Revelation 1:17). "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Amen" (cf. Matthew 28:20).
Recall: The Revelation of Jesus Christ is an unveiling
of His battle plan to defeat His enemy Satan and his followers for the ultimate
benefit of creation. Therefore, what is being uncovered is not a narrative or
ordinary piece of literature to be read in a mixed-up, hodge-podge series of
sevens. Our God is a God of order and has a definite chronological program that
the believer needs not fear.
The first judgment on earth was with water. The last
judgment will be with fire, having the ultimate goal of giving followers a new
Heaven and Earth by His grace.
Methods of Interpretation
There have been many varying thoughts and theories of reading and interpreting prophetic apocalyptic literature throughout history. Revelation abounds in signs and symbols and needs to be interpreted
with greater scrutiny than exercised before.
Many books available are replete with forecasts
and predictions. They make for good fiction, sensationalism, and book sales,
which are collecting dust on countless bookshelves. Therefore, the readers
should be made aware of the diverse methods of interpretation.
They are listed as such:
1. The preterist (Latin word meaning past) approach
This view considers Revelation as symbolic history
rather than prophetic. That is, all revelation has been fulfilled in the past,
referencing the reigns of Emperors Nero, and Domitian, and culminating at the time
of Constantine. It was written to the persecuted church and intended for them
to understand what has happened.
2. The
non-literal, idealist, or allegorical
approach
This approach spiritualizes and allegorizes the
text. Satiated with symbolism, it becomes a continuous struggle between good
and evil. And endeavoring to mix Judaism, Christianity, and paganism, has led
to an overwhelming plethora of disputes and conflicts.
3. The
historical approach
The fulfillment of this approach encompasses a
continuous history of the church from John's time to the present. This position
has led to much dogmatism within the church, much of which has proven to be
false.
4. The
historical-spiritual approach
This approach is a theoretical symbolic
representation of church history in its totality ending with the Second Coming
of Christ. It purports that much of Revelation has been fulfilled and
everything has a spiritual meaning for the church at present.
5. The futuristic
or premillennial approach
The futuristic is the position of our study and
has three components:
1. A literal
interpretation
2. Adheres to
the normal fashion of the language
3. Future
events have yet to take place
This approach does not deny symbols because they
are explainable through Scripture. Since John is describing events in the
future as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, he is attempting to recount
every detail carefully with a plain meaning to the best of his ability. He is portraying
things or events comparable to his day or past. Remember, Revelation was given
to John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – Therefore, it is the most
sensible method.
Summary Timeline
Chapter 1 –
The things which thou has seen
The vision of Christ glorified as our Great High
Priest walking amongst the seven lampstands (churches) to keep their lights
burning throughout the world.
Chapter 2 –
The things which are
Letters to the seven churches having positive and
constructive criticism are read from the day of its inception (Pentecost).
Chapter 3 –
(continued)
The letters conclude with the Laodicean Period.
The
Rapture - Between Chapters 4 and 4,
the church, the true believers will be delivered and evacuated preceding the
Great Tribulation that begins in Chapter 6, for they are found worthy.
Luke
17:34, 36 - I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one
shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Two men
shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,
and the other left.
This passage birthed the popular phrase Left Behind. Those who do not accept
Christ will remain to undergo Tribulation. But before the Tribulation, the redeemed
will be caught up, receive their glorified bodies, and enter into immortal
bliss.
Chapter 4
- The things which shall be hereafter
This chapter vehicle the reader from Earth to Heaven
as the Creator Triune God and His Throne Room is in view.
Chapter 5
–
Jesus Christ, the Redeemer God stands and regains
the title deed to the earth, thus triggering a heavenly worship service.
Chapter 6 –
During the post-Rapture Period, John, as a
first-hand witness documents what comes to pass on earth after Christ opens
each seal of the scroll. The first six seals are consecutively opened. The
seventh is unsealed in Revelation 8:1-4 after a brief interlude in which two
groups of people are saved out of a multitude who perish (cf. Revelation 7).
2
Thessalonians 2:7-10, 14 - For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He (the Holy Spirit) who
now letteth will let, until he
be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish; because
they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved…Whereunto He called
you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The following chapters chronicle the balance of
trumpet and bowl judgments, the Millennial Kingdom, and the Second Coming of Christ climaxes at the end of Chapter 19. The remaining chapters discuss Satan's
demise, the Great White Throne Judgment, the new Heaven, earth, and Jerusalem. Chapter
22 epilogues the entire book – A call expressing the desire of all Christians.
The Great Tribulation
There shall come a colossal calamity unlike the
world has ever seen. Although this period is relatively short (the last 3 ½
years), nearly one billion people will be destroyed during this catastrophe.
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel*
The most commonly used alternative name for the
Tribulation Period is the Seventy Weeks of Daniel which continues for seven years.
The concept of seventy weeks is borne from one of Daniel's visions of the End Times:
Daniel
9:24 - Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy Holy City, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins,
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most
Holy.
In another vision, the angel Gabriel explained the
vision to Daniel from Chapter 9, verses 20 through 27 [please read].
Below is that explanation in part:
Daniel
9:25a - Know
therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be
seven weeks.
This epoch spans seven weeks. Without delving into
mathematical complications, simply stated, seven weeks means seven weeks of years.
One week equals seven days. But in Daniel's vernacular, one week is equivalent
to seven years, or a week of years. Seven weeks of years are equivalent to forty-nine
years. Therefore, seven times seventy leaves a quotient of 490 years (seventy
weeks of years).
Thus far, 483 years (69 weeks) of Daniel's
prophecy have been fulfilled. The seventh-year period yet to be fulfilled is
known as the Seventieth Week of the Tribulation Period having a length of seven
years. Presently we are living in an Era of Grace, the Age of the Church, incidentally,
not seen by Daniel.
Some other various names for the Tribulation are
mentioned:
1. The Day of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 2:12).
2. The Day of the Lord's Vengeance (cf. Isaiah 34:8)
3. The Time of Jacob's Trouble (cf. Jeremiah 30:7)
4. The Time of the End (cf. Daniel 12:9)
5. The End of This World (cf. Matthew 13:40, 49)
6. The Great Day of His Wrath (cf. Revelation 6:17)
7. The Hour of His Judgment (cf. Revelation 14:7)
Stages of Tribulation
The Tribulation period exists in two phases:
1. The Tribulation – the first 3 ½ years as described
in Matthew Chapter 24. The Antichrist will usher in promising peace. Nations
will be federated and wars will cease under a false peace treaty to those left
behind under the Laodicean system. This will appear as a mock millennium.
a. In the middle of the 3 ½ years (an undetermined
time, perhaps a few literal weeks) the Abomination of Desolation, the
Antichrist (cf. Mark 13:14ff; Matthew 24:15ff.) will betray Israel, set up his
statue, and make a false sacrifice in the Holy of Holies claiming himself to be
god (cf. Daniel 9:27ff; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4).
2. The Great Tribulation – The second 3 1/2 years
usher in a universal war and the seals of judgments are issued in seven
successive stages – The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, the Lion-Lamb, the
victorious Kinsman Redeemer. He will rid the purchased possession of
wickedness, restore the earth to its proper peace and fertility, and shepherd a
new empire of righteousness for one-thousand years – The perfect
Millennium.
The Times of the Gentiles and the Fullness of the
Gentiles
To avoid confusion, the distinction is made
including God's relationship to Israel:
1. The Times of the Gentiles (cf. Luke 21:24) is a
period in history that began with the Babylonian Captivity and continues until
the end of the Tribulation Period at His Second Coming. It is a time when
Gentile nations rule.
2. The Fullness of the Gentiles (cf. Romans 11:11-25)
represents the Church of Jesus Christ – The Church Age [when believers receive
salvation (deliverance from the power and penalty of sin)] ending with the
Rapture or catching up.
3. The Salvation of Israel (cf. Romans 11:25-27). Because
of the rejection of their Messiah, the 69th week came to an end, causing
blindness in Israel in part. Between the 69th and the 70th
week, God called the church to be grafted into the vine to be a witness during
this parenthetical period.
Many Messianic Jews will accept Jesus as Lord, however,
God will honor His covenantal relationship with them during the Tribulation
Period. His remnant (144,000 Jews) will be sealed; 12,000 from each tribe. The
others will continue to have an opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ as
their Messiah during that time.
*Given is a brief synopsis. A Bible Study of the Book
of Daniel, which includes dating, is strongly recommended, for complete
comprehension [see Daniel
Simplified: A Verse-by-Verse Bible Study].
And so in the next lesson, Chapter 6, the curtain
will open the drama that shall and must occur in the Last Days while cleansing planet
Earth.
Questions:
1. Explain the concept of seventy weeks.
2. Why have the seventy weeks been extended?
3. Why are God's judgments necessary?
4. Why should the believer not fear the Tribulation?
5. Why are believers exempt from Tribulation?
6. What is significant about the middle of the
Tribulation?
7. How will God deal with Israel?
8. At what point does Christ return?
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