THE REVELATION: An Overview Part One

   As promised I am going to attempt to give an overview of the Revelation for those who want to know but don’t have the time or inclination to get into long and laborious studies. Before we begin I want to tell you that I have been in the ministry for well over thirty years and have taught the Book of Revelation just a handful of times during that time. As a pastor I am required to teach the whole counsel of God so I want you to understand that I do not consider myself an expert on the Revelation and I am sure there are lots of things I don’t know. So, my intent here is to share with you what I do know, assuming that those who read this know even less than I do. And since the Book of Revelation is twenty-two chapters there is no way I can give an in depth look, so this will be an overview only. Also, I will concentrate mostly on the prophetic portions but I will not be going into the Old Testament books of Daniel, or Ezekiel, or Joel, or Zachariah, or any others, except possibly a brief mention. Also, somewhere along the line I may make mention of Matthew 24 and 25. Let’s begin:

Chapters 1-3

   As the Book opens we find John, this is the Apostle John, the same writer of the Gospel of John and the three letters found in the general epistles. He is banished to the Isle of Patmos where he received the Revelation. There he received visions from the Lord and instructions about what he was to write, which were, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” (1:19) and he was told to write letters to the seven churches named in chapters two and three. These churches were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. There was a specific message to each of these churches that are representative of the conditions of the churches down through the centuries. Some people see these as consecutive conditions of the church, which to my mind would require time, which in itself would contradict the doctrine of imminence. We just don’t know when the Lord will return. So here, John shares the things he has seen and the things with are.

Chapter 4

   Beginning in chapter four John is, in the spirit,  caught up to Heaven where he sees the wonderful glories  of Heaven including the beauties of the Throne, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures, each  different in character (probably as representative of the four gospels), and each praising the LORD and worshipping Him.

Chapter 5

                                                            

 
Chapter five introduces us to a Book that is sealed with seven seals and the fact that no one could be found who was worthy to open the Book until “a Lamb as it had been slain,” (5:6) arrives on the scene and takes the Book, at which time all of Heaven, including the Elders, the Creatures, and a multitude of Angels, and souls of men rings out in praise for the One who is Worthy to open the Book. Regarding the Book, it is sealed with seven seals and we are not told what the contents are until the seals are broken but it seems to be true that the hidden counsels of God are bound therein and will be revealed as the seals are broken. Keep in mind, dear reader, that this is a revelation, nothing is hidden, it is revealed. And John is now sharing the "things which shall be hereafter"

The 70^th Week of Daniel

   Let me make note of something here. We’ve seen that our Lord has appeared to John and He gave John the commandment to write unto the seven churches. After chapter three we do not see the Church again until chapter 19 when the Marriage of the Lamb is mentioned. There is a reason for this. You see we are in what is often called the “Church Age” or “the Age of Grace” and so forth. But there is a well known prophecy by Daniel (chapter nine) which is referred to as the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. Sixty-nine of these weeks have been fulfilled and were finalized the very day our Lord rode into Jerusalem while people were shouting Hosannas to Him. Only a few days later they would be calling for His crucifixion.

                                                                         

  
 The point is that we are awaiting the fulfillment of the 70^th week, which is also called by many “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) and the “Tribulation” period. So think of the "Church Age" as a sort of parentheses in time. Just prior to Daniel’s Seventieth Week Beginning, the Church will be caught up to Heaven and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is removed from earth. This is often called “The Rapture” or “The Translation” of the Church. So as the Church is caught up to Heaven, the 70^th Week of Daniel begins. It is a week of seven years. The first 3 ½ years are generally called “The Tribulation” and the second 3 ½ years is called “The Great Tribulation”. The wrath of anti-Christ will characterize the first 3 ½ years and the Wrath of God will characterize the second 3 ½ years. It is the removal of the Church and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, indwelling the Temple, that is preventing the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth Week (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

Matthew 24

    Another point I would like to make here is that Matthew 24 is related to the 70^th Week of Daniel, not our present age! I know it’s often quoted as applicable to our day but wrongly so. It has to do with the Tribulation time mostly. When we get into the next chapter of Revelation I will attempt to show, at least in part, how these relate.

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials.

   Think of a telescope that is opened in sections. This chapter opens looking through the telescope without pulling it out. The Seals cover the entire seven year period, the seventh seal introduces the seven trumpets, which backs up a bit and gives us more detail of events unfolding, then the seventh trumpet opens the seven vials (bowls) which backs up some again and gives us an even closer look at the events unfolding until we see the tribulation unfolded for us in a clear and understandable way.

Chapter 6

     As we look at chapter six it would do us well to note that it is an overview of the entire seven years. Here we are introduced to the four horsemen, which are really only one horseman but four consecutive scenarios. Notice in verse one it is the Lamb who opens the seals. I am going to try here, to parallel some of Matthew 24 with what we will read here.

                                                                             

First Seal: The White Horse and His Rider- This is not Christ, this is the

Imposter, the False Christ. He comes offering peace but his desire is to conquer.
This Coincides with Matthew 24:3,4.

 Second Seal: The Red Horse and His Rider- Since there will be those who do

not accept his leadership and those who rebel, war will come and men will kill
one another. This coincides with Matthew 24:6,7a.

Third Seal: The Black Horse and His Rider- Because of war and economic  

strain it will be difficult to afford even food to eat. A day’s wages will only buy
enough food for that day. Anytime there is war devastation follows and it does
here as well. Famine and inflation will be the rule of that day. Again, this coincides
with Matthew 24:7b  3^rd Seal

Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse and His Rider- Under this event we enter into the second 3 ½  years of the Tribulation Period, which is now the Great Tribulation. It will begin with the terrors of anti-Christ but it will finish with the terrors of God!. It  is at this time, we shall learn, that God pours out His Spirit on 144, 000 Jewish

evangelists from the 12 tribes of Israel, who will evangelize the remaining Jewish population but drawing the wrath of the Beast, the Abomination, the Man of Sin, the Anti-Christ and ¼ of the world’s population will be murdered for rebellion and refusal to worship him. Matthew 24:9 parallels this event.

 V. The Fifth Seal: The fifth seal shifts us to Heaven where we find the souls of those who are martyred during the Beast’s reign of terror. They are awaiting God’s vengeance on the forces of evil and they are assured that it will come shortly.

VI. The Sixth Seal: As the sixth seal is opened we shift back to earth where men of all kinds cower in fear at the coming of the Lamb who will recompense them for their evil.

VII. The Seventh Seal: The Seventh Seal will open up the Seven Trumpets beginning in 8:1 but before we get there Chapter 7 will scope us in and fill in some blanks beginning with the Fifth Seal.

Chapter Seven

 

    This chapter begins with the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28) about God pouring out his Spirit and here we find 144,000 Jewish evangelists, sealed by God who evangelize Jews in fulfillment of Romans 11:26 where it says “all Israel shall be saved”.

     As a result of this great ministry we are introduced again to the souls of multitudes who have come out of the Great Tribulation, and who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed in white robes. Once again we see angels, the twenty-four elders, the four living Creatures and the Lamb of God. All created things offer praise to our Lord, who is worthy.

 

   This will conclude Part One of our Overview of the Revelation. Remember, this is only an overview and I have intentionally left out a lot of information. I am working out of my King James Text, my own written Study of Romans, and occasionally I take a peek at Herbert Lockyer’s chapters of the Revelation.

 

One Added Note

 

  Many times I hear people refer to the Revelation as “revelations” or “The Book of Revelations”. NO! NO! NO! It is the Revelation!