The rest of
mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work
of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver,
bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21
Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality,
or their thefts. Revelation
9:20-21 (NIV)
I. Introduction
The book of Revelation is a unique and thought-provoking
book. Revelation engages readers’ imagination while also causing much confusion,
misunderstanding, and mystery. No
New Testament book has caused much confusion and the subject of varied
interpretations as Revelation.
Mystical and disturbing supernatural characters and bizarre scenes and visions
fill the pages of Revelation. One
biblical commentary insightfully wrote, “Perhaps no New Testament document
simultaneously engages the imagination of its readers and frustrates their
understanding as much as Revelation, the last book of the canon.” Some
people love the book of Revelation and concentrate all their biblical studies
on Revelation while ignoring the rest of Scripture. On
the other hand, other people ignore and avoid reading the book of Revelation
thinking the book too mysterious to understand.
Much of the confusion of Revelation comes from chapters
6 through 19 with the book’s strange numbers, symbols, judgments, and peculiar
visions experienced by John.
Revelation chapters 1 through 5 and Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are often the
most read chapters of Revelation. However,
an understanding of the Holy Scriptures cannot be complete without reading the
book of Revelation. John, the human author of
Revelation, instructed the early church to read the book of Revelation aloud.
In the opening verses of Revelation, John
state that “God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the
church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says.”
Revelation 1:3 is the first of seven blessings or beatitudes that come to those
who read and obey the book of Revelation.
A. Authorship
and Date
The divine Author of Revelation identified in the
opening verse is Jesus Christ. The
living and resurrected Jesus Christ has received authority from God the Father
to describe coming events to His servant John for communicating to His church. From
as early as Justin Martyr in the second century A.D., the early church has
identified this John as John, the son of Zebedee. John of Zebedee is the beloved apostle of
Jesus Christ, and he authored the Gospel of John (Fourth Gospel) and the three
New Testament epistles. However,
the Greek style of Revelation differs from the Fourth Gospel and the three
epistles; therefore, some biblical scholars argue that “John the elder” or
possibly another John from the early church wrote Revelation. Nevertheless,
both the thematic links (e.g., Jesus as Lamb and Word of God)
and the early church traditions favor John the “beloved disciple” of Jesus.
John of Zebedee, along with Peter and James, belonged to Jesus’ inner circle
during Jesus’ public ministry on earth.
John wrote the book of Revelation when Christians were
entering a time of persecution.
The two periods most often identified are the latter part of Nero’s reign (A.D.
54-68) before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the last part of Domitian’s
reign (A.D. 81-96).
Most interpreters date the book around A.D. 95.
However, a few biblical scholars date the book of Revelation during the reign
of Vespasian (A.D. 69-79).
B. Content
and Theme
Many biblical scholars classify the book of Revelation
as apocalyptic literature, a prophecy, and a letter (epistle).
In the very first word of the Greek text, John identifies Revelation as an
apocalypse. The word “apocalypse” literally means revelation, unveiling, or
disclosure. Apocalyptic literature is
unique to Judaism.
In apocalyptic literature, the author’s sole subject matter is a description of
the coming end of the world, the Kingdom of God, and the glorious future for
the faithful. The book of Revelation
has some of the common characteristics of apocalyptic literature – use of
metaphors, symbolic language, visions, excessive use of numbers, and
supernatural characters to accomplish God’s divine purpose.
Revelation is also a prophecy.
Prophecy includes not only foretelling the future but also proclaiming any
message from the true and living God – whether a command, instruction, warning,
history, or prediction.
Thus, prophets are primarily preachers. Even
more, Revelation is a letter (epistle) written to the church. The
overall shape of the book of Revelation is a letter addressed to seven
first-century churches in the Roman province of Asia Minor (now western Turkey). These
seven churches were representative of all Jesus’ churches. Revelation
begins with a normal salutation in Revelation 1:4 and continues through the
benediction of Revelation 22:21. Thus, the book of Revelation is all three
literary genres: an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter.
The Resurrected Jesus is the central character of the
book of Revelation. The
first verse of the book, “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” identifies the Resurrected Jesus as the central figure of this book.
Revelation is an unveiling or disclosure of the resurrected and living Jesus. From
beginning to the end, the Resurrected Jesus dominates the pages of Revelation. Revelation
reveals a different portrait of Jesus Christ than from the New Testament
Gospels. In Revelation, Jesus Christ (Messiah) is the reigning and ruling King
and Lord over all the earth,
as well as the sacrificial Lamb who purchased redemption. Even
more, Revelation reveals the ruling Sovereign LORD God, a portrait of heaven,
and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Through
graphic pictures of Revelation, we learn the final judgment of evil and eternal
blessings for the faithful believers of Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ promised His abundant blessings for those who obey Him now in this life
and for all eternity. Everyone
will have to account to Jesus Christ at the final judgment for their evil and
good deeds while on earth.
Furthermore, the book of Revelation is full of hope
and God’s mercy. Revelation offers future
hope to all faithful believers in Jesus Christ by proclaiming Jesus Christ's
final victory over evil and the reality of eternal life Him. The
book of Revelation gives believers guidance as the book teaches about the
importance of morality, obedience, and faithfulness to God and His Son, Jesus
Christ.
John wrote Revelation to instruct and encourage the church to remain faithful
and committed to God despite opposition and persecution.
Everyone who endures the testing of evil and remains wholeheartedly faithful to
God will be rewarded.
Nonetheless, the book of Revelation also reveals Satan
and his evil alliance’s defiance of divine power, which brings God’s judgment. The
Sovereign LORD God does not approve of famine, death, and hell, but they must
follow if a person rejects Him and His commandments.
The book of Revelation shows God’s desire not to inflict vengeance on people,
but rather God’s desire to bring all people to obedience and repentance so they
can enter God’s Kingdom. God
wants everyone to turn from evil deeds, idolatry, and deceit and wholeheartedly
turn to Him with worship, goodness, and obedience. Nevertheless,
the book of Revelation shows God’s sovereignty and power that ends all
suffering and reveals an eternal closeness experienced by the faithful. Revelation reveals that God is fully in control, and
He rules and overrules the affairs of human history.
Although there will be persecution in the last days, God remains in sovereign
control!
Moreover, the book of Revelation is filled with songs
of praise aloud to God. These
great songs of praise to God and Jesus the Lamb from Revelation have often
influenced anthems and musical works such as Handel’s Messiah and The Battle Hymn
of the Republic. Even more, Revelation
unfolds with a sense of ever-increasing drama.
Many biblical scholars believe Greek drama influenced John’s writing of
Revelation as seen the attention John gives to the staging of events,
positioning of character settings, crowd scenes, and costuming of characters. Moreover,
John uses repetition or recapitulation to elaborate on God’s purposes and
confirm Revelation’s certainty.
Notably, Jesus sent His revelation
to John to encourage His churches to resist Satan and his evil allies. Satan’s
evil allies came in the form of intimating violence (the evil beast), deceptive
teaching (the false prophets), and charming affluence (the prostitute). Revelation
unveils the unseen spiritual war in which God’s people are engaged: the spiritual
and cosmic conflict between God and Satan.
In this conflict, Jesus the Lamb has defeated and already WON the decisive
victory over Satan through His sacrificial death and resurrection for His
people through faith in Him. However, Satan and his allies continue to assault
the church through persecution, false teaching, and the allure of material
affluence and cultural approval. During
His earthly ministry, Jesus warned His disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they
will also persecute you.” Although
Satan and his allies know they are already defeated, Satan and his evil allies continually
pursue in rage the faithful who “obey God’s commandments and hold to the
testimony of Jesus.”
By revealing the root cause of suffering, John wrote
Revelation to encourage Christians to remain faithful against persecution and
not compromise and accommodate with the culture and value system. Some
people within the church were advocating a policy of compromise and
accommodation with evil.
John informs his readers that the final showdown between God and Satan is
imminent, and Christians must remain faithful to God and Jesus the Lamb.
The outcome is inevitable that God will come in judgment to destroy Satan and
his evil allies and to reward His faithful servants.
Interpreters of Revelation normally fall into four
groups. The preterists understand the
book of Revelation exclusively in terms of its first-century setting, claiming
that most of the events in the book of Revelation have already taken place. Historicists take Revelation as
describing a chain of events from Patmos to the end of human history. Futurists place the book of Revelation
primarily in the end times.
Idealists view Revelation as a symbolic picture of such timeless truths as the
victory of good over evil.
Fortunately, the fundamental truths of Revelation do not depend on adopting a
particular point of view. The
truths of Revelation are available to anyone who will read the book of
Revelation for its overall message and resist the temptation to become overly
enamored with the details.
Many biblical scholars see the book of Revelation as a
bookend of the book of Genesis.
The book of Genesis begins with the Sovereign LORD God and His Son Jesus in
fellowship with His people, and the book of Revelation ends with God and His Son
Jesus once again in fellowship with His people.
The biblical story of redemption begins with Adam and Eve, and later Israel
being placed in God’s sanctuary (the Garden of Eden and the Promised Land,
respectively). However, Adam, Eve, and
Israel failed to be faithful and obedient stewards of God’s sanctuary, and God
expelled His unfaithful and disobedient servants from His sanctuary.
Jesus the Son of God – also known as the Second Adam, the Son of Abraham and
Son of David – was faithful and obedient to His Father, the Sovereign LORD God.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus reigns with His Father – the Sovereign LORD
God – as the perfect and obedient Son of Man in the new heaven and new earth.
Also in the book of Revelation is the tree of life amid the Paradise of God. Importantly, Satan and His evil darkness that
corrupted God’s people from Genesis and throughout human history have been
removed and defeated and there is only Light, goodness, and peace.
II. Revelation
Structure and Outline
Revelation is composed of a prologue (Revelation
1:1-8), the body (Revelation 1:9-22:5), and the epilogue (Revelation 22:6-21). The
body of Revelation contains four enumerated series of seven messages or
visions: letters to seven churches (chapters 2 and 3), seven seals on a scroll
(chapter 6), seven trumpets (chapters 8 and 9), and seven bowls of wrath
(chapters 15 and 16).
An outline of the book of Revelation
is as follows:
I. Prologue (1:1-8)
A. Introduction
(1:1-3)
B. Greetings
and Doxology (1:4-8)
II. John's Vision of Jesus Among the Seven
Churches (1:9-20)
III. Letters and Messages to the Seven
Churches (2:1-3:22)
IV. Glorious Throne Room, the Scroll, and
Jesus the Lamb (4:1-5:14)
V. First Judgment of Seven Seals (6:1-8:5)
VI. Second Judgments of the Seven Trumpets (8:6-11:19)
VII. The Dragon's Persecution of the Righteous (12:1-13:18)
VIII. A Summary of Triumph, Warning, and Judgment (14:1-20)
IX. Third Judgments of Seven Bowls (15:1-16:21)
X. Fall and Destruction of Babylon (17:1-18:24)
XI. Praise and Worship of the Lamb, Return of
Jesus, and New Jerusalem (19:1-22:5)
XII. Conclusion and Benediction (22:6-21)
A. Words of Comfort and Warning (22:6-19)
B. Closing Benediction (22:20-21)
III. God’s
Mercy and Patience for Repentance
A. Background
Revelation chapters 6
through 19 describe the outpouring of God’s wrath of judgment upon sinful
humanity with three series of
judgments: seven seals (chapter 6), seven trumpets (chapters 8 and 9), and
seven bowls (chapter 15-16).
Many biblical scholars identify these three sets of judgments as the “Messianic
woes,” the “Great Tribulation,” or the “birth pains of the Messianic age.”
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament predicted these Messianic
judgments on the earth before the Messiah coming. Jewish
and Christian sources believe wars, earthquakes, disobedience, famine, anarchy,
lawlessness, and social disorder characterize this troubling period. During
this troubling period, God’s people – Jews and Christians – will suffer
persecution, mistreatment, and even death because of the Word of God and their
faithful testimony.
However, the Holy Scriptures encourage God’s people to remain faithful and
steadfast to God because God will vindicate the world for their unjust
suffering and mistreatment.
God’s
wrath and judgment revealed in the book of Revelation was not vengeful but
God’s final attempt to bring sinful humanity to redemption and repentance. Like the watchman and his
trumpet in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, the judgments warn people of
impending danger to lead them to God in repentance and redemption (see Ezekiel
33).
The damaging effect of these three sets of judgments
increases in intensity from one-fourth of the earth with seal judgments to
one-third of the earth with the trumpet judgments.
Finally, Revelation chapter 16 describes the last set of judgments as God pours
out His final wrath upon rebellious and sinful humanity, culminating in the
Messiah’s return!
Some biblical commentators see these three major
judgments as a recapitulation or repetition of one another with increasing
intensity. In other words, these
three major judgments are one set of judgments with three versions.
Most biblical commentators find that these three major judgments cover the same
period of human history that leads Jesus the Messiah’s coming.
The major point is that the intensity of these judgments increases with each
series.
The seal judgments affect “a fourth of the earth,”
the trumpet judgments affect “a third of the earth,”
and the bowls judgment complete the wrath of God. Interestingly,
the trumpet and the bowl judgments involve the same areas – the earth, rivers,
heavens, humankind, an army, and angry nations and not human-made as with the
seal judgments.
Many biblical scholars also note the similarities in
the three sets of judgments to the Old Testament's Egyptian plagues. These
three sets of judgments (seals, trumpets, and bowls) echo Egypt’s ten plagues. Like
the ten plagues on Egypt, the true and living God sent these three series of
judgments so that everyone will acknowledge and worship Him as the Almighty God.
B. The
Trumpet Judgments
Revelation chapters 8 and 9 describe the devastating
disasters of God’s wrath against sinful humanity when the trumpet blows!
Revelation chapter 8 begins with Jesus the Lamb opening the seventh seal
judgment. With the opening of the
seventh seal, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. Many
would assume that the end has come after the earth’s punishment with the six
prior seal judgments from Revelation chapter 6, but nothing happens. Instead,
“there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour,”
and then seven angels who stand before God were given seven trumpets.
Anticipating the end, John notices that the prayers of the saints ascending to
God.
Many scholars have suggested that everything in heaven halts so that God may
hear the prayers of His people.
With the trumpets, more judgments damage the earth.
Seven angels, one after another, blow their trumpets, announcing hailstorms
with fire and blood descending, volcanic eruptions, blood in the sea,
affliction on the land, the pollution of springs and fountains, eclipses of sun
and moon with shooting stars, climaxed by enormous plague of demonic locusts.
In the first four trumpets, God affects one-third of the earth with His divine
judgments. After the fourth
trumpet, a solitary eagle flies through the heavens crying loudly, “Woe, woe,
woe to the people of the earth because of the terrible things that will soon
happen when the three remaining angels blow their trumpets.”
Then, Revelation 9 describes two frightening armies
God released to judge humankind with the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments. The
first army came from the bottomless pit of the Abyss (the underworld),
and the second army came from the great Euphrates River in the east. Revelation
chapter 9 begins with a star falling down to the earth. Many
biblical scholars believe this “star” represents Satan or a demonic being.
This evil being is given the key to the Abyss or underworld. From
the Abyss came creatures beyond human imagination, and God allowed locusts,
plagues, and other disasters to torment the people of earth.
The war or battle ultimately has origins from Satan, but God allowed the
destruction because God is fully in control.
When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, a plague of
demonic locusts is released from the Abyss. The
leader of these demonic hordes is named “Abaddon” in Hebrew and “Apollyon” in
Greek, and he is the Destroyer. These
demonic locusts were told not to harm the grass, plants, or trees, but only the
people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Just
as God’s people had been exempted from the plagues of Egypt, so now God’s
people (Jews and Gentiles) who have God’s seal upon their foreheads will be
completely unharmed by these awful creatures of divine judgment.
At Revelation 9:13, God sends the sixth angel to
release the four angels bound at the great Euphrates River in the east. These
four angels were released at precisely the hour, the day, the month, and the
year revealing God’s complete control.
Then, a massive army is released, numbering 200 million, and their horses bring
the plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that destroyed one-third of humanity.
Many biblical scholars call the sixth trumpet the battle of Armageddon, and
this battle has parallel references from Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.
C. Deadly
Sin of Idolatry
Horrible though the judgments are the overall
intention of the judgments is not to inflict vengeance on humankind but to
bring people to repentance.
Instead of utter destruction, only a third or a fraction of the whole earth is affected
by the trumpet judgments.
The fraction of the destruction reveals God’s patience and mercy in hopes the
world would turn to Him in repentance and not perish.
Despite the torment and devastation, many people of the earth refused the
opportunity to repent and turn to God. Because
of humankind's continued stubbornness, God continued the outpouring of His
wrath on earth, leading to the destruction of evil and His creation of a new
heaven and earth.
Revelation identifies the sin to which the unrepentant
cling: Idolatry!
Sadly, many people refused to worship God, and they continued their
demon-worship and idols made of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood.
Moreover, many people refused to repent by changing their minds and attitudes
about their murders, sorceries, violence, corruption, and theft. Because
of the people’s unrepentance and idolatry, God removed His peace from the land.
There is no peace for the wicked but only restlessness and trouble.
Revelation chapter 9 reveals God’s permission to allow
demonic forces to torment humans that did not bear the mark of God’s gracious seal
on their foreheads. In
Revelation chapter 7, John saw an angel coming from the east, carrying the
great seal of the living God to place on the foreheads of God’s servants.
This seal is the Name of the Lamb and of God.
With the sealing, God wanted to mark or stamp His people to preserve and
protect them during the Great Tribulation (also known as the Messianic judgments
or birth pains of the Messianic age).
God’s sealing is antithetical to the mark of the beast,
and symbolizes God’s ownership and protection.
God’s Holy Spirit also seals God’s servants as His property.
The
Holy Scriptures reveal God’s grace, patience, love, mercy, and peace for those
who turn to God and His Son Jesus. In His mercy and
patience, God gives everyone an opportunity to repent, turn from their evil
deeds and wickedness, and have faith in God and His Son Jesus. Jesus required His
disciples and apostles to preach repentance to the world after He returned to
heaven.
After Jesus returned to heaven, the Apostle Peter obeyed Jesus’ teaching and
called for repentance (change their lives from sin and selfishness and turn to
the Sovereign LORD God) at Pentecost. Moreover, the Apostle
Paul also called for everyone – Jews and Gentiles alike that they must turn to
the Sovereign LORD God in repentance (turning from evil and producing good
fruit) and have faith in God and His Son Jesus. Only through our
repentance (living for goodness) and belief in the Sovereign LORD God and His
Son Jesus can we escape God’s wrath and receive salvation.
Yet
with each series of judgments and the call for repentance, many people
continued their wickedness and
“worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, …
nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual
immorality or their thefts.” Sadly, many people
hardened their rebellious hearts, cursed God, and continued worshipping the
destructive, worthless, and deadly forces of demons and idols of gold, silver,
bronze, stone, and wood. In other words, many
people continued to worship
the
works of their own hands, which could well include the buildings they
constructed, the machines they made, and the cities they built. Their idol worship
plunged people into murder, witchcraft, sorcery, sexual immorality, dishonesty,
corruption, and thief. Because of sinful
humanities’ continued rebellion and wickedness, God promises to bring total
destruction upon the earth. The rebellious people
will be thrown into the eternal pit of eternal suffering along with Satan and
his allies.
Significantly,
God prohibited many of the sins listed in Revelation 9:20-21 from His Ten
Commandments.
Sinful humanity broke the first two commandments by making and worshiping
demons and idols. In their murders, they
violated the sixth commandment, and in their thefts, the eighth commandment was
violated.
By their sexual immorality, un-repented humanity violated the seventh
commandment.
In Revelation 22:15, those who practice murder, thief, magic arts, sexual
immorality, and falsehood (lying) have no part in God’s Kingdom.
Idolatry
is a deadly sin that seeks to worship and trust in anything other than the true
and living God. Ultimately, idolatry
leads to the worship of Satan and his demons. Satan has always wanted
to be worshiped as God.However, the Holy
Scriptures teach humanity must faithfully worship, love, and obey the Lord God
and His Son Jesus the Lamb. Wisdom, life, joy, and
peace come with our love and worship of God and obedience to His moral
commandments.
There is only one true
God, the Father, who created everything and only one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. God and His Son Jesus
work within faithful believers to obey God's commandments and produce the Holy
Spirit's good fruit.
Throughout
the entire universe and the Holy Scriptures, the true and living God has
revealed His gracious and invisible presence to all humanity. Even more, the Old
Testament and New Testament writers reveal God’s repeated efforts to draw
people to worship Him as the true and living God. Despite God’s loving
presence and patience, many people refuse to worship Him and obey His moral
commandments. Instead, many people continue to seek and worship the destructive
habits of demons and worship idols (gods) of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and
wood.
God has given everyone free will to either follow Him as the only true God or follow the path of
destruction, death, and wrath.
God
does not want anyone to perish, but He wants everyone to enjoy the abundant and
eternal blessings of light and life through repentance and redemption. Moreover, God does indeed
love the world, and He wants no one to perish. Even more, God will
relent from sending His wrath and punishment when we genuinely and
wholeheartedly turn from sin and darkness and turn to Him with worship,
faithfulness, and obedience. God is filled with mercy,
love, and compassion with a willingness to forgive our sins and turn away His
wrath if we confess our sins and turn to Him with our wholehearted faithfulness,
goodness, and obedience. The Holy Scriptures
teach that God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone but rather that all
people turn from their evil and dark deeds, repent of their sins, and find new life
by walking goodness, truth, and fairness. When people repeatedly
reject God and His commandments, then His judgment must fall. God is not vindictive,
but He will honor humanities’ free will that often leads to eternal destruction
and death.
Despite
God’s outpouring of judgment and wrath, many people refused to repent of “their
sorceries.”
“Sorceries” include magical arts, potions, witchcraft, and poisons. Interestingly, the word
translated “sorcery” is the Greek word pharmakia,
which means “the use of drugs.” Many biblical scholars
noted their religious activities involve worship of idols and demons (devils)
and sorceries or witchcraft, using magic potions and mind-altering drugs.
Repentance
is an active step and a radical redirection of one’s entire life from the ways
of the wicked to the fruits of goodness. Jesus, the true author
of Revelation, and His faithful disciples and apostles have called upon all
people of the earth to REPENT of their wickedness and evil and turn
wholeheartedly in faith and obedience to the living God. Moreover, the Holy
Scriptures declare to prove by the way we live and behave daily
that we truly have repented and turned to the Sovereign LORD God and His Son Jesus. The Sovereign LORD God
wants a changed hearts and to live for goodness. Only our turning away
from sins and changing our daily life and hearts towards goodness
(righteousness) leads to forgiveness of sins from God. If the church and
inhabitants of the world do not wake up and turn from sin, Jesus promises He
will “come like a thief” and visit them in judgment and wrath.
IV. Lesson Points
A. Turn to the Light
In
the book of Revelation, John uncovers the Light of God and His Son Jesus as
well as the darkness of Satan and his evil alliance. The Light of God and His
Son Jesus are seen in the pages of Revelation. The new heaven
and new earth with the New Jerusalem have no need for the sun nor moon for
Jesus the Lamb is the Light, and Satan’s darkness has been destroyed. Everyone that has
accepted Jesus the Lamb shall be saved and walk in His light.
Jesus
is the Light and Savior of the world. Furthermore,
Jesus is both Lord and God because He is One with His Father – the Sovereign
LORD God of heaven and earth. God sent His Son
Jesus into the world to reveal His love for the world and to turn everyone away
from Satan’s darkness and into Jesus’ Light. Jesus
is the Ruler and Light of the world, and He is the radiant glory of His Father
– the Sovereign LORD God. The
Light of Jesus is the source of all life because without Jesus’ Light there is
no life but only darkness. Jesus
is the Author and Giver of Life and the Light of the world like His Father, who
dwells in glorious light. Moreover,
Jesus is the Bright and Morningstar that existed with the light of Sovereign
LORD God at the very beginning of all creation. The
Apostle John eyewitness Jesus’ glorious Light when Jesus’s face shone like the
sun and His clothes became as white as the light. Moreover,
Zechariah the priest predicted Jesus’ Light coming into the world at the birth
of his son John the Baptist.
Jesus
gives light to everyone who sits in evil’s darkness, and He leads us to the
path of healing, deliverance, and peace. Through
faith in Him, Jesus protects believers from Satan’s darkness and evil and into
His light. The
Light of Jesus gives good and abundant life and peace now and for all eternity
to everyone that accepts and obeys Him by faith. God
sent His messenger John the Baptist as a witness to testify concerning the good
Light of His Son Jesus.
God
has called everyone to come to the Light of Jesus and live out daily the goodness
of Jesus and reject all sin, evil deeds, and Satan’s darkness. Our
evil and dark deeds separate us from the Light of Jesus and His blessings, but
our coming to the Light of Jesus reconciles us to God. Some
people reject the Light of Jesus and turn to the darkness of evil Night.
Everyone that accepts and believes in the Sovereign LORD God’s Son Jesus
repents and turns to the Light of Jesus and away from sin and darkness. God
promises that if a wicked person turns away from darkness and evil and humbly
turns to the Light and does what is just and right, he shall surely live and
not die. The
Holy Scriptures are clear: The Sovereign LORD God is good, gracious, and merciful,
and His faithful love endures forever and ever. In
addition, the Sovereign LORD God is a shield and helper for those who trust in
Him.
B. Call for Faithfulness
One of Revelation’s themes is the importance of wholehearted
faithfulness and obedience to God and His Son, Jesus. John
wrote Revelation to remind God’s people not to compromise and accommodate to
the world’s dark and evil value system. This
evil value system focuses on materialism, selfishness, and greed while ignoring
goodness and the needs of others.
At the time of John’s writing of the book of
Revelation, the churches in Asia Minor were suffering at the hands of the Roman
government. Most biblical scholars
believe that John wrote Revelation during Roman emperor Domitian's harsh reign
(A.D. 81 - 96). Domitian
enacted an ancient Roman practice of emperor worship, and he demanded all
people worship him as “our lord and our god.” However,
during Domitian's reign, faithful Christians refused to worship Domitian and
only acknowledged God and His Son Jesus as "Lord and God." The
earliest Christian’s confession was that “Jesus is Lord.”
In fact, early church tradition believes that Domitian exiled John to the
island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony off the coast of Asia Minor, because of
his obedience and faithful testimony of Jesus as Lord. Revelation
does not specifically mention Domitian’s name or the Romans. However, John
personified the Roman Empire as the evil beast who demanded universal worship,
and insisting that everyone bear his evil “mark” or be put to death.
Significantly, John warned the churches about coming
opposition and the significance of worshiping only God and His Son Jesus as “our Lord and God.”
John wanted to encourage Christians to remain faithful to God and His Son Jesus
as Lord and obedient to God’s commands as instructed throughout the Holy
Scriptures and not succumb to Satan and his evil alliances.
Life, blessings, and entrance into God’s family come through our faithfulness
and obedience to God and His Son Jesus.
John assured the churches that God and His Son Jesus’s
promised redemption, blessing, and victory come to those who faithfully and
obediently worshipped Him and His Son Jesus as their Lord and God. As
Jesus informed His disciples before His death and crucifixion, “Here on earth
you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome
the world.”
Like the church today, accommodation and compromise
were issues facing these early Christians in the book of Revelation. Some
within the church were advocating a policy of compromise. Sadly, every Christian in every generation
faces temptations to compromise to the world and their values. Previously, the
Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter wrote to the churches not to be conformed to
this world’s values.
Revelation is John’s call Christians to remain wholeheartedly
faithful to God and His Son Jesus and not to accommodate or compromise their good
values and worship the beast of this world. At God's appointed time, God would
seal His faithful and holy servants from judgment and wrath by placing His Name
on their foreheads.
Even more, John says that God will create “a new heaven and a new earth.”
On this new earth, there will be no more tears and no more pain.
God will be with His faithful servants, and they will reign with Him forever
and ever. Until this great day
comes, God calls His faithful servants to live good, pure, and holy lives as
citizens of heaven while on earth and reflect the light of God in the world. God
promises to be with His faithful servants and provide our needs as we seek Him
first.
One day, the risen and resurrected Jesus will burst
onto the world scene and reveal He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Then
everyone will know that Jesus is Lord and Ruler of the universe!
V. Conclusion
Revelation promises a happy conclusion to all faithful
worshippers of God and His Son Jesus. Out of the bad news predicted in
Revelation, Revelation ends with hope and good news – specular Good News. For
all the faithful believers, Revelation becomes a book of hope and assurance that
God is with us now and forever and ever!
References
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Standard Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody,
1995).
Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).
Achtemeir,
Paul J. Joel B. Green, Marianne Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament:
Its
Literature and Theology (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 2001), p. 555.
Ehrman,
Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical
Introduction to the Early Christian Writings
(New York: Oxford, 1997), p. 400.
Loyd,
Melton, Ph.D., Senior Professor of the New Testament (Due West, SC: Erskine
Theological Seminary, 2016).
Metzger,
Bruce. Breaking the Code: Understanding
the Book of Revelation (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993).
Mounce,
Robert H. The Book of Revelation
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998).
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Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary
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