Pre-Introduction

Friends, the New Testament scripture reading for today is Revelation 22:1-21. Remember that I will again be offering introductory remarks concerning the book of Revelation. Last Sunday I presented you with three of seven foundational principles that will aid us in our interpretation of this book. Today I will present you with the last four principles. Obviously I will not be teaching through Revelation 22:1-21 like I typically would. We will come back to this text months from now to deal with it more carefully. But I’d like to read it to you today to help orient our minds to the overall message of the book of Revelation. If you remember I did the same thing in the introductory sermon to our study through the Gospel of John – I started at the end so that we might better understand the beginning and the middle. Also, some of what is said in Revelation 22:1-21 will serve to support the four remaining principles for interpretation that I am about to present.

Let us give ourselves now to the reading of God’s holy word.

New Testament Reading: Revelation 22:1-21

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’ And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’ The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:1–21, ESV)

Introduction

Last week I presented three observations to help in our interpretation of the book of Revelation. Today I will present four more observations, which will bring the total to seven. I would like to devote one more sermon after this one to introductory matters, giving special attention to the structure of the book, with particular attention given to the presence of anticipation and repetition  (or recapitulation) in the book of Revelation.

I hope you are willing to stick with me through these introductory sermons. I see them as vital to a proper understanding of the book. This is unusual, I’ll admit it, to devote so much time to introductions, but it is needed.

There is danger here. The danger is that these sermons cease to be sermons and become lectures. My prayer is that they would not. My hope is these sermons would do more than disseminate   factual information, but that Christ would be exalted – that he would be held out before you, and that you would be urged to believe upon him – to love and adore him – to worship and obey. Yes, these sermons are heavily laden with information. But the information should serve to exalt Christ, and to set him on display as our Lord and Savior, our Champion King who has won the victory for us, who is worthy of all praise, who alone can be trusted for the forgiveness of sin and for life eternal.

So that is my goal: to continue to say what needs to be said to prepare us to properly understand the book of Revelation, but to exalt Christ along the way.

The three principles presented last week that should help us in our interpretation of Revelation were these: One, Revelation is given to reveal. We should expect the book to make things clear, not confusing. Two, Revelation is a book to be seen. It contains reports of visions which are to be interpreted symbolically, not literally. And three, numbers count in the book of Revelation. Most of the numbers in this book have a symbolic force to them.

Here are four more observations that should help us to approach the book appropriately:

Revelation Makes Sense Only in Light of the Old Testament

One, understand that the book of Revelation makes sense only in light of the Old Testament. To read the book of Revelation by itself without the Old Testament in view is an exercise in futility. It is the Old Testament that serves as a kind of key which helps us to understand the overall message of the book, particularly it’s symbols.

Understand, first of all, that the book of Revelation is the climax – the high point, the conclusion of – all biblical prophesy. The book is not disconnected from the prophesies that came before, but is intimately related to them, bringing those past prophesies to a conclusion, showing how they have been fulfilled by Christ at his first coming and how they will be fulfilled by him at his second coming. The prophesies in the book of Revelation are the climax of Biblical prophesy. But if it is the climax of all prophesy, it must be connected to the prophecies that have come before, and should be considered with what came before ever in mind.

Revelation reveals how things will be for the people of God who live in the last days (remember that the “last days” are the days between Christ’s first coming and second coming – these are the last days). The book of Revelation speaks of final things – the events that will bring human history as we know it to a close are described to us here. Notice that Revelation also brings the cannon of scripture to a close. It is the last book of the Bible. Genesis is listed first because it reveals to us what happened in the beginning. Revelation is positioned last because it brings the message of scripture to a climax and to a conclusion.  And as the climax of biblical prophesy the book manages to “[draw] together images that pervade Old Testament prophetic visions and [brings] them to fulfillment” (Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, 12).

The point I really want you to understand is that there is an organic, intimate, and intense connection that exists between the Old Testament scriptures and Revelation. To miss this point is to be hopelessly lost in your interpretation of the book. We must consider Revelation in it’s canonical context (how it is related to the other books of the Bible) and it’s redemptive historical context (how what is communicated in it is related to God’s redeeming activities) if we are to understand it  correctly. Context matters. Immediate context; canonical context; redemptive historical context. They all matter.

If you have something wrong with your eye and you go to the doctor, the doctor is going to examine your eye, but he will surely leave your eye where it is and consider it in it’s context, set in it’s proper place, and connected to the rest of the human body. If, in his zeal for examining the eye, he pulls it out of it’s setting, he will surely do more harm than good.

Strange illustration, I know. But this is what many have done with the book of Revelation. In their excitement they have yanked the book from it’s canonical and redemptive historical setting and have tried to examine it on it’s own. They’ve done more harm than good. They’ve left us blind to the true meaning of the book. We must allow the book to remain in it’s proper setting in relation to the other books of the Bible and in relation to God’s redeeming activities in human history.

So what are some examples of the connections that exist between Revelation and the Old Testament?

For one, every time John is caught up and is shown a vision of the glory of God we should remember that these experiences corresponds to the experiences of the Old Testament prophets. John is given a glimpse of the glory of God (Rev. 1, 10) in much the same way that Daniel and Ezekiel saw the glory of God, being commissioned to carry the message received to the people of God (Ezek. 1; Dan. 9-10).

When we come to Revelation 13 we will see a great and ferocious beast rising up out of the sea. It is important to notice that this beast is a composite of the four beasts described to us in Daniel 7. After we recognize this fact we must work to interpret the beast of Revelation 13 with the beasts of Daniel 7 in mind. The visions are not the same, but they are clearly connected. And the differences are as important as the similarities.

See also that two witnesses of Revelation 11 are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4.

“The woes of judgment that fall on the harlot Babylon in Revelation 18 echo those that fell on Israel’s ancient oppressors, Tyre (Ezekiel 27) and Babylon (Jer. 51; Isa. 48)” (Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, 12).

Quoting Dr. Dennis Johnson: “Revelation’s symbolic vocabulary is drawn not only from the thesaurus of the prophetic literature but also from other parts of the Old Testament” (Johnson, 13).

For example, the tree of life reappears at the consummation of all things (Rev. 2:7; 22:2).

Quoting Johnson again: “The ancient serpent who’s murderous lie seduced the woman and plunged the world into floods of misery (Gen. 3:1) is seen again, waging war against the woman, her son, and her other children – but this time his doom is sure and his time is short (Rev. 12; 20)” (Johnson, 13).

“The plagues that stuck ancient Israel’s Egyptian oppressors (Exod. 7-12) strike the church’s persecutors (Rev. 8:7, 10, 12, 9:3; 11:6; 16:13), so the church’s exodus-deliverance is celebrated with the song of Moses and of the Lamb (compare Rev. 15:3 with Exod. 15).

“Although exact Old Testament quotations in Revelation are rare, allusions to Old Testament imagery are everywhere: Elijah and his nemesis Jezebel; Balaam, the prophet who masterminded the subduction of Israel; God’s temple, served by his kingdom of priests, offering incense prayers on the alter, from which the fire of judgment falls, as on Sodom and Gomorrah; Isreal, the Messiah’s mother; Israel, the Lord’s bride; Israel’s twelve tribes, armed for holy war; God’s winepress of wrath; the water of life, offered free of charge; Jerusalem, the city of God” (Johnson, 13).

These are but a few examples of how Revelation takes up Old Testament images and themes and uses them to communicate to us things that are true for the people of God living in these last days.

But consider this. Quoting Johnson again: “God does not cut and paste Old Testament images, unchanged, into the texture of John’s visions. While remaining recognizable, they are modified and recombined into new configurations – as we would expect, since the sacrifice and resurrection of the Lamb have brought the warfare of the ages to a new phase and theater of oppressions. We dare not tackle the symbolism of Revelation with immersing our minds in the rich imagery of the Od Testament, but also will pay attention to the transformation that these ancient pictures undergo as they are used to express the impending, climactic victory of the kingdom of God and of his Christ” (Johnson, 13).

Do you want to grow in your understanding of Revelation? Then one thing you must do is read the Old Testament, for the images and themes found there are picked up in the book of Revelation, advanced, and brought to a conclusion. Revelation and the Old Testament are organically, intricately, and intensely connected.

Friends, Revelation makes sense only in light of the Old Testament.

Revelation Concerns What Must Soon Take Place

Two, do not forget that Revelation concerns what must soon take place. And remember that the “soon” is from the vantage point of the 90 A.D. reader, not ours.

I will not spend too much time here given that this has already been discussed. But consider again Revelation 1:1 and 1:3: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place… Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1,3, ESV). And lest we make the mistake of thinking that this only refers to what is said in the first few chapters of the book we should remember that the same claim is made at the end of the book. In 22:6-7 we read,“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. ‘And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book’” (Revelation 22:6–7, ESV).

Some might reply saying, “but here in 22:7 it is Jesus who says ‘I am coming soon’, and he has not yet come though nearly 2,000 years have passed.” And I agree that he has not come in a consummate sense. He has not come in a full and final sense. His “second coming” is still yet in our future, no doubt. But that his not the only way the book of Revelation speaks of Christ “coming”.

Turn with me to Revelation 2:5. There Jesus is speaking to the church at Ephesus, confronting her weaknesses. And look at how he warned that 90 A.D. church. He spoke to them saying, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5, ESV)

Look also at 2:16. This time Jesus is confronting the church at Pergamum concerning the false teaching they were allowing in their midst. And what did Jesus say to that 90 A.D. church? “Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:16, ESV)

The point is this: not every reference to Christ “coming” has the final, consummate, second coming of Christ in view. That event is yet in our future. And that event has not happened quickly from the vantage point of the 90 A.D. audience. But Christ “came quickly” to them in another sense, for he is constantly present with his church, walking in our midst. He is forever coming to us. He brings his judgment even now. He brings encouragement. He brings strength. He wars against false teachers with the sword of his mouth even now. In that sense, Christ has already come, and he will continue to come, “bringing [his] recompense with [him], to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12, ESV).

This is a massively important theme in Revelation, and the rest of the New Testament for that matter. Christ has already come, but he has not yet come in fullness. The evil one has already been defeated, but he has not yet been defeated in a full and final way. We already live with Christ being united to him by faith, but we have not yet enjoyed the fulness of our life in Christ – that is yet future to us. The kingdom if Christ is here already, but it is not yet here in fulness. Already… not yet. Christ has come to his churches already, but not yet in the full, final, and consummate sense. We long to see that day. And the people of God say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, ESV).

The “already… not yet” principle is helpful in understanding some of what Revelation has to say. What is clear – and this is our focus today – is that the book of Revelation concerns things that would soon take place from the vantage point of the original 90 A.D. audience. 1:1, 1;3, and 22:6-7 state it directly, as we have seen.

But the principle is greatly magnified when we compare what is said in Revelation concerning the nearness of the events described in the book to what was said to Daniel who prophesied from the year 605 B.C. onward.

Daniel saw visions, as you know. And those visions symbolized things that would take place in human history. The visions that Daniel saw and the visions that John saw, which are recorded for us in Revelation, are indeed similar.  But listen to what God had to say to Daniel about the timing of the events that were symbolized in the visions he saw.

In Daniel 8:26 Daniel was told, “The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now” (Daniel 8:26, ESV). In Daniel 12:9 we read, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9, ESV). In other words, “the events that were symbolized before you will not happen soon, but will happen many years from now.” Indeed about 600 years would pass before the Messiah who was symbolized before Daniel would appear. And again in Daniel 12:4 we read, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4, ESV).

Concerning Daniel’s visions God said, “not yet”, “it’s a long ways off”, “seal it up, for the time is not yet”. But when we come to Revelation we see that seals are not applied to the document, but opened.  In fact in Revelation 22:10 the angel says to John, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (Revelation 22:10, ESV).

Clearly the meaning is this. The things that Daniel saw – the historical realities that were a long way off from his 605 B.C. perspective – are here now in 90 A.D. Of course the “already… not yet” principle applies to some of these things. But what is clear is that the book of Revelation describes things, not only in our future, but in our past, present, and future. The vast majority of the historical realities portrayed in Revelation were near to the 90 A.D. audience who first received the book from John’s hand. The exception are the final and full second coming of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the final judgment, and the new the heavens and new earth.

Revelation concerns what must soon take place.

Revelation is For a Church Under Attack

Three, it is vital for us to remember that Revelation is written for a church under attack.

Friends, the church is always under attack. The attack takes many different forms. But God’s people are always under attack, being pressured and tempted to give their worship and allegiance to people and powers other than the one true God. Sometimes the attack is blatant and obvious taking the form of physical persecution. Sometimes it is through the promulgation of false teaching that the attack comes. At others times the attack comes by way of prosperity and comfort. The enemies tactics are varied – he is a very cunning; very sly indeed.

We may be tempted to think that the only real attack experienced by the church comes in the form of physical persecution, but this would be a deadly assumption to make. This assumption would leave us blind to a great many of the schemes of the evil one. What is the end goal of he evil one? Is it not to persuade men and women to turn from Christ and bow before him instead? It is true that one way of the way he accomplishes this is through the threat of physical persecution. But may I suggest to you that there are other powerful tactics used by the evil one to entice men and women to bow the knew before him instead of the living God. Does he not also use the pleasures and passions of this world to entice men and women? Does he not inspire false religion? Does he not distort the true gospel, tempting men and women to believe in a false gospel? Does he not promote dead, lifeless, legalistic religion, seeking to persuade men and women to trust in their own religious works instead of the Christ who has earned salvation for us, who has paid for our sins, who gives his righteousness to all who believe upon him (“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV).) Let us not be so foolish to believe that it is only the church that experiences persecution that is under attack. May suggest to you that the evil was has done much damage to the church in America today through false teaching and by enticing the church to chase after the pleasures and comforts of this life.

We we finally come to the letter to the seven churches in Revelation 1-3 we will see that those original churches were being attacked and tempted in a variety of ways.

Later in the book we will be introduced to four main figures who together oppose God and his purposes – the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, and the dragon who empowers these three. The beast represents worldly powers that often persecute. The false prophet represents those who promote false religion. The harlot represents the seductiveness of this world. These three form a kind of false Trinity, and they are used by the dragon, who is the devil, to draw men and women away from worshipping the one true God who eternally exists in three persons – Father, Word, and Spirit.

Friends, the church is under constant assault from these three.

The Victory Belongs to God and to His Christ

But what does Revelation show us? It shows us that God us on the throne. He protects, he keeps, he sustains, and he has won the victory. We are victorious in God and in his Christ.

And that is the fourth thing to remember about the message of the book of Revelation: The victory belongs to God and to his Christ.

By the end the book we will see the four enemies of God – the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, and the dragon that uses and empowers them – finally and fully judged.

For example listen to Revelation 20:7-10:

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7–10, ESV)

And who has won the victory over these powerful foes of ours? The Lamb has won the victory, friends. He has won the victory through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. He reigns in victory now.  And will bring that victory to a full conclusion at his second coming.

“Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–25, ESV)

Conclusion 

Friends, the book of Revelation communicates the gospel. It proclaims good news to us that God has defeated the fierce enemies that threaten us. And it calls us to see those enemies for what they are. They are enemies! Their end is death and distraction. They promise pleasure. They promise life. But they will not deliver. Only the Triune God can deliver. Life is found in him and in the Christ whom he has sent. The book of Revelation compels us to abandon all hope in these counterfeits, and to trust in Christ alone. He alone is worthy of worship. And it is in the worship of him that we find what is best for us – life to full. Believe upon Christ, friends. And if you do believe in him, then stop toying around with the things of this world seeking comfort and security in them. They’ll never deliver. They’ll only bring destruction. Stop placing your hope in political powers. Stop giving an ear to false gospels. Stop indulging the appetites of the flesh. Worship God alone, and approach him through faith in Christ alone, who is the Savior of the world. Amen.

New Testament Reading: Revelation 1:1-8 

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:1–8, ESV)

Introduction

The sermon today is again devoted to introductory comments concerning the book of Revelation.

If I were to describe last weeks sermon with just one word I would use the word “deconstruction”. That really was my objective – to demonstrate that all of us come to the book of Revelation with presuppositions – assumptions – baggage. Most of us, I think, come with dispensational, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial baggage. We probably read Revelation with futuristic lenses on assuming that the book is mainly about things yet future to us. And so my objective last week was to begin to “deconstruct” all of that – to demonstrate, in a short time, that the futurist’s assumptions concerning the book of Revelation do not fit well with the evidence contained within the book itself.

Today I wish to build up. I hope to speak positively concerning how it is that we should approach the book of Revelation. I have seven principles for you. We will consider three today and four next Sunday. These are seven basic observations that will help us to consistently interpret Revelation correctly.

I should say from the outset that these seven principles are drawn straight from Dr. Dennis Johnson’s commentary on the book of Revelation called, “Triumph of the Lamb”. You will notice that the title of this sermon series is “Revelation – The Triumph of the Lamb”. I would typically go for a more original title, but I’m not ashamed to borrow this from Johnson’s commentary – the phrase is just so good! It’s a wonderful expression that manages to sum up the overall massage of the book of Revelation in just one line. Jesus has won the victory over all of his and all of our enemies through his humble, meek, and mild, life, death, burial, and resurrection. The lamb is triumphant indeed. The book of Revelation tells us all about that. Also, I thought it appropriate to give a nod to Dr. Johnson’s commentary in the subtitle of this series given the influence it’s had upon my interpretation of the book. It’s a good and very readable commentary on Revelation. There are other very important commentaries that are more technical and thorough (G.K. Beale’s, for example) but I would commend Johnson’s to you as good place to start if you want a good commentary on Revelation. I actually had the privilege of sitting in on Dr. Johnson’s class on the General Epistles and Revelation at Westminster So Cal a couple of years ago. Very good stuff indeed.

With that out of the way, here are seven basic principles that will help us immensely in our study of the book of Revelation. We should learn these principles and not forget them as we go on from here. They will be a great help to us as we deal with the details of the text in the months to come.

Revelation is Given to Reveal

The first principle is this: The book of Revelation is given to reveal.

The Greek title of the book of Revelation is ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ. In English – “The Apocalypse of John”. The first three words of the book are, “Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ”. In English – “The apocalypse of Jesus Christ”. When we hear the word “apocalypse” we tend to think of death and destruction – catastrophe! In fact, the word simply means disclosure, uncovering, or unveiling – revelation!

It is important to notice that the title of the book together with the first three words of the book lead the reader to believe that what they are about to read is going to, in fact, reveal something.

In our culture the most well known and frequent example of a revelation are the releases of the new iPhones. Every year or two a new version comes out. Some people obsess over it ahead of time wondering what the new features will be. Rumors abound. And then the day comes for the new device to be released. On that day everything that was mysterious before is made plain, clear, and obvious. What was hidden before is now clearly seen. The speculations cease when the thing has finally been revealed. This is what the book of Revelation does. It makes mysterious, hidden, and veiled things clear. It makes things hard to understand understandable.

But isn’t it ironic that the book of Revelation is often considered to be the most confusing, veiled, and mysterious book in the Bible?

May I suggest to you that the reason Revelation tends to confound instead of clarify is that we come to the book expecting it to reveal things that it does not promise to reveal. We want it tell us the specifics about our future. We come to it with questions like, “what role with the United States play in the end times? or, “who exactly the anti-Christ will be?”, or, “when exactly Christ will return?” – these are the kinds of questions we tend to ask. But Revelation does not claim to reveal these things. It is no wonder, then, that some walk away from the book frustrated, convinced that it is unclear. It’s not really unclear. It is, in fact, very clear to say what God wants it to say. It seems unclear, though, when we expect it to say something other than what it actually says. The problem is not with the book, but with us, and the presuppositions and exceptions that we bring to it.

The title and first three words of the book set us up to believe that what follows will in fact be clear, illuminating, insightful, revealing, and ultimately helpful to us. To put it another way, the title and intro suggest that we will say, “a ha!” after reading the book, and not “huh?”

So, if it true that Revelation never claims to reveal the specific details of our future experience – if it is true that Revelation does not reveal like we would expect a crystal ball to reveal – then what does it reveal?

Quoting Dr. Johnson, it reveals, “in vivid, visual form the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events.” That’s worth repeating. Revelation reveals “in vivid, visual form the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events.” I find that explanation to be very helpful.

What do we observe as human history unfolds? Well, we often see the unrighteous prosper, and the righteous go without. We often see those with power oppress those who are weak. We see those who promote false religion “succeed”, while the faithful struggle. And these observations of the world around us can be very discouraging to the people of God. It looks as if human history is out of God’s control. It appears that the enemies of God are winning. It seems as if it might be better to switch teams – to run with the world and to enjoy the pleasures and privileges that go along with that. This is how it seems when we look at the world – when we observe historical events – from a worldly and naturalistic perspective.

But Revelation pulls back the curtain to reveal – or to show in “vivid, visual form [through the use of symbolism] the invisible realities and forces that drive and therefore explain the course of observable historical events”. In other words, Revelation reveals how things really are. Things are not as they might seem to us.

We see this principle in Christ’s words to the church at Smyrna. He said to them, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9, ESV) This is the theme that runs throughout the whole book. Jesus said to them, “I am not unaware of the fact that you are poor as it pertains to the things of this world, and I am not blind to the fact that you are persecuted. But here is the reality of things – you are really rich. And those who persecute you who claim to be the people of God (based upon their ethnicity) are really not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Things may look one way on the surface, but things are not always as they appear. Revelation reveals how things really are.

The main message of the book is crystal clear, then. In verse one we are told that this revelation is from God and it was given to Christ to “to show to his servants [Christians] the things that must soon take place.” God’s objective is to show us something, and he is a good communicator, not a bad one. And “he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John” who wrote it down for our benefit. The word translated, “made it known” is σημαίνω which means “to cause something to be both specific and clear—‘to indicate clearly, to make clear.’” Add to this the repeated blessings that are pronounced upon those who “hear” the content of this book and “keep what is written in it”, clearly, the assumption is that the message of this book is going to be understandable and able to obeyed.

How different this is from how Christians today typically view the book. They see it as muddying the waters, not clarifying. But the book of Revelation is given to reveal. We should approach it, then, expecting a clear word, and one that can be obeyed.

Revelation is a Book to be Seen

Secondly, understand that Revelation is a book to be seen.

John “saw” the book of Revelation before he wrote it. Verse 2: John “bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” The verb “to see” appears 52 times in Revelation with John as it’s subject. John is constantly saying, “I saw this, and I saw that”.

And what did John see? He saw visions filled with symbols. It is right, then, that we interpret these visions symbolically unless there is something in the text which demands that we take them literally.

To interpret something symbolically is to recognize that a word or image is not to be taken literally, but is to be understood as representing some other reality in an out of the ordinary and vivid way.

Consider this. When Jesus taught us about the kingdom of heaven in Mathew 13 he said it was “like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.” It is not difficult to understand that Jesus was teaching using metaphor and symbolism. In reality, the kingdom of heaven has nothing to do with mustard seeds. You are not doing kingdom work when you sow mustard seeds. But Christ used the image of a mustard seed to communicate something true about the kingdom of heaven. Though it be small now it will grow big and fill the earth, for example. That is the real truth communicated through the symbolism of the mustard seed.

The visions shown to John and recorded for us in the book of Revelation function in a similar way. They are not to be taken literally. To interpret Revelation literally whenever possible is to interpret the book wrongly. We are on the right path when we, first of all, understand that it is a piece of literature jam packed with symbols, and symbols must be interpreted according to certain rules.

How can I be so sure that much of Revelation is to be interpreted symbolically?

Well, for one, the opening verse says so.

In verse one we read,  “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, ESV)

A strong case can be made for the idea that the Greek word translated “made it known” in the ESV near the end of verse one carries within it the idea of “made it known by way of sign or symbol”. Dr. Beale effectively demonstrates this in his commentary.

It’s interesting that the KJV and the NKJV both translate the Greek using the English word “signify”.  Instead of saying that Jesus “made it known”, they say that he, “sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John…” (Revelation 1:1, NKJV) I think this is a more helpful English translation, for the word “signify” means to express an idea by way of sign or symbol, and that is how truth is consistently communicated in this book.

It is interesting that the Greek word behind “made it known” in the ESV, or “signified” in the KJV and NKJV is often used in the New Testament and in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to  communicate this very idea – something being made known by way of sign or symbol. For example the word appears in John 12:33 where, after Jesus says, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself”, John remarks saying, “This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” (John 12:33, NKJV) Jesus’ talk of being “lifted up from the earth” was to be taken symbolically to represent Jesus’ crucifixion, John says.

More importantly the Greek word translated “made it known” in Revelation 1:1 appears in a concentrated way in Daniel chapter 2 if we read from the LXX, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old testament, and the Bible of the early church. It’s in Daniel 2 that Daniel interprets the strange dream that Nebuchadnezzar which we made reference to last week. Nebuchadnezzar saw a figure of a man in a dream – a large statue with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, thighs of bronze, and legs of iron mixed with clay. A stone was cut out, but not with human hands, and that stone was thrown against the image and it crumbled to pieces. The stone became a great and everlasting kingdom. Cleary this vision was to be interpreted symbolically. The image represented the succession of temporary earthly kingdoms, whereas the stone represented the Christ and the everlasting kingdom that he would establish. The Greek word translated “made it known” in Revelation 1:1 is all over that text suggesting that we ought interpret what John saw in a similar way to how Daniel interpreted what he saw, that is, symbolically, not literally. Both the visions of Daniel and the visions of Revelation signify the reality of things, but they are not to be taken literally

Two, the book of Revelation itself sometimes shows us how to interpret it’s visions.

Later in chapter one we encounter the first vision of the book where John sees “seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man…[holding] in his right hand … seven stars. (Revelation 1:112-13, 16, ESV) And by the end of the chapter we are told what to think of this vision. In verse 20 John is told, “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20, ESV)

So the first vision comes with and interpretive key. Isn’t that nice. It’s as if God wanted to help John and his readers out from the begging, saying,  “Here’s a vision. It’s to be interpreted symbolically. And it’s to be interpreted kind of like this…”

Why would we stray from this prescribed method of interoperation as we progress though the book. Why would we, like the futurists do, say, “well, let’s interpret it literally when ever possible”. Shouldn’t we say, “let’s follow the example embedded within the book of Revelation itself and interpret the book symbolically whenever possible”? That seems to me to be the better approach.

Three, to take the visions of the book of Revelation literally leads to absurdities and contradictions in the text.

Here is an example from Revelation 5 where we read of another vision. John says, “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6, ESV) Clearly this vision is about Jesus. He is the lamb. But is this literally what Jesus looks like now? Does he now have the appearance of a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes? If he does, then we have a problem because in 1:13 John sees him as “one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” (Revelation 1:13–16, ESV) Another time he is called the “lion of the tribe of Judah.”

So which is it? He is a lion? Is he a lamb? Or is he one like the son of man, radiant in glory? If we insist upon a literal interpretation we end up in trouble. But when we accept what the book says about itself – that it was seen by John and that it is to be interpreted symbolically – there is no problem at all. In reality Jesus does not look like a lamb nor a lion not does he have a sword for a tongue – he looks like Jesus.

But these images, understood symbolically, tell us something about the Jesus we love and adore. He, in his lamb like meekness, as one the victor. He, with his seven eyes, sees everything with perfect clarity. He, with his seven horns, has all power. He, though lamb like, is also the fierce and powerful lion of the tribe of Judah. When he comes again he will slay his enemies with the word of his mouth.

Do you see how symbols work? They communicate truth in a vivid and colorful way. They communicate truth by way of comparison and through the painting of mental images.

Some will say, “well, if it is symbolic then there is no control. We can make the symbols mean whatever we want them to mean.” And there is some truth to this. If the strength of symbolism is in the vivid and colorful way in which the communicate truth, the weakness is in their obscurity. But we are not without help.

I’ve already shown you how the book of Revelation contains, within it’s own pages, examples of how we are to interpret it’s visions. So we have boundaries.

The rest of the New Testament also provides boundaries. We are not free to make the symbols of Revelation into anything we want them to be. No, we must interpret them in light of what the rest of New Testament clearly says. The rest of New Testament provides boundaries.

And the Old Testament also provides boundaries. In fact, we will see that it is primarily the Old Testament that serves as the interpretive key to the images found in the Revelation. We will encounter all kinds of things in the book of Revelation. We will see a harlots, a beast, a false prophets and a dragon. We will see the twelve tribes of Israel, and twenty-four thrones. We will hear see seals opened and we will hear the blasts of trumpets. We will witness plagues and battles which bring great destruction. In the end we will see a new creation. This one will have one significant tree in it – the tree of life. And we are told that there will be no sea, nor will their be need for a sun and moon, for the glory of God will illumine that place. All of these images come from somewhere. We do not meet these themes for the first time in the book of Revelation, but the are first encountered where? In the Old Testament scriptures.

Friends, we are not free to make whatever we want of the symbols contained within Revelation. The rest of the scriptures provide the boundaries. Some interpretations are clearly “out of bounds”. Correct interpretations will agree with the rest of God’s revealed truth.

Revelation is book to be seen, friends.

Numbers Count in Revelation

Thirdly, we must remember that numbers count in Revelation. By this I mean that numbers also have symbolic force to them.

I have in mind primarily the numbers four, seven, ten, and twelve. These numbers all in some way signify completion or perfection.

The number four is often associated with completion in a geographical sense. In 7:1 we are shown “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.” (Revelation 7:1, ESV) Here the number four is associated with geographical completion – the whole earth is in view.

The number seven is associated with perfection in this book.

Notice the greeting in 1:4: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” (Revelation 1:4–5, ESV) Clearly this passage is Trinitarian .The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all mentioned. But the Spirit is described as the “the seven spirits who are before his throne”. Does God have seven Spirits? If so, then we are no longer Trinitarian. We would have to confess one God eternally existing in nine persons, Father, Son, and seven Spirits.  No, the number seven points to the idea of perfection.

Remember that the lamb had seven eyes and seven horns. Jesus sees all with perfect clarity and has perfect power. Seven seals will be opened in this book. Seven trumpets will be blown. Seven bowls will be poured out. Some try to argue for an overarching sevenfold structure to the book – I’m not sure. Seven signifies perfection.

The number ten is sometimes associated with a complete, but brief and limited, period of time. In Revelation 2 the church at Smyrna is warned that they will suffer persecution for “ten days”.

The number twelve is sometimes used to signify the totality of God’s people.

And then there are numbers that are in some way associated with these numbers.

The number six, for example, falls short of the number of perfection. It is the number, not of God, but of man. The number 666 is the number of man – the number of imperfection – displayed in a trinitarian form. The number of God would be 777. The mark of the beast is 666 – representing the false trinity.

The number twenty four is twelve times two. It is used to represent the totality of God’s people, Jew and Gentile.

The number 1,000 signifies a complete but long period of time. The church at Smyrna would suffer persecution for ten days – complete but brief – but Satan is bound from deceiving the nations for 1,000 years – 10x10x10 – a complete but very long period of time.

Let’s not forget the 144,000 of Revelation 14 who have been sealed by God. Who are they? Well, 144,000 is 12x12x1,000. The 144,000 represent all of God’s people who have lived and died in Christ throughout the church age who reign with him in heaven.

Many have stumbled over the numbers in the book of Revelation. The Jehovahs Witnesses insist that only 144,000 will reign with Christ in heaven in the end. Some pre-millenarians insist that Christ will reign on earth in the future for 1,000 years. Both make the same mistake – they insist upon a literal interpretation of the numbers in Revelation. But why would we do such a thing in book where numbers are consistently used symbolically.

Friends, numbers count in the book of Revelation.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, I’m hoping that these introductory sermons free you to see the book of Revelation for what it is. It’s a clear book. It’s message comes to us by way of symbol. The things that John saw reveal truth by signifying it.

My hope is that it grows clear and that it begins to accomplish what it is was given to accomplish – to encourage you in the faith. Things are shown to us as they really are. God and his Christ have won the victory. They reign supreme. The see all, and they have all power. The world looks enticing, powerful, and wise, but things are not as they seem. In true and everlasting pleasure is found in God and in his Christ. They are supreme and worthy of all praise. They are infinitely wise. We would do well to bow before them. Though you may be poor, you are rich. Though you may be persecuted, you will prevail over your persecutors in the end. Though you may die, you really live.

Friends, the book of Revelation is about God and his Christ who has won the victory for us. That is what I want you to see – the glory of God and the supremacy of Christ. I want you to begin to see the world differently. My hope is that you will see it, not with your natural eyes, but with spiritual eyes as informed by God’s most holy word.

My prayer is that the book of Revelation would transform us. May we be convicted of sin, may our minds be enlightened, and may our wills be renewed. May we be persuaded to cling to our savior more closely than ever before, all to his glory, honor and praise.