An Introduction to The Book of Revelation 

(Originally published in July 2022)

I write to you in the evening, as the dust settles on a long, yet joyous day mixed with real sadness as we brought the curtain down on our weekend at home as well as extended goodbyes to the Eggertsens. It felt very fitting for Jake to lead our teaching sessions before he went but it must have taken a lot out of him emotionally as well as physically. Thank you, Jake!
 
He gave us a very clear message of encouragement in his final address. As we reflected on what it means that Jesus is our King in his humiliation (Colossians 2:13-15) and his exaltation (Revelation 15:3b-4), and as Jake leaves us for a new phase in his and his family’s ministry - he charged us to not lose heart – and to keep looking to Christ. In the ups and the downs – the clear blue skies and the storms, we don't lose heart, because Jesus our risen King never leaves us or forsakes us. When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within - upward I look and see the King, Jesus standing there, having finished his work. Sin and death are defeated fully and finally, new life has been granted to his children and we wait in eager anticipation for that great and final Day when Jesus returns. So, we don’t lose heart but keep going, fixing our eyes on him! 
 
This sets us up beautifully for our new sermon series in the book of Revelation, which begins next week.  The Book of Revelation is deeply encouraging - and it's supposed to be!
 
Who wrote it? Well, like much of scripture the ‘author’ is named (in this case – the apostle John (1 v 4) – more about him later), but (like all of Scripture) this is very clearly written by Jesus (1 v 1), which is very encouraging because Jesus loves us so much!
 
Who was it written to? It is written specifically to seven churches in Turkey, many of whom were probably facing severe persecution, but it was certainly to be shared to all Christians then (and indeed the seven churches were representative of a number of congregations in that area in Asia Minor) – and all down the ages to us today.
 
Why was it written?
In the first chapter we discover that the revelation was given to John by God to show us what must soon take place (v.1), what is now and what will take place later (v 19).  So this revelation covers the present and the future,  and as we study it over the next few weeks we will discover that Jesus seeks to warn and to encourage.

You may already know there is much imagery in Revelation, some of which can feel confusing. However, most of it is drawn from other Bible books meaning that much of Revelation isn’t usually adding new information so much as summarising old (e.g. the seven golden lampstands in 1:12 are probably a description of the Tabernacle/Tent  used to worship God in the wilderness wanderings and there signifying God’s presence with his people). Given a few tools, I hope we can see that the imagery is less daunting than it first seems. Also, coded language is, at times, employed in order to keep the details secret from enemies of the gospel (e.g. the sea beast and the Harlot refer to the Roman government), and the different numbers are symbolic rather than mathematical. 
 
There are lots of competing opinions about what era(s) the visions refer to, which is worth exploring here. John Richardson helpfully outlines the four main schools of thought below:
 
1. The Preterist Interpretation   
‘Preterist’ means ‘in the past”. This views all prophesy in Revelation as something that happened in the past. In other words, he wrote to these churches in the 1st century about events that would happen in the near future/1st century.
 
2. The Historicist Interpretation
Like the Preterists, the Historicists also believe all of the prophesy is about past events, though it extends beyond the 1st Century and refers to all history since then. Therefore, people use this book to try and de-code history (EG we can find the rise of the Catholic Church’s corruption of the late Middle Ages, or the rise of Islam in these prophesies, as well as various revivals).
 
3. The Futurist view
They would mainly assert that it is all to do with faraway future events – ‘the end times’ so whilst it might be interesting to read now, it will only be practically relevant sometime in the future. Having said that they might also look to de-code Revelation to predict what the future will look like (even looking for ways current world events may reflect what is going on in Revelation. So, ‘Futurists’ in the 1940s thought Revelation matched Second World War events. Today, some may see Revelation beginning to unfold with Russia; Brexit; Trump; the abortion crisis; whatever).
 
4. The Idealist View
Idealists say Revelation is symbolic. That it is not about particular times or events but about the kinds of events - things that are normal for Christians throughout history (metaphor or analogy of sufferings, trials and opposition etc. that Christians have always faced over the centuries). So, the specifics don’t matter, it is more about the lessons and principles that apply to all of us. So, this is not a book that is to be somehow magically de-coded (especially by us today, in a way that Christians have been unable to do over the last 2000 years!)  It seems clear that God wants the Christians in the 1st Century to understand it as well as Christians ever since.

So, we take a mixture of the ‘historicist’ and ‘idealist’ view.
 
These seven churches were actual congregations in existence in the 1st century. In Acts 19 we read about the birth of the church in Ephesus. And even today, Ephesus is a significant archaeological site where you can see how the town was set out (I've walked down the main street and sat in the amphitheatre there).
So, whatever we understand about Revelation, we need to realise that it had to be understood by the 1st Century Christians as well. Equally, if we conclude that Revelation is only for the church back then, we will miss the reason why the Lord made it available for us today.  So (as with the entire Bible) ‘what the Spirit says to the churches’ back then (2:7, 11,17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), he says to all Christians ever since.
 
Revelation has a clear structure, though, as with everything else, there is a bit of disagreement in the details. The books listed below have some helpful comments on this. Barnett explains, in its simplest terms, that there are two visions. The first one is described in chapter 1, and the second relates to chapters 4-20 “and the awesome journey God’s people must make before the New Jerusalem descends on them” (p.8).  I have put John Richardson’s more matter-of-fact structure underneath the booklist (below) in case that is helpful to you.

This coming Sunday we will dive into chapter 1 as an introduction to the letters to the seven churches (we will do a letter each Sunday until early September). (I may write again before we launch into chapter 4 and beyond.)

To tee us up for Sunday, and indeed the whole book, take note of John’s circumstances. In chapter 1 v.9 we read he is ‘a partner in the tribulation’ (NIV – “Suffering”) for he is exiled on Patmos because of his faith in Christ.  Those he writes to are partners in persecution and the letter as a whole is an encouragement to them (the suffering church), and us, that  Jesus is King, the battle has been won and he will return to Judge his enemies and claim his bride. So, we don’t lose heart, we keep going. We fix our eyes on Jesus – we get ready for our Prophet, Priest and King….because he is coming soon!
 
Dan McGowan
Sunday 17^th July 2022
 
Easy-to-read books to get you stuck into Revelation
(Links to where you can buy the books will open in new tabs if you click on the book title.)
Revelation unwrapped - John Richardson (Link to The Good Book Company will open in a new tab.)
The Lamb Wins - Richard Bewes
Revelation for you - Tim Chester
The message of Revelation - Michael Wilcox
Apocalypse Now and Then – Paul Barnett
Also:
Psalm 93, 94, 97 (simply because I have been reading them recently and they seem to fit well)
and the Book of Daniel.
 

The Structure of Revelation (as set out by John Richardson)

Introduction
Prologue  [1:1-20]
The Letters to the Seven Churches  [2:1 – 3:22]
 
Main Section
The Seven Seals  [4:1 – 8:1]
The Seven Trumpets  [8:2 – 11:18]
The Holy War  [11:19 – 15:4]
The Seven Plagues   [15:5 – 16:21]
The Fall of Babylon  [17:1 – 19:10]
The Conquering King [19:11-21]
The Reigning Saints  [20:1 – 21:8]
 
Final Act
The New Jerusalem   [21:9 – 22:5]
Final Instructions and Exhortations  [22:6 - 21]