Category: Book of Revelation

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The Lamb is the Lord, part 5: The War of the Worlds

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The decisive event of God’s plan of salvation is the Cross―see Revelation 12:7-12. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan and all the forces of evil.

This is part 5 of a 7-part reader’s guide to the Book of Revelation. For parts 1 to 4, click HERE and follow the links given there. Parts 6 and 7 will be published in the next few weeks.

Victory over the dragon

Revelation 12:1 to 15:4 is ‘a story within the story’. It leads us through the whole Bible story from before the birth of Jesus to His coming again at the end of this age and the great Day of Judgment. This section is the heart of the whole book.

A “great sign” appears in heaven―“a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (12:1). This woman cries out “in birth pains” (12:2). Who is this woman? She seems to symbolise the nation of Israel, from which Jesus the Messiah was born.

Another sign appears in heaven. To our shock, it’s “a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns”. It bears ”seven crowns” on its heads (12:3 NIV). This dragon is none other than “that ancient serpent, who is called . . . Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (12:9). With a great swish of its tail this dragon sweeps down “a third of the stars of heaven” and casts them ”to the earth” (12:4). Then the murderous dragon waits, ready to devour the woman’s child. Tragedy seems inevitable.

Click HERE to read more, and to download the 4-page introduction and the 16-page reader’s guide to this section of Revelation.

CREDITS ► Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Anglicized English Standard Version copyright © 2002 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. ► Scripture quotations marked ‘NIV’ are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition). Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). UK trademark number 1448790.

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A reader’s guide to the Book of Revelation, part 4 of a 7-part series

The Lamb is the Lord, part 4: Crashing Waves of Judgment
Introduction and Questions

This is part 4 of a 7-part reader’s guide to the Book of Revelation. For parts 1 to 3, click HERE and follow the links given there. Parts 5 to 7 will be published in the next few weeks.

Image © Steve Creitz at ProphecyArt.com

An artist’s depiction of the four horsemen who bring the judgments unleashed by the opening of the first four seals of the scroll (Revelation 5:1-8)―the ‘four horsemen of the apocalypse’.

Click the icon below to download
a 4-page PDF of this page.

Click the icon below to download
a 16-page Reader’s Guide
This explores Revelation 6:1-11:19, 15:1 and 15:5-16:21 in more detail.

Three sets of seven judgments

We now arrive at perhaps the most challenging―and at times, disturbing―section of Revelation. Perhaps this is the section of the course you’ve been anticipating most!

The Lamb begins to open the scroll―the scroll He took “from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne” (Revelation 5:7). Three series of seven judgments sweep across the Earth. The first set is heralded by the opening of the seals (6:1-17, 8:1,3-5); the second by the blowing of seven trumpets (8:2, 8:6-9:21), and the third by the emptying of seven bowls (15:1, 15:5-16:21).

Continue reading “A reader’s guide to the Book of Revelation, part 4 of a 7-part series”

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The Lamb is the Lord, part 3: The Throne at the Centre of Everything

Three: The Throne at the Centre of Everything
Introduction and Questions

Artwork by Pat Marvenko Smith © 1982, 1992 https://revelationillustrated.com/

An artist’s impression of the awesome scene portrayed in Revelation 4:1-11.

Click the icon below to download
a 4-page PDF version of this page.

Click the icon below to download
a 12-page Reader’s Guide in PDF format.
This explores Revelation 4:1-5:14 in more detail.

 

“One seated on the throne”

John writes, “I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!” (4:1). A voice―probably the voice of Jesus―says “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (4:1). John, in the Spirit, sees “a throne . . . in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (4:2). In this vision, he sees the heavenly throne-room of the Lord God Almighty.

This description of God as “one seated on the throne” (with variations) is the name of God most often used in Revelation. And here in this vision, God’s throne is the centre and focus of everything that John sees. Look at verses 3 to 10 and count how many times “the throne” is mentioned. From now on, throughout the book, we’ll be seeing everything from the perspective of God’s throne. Continue reading “The Lamb is the Lord, part 3: The Throne at the Centre of Everything”

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The lamb is the Lord, Part 2: Lampstands in a Darkened World

Two: Lampstands in a Darkened World
Introduction and Questions

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a 4-page PDF version of this page.

Click the icon below to download
a 16-page Reader’s Guide
This introduces the Book of Revelation
and explores Revelation 2:1-3:22 in more detail.

Introduction

The year is probably around 90-95AD. The mighty Roman Empire is almost at its greatest power and extent. At this moment in history, Almighty God speaks to an old man in exile on a little island in the Mediterranean. That man is John the Apostle. John writes, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea’” (1:10-11).

Continue reading “The lamb is the Lord, Part 2: Lampstands in a Darkened World”

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The Lamb is the Lord, Part 1: Reality Unveiled

One: Reality Unveiled
Introduction and Questions

Click the icon below to download
a 4-page PDF of this page.

Click the icon below to download
a 16-page Reader’s Guide
This introduces the Book of Revelation
and explores Revelation 1:1-20 in more detail.

Introduction

This is the first of a seven-part series on the Book of Revelation. We’ll trace Revelation’s storyline and themes. We’ll explore its symbolism and imagery. And we’ll see what God is saying to us believers as we follow Jesus day by day.

The word ‘Revelation’ is apocalupsis in Greek―from which we get our word ‘apocalyptic’. This Greek word means ‘an uncovering’, ‘an unveiling’. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus unveils what’s really going on in Heaven and on Earth, and where human history is heading.

God’s perspective on history

There’s a famous photograph that’s entitled ‘Earthrise’ (see above). It was taken by an Apollo 8 crewmember in 1968, while in orbit around the Moon. These men were the very first humans who saw Earth as viewed from the Moon. It gave them―and all humanity―a completely new perspective on our planet.

Image courtesy of NASA/Bill Anders

‘Earthrise’―Earth above the lunar horizon. This image was taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968, while in orbit around the Moon.

Likewise, in Revelation, God gives us a new perspective―a heavenly perspective, God’s perspective. Christ is seated “in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20). We’re seated there with Him (Ephesians 2:6). We need to view everything from that viewpoint―a heavenly viewpoint. And that’s the perspective Revelation gives us.

Continue reading “The Lamb is the Lord, Part 1: Reality Unveiled”