I am involved in a in depth study of Revelation at church on Sunday eves. I was just doing my "homework" between coats of white paint on a ford van and thought , since we have this section here maybe some of you Bible beleiving christians might enjoy a discussion about it too. I have found it to be a very intense study myself. I hope we dont get started on a bunch of bunny trails but rather stay on track as per what the Scriptures have to say on the subject. So what do you think? Start at chapter 1? :Smarty:
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Greetings and doxology 4John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." One like a Son of Man 9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." 12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[c] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches
Being in Bible College, I just finished a class on Revelation last term. My interpretation of all the craziness and chaos in the book may differ largely from many of you, but I think there's no better way to conclude the Scriptures than with Revelation... God certainly did it right (as if there's any other way for him). The book is laced with messages of hope and triumph... which is great news for us!
Hope you don't consider this a bunny trail ? But I was saved in March of 1980 because of the book of revelation !! I read Hal Lindsays "late great planet earth" stayed up all night reading the whole book. Couldn't put it down !! As for your study, Where do we begin to talk about such a discriptive account of coming events ?? and that it stands up with the book of Daniel. My first thought of the book of revelation is the invitation of 3:20 Behold I stand at the door of your heart, If you will open the door I will come in and supp with you and you with me. Great location for that particular invitation, Right before John discribes the coming events !! IMHO Gary / Moz
Revelation.....good stuff. The Seven churches back then were all in present day Turkey. Patmos wasn't no picnic, besides exile this was a sentence of hard labor! I'll be curious as your study progresses how you feel about the rapture. Pre-tribulation, during, or post-tribulation. Gary brings up a great point, since Satan himself disguises himself as an Angel of light. Daniel complements Revelation very well.
One thing I was interested in was, can you imagine what he was looking at? OR trying to write down what he saw? It would be like explaining a Microwave oven to someone from the 1600's (electricity....whats that) (Microwaves???? HUH????)
Revelation is a good choice for a study. I will read on it, and hopefully weigh in with some comments. With all that is going in our world, the days spoken of may be closer than we think. I'll look forward to following along and learning as well. TW
I'll be curious as your study progresses how you feel about the rapture. Pre-tribulation, during, or post-tribulation. you forget "amillennial". i'm a whacko. most dispensationalist christians wonder why the United States "isn't" in Revelations. if you take Rev to be true, i suspect that the US actually is portrayed. and it's not very pretty.
Bob - I heard a good explanation of that the other night. Since there are so many that claim to be Christian in this country, it's likely that a good chunk of that population will be caught up in the Rapture. That would leave some serious issues with all sorts of areas in the country....cops, firefighters, pilots, military, etc. It would leave this country in a crippled state. Dan - I absolutely believe the Rapture to take place BEFORE the tribulation. I don't think for one second that the Lord would put His children thru that. Can't say that I've ever heard a Preacher make a solid case otherwise either. Graham, Falwell, Haggai, etc. all preach(ed) a Pre-tribulation Rapture.
I am a pre-millenium person. I believe that the US is referenced in Revelations, but not as a world power and is not really referenced after I believe the 3rd chapter. Also, GSXMEN I agree with your view. It says " Because you have kept the word of my patience I will keep you from the hour of temptation. "(Rev 3:10) I think God will take the believers out of this world prior to the wrath he pours out on it and see this as his promise to do so. Very interesting study. Will definetely make you search your soul to make sure you are right with God. Gary: Hal Lindsey is one of my favorite reads. Has some very interesting views on the end times. Great to see his writing brought you to Christ ( or at least provoked you to let the Holy Spirit open your heart).
Good morning to all of you. I know that you don't know me as I am relatively new to this board, but not to Buicks. When my sons were younger we did a study of Revelation, from a kids perspective of course, as that is what I enjoy the most. I do the elementary chapel services for our Christian school, and have been doing kids ministry for almost 21 years. So, I look forward to talking with adults this time. I think verse 3, is a good place to start. I see three things here. Read, Hear, and Heed. How blessed we will be to read God's word and keep it in our heart. This verse tells us that we "are" blessed for doing so. And to read Revelation outloud, so you hear the words as well. But the important part is the heeding of what you read. "For the time is near." Getting others to believe that truth is the difficult part. But we didn't believe at one time, and now do. It was the movie, "A Thief in the Night." that drove me to the alter. It is a 70's series of movies about the events of Revelation shot right here in Iowa. If you can locate this series, watch it, you will never be the same. v.7 "Behold, He is coming with the clouds." I too believe that we will be removed prior to the tribulation. On that day, the unsaved will sadly say, "It was true." That is not a happy thought.
Amen! Sobering thought when you think of friends and loved ones that do not know the Lord. A Thief in the Night is an excellent movie.
Hello all, after graduation from a dispensational Bible college and attending a convent/reformed church. My views have changed. Has anyone read Hank Hanegraaff’s book “The Apocalypse Code"? OR read/heard what R.C. Sproul has to say? The popular dispensational view of Rev. a VERY new view that has come about during 20th century, so I would advise keeping and open mind about eschatology. Remember that scripture interprets scripture, and we should use an exegetical approach to understanding what is being said. :TU: David R
The writer should have been scard beyond anything. Nothing like standing before Jesus after he had assended. And being shown all this stuff and being asked to right it all down. Nothing like pressure huh??
Michael, Thanks for starting this thread. Revelation is one of the most important books of the Bible as it completes the message of Christ started in Genesis. One cannot study Revelation without linking it back to the O.T. Sadly today many denominations and churches shy away from Revelation simply because either one, they feel it is irrelevant or two, it's simply too hard to understand. Neither could be farther from the truth. Revelation is one of the greatest witnessing tools a Christian has in this day and age for we have the daily news bringing us updates that directly coincide with prophecy. Right before our very eyes we are witnessing the world begin to position itself for what will be the the final assult on Israel and the Jews which we are told will be preceeded by the return of Christ.
Like many of you I love to fish, and as a responsible fisherman I always try to release fish that are under/over sized or, are otherwise, out of season. Consequently, Im sure I am not alone in wondering what those released fish think of our world once they return to their own world at the bottom of the Gulf. If fish have any cognitive abilities, can you imagine the difficulty it would have in trying to comprehend the strange world he saw during those few seconds? Andwhat words could he possibly have at his disposal to describe to his friends what he saw? How does one accurately describe a thing that doesnt exist in his/her reality? I think John, much like a fish out of water, had to search the full breath of his language skill to create word pictures that could accurately describe for us who and what it was he was privileged to see in that vision; and he still comes short. For we still struggle to grasp fully what it is he tries to show us. Indeed, trying to describe, in human language, an otherworldly or Heavenly experience is a virtual impossibility. How can the finite fully grasp the infinite? Praise GodAs always, He comes to our rescue: Do not be afraid He says. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. In Him, Tom
I've always had a huge interest in the prophecies so subscribing to this thread! No doubt about it, The Great I Am will hold true to His every word in history that is to come. His word says that in the final battle of Armagedeon, we will see bloodshed at a point that will be more than all other wars combined throughout history! I always think of the great hymn, When the role is called up yonder I'll be there, when I think of end times and very thankful for my salvation decision! Praise God for his many blessings and give thanks in everything! Satan, the great deceiver, will not go down without a bang and a fight, but he and his demons WILL be cast eternally in the lake of fire. As Christians, we must be obediant to a Holy God as to our calling to help fullfil the Great Commission and be fishers of men. I look forward to joining into this discussion but want to leave you believers with this thought.... when was the last time you shared Jesus with someone else?
http://www.v8buick.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1077058 Please explain your view on rev 3:20 ? is not Jesus knocking on the heart of every man ? if I am a believer, How can i come in to a place I already am in ? The book itself is prophecy for sure !! but is a warning to man to come to the Savior !! As believers we have some understanding of it. But the unsaved have NONE ! I Cor 2:14 proves that. I to believe we will be taken out BEFORE the 7 year tribulation. If the world is a is crazy as it is now? How in the world could a believer stand the insanity of the tribulation ? As the trib saints will have to endure unimaginable horrors !! As for myself I can hardly stand the craziness of our day ! I think we se the rapture as an escape of the church. But it is actually a glorifying of the Mercy of God ! It marks the last seven years of Jacobs ( 490yrs ) trouble. 483 of which have been fulfilled. there remains 7 years of the O.T. to be fulfilled dealing with the Jewish nation as a whole.remember the the bible has always dealt with the "chosen people" first and formost. the church is just the branch. IMHO Gary / Moz
Hmm... if I may give a prophecy of my own, I kind of see the intensity of this thread escalating as the discussion continues, since we all hold views and interpretations that can, at times, be quite conflicting, yet are very dear to our hearts. With this potential for the thread, I offer this suggestion: let us not be dogmatic when we present out interpretations. If we disagree, let us agree to disagree. God's grace is great enough to cover differences in interpretation with this incredibly challenging book! That said, I wish to comment on the passage in 3:20. In essence, I do believe that Jesus stands at the door of the heart of every soul and asks to come in. He died for all, and it's my belief that he doesn't want his gift to go to waste for anybody. However, contextually, 3:20 is in the midst of a passage where Jesus is talking to these seven churches in Asia. I believe this to mean, then, that Jesus is not talking to the unsaved here, but rather a real church of believers, those already saved, who have unfortunately become quite apathetic and materialistic in their religion. Though they profess to be a church, they have, in practice, closed the door to Jesus. Thus, he stands at their door and knocks for them to accept him again, and repent (vs. 19). Nevertheless, though I would not myself use this as an evangelistic verse, I have no qualms with anyone who has come to know Christ through this verse! To God be the glory, and God bless you all!
