Revelation

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Scripture Reading
• Revelation 1

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Advise given when I started ministry
• A preacher should never preach from the book of
  Revelation until he or she has been in ministry
  for 20 years.

3
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Only the persecuted church can rightly interpret
  the book of Revelation.

4
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• The book of revelation raises loads of questions
• Whats with all the crazy images?
• Are we to read it literally or figuratively?
• How do we read the many numbers in the book?

5
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• There are so many difficulties in the book.
• There are so many different often opposite ways
  of interpreting this book.

6
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• We have said that each type of biblical
  literature needs to be interpreted different
  tools appropriate to the genre.
• Before we look at the genre, let us ask some of
  the basic questions we have asked of other parts
  of the Bible.

7
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Who is the author?
• 2. Who were the recipients or
• original hearers?
• 3. What was the historical and
• cultural context?

8
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Author
• John, the apostle
• Pastor of the churches in Asia Minor
• Recipients
• The 7 churches in Asia minor

9
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Historical Context
• Believed to have been written 96 AD, during the
  reign of Domitian
• Domitian was insecure and made all subjects
  proclaim
• Caesar is Lord.
• and worship him

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• John refused to do that.
• Only Jesus was his Lord.
• So John was tried for atheism
• and sent to the penal island of Patmos.
• Work prison camp.

11
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• The churches in Asia were also faced with this
  same choice
• Declare Caesar is Lord or Jesus is Lord.
• They were facing the increasing persecution.

12
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Genre of Revelation Hybrid of 3 genres
• Letter/Epistle
• John,  To the seven churches in the province of
  Asia   Grace and peace to you 14
• hence need to focus on author, recipient and
  context
• Can only understand it if we understand it as the
  first hearers

13
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Genre of Revelation Hybrid of 3 genres
• Prophecy
• Blessed 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. Rev.13
• Prophecy is not just for-telling the future.
• Prophecy is also forth-telling Gods Word in
  the present context.
• Telling forth bringing a Word of God to the
  present lives of his people.

14
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Genre of Revelation Hybrid of 3 genres
• 3. Apocalyptic
• The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
  him to show his servants what must soon take
  place. Rev.11
• Revelation Apocalyptic
• Apocalyptic ?
• Unveiling Revealing Lifting the Lid
• Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is
  now and what will take place later. Rev.18

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Some characteristics of Apocalyptic Literature
• Written during times of oppression
• Given as visions and dreams
• People portrayed as animals
• Highly symbolic - s colours
• Gives broader perspective on present reality

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Darrell Johnson
• Apocalyptic seeks to do two things
• first, it seeks to set the present in light of
  the unseen realities of the future.
• For if we know what the future holds it
  determines the choices we make of the present.
  Discipleship on the Edge, p. 26

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Darrell Johnson
• Second, and more importantly, it seeks to set
  the present in light of the invisible realities
  of the present.
• The fundamental conviction of apocalyptic
  literature is that
• things are not as they seem
• there is more to reality than meets the unaided
  eyes or ears Discipleship on the Edge, p. 26

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Darrell Johnson
• And apocalyptic writing seeks to unveil that
  unseen reality of he present, to pull back the
  curtain on the present so that we see what is
  really going on. Discipleship on the Edge, p. 26

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• So John, the pastor to these churches facing
  persecution and death, is seeking to strengthen
  his flock with this unveiling
• Things are not as they seem.
• Caesar seems all powerful and in control.
• But things are not as they seem.

20
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• This is the revelation unveiling of Jesus.
• Let us look at how Jesus is portrayed here in the
  opening chapter.

21
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• 14-5
• Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who
  was, and who is to come, and from the seven
  spirits seven-fold spirit 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.

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• 15-6
• 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
  Fatherto him be glory and power for ever and
  ever! Amen.

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Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• 17
• Look, 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.

24
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• 112-16
• And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
  and 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. His
  head and hair were white like wool, as white as
  snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His
  feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and
  his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.
  In 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.

25
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• 117-19
• When 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. 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. Write, therefore, what you
  have seen, what is now and what will take place
  later.

26
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• What do you think Pastor John is telling his
  people?
• Things are not as they seem.

27
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Darrell Johnson tells this story
• About some seminarians and a janitor
• Discipleship on the Edge, p. 20

28
Revelation Things are Not As They Seem

• Thing are not as they seem!