THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Overview of the Book of Revelation)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Timothy Sparks:
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8). I’m Timothy Sparks.
Ben Bailey:
And I’m Ben Bailey. Welcome to our study of the Book of Revelation,
which offers a great hope for Christians. This lesson is being brought to you
by loving, caring members of the
The message of the Book of Revelation is that God and Christians will be victorious. In chapters 4-22, we see an overview of how and when they will be victorious.
Timothy Sparks:
In Revelation 4, we see “the throne scene.” It is God Who is upon the throne—not the Roman emperor, Caesar. The people of that day and age who were not Christians magnified the Roman emperor as “god.” Revelation 4, however, teaches us clearly that Jehovah God—the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—is the One Who rightfully occupies that throne. He is the One Whom Christians serve. He is “holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8). He was (past), is (present), and is to come” (future). That could not be said of the Roman emperor. It is God, not Caesar, Who is in control. The Book of Revelation contains a message about the sovereignty of God that is similar in nature to the message of such books as Daniel and Ezekiel. The point is: God is in control! Daniel wrote, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Dan. 4:25). Revelation 4 assures that God, our Father, is approachable!
Ben Bailey:
God’s door is open to Christians. We can “go in,” talk to
Him, and receive help from Him. What an encouragement that is to Christians.
They can pray to God (Rev. 6:10), and know that they will receive help from Him
because His door is open to them. In Revelation 5, the scene of the throne room
continues. We see God sitting on the throne, and in His right hand, there is a
scroll, which has writing on both the front and back—signifying things that are
going to happen. But there is a problem. The cry goes out, “Who is worthy to
open the scroll and loose its seals?” (Rev. 5:2). No one is able to open the
scroll. Revelation 5:4 tells us that John wept bitterly because no one was able
to open the scroll or loose its seals. Then, in verse 5, we see evidence of One
Who is more than capable of opening the scroll and loosing its seals. He is
“the lion of
Timothy Sparks:
This is fascinating imagery. In Revelation 5, Jesus is portrayed
as both a lion and a lamb. Moses wrote in Genesis 49:10, “The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Ben Bailey:
John, in Revelation 6, depicts Jesus as worthy, and as One Who will take vengeance upon the ungodly. Revelation shows us that Christians have not only suffered, but also died. The are shown as being under the altar—indicating that they were slain as sacrifices. In verse 10, they cry out, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” The idea is that Christians suffered and died for the cause of Christ, and they want to know if God is going to acknowledge their sacrifices and avenge them. God tells them to be patient, because He is going to give their persecutors time to repent. God loves all men, and wants them to repent—yes, even those who have killed Christians. However, toward the end of chapter 6, it is clear that God’s wrath comes to a head. God is going to punish those who have done wrong, and He will bring His vengeance on evil people. Today, we, too, live in an evil age, when things happen that we seemingly do not understand. We, too, might ask ourselves, “Why is God allowing this to happen?” Know this: God wants evil people to repent. But know this as well: God will take vengeance on those who are evil and who do not repent! We live a world that says, “Don’t get mad; get even.” That is not the Christian way. We are not to seek vengeance ourselves. Rather, we are to love our enemies—just as Jesus taught us to do. We need to try to help them come to the Lord in repentance.
Timothy Sparks:
In Revelation 7, we find the “144,000”—who represent the redeemed of God. Remember, as we discussed earlier, that the numbers of the Book of Revelation are not to be taken literally, since they are used as symbols or signs of something. Just as “the dragon” of Revelation 12:9 is symbolic of Satan, the 144,000 is symbolic of completeness and of righteousness. God is telling those who are righteous that even if they die for the cause of Christ, they will end up in a far better place—Heaven. At the end of chapter 7, we find language used that is referred to as “restoration terminology.” We told that the saints will neither hunger nor thirst any longer. And, we learn that the Shepherd will lead them to fountains of living water. As we enter into chapter 8, we learn that there is silence in Heaven for a period of thirty minutes at the opening of the seventh seal.
Ben Bailey:
Revelation 8:4 tells us, “And the smoke of the incense,
with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God.” How encouraging it must
have been for them to know that their prayers were making it to God, and that
He was hearing them. This might remind us of 1 Peter 5:7, where we are told to
cast all our cares on the Lord, because He cares for us. Chapter 8 presents the
same idea—God cares for His suffering saints, and He will right the
wrongs that are being perpetrated upon them.
Timothy Sparks:
Isn’t it encouraging to us to know that our prayers are heard, and that they are powerful? James wrote, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas. 5:16). Revelation 4 tells us that we have an open door to God. Revelation 8 shows us that our prayers go up to Him as sweet incense. James tells us that our prayers “avail much.” Notice what the writer of Hebrews said about Jesus when he wrote, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). Jesus can empathize with us, because He was tempted just as we are. I’m reminded of the story of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah (a cupbearer for a king) wanted to ask the king to allow him to return to Jerusaelm to rebuild the city’s walls. He was fearful of making this request of the king, even though he had never been fearful of being in the king’s presence before. What did Nehemiah decide to do? He prayed to God to ask for courage. God heard his prayer, and the earthly king granted Nehemiah’s request. This is the picture we find in the Book of Revelation—God does hear, and He does care!
Ben Bailey:
In Revelation 8 and 9, angels sound trumpets—and
destruction upon God’s enemies comes. That destruction is intended to urge
Timothy Sparks:
It is an unpleasant thing for John to concentrate on the
fact that there are going to be those who reject the Gospel message, and
thus end up being lost. At the same time, however, there also are going to be
those who accept the message, obey it, and receive Heaven as their reward for
having done so. In chapter 11, we learn of “two witnesses.” They were slain,
and for 3.5 days their bodies lay in the streets. Then, they were resurrected. The
imagery here is intended to present a picture which suggests that, for a while,
it appears as if Christianity has been “snuffed out.” But the “witnesses”
(which represent the cause of Christ) are resurrected. The point is this: While
some will try to snuff out Christianity, that is not going to
happen. Christians may die, but Christianity will not come to an end. Thus,
chapter 11 represents the resurrection of a cause—the cause of Christianity.
Although Christians, and the truth upon which Christianity is based, may
“appear” to be crushed, in reality, they are not. Both will continue. This is
the same message that is depicted in Daniel 2, where the “small pebble”
(Christianity) overpowered the larger ones (representing four different major
world empires). God’s kingdom will stand forever! The message of the Book of
Revelation is that while Satan has marshaled his forces and is wreaking havoc
on the
Ben Bailey;
Revelation 12 speaks to us of a dragon. Verse 9 identifies the dragon as “the serpent of old”—Satan himself. He is trying to consume a child (who is representative of Christianity). But in verse 11, we read of Christians, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” There were three ways that Christians overcame. First, they accessed the blood of the Lamb’s sacrifice. Second, they overcame by Scripture (“the word of their testimony”). Third, they overcame by self-sacrifice (“they did not love their lives to the death”). Isn’t it encouraging to know that if we remain faithful and on the Lord’s side, you and I can overcome our archenemy, Satan?! We can defeat Satan, because Christ is greater than Satan, and has already defeated him for us! John wrote, “He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). One chapter later, John told us that it is “our faith” that is the victory (1 Jn. 5:4). We can take hope by knowing that, in the end, we will win if we remain faithful.
Timothy Sparks:
We read in Revelation 14:4, “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” We are going to overcome. We can overcome through the blood of Christ and the Word of God. But we must be willing to die for the cause of Christ if we want to be able to follow Him where He is. Jesus said in John 14:3, “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Three verses later, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10). We learn from Titus 1:2 that we live “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” Christ, as the Lamb of God, is the One we must follow to Heaven.
Ben Bailey:
It is so wonderful to see, in Revelation 15, the saints “singing the song of Moses” (which was sung in the Old Testament as a song of victory). But there is now another line added to that song—it is a song of Moses “and the Lamb.” It is a song that Christians—who have trusted in God and in His Word—are going to be able to sing because they have overcome! How wonderful it is for Christians today to know that they can sing that same song. If we are faithful to God, if we remain true to His will, and if we do what the Bible says for us to do, we know that we will go home to Heaven to live with God forever. What greater song could a Christian want to sing, than one that speak of living with the Lord forever throughout eternity?!
Timothy Sparks:
In chapter 16, we learn of the battle of Armageddon. So many people today speak of this battle as if it is something yet to occur in the future. The reference to Armageddon comes from the passage in Judges 5:19 that discusses a decisive battle for the people of God. Interestingly, in Revelation 16:16, the people gather—but there is no battle! That’s the whole point! The people gather, but before a battle can even occur, it’s already over. That is the type of victory grants. There will not have to be a battle, because God is in control. This revolves around the Old Testament theme, “the battle belongs to the Lord.” Thus, when we read in Revelation 16:16 of the battle of Armageddon, we must realize that no battle is actually going to take place.
Ben Bailey:
Look at the language of Revelation 17:14—“These will make
war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them.” There is no battle when
the Lord is on your side. Revelation 17 and 18 explain that Christians are
going to be victorious! Why? Because Christ is “Lord of lords, and King of
kings.” If we are on the side of the Lamb (Who has already been slain, yet Who
has been resurrected and remains undefeated), then we will win the battle. Of all
the kings, Jesus is the greatest. Of all the lords, Jesus is the greatest.
In times of trial and tribulation—when things don’t go as we wish they would—we
must not turn away from God, but to God. We must make sure that
we have God in our lives, and that we are living the way we should. The
Christians in the first century (discussed in the Book of Revelation) never
would have made it if they had given up on Christ. This was the point of the
admonitions given to the seven churches of
Timothy Sparks:
In Revelation 17, we see the harlot named “
Have you had your robes washed?
Have you obeyed the Gospel in order to have your sins washed away by the blood
of Christ through baptism? In Revelation 22:17, Jesus says, “Come! And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who
thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” We
encourage you to come to the New Testament, see God’s plan for your life, and
conform your will to the Gospel of Christ.
Today’s lesson is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ—people who are concerned about your soul, and who would like for you to stop by and visit them. We’d also like to make a copy of today’s lesson available to you. You can visit us on our website at www.thegospelofchrist.com, fill out the request form, and we will be happy to send you a CD or DVD of this lesson, or of any others. As always, we hope that you will conform your will to the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the web at www.thegospelofchrist.com. We encourage you to attend the church of Christ, where “the Bible is loved and the Gospel is preached.”
1. In Revelation 5 and 6, we see “the throne scene.” What is the purpose of these two chapters?
2. Explain the connection between Daniel 4:25 and Revelation 4:8.
3. According to Revelation 5:2-3, what made John weep?
4. Explain the link and main thrust of these three passages: (1) John 1:29; (2) 1 Peter 1:19; and (3) Revelation 4:5-6.
5. Explain the connection between Genesis 49:10 and Hebrews 7:14.
6. Why did John, in Revelation 5:5, refer to
Christ as the “Lion” of
7. In Revelation 6, when the suffering saints cried out to God, He told them they needed to wait. Why?
8. Explain the connection between Revelation 6:11 and Romans 12:19.
9. How are the prayers of the righteous like “smoke of incense” (Rev. 8:4)?
10. What specific trait, according to Hebrews 4:15-16, did Jesus possess that allowed Him to empathize with the suffering saints of Revelation 6?
11. According
to Revelation 9:20-21, the inhabitants of
12. In Revelation 11, we see “the resurrection of a cause.” What was the cause?
13. In Revelation 12, we encounter a dragon and a child. Who does the dragon represent? Who does the child represent?
14. Who are those people described in Revelation 14:4 who “follow the Lamb wherever He goes”?
15. Explain the connection between Titus 1:2 and John 14:3.
16. Why was “the song of Moses” sung in Old Testament times?
17. In Revelation 15, John spoke of “the song of Moses and the Lamb.” Why was “the Lamb” added? And what did this signify to Christians of the first century?
18. What is the point of John’s reference to Armageddon in Revelation 16?
19. What is the thrust of Revelation 17 and 18?
20. Who does the
harlot identified as “
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,