Full Transcript

Welcome to Share the Word. Today’s podcast kicks off chapter one of the book of Revelation. We are so excited to have Margie Biasado behind the microphone once again as she lays the groundwork in an informative and insightful way for the book of Revelation. It’s going to be an amazing journey as we go through this book together. Let’s get started. Greetings.

This is Share the Word, and I’m Margie. Today we are starting the magnificent and mysterious book of Revelation. The big idea for chapter number one is lucky number seven. I’m going to do a couple things differently today. I’m planning on reading more scripture than I normally do, and I’m going to begin with a joke. Bob, how are things going, Alan?

Alan: Terrible. My wife threw me out. Bob: Ugh, ugh. Well, I guess it could have been worse. One week later. Bob: How are things going now, Alan?

Alan: Worse than ever. Now I’m living in my car. Bob: Well, guess it could have been worse. One week later. Bob: How are things going, Alan? Alan: Well, my car was stolen, and now I’m living on the street.

Bob: Well, it could have been worse. Alan: How? Bob: How, Bob? Could this possibly be worse? Bob: Well, it could have been me. I have my suspicions that this is how some people feel when they’re reading the book of Revelation.

This world is so scary right now. How could it possibly get worse? Well, it does, as you shall hear. Stinking sin entered the world through those kids in the garden, and with it conflict, destruction, chaos, war, injustice, disease, and death. And it will get worse until Jesus comes to rescue us. But the good news is that we know the end of the story.

It’s right here in this book. Jesus will make it right again. It will be peaceful and perfect, as intended in the beginning, or to use Bible language, when the groom returns to collect his bride, the church. This curious, powerful, fantastical book has kept scholars debating and guessing over the centuries. So we won’t be settling anything theologically today. But we will introduce several approaches to understanding and interpreting the Book of Revelation as we go along.

So please seek God as you listen and study, because even the most sincere Christians agree to disagree. I believe that the main point of this spectacular and difficult book is to give us hope for the future, to leave us feeling expectant for the imminent return of our Lord Jesus. So let’s jump in. The aim is found right here in verse one. I’ll be reading from the New King James Version. It says, The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things that must shortly take place.

Notice the progression. It is not the revelation of John. But of God the Father, to Jesus the Son, then to believers. The word revelation, or apocalypse, in the Greek means the unveiling of hidden things, or revealing mysteries of what is to come. Therefore, we do not need to be frightened, but instead full of anticipation for the promised second advent. Per usual, let’s begin with the history.

Even though Revelation chapter 1, verse 1, verse 4, verse 9, as well as chapter 21, verse 2, and chapter 22, verse 8, all mention the who, there is still some debate over the authorship. We’re taking the position that the author is the Apostle John, the last remaining disciple of Jesus Christ at this time. Tradition tells us that he is the only disciple of the eleven not martyred. We’ve discussed John before. He was the younger brother of James, the son of Zebedee, but most notably, he was one of Jesus’s first followers and a dear friend. John even referred to himself as the disciple that Jesus loved in the Gospel of John, and he was also the author of First, Second, and Third John.

In Revelation 1:9, we find the where and the why. It says again, I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island of Patmos. There’s our where and the why. For the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The apostle John clearly stated that he was writing from the island of Patmos. Patmos is a Greek isle that now hosts tourists and lovely seaside villas.

It’s about 13 miles long, a beautiful remote rugged island in the Aegean Sea. But in those days, it was not a destination vacation location. It was a barren and desolate prison island, much like an Alcatraz, a place where inmates were forced into hard labor, working in the marble quarries. Christians were regarded as criminals by the Roman Emperor Domitian and Caesar Nero before him. Christian history states that John was exiled there for about 18 months. The date for this writing is most widely considered to be A.D. 95, since the apostle John was most likely born around the same time as Jesus.

His estimated age is between 90 and 95 years old. Most likely, this dear man probably suffered from very harsh treatment. As I mentioned earlier, there are several different interpretations of the Book of Revelation. Here are the most widely recognized positions. First, the preterist interpretation. It is historical in nature and assumes the prophecies were fulfilled in the time of the apostle John.

This view focuses mostly on the early church’s struggle against imperial Rome in the first century. Another historical interpretation is the symbolic view. It hypothesizes that this book is a panorama of Christian history from the time of the Apostle John through modern times. Theologians call this the Church Age. The Church Age spans from the ascension of Christ at the Mount of Olives until His return on the same mount. Then there is the idealist position.

It assumes that the Book of Revelation is a series of principles concerning the conflict between good and evil, but not actual events. Then there is the allegorical theory. It proposes that everything is symbolism and nothing is concrete, just an allegory of our personal relationship with Jesus. Now, granted, there is a lot of symbolism in this book, but that is not the most widely held belief. That would be the futurist interpretation. Here the prophecies mentioned are considered yet to be fulfilled.

This interpretation is considered to be the most literal, and that the events beginning in chapter 4 all the way through chapter 22 take place during the time directly preceding and also including the return of Jesus. Adding to the controversy and the difficulty in interpreting this book was the way the Apostle John described the things he witnessed. For the most part, that is attributed to a first-century vocabulary being applied to modern objects or future events, much like when our five-year-old granddaughter tells us about things she witnessed in her classroom using the vocabulary appropriate for her age and experience. Perhaps that is one reason why the Apostle John frequently used expressions such as, in the appearance of, in the likeness of, similar to, or sounded like. Bless his heart, his head must have been spinning trying to keep up with it all.

His words were, well, inadequate to accurately describe or to translate the overwhelming and otherworldly visions surrounding him. He actually says, I heard, 27 times, I saw, 36 times, I looked, 12 times. Another caveat which adds to the confusion of this book is that the Apostle John described the scenes and the prophecies in a circular view of events, in an Eastern style of communication, not in a sequential Western way with a simple three-point sermon, but more like the IMAX theater version, with sights and sounds being thrown at him from all around, quickly, magnificently, strangely, and brilliantly. Remember, the main purpose of the Book of Revelation is for us to understand the events leading up to and during the return of Jesus Christ. And it seems that John was doing his best to communicate these signs from God, to help us be prepared, expectant, and ready.

Other points of interest found in this unique book are the word angels being mentioned 76 times, because they assist in giving the message, the interpretations, and the visions. Jesus is given 32 different titles in this book, nine of which are found in chapter 1. Jesus is also described as Almighty, which only happens 10 times in the New Testament. Nine of those are found in the book of Revelation, and there are over 300 Old Testament references in this book. Jesus commanded John 13 different times to write these things. The outline that many scholars use for this book is actually based on one of those commands, found in chapter 1, verse 19.

Jesus says, Write the things which you have seen, which basically covers chapter 1, the things which are, chapters 2 and 3, and the things which will take place after this. Those are chapters 4 through 22. Well, now that the history is well kind of covered, it’s time to go back to the big idea for chapter 1. Do you remember? Lucky number 7. We have discussed gematria before, the Jewish numerology system, whereby each Hebrew letter corresponds with a specific number and each number a specific meaning.

That concept has also infiltrated many cultures and sayings, especially in regards to the number 7. You might even recognize some of these expressions: one year of seeds makes seven years of weeds, rain before seven, fine before eleven, seven-day wonder, seven for a secret never to be told, seven wonders of the world. Seven up. Double O seven. 7:24. The seven-year itch.

Seven pillars of wisdom. The Magnificent Seven. And of course, lucky number seven, which you may be rethinking after you hear more about the number seven and the book of Revelation. So, what is the meaning historically and biblically of the number seven? Well, I’m so glad you asked because it’s really important to this text. In the book of Revelation, the number seven is mentioned 50 times, actually over 700 times in the Bible.

Bible study tools explains that the number seven means perfection and completion. In Revelation 1:3, we meet our first seven. It reads, Blessed is he who reads this aloud, I guess today that’s me, and to those who hear the words of this prophecy. So, you, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near. There are a few things I would like to point out from this verse. Firstly, this is the first of seven blessings or beatitudes in the book of Revelation.

The others we’ll find in chapter 14, 16, 19, 20, and 22. But verse 3 is the only New Testament blessing with a promise attached. Secondly, the expressions found in this verse, the time is near, and repeated in verse 11, which must shortly take place, is en tachei in the Greek. It does not necessarily mean that it will happen in the near future. I mean, obviously, we’ve already waited 2,000 years. But that once it does begin to happen, it will occur unexpectedly and in rapid succession.

The next seven we find is in verse 1:4. Grace to you and peace from Him who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne. So let’s talk about the seven spirits. The word spirits might be upper or lowercase in your Bible, which, of course, contributes to the debate about the original meaning. But basically, there are two schools of thought concerning the seven spirits. First, some believe that they are the angels that we will read about in chapter 8, verse 2.

I saw seven angels which stood before God. Into them were given seven trumpets. And some believe this passage is a messianic reference from Isaiah 11, verse 2. Actually, our youngest kid has this tattooed on his right arm. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Again, I will leave that interpretation and decision up to you and God.

The next sevens we will discuss are all from chapter 1, and they are all related. They’re found in verses 3, 10, 12, 13, 16, and 20. So, starting in verse 11, I will read. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands.

In the midst of the seven lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to his feet and girded about the chest with a gold band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like the flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined by a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars. Out of his mouth went a sharp, two-edged sword. His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as if dead, smart man. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am he who lives, who was dead, but behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. Amen.

I’m going to do a quick sidebar right here because that part just slays me. It is so precious and powerful. Jesus, the Almighty Savior, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, was still John’s friend. It was comforting and reassuring him. The last time the Apostle John saw Jesus, he was in his resurrected body some fifty years earlier. John watched Jesus as he ascended into heaven and heard the angelic promise that one day he would return the same way.

And now here he is, Jesus in his glorified state, and had to be absolutely frightening, puzzling, and overwhelming. But his friend Jesus stooped down and touched his shoulder and told him not to be afraid. Can I get a hallelujah? Okay, continuing on, Jesus explained the sevens, all in verse 20. The mystery of the seven stars, which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands, they are the seven churches.

Well, at least these sevens are not controversial, as Jesus himself defined them. Most commentators believe this description is a factual and literal mention of the churches which were founded and functioning during that time period in Asia Minor, or now modern-day Turkey, and that the Apostle John was probably the overseer of those seven churches. Other brilliant scholars assume that this might also be applied futuristically as a figurative representation of the body throughout the church age in different time periods, on different continents. And in different situations. And some theologians think that both apply. However, most agree that it is comforting and reassuring to think that there are angels overseeing and protecting God’s people, His church, His bride.

As this book progresses, we will see many more sevens, which will all be defined and explained as we move forward. But here is the upcoming list. There will be seven seals, seven trumpets, seven plagues, or your Bible might say bowls or vials, and seven horns. These frightening and otherworldly visions echo Bob and Alan’s conversation of, How could it get worse? As we close, again, I want to encourage you to read these chapters, these words, these prophecies for yourself aloud, remembering the promise from verse three that you will be blessed if you read it and apply it. Because the God of the number seven, the God of perfection, will bring these things to completion.

And He wants His people to be prepared and comforted. This is Share the Word. I’m Margie, and thank you for listening. Thank you, Margie. That is a great kickoff for the Book of Revelation. So much information.

Remember, all of these podcasts are free to listen, download, and share. Please help us with this Great Commission project. Go to sharetheword.org and check out all that we have to offer. Thanks again for listening. And stay tuned as we take you through the last book of the Bible. From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.