Snorkeling in Hawaii put me in awe of God’s great hidden world – of swarms of brilliantly colored fish that I hadn’t even known existed. Together, we are about to plunge into Revelation, a world that has been hidden to many of us because it seemed just too unfathomable. This week we’re going to get our bearings and next week we will do all of Revelation 1. This week has a lengthy introduction, but it will not always be that way. So, hold on!
Revelation peels back the corner of heaven to help God’s children live victoriously — not just for the end times, but for now!
So, here we go!
Photo by Pia on PexelsIf you don’t have this book, get it now. The author is in Canada, so we need to get the book from Amazon. If you belong to Amazon’s Kindle program, you can get it for free. If you want the kindle version, look for this:
If you want the paperback, look for this:
The man God gave the visions of Revelation to is the Apostle John, the same writer of the gospel of John and the letters of John. He was the only one who did not flee when Jesus was crucified, but was there, in the shadow of the cross. He was the first of the apostles at the empty tomb (beating Peter in the race)!
My favorite gospel is John, and the only whole book I have memorized is John’s 1st letter. So why did I shy away from John’s Revelation? I’d heard so many various & confusing views on the end times that I put Revelation on the back burner. Then I read an article with a convincing Scriptural argument that Revelation primarily concerns us NOW. That drew me in. So I pulled Revelation to the front burner and began to study in earnest. Then, as I shared last week, God brought Dr. David Campbell into my life, a theologian and author of two clear commentaries on Revelation, who offered his help to us. That sealed the deal for me. So here we go!
Yet last week it hit me hard to realize anew how various views of this book can cause division, and some are opting out for this study, not wanting to contribute to that. I respect that, though I want everyone here to feel free to share their hearts and thoughts. When Jesus prayed we would be one, I don’t think He meant we can’t disagree, but that when we disagree, we do so in love, grace, and humility, asking Him to guide us. I loved the verse that our own Bing brought last week concerning this:
All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:15)
This will be challenging, and on this blog, we will have a smaller active group. I am open to being corrected, for I am a sojourner too. For example, last week I e-mailed Dr. Campbell and mentioned that I was beginning to wonder about something I’d said when we did our “overview” study on Revelation. I had quoted this from another good commentary, but now was beginning to have second thoughts. The author said, on Revelation:
I said, “As I study, I wonder if it might be more accurate to say “the pictures are a puzzle.” Dr. Campbell wrote back this so helpful explanation:
I have great
respect for Prof. Poythress, but you have this exactly right. The visions are not meant to be
self-explanatory. They are like the parables of Jesus and the prophetic actions of Ezekiel or
Isaiah and are ultimately based on the plagues of Egypt – they are signs from God that either
draw people into deeper inquiry and seeking of truth OR cause people to depart even further
from God and have their hearts hardened. I really like the “pictures that are a puzzle” and I will
use it from now on!
We have the Spirit, the Body, and a mentor to help us in this journey, and let us continually pray for His Word to be a light to our path.
Now, as to “the pictures are a puzzle!” Let’s think of them as symbols, for symbols represent several truths. Think of a wedding ring, flags of countries, or the cross. They tell us more than one thing. There are many symbols in Revelation that are mysterious: the trumpets, the seals, the horsemen, the Lamb who was slain, the number 666! I can already hear our own dear “Laura-Dancer” saying, “Why doesn’t God just say what He means?” That’s the first question we will answer this week, but first, I must tell you of my continuing spiritual conversations with my young stylist, for last time she asked me that exact same question: “Why doesn’t God just say what He means?”
I will call her Lydia, and I’ve been going to her and praying for her for years. I came on too strong years ago and had to sincerely apologize for I sensed her deep offense. Along with my apology, I brought her a gift of her favorite gourmet cheese and promised I’d follow her lead in talking about God in the future.
In time, she told me that she had been put off by a Christian relative who preached at her but never listened. He said, “Lydia — What are you going to do about hell?” Then he walked away. Because he neither listened to her nor clearly explained the gospel, what she heard was: “Lydia — you better be a nicer person or you are going to hell.”
Tim Keller says we must diffuse the mistaken idea that Christianity equals morality when we share the gospel, or we will offend and build a wall instead of a bridge. Lydia put up her hackles when I first started talking about God. It took years before she opened up. I had to simply wait and pray.
And then Covid happened.
Lydia is young, beautiful, with a great husband, two darling children, and a new home in the country. She had, she told me, “Everything I ever wanted.”
Then, a year ago, she got a severe case of Covid and still has not fully recovered. She shut down her shop for seven months. She has trouble breathing. And her four-year-old asks, “Mommy — why are you always so tired?”
Near the end of 2020, we had the first conversation when I sensed the door opening a crack.
“What are you learning from this hard trial, Lydia?”
With emotion in her voice: “That I’m not in control.”
I nodded. Tears sprung up in my eyes. Lydia is so young to feel like an old woman.
“Have you ever read John’s Gospel? I think you could do it in an hour and it would really help you.”
She shook her head. That’s all I said. Then, a few days later I got this text:
What is that book by John somebody that you said would really help me?
I texted back. Oh, Lydia, that’s a book in the Bible. Would you be offended if I sent you a Bible as an early Christmas gift?
Not offended at all. I would read it and ponder it in my heart.
If indeed, as I believe you will see in the study, that the trials and the suffering prophesied are not just about the very end times but about the whole time of the age of the Church, then we should not, therefore, be surprised by suffering or to assume it means Christ is at the door, though He certainly could be! God is sovereign and He brings good out of our suffering, not wasting our sorrow if we have tender hearts. (I was moved by our own Sharon’s story of how her baby’s death to SIDS made her realize she was not in control, but God was.)
He also uses suffering to bring unbelievers to Him. That is what I am hoping is happening with my stylist as a result of her suffering, for she seems much more open. I also see God is surrounding her with believers. Last December she had to close her shop again because of her exhaustion and the continuing Covid pandemic. She opened up again in late March and I saw her for the first time since sending her a Bible. I prayed she would bring the conversation up, and she did.
“I tried to read John’s book but it’s so hard. It’s like poetry. What is ‘the Word’?'”
“That’s Jesus. It’s another name for Jesus. We know that because in the 14th verse it says “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus left heaven to come and rescue us.”
“Well, why didn’t John just say that?”
“I think it is because pictures can say a thousand words, and a title like “the Word,” tells us so many things — like Jesus is the way God communicates with us, He is the One who, with the Father, spoke the world into being. And so much more. One good source says the Bible has 198 names or titles for Jesus.” He’s so magnificent and beyond us, that He needs that many names.”
Her scissors stopped mid-air. “Wow,” she whispered. We’re talking now, and God gave me a chance to explain the gospel to her, so she could explain what Easter means to her children.
Will Lydia press in or not? The choice she makes will not only reveal her heart but also, will either soften or harden her heart. (I’m considering telling her that — pray for wisdom for me.) As David Campbell writes in the preface to his revised edition:
“God designed Revelation in one sense to be a mystery, just like the parables of Jesus. Confronting this mystery in sincere faith causes genuine believers to seek out its true meaning, while unbelievers who reject it will have their hearts further hardened to God.”
Again and again in Revelation Jesus says: “He who has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…”
Watch this 4 minute video on what it means to have “Ears to hear”
Oh Lord, may this be true of us.
2 PLUNGING INTO REVELATION QUESTIONS TO PRINT OFF
Sunday: Getting Started
There is more homework than usual in this lesson, so please start right away. I will keep homework later in the week lighter so people who get behind can catch up.
1. What stands out to you from the above (Lydia story, purpose of symbols, short video about “Ears to Hear”…)
2. How would you explain why God uses pictures and symbols instead of just “saying so?”
Monday: Not a Handbook for Last-Days Event
3. In your book or kindle, read in the Introduction up to “Authorship” and answer:
A. What is the Latin phrase the Reformers used as a principle to interpret Scripture? Why would this be a reliable way to understand Scripture?
B. Revelation is a prophetic book, but the purpose of prophecy is not so much to predict the future, but to do what?
C. What 2 storylines from the Old Testament does Revelation trace — and what do you learn from each?
4. Now read up to “The Four Ways To Interpret Revelation” and answer, what were the Christians of the seven churches John wrote to being pressured to engage in?
5. What beliefs and practices are we, as believers today, being pressured to accept at the cost of popularity or even possibly a career or our very lives? How is this pressure evidenced?
6. What reward does Revelation promise to believers who are faithful even when they suffer “in a human sense?”
Tuesday: The First Three Ways of Interpreting Revelation
Campbell lists four ways of interpreting Revelation. All four have some truths in them and this isn’t a core issue that deals with salvation. This study holds primarily to the Idealistic view, though not exclusively. There are people who love the Lord in all four views. The “Futuristic” view is very popular, in part because of books like Left Behind, and because people find predictions about the future fascinating, but it can also cause us to miss the relevance of Revelation to us now. G. K. Beales (with whom David Campbell wrote a longer commentary on Revelation) said:
One of the great tragedies in the church in our day is how Revelation has been so narrowly and incorrectly interpreted with an obsessive focus on the future end time, with the result that we have missed the fact that it contains many profound truths and encouragements concerning Christian life and discipleship.
7. Briefly summarize the first two views and what you learned about them.
A. Preterist
B. Historicist
8. Read Campbell’s section on the Futurist View and share his main points.
9. The Futuristic view began with the rise of “dispensationalism.” What did you learn about that?
10. Have you been impacted by any of these views? If so, either positively or negatively, share how.
Wednesday: The Idealist View
The Idealistic view interprets Revelation on the basis of symbols used in the Old Testament, instead of on the basis of current events. I know many people have wondered if this global pandemic and the division in our world is a signpost to Jesus’ imminent return — and of course, we do not know — but it is interesting to think that believers thought the same thing during the reign of various immoral Popes or political figures such as Hitler or Saddam Hussein. Current events cannot be a reliable interpreter of Scripture. Scripture is the most reliable interpreter of Scripture.
It puts me in awe to see the continuity of truth from Genesis to Revelation, despite being written over my centuries, cultures, and continents by men, who for the most part, had no contact with one another. God is the author and in the prophetic books especially, He uses symbols to hide the truth from some and reveal it to others. It should not, therefore, surprise us that the symbols God revealed to Old Testament prophets centuries before would be repeated in the vision to the New Testament prophet John. There are serpents (or dragons) locusts, the harlot Babylon, and much more. One thing that is exciting to me, is that as we grasp Revelation, we also grasp much from the Old Testament prophets.
11. Read Campbell’s section on the Idealist view and summarize it.
12. (Optional but recommended) Read Campbell’s section from “The Symbolic Nature of Revelation” to “The Latter Days are Now” and share what stands out to you.
Thursday: When Do the Events in Revelation Take Place?
Revelation begins with: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show (semaino) his servants what must soon take place.”
Once, impacted by the futuristic view, thinking that Revelation was primarily about the very end times, I thought: Well, that’s soon in God’s eyes, not ours, because it has been 2,000 years since John wrote this. But now, with the help of Reformed scholars (as in the rest of Dr. Campbell’s introduction), I realize Jesus was not talking about the very end of history, but now! He meant soon literally! This time began when Jesus ascended (so was already happening) and will end when He returns. Let’s see how Scripture reveals this.
Most of you are familiar with the beginning of Daniel, when Nebuchadnezzar had a very troubling dream and only Daniel could interpret it. If you are not, read Daniel 2:1-33.
With the help of the Septuagint, (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) we know that God uses the same word (semaino) which is translated “show” in Revelation 1:1 (and in six other places in Revelation) as He uses in Daniel 2:28-30 to “show” Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of the statue in his dream. “Semaino” means to show symbolically. The various materials in the statue symbolized various kingdoms, beginning with the “gold” of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom. This was followed by the “silver” of Persia, the “bronze” of the Greeks, and the mixed iron and clay of Roman — the kingdom that ruled when Jesus lived.
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
Friday: The Main Themes of Revelation
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
Saturday:
20. What is your take-a-way this week and why?
Though the kindle version and the revised paperback version are basically the same, Dr. Cambell added this in a short preface to the revised version:
197 comments
Whoa! Lots to think and reflect on! Dee, I copied and pasted this after I realized that I copied and pasted the verses from Galatians and that might be why it is saying “awaiting moderation” so Feel free to delete the other one.Monday: Not a Handbook for Last-Days Event3. In your book or kindle, read in the Introduction up to “Authorship” and answer:A. What is the Latin phrase the Reformers used as a principle to interpret Scripture? Why would this be a reliable way to understand Scripture?Scriptura scripturae interpres meaning Scripture interprets itself.There should be a unity of Scripture from beginning to end or else its contradiction will lose its authority.B. Revelation is a prophetic book, but the purpose of prophecy is not so much to predict the future, but to do what?Calling people to repentance and obedience in light of God’s purposes in history.C. What 2 storylines from the Old Testament do Revelation trace — and what do you learn from each?The storyline in Exodus, from the bondage of spiritual Egypt to the sea where evil resides, God’s protection in the wilderness, and entrance into the promised land.I have learned that I was once in bondage to sin and now living in the wilderness of life but will enter the promised land of Heaven.The storyline of the garden of Eden to a restored garden where the presence of evil is no more. From the temple of the garden to the tabernacle of Moses, temple of Solomon to the temple of Christ, and to the eternal temple of God and the Lamb.Evil will not be present anymore someday when Jesus comes again to rule.4. Now read up to “The Four Ways To Interpret Revelation” and the answer, what were the Christians of the seven churches John wrote to being pressured to engage in?They were pressured to engage in the imperial cult of emperor worship.5. What beliefs and practices are we, as believers today, being pressured to accept at the cost of popularity or even possibly a career or our very lives? How is this pressure evidenced?Issues like abortion, homosexuality, racial justice have divided the country. The Bible is no longer considered the authority that guides one’s life. Nowadays is reflective of the following verses and when one stands up for what is biblical, one is considered narrow-minded or “religious” or “intolerant”:In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21: 25Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Isaiah 5:21Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.6. What reward does Revelation promise to believers who are faithful even when they suffer “in a human sense?”We will be kept spiritually safe! Hallelujah!
Wednesday: The Idealist View
11. Read Campbell’s section on the Idealist view and summarize it.
Revelation is interpreted symbolically and in light of the OT.
Utilize OT realities behind the visionary symbols.
The church is composed of people from every nation.
Israel is referenced as the church.
Christians are exhorted to remain faithful.
The book refers to literal events but explained by using biblical means of interpretation, not current events.
12. (Optional but recommended) Read Campbell’s section from “The Symbolic Nature of Revelation” to “The Latter Days are Now” and share what stands out to you.
Wow-this section is so full of aha moments for me especially the 666! Symbols are like parables.
Page xxii the symbols and pictures…harden the heart of the unbelievers who scoff or fail to understand while driving the genuine believers further to God in order to understand what He is saying to them.
There are 500 allusions to the OT in the 406 verses of Revelation.
John takes OT references to Israel and sees them as fulfilled in the church.
p.xxvi John deliberately used the words of Daniel to emphasize the fact that Daniel’s future is now present, and that the events prophesied long ago are now commencing.
Thursday
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
They were all crushed at the same time and the wind blew them away without a trace. A rock knocked them down.
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.
The kingdom of God. The Rock is Jesus Christ. Daniel 2:45, the rock is cut out of the mountain but not by human hands.
I am still behind, but I am taking the time to read all of these amazing thoughts. I am praying for Lydia and praying that you stay, Susan. You all bring so much to this study!! I hope all of you ladies stay in the study!!I am loving the many thoughtful answers to these questions. Sharon, I love love love the way to are drawing the symbols to understand. It is all a bit overwhelming, but I am staying….I will catch up! And Lizzy, you are so right! We really need the Holy Spirit to help us understand!! I love what you said about unmasking the beast, Diane. I kind of see it that way too…..So much in all of this!
I am praying for Lydia’s heart to be soft and for her mind to be open. You are such a great mentor Dee, I am praying that she will bring her questions to you. I have a crazy week. Praying for the Holy Spirit to be very present in each of our minds and hearts as we read Revelations and as we read Dr. Campbell’s book.
Thanks so much, Patti. So glad you are “staying.” This is a test for we sojourners!
Patti–I am still behind with you, beside you!
I’m still waiting on my book to arrive, was late to order last week and I don’t have a Kindle. I’m excited though as I read all of your comments!
I am answering today for the rest of the week’s questions as I may not have the time then.
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
They were all smashed by the rock (Jesus Christ!) and became like chaff on the floor during summer.
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.
The kingdom is ushered by the coming of Christ and His death and resurrection.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
Mark 1:15 Jesus said, The time has come…The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
The kingdom began with Jesus ‘ death and resurrection. The time will end when Jesus comes again.
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
Daniel’s future is now present and the events prophesied long ago are now commencing in John’s (Jesus’ coming) time.
Daniel’s future was far off and whose secrets were to be sealed until the end of time but to John it is something about to unfold before his eyes.
The latter days are now.
Acts 2: 17-21 Peter declares …and collapses all of history after Christ as the category of the last days, and declares we are living in it now.
The latter days commencing with the death and resurrection of Christ, and concluding with His return. This is the church age.
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
I never do want to come across as dogmatic here. But I realize that I have an idealist point of view of the book of Revelation, I am also a believer that if I have missed some pieces in my interpretation, it will be made clear when I see Jesus as the King of kings.
Right now, I believe He wants me to be faithful, confident in His goodness to bring about His purposes and will although the days are evil.
It is still good to be like the Bereans who examined the Scriptures if they were true.
Knowledge puffs up. I love this passage below whenever I know only in part.
I Corinthians 13
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Friday: The Main Themes of Revelation
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
a. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory.
b. God is sovereign over human history.
c. The history which began in the first garden-temple ends in the garden-temple of the new Jerusalem.
Saturday:
20. What is your take-a-way this week and why?
a. Having read the 4 interpretations of Revelation has been enlightening for me. I think of 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. I pray my study of Revelation equips me for every good work.
b. The call of Jesus is the same today: The time has come…The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.
c. I will view again the video of Revelation as done by The Bible Project. I think it has an idealistic interpretation of the book of Revelation.
Let us know if the Bible project is that interpretation, Bing! And give us the link.
Bing–I love your answer to #18. It resonates with me so much. I am a learner and yet I trust there is much I won’t understand and He will make clear. I love this ” I am also a believer that if I have missed some pieces in my interpretation, it will be made clear when I see Jesus as the King of kings.”
Dee, I posted something earlier with the Youtube link to the Bible Project in thought that it might be of interest to others. But it got rejected. This is a good thing, I think in the sense that upon a second viewing, I do not believe it is the idealist interpretation. So, if ever it shows back up, feel free to delete it. I do not want to muddle our discussions here and I felt it left a few points of significance/importance.
Thursday
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
”Is at hand.” The Vines says that it is correctly rendered “is (now) present.” Nearness of time (ISBE).
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
When He ascended into heaven after 40 days.
I like what the Vines says…the Kingdom is ”where the King is and where He is acknowledged, is, first in the heart of the believer and then in the churches of God.
When He returns coming with the clouds. All will see Him – even those who pierced Him and all nations of the world will mourn for Him.
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
The best way I can describe it is, John is taking the baton from Daniel. The latter days that Daniel spoke of are John’s present day. Daniel was told to seal the secrets he was given and they’re going to be unfolded before John’s eyes. Peter declared at Pentecost the “last days” of Joel have begun. “The Bible understands the latter or last days to be the days commencing with the death and resurrection of Christ, and concluding with His return.” God gave this vision to John so he could understand what was going on around him and “respond rightly.” That saints of the tenth century could understand, that you and I can understand and those in the future.
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
It has given me a whole different perspective. I think what excites me is how the whole Bible comes together in Revelation. I knew that Daniel, other prophets and passages in Matthew went with Revelation but it’s so much more. I won’t go into detail but now thinking of what is in the book of Revelation, all the events, the characters, the judgments etc. I’m now so very curious how these all fit in…are the seals that only Jesus is worthy of opening those given to Daniel? My mind is racing with so many thoughts and questions.
It is so much to take in, but love that you are with us, Sharon.
Me too, Dee! ❤️
Wednesday: The Idealist View
12. (Optional but recommended) Read Campbell’s section from “The Symbolic Nature of Revelation” to “The Latter Days are Now” and share what stands out to you. – WOW, there is a lot in this section. Almost too much to take it all in, but I did like all the comparisons this section made, especially with the number 7 and 6. I never picked up on that man was made one the 6th day and was also the number for fallen man. And of course the extra detail for 666 alluding to the demonic trinity and that is why 6 is repeated three times.
Do you remember in Michael Reeve’s sermon on the resurrection that he made a point of Jesus being the first fruits — and that God created the vegetation on the 3rd day — Jesus rose on the 3rd day. So much!
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.
The Kingdom of God. That is pretty cool, the similarities in the pictures.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;[e] repent and believe in the gospel.”
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7
When Christ began his ministry
will this time end?
when Christ returns
Friday
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
1. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory. “One of the main purposes of Revelation is to exhort believers to remain faithful in the face of adversity in the assurance of final victory.”
2. God is sovereign over human history. “The trials of believers, the apparent victory of the enemy, the eventual destruction of the latter and the victory of the church, are all under the sovereign control of God.”
3. The history which began in the first garden-temple ends in the garden-temple of the new Jerusalem. “Christ succeeded where Adam and Israel failed.”
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.)
The Kingdom is the kingdom of God or the church of God which will fill the whole earth.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
The word “soon” is not in my ESV (English Standard Version). It says the “time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” What do you want me to see? The time “is” fulfilled. I interpret that to mean the kingdom has begun.
15. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
It began, I think, with the birth of Jesus. It will end with Christ’s return.
16. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
God shows John that the things that were to take place in Daniel’s “latter days” are now to occur “shortly” or “quickly”. The events prophesied long ago are now commencing, set in motion by the death and resurrection of Christ and concluding with his return.
That’s even stronger “the kingdom is come!”
This is for Diane as the format wouldn’t allow more replies to her. Dr. Campbell said there were some things in the paperback intro that were not in the kindle, and one addition when we get to Rev 20 on dispensationalism — otherwise the same. I wrote him this morning as I’ve gotten some pretty strong pushback about what he wrote about Margaret MacDonald and he sent me a detailed e-mail with sources that I will put in Sunday’s post. I do not want to cause division but I know people want sources and the truth, so I will provide that for those who want it next week.
Thanks, Dee. I know there is a delicate line to walk in providing information and not causing division. I will read Dr. Campbell’s information next week.
Thanks, Diane!
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
The kingdoms were destroyed and blown away. They were smashed by a large rock, made from a mountain but “not of human hands.” The rock became a huge mountain that covered the earth.
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43.
It was God (?)
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important!
He says, “The time promised by God has come.”
I agree that the latter days are now; that they began with Christ’s death and Resurrection.
I agree with Lizzy, I love Bing’s answer to # 18. That is very much my view of Revelation. I feel that there is so much I do not know, but I shall see clearly when I meet Jesus.
We live in a time when there are many changes happening so quickly. I will always trust and rely on Jesus. He is my Authority. In Him I will trust.
I love : 1. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory. 2. God is sovereign over human history. 3. The history which began in the first garden-temple ends in the garden-temple of the new Jerusalem.
Praying for the Holy Spirit to be very present as we go through this study. Thank you Dee, for all that you do putting this together.
I agree that the latter days are now; that they began with Christ’s death and Resurrection.
I agree with Lizzy, I love Bing’s answer to # 18. That is very much my view of Revelation. I feel that there is so much I do not know, but I shall see clearly when I meet Jesus. Hope your book get to you soon, Lizzy.
We live in a time when there are many changes happening so quickly. I will always trust and rely on Jesus. He is my Authority. In Him I will trust.
I love : 1. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory. 2. God is sovereign over human history. 3. The history which began in the first garden-temple ends in the garden-temple of the new Jerusalem.
Praying for the Holy Spirit to be very present as we go through this study. Thank you Dee, for all that you do putting this together.
7. Briefly summarize the first two views and what you learned about them.
A. Preterist: believes that everything in Revelation has already happened in the past, before 70AD.
B. Historicist: Revelation divides history into seven sections each which is typified by one of the seven churches.
8. Read Campbell’s section on the Futurist View and share his main points. 1. Interprets the visions literally and chronologically. 2. Believe there are two covenant people. 3. Believe in 7 years of tribulation. 4. Believe in the rapture. 5. Everything is taken literally.
9. The Futuristic view began with the rise of “dispensationalism.” What did you learn about that? It started from a vision.
10. Have you been impacted by any of these views? If so, either positively or negatively, share how. When I first became a believer, I belonged to a STRONG end times focused church. They talked often from the pulpit about the rapture and the tribulation.
I’m still waiting for my book n=but just figured out I could do a free trial for the kindle version and read it on my computer-yay! Feeling a little like the little blue engine, but I’m trying to catch up!
3. In your book or kindle, read in the Introduction up to “Authorship” and answer:
A. What is the Latin phrase the Reformers used as a principle to interpret Scripture? Why would this be a reliable way to understand Scripture?
“scriptura scripturae interpres”= “Scripture interprets itself. I remember this from my (intro level) seminary class. Scripture alone is God’s Word and the only infallible interpreter for His Word, so we should use His Word to teach us how to understand His Word. Jesus used Scripture to teach truth because it is the only infallible Word.
B. Revelation is a prophetic book, but the purpose of prophecy is not so much to predict the future, but to do what?
Show God’s sovereignty throughout generations and to call to repentance and obedience in faith.
C. What 2 storylines from the Old Testament does Revelation trace — and what do you learn from each?
Exodus-Christians leave the bondage of spiritual Egypt or Babylon, crossing the sea, entering into God’s protection in the wilderness, and turning their eyes to the Promised Land. God hardens hearts of unbelievers and bring those He has called to repentance.
Eden-God’s desire to restore the garden to something better, to the eternal river of the New Jerusalem
4. Now read up to “The Four Ways To Interpret Revelation” and answer, what were the Christians of the seven churches John wrote to being pressured to engage in?
The world is pressuring Christians to compromise and threatening punishment if they do not.
5. What beliefs and practices are we, as believers today, being pressured to accept at the cost of popularity or even possibly a career or our very lives? How is this pressure evidenced?
Same sex marriage, gender identity issues…and it’s hard to put into words but the general sense that Christians should fight against every latest “cause”. Our focus should always first be the Gospel but there are so many distractions. I know my pastor has been unfairly attacked for not saying enough about certain issues, but he preaches the Gospel before focusing on any current event or cause.
6. What reward does Revelation promise to believers who are faithful even when they suffer “in a human sense?”
He will keep us spiritually safe. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand!
We have a two campus church, each with its own preaching pastor. They do the same text, but approach it individually. The same couple complained that one pastor never talks about current events from the pulpit, and that the other does it too much. What I take from that is that we need to give a lot more grace to everyone.
Mary — interesting about your pastors and good application.
Mary B–good example! Yes, that’s a lot of what my pastor seems to deal with also, it’s hard to be sensitive to everyone, but generous grace is needed.
Yay Lizzy — you are catching up!
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
When the Holy Spirit was deployed?
With the clouds of heaven. Not sure what that means? Confused.
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
John equates his time to Daniel’s time because of Christ’s birth death, and resurrection.
“Short” time is relative isn’t it? Is short 400 years? 40 years? 4 years? How is it defined? How does John define “shortly or quickly?” Is it just the events that occur during his life? How does he know?
Campbell says, “The time “after this” is indeed at hand,” He talks about it happening “quickly,” but if we count from John’s death it’s 2000 or so years right? How is this “quickly?” So the time is at hand because Jesus was resurrected and will come back to save His people? Will it be another 2000 years?
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
Well I agree it is the time after Christ died and before He has come again. I guess that is how I have always thought about this time.I guess I didn’t know about the Daniel prophecy. I feel like I should go read about it to understand it more clearly. I don’t think it has changed my thinking much though, just confirmed what I already thought.
7. Briefly summarize the first two views and what you learned about them.
A. Preterist: That revelation happened after AD70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. So it has already happened which begs the question as to why God would have allowed it in the Bible; Based on the whole of scripture this view can’t be right.
B. Historicist: That each of the 7 churches represents a period of History, or age..so 7 churches is 7 ages. There isn’t internal evidence to support this, and there is an issue with how to define the 7 ages. Christianity has grown exponentially leaving the Western church in smaller numbers. I think just based on that, that it’s plenty of evidence against this theory.
8. Read Campbell’s section on the Futurist View and share his main points. I will just share one but there is more. This is really causing me to re-think the futurist view..God has two covenants. One with the Jews and one with the Gentiles and since He can’t handle both He has to rapture the Christians in order to establish Jesus as earthly ruler over Jerusalem. Only at that time can He bring Jews and Gentiles together. I had a thought -so if this were true then why did Jesus come? Scriptures say we (Gentiles) are grafted in with the Jews when we become His-at salvation, so I see the covenants coming together when Jesus died and was resurrected. Am I mistaken? Whoa, this is blowing me away!
9. The Futuristic view began with the rise of “dispensationalism.” What did you learn about that? I think my background is dispensationalism but I haven’t heard some of the details Campbell wrote like Jesus secretly returns to earth to rapture us. I thought He just raptures us..comes like a thief in the night? I have a lot of thinking and praying to do but this is really really good.
10. Have you been impacted by any of these views? If so, either positively or negatively, share how.
Yes, I have and in a positive way. I am not sure what to think but i am going to re-read this section and dig a bit deeper.
So..I have to add that what blew me away is that just like Noah’s ark, the unbelievers will be swept away and believers will remain. It doesn’t say we will be “raptured”. So the ones who will be taken are the unbelievers. I hope I got that right.
Rebecca — if you use the Noah analogy as Scripture does, it was the unbelievers who were taken, so we don’t want to be taken, for taken is taken in judgment. I know I was impacted by the futuristic view for a long time and failed to really examine it. I got a bit leary of Tim LaHaye from some of his other books that were so simplistic — in his one on depression he said all you needed to do was repent, and in his one on sex, all you needed to do was exercise a certain muscle. So I was not pulled in by the Left Behind series, but still, for a long time I assumed the rapture was scriptural, but it really isn’t. I can’t find anything to support it — and I’ll share more from Dr. Campbell on that as we go.
*unbelievers will be swept away to punishment…like the unbelievers were regarding Noah’s Ark.
There you go — I read this after I wrote my comment!
Dee, Yes..after I read it I thought i needed to add in punishment to clarify. Yes, I need more uninterrupted time to look into this further-regarding the rapture. That is what many of us have been taught so this is a paradigm shifter for sure.
7. Briefly summarize the first two views and what you learned about them.
A. Preterist- “past” view-everything in Revelation happened before AD 70 and the book is a prophetic warning of the Roman’s destruction of Jerusalem.
Problems with this view-Babylon never referred to Israel in ancient Jewish or Christian literature but after AD 70 it referred to Rome. With this view, Revelation is not applicable to anyone who lived after the early days of the church.
B. Historicist-divides Revelation into 7 sections, represented by the 7 churches. Revelation describes literal, historical events.
Problems with this view-we have no evidence that each church represents a period of history, and there is no relevance for Christians outside the western church or to those to whom it was originally addressing.
8. Read Campbell’s section on the Futurist View and share his main points.
This view makes all of Revelation,. Aside from the letters to the churches, refer to events at the end of history, in the future.
9. The Futuristic view began with the rise of “dispensationalism.” What did you learn about that?
It interprets the visions literally and chronologically as referring to events of history.
10. Have you been impacted by any of these views? If so, either positively or negatively, share how.
Honestly, I’m almost embarrassed to admit how little time in my life (before this study) that I’ve spent on any of these views. I’ve heard them, I grew up in the time of “Left Behind”, etc…I have tried at various times to understand the differences, but I have just never been that interested. Sometimes I think my faith is so child-like simple that it’s hard for me to get very involved in theological issues or debates. I wish I had the intellect for it or the drive…I just know God is good, His ways are perfect, I trust His sovereignty and I feel like there’s a lot I just “don’t need to know”. But I am drawn to this study of Revelation here. Not because I want to “figure it out” but because it’s His Word, and I love Him, and ALL of His Word is of ultimate value. So I want to read and study it, and not avoid it. I want to glean what I can from what He is telling us.
Lizzy, I too have these feelings which you describe here. Thanks for putting it into words!
Same 🙂 Thanks Lizzy
I think so many of us resonate with your words, Lizzy. I hate disagreement as a peace lover (which I’m not sure is a good thing) but I do think it matters to know the truth. Pray that Satan won’t get a foothold here. I think we all need to be full of grace but at the same time individually strive to know what God is saying to us truly!
Love this, Lizzy-“But I am drawn to this study of Revelation here. Not because I want to “figure it out” but because it’s His Word, and I love Him, and ALL of His Word is of ultimate value. So I want to read and study it, and not avoid it. I want to glean what I can from what He is telling us. ” Me, too!
11. Read Campbell’s section on the Idealist view and summarize it.
This view interprets Revelation in light of the OT; in order to interpret Revelation and understand what events are being referred to, we must utilize the OT. The visionary symbols in Revelation represent real things found in the OT. For example, the serpent is Satan (Genesis), the picture of the earth swallowing the waters and saving the woman represents the parting of the Red Sea. The plagues in Revelation are symbolic representations of the literal plagues that God inflicted upon Egypt. The “church” in Revelation means people of every nation as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, through the work of Christ. This view rejects the interpretation of Revelation through current events instead of God’s Word.
12. (Optional but recommended) Read Campbell’s section from “The Symbolic Nature of Revelation” to “The Latter Days Are Now” and share what stands out to you.
Campbell compares the opening verse of Revelation to a section in Daniel and says that we are to understand Revelation in a symbolic manner, like Daniel’s dream. I am not sure I understood all of this comparison. I thought the king’s dream was symbolic (the statue and its different metals) but was a foretelling of an upcoming reality. However, Campbell says that in the first verse, John sets forth the principle that “the visions to be unfolded in the book have a largely symbolic meaning.” Campbell says likewise that all of the numbers in Revelation are to be understood symbolically. The infamous “666” alludes to the demonic trinity – the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
As to why God chooses to speak through symbols, Campbell explains why Jesus reverted mainly to parables, so that unbelievers would have a hard time understanding the gospel and their hearts would be further hardened. (But I thought that God desired all men to be saved?) Campbell shows the same pattern in the prophets, like Isaiah and Ezekiel, saying that the hardening of unbelievers’ hearts goes back to Pharaoh in Egypt, who kept hardening his heart in the midst of all the plagues. But, believers want to know and to understand, and they will seek out the prophet to help them understand. So, the symbols of Revelation act in the same way as Jesus’ parables and the actions of the prophets: they harden the hearts of unbelievers and drive genuine believers to try to understand.
Campbell said that the prophetic focus of Revelation is on the church, not on the Jewish people or the nation of Israel.
You hit on some paradoxes, Susan. Things that I think we just need to hold before God until we see Him face to face.
For it does say He wishes all men to be saved, and it also says that He hardens hearts that are unbelieving.
As far as symbols — I think they do foretell a reality, as they did in Daniel’s dream, but what I am hearing is that this could repeat. For example, the woman in Revelation 12 who is giving birth with the dragon ready to swallow her child is a symbol that points to Mary — but not only Mary. The dragon, which Rev. 12 does say is Satan, has been trying to swallow up God’s people from the beginning — you see it in the whole Exodus story, beginning with trying to swallow up Moses as a baby, then the Israelites in the Red Sea — and then the early Church, and so on. A symbol can represent more than one happening.
Dee, oh, my, yes! I see so many layers in what God has given us in Scripture! Which is no surprise, since He is infinite. Stands to reason that everything coming from Him has more than one facet.
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
1. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory.
2. God is sovereign over human history.
3. The history which began in the first garden-temple ends in the garden-temple of the new Jerusalem.
Laura, I wanted to respond to your reaction to what I said about the vaccine. First, Please forgive me if I offended you. Second, I was responding to the person’s reasoning, not that they weren’t going to get it. I agree with you, that it’s an individual’s choice.
It’s all good Sharon! I don’t understand the mark of the beast, but I can see how some may feel it is exactly that. It’s the trust issue really.
We are being divided in our country about several things right now. Those who don’t go out looking for real news have no idea that is what is happening. The vaccine is one topic that is dividing. The other is the racism topic. As I travel the east coast this week, and spend time around other Americans, I find that the people do not act the way the news portrays us AT ALL. I don’t see us divided. I see regular Americans enjoying their lives, being kind to each other. I think the news is reporting on the fringes of our society and trying to “start” something. That makes me mad, as I wonder how long this has really been going on (being lied to by the media).
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
I think I need to chew on it a bit before I know my answer 🙂
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
1 The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory- our present sufferings will end, we will be kept and brought into victory through Christ
20. What is your take-a-way this week and why?
My take aways are mostly personal, I feel my stubbornness and my tendency to feel sorry for myself. This study, for now at least, feels like exercise, I will keep it up knowing it will yield good things. I haven’t been eating properly, I have either a mild cold or allergies going on, there is a challenging change happening in my workplace, my closest friend has taken a job in another part of the country, some other dear friends are going through really hard trials. I don’t feel great on any level I guess.I bought some healthy food and planned our meals for the next few days. I have time today to clean, to hike, to dye my hair, to contact some people. I will be hoping for a reset mentally, physically and most of all spiritually this weekend.
I am planning to read ahead a little as I seem to need to read the study material more than once to really take it in. I want to be a good student of these things, I just feel like my capacity is more limited at the moment than I would care to admit.There was a sermon on Revelation that I purchased from Gospel in Life some time ago, it was part of a series. I remember when it began I was disappointed because it was a speaker other than Keller, I was wrong to feel that way-it was a wonderful sermon, one that continues to impact me, I am going to try and find it again.
I love your honesty, dear Chris. And I will pray for a reset for you too — we all get in those seasons. I find the first two lessons, when we are getting our bearings, feel more academic, but then God began to move my heart when we actually got into the book itself. I pray it will be the same for you.
Thank you Dee- I love you so much 😘
Chris, I love seeing you here. I have similar feelings these days. I feel like I am in a funk. I woke up this morning and without warning, tears came. I asked God for some clarity and He brought to mind that I am soon closing a chapter of my life that I spent 17 years in! Retirement sounds exciting, and it is but I am also grieving the loss of a few things dear to my heart. I need a reset, too.
Bing, praying for you my dear sister. Big hugs. I’m sure grieving came as a surprise!
There is so much packed into this week. I am re-reading the book sections, my notes, and all of your notes. It is a lot to process. I will be praying for you Chris. Sometimes life is overwhelming. I am praying for all of us in this study. It is really good, Dee….yes, very academic right now. I think that history has always “repeated itself”~ so Revelation is always applicable. I like your thoughts, Rebecca and Susan. I am in the same boat with Lizzy, Laura, and Chris…but God is sovereign and it is good to study His word and consider….ponder….I sort of feel like I need to “graze” through this….It is good to have things that are thought provoking. God always reveals things to us as individuals in His time. I feel it is fine and healthy if we all see this in a slightly different way, because we are all coming from different generations, family histories, and various backgrounds. That creates a richness and opens my mind to new ways of seeing things. Praying for you Dee, as you lead us.
Thank you, Patti!
1. Read Campbell’s section on the Idealist view and summarize it.
The view is to interpreting Revelation through God’s Word and interpret the symbolic representations via the Old Testament. There is no rapture but only one return of Jesus Christ so the church is on a journey out of Egypt through the wilderness under God’s spiritual protection though we can be harmed, but He protects us. This culminates in the church’s entry into the promised land of Jerusalem.
12. (Optional but recommended) Read Campbell’s section from “The Symbolic Nature of Revelation” to “The Latter Days are Now” and share what stands out to you.
I am coming back to this when my boys don’t interrupt me-too much here to rush through and I want to absorb it and look up the passages. I’ve had too many interruptions this week but God’s timing is wonderful so I look forward to it.
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
They were all demolished by a rock.
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think? (For help, see Campbell or Matthew 21:42-43. The Church.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it — for this is important! Is at hand? So it’s coming quickly-not in the time frame of an age, or hundreds of years. So it is right in front of them.
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1!) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end? At His Ascension. It will end when He comes back in the clouds.
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments. I think I am getting it-though slowly! So the reason God had John write Revelation is so that we could understand the events going on now around us and be able to respond rightly-it’s about growth. It is regarding both present events and future. This is getting tastier-the more I taste the more my curiosity peaks and I want to learn more.
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking? This is blowing me away but also leaves me with-so now I need to find out more-what is in Revelation so I can grow. Could Revelation be a way God is protecting us spiritually as we encounter what is going on now and what is to come?
19. Read the page and a half that closes Cambell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
1. The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory
This is so comforting in suffering because not only is it testing our faith but growing us more into the image of Jesus-so God gave us Revelation to encourage us to remain faithful in our trials and what helps us is remembering we have final victory through Jesus death and resurrection. So this verse came to mind, that our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine!
2. God is sovereign over human history
This brought Psalm 103:19 to mind, The Lord has established His Throne in the heaven and his sovereignty rules overall.-NASB. I looked this up in another version and it says, His Kingdom rules overall..WHOA. God is sovereign over our suffering just like He is sovereign over evil looking like it is prospering now, to when it is crushed and we are victors.
3. The history that began in the first garden temple ends in the garden temple of the new Jerusalem.
In the first garden temple, Adam and Israel failed to be a light. In the new Jerusalem the garden is perfect forever and the serpent won’t be allowed in the garden. Our covenant with God will be in full-fulfilled in the final-perfect temple.
20. What is your take-a-way this week and why?
That I need to study Revelation and discover the gems that God wants to show me, and learn so much from everyone here.
What God wanted me to rejoice in this week is how He is protecting me spiritually in this wilderness where there have been many attacks-and there will be more to come when this one subsides but my happiness or contentment is becoming more and more not dependent on my circumstances but in resting in Him. These trials are producing in me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. This study has brought a little more insight into that verse.
From Rebecca: What God wanted me to rejoice in this week is how He is protecting me spiritually in this wilderness where there have been many attacks-
It’s been an aha moment for me to realize that there isn’t a promise for physical protection, though He does and may — but there is one for spiritual protection.
Dee, Aha moment for me too. I could be mistaken but re-read Song of Songs 5: 2-8 in light of God not promising physical protection but spiritual. I could be totally off but this also might be a picture of the church or us individually in the wilderness right now. There is so much there anyway, but maybe this is another layer? Let me know what you think!
It’s what I’m getting from Revelation — how are you getting from The Song?
Dee,
the Watchmen beating and bruising her as she was seeking her beloved.
1. What stands out to you from the above (Lydia story, purpose of symbols, short video about “Ears to Hear”…) Lydia story and her questions about why the different names for Christ and how the Bible wasn’t straight forward. Don’t we all find ourselves questioning God’s authority in our lives at times? We want God to make sense to us and be predictable, but He chooses to surprise us instead. His ways are higher.
2. How would you explain why God uses pictures and symbols instead of just “saying so?” God opens the eyes of believers. His sheep know His voice. He purposely spoke in parables so that unbelievers would not understand. He won’t cast His pearls before swine.
My week was crazy, but hoping to catch up tomorrow.
Glad you are joining us Chris!
Thank you, Laura! I’m excited for this study 🙂 and to have the opportunity to hear from all of you.
20. What is your take-a-way this week and why?
I’m still not sure I understand how we know that “soon” means right now. Time is a struggle for me in the Bible (is 7 days really the 7 days I know in my life?). I guess the closest thing that convinces me after this week is what Jesus says about it, the time is at hand, meaning now. But then again, was He referring to the time in His time, or the time for generations to come? I guess if I don’t take it so literally I could broadly say that the time is now to repent and believe the Gospel. It could mean that at any time in history I could do this.
This next week will go into it. I’m quite convinced that is means now — from the time of Christ’s ascension to His return.
3. In your book or kindle, read in the Introduction up to “Authorship” and answer:
A. What is the Latin phrase the Reformers used as a principle to interpret Scripture? Why would this be a reliable way to understand Scripture?
The Latin phrase says scripture interprets itself -if scripture helps us make sense of itself then it is like a puzzle that gives you the whole picture in the end. John tells us Jesus is the Word. The Word is God. What more reliable way could there be to interpret scripture?
B. Revelation is a prophetic book, but the purpose of prophecy is not so much to predict the future, but to do what? Prophecy calls us to repentance and obedience.
C. What 2 storylines from the Old Testament does Revelation trace — and what do you learn from each? 1. The Exodus: Christians leave the bondage of Egypt to enter the eternal promised land, being called to repent. 2. The garden of Eden, the garden will be restored, evil forever banished.
4. Now read up to “The Four Ways To Interpret Revelation” and answer, what were the Christians of the seven churches John wrote to being pressured to engage in? “The world is pressuring Christians to compromise, and threatening punishment if they fail to do so.”
5. What beliefs and practices are we, as believers today, being pressured to accept at the cost of popularity or even possibly a career or our very lives? How is this pressure evidenced? We are pressured to accept homosexuality in the media, movies, workplaces, schools and even churches. Not just accept coexistence but agree with the lifestyle. If you own a business and choose not to serve a homosexual couple as a wedding photographer as a matter of conscience, you can be sued. Kids are pressured to accept gender confusion in school. Teachers are allowed to keep information from parents regarding this issue about their own child. A father has gone to jail after refusing to call his child by the requested pronoun. Who would have thought believing God created male and female would be something society questioned???
6. What reward does Revelation promise to believers who are faithful even when they suffer “in a human sense?” We are promised to be kept spiritually safe. We have an eternal reward that far outweighs our sufferings in this world.
7. Briefly summarize the first two views and what you learned about them.
A. Preterist: views everything in Revelation prior to AD 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. This makes the book irrelevant for anyone who lived after that event.
B. Historicist: this view divides history into seven sections each typified by one of the seven churches. There is no evidence that each church represents a period of history. No relevance for Christians outside the western church or of those to whom it was written originally.
8. Read Campbell’s section on the Futurist View and share his main points. Takes the whole book to refer to events at the very end of history.
9. The Futuristic view began with the rise of “dispensationalism.” What did you learn about that? It interprets the visions literally and chronologically as referring to events of history, but from a different perspective. Revelation is interpreted by current events which leads to a continual revision as different predicted events turn out to be incorrect. The rapture, restoration of national Israel, and multiple returns of Christ, or secret return of Christ are not found in the Bible; rather Christ’s return is visible to all.
10. Have you been impacted by any of these views? If so, either positively or negatively, share how.
I believe that past studies have left me feeling like there was no good interpretation of Revelation that I could apply to my life. I inevitably left the book feeling like I would have to wait for the Lord to show me what it meant when He was ready. I never was drawn to read the Left Behind series. I did always wonder if there was any truth to the rapture, but never pursued a study on it.
13. Read Daniel 2:34-35 and describe what happened to all of those kingdoms and by what they were smashed?
Supernaturally, a rock was cut from a mountain, and it struck the feet of the statue (representing kingdoms) made out of iron and clay, smashing them to bits, and the whole statue collapsed, and all of the pieces were crushed as fine powder.\
14. The “Kingdom” that tramples all others, beginning small, and mushrooming into a huge mountain that fills the earth, is what, do you think?
The “Kingdom” that tramples all others is the Kingdom of God, which “crashed” into our reality with the coming of the Son of Man.
15. Jesus uses a similar phrase to the “soon” that John uses in Mark 1:15. Find it – for this is important!
Jesus proclaims here that the Kingdom of God is “near”. The Living Bible translation: “At last the time has come! The Kingdom of God is near!” Jesus then urges everyone to repent and believe the Good News. I always thought that this meant that Jesus, in His very person, brought the Kingdom of God right down to earth; He embodied it. In a book I read, it said that the kingdom could also be understood as the “reign” or “power of God” being brought to bear. (Thinking of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come….” we are praying for more of God’s reign and power to be unleashed in our present world.)
16. Now, when did that Kingdom begin? (For help, see Acts 1) And when, according to Revelation 1:7, will this time end?
That Kingdom began when Jesus ascended into heaven, and this time will end when Jesus returns.
17. Read the section “The Latter Days Are Now” and share your comments.
Campbell says that the things God showed Daniel that were to happen in the “latter days” are the things God showed to John in Revelation, so that “Daniel’s future is now present”….these events prophesied long ago by Daniel are now commencing.
The Son of Man in Daniel 7 is Jesus.
The death and resurrection of Jesus is the event that set in motion the events prophesied by Daniel….the things that Daniel was told would be ‘sealed up’ are now being unsealed or revealed.
The Bible understands the latter or last days to be the days commencing with the death and resurrection of Jesus and concluding with His return. Therefore, not only the apostle John lived in this time period, also known as the church age – but we live in it, too.
18. How does understanding the time that the events prophesied in Revelation is now impact your thinking?
Well, it’s kind of neat to think that although we are separated by centuries, both John and I have this connection to have lived, and to be living in this time period. I never really thought of it like this before, that what John wrote about has to do with me, right now.
19. Read the page and a half that closes Campbell’s introduction and list the three main themes of Revelation.
1) The way of the cross is the path to eternal victory. Believers can believe and trust in our final victory over suffering and adversity. The cross is Jesus’ victory over Satan.
2) God is sovereign over human history.
3) The history which began in the first garden temple ends in the garden temple of the new Jerusalem. One day, there will be a perfect place for us to live in peace and without being harassed by Satan.
20. What is your take-away this week and why?
I must say that just the intro to this study was hard! I get lost trying to understand all of the numbers and symbols in Revelation. I really like the connection made in learning that since the things John wrote about in Revelation began, or commenced, with Jesus’ death and resurrection, that we/I have a connection with John and the other eyewitnesses who were there….the communion of saints. We lived in different times in history, but we share this connection. It makes Revelation seem more real and relevant to me, rather than thinking of it as weird, futuristic “end times” events.
Hello
I am interested in the Revelation study please.