Prayer
Worship
Review
Introduction to Revelation
Questions for reading prophecy:
What is the historical context and what was God was saying to Israel through the prophet?
In what ways is the ungodly society in Israel and Judah in the days of the prophets similar to the ungodly society of our day?
What do these books tell us about how God interacts with His people?
Intro to Revelation
Understanding the prophetic imagery of revelation requires understanding how it references other scripture and history.
This is not scary but good news for good people. There are only 12 verses out of 403 that are worrisome to believers ... persecution that will end with the complete final victory of Christ.
We're going to look deeply into chapter 4 onwards in part 3, but for now let's read chapter 1-3.
Notes about chapter 1-3:
1. This is the revelation of Jesus. What does "of" mean?
2. Prophecy from John the elder... From the family of faith, for the family of faith, to the family of faith
3. The same John???
4. Patmos
5. Blessed is the one who reads it, blessed are those that hear, blessed are those that keep what is written in it... "the time is near"
6. How should we understand the images? "Literal"
7. Strangeness in the Greek text... encoded? written while receiving revelation?
8. The book of revelation is about a "man" and a "plan", but the more important element is the "man"... as we read this let us seek to know the man, Jesus Christ. There are many names or titles or descriptions of Jesus in just the first 3 chapters https://jwipn.com/praying-the-names-of-jesus-in-revelation-1-3/
9. Also in these three chapters there are 18 promises to christians about eternal reward.
10. Seven letters to seven churches.
https://www.thesecondcomingofchrist.org/img/Rev2a.png
Let's finish by reading 22:6-21
Homework:
consider the letters to the seven churches and ask what warnings apply to you.
Practice memorizing all 66 books
Prayer and worship to finish.