Lesson 71
Revelation - Study of Things to Come
The
Review:
Detail
study of 22:6-21 The Last Great Message of the Book
1. 22:6-7 Reminded of the
Certainty of the Blessed Hope! The
Return of Jesus Christ
Vs:6 Nature of Scripture:
The nature of scripture is faithful and true.
- faithful; pisto,j relates the word to truth; to facts
- true; avlhqino,j genuine, reliable, relates the word to
reality;
Why is this reminder needed? Why do we need to be reminded of the factuality,
dependability and reality of the Word of God?
#1 Because the nature of some of the
things revealed are so unusual and unique; not anything like our own present
experience!
#2 Because we live in bondage to routine
events!
There is a spin-off or logical extension of
"these words are faithful and true" and that is this:
If we know the words of Scripture which are
faithful and true; Then we also have a window into the
character of Christ.
This final message, Epilogue, places great honor on
the word.
- vs:16; vs:18-19
points to the importance and tremendous honor placed on the word of God.
What's in view is this, the same God who
communicated thru the prophets the message of OT. is
the same God who communicated His message through His messenger to John. Look at 1:1
- This book is intended
to be an eye-opener; for those of you who have been faithful in the study of
this book; believe you should have found it to be just that.
22:7
The hope of the return of Christ is emphasized.
"coming
quickly" tacu, indicates that when the events begin they
will go quickly, that there will not be any unnecessary delay; not that they
are soon from the standpoint of John.
A special blessing for one of the most neglected
and most often misinterpreted books of the Bible, Why??
2.
The True object of Worship - a reminder. 22:8-9
The totality of what John has been shown in these
visions has for the second time struck him with awe, he's overwhelmed!
- Notice it doesn't say
that he actually worshiped the angel, but that he fell prostrate before him
preparing to do so!
* Point: Don't let the
awesomeness of the events take you away from the true object of worship,
God! Only one worthy!
3.
The Nature of the Book of Revelation 22:10
It is an open book, it is to remain open; it is to be
studied, it is to be taught, it is to be proclaimed because it is an open book.
- Rem: There is a sense
in which the church age is considered a part of the time of the end. 1 Jn
4.
A Reminder of the
- The warning in the
final phrase of vs:10 adds a note of extreme urgency;
"for the time is near."
- Verse 11 makes a strong
statement to the effect that by what character man enters eternity, he will
remain eternally.
William Newell commenting on this verse addresses the
use of the aorist tense here saying "it
indicates the choice of man's life, his whole life, viewed as a whole, so that
we find in Revelation
5.
Reminder of the Justice of God at His return!
First a reminder of the Hope of His return; vs:7;
It lends a sense of urgency to the message of the
book; and an air of expectancy.
Secondly; There is a
strong emphasis on Justice at the return of Christ. Why is this
an important reminder for us today?
No!! We're
living in the time of God's great patience, His longsuffering. Therefore we need to be reminded that a day
of Justice is coming!
When??
For C/A saints =
For
For the wicked dead
The communicator of the Word, the P/T must also be
bound as this angel is, to only communicate what is in the Word.
6.
Reminder of the Character of Christ 22:13
The Emphasis is on the fact that Christ is creator
and consummator!
This is taught 3 ways:
1. alpha and omega; 1:8; 21:6;
2. first and the last;
3. beginning and the
end; 1:8; 21:6
Points to the fact the
Christ is
the only celebrity and the one we should be focused on.