The Book of Revelation

INTRODUCTION

The book of Revelation is an important book and it comes with a blessing to all who read, hear and keep the things written in it. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Rev. 1:3) John records the Book of Revelation at a time when the early church is being heavily persecuted by pagan Rome and Christians are told to hold fast to the truth or they could (possibly) lose their crown. “Behold I come quickly: hold that fast, which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Rev. 3:1) Jesus told Peter that He would build his church upon the personal revelation that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God and said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18b) He knew that Satan had plans to prevent personal revelations from taking place. He would release every evil he possessed in the Bottomless Pit to challenge man’s faith and cause him to doubt God’s Word. God uses the Book of Revelation to encourage the church to stand against every attack without fear. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried: and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) When persecution failed to stop the church from growing, the devil changed his strategy. He would stop the persecution and cause the empire to become Christian. This kingdom, empire, would be governed by man and a pagan interpretation of the gospel. Paul told young Timothy that in the last day’s perilous times would come, that the church would be lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (II Tim 3:5) This introduction of false doctrine would be used to destroy the power of the gospel and make war with the saints for 1,260 years. “And he (Antichrist) shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (1,260 years) “But the judgment shall sit, and they (the saints) shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end.” (Daniel 7:25-26) “I beheld and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:21-22) God warned the church in Daniel and reveals Satan’s plans to believers in the Book of Revelation. The doctrine of Jesus Christ would be preserved until the 1,260 years were over and the saints took the kingdom away from the antichrist. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” (Rev. 12:6) To cause even more distress Satan would use a false prophet whose armies would kill all who would not accept his religion. “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God (their god) in their foreheads.” (Rev. 9:4) The devil’s final attempt would be to release paganism (Dragon) from the bottomless pit where it had been bound for a thousand years. The beast and the false prophet had done all they could to stop the gospel of Jesus, but now the Dragon would return and help them. “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years And cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Rev. 20:2-3) “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” (Rev. 20:7-8) The gates of Hell would break loose upon the church, but the scriptures found in Revelation would bring comfort to believers of each generation that followed. False doctrine is very subtle and during the reign of the antichrist it was so bad that God’s light had been put out by it. “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Rev. 18:23-24) As Christians we have to identify false doctrine or it will overcome the truth. A good measure to use when determining truth is to remember that the Holy Spirit always glorifies the Son. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:13-14) The Book of Revelation will “show you things to come,” but it also “glorifies” Christ. God wants us to understand “things to come,” because His Word declares it. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) Over and over we read prophecy concerning men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Israel, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Minor Prophets and the disciples of Jesus. We can know if a prophecy is truly from God or not, because there is a test, provided by scripture, which proves if a prophet, is telling the truth. “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to past, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deut. 18:22) “The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.”(Jer. 28:9) Scripture reveals why history plays such an important part in prophecy. If the thing comes to past it is of God. History looks back at what has happened and is the proof of prophecy. Many doubt the Book of Revelation can be understood, but if that were so why would God bless all who read, hear and keep the things written in it? Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) (Free from the deceptions of Satan and free to believe God’s Word.) John was to record the things that would happen to the church; beginning with what would “shortly come to pass.” “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” (Rev. 1:1)