Today I will begin a series on the Book of Revelations.
Now I do expect you to tear me apart on it, but that is fine by me. My instructor has already tore it apart for spelling, grammatical, and sentence structure errors. However, he could not refute my facts was able to get a score of 80 from a possible 100 on it.
I do believe someone here will benefit from the knowledge I share.
I will enjoy reading your comments, but I will not respond to any of them.
This is not a sermon it is just giving you a little start in your quest to understand some things about the Scriptures, in a historical, and spiritual context.
Should you desire a personal chat with me, then PM me. I promise to help you with any and all issues you have, and I also promise to keep what you tell me in confidence.
We all have our own demons we need to deal with, and I will try my best to help you come to grips with the thorn in your side.
(I can’t wait to read comments on that)
Well, here goes.
I pray to the Lord Most High that someone opens up to me and I can truly help. Lord my Father in the name of Jesus Your Son, I pray for guidance as I step into this hornet’s nest and attempt to do Your will. Amen
Oh yeah, one more thing.
For those of you who will crucify me if I do not give credit where credit is due.
I will post all my sources on the series when it is complete. This may take a while so don’t hold your breath too long.
My first installment will be an introduction to the book “THE REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST”
A REVIEW AND COMMENTARY ON
THE REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST
by Amos413
Introduction
Usually when I finish the last chapter of a great novel I find myself wishing there was more to the story, or as Paul Harvey would say, “Now, for the rest of the story”. I want the story to continue because I desire to know what will happen next. In Margaret Mitchell’s “ Gone With The Wind”, what did Scarlet O’Hara do after she watched Rhett walk off into the sunset leaving her in tears? Did she marry a fourth time and finally realize that there is more to life than wealth and possessions, or did she become an old spinster ruling over Tara? Did the Swiss Family Robinson ever go sailing again after they were rescued from the island they lived on for years? In Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, I want to know if Ishmael finally found peace and settled down after being plucked from the sea by the devious-cruising Rachel? Finally, anyone who has read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” wonders how Darcy and Elizabeth faired after they were married? All great novels leave you wanting more and thus, they leave you unsatisfied. Except for this book which could also be called, “His Story for Man’s Salvation”.
While some may have a problem with me comparing the Bible with fictional novels, it is the story of Gods people, it just happens to be true. Like many great epic novels, this historic account starts with great expectations for the main characters. Set in a beautiful garden with everything one could ever desire (Gen 2:8), we are ushered into a story so touching yet so heartbreaking that billions have found it hard to put this book down. A fact that has led to the Bible being the number one seller every year since it was first mass-produced by Guetenburg in the fifteenth century. (The next book in the list of all time best sellers is “The Imitation of Christ” written about 1380 by a monk in the Netherlands.) After disobeying God they are banished from the family estate (Gen 3:23). The family of this story soon finds themselves struggling because of troubles brought on by their inability or desire (Gen 6:5) to live up to the standard expected by their Father. As this great story continues we are introduced to generation after generation of family members suffering from insanity. The definition of insanity is the act of doing the same thing time after time and always expecting a different result, something this family is obviously guilty of (Jer 44:7-10). While many of its characters are not the kind one would bring home to dinner (2 Ki 6:26-30), it does include some individuals who have an essence of nobility (Gen 6:5; Ecc 10:17). With careful guidance from the Father (Gen17:6; Deu 13:4) and His messengers (Ex 23:20) this family finds a way to reach their destiny (Gen 18:18 ; Psa 23:6). It is this destiny that ultimately reveals the Chosen One they have looked forward to since the Great Judge evicted them from their family estate (Gen 3:15; Gen 12:3) (Gen 49:10; Deu 18:17-19; Num 24:17). Unfortunately they did not recognize this person as the Chosen One (Joh 12:37-40) thus, they find themselves continuing to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors (Act 7:51-52). With the death by crucifixion (Mat 27:50 ; Mar 15:37 ; Luk 23:46 ; Joh 19:14-18) and a miraculous resurrection (Act 10:40-41) of the Promised One, we are set on a new journey by those whom He personally chose to reveal His secrets to (Joh 17:6-8). These individuals were commissioned by Him to spread the good news to the world and baptize them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit (Mat 28:18-20). They traveled the known world, adopting into the family anyone who accepted Christ as their Savior. In time this new family replaced the old displaced unbelieving ones as the new heirs to the family estate.
Finally we arrive to the last chapter of this great saga. However, unlike the many great novels of history that leave you wanting, and thus unsatisfied, this one culminates by giving you just what the Great Physician ordered. There are no new books to continue this epic like some dime store novel miniseries and there never will be, because the last installment of this book is “The Rest of the Story”.
Now to fully appreciate the last installment of this great book one must read it in conjunction with passages from other books of the Bible. Specifically, but not exclusively, Scriptures found in Daniel, Zechariah, Ezekiel, and various verses found in the New Testament. I also believe having an understanding of world history, economics, and politics is a must to get a proper perspective of the end times. However, even with all these tools at ones disposal we find no shortage of opinions as to what these visions of John represents. A quick search on Google shows that there are almost 100 million sites claiming to have insight that can help the reader understand this book, and that is just the English web sites. What and who to believe can be greatly influenced by each individual’s understanding of a select number of Scriptures and ones understanding of when this letter was written. Even among those who agree on the major points find that they disagree on many minor issues. Most scholars agree that there are four distinct interpretations when it comes to eschatology, Preterist, Historicist, Spiritualist, and Futurist. First we have the Preterist view which looks at the visions symbolically as the struggles of the Church against Rome, believing that most of John’s visions were fulfilled during Nero’s reign and after when in AD 70 Titus besieged Jerusalem and eventually destroyed the Temple. Next is the Historicist view that takes a historic look at the problems the Church has had with the world from the early church up until the time Christ returns. Then we have the Spiritualist who looks at this letter as a type of allegory for every Christian’s walk in the world, as they struggle against evil forces bent on their destruction. Finally there is the Futurist point of view that takes a literal straightforward account of what is to come while attempting to predict just what, when, where, and who is all involved in John’s visions.
While this final chapter, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, deals with three points of concern, the past, present, and future (Rev 1:19) I have decided to settle upon four main points. I will start by delving into the authorship, dating and style of this letter. My second task will be to give a brief description of each of the seven churches of Asia Minor and what Christ had to say to them. My third aim is to sum up what I believe is the most important lesson for all Christians to glean from John’s letter. I will finalize my paper by trying to give a short explanation as to how I lean in respect to the “End Times”.
Now I do expect you to tear me apart on it, but that is fine by me. My instructor has already tore it apart for spelling, grammatical, and sentence structure errors. However, he could not refute my facts was able to get a score of 80 from a possible 100 on it.
I do believe someone here will benefit from the knowledge I share.
I will enjoy reading your comments, but I will not respond to any of them.
This is not a sermon it is just giving you a little start in your quest to understand some things about the Scriptures, in a historical, and spiritual context.
Should you desire a personal chat with me, then PM me. I promise to help you with any and all issues you have, and I also promise to keep what you tell me in confidence.
We all have our own demons we need to deal with, and I will try my best to help you come to grips with the thorn in your side.
(I can’t wait to read comments on that)
Well, here goes.
I pray to the Lord Most High that someone opens up to me and I can truly help. Lord my Father in the name of Jesus Your Son, I pray for guidance as I step into this hornet’s nest and attempt to do Your will. Amen
Oh yeah, one more thing.
For those of you who will crucify me if I do not give credit where credit is due.
I will post all my sources on the series when it is complete. This may take a while so don’t hold your breath too long.
My first installment will be an introduction to the book “THE REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST”
A REVIEW AND COMMENTARY ON
THE REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST
by Amos413
Introduction
Usually when I finish the last chapter of a great novel I find myself wishing there was more to the story, or as Paul Harvey would say, “Now, for the rest of the story”. I want the story to continue because I desire to know what will happen next. In Margaret Mitchell’s “ Gone With The Wind”, what did Scarlet O’Hara do after she watched Rhett walk off into the sunset leaving her in tears? Did she marry a fourth time and finally realize that there is more to life than wealth and possessions, or did she become an old spinster ruling over Tara? Did the Swiss Family Robinson ever go sailing again after they were rescued from the island they lived on for years? In Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, I want to know if Ishmael finally found peace and settled down after being plucked from the sea by the devious-cruising Rachel? Finally, anyone who has read Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” wonders how Darcy and Elizabeth faired after they were married? All great novels leave you wanting more and thus, they leave you unsatisfied. Except for this book which could also be called, “His Story for Man’s Salvation”.
While some may have a problem with me comparing the Bible with fictional novels, it is the story of Gods people, it just happens to be true. Like many great epic novels, this historic account starts with great expectations for the main characters. Set in a beautiful garden with everything one could ever desire (Gen 2:8), we are ushered into a story so touching yet so heartbreaking that billions have found it hard to put this book down. A fact that has led to the Bible being the number one seller every year since it was first mass-produced by Guetenburg in the fifteenth century. (The next book in the list of all time best sellers is “The Imitation of Christ” written about 1380 by a monk in the Netherlands.) After disobeying God they are banished from the family estate (Gen 3:23). The family of this story soon finds themselves struggling because of troubles brought on by their inability or desire (Gen 6:5) to live up to the standard expected by their Father. As this great story continues we are introduced to generation after generation of family members suffering from insanity. The definition of insanity is the act of doing the same thing time after time and always expecting a different result, something this family is obviously guilty of (Jer 44:7-10). While many of its characters are not the kind one would bring home to dinner (2 Ki 6:26-30), it does include some individuals who have an essence of nobility (Gen 6:5; Ecc 10:17). With careful guidance from the Father (Gen17:6; Deu 13:4) and His messengers (Ex 23:20) this family finds a way to reach their destiny (Gen 18:18 ; Psa 23:6). It is this destiny that ultimately reveals the Chosen One they have looked forward to since the Great Judge evicted them from their family estate (Gen 3:15; Gen 12:3) (Gen 49:10; Deu 18:17-19; Num 24:17). Unfortunately they did not recognize this person as the Chosen One (Joh 12:37-40) thus, they find themselves continuing to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors (Act 7:51-52). With the death by crucifixion (Mat 27:50 ; Mar 15:37 ; Luk 23:46 ; Joh 19:14-18) and a miraculous resurrection (Act 10:40-41) of the Promised One, we are set on a new journey by those whom He personally chose to reveal His secrets to (Joh 17:6-8). These individuals were commissioned by Him to spread the good news to the world and baptize them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit (Mat 28:18-20). They traveled the known world, adopting into the family anyone who accepted Christ as their Savior. In time this new family replaced the old displaced unbelieving ones as the new heirs to the family estate.
Finally we arrive to the last chapter of this great saga. However, unlike the many great novels of history that leave you wanting, and thus unsatisfied, this one culminates by giving you just what the Great Physician ordered. There are no new books to continue this epic like some dime store novel miniseries and there never will be, because the last installment of this book is “The Rest of the Story”.
Now to fully appreciate the last installment of this great book one must read it in conjunction with passages from other books of the Bible. Specifically, but not exclusively, Scriptures found in Daniel, Zechariah, Ezekiel, and various verses found in the New Testament. I also believe having an understanding of world history, economics, and politics is a must to get a proper perspective of the end times. However, even with all these tools at ones disposal we find no shortage of opinions as to what these visions of John represents. A quick search on Google shows that there are almost 100 million sites claiming to have insight that can help the reader understand this book, and that is just the English web sites. What and who to believe can be greatly influenced by each individual’s understanding of a select number of Scriptures and ones understanding of when this letter was written. Even among those who agree on the major points find that they disagree on many minor issues. Most scholars agree that there are four distinct interpretations when it comes to eschatology, Preterist, Historicist, Spiritualist, and Futurist. First we have the Preterist view which looks at the visions symbolically as the struggles of the Church against Rome, believing that most of John’s visions were fulfilled during Nero’s reign and after when in AD 70 Titus besieged Jerusalem and eventually destroyed the Temple. Next is the Historicist view that takes a historic look at the problems the Church has had with the world from the early church up until the time Christ returns. Then we have the Spiritualist who looks at this letter as a type of allegory for every Christian’s walk in the world, as they struggle against evil forces bent on their destruction. Finally there is the Futurist point of view that takes a literal straightforward account of what is to come while attempting to predict just what, when, where, and who is all involved in John’s visions.
While this final chapter, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, deals with three points of concern, the past, present, and future (Rev 1:19) I have decided to settle upon four main points. I will start by delving into the authorship, dating and style of this letter. My second task will be to give a brief description of each of the seven churches of Asia Minor and what Christ had to say to them. My third aim is to sum up what I believe is the most important lesson for all Christians to glean from John’s letter. I will finalize my paper by trying to give a short explanation as to how I lean in respect to the “End Times”.
Go thou and do likewise
