THE GREETING AND THEME OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Revelation 1:4-8
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. The amazingly deep greeting in the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:4-6).
A. John writes to not just one church but to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day western Turkey). This message of Revelation was very important and ultimately was for every local church for the last almost 2,000 years of church history (verse 4a).
B. As with most New Testament letters or books, it starts off with a greeting from the writer and a greeting from Yahweh (verses 4b-5a).
1. Grace (Yahweh’s unmerited favor) and peace (Yahweh’s Shalom) bestowed upon the seven churches (and all future churches). These ultimately can be given only through belief in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (verse 4b; Rom. 1:7, 5:1-5).
2. This comes from Yahweh who has revealed Himself as Father, Spirit, and Son (verses 4c-6).
a. Yahweh Father is He who is, was, and is to come. This is very closely related to Yahweh’s name (the “I am who I am”) (Ex. 3:14).
b. Yahweh Spirit is represented as the seven spirits before the throne, a reference to the Holy Spirit from the book of Zechariah (Zech. 4:1-10; Rev. 4:5).
c. Yahweh Son (Jesus Christ) is last in this list because the whole book is about Him including His work in redemption, His work among the churches, His judgments, and His coming in His glory to set up His earthly and eternal kingdom (verse 5a).
C. Jesus Christ is described for us with three of His titles and three of His works (verses 5b-6).
1. Title #1 – He is the faithful witness. He is the one who will faithfully speak out Yahweh’s plans of redemption and kingdom for eternity (as the prophesied Messiah and Son of David (2 Sam. 7:8-16; Ps. 89:36, 37; Daniel 9:26a; Isa. 52:13 – 53:12).
2. Title #2 – He is the firstborn from the dead. He is the highest in preeminence (the Hebrew-Greek idea of firstborn) as well as the first to rise from the dead with a new body (Psalms 89:27; Acts 2:29-36; Col. 1:18;
I Cor. 15:23).
3. Title #3 – He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. He will ultimately prove Himself to be this earthly king and the eternal King! (Psalms 89:27;
Dan. 7:13, 14; Rev. 19:16).
4. Work #1 – He presently loves us as members of His church body
(Hebrews 13:5, 6, 8).
5. Work #2 – In the past, He has freed us from our sins by His blood
(Romans 3:21-26).
6. Work #3 – He has made all of His believers part of His Kingdom and Priesthood now, but these will be fully realized at His second coming
(Dan. 12:33, Ex. 19:6; Rev. 20:6).
7. Jesus Christ deserves to receive glory (“doxa”) from all of His creation but especially from His people (Isa. 45:23; Phil. 2:10, 11). He deserves the authority and power to rule throughout all the ages (eternity)
(Matt. 25:31-34). May the truth of this statement be affirmed! So be it! Amen (“be firm”)!
THOUGHT: Which title or work of Jesus Christ brought you deeper into Yahweh’s presence today? Let’s make sure and bring a fresh offering of praise to Him for this.
II. The ultimate theme in the book of Revelation is the coming glorified Christ to rule and reign on this earth and throughout eternity (verses 7, 8).
A. The prophecy of verse 7 comes from a combination of two Old Testament Scriptures found in Daniel 7:13, 14 and Zechariah 12:10.
B. Besides these Old Testament passages, Jesus and the New Testament writers prophesied the same thing (Matt. 11:2, 24:3, 30, 31; Acts 1:3, 6, 11; 2 Thes. 2:1, 8).
C. There are seven places in the book of Revelation where Christ Himself tells of His coming (Rev. 2:5, 16; 3:11; 16:15; 22:7, 12, 20).
D. Christ will return in the sky with the clouds. This could be real clouds or/and His Saints (Dan. 7:13, 18, 27; Rev. 19:14).
E. At His return, every eye will be able to see Him. This possibly implies both the living and the dead. Perhaps Yahweh will miraculously open each person’s eyes in visionary form if this is the case.
F. Those who pierced Him (the Apostle John used the Hebrew Text rather than the Septuagint here as in John 19:37) could be both the Jewish and Roman non- believers as were the original Christ crucifiers.
G. Both Zechariah 12:10-13 and Daniel 7:19-26 talk about a time of great mourning and tribulation that will come on the earth before Christ’s return. The book of Revelation will show the truthfulness of this prophecy.
H. An affirmation of the truthfulness of the statement of verse 7 is given by the Lord God (“Kurios ha Theos”) Himself in verse 8.
1. In context, the best person of the Trinity to make this statement seems to be Yahweh Father since He is identified as this part of the Trinity in Rev. 1:4. However, the person of the Son says many of the same things in
Rev. 21:12, 13 so there seems to be a handing over of authority between the Father and Son for a certain period of time. This follows the patterns of Daniel 7:9-14 as well as I Cor. 15:24-28.
2. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. Therefore, Yahweh Father is the great “I Am” (Ex. 3:15) who has existed for all eternity perfectly carrying out His will (Isa. 41:4) as the Almighty Ruler of All.
THOUGHT: The second coming of Jesus Christ is a Scriptural certainty backed up by the guarantee of the truthfulness and word of Yahweh Himself.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, AND REVELATION 1:1-3
INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, AND
REVELATION 1:1-3
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. The author of Revelation is the Apostle John.
A. Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8 give the author’s name as that of John.
B. The early church leaders including Papias, Justin Martyr, Iranaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, Methodius and the Muratorian fragment all attest to the Apostle John as the writer.
C. Internal evidence inside the book of Revelation compared with John’s other writings (The Gospel of John, I, II, III John) show many similarities and few differences. Some examples are:
1. The use of “The Word” (John 1:1, I John 1:1, Rev. 19:13).
2. The use of “fellowship with” or “companion in: (I John 1:3, 6, 7; Rev. 1:9, 18:4).
3. The use from the quote from Zech. 12:10 in exactly the same way
(John 19:37, Rev. 1:7).
D. The Apostle John’s five books show a rich and full dynamic of Yahweh’s salvation found only in Jesus Christ.
1. The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John to give instruction on justification (believing in Christ) and sanctification (believers living out their life in Christ) (John 20:31).
2. He wrote his letters of I, II, III John to the churches in Asia Minor concerning doctrinal issues (I John 4:2, 3; II John 7) and how to have real fellowship in Yahweh Father and Yahweh Jesus (sanctification,
I John 1:3, 4)
3. He wrote Revelation to reveal the glorified Christ to the churches of Asia Minor (sanctification, Revelation chapters 2 and 3) and to reveal Jesus judging this earth, setting up His Earthly and Eternal Kingdom reign, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and rewarding His faithful believers (glorification, Revelation chapters 1, 5-22).
E. The Apostle John became one of Jesus’ closest disciples while ministering with Him. John reclined close to Jesus at the Lord’s supper (John 13:23), He witnessed the transfiguration (Luke 9:28), and was entrusted with the care of Mary (the mother of Jesus, John 19:26-27).
Thought: How do we determine teaching and preaching credibility today in our churches?
II. A date for the writing of Revelation that is the most plausible and historically substantiated is around 95 A.D.
A. This date best agrees with the early church leaders who place John’s exile to Patmos during the time of the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.).
B. One possible scenario: John took care of Mary (Jesus’ mother) after 33 A.D. where the apostles headquartered in Jerusalem. He might have become an evangelist – church planter in Asia Minor setting up his missionary headquarters in Ephesus. He might have written the Gospel of John at Ephesus (as per Irenaeus) between 48-52 A.D. to strengthen the seven churches when he moved back to Jerusalem. He participated in the Apostle Paul’s concordat of missionary division around 48 A.D. (Gal. 2:1-10). At the time of the writing of
I John (probably 64-65 A.D.), he seems to be back in Jerusalem with the other apostles (I John 2:19). After the Jewish war (66 A.D.) broke out and the destruction of the Jewish temple (70 A.D.), he moved back to Ephesus and continued his ministry for another 25-30 years in Asia Minor. He is exiled to Patmos and writes Revelation around 95 A.D.
C. Some Bible scholars and commentators prefer an earlier date for the writing of Revelation under the Roman emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.). Many of these commentators see the events of Revelation as primarily historical and dealing with the things Christians struggled with under Nero. Primarily a futurist exegesis of Revelation is thought to follow the rules of the literal-historical- grammatical interpretation of prophecy and so will be used in this study. Mention will be made to those that have other persuasions.
III. The Apostle John was given a wonderful message by the God of the Universe (Yahweh) which he was instructed to write down and share with all of Yahweh’s servants (Rev. 1:1-3).
A. It is called the revelation of Jesus Christ (verse 1).
1. The English word revelation comes from the Greek word “apokalypsis.” The word has a prefix “apo” (away or take away) and the root “kalypsis” (a cover) bringing out the ideas of taking away a cover, an uncovering, or unveiling. Thus, revelation discloses or reveals something which has been concealed. It’s amazing!
2. This message is specifically going to unveil the message and glory of Jesus Christ our Yeshua Ha Meshiach (Savior Messiah or Annointed Savior). We will be able to see Jesus in a whole new way!
B. It is going to speak of things that “must soon take place” or “must happen soon” which concerns future events (verse 1). The idea is probably a Scriptural fulfilling of already mentioned prophetic events (see the similar wording of Daniel 2:28, 29, 45; Mark 13:7; Rev. 4:1, 22:6). The idea of “soon” can be looked at from Yahweh’s timetable (Luke 18:8; 2 Peter 3:8-13). It’s important!
C. John assures his readers that the things he is writing about is the very “Word of God” and the very “testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 2). It’s reliable!
D. It is a prophecy which brings a blessing to those who will read it, hear it, and apply it (verse 3). It will bless you!
Thought: Let’s commit ourselves to reading, hearing, and applying this amazing, important, reliable, blessing producing book of Revelation!
REVELATION 1:1-3
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. The author of Revelation is the Apostle John.
A. Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8 give the author’s name as that of John.
B. The early church leaders including Papias, Justin Martyr, Iranaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, Methodius and the Muratorian fragment all attest to the Apostle John as the writer.
C. Internal evidence inside the book of Revelation compared with John’s other writings (The Gospel of John, I, II, III John) show many similarities and few differences. Some examples are:
1. The use of “The Word” (John 1:1, I John 1:1, Rev. 19:13).
2. The use of “fellowship with” or “companion in: (I John 1:3, 6, 7; Rev. 1:9, 18:4).
3. The use from the quote from Zech. 12:10 in exactly the same way
(John 19:37, Rev. 1:7).
D. The Apostle John’s five books show a rich and full dynamic of Yahweh’s salvation found only in Jesus Christ.
1. The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John to give instruction on justification (believing in Christ) and sanctification (believers living out their life in Christ) (John 20:31).
2. He wrote his letters of I, II, III John to the churches in Asia Minor concerning doctrinal issues (I John 4:2, 3; II John 7) and how to have real fellowship in Yahweh Father and Yahweh Jesus (sanctification,
I John 1:3, 4)
3. He wrote Revelation to reveal the glorified Christ to the churches of Asia Minor (sanctification, Revelation chapters 2 and 3) and to reveal Jesus judging this earth, setting up His Earthly and Eternal Kingdom reign, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and rewarding His faithful believers (glorification, Revelation chapters 1, 5-22).
E. The Apostle John became one of Jesus’ closest disciples while ministering with Him. John reclined close to Jesus at the Lord’s supper (John 13:23), He witnessed the transfiguration (Luke 9:28), and was entrusted with the care of Mary (the mother of Jesus, John 19:26-27).
Thought: How do we determine teaching and preaching credibility today in our churches?
II. A date for the writing of Revelation that is the most plausible and historically substantiated is around 95 A.D.
A. This date best agrees with the early church leaders who place John’s exile to Patmos during the time of the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.).
B. One possible scenario: John took care of Mary (Jesus’ mother) after 33 A.D. where the apostles headquartered in Jerusalem. He might have become an evangelist – church planter in Asia Minor setting up his missionary headquarters in Ephesus. He might have written the Gospel of John at Ephesus (as per Irenaeus) between 48-52 A.D. to strengthen the seven churches when he moved back to Jerusalem. He participated in the Apostle Paul’s concordat of missionary division around 48 A.D. (Gal. 2:1-10). At the time of the writing of
I John (probably 64-65 A.D.), he seems to be back in Jerusalem with the other apostles (I John 2:19). After the Jewish war (66 A.D.) broke out and the destruction of the Jewish temple (70 A.D.), he moved back to Ephesus and continued his ministry for another 25-30 years in Asia Minor. He is exiled to Patmos and writes Revelation around 95 A.D.
C. Some Bible scholars and commentators prefer an earlier date for the writing of Revelation under the Roman emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.). Many of these commentators see the events of Revelation as primarily historical and dealing with the things Christians struggled with under Nero. Primarily a futurist exegesis of Revelation is thought to follow the rules of the literal-historical- grammatical interpretation of prophecy and so will be used in this study. Mention will be made to those that have other persuasions.
III. The Apostle John was given a wonderful message by the God of the Universe (Yahweh) which he was instructed to write down and share with all of Yahweh’s servants (Rev. 1:1-3).
A. It is called the revelation of Jesus Christ (verse 1).
1. The English word revelation comes from the Greek word “apokalypsis.” The word has a prefix “apo” (away or take away) and the root “kalypsis” (a cover) bringing out the ideas of taking away a cover, an uncovering, or unveiling. Thus, revelation discloses or reveals something which has been concealed. It’s amazing!
2. This message is specifically going to unveil the message and glory of Jesus Christ our Yeshua Ha Meshiach (Savior Messiah or Annointed Savior). We will be able to see Jesus in a whole new way!
B. It is going to speak of things that “must soon take place” or “must happen soon” which concerns future events (verse 1). The idea is probably a Scriptural fulfilling of already mentioned prophetic events (see the similar wording of Daniel 2:28, 29, 45; Mark 13:7; Rev. 4:1, 22:6). The idea of “soon” can be looked at from Yahweh’s timetable (Luke 18:8; 2 Peter 3:8-13). It’s important!
C. John assures his readers that the things he is writing about is the very “Word of God” and the very “testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 2). It’s reliable!
D. It is a prophecy which brings a blessing to those who will read it, hear it, and apply it (verse 3). It will bless you!
Thought: Let’s commit ourselves to reading, hearing, and applying this amazing, important, reliable, blessing producing book of Revelation!
Returning To Weekly Updates!
Paeter Frandsen, here! Just wanted to let you know that this blog will now be returning to a weekly posting schedule. As smart as Dave is, some of his earlier notes (including those on Romans) had not yet entered the digital age, and so required me to type them up to post each week, which was sometimes tough to do with all I've got going on.
But from here on out I'll be posting notes that are already in a digital format and just require me to copy and paste, making weekly updates much more possible.
Thanks for your patience!
Next up is 31 weeks of Dave's teaching notes for the book of Revelation. I had the pleasure of being in Dave's class when he presented his teaching on this. His approach is very logical and grounded and treats the text with the greatest respect, as always. The book of Revelation isn't something I plan to tackle anytime soon in my blog
or podcast, so I especially hope you enjoy Dave's notes as you read this encouraging book of the Bible and seek the truth!
-Paeter Frandsen
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Romans 15:14-16:27
PAUL BLESSES, ENCOURAGES AND GIVES HIS FUTURE PLANS TO THE CHURCH AT ROME
Romans 15:14-16:27
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. Paul praises Christ Jesus because of the great work being done among the Gentiles and his call to this work (Rom. 15:14-22).
A. The church of Rome has been a good and growing church but now with this letter they should be even more equipped to instruct (nouthetein- counsel, admonish, warn) one another (vs 14,15).
B.Paul's calling was to serve as a priest of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles (vs 16-22).
1. He proclaimed the Gospel of God to the Gentiles and the Gentiles after belief (justification) and discipleship (sanctification) became and continue to become an acceptable offering (vs 16; Rom. 1-5; 12:1).
2. He gives all the glory to Christ Jesus for his ministry (vs 17,18).
3. As an apostle, God gave Paul the ability to proclaim the Gospel through signs and miracles to areas where Christ was previously unknown (vs 19-22; I. Cor. 2:4; 2 Cor. 12:12; Isa. 52:15).
Thought: As a believer, do you know what spiritual gifts you have been given? Do you know what ministry area you have been called to?
II. Paul lets the church at Rome know of his short range and long range plans (Rom. 15:23-33).
A. Paul believed his work east of Rome had been pretty much completed in his first three missionary journeys (vs 23; Acts 13:1-20:3).
B. His future plan is to start proclaiming the Gospel West of Rome all the way to Spain and visit Rome on the way (vs 24a, 28c).
C. He currently was on his way to Jerusalem with an offering to the needy and poor Jewish believers from the Gentile churches (vs 24b-28b).
D. He knew of the dangers, asked prayer for safety, but sensed the leading of the Lord to go anyway (vs 29-33). As it turned out, the Lord had a plan to get Paul to Rome in a different way (Acts chapters 21-28).
Thought: Have you ever had the Lord change the way in which you thought you were supposed to go?
III. Paul sends his greetings to some of the believers at the church at Rome (Rom. 16:1-16).
A. Phoebe was a deaconess (diakonon) of a church at Cenchrea (seven miles from Corinth - where Paul wrote this letter). She probably was on her way to Rome and carried the letter (vs 1,2).
B. Paul greets 26 people in these verses and a third of them are women (vs 3-16).
C. Rufus (vs 13) was probably the son of Simon the Cyrene who was forced to carry the cross of Christ (Mark 15:21). It is believed that Mark's gospel was written for the church in Rome and Rufus would have been known by all the believers there (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11).
Thought: As believers serving in Christ's Kingdom, we accomplish more together than separate.
IV. Paul finishes the letter with a warning and a blessing (Rom. 16:17-27).
A. Believers need to watch out (skopeiv - observe, mark, scrutinize) for division causers and stumbling causers in regards to their teaching (vs 17; Rom. 3:20-23; 14:13).
1. After warning and counseling them, the next step is to avoid them (vs 20; Rom. 15:14).
2. Through our knowing the truth in Scripture and applying it, God will bring restored peace through His power and disciplining process (vs 20; Gen. 3:15).
B. Believers are made firm and stable through the Gospel which is the proclamation of Jesus Christ as delivered to us in the Scriptures. The mystery of the Gentiles and Jews being one body in Christ has now been revealed and may the only God who is awesomely wise receive all the glory! (vs 21-27).
Romans 15:14-16:27
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. Paul praises Christ Jesus because of the great work being done among the Gentiles and his call to this work (Rom. 15:14-22).
A. The church of Rome has been a good and growing church but now with this letter they should be even more equipped to instruct (nouthetein- counsel, admonish, warn) one another (vs 14,15).
B.Paul's calling was to serve as a priest of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles (vs 16-22).
1. He proclaimed the Gospel of God to the Gentiles and the Gentiles after belief (justification) and discipleship (sanctification) became and continue to become an acceptable offering (vs 16; Rom. 1-5; 12:1).
2. He gives all the glory to Christ Jesus for his ministry (vs 17,18).
3. As an apostle, God gave Paul the ability to proclaim the Gospel through signs and miracles to areas where Christ was previously unknown (vs 19-22; I. Cor. 2:4; 2 Cor. 12:12; Isa. 52:15).
Thought: As a believer, do you know what spiritual gifts you have been given? Do you know what ministry area you have been called to?
II. Paul lets the church at Rome know of his short range and long range plans (Rom. 15:23-33).
A. Paul believed his work east of Rome had been pretty much completed in his first three missionary journeys (vs 23; Acts 13:1-20:3).
B. His future plan is to start proclaiming the Gospel West of Rome all the way to Spain and visit Rome on the way (vs 24a, 28c).
C. He currently was on his way to Jerusalem with an offering to the needy and poor Jewish believers from the Gentile churches (vs 24b-28b).
D. He knew of the dangers, asked prayer for safety, but sensed the leading of the Lord to go anyway (vs 29-33). As it turned out, the Lord had a plan to get Paul to Rome in a different way (Acts chapters 21-28).
Thought: Have you ever had the Lord change the way in which you thought you were supposed to go?
III. Paul sends his greetings to some of the believers at the church at Rome (Rom. 16:1-16).
A. Phoebe was a deaconess (diakonon) of a church at Cenchrea (seven miles from Corinth - where Paul wrote this letter). She probably was on her way to Rome and carried the letter (vs 1,2).
B. Paul greets 26 people in these verses and a third of them are women (vs 3-16).
C. Rufus (vs 13) was probably the son of Simon the Cyrene who was forced to carry the cross of Christ (Mark 15:21). It is believed that Mark's gospel was written for the church in Rome and Rufus would have been known by all the believers there (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11).
Thought: As believers serving in Christ's Kingdom, we accomplish more together than separate.
IV. Paul finishes the letter with a warning and a blessing (Rom. 16:17-27).
A. Believers need to watch out (skopeiv - observe, mark, scrutinize) for division causers and stumbling causers in regards to their teaching (vs 17; Rom. 3:20-23; 14:13).
1. After warning and counseling them, the next step is to avoid them (vs 20; Rom. 15:14).
2. Through our knowing the truth in Scripture and applying it, God will bring restored peace through His power and disciplining process (vs 20; Gen. 3:15).
B. Believers are made firm and stable through the Gospel which is the proclamation of Jesus Christ as delivered to us in the Scriptures. The mystery of the Gentiles and Jews being one body in Christ has now been revealed and may the only God who is awesomely wise receive all the glory! (vs 21-27).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)