The Book of Revelation Introduction

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
him to show to his bond-servants, the things
which must shortly take place and he sent and
communicated it by his angel to his bond-servant
John, who bore witness to the word of God and to
the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that
he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who
hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the
things which are written in it for the time is
near. John to the seven churches that are in
Asia . . .
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
. . . I, John, your brother and fellow partaker
in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance
which are in Jesus, was on the island called
Patmos, because of the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the
Lords day, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like the sound of a trumpet, saying, Write in a
book what you see, and send it to the seven
churches to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to
Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to
Philadelphia and to Laodicea. (Revelation
11-4,9-11)
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• AUTHOR John, one of Jesus 12 disciples
  author of 4th gospel 3 letters
• DATE 85-95 AD, while exiled on Patmos during
  Emperor Domitians persecution
• AUDIENCE 7 churches in western Turkey

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• AUTHOR John, one of Jesus 12 disciples
  author of 4th gospel 3 letters
• DATE 85-95 AD, while exiled on Patmos during
  Emperor Domitians persecution
• AUDIENCE 7 churches in western Turkey
• STYLE Apocalyptic (highly symbolic visions of
  the end of the age) based on Daniel

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• STRUCTURE 4 sequential visions
• The glorified Jesus his message to the 7
  churches (1-3)
• Gods judgmental redemptive activity at the end
  of the age (4-16)
• Gods judgment on Babylon the victorious
  return of Jesus to establish Gods kingdom
  (17-20)
• The Bride of Christ the New Jerusalem (21,22)

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• PURPOSE To fortify Christians to be faithful
  witnesses in a hostile world by describing Jesus
  authority over human history
• Evil will intensify as this age draws to an end .
  . . but Jesus will have the last word.

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• PURPOSE To fortify Christians to be faithful
  witnesses in a hostile world by describing Jesus
  authority over human history
• The end of the age will be a time of intense
  judgment . . . but it will also be a time of
  intense evangelism.

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• PURPOSE To fortify Christians to be faithful
  witnesses in a hostile world by describing Jesus
  authority over human history
• Christians can expect to suffer persecution . . .
  but Jesus will enable us to be overcomers
  fully compensate us when he returns.

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• PURPOSE To fortify Christians to be faithful
  witnesses in a hostile world by describing Jesus
  authority over human history
• Jesus is both the Savior who serves us the
  King whom we are to serve.

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
. . . from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and
released us from our sins by his blood, and he
has made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God
and Father to him be the glory and the dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming
with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even
those who pierced him and all the tribes of the
earth will mourn over him. Revelation
15-7
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
. . . I saw seven golden lampstands and in the
middle of the lampstands one like a son of man,
clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and
girded across his breast with a golden girdle.
And his head and his hair were white like white
wool, like snow and his eyes were like a flame
of fire and his feet were like burnished bronze,
when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and
his voice was like the sound of many waters . .
.
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction
. . . And in his right hand he held seven stars
and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged
sword and his face was like the sun shining in
its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his
feet as a dead man. And he laid his right hand
upon me, saying, Do not be afraid I am the
first and the last, and the living One and I was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I
have the keys of death and of Hades.
Revelation 112-18
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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• What if you only see Jesus as King Judge?

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The Book of RevelationIntroduction

• What if you only see Jesus as Savior Servant?

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• NEXT WEEK
• Revelation 2,3Jesus Priorities For His Church

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• Lets Pray!