Introduction to the New Revised Revelation Study Series: Today Lord willing we'll began
a new study on the book of "THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST" -- so we'll be here for
quit awhile but we're not in any hurry, I hope you can listen to each and every
broadcast, if you have a way to copy off the radio I hope you will, then you can go
back and listen as often as you please. The Apostle John was the pastor in Ephesus
about a.d. 70. -- When Domitian became Emperor a.d. 81-96 -- he demanded that every one
that addressed him call him "Lord and God" --- He was bitter in his treatment of both
Jews and Christians because most would not call him "Lord and God". We read in;
Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in
the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for
the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. So Domitian exiled John to the
Isle of Patmos because of what John was preaching. -- The small island of Patmos is
about 7.5 miles long and about 6 miles wide. With an area of 13 square miles, and a
circumference of 25 miles, it was a volcanic island, its landscape was rocky and
treeless. -- Rome would send prisoners there. ~ It was here in this isolated spot that
John received the visions that make up Revelation, it was while he was there that God
turned his bondage into a blessing. The Patmos of persecution became to John the open
door for service. He wrote the Revelation about a.d. 95 -96. When Domitian died after
only a 15 year reign in a.d.97 -- a new Emperor took over and John was allowed to
return to Ephesus, and we're told that there he died an old man, he was the last of the
Lords 12 Apostles to die. John was a son of Zebedee and Salome, Salome was the sister
of Mary the Lords mother, John and James were brothers, the martyrdom of James is the
only martyred apostle recorded in the N.T. >Acts 12:1-2 Now about that time Herod
the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. -- 2 And he killed
James the brother of John with the sword. ~Judas hanged himself at the death of Jesus,
he was not a martyr. --------- John pinned 5 books of the N.T. -- the Gospel of John,
and 1st. -- 2nd. & 3rd. John, and the Revelation. ~ Let me say that every body is
not in full agreement as to understanding this book, and I certainly don't have the
last word on the matter either, I'm sure in the future as we read and study this book
that God will show us other great truths to do with this book. ------ ~ I want to point
out that Jesus Christ is the Subject of the book, also let's be sure and notice that
the word "Revelation" is singular, not plural--not "Revelations" but "The Revelation of
Jesus Christ." And it is not "The Revelation of St. John" as the heading in some bible
states, let me remind us that the "topics & foot notes" that we find in most of our
bibles are not the word of God, but of man and man makes mistakes. ~John was the
writer, but the Author was Jesus Christ. -------------- ~The word "Revelation" means an
appearing, a manifestation, a coming, an unveiling. ~ The central message of the Book
of Revelation is the return of Jesus Christ. ĆSeven times we're told that
He'll return in this book. (1:7; 2:25; 3:3-11; 22:7-12-20). -- So this Book is all
about His 2nd coming. ----- There are 54 - 7's in the Revelation, I have read more than
one time that there are 49 sevens, so I counted them for my self, there are 54 sevens.
Seven is Gods number for "spiritual completion and perfection" Listen, there are 7
dispensations of time. -- These 7 dispensations are periods of time that are marked off
in Scripture by some change in God's method of dealing with mankind, in respect of the
two questions: "of sin, and of man's responsibility." Each of the dispensations may be
regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, marking man's
utter failure in every dispensation. Five of these dispensations, or periods of time,
have been fulfilled; we are living in the sixth, probably toward its close, and have
before us the seventh, and last: the millennium. Ć These Dispensations are
called: 1. Dispensation of Innocents. This dispensation extends from the creation of
Adam in Genesis 2:7 to the expulsion from Eden. Adam, created innocent and ignorant of
good and evil, was placed in the garden of Eden with his wife, Eve, and put under
responsibility to abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The dispensation of innocence resulted in the first failure of man, and in its
far-reaching effects, the most disastrous. It closed in judgment: "So he drove out the
man." See Gen. 1:26; Gen. 2:16,17; Gen. 3:6; Gen. 3:22-24.) --------- 2. Dispensation
of conscience. By the fall, Adam and Eve acquired and transmitted to the race the
knowledge of good and evil. This gave conscience a basis for right moral judgment, and
thus the human race came under this measure of responsibility-to do good and shone
evil. The result of the dispensation of conscience, from Eden to the flood (while there
was no institution of government and of law), was that "all flesh had corrupted his way
on the earth," that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," and God closed the
second testing of the natural man with judgment: the flood. See Gen. 3:7, 22; Gen.
6:5,11-12; Gen. 7:11-12, 3. Dispensation of human government over the earth. Out of the
fearful judgment of the flood God saved eight people, to whom, after the waters were
subsided , He gave the purified earth with ample power to govern it. So Noah and his
descendants were responsible to govern. - The dispensation of human government
resulted, upon the plain of Shinar, in an attempt to become independent of God and
closed in judgment: the confusion of tongues and scattered man over the earth. (See
Gen. 9: 1, 2; Gen. 11: 1-4; Gen. 11:5-8.) 4. Dispensation of promise. Out of the
dispersed descendants of the builders of Babel, God called one man, Abram, with whom He
enters into covenant. Some of the promises to Abram and his descendants were purely
gracious and unconditional. -- These either have been or will yet be literally
fulfilled. Other promises were conditional upon the faithfulness and obedience of the
Israelite s. -- Every one of these conditions was violated, and the dispensation of
promise resulted in the failure of Israel and closed in the judgment of bondage in
Egypt. 5. Dispensation of Man under law. Again the grace of God came to the help of
helpless man and redeemed His chosen people out of the hand of the oppressor. -- In the
wilderness of Sinai God proposed to the Israelite s the covenant of law. -- Instead of
humbly pleading for a continued relationship of grace, they presumptuously answered:
"All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." The history of Israel in the wilderness and
in the land is one long record of flagrant, persistent violation of the law, and at
last, after multiplied warnings, God closed the testing of man by law in judgment:
first Israel, and then Judah, were driven out of the land into a dispersion which still
continues. -- A small remnant returned under Ezra and Nehemiah, of which, in due time,
Christ came: "Born of a woman-made under the law." Both Jews and Gentiles conspired to
crucify Him. (See Exod. 19:1-8; 2 Kings 17:1-18; 2 Kings 25: 1 -11; Acts 2:22-23; Acts
7:5152; Rom. 3:19-20; Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3: 10.) 6. Dispensation of Man under grace. The
sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ introduced the dispensation of pure grace,
which means undeserved favor, or God giving righteousness, instead of God requiring
righteousness, as under law. Salvation, perfect and eternal, is now freely offered to
Jew and Gentile upon the acknowledgment of sin, and repentance, with faith in Christ.
7. Dispensation of Man under the personal reign of Christ. After the purifying
judgments which attend the personal return of Christ to the earth, He will reign over
restored Israel and over the earth for one thousand years. This is the period commonly
called the millennium. The seat of His power will be Jerusalem, and the saints,
including the saved of the dispensation of grace, namely the church, will be associated
with Him in His glory. (See Isa. 2:1-4; Isa. 11; Acts 15:14-17; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev.
20:1-6. I thought it a good idea to name the 7 dispensations as they tell us how near
we are to the 2nd. coming of the Lord Jesus. He returns to defeat all His and Israels
enemies & all evil, toward the end of the 7 year tribulation, at what is referred
to as Armageddon, and to establish His 1000 year Kingdom reign on the earth, we'll see
and read that in chapter 20: -- The earth as we know it now will be burned up with
fervent heat inside and out, 2nd.Pt.3:10--- He does not do away with this earth, He
will completely restore it as new, a new heaven and earth, 21-22. ~Revelation is a book
of victory for the Lord and His people, and doom and defeat for Satan and his demons.
-- As the old saying goes, it's just a matter of time, but His time not ours, He does
every thing in the fullness of HIS time, and the appointed time is already determined,
which is only known by Him. >Hebrews 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall
come will come, and will not tarry. --- When that time finally arrives nothing can
postpone it or stop it. ------- Listen, everything that's to take place in this book is
part of His unveiling, His Revelation, in other words, as each of these prophesied
events come to pass, its one step nearer to His manifestation, everything prophesied in
this book will happen, and all will happen at it's appointed time exactly as it say's,
it's all part of His Revelation, His appearing. ~ Revelation is the only prophetical
book in the New Testament, there's 17 in the O.T. ĆThe word "prophecy" is
found 7 times in this book. -- 1:3; - 11:6; - 19:10; - 22:7; - 10 - 18; & 19 ---
--------- Let me remind us that the next thing on Gods prophetic calendar is the
rapture of His True church, and that glorious event could happen now at any time. The
Holy Spirit has been adding to the Lords church now for over 2000 years, the True
church was born on the day of Pentecost, and when that last soul is saved that makes up
His set number to be in His Church, is when the rapture will happen. Because God is God
He knows the very number of saints that makes up His True church, there's nothing that
He don't know. -------- And let me say too, that every assembly that calls its self a
church is not part of the Lords church, these will be spewed out when the True church
is caught out, these are among the Laodiceans that we'll read about in chapter 3: --
they have religion minus salvation, --- all that are born again of the Holy Spirit of
God are members of the True church, it matters not what part of the world they may be
from, or what language they speak, or the color of their skin. > 1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. >
Romans 8:9 --- Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
ĆThe N.T. Church is the Bride to be of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen; there
are 3 women figurative speaking in the Book of Revelation. 1.Israel is JEHOVAH'S wife.
-- Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed
adultery (spiritual adultery) I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; --
------- 2.Satan s wife: -- the false church. Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was
a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH. -------- notice there are 13 words in her title, 13 is the number of
depravity and wickedness. 3.The Lord Jesus wife -- the True church. Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for
it; Revelation 19:7 -8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen
is the righteousness of saints. ~ Let me say, that "the righteousness of saints" means
"our works" Listen we are at this present time making our selves ready, we are right
now making our own wedding garment, its by our deeds, our good works. ~We're not
working to be saved or to stay saved, we work for Him because we are saved, our good
deeds at this time is called 'the righteousness of the saints" -- this is how we're
making our own wedding garment. ------------- ~ The book of Revelation is not a book of
riddles, it was never God's intention to hold back the meaning of the things found in
the Revelation, but to show and to make known its meaning. -- Notice; it says in ---
Revelation 1: 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto
his servants things which must shortly come to pass; We're told in verse 1, that its
not given to John in order that he would hide it or for him to keep secret, but to SHOW
it. A lot of folks seem to think that this book is for theologians or bible scholars,
not so, its placed in our bible for believers to read and study. The book of Revelation
is given to believers not unbelievers, unbelievers will never understand it, there's no
way that they can understand it. >2 Cor. 4:3-4 -- 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is
hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, We're told here that Satan has blinded their minds, they can't
and don't understand. It is a revelation in words that only believers in Him can read
and understand. ---------- I believe this "New Revised Study Of The Revelation" will be
a great help in our Christian growth and walk. >2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ---
