Lesson 2
June 4, 2021
Chapter One, Verses 1-7 (continued)
1. 3 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.
a. Reading, hearing . . . .and obeying – Application?
b. “The time is near” -- Application?
c. Consider Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart.”
d. Death is the future of every person on earth. What does our culture try to do with the subject? Why do you think that is the case? What do you remember of the interchange between Jesus and Mary and Martha at the grave of Lazarus?
e. Application for you?
f. Back to verse 3, “Blessed is he who reads, hears and obeys . . . Consider James 1: 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Also consider 1 Samuel 15: 22 But Samuel replied [to King Saul]: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
2. Revelation 1:4-8 (for context) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn 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— 6 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. 7 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. So it is to be. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
a. The Seven Churches in Asia are named for their locations. (See map at end of this outline). We will look more closely at each church in the coming weeks:
- Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) – Had done well, but had forsaken its first love (2:4)
- Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) – Had endured well its tribulation and poverty but was about to suffer persecution.
- Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) - located at 'Satan's seat'; Warned to repent for permitting false teachers into its congregation.
- Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) - Known for its charity, however, warned about holding to the teachings of a Jezebel.
- Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) – Had a good reputation. Urged to continue in the faith through repentance.
- Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) - Steadfast in faith, that had kept God's word and patiently endured trials.
- Laodicea: Lukewarm toward God. Vomited from the Lord’s mouth.
3. Specifically now, verses 4-5: John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
a. The seven spirits: Interpretation has varied through the millennia. One interpretation relates the seven spirits to the number seven in Scripture – most often related to the concept of ‘completion.’ (See very abbreviated list at end of outline). Thus, the seven spirits represent the Holy Spirit seen as a full and complete revelation.
Another interpretation, similar to the ‘completeness’ idea, is based on seven-fold description of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11: “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
b. Note the one described in this verse as the one who is, who was, and who is to come is God (the Father) – Not Jesus. What we see here is John’s reference to the Trinity: Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus. (The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet are called alpha and omega, like our ‘a’ and ‘z’ – meaning, God is the absolute beginning and the ultimate end).
i. John’s reference to the Trinity (as he does in his gospel, and as the other NT writers do) predates the Council of Nicea in AD 325. What was the primary focus of that council?
ii. Now also see Revelation 1:8 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
iii. And now: Revelation 22:12 (Jesus speaking) 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
What is the important lesson here?
3. Back to verse 5: . . . . and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
a. Ruler of the kings of the earth. Compare Psalm 2: “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain . . . . 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
b. What does “firstborn of the dead’ mean to you when you think of your own eventual death? How often do you think of your own death and the promise inherent here in this text (and others, such as John 11:25-26?).
c. How do you harmonize the history of humanity, to this present moment, with the statement that Jesus is, in fact, ruler of the kings of the earth? What does the concept of God’s Providence have to do with that question? See handout on God’s divine providence.
d. What do you think is true or false about the ideas behind divine providence?
e. Revelation is a book of unmistakable judgment on a world devoted to sin. According to theological ideas of Divine Providence, these things were foreordained before the universe was created. Notice the warning and the promise of verses 10-11 in psalm two. Application to us in this room?
4. Continuing verse 5 and further: To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 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. 7 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. So it is to be. Amen.
1. What are your thoughts about verse five?
a. Consider Galatians 1:3 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
b. Consider the message inherent in Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message?
c. Consider also 1 Thessalonians 2:13 related to this discussion in a and b: 13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
Continued Next Time
A Short List of Sevens in Scripture
-- No animal could be sacrificed until it was seven days old (Ex 22:30).
-- There were seven “I AM’s” in the Gospel of John that Jesus used when He spoke of Himself.
-- The Lord would discipline Israel up to sevenfold (up to seven times) if they refused to obey Him (Lev 26:18).
-- Jesus mentions seven woes on the unrepentant in Matthew 23.
-- There were seven letters to the seven churches in the Revelation (2, 3).
-- Seven trumpets announced judgments by God in of Revelation (8).
-- There were seven pairs of clean animals that were received into the Ark (Gen 7:2).
-- Joshua and Israel marched around Jericho seven times while seven priests blew seven trumpets before the walls came crashing down (Joshua 6:3-4).
-- Elisha told the military commander Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:10).
-- There were seven stems on the lampstand in the tabernacle (Ex 25:37).
-- There were seven angels pouring out seven bowls of the wrath of God in the Book of Revelation (16:1).
DIVINE PROVIDENCE
In theology, divine providence is God's intervention in the universe and His continuous upholding of the existence and order of the Universe. Providence also refers more specifically to God's extraordinary intervention in people’s lives.
St. Augustine held that since God's governance takes place in the universe comprising a vast multitude of relatively independent individuals differing in nature, function . . . . [T]his implies the continuous control and unifying governance of a single Supreme Being.
John Calvin defined God’s providence as His complete sovereignty over all creation. God's pre-ordained plan for the world and every soul that he has created is guided by his will (providence).
Martin Luther defined providence as God's preservation of creation, his cooperation with everything that happens, and his guiding of the universe [and, therefore, all creatures in the universe].
The Eastern Orthodox position, citing St. John Damascene [d. 749] describes it: 'Providence is Divine will which maintains everything and wisely rules over everything' ... It was not by chance that the iniquitous Israeli King Ahab was struck by an arrow that flew in between the seams of his armor. Truly that arrow was directed by the hand of God . . . only for the soldier who let fly the arrow was it accidental. Nothing happens by chance. It was not by chance that Caesar Augustus ordered the census to be taken in the year of Christ’s Nativity. It was not by chance that Christ met with the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar and spoke with her. All this was foreseen and written down in the books of Divine Providence before the beginning of time.”
Orthodox Jewish: Divine providence means that God is directing every minute detail of creation.
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