Personal, Biographical, Historical (Chapter 1)

Synopsis of March 3, 2021

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Revelation 1:9 NKJV 9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I.            INTRODUCTION

1. John was on the island of Patmos. It is important to know that all the Disciples were Martyrs.
2. Patmos was a volcanic treeless island. John was put there as a punishment.
3. John received a vision, but at first he wasn’t sure if he was tripping from being famished.
4. It has been said that the Book of Revelation is hard to understand. For others, they say Revelations is hard to believe.
5. Revelation really completes the Canon. This is why we view this scripture called Revelation as being authoritative.
   1. The 66 books in the bible are considered the Canon.
6. Who determined what books made up the 66 books of the Canon? There was a council called Nicaea. Nicaea was the first council of the organized church.
7. The Canon is a list of books that is considered authoritative scripture by a particular Religious Community. The council of Nicaea tested these books.
8. Exodus was a book that was found to be used over and over. This was one of the books that was included in the Canon by the council.
9. Revelation barely made it into the Canon. Apocryphal was a word used to describe a group of people that found it unnecessary to spend time on “the end of time”.
10. The book of Revelation is the summation or finale of all the books of the bible. It is the final victory of the church.
11. Revelation is the only book that is entirely prophetic.
    1. In this book we see that God is in control of history.
    1. We see that we are victorious.
    1. We see that there will be time a of tribulation.
    1. We are comforted when we look at the final act of Christ in the earth and his upholding the faithful.
12. John says those who read this book will be blessed. The day is coming where God will make a final and full revelation. We will know when it comes.
13. In this series, we will take the mystery out of this book and give you the facts.
14. In this book, there is a Sender, Receiver, and Salutation.
15. The language in this book is not by accident.

1. Revelation 1:9-11 NRSV 9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

II.            OCCASION

1. Revelation is connected to both ancient and modern scholars and during the time it was written, there was a lot of persecution taking place.
2. It also took place during the reign of the roman Empire. Revelations was written around 96CE (Common Era)
3. What we get from Revelation is all that John saw. Rev 1:10-11 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
4. This was not Roman Policy. There were random outbreaks of hostility. They had conflicts between their Pagan Neighbors and believers of Jesus Christ.
5. Many people wonder if the persecution in Revelation actually happened or is it something that is going to happen in the future.
   1. Revelation 1:19 NKJV 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.

III.            LITERARY FORM

1. We have to look at how the book is written. Revelation is apocalyptic. It is highly symbolic. All though the vision seems impossible, it provides a lot of clues for interpretation.
2. Apocalypses describe the content in the book of Revelation. It is talking about what we see in the future. It talks about present day evil and the blessings that God is about to bring upon His people.
3. The Book of Revelation shows the conflicts of the Righteous Minority and the Wicked Majority which were made up of Foreign Powers (Antichrist believers). There is a war taking place.
4. In Revelation, we have a war between good and evil and God vindicates the righteous. We will look at this, how this takes place, and why God does it.
5. You will have a reward at the end and God is going to punish your oppressor.
6. Many Jewish Apocalyptic Writers use a lot of symbolism. Revelation is written in the same way.
   1. Revelation 1:19  19 [a]Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. – John was told to write the things that he saw, the things that was happening now, and the things that shall come.
7. When Paul writes a third of the new testament, he speaks a lot of the things that are mentioned in the writings of Revelation. The aim of the writer is to understand what God is up to.

IV.            PURPOSE ?

1. The book of Daniel mirrors this book called Revelation. Paul writes it to encourage the faithful who were oppressed by Emperors.
2. In Revelation, there will be a final showdown between God and Satan. Satan will increase his persecution against the believers. The showdown will happen, but we have to be steadfast until then.
   1. Although Satan will increase his persecution, you will be covered against any spiritual harm.
   1. You were sealed or covered, and this is how you will miss certain things coming to you.
3. Tribulation will happen in the world more than has ever been seen before.
   1. Matthew 24:21 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
4. This book is the final victory from heaven. Satan is defeated.
   1. Satan has demons. Satan was an angel in heaven, before he was cast down to the earth. His followers were cast out too and they became demons.

V.            INTERPRETATION

1. Preterist View – This is only those that went to church in John’s day. God is giving the news of his day.
2. Historicist View – This view approaches this from a sweeping, disorder, panoramic view of the church. They are all about Christian history and not so much about the future of world, but instead the future of the Church.
3. Futurist View – In this view, they believed that revelation begins with the end of days. It is directly preceding Jesus’ return.
4. Poetic View – They believed revelation is full of pictures and symbols of God’s day. They believed that this was not for personal meaning. They believed it was just to encourage believers of that day.
5. The Book of Revelation did speak of all these things. We can’t deny the fact that it reveals what was, what is, and what is to come.
6. You have to read Revelation from this 3-fold perspective.
7. What is this book saying considering all these perspectives?
   1. We believe the book of revelation must mean something. It is a book that has value and meaning. It has promised blessings and not promised confusion.
8. Do you think we are living in the days that John spoke about to come? John wrote about events that was to happen in future.
9. What makes this book distinctive? John used the number “7” 52 times.
   1. Revelation 1:1-3 NKJV 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

VI.            DISTINCTIONS

• 7 Churches
• 7 Spirits
• 7 Golden Lampstands
• 7 Stars
• 7 Seals
• 7 Horns
• 7 Eyes
• 7 Trumpets
• 7 Thunders
• 7 Signs
• 7 Crowns
• 7 Plagues
• 7 Golden Bowls
• 7 Hills
• 7 Kings

Remember that we know that the number 7 means completion

VII.            BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO READS AND KEEPS THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN

1. Lots of us don’t read Revelation, because we are afraid of what it will reveal.
2. There is revelation in this book for us. You need to read it so that you may be blessed.
3. “Those who read” and “those who hear”, means it should be read publicly.
4.  “Those who…” is plural. It speaks of people hearing it.
   1. If we would read the same thing in today’s times it would say, “Blessed it the Pastor who teaches revelation and blessed is the congregation who hears it.
5. After all we went through in 2020, you got to know that God is speaking to us.
6. If we could ever understand Revelation, it would change our lives forever.

VIII.            GREETING

1. Revelation 1:4-5 NKJV 4 John, to the seven churches which 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 from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, – We must read it to know what God has done, what he is doing, and what he’s going to do.
   1. This was Asia which would be the western part of the modern-day Turkey. This is where those 7 churches were located.
2. God is trying to show us the completeness and perfection he expects from the 7 churches.
   1. Isaiah 11:2 NKJV 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. –

IX.            A STATEMENT OF PRAISE

1. Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – John says God has already acted on our behalf. In this scripture, God had done an audit of the church to show them how they were faring.
2. If there was any other way to wash us from sin, we would know it. God washed us by his blood.
3. You must hear what God saying to you, because he paid for and washed us in his own blood.
   1. Example: If you had a favorite pair of Jeans and they got covered in paint, you would wash them to keep them, because you love them. Well God loved us so much, he literally washed us in his blood.
4. When something gets washed, it experiences agitation. Agitation is necessary to get things clean.
5. John is being persecuted by being in exile on this island. He gives a message to others of what God has done, is doing, and will do. He will reveal to them what no other can.
6. It is coming straight from the throne of Him that washed us.
7. God called us kings and priests. This was forbidden by law. You couldn’t be a king and priest in old times.

X.            DESCRIPTION OF THE RETURN OF JESUS

1. Revelation 1:7 NKJV 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. – One of our favorite songs is “The king is coming”.

• Jesus left on a cloud. He will return the same way. We look up because Jesus is coming back with the clouds. This will be literally because He left this way.
• Acts 1:9-11 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”. – This is true figuratively too. The bible reverences the great cloud of witnesses.
  • Revelation 1:8 NKJV 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

XI.            WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE CHURH TODAY?

1. Revelation 1:12-13 NKJV 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. – This reminds us of the golden lampstands. It reminds us of the 7 lampstands that found in the temple. In Jewish, on candle with 7 lights on it. The stand merely makes light more visible, but the light comes from the oil.
2. Whatever God did, was so you would be more visible. We don’t produce light; we only display it.
3. You might not find an ancient lamp stand. The lamp burns, but the only way it continues is because it is full of oil. The light burns, because of the oil.
4. Don’t let your oil run out. The church can’t be what it supposed to be without the oil. This is why we are positioning ourselves to where he wants us to be.
5. Don’t let your oil run out. Jesus is coming through the clouds and he is looking for an oily church.
6. We are the church. The anointing is how we allow His presence to be with us.