Lecture 37: Revelation (part 2)

Letters of John

Part 3

II. Revelation: God's Plan for Cosmic History (Part 2)

H. The Tribulation - 2 possible scenarios

1. 7 years ?

a. Powerful testimony of believers

b. Persecution of believers

2. 3 years

a. God's judgment on unbelievers

b. Powerful testimony by believers

c. Persecution by Satan of believers

3. True in both scenarios

a. Believers are exempt from God's wrath

b. Believers are not exempt from Satan's attacks

I. Christian History

1. The Church Age - "3 years"

2. Tribulation of end - "3 years"

[Notice too how similar they are]

J. Hebrew Gematria

 

20		10		9		8		7		6		5		4		3		2		1
400		300		200		100		90		80		70		60		50		40		30
		QSR																NRWN
200	+	60	+	100						50	+	6	+	200	+	50

K. Revelation 12-16

1. Chapters 12-14

a. The Satanic Trinity (666 < 777)

b. The State as demonic, not divine (cf. Romans 13)

c. Salvation and judgment of nations

2. Chapters 15-16

a. Final plagues - no limit

b. Believers still protected (16:2) - "eternal security?"

c. Gathering for Armageddon (16:16-17)

d. Seventh plague (v. 17) - "It is done!"

L. Revelation 17-19

1. Chapters 17-18

a. Final interlude

b. What went wrong (17)

c. Lament (18)

2. Chapter 19

3. Heavenly triumph

4. Two meals

5. Armageddon ends, before it's begun!

6. Seamless narrative into chapter 20

M. 3 Views of the Millennium

1. Premillennialism

a. Church age ending with 2nd coming

b. Millennium ending with judgment

c. New heaven and new earth

2. Amillennialism

a. Church age = millennium? - ending with 2nd coming and judgment

b. New heaven and new earth

3. Postmillennialism

a. Church age includes millennium

b. Millennium ends with 2nd coming and judgment

c. New heaven and new earth

N. Revelation 20-22

1. Chapter 20 - Two key objections to premillenialism

a. Anticlimactic?

b. Mixture of resurrected and unresurrected?

2. Chapters 21-22 - New Heavens and New Earth

a. Perfect intimacy with God (no temple)

b. Perfect Christian community

c. Key inclusions with beginning of Genesis

d. From garden to city

e. History is going somewhere

f. Ultimately only two kinds of people; which are you?