I really, always, do not understand making no final comments on how a series through a book of the Bible has changed, or at least affected, the preacher. This applies to commentaries as well as to verse-by-verse teachers. It took me 64 sermons to work through the book of Revelation, and that ought to have accomplished something. (This, obviously then, makes the 65th sermon, so one short of the dreaded 66…6). We started on the second Sunday of September 2019, and how much is different since then, around us, in us.

At the start of the series, and there is a good portion of you who’ve joined us long after the start, I shared that there are typically four views on Revelation.

• The Preterist believes that most of Revelation was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
• The Historicist believes that Revelation has been being fulfilled throughout church history.
• The Idealist believes that Revelation has been being fulfilled in history in more symbolic ways.
• The Futurist believes that most of Revelation has not yet been fulfilled, but will be in the future.

The thing that all the approaches must reckon with is that things haven’t happened just like they’re described in John’s visions. One of the related issues to answering that question is hermeneutical, that is, how to read the prophetic words. I committed myself to two rules; 1) I wouldn’t patronize anyone by saying “If you just read your Bible” and 2) I would try not to make my case using the word “literal” hardly ever, even if we did work through how best to interpret the words/images. I think I succeeded.

I started as, and am still a futurist. But with the help of 2020, and in light of some of the visions John saw, I do believe we see patterns today that will be uber-fulfilled later.

Some things really stood out to me. Having read Revelation probably a few dozen times, I had more impressions of the cataclysmic judgments, of star-falling, sky-crashing, sun-dimming, mountain-falling, smoke-rising images dominating the Apocalypse. And those are part of the unveiling. But there are some other things.

First, I have been impressed by all the different names/descriptions of God, especially of the Father and Son, in Revelation . The Apocalypse uncovers quite a theology proper (by my account 40 something different names and combinations):

• Him who is and who was and who is to come (1:4, 8; 4:8)
• the faithful witness (1:5; 3:14)
• the firstborn from the dead (1:5)
• the ruler of kings on earth (1:5); King of the nations (15:3); Lord of lords and King of kings (17:14; 19:16)
• Him who loves us (1:6)
• Him who has freed us from our sins
• Alpha and Omega (1:8; 21:6; 22:13)
• the first and the last (1:17; 2:9; 22:13)
• the beginning and the end (21:6; 22:13)
• the Almighty (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22)
• the living one (1:18; 7:2)
• Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand (2:1; 3:1)
• Him who walks among the seven golden lampstands (2:1)
• Him who died and came to life (2:8)
• Him who has the sharp two-edged sword (2:12)
• the Son of God (2:18)
• Him who has the seven spirits of God (3:1)
• the holy one (3:7)
• the true one (3:7)
• Him who has the key of David (3:7)
• the Amen (3:14)
• the beginning of God’s creation (3:14)
• Holy, holy, holy (4:8); the Holy One (16:5)
• Him who is seated on the throne (4:9, and many others; 7:10)
• Him who lives forever and ever (4:9, 10; 10:6; 15:7)
• the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5)
• the Root of David (5:5)
• the root and descendent of David (22:16)
• the Lamb (standing as though it had been slain) (5:6; 7:10)
• Sovereign Lord (6:10)
• He who created heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them (10:6)
• the Lord of the earth (11:4)
• the God of heaven (11:13; 16:11)
• a male child who is to rule all the nations (12:5)
• sitting on a white horse called Faithful and True (19:11)
• named with a name no one knows but Himself (19:12)
• The Word of God (19:13)
• the God of the spirits and the prophets (22:6)
• the bright morning star (22:16)
• the Lord Jesus (22:20, 21)

There may be more direct names and descriptions of God in the book of Revelation than any other single book in the Bible.

The second thing that stands out to me is that all the devil’s best is a deception . “That ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). Deception is his only way to glory, but it is a parody glory. He is a wanna-be. The false trinity (Dragon/Satan, Sea Beast/Antichrist, Land Beast/False prophet) presents a faux Christianity. Satan doesn’t create, he can only pervert.

He is a liar and a loser. He lies because he has lost and knows his future loss. All that glitters is not gold, and whatever glitter he has is grotesque underneath. He can only get worship through manipulation and threats and killing. I simply had not realized that even though the dragon is not quite toothless, his rage has more to do with desperation; he shows “great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:12)

A third thing that stands out to me, amidst all the plagues and punishments on the end-times enemies, are ** all the promises to the saints in Revelation**. (The second message in the series was titled “A Promising Apocalypse.”)

• we get to know what will soon take place (1:2)
• we get grace and peace (1:4)
• conquerors get to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God (2:7)
• conquerors will not be hurt by the second death (2:11)
• conquerors are given hidden manna and a white stone (2:17)
• conquerors receive authority over the nations; reign on earth (2:26; 5:10)
• conquerors will receive the morning star (2:27)
• conquerors will be clothed in white garments (3:5; 7:13; 19:8)
• conquerors will have names confessed by Jesus before His Father (3:5)
• conquerors will be made pillars in the temple of God (3:12)
• conquerors will have the name of God on them (3:12)
• conquerors will sit with the Conqueror and His Father on the throne (3:21)
• we are being made a kingdom and priests (1:6; 5:10)
• we will get vindication for afflictions (6:10-11)
• we will not hunger or thirst anymore, we will not be struck by the sun (7:16)
• we will dwell with the Lamb and He will be our shepherd (7:17)
• God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (7:17)
• we will rest from our labors (14:13)
• we will come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:4, 6)
• God will dwell with us, we will be His people and He will be with us as our God (21:3)
• God will wipe away every tear, there will be no more mourning or crying or pain (21:4)
• conquerors will be God’s children (21:7)
• we will walk by the light of the Lamb (21:23)
• we will drink from the river of the water of life (22:1)
• we will eat from the tree of life (22:2)
• we will see the face of the Lamb and have His name on us (22:4)

The fourth thing that stands out to me are all the blessing that belong to believers . These are the promises full-tilt.

There are seven apocalyptic blessings (compare with seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls). The repetitions of Revelation’s beatitudes are not tedious.

1. Blessed are the ones reading and heeding the Book.

In the beginning John writes:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

2. Blessed are the ones exhausted in righteous works for the Lord.

As the seventh trumpet has blown a heavenly voice, and the Spirit, announced:

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13)

3. Blessed are the ones ready for the Lord’s return.

A parenthesis before the battle of Armageddon, Jesus Himself said:

** (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)** (Revelation 16:15)

4. Blessed are the ones promised to the Lamb.

After the downfall of the great prostitute, Babylon, we see the glorious Bride (Christians collectively) and guests (Christians individually) as an angel said:

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9)

5. Blessed are the ones having eternal life.

Amidst the great fulfillments in the Millennial Kingdom John writes:

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

6. Blessed are the ones reading and heeding the Book.

This is the only repeated beatitude. John wrote it in Revelation 1:3, Jesus Himself announces it here:

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

7. Blessed are the ones dwelling eternally with God.

The seventh beatitude, in the conclusion to the book, written by John:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:14)

Blessing for the saints in the Lion-Lamb is the point of the Apocalypse. Blessed is a translation fo the Greek word μακάριος (in Latin translated beatus). Blessed is “happy.” Like that gloss or not, that is the ground floor meaning when applied to the world of men. It is to be happily favored, to be graciously privileged. It is to be happy recipients of God’s special attention and God-given experiences.

You are #blessed when: you can put things in their proper context with proper value and meaning, when you have a freedom given by Who is in control and what He cares about, when the taste of obedience is good. #Blessed is a wealth, a protection, like betting behind the point and out of the wind. The blessed are not fearful. Let the blessed embrace no voluntary gloom. Psalm 16, without using the word, portrays the blessed (refuge, good, community, delight, inheritance, understanding, security, direction, joy and pleasure, unending hope).

Conclusion

Not all will attain this blessedness. It will be wrath (for rejecting the God of many blessings) or blessing (of life with the God of eternal blessing). It will either be doom and torment or delight in His presence (Psalm 16:11). We will wail forever or worship forever, divine punishment or divine pleasure. We will dwell in the Father’s house or we will be separated from Him in the lake of fire.

Only one group develops. Believers will go further up and further in God’s blessing. Rebels will be stuck in their blasphemy, their complaints, unceasingly worn out by their consciences, by what they could have had. They will know full well that they are getting what they deserve, and they will resent it.

As the world rebels against God, transgressions are too great to count, “sins are heaped high as heaven” (Revelation 18:4-5). God’s wrath on sinners is too great to comprehend, “the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger” (Revelation 14:10-11). And also, His grace is too great to contain (as Paul wrote, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” - Romans 5:20).

William Langland wrote in the 14th century, pointing helplessly at the mercy of God,

“all the wickedness in this world that man might work or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal in the sea.” (quoted in Angels in the Architecture, Location 290)

When we see the Father and Son, when we see the parody of the devil, when we hear the promises, especially the promised blessings, we will conquer. “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:10; 14:12). Believe in the Lord of blessings.

”they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony for their loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:11)

Beloved, just conquer.

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Charge

Whether you are more positive or negative by personality, whether you identify as optimistic or pessimistic by theology, the charge today is that you identify yourself in Christ. Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). And however much you grieve or groan, however much you are glad, you must believe, according to the word of Christ, that are more than a conqueror through Him who loved us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Benediction:

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (Revelation 22:17, 20–21, ESV)