The book of Revelation has baffled Bible students for nearly 2000 years. And yet, the title of the book suggests that it is understandable. It is a revelation, not a concealment. In Table Talk Season 4, we will lay down some very simple rules of interpretation that will serve to open the book to our understanding.
Season 4 | The Revelation Series
John was shown seven eras of church history from the time of Christ to the end of the world, highlighting specific struggles and victories the followers of Jesus would experience.
Christ is the central figure of Revelation, most prominently presented under the symbolism of a “slain lamb,” indicating that self-sacrificing love, not violence, is the secret of His power.
One of the most mysterious visions and Revelation entails John eating a little book and finding it sweet to the tastes but bitter in the belly. We discover that this crucial vision creates a vital link between the prophecies of Revelation and those of the much earlier book of Daniel.
The great war between good and evil began in heaven among an order of beings called angels. And that war has been underway ever since on planet earth as the great battlefield of love and selfishness.
The church founded by Christ and the apostles had to go underground for 1260 years due to persecution, while the colossal religious system known to history as Christendom was actually a grand masquerade.
In Bible prophecy, a “beast” or an animal symbolizes a world power. Revelation 13 reveals a beast arising from the sea with specific identifying characteristic, bringing to view one of the most damaging systems of power the world has ever known.
After the beast from the sea is brought to view, another world power steps on the stage of history in the form of a land animal. This nation is in some ways different from the sea beast, but in some ways the same. I the end, both are seen to be working together.
As the event of history unfold toward the end, a special message must be given to the inhabitant of earth. An angel flying over the earth proclaiming words of vital importance represents the good news God has for the world.
As the first angel proclaims its message of good news, the world system known as Babylon comes crashing down. The system that has for so long deceived human beings and blocked their vision of God’s love will eventually lose its credibility.
Revelation’s prophecy about “Babylon the Great” reveals a long period of history stretching back thousands of years and concluding with the end-times segment of human history.
Eventually, everything will be brought into the light and everyone will understand the vital issues at stake in the great war between good and evil down through human history and the part each person has played in that battle.
Evil will not reign eternal. It will be ultimately and finally defeated. Only that which is good and beautiful will live on into eternity future. God will make all things new, and the pain we have known will become a distant memory.
