1Pet. 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
Revelation 1 The Introduction: Scene:
Earth.Time: Past (ca. 95 AD).
John introduces the book of prophecy with
an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the Revelation. John was exiled
on the island of Patmos when Jesus sent and communicated the vision of things
which must soon take place. John is commanded to write and send the book to the
seven churches in Asia.
Introduction to Revelation 2–3
Revelation 2-3Messages to the Angels of the Seven Churches
in Asia:
Scene: Earth. Time: Present (to original
readers in Asia).
Jesus sends a unique message to each of
the seven churches in the western part of the Roman province of Asia: Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.The cities are listed in the order of the
geological circuit that the messenger of the book would naturally travel as he
delivered the letters.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
Rev.
1:1 The Revelation
of Jesus Christ, whichGod gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and
He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
2 who
testified to the word of God and
to the testimony of Jesus Christ,
even to all that he saw. 3Blessed 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.
1.List two possible interpretations of “the
revelation of Jesus Christ”?
2.Trace the transmission of the revelation.
3.Why does God give the revelation to Jesus?
4.To what things does John testify?
5.Who will be blessed through words of the
prophecy of Revelation?
Rev.
1:4John tothe 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 theruler
of the kings of the earth. To Him wholoves us and released us from our
sins by His blood — 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests
toHis God and Father — to
Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7BEHOLD,
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. Rev. 1:8
“I am the Alpha and
the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty.
1.To whom is the epistle addressed?
2.From whom does John pray for grace and peace to
come?
3.(D) To whom does “the seven Spirits who are
before His throne” refer (1:4)? Is the adjective “seven” referring to seven
Spirits or seven attributes of the Spirit?
4.What seven attributes describe the Spirit of
the Lord in Isaiah 11:2?
5.How is Jesus described in 1:5? (D) Give a brief
explanation of each phrase.
6.What has Jesus made “us” to be (1:6)? To whom
does “us” refer?
(See 1 Pet 2:9-10)
7.What does the phrase mean: “— to Him be
the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1:6)? (A) How can
you give glory and dominion to Him?
8.
Who is coming with the clouds? Who will see Him? How will the tribes of
the earth respond?
(A) How would you respond if He appeared today? (1:7-8)
9. (D)
How does Jesus describe Himself in 1:8? What is the significance of these
titles?
Rev.
1:9I, John,
your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance
which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit onthe Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
1. Who is John? Where is
he? Why is he there? (1:9)
2.
(D) What do the phrases mean: “in the Spirit”? “the Lord’s day”? (1:10)
3.
Describe the voice that John hears. Who is speaking to John? (see 1:1)
4.
What does the voice instruct John to do?
5. (D) Locate the seven churches on a
map. Describe their location.
6.
What does the location of the churches indicate about the transmission
of the book?
7. (A) How does God
communicate to you? What is He communicating to you through His Word today? How
will you apply this to your life this week?
Rev.
1:12 Then I turned to
see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in
the middle of the lampstands I saw one like
a son of man, clothed in a
robe reaching to the feet, and girded
across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like
snow; and His eyes were like a
flame of fire. 15 His feet
were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and
His voice was like the
sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held
seven stars, and out of His mouth
came a sharp two-edged sword; and
His face was like the sun
shining in its strength.
Rev. 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do
not be afraid; I am the first and
the last, 18 and
the living One; and I was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the
things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right
hand, and the seven golden
lampstands: the seven stars are
the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands are the
seven churches.
1. Why does John turn? What
does he see? (1:12)
2.
Describe the one whom John saw in the middle of the lampstands.
(1:13-16)
3.
What is John commanded (1:19)? How are the “things” described?
4.
What interpretation is given for the seven stars and seven lampstands?
5. What
attribute of God is emphasized in Revelation 1? How could you pray for the Holy
Spirit to change your life in response to this lesson this week?
Write a prayer response to Revelation 1.
Rev. 2:1 “To the
angel of the church in Ephesus
write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One
who walksamong the seven golden lampstands, says this:
Rev. 2:2 ‘I
know your deeds and your toil andperseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found
them to be false; 3and you haveperseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown
weary. 4‘But I have this against you, that you
have left your first love. 5‘Therefore remember from where you have
fallen, and repent and do thedeeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you
repent. 6‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds
of the Nicolaitans, which I also
hate. 7‘He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. To
him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
1.To
whom are verses 1-7 addressed?
2.How is the speaker described? (2:1)
3.Of what does Jesus know concerning the church in Ephesus? (2:2-3)
4.What does Jesus have against the church in Ephesus? (2:4)
5.What does Jesus tell the church in Ephesus to do? (2:5)
6.How does Jesus commend/warn/promise the church in Ephesus? (2:5-7)
·Commendation:
·Warning:
·Promise:
Rev. 2:8 “And to
the angel of the church in Smyrna
write:
The first and
the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
Rev. 2:9 ‘I know
your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a
synagogue of Satan. 10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be
tested, and you will have tribulation
for ten days. Be faithful
until death, and I will give you the
crown of life. 11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. He
who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’
1. To
whom are verses 8-11 addressed?
2.
How is Jesus described? (2:8)
3.
Of what does Jesus know concerning the church in Smyrna? (2:9)
4.
Does Jesus have anything against the church in Smyrna? Who are the
blasphemers? (2:9)
5.
What does Jesus tell the church in Smyrna to do? (2:10)
6. How
does Jesus commend/warn/promise the church in Smyrna? (2:10-11)
·Commendation:
·Warning:
·Promise:
Rev. 2:12 “And to
the angel of the church in Pergamum
write:
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
Rev. 2:13 ‘I know
where you dwell, where Satan’s
throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 ‘But I have a few things against you, because
you have there some who hold the teaching
of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed
to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 ‘So you also have some who in the same way
hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will
make war against them with the
sword of My mouth. 17 ‘He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give
some of the hidden manna, and
I will give him a white stone, and a new
name written on the stone which
no one knows but he who receives it.’
1. To
whom are verses 12-17 addressed?
2.
How is Jesus described? (2:12)
3.
Of what does Jesus know concerning the church in Pergamum? (2:13)
4. What
does Jesus have against the church in Pergamum? (2:14-15)
5.
What does Jesus tell the church in Pergamum to do? (2:16)
6.
What does Jesus commend/warn/promise the church in Pergamum? (2:16-17)
·Commendation:
·Warning:
·Promise:
Rev. 2:18 “And to
the angel of the church in Thyatira
write:
The Son of God,
who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are
like burnished bronze, says this:
Rev. 2:19 ‘I
know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 ‘But I have this against you, that you
tolerate the woman Jezebel, who
calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray
so that they commit acts of
immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.
22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, unless they repent of her
deeds. 23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know
that I am He who searches
the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according
to your deeds. 24 ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching,
who have not known the deep
things of Satan, as they call them — I place no other burden on you. 25 ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My
deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL
RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF
IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE
POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My
Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches.’
1. To
whom are verses 18-29 addressed?
2.
How is Jesus described? (2:18)
3.
Of what does Jesus know concerning the church in Thyatira? (2:19)
4.
What does Jesus have against the church in Thyatira? (2:20-23)
5.
What does Jesus tell the church in Thyatira to do? (2:24-25)
6.
How does Jesus commend/warn/promise the church in Thyatira? (2:22-29)
1Pet. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
1Pet. 1:10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look.
