The Song of the Lamb: The Beautiful and Powerful Art and Message of Revelation

By Jonathan David Young

Have you ever sung a song with the lyrics "Worthy is the Lamb"?

Or have you ever sung along to "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah? If so, congratulations, you have a greater understanding of the book of Revelation than you realize. Revelation has long spoken to us in powerful ways despite the confusion often thought of when tryi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonathan Young
• Release date: Jun 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798218447021

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Table of Contents

The Song of the Lamb

The Beautiful and Powerful Art and Message of Revelation

By Jonathan Young

To Makenzie,

the teens in Eugene, Springfield, Lowell, Lane County, Oregon, the PNW, and in Moscow and Lewiston,

and loved ones who have passed, for their deeds go beyond them!

The Song of the Lamb

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The Book of Revelation

And I saw that like a sea of glass, mingled with fire, and the conquerors of the Beast, and of its image, and of the number of its name, holding harps from God. And they sing the Song of Moses, the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying,

"Great and wondrous are Your deeds,

Oh Lord God, the Almighty.

Righteous and true are Your ways,

Oh King of nations.

Who would not fear, oh Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You alone are Holy

All nations will come before,

and worship You

For Your righteous deeds have been revealed"

- Revelation 15:2-4

The Song of the Lamb

The Beautiful and Powerful Art and Message of Revelation

By Jonathan Young

To Makenzie,

the teens in Eugene, Springfield, Lowell, Lane County, Oregon, the PNW, and in Moscow and Lewiston,

and loved ones who have passed, for their deeds go beyond them!

The Song of the Lamb

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Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! Yes, Blessed indeed says the Spirit! That they may rest from their toils, for their deeds go beyond them!* You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice, you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow for her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.* Who is like the beast? And who can fight against it?* And I, when I have been lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show what kind of death he was going to die.* When you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This He said to show by what kind of death he would Glorify God.* If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he must go.* Why do the nations rage? And the gentiles plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city there were gathered together against your Holy Servant Jesus, Whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.* For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy* To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life* and the leaves of the tree are the healing of the nations.* These follow the Lamb wherever He goes* Worthy are You oh Lord, for you created all things, and by Your will they existed, yes, were created.* The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!* And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.

Rev 14:13, John 16:20-21, 13:4, 12:32, 21:18 Rev 13:10, Acts 4:25-30, Rev 19:10, 2:7, 22:2, 14:4, 4:11, John 1:29, Rev 5:6-10, Rev 19:10, 2:7, 22:2, 14:4, 4:11, John 1:29, Rev 5:6-10

The Book of Revelation

When I was nine I was baptized and was genuine in my faith in Jesus, and a few years later I was done with it, and again after college I was back. And there are many reasons I converted and came to Christ, but probably the biggest was my interest in film and creative writing which was really the only thing I loved, and I was writing a short film script and wanted to use Bible verses to quote, and I ended up reading the Bible a whole lot to find verses that personally resonated with me. And I continuously found verses packing a very deep punch as though this was written with me in mind along with what I had been trying to process in mind, and had a deep, deep love for the Scriptures and digging into them, which didn’t go away and is still here, which provoked much prayer. And this all happening at the same time as two people witnessing Jesus to me every day, and doing a video internship at a Church which had a strong vision on being serious and all in for the Kingdom of God, all leading to the fact that I can pinpoint the exact second I made the decision to take up my cross and follow Jesus and became happy.

After converting I read the Bible in a few months and started reading books recommended to me. Like I said, my interest in creative writing led to my interest in the Bible. So, I was really happy and excited to find books especially about the fact that, while the Bible is revolving around real historical events of Israel and of Christ’s life, the books themselves were not textbooks but were written and initially understood as extremely creative works of art conveying a message about these events. Writings about rhetoric in the New Testament, and creativity and art in the Old Testament books were really exciting to me.

Throughout my daily study time, there would be scattered eureka moments about the art and message of Revelation that made a lightbulb pop over my head as I thought, wow, that makes sense. Craig Koester I’m extremely indebted to (along with many other authors). For because of his work I had the first moments Revelation really came off as more clear, more applicable, and I felt dumbfounded I never caught how clear the message of Revelation is. This was the first time I felt like I should sometime share the fact that Revelation makes sense.

Years later the preacher at the Church I go to on Sunday mornings here in Eugene, Oregon was wrapping up a Wednesday night class he also taught. He brought up in prayer meetings how it had been a lot, as there’s a good bit of time going into preparing lessons. I had done a few classes and had been thinking that it would be cool doing a series on Revelation. I thought nobody talks about it much in a helpful way and so I could maybe make it less intimidating and hopefully encourage people to read it.

So why study Revelation? No matter who you and your Church are, it’s a very, very powerful book that I really personally have gotten so much out of and find myself going back to again and again. Like the Hebrew Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, which all come together to make this beautiful mosaic, it was crafted with the ability to study endlessly far beyond its initial hearing/reading. It’s a goldmine and really beautiful.

Who couldn’t be moved by, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. - Revelation 21:3-4

Or moved by the many, many, worship songs come from Revelation. How many times have you heard worthy is the Lamb in a worship song for example? Or Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty?

The many uses of Revelation in modern worship lyrics show that we do understand it even if we don’t know we do. It resonates with us. It was meant to resonate with us. It was meant to be understood. And this was a major goal of my class. To make it accessible. And that class turned to this book. And I was glad for the opportunity because Revelation is meant for everyone to read and understand.

Potentially the most helpful thing to know for understanding Revelation is that it was originally read start to finish without stopping once, all the way through. It would’ve taken about an hour and a half to two hours. Like the modern (ideal) runtime of a movie. And it explicitly says it was expected to be understood by all. How can someone understand this book without stopping to analyze every detail?

Exactly for that reason. The fact that they never stopped to analyze is why they understood it. They didn’t stop to analyze every detail and just focused on the overall message. The reason many today don’t understand it is because people tend to not view books of the Bible as a whole, but a textbook of bits and pieces. Revelation is among the worst victims of this view. When you think each detail means something in and of itself it’s like the story of the blind men trying to figure out what an elephant is, each making conclusions based off of the specific part he touches. And they all come up with different interpretations instead of feeling the whole elephant. If they did, they’d then understand not only the elephant, but also understand the parts they touched as they now know the specific purpose it plays in the whole of this creature.

Revelation is one, great, epic message that uses vivid images that serve a purpose and make sense when you realize the images themselves are not the point.

Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus gives parables instead of a textbook. Why? Because it serves His purpose better. It sticks with the audience and it makes a much bigger impact. Reading the parables as though they are a systematic theology which was then transferred into a code would miss the meaning.

So imagine you don’t read the Prodigal Son parable start to finish, but rather you jump in and read that one son takes and then spends all of his inheritance, and you think what does this mean? What could the inheritance represent? Does it represent real money? Financial crisis?

Then eventually you read the opening, that there was a father who had two sons, and that’s all you read. You spend hours thinking what does this mean? Who are the two sons? You study the numerology of 2 to try to figure out what Jesus means in the mystery here, compare every other time the number 2 appears in the Bible. Realize the president has 2 terms and you’re beginning to solve the mystery. You return later, two sons means two brothers, twins, 9/11. A father, priests are called Father, Catholic Church. It’s all coming together for you. Insert all your end times beliefs, and you hear a voice from heaven saying:

You did it reader, you discovered the meaning of the two sons.

You present your findings to your Church and your Church gets a headache and never reads the parable again, missing out on a most powerful teachings of Jesus.

That clearly sounds ridiculous because if you read it just normally you’ll know why there are two sons. If you do a Bible study with a new believer and they stop and ask you, why?, you would say, well, that’s not really the point. If they stop you and say what does the inheritance mean, you’d get frustrated and say just read it! Ask about the details after.

Because for you, it just made perfect sense when you first heard it, it’s about forgiveness, the love for the lost.

In the same way, Revelation is a message, a sermon, a reader would get up and read it to the whole Church. It’s a sermon that uses images and was meant to be understood just by having someone read it out-loud to you start to finish without once stopping to analyze a detail, straight through, beginning to end, no time for questions, and, again, clearly was understood by John’s original audience. Rather than the book being about a cryptic series of future events John wrote down, it is the opposite, publicly sent out and meant for all the churches, filled with many commands to all churches to obey the words of the prophecy.

Revelation as a writing itself is not anything unusual. Just how Paul wrote letters to the churches, or Peter wrote letters to the churches, this is a letter to the churches from John. And, once again, like all of the letters, it was meant to be read aloud in its entirety to the church.

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come…

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea… - Revelation‬ 1:9-11‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Revelation is similar to Jesus’ parables in another way. While easily understood to modern audiences, they especially had a place within the world of Jesus’ audience, filled with references to the Hebrew Scriptures and their current world. Similarly with Revelation, you can appreciate and find much more depth when studying and discovering these.

For instance, while everyone understands the parable of the Good Samaritan, to the extent that it has become its own term used and understood outside of Christianity, the parable is jam-packed with events and situations very specific to Israel during the time Jesus spoke. It also entirely revolves around the Hebrew Scriptures: specifically, love your neighbor as yourself. Historically, Samaritans were a group considered unclean by Jews and perform religious rituals incorrectly, making the parable a profound statement about what matters to God: loving your neighbor as yourself.

These types of things add a lot to the message. We see how Jesus’ words are extremely well-crafted and would have had even more depth to the original hearers, depth that makes an impact on us as well when we study it.

In the same way, Revelation is jam-packed with very specific details about their present situation. And it is entirely, start to finish, revolving around Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, known extremely well and even memorized by this audience.

And, to go back to the parable of the prodigal son, you understand more what’s going on in the message when you read the immediate background. The immediate background, what Jesus’ words are responding to, is that the Pharisees and teachers of the law complain about Jesus that, This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. - Luke 15:2

Revelation sets up many of the issues provoking the letter’s writing in chapters 2-3 where Jesus directly addresses each of the seven churches with a crystal-clear message. And every aspect and image in Revelation 2 and 3 will reappear throughout the rest of the book, showing us along the lines of what the message of the rest of Revelation is about. To give an example, here is the message to the Church in Smyrna:

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. "‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’ - Revelation 2:8-11

This major theme of Satan attacking the churches and key terms in this message to Smyrna will be present throughout the more abstract majority of the book of Revelation.

After Revelation 2-3, John is taken to Heaven and the beginning of what is the more well-known part of the book begins.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. - Revelation 4:1-2

Similar to how a specific question often provokes the parables, the very first thing to happen after John describes what he sees in Heaven is that a question is asked. This question initiates the entire series of events that John sees and hears in Revelation:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth had the power to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain… - Revelation 5:1-6

So let me do an example of how if you focus on the message as a whole it makes a lot more sense. Moreover, if you know about the historical and Old Testament background you can have really even more confidence in its meaning.

Let’s go through what we learn about The Beast in every appearance of it in Revelation, focusing on the broad message rather than every detail.

The Beast, starting with when the Beast first appears in Revelation:

Revelation 11:

"And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth… And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and conquer and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified…

But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors had incredible fear and awe, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

What do we learn?

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, and where their Lord was crucified.

The Beast kills God’s witnesses. The Beast is only allowed to by God once God says their time of testimony is complete. The Beast is related to the same spiritual force of Sodom and Egypt and which also crucified Jesus.

But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were in incredible fear and awe, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Despite the fact that the Beast wanted to kill God’s witnesses, it had the opposite intended effect, in that God used their martyrdom to bring many who belong to that city to Him.

Revelation 12-13:

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, and Satan, who leads the whole world astray…  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short!… Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea… The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?

What do we learn?

The Beast is being used as a puppet by Satan because Satan is angry at the Church because he knows his time is short. The people of the world believe the Beast is the most powerful entity and nobody can wage war with it. The Beast persecutes the Church.

Revelation 18:

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides… This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings… The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast….

Then the angel said to me, The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.

What do we learn?

The Beast is ruled by a city. The Beast is ruled by a series of kings. The Beast is made up of the subjects of the city, smaller kings who join the Beast in persecuting the Church. The governors/peoples/regions ruled by the city will turn on the city and attack. God will punish the Beast for persecuting the Church.

Now to Assemble what we learn:

Despite the fact that the Beast wanted to kill God’s witnesses, it had the opposite intended effect, in that God used their martyrdom to bring many who belong to that city to Him.

The Beast is being used as a puppet by Satan because Satan is angry at the Church because he knows his time is short. The people of the world believe the Beast is the most powerful entity and nobody can wage war with it. The Beast persecutes the Church.

The Beast is ruled by a city. The Beast is ruled by a series of kings. The Beast is made up of smaller kings/governors who join the city in persecuting the Church. The governors, peoples, regions ruled by the city will turn on the city and attack. God will punish the Beast for persecuting the Church.

The message of the Beast is the message of when empires/nations persecute the Church. John is saying no matter how powerful the Beast seems, God is in control and God is allowing it to happen because it will have the opposite intended effect. In that, just like Jesus’ crucifixion, many will glorify God through martyrs. John is also saying the real enemy is Satan, and it is a spiritual battle. And John is also saying that God will ultimately put any Beast persecuting the Church in its place by showing its true colors and vindicating His witnesses.

Now then, beyond the general message, for John’s audience this was especially in your face as a message very much about them and their situation. There is a very obvious allusion here if you remember your history class growing up.

You may remember when covering Rome that Rome’s nickname was the city on seven hills. The Beast is a group of nations/kingdoms making up the empire and subjects of the Great City, also called the Whore of Babylon, or Babylon the Great. And the Great City is said to be upon seven hills.

When I taught my class there was an elder of the church who had lived in New York City for much of his life. I asked him, If I was in New York and said, ‘there’s a monster attacking the Church called The Five Boroughs,’ would that be cryptic or mysterious? He laughed and said no, absolutely not. The Whore of Babylon being the city on seven hills was in no way cryptic, or a code, but clear and obvious to all in the Church listening. They even had a holiday in John’s time called the feast of seven hills. Again, clearly not a code or hard to understand.

In fact, look at this coin during Vespasian’s reign, the emperor who restored peace and the Empire following Nero’s death.

A close-up of a coin Description automatically generated

"Copper alloy coin. (whole) Head of Vespasian, laureate, right, with aegis. (obverse)

Roma seated right on the seven hills; to left, wolf and twins; to right, River Tiber. (reverse)"

This bucolic reverse scene suggests post-war Rome in a state of relaxed peace after the 'Year of the four emperors', AD 69.

-britishmuseum.org

The reverse is a celebration of Roma, the goddess of the city of Rome. This was John’s audience’s dollar bill. They saw it constantly. Except they’d be even more familiar with it since they didn’t have checks or credit cards. They were very familiar with this image when they heard the words about the Great City, the Whore of Babylon.

A close-up of a coin Description automatically generated

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads - The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits - She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon The Great The Mother of Prostitutes and of The Abominations of the Earth! I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

This a powerful, even shocking statement, but absolutely was in no way a cryptic or secretive statement.

As for the name Babylon, Rome being given this name can be very easily understood if you know the Biblical and Historical events of Babylon and Israel’s relationship. Babylon was the empire that ravaged the kingdom of Judea and sent the Jews into exile who would form many Jewish communities within the cities across the nations. They did this with the intent that it would destroy their identity and they would assimilate to the ways of nations they were put in. They would be greatly tested to if they could maintain their Jewish identity or assimilate to the pagan identities of the nations. Babylon, the city at the heart of this empire, was also where Daniel was sent off to and tested in front of.

But especially relevant is that one of the most important things being addressed by Revelation is the fact that the Jews had just lost their war against Rome, Israel/Judea was ravaged by the Roman armies, and worst of all, Jerusalem and the Temple were completely destroyed. I couldn’t possibly do justice to how devastating this would be. John not calling Rome, Rome, but rather Rome being called Babylon, would have a clear purpose. Not just because it’s a cool, shocking name, but Babylon gives an element of affirmation in their call to faithfulness. For they’ve survived this before.

It’s not John’s style to directly call things their real names, but more appropriate names which recontextualize the specific situations. This also encourages application in other similar situations. This is similar to how Jesus’ parable doesn’t say there were two sons, one was a sinner and tax collector, the other was a Pharisee.

But that’s Babylon, what about the Beast itself? Is there an Old Testament precedent? Well absolutely. There is a strong, blatantly obvious allusion.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Daniel said: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea… After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. - Daniel 7

Familiar? What’s the message of this Daniel passage though? Well, it’s a message of hope. The Beast is replaced by the Kingdom of the Son of Man, whose kingdom is of all nations, peoples, and languages, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Jesus calls Himself more than anything else in the Gospels, the Son of Man, a reference to this major passage.

…the Beast was slain, and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire... In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples and every language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

And so does the next part of this prophecy in Daniel 7 appear? Well sure enough, as the major introduction to the Beast occurs in Revelation 13, as in Daniel, just afterwards we have in Revelation 14:

And I looked, and behold! A white cloud! And One like a Son of Man sitting upon the cloud, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the Temple crying in a mega voice to the One Who may take His seat on the cloud, Send forth your sickle and reap! Because the hour to harvest has come for You! Because the harvest of the earth has been made fully ripe! And the One taking His seat upon the cloud threw down his sickle upon the earth, and the earth was harvested. - Revelation 14:14-16

So what is the Beast in Daniel?

He gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.  Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him. - Daniel 7:23-27

There you go. The Beast is a kingdom persecuting God’s people in Daniel whose power is taken away by the Son of Man. Exactly what we have in Revelation.

You did it reader, you figured out the meaning of the beast.

Now, of course there is much more to be said about the Beast along the way in this study of Revelation. But now we have done a sample of what’s going on in these images in the words of this book to an extent that we can dig in.

In a way, the whole point of Revelation is to put very specific instances and situations in our lives and into the whole big picture of the grand cosmic scale of good vs evil and God’s plan. Revelation is about seeing things as playing a part in a much bigger picture. And in the letter itself each part really only makes complete sense as part of the whole of this picture.

So, we next will do what we did with the Beast, but with the book as a whole. Then the fun will really begin.

But before I want to point out two more things needed to really understand Revelation.

First, not just Revelation, but everything in the Bible is understood best by experiencing it. There are many things you may not understand, but you at one point or another, through putting the Scriptures into practice, you have experiences where you think, oh I really understand what that was talking about now. You can likely infer from the message of the Beast that Revelation is dealing with major tribulation, especially persecution, and especially martyrdom. Many places where martyrdom and tribulation for Christians is a genuine reality typically actually read Revelation and it resonates with their reality.

Second, taking a group trip to a Messianic synagogue (a synagogue of Jews who believe in and follow Jesus, or, in Hebrew, Yeshua) is one of the best ways to understand the dynamic of the NT Church. Even though we all believe the exact same faith in Jesus/Yeshua, in a group trip to a Messianic Synagogue it’s visible who the outsiders are. For many reasons it can be uncomfortable, but this is helpful for understanding Revelation because Revelation is a very Jewish book, in a very Jewish style, revolving around the Prophets and Law Jews were expected to have memorized, but many modern Christians barely look at.

We forget that while Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, every other Church leader was not. The focus was not there. They were evangelizing and ministering among Jews, giving an overwhelming Jewish identity. They didn’t think of themselves as a new religion by any means, but rather Jews/Israelites/Hebrews who have been redeemed and purified from sin and idols like the OT prophets said God would do to Israel.

When non-Jews/Gentiles converted as a result of Paul’s evangelism, they would have seen themselves as entering the Jewish community through the Messiah. But what does it mean to become a Jew when you aren’t? Keep Jewish ethnic traditions? To be cleansed from sin would be to be cleansed from the ways of the nations and be the way God commanded Israel. But to say Gentiles have to keep these is to say Jesus’ Blood isn’t enough atonement. It condescends what happens at baptism to say you now need to do more in order to be God’s people. So this was confusing.

It’s helpful to remember this audience hearing Revelation is a Jewish minority group in a vast see of pagan nations. And they were even facing hostility among Jewish families who were beginning to excommunicate people for following Yeshua.

Revelation, however, is actually a very positive message affirming the fulfilment of the many prophecies of Israel’s repentance for rejecting God and restoration, and all nations worshipping the One True God. Paul wrote a lot on the notion of Gentiles in the Church because he especially saw/foresaw the importance. It was a birth of a beautiful thing, as Paul writes:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ…For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one… that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near… For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father…. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… - Ephesians 4:13-19 ESV

The Church in Ephesus, the ones this letter was sent to, would go on to be the ones Revelation was sent to as well. Revelation writes, the time is near. For one of the many bold affirmations of Revelation is that of the nations coming to serve the Davidic King, Who is the Lamb.

This is a message meant to be applied to not just its immediate audience, but to anyone with ears to hear. It is a message that is about consequences to our actions in our situations, and how they play into the big, grand, cosmic picture of God’s Salvation.

Revelation is the ultimate book of the Bible, the highest, most heightened level of vivid, powerful, and cosmic gravitas. Richard Baukham’s title of his collection of articles on Revelation, The Climax of Prophecy, is really the way to say it. It’s stood out to me in a powerful, powerful way. Words can’t describe how effectively powerful is the climax of the Word of God, as given to us by His prophets. The grandest finale to the greatest narrative of literature, from a continuing line of Israelite prophets, with John being the final Israelite Prophet, a body of God’s Word forming the greatest book, being formed over the course of over 1,000 years.

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And they have conquered him! By the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.* He says: It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.* There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.* Those from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.* ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be saved as they are today.* saying, We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.* You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.* Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever* You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.* Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?* There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.* There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Revelation‬ 12:11‬, Isaiah‬ 49:6‬, Psalm‬ 19:3-5‬, Revelation‬ 11:9-10‬, Genesis‬ 50:17-20‬, Revelation‬ 11:17‬, Exodus‬ 15:13, 17-18‬, Daniel‬ 12:3‬, Exodus‬ 19:4-6‬, Exodus 15:11, Jeremiah 10:6-7, Psalm 86:8-10‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Message of the Book of Revelation as a Whole:

After talking so much about looking at Revelation as a whole before being able to study it in depth, we will now do that. Then, after going over the message of the book as a whole, we will really jump in. Then when we do, I think things start to more and more blow your mind. I think that, like the Sanhedrin and Pharisees, you will be astonished at John’s brilliant craftsmanship with this great picture of words.

Like all Scriptures, Revelation is a work of art. That doesn’t mean it’s made up, but rather, the opposite. For central to all of the Scriptures is that what God has done really happened, for our God is actively working in human history. But they convey this in creative ways. One example of a creative element prevalent in Scriptures is this: have you ever noticed that often in both New Testament and Old Testament books, the climax, the most intense or powerful parts, are often in the middle? Usually right in the center are great power verses. You may notice the whole work often takes a radical change in the second half following the climax.

Take the Gospel of Mark for example. I used to be the director of a school of discipleship and one week I was blessed to have Bobby Harrington speak. Among many other things, Bobby founded Discipleship.org and has written multiple books on making disciples. He said what got him interested in focusing on discipleship was that after many years in ministry, he decided he wanted to rethink and refocus on what was really at the heart of the Gospel and Christian life. He studied the way things were written, and what stood out was that the Gospel of Mark has the big power statement, the heart of the Gospel, the thesis statement you might say, right in the center.

Mark’s Gospel is very fast paced focused on Jesus’ ministry, but then halfway through it swaps to a very slow pace with the focus being on Jesus traveling to Jerusalem to be crucified. And right in the middle, at the turning point, the end of Mark 8, is Peter confessing Jesus as Christ. And then Jesus tells him He must be crucified and says,

And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. - Mark 8:34-35

Or take John’s Gospel, in which John 1-12 covers the course of 3 years of Jesus’ ministry. Then it slows down even greater than Mark’s with John 13-20 all being the events of a single night. And the climax is right in the middle: the Triumphal entry followed by non-Israelites coming into Jerusalem who ask to see Jesus.

And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, An angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered, This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. - John 12:23-32

Or take Paul’s letter to the Romans. In 1-8 Paul is bouncing back and forth between the Old Law for Jews, the lawlessness of Gentiles, and the Law of the Spirit for all. It climaxes with all of Romans 7 which is about the Old Law, and then all of Romans 8 which is about the New Law of the Holy Spirit, which now is the heart of what Christians live by.

Then chapters 9-11 are about Israel. Then the rest of Romans is about the Church life. But the climax, Romans 8, is filled with power verses. Many Christians’ favorite verses are found here as it is a very powerful climax about being free from the old ways, and Life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us… We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time… And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us! - Romans 8:1, 18, 22, 28, 35-7

To say John is creative with his writing of Revelation is an extreme understatement. We will see a little here when covering the message, but this will just be the tiniest tip of the tip of the iceberg.

First though, we will look at a little background to help get in the mindset of its original audience.

His servant John, who testified… Jesus Christ, even as to all that he saw

A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show his servants what must quickly come into being. And He made it known by sending forth His messenger to His servant John, who testified to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, even as to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who obey what is written in it. For the appointed time is near. John, to the seven churches that are in Asia… - Revelation 1:1-4

First a review on John from what we know in the New Testament. We see John and John’s brother James are friends with Andrew and Andrew’s own brother, Simon Peter:

Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world!... The two disciples [John and Andrew] heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, What do you seek? They said to Him, Rabbi, which is to say when translated, Teacher, where are You staying? He said to them, Come and see…. One of the two who heard John [the Baptist] speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is translated, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. - John 1:37-42 ESV

…and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people. - Luke 5:10

Jesus began His Ministry by preaching the Kingdom of God, and then called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. So they were presumably with Jesus as disciples from near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John was a disciple of John the Baptist beforehand.

So, in addition to primary and Jewish schooling all boys went through, they were disciples of the greatest teacher in the world. They, of course, would also become empowered by the Spirit in ways completely unseen. So, it’s not surprising that their own abilities are so impressive that they became leaders of the largest movement in history.

And immediately He left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. - Mark 1:29

Peter, James, and John are the closest of Jesus’ disciples:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,- Mark 9:2

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them. Stay here and keep watch. - Mark 14:32-34

John is shown to be especially close to Jesus again in John’s gospel as he is the one whom is actually next to, and leaning against, Jesus during the Passover/last supper.

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper… This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. - John 21:20, 24

He is close enough to be the one appointed to care for Jesus’ mother.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, Here is your mother. From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. - John 19:25-27

So John clearly had an extremely close personal relationship with Jesus. Similarly he did with Peter. Peter and John often pair up together for ministry.

So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it. - Luke 22:7

[Mary] said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter went out with the other disciple [John], and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. - John 20:2-4

[Miracle with a lame beggar incident] One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon… Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us! - Acts 3:1, 4

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were not formally educated, but ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But Peter and John replied, Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! - Acts 4:13, 19

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria… Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. - Acts 8:14, 17

John’s brother James was the first apostle to die, who was martyred.

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. - Acts 12:1-2

John has to some degree ties to the temple priesthood.

And following Jesus was Simon Peter, and the other disciple, and that disciple was known to the chief priest, and he entered with Jesus to the hall of the chief priest… - John 18:15-16

While this may seem irrelevant, it is interesting as the Temple is extremely important in a very special way in both of John’s major works.

John and Peter, along with James the brother of Jesus, were, as you’d expect, extremely important and beloved and seen as central to the Christian community everywhere in the first generation. In the first two chapters of Paul’s argument of his authority to the Galatians, most of his argument revolves around Peter, James and John recognizing him as apostle. Even though Paul assures them he didn’t even need their approval, it solidified to the Church everywhere Paul’s status, so it shows their own status.

Also, John’s home base was in Jerusalem. His ministry was with fellow Jews/Israelites and the Church in Israel for the first few decades of his ministry.

Then after fourteen years [from Paul’s first trip to Jerusalem] I went up again to Jerusalem… For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas [Peter] and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. - Galatians 2:1-2, 8-9

By the time Revelation is written John is in exile on the Island of Patmos. His home, Israel, where he was born and raised and did much of his life’s work as an apostle, has been turned into desolation by war, the Temple and Jerusalem are destroyed, and Paul, Peter, and a great deal of the Church were horrifically slain.

The Major NT Events happening immediately after Acts ends:

What’s fascinating is that when we talk about the New Testament Church, we often don’t talk about a period of by far the most game-changing, mega-important, events the New Testament Church experienced. It’s understandable because these most important events to the NT Church all happened literally exactly when the book of Acts ends. Because of this, the major events are not spelled out for us like they are in Acts. We only have responses to them, which assume the audience is more than aware of these events which changed everyone’s reality as a body.

Among the books responding are 1st and 2nd Peter, Acts through foreshadowing, 2nd Timothy, somewhat in John’s Gospel, Hebrews, but maybe most of all, Revelation.

The entire book of Acts covers the history of the Church through Peter’s witness in the first half and Paul’s witness for the rest. But the book of Acts