Tuesday Night Rev Bible Study
October 16 – First Night – Recap / Background and Setting
Since we are going to meet every other Tuesday, and some
folks will be traveling or not able to attend, I thought this blog format might
be a good way to keep notes and recap the night’s discussion so that if someone
can’t make it, they won’t feel lost. Also, with a blog we can post comments, so
if someone has a question everyone can see the thread. If you feel that this
might be helpful to someone outside the group that meets at Leah and Jon’s
regularly, feel free to give them the link to the blog. The format will be:
1.
Housecleaning Notes - things pertaining to Tuesday night at Leah
and Jon’s
2.
Recap of the night’s discussion
3.
Chapter specifics
4.
Questions and homework for the next meeting
night
Housecleaning:
We will not be signing up to bring snacks this time around
(but if someone wants to bring snacks, no one will stop them). Coffee will be
available. We will go from 6:30PM to 7:45PM. At 7:45PM we will finish so people
with kiddos can get them home. If someone has further questions, we can discuss
for a few minutes afterward, but it will be informal. We will begin with prayer
requests and then move on to the study.
Recap of questions from Tuesday, October 16:
7. What do you
hope to learn about the last book of the Bible?
Group Answers: Understand the book better so that if events unfold (like the Antichrist
coming into power for example), we will not be duped, but understand events as they relate
to Bible. Others just want to gain a better understanding of the book. Some like the book
already, but it will be fun to have a refresher.
5. What
do you think the future holds for you in the next 6months?
Group Answers: Some are going on vacation to Hawaii. Some think things will remain pretty much the same. We might have a new President.
Could be a terrorist act, or some other catastrophic event that occurs in the next 6 months. In 6 months a ton can change, we really don’t know what can or will
happen. We can make plans, but at the same time life can change on a dime.
6. Are
there any books, movies that caused you to dwell on the end of the world, maybe
even to the point of nightmares?
Group Answers: Some saw ‘The Day After’ in the early 80’s about nuclear
war, and have continued to have dreams that relate to that movie. The History
channel loves to feature documentaries on end of the world stuff. What is the
fascination?
4. As we approach
the Mayan 2012 doomsday scenario...does the end of the world feel immediate, or
does it feel like way off in the future?
Group Answers:
Some think of how easily the financial systems we have
in place could collapse. Others think it could go either way, but that things
aren’t in place for the end to happen immediately. Some had not heard about the
Mayan date, 12/23/2012, most think that it is not a big deal.
3.For some, the Book of Revelation can seem scary. Why do
you think that is?
Group Answers:
Some think that the book is the opposite of scary,
that it actually confirms that God wins, or prevails, and those that put their
trust in Him don’t have to worry. Some thought that because of the imagery in
the book it makes it intimidating to read, and consequently what you don’t know
fully, can be scary. Others made the point that some of the things, especially
as they relate to ‘monsters / beasts’ in the book, can make it scary.
2. If you were born in the 1700's and somehow were able
to travel in time to now, would it be easy or difficult to explain what you saw
and experienced once you made it back to the 1700's?
Group Answers:
It would be difficult. Our clothing is different, our
norms are different – same sex relationships, birth control….if they had to
visit a high school they might have a heart attack.J Also, how would they
explain things like cars, cell phones, television, nuclear power plants,
electricity… the words they would have had available in the 1700’s are limited
in that they cannot really convey precisely those things. They would have to
attempt to bridge words together that relate, but in reality it would take
quite a bit of creativity to do a good job. Also, in the 1700’s, scientific
ideas of fact differed from what we know today…for example click on the link
below.
So not only do cultural norms differ greatly from now to then, but trying to
explain in the 1700's how we can measure the universe would be like trying to talk them out
of the notion that the world is not flat… This
question is important because if the Apostle John did travel into the future
and witness the events that he wrote about, it would actually make sense for the book to be somewhat confusing
as he was trying to convey words for things that he did not have, and he
probably didn’t even really have a good understanding about some of the things
he saw.
1. The word 'revelation' comes from the Greek word
'apokalupsis' which means 'an
uncovering, an unveiling, or a disclosure'.
Whether you have been a Christian for years, or you are
still trying to figure out what that means for you, what do you feel like God
has revealed to you, about who He is in the last six months. If you had to paint
a picture for someone of who Jesus is to you, what words would you use?
Group Answers: Some have had a
summer in which they thought their daughter would be traveling oversees, and
now only a completely different tack is on scholarship to go to college in Kansas. They also were
struggling with news that a relatives cancer looked like it was winning the
battle, and unexpectedly got good news that the cancer is now losing the
battle. They have learned that their expectations of how God is going to answer
prayer, isn’t always how you think He will answer them. They have had to learn
flexibility in their relationship with God. Others are learning that sharing
the news about Jesus doesn’t have to be in the way that that they thought it
would have to be done…that it can be done through relationships and can be
introduced as the relationship with others gets closer. That it doesn’t have to happen right away.
Why does our relationship not
feel like things are being revealed about God? Obstacles to God revealing new
aspects of Himself are pride, not caring, thinking you know all there is to
know, doubts. A counselor that I went to, a wise older women, once told me that
when you think you understand God, you end up looking across the street and
seeing Him there unexpectedly. Sometimes God reveals Himself in ways we are not
ready for, or expect.
Background and Setting
for book of Revelation:
Author: Apostle
John - “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.” (NIV, Rev. 1:9)
There is a great body of early
church tradition that identifies the author as being John the Apostle and also associating John the Apostle with an
exile on Patmos. According to Hippolytus
(170-236 A.D.), John was banished by Domitian to the Isle of Patmos, and later
died in Ephesus (one of the 7 churches referenced in Revelation): “John, again, in Asia, was banished by Domitian the king to the isle
of Patmos, in which also he wrote his Gospel and saw the apocalyptic vision;
and in Trajan’s time he fell asleep at Ephesus, where his remains were sought
for, but could not be found.”
Eusebius (c. 260 - c. 340 A.D.;
Bishop of Caeserea), author of Ecclesiastic History in 325 A.D.,
records:
“...Asia to John,
who, after he had lived some time there, died at Ephesus.” (Book 3, Chapter 1)
“IT is said that in
this persecution [Domitian] the apostle and evangelist John, who was still
alive, was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos
in consequence of his testimony to the divine word.” (Book 3, Chapter 17)
Eusebius also records that John
outlived Domitian:
“AT that time the
apostle and evangelist John, the one whom Jesus loved, was still living in
Asia, and governing the churches of that region, having returned after the
death of Domitian from his exile on the island... *Irenaeus+ in the second book
of his work Against Heresies, writes as follows: ‘And all the elders that
associated with John the disciple of the Lord in Asia bear witness that John
delivered it to them. For he remained among them until the time of Trajan.’” (Book 3, Chapter 23)
Given that the emperor Domitian began his rule in 81 A.D.,
and died in 96 A.D., is it possible that John the Apostle could have still been
alive by 96 A.D.? If John was in his late teens at the time of the death of
Jesus in c. 30 A.D, he would have been in his 80s or 90s when he died.
Certainly a reasonable possibility, and what most early church fathers record.
Date
85A.D.
– 95A.D.
Most
scholars put the date of the writing of Revelation at the end of the reign of
Roman Emperor Domitian (95/96 A.D.) Early Church Father Iranaeus reported that
it had been written during the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.). Some scholars
think it could have been as early as Nero's reign (68 A.D.), based on a literal
interpretation of Rev. 11:1-2 (Jerusalem
was destroyed in 70 A.D.)
I
lean towards 90 – 95A.D. – making it the last written book of the New
Testament.
Historical Timeline
Roman Emperors of the
Latter 1st Century
Nero - 54 -
69A.D.
Vespasian -
69-79A.D.
Titus -
79-91A.D.
Domitian -
91-96A.D.
Nerva -
96-98A.D.
Trajan -
98-117A.D.
Most
people have heard of Nero, who burned down Rome
and put blame upon the Christians living in Rome. Historically, Nero is associated with
his unusually cruel treatment of those early first Christians in the Roman
Coliseum, and the idea of ‘feeding the Christians to the lions.” comes about
during his reign. However, while the other names might not be as recognizable,
they all, especially the Roman Emperor Domitian, play an integral role during
the writing of the book of Revelation.
The above link explores in greater detail the impact of Rome, and the effect that
Roman rule had upon those Christians during the time that John wrote the book
of Revelation.
During John’s exile on the small Greek island of Patmos,
the emperor Domitian instituted Cesar worship. This meant that anyone living in
any of the provinces of Rome,
had to publicly make a declaration by burning incense, and saying aloud
that Cesar ‘was lord’. This insured that all Roman citizens were loyal to Rome, and allowed those citizens to enjoy the protection
of Rome, as
well as the ability to trade, sell and earn a living under Roman rule. From a
Roman perspective this was simply a way to get all of it’s citizens to ‘declare
allegiance’ to Rome,
and to no other nation or for that matter ideology that would be contrary to Roman
rule. Once these citizens did this public declaration they were fine to go back
to worship of any deity, or gods that they so chose. The majority of Roman
citizens did this as a matter of course for living as a Roman citizen, it
wasn’t akin to denying one’s faith in their god or gods. However, for the
Christians this ‘symbolic act’ could not be performed, and when those
Christians failed to take part in Cesar worship, they had their goods taken,
and many like the Apostle John were either exiled or put into slavery, or
killed. Understandably, many could not understand the Christian need to not be
under the ‘system’ of Roman rule, that they would risk losing all in refusing
to declare Cesar lord, was a powerful witness to many unbelieving individuals
of that time period.
In addition to the pressures that these early Christians faced from
outside the church, they also faced threats from inside the church. Some
Christians began to deny that Christ was fully human and fully God, and other
Biblical dogma causing many to question the basic tenets of Christianity. The
book of Revelation deals with this problem directly, and in the first few
chapters singles this issue out.
Major Interpretation Methods for Understanding Revelation
How
one is supposed to interpret the Bible has been a subject of controversy since
the Apostles penned the first Gospels. This is especially true of the last book
of the Bible, the book of Revelation. How one interprets Revelation often
reflects on one’s personal theological and even political views.
Interpretations range from “it’s all metaphor” to “it’s a blueprint for the
future”. Major theories would include:
1. Preterist
- The prophecies and events described are concerned only with events in John's
day, and have no bearing on today or the future. In this view, Revelation is
more about 1st century Roman persecution of Christians (Nero, etc.) than it is
about anything else.
2. Historical
- Revelation is a
description (and preview) of history from John's time to the end of the world.
In this view, it is possible to identify in Revelation major historical events
that have already occurred.
3. Futurist
/ Literal - Revelation is a
description of events that will occur in the “end times”, or at the end of the
world. Thus, none of the events after Chapter Three have yet occurred. This was
the view of many in early church, and also of many modern day Evangelicals.
4.
Spiritual / Allegorical
- Revelation is a
metaphor or an allegory for the ultimate triumph of God over Satan.
The
book of Revelation has many more similarities to books in the Old Testament, rather
than the books of the New Testament. The books of Isaiah, Daniel,
Zechariah and others in the O.T., all have various degrees of written information that point to events that the author predicted, and then came to pass. They accurately predicted
future events, especially as they related to the person of Jesus Christ. In his book "The New Evidence That Demands A
Verdict", Josh McDowell says:- “The
Old Testament contains over three hundred references to the Messiah that were
fulfilled in Jesus.”
While most have read or heard
about the many Old Testament prophecies that Jesus Christ fulfilled in His
birth, death and resurrection, few understand how literal those prophecies were
fulfilled. In the book of Zechariah in the O.T., a messianic prophecy is given
through this verse “Rejoice
greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and
victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9. The majority of Old Testament scholars that read this prophecy
in Zechariah before the arrival of Christ, thought that this was symbolic. That
the prophecy painted a picture of the future Messiah, in that He would be
humble, gentle, etc…there were those that felt this would be fulfilled
literally, and reading Matthew’s gospel account in chapter 21 verses 1- 11, we
see that this was fulfilled to the letter. This is important for us today. We
can know for certain that the O.T. prophecies found literal fulfillment in
Christ, the logic is to then think that the prophecies still yet to be
fulfilled, will also be fulfilled literally. God is not the author of
confusion, Satan is. Many during the time of Christ missed the boat on
recognizing that He was the Jewish Messiah, because they failed to understand
that the Old Testament prophecies needed to be read as a future, literal
fulfillment.As you read through the book of Revelation, try to keep in mind that the O.T. prophecies about Christ were fulfilled literally...and those scholars during Christ's first advent obviously failed to recognize Him, though they were experts in the law and scriptures.
Questions / Reading
Assignment for Next Group -Revelation Chapter 1
1. Is the first verse in chapter one
implying that it will be a revelation about Jesus Christ, or a revelation from
Jesus Christ?
2. Why do you think there is a promise
of blessing at the beginning of the book in chapter 1?
3. During the time period (90 – 95A.D.) that
John wrote the book of Revelation, it was common practice for the Gospels, and letters
in the New Testament to be read aloud for all of the congregation to hear. When
this book was first read aloud, what type of reaction do you think it got from
the listeners just after the first few verses?
4. What is the difference between
hearing something, and taking it to heart?
5. What do we learn about Jesus in
chapter one?
6. Is this book only intended for 7
churches, why or why not?
7. What
day did John receive the vision, and is it important?
8. A
popular song asks the question - what
would someone do when they came face to face with Jesus Christ in Heaven. The author of
the song is curious if he will fall down on his knees, or dance. After reading
chapter one, what do you think is the answer?
9. What
was confusing about the chapter, what was easy to understand?
