Part 1 of 7
A CHAPTER STUDY OF THE BOOK OF
REVELATION
CONTENTS:
01…God's Great Disclosure of Himself
02…Christ's Message to the Seven Churches
03…The Open Door into Heaven 04…The
Significance of the Sealed Book 05…The Four
Horsemen 06…Who Are the 144,000?
07…Accumulated Woes upon Earth 08…The
Open Book 09…The New Temple and the Two
Witnesses 10…The Woman and the Dragon
11…The Mysterious Beast 12…What Does the
Image of the Beast Mean? 13…Victory and
Judgment 14…The Battle of Armageddon
15…The Judgment of Mystery Babylon
16…The Final Fall and Ruin of Babylon
17…The Hallelujah Chorus in Heaven
18…The Scriptural Millennium 19…The
Great White Throne Judgment 20…The New
Jerusalem 21…The Water of Life
FOREWARD...
WHAT IS MEANT by
the two Resurrections? Will there really be a
Battle of Armageddon? What is Armageddon? Will
Jesus come to earth again? When is He coming?
What will be the signs of His coming? Is there
going to be such a thing as the Rapture of the
Church? ... These and many other prophetic
questions are being asked today by many people
from all different religious beliefs.
On most bookstore
shelves you can find books that attempt to
answer these questions with an apparent
disregard for the authority of the scriptures.
There are many films that can be seen, that have
been produced in order to convince people of
their own particular prophetic persuasion. Most
of these books and films have been an
exploitation, bordering on sensationalism,
preying upon a gullible religious market that is
not at all sure of what it all means...
Questions pertaining to subjects as important as
these need to have, yea demand, a sound
scriptural answer based on the complete Word of
God, not just a few isolated verses that tend
toward the sensational.
I believe that,
with a sound mind, a keen desire to know the
truth and with the Holy Spirit as our Divine
Illuminator, we can know the truth in regard to
the aforementioned questions and many more like
them.
It is toward the
fulfillment of this desire that I commend the
contents of this book to all who would read it
and study it. It will help you to better
understand many of the so-called mysteries of
the Book of Revelation and gain new and
wonderful truths concerning Jesus Christ and the
Kingdom of God.
Knowing the
author of this book, Dr. H.C. Heffren, and
having read many of his other writings
concerning prophetic subjects, I know this book
will be a great tool to assist you in answering
many of your questions.
May God bless you
as you read these pages.
Rev. Delmar D.
Holbrook…Church of God at Camrose, Alberta
Canada ( Pastor )
INTRODUCTION
The Book of
Revelation has been much maligned and for the
most part shunned because of its employment of
imagery and symbols that are difficult to
understand. Although hundreds of books have been
written about Revelation, it would be safe to
say that no two are identical. In this volume we
will try to adhere to a few pertinent facts, and
abstain as much as possible from speculative
language and dogmatism.
We take some
consolation in applying ourselves to the message
in Revelation, for it is the only book that
offers a blessing upon both the readers and the
ones who listen to the message (Rev. 1:2). It is
primarily a book to reveal Jesus Christ to
everyone (Rev. 1:1). Revelation is the English
equivalent for the Greek word, apocalypse,
meaning to unveil or disclose. Christ is both
the Revealed One and also the Revealer.
Significantly,
Christ is revealed as the Light of the World. He
is manifested as Light all through Revelation.
Attempts have been made from time to time to
identify some manifestation of Light with a
particular event or church in history, and
associate it with some specific date. God has
manifested His truth to the world in various
degrees and in different ways (Heb. 1: 1,2), but
in Matthew 4:15,16, we read, "The land of
Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the
sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the
Gentiles-the people living in darkness have seen
a great light; on those living in the land of
the shadow of death a light has dawned." Christ
is pictured in the midst of the candlesticks,
not only giving the light but sharing the light
with the churches.
The language used
in Revelation is symbolic as stated in
Revelation 1: I b, "And He (Christ) sent and
signified it by His angel unto His servant
John." The reason Christ spoke in symbols is
that the fires of persecution were already
beginning to wreak havoc and torture for
believers. John was exiled to Patmos. Much of
inspired prophecy is written in symbols, and is
so written to convey encouragement to the
believers and at the same time to escape the
wrath of the pagans who saw no threat to their
government if the message were interpreted
literally. Thus, Christ with a sword for a
tongue was futile to oppose, but with the Word
of God and a message of salvation as His weapon,
the sword of His mouth is a potent weapon.
Numerals are
frequently used in Revelation. The number seven
is used 54 times. Reference is made to seven
spirits, seven churches, seven heads on the
beast, etc. Seven is a combination of three and
four, the number of God plus the number of
creation. It is a complete number, and while it
refers to seven churches, it includes all the
churches. Where it says seven spirits, it means
the totality of the Spirit of God. It reveals a
very close relationship between Christ and the
Church.
Observe too, the
close resemblance in characteristics between the
dragon, the beast, the harlot and the dragon in
chapter 20. In chapter 12 the fearsome dragon
has seven heads and ten horns, but the crowns
are on the heads. In chapter 13 we are
introduced to a beast rising out of the sea. The
beast also has seven heads and ten horns, but
the crowns are on the horns. The dragon gives
the beast his seat and great authority.
When we turn to
chapter 17, we find the same beast with seven
heads and ten horns, but a scarlet-clothed woman
is astride it. The identity of this combination
is told in detail. The sea that is mentioned is
said to represent people, nations, multitudes
and tongues. The sea represents people in
turmoil and unrest. Once more we are introduced
to the seven heads, but they are explained as
representing the seven hills or mountains on
which the woman sits. It is a well-known fact
that Rome is located on seven hills. In the
National Encyclopedia (Colliers), we read, "The
Seven Hills of Rome which the city occupied in
the 6th century ... can be identified today"
(Vol. 8, p. 528).
Not only was Rome
located on seven hills, but it was ruled by
seven different forms of government during its
long history of political supremacy. Revelation
17: 10 describes this as follows: "And there are
seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and
the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,
he must continue a short space." Revelation 17
continues its historical portrayal of events. In
Revelation 17:12, we read, "And the ten horns
which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as
kings one hour with the beast. These have one
mind, and shall give their power and strength to
the beast."
History records
that when Rome fell, it disintegrated into ten
different kingdoms, which eventually became
merged into what is known as the Holy Roman
Empire, a federation that owed allegiance to the
Pope in Rome, thus they had one mind with the
beast. When John wrote the Revelation, these
kings were not yet in existence, but history
records the fact that they have long since moved
across the panorama of time and have passed into
oblivion.
Thus we see a
seven-headed dragon with crowns on its heads
symbolizing pagan Rome, ready to devour the
infant Church. Next we see a seven-headed beast
with ten crowns on its horns, but with the same
opposition to the Cause of Christ typifying the
temporal government of Rome during the rise of
the Papacy. Following that, we find the
scarlet-gowned harlot, the woman indicating the
religious power and authority in close
association with the beast, the temporal
authority. A harlot indicates the breaking of
wedlock and not being true to the marriage vows,
thus not the true Bride of Christ, but one who
dispenses her favors to the kings of the earth
for political advantage. Hence, we see in
Revelation 17:18, "And the woman which thou
sawest is that great city, which reigneth over
the kings of the earth." Thus Revelation 17
gives a detailed explanation of what the heads
and horns and the woman symbolize.
In Revelation 20
we have the final appearance of the Dragon. He
is devoid of his seven heads and ten horns, and
is also without the domination of the
scarlet-covered harlot woman. The prevailing
emphasis is that the Cause of Christ must
ultimately conquer. The white horse that went
forth conquering and to conquer in chapter 6 now
is victorious in chapter 19. The battle and the
struggle is a spiritual encounter ending in
complete victory to the King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. One cannot help but notice how John
the Revelator pauses at frequent intervals to
voice the praises and adulation of the victors
who exclaim their adoration constantly to God.
Heaven's throne is not abdicated and there is
never a time when God is not in full control.
All creation moves in one planned order toward a
final destiny under the government of God that
will vindicate all His actions and glorify all
His results. Revelation goes through many throes
of suffering and sorrow, but it ends in triumph
and everlasting victory. We have the word of
Christ in Revelation 22:16, "1, Jesus, have sent
mine angel to testify unto you these things in
the churches." This is Christ's message to the
Church for all time.
Part One...
Chapter 1
GOD'S GREAT
DISCLOSURE OF HIMSELF
Before we attempt
to explain the teachings that are found in the
Book of Revelation, it may be worth our while to
examine the words that are used to describe it.
First of all, Revelation means "the act of
making known." A second meaning is "a thing made
known." A third meaning is "God's disclosure of
Himself and of His will to His creatures." The
Greek word from which the meaning comes is
apocalypse. This word means "to uncover"; hence
we have Revelation. In many ways, this last Book
in the Bible has presented a puzzle to many
readers, but originally it was not meant to be a
puzzle. It was meant to be a Revelation of Jesus
Christ, and a blessing is pronounced upon both
the readers and the hearers of its message (at
that time, very few people could read). We hope
to have a profitable time in going into the
great truths that are in this Book.
At the outset, we
wish to say that the Book of Revelation is not
written to reveal the future history of mankind.
We think it is a mistake to indulge in date
setting and in forecasting future history. The
danger of this is seen in the fact that almost
all such date setting has been found Unreliable
and the predicted events have not become part of
history. The Book of Revelation is not an
almanac nor an oracle. It is not a weather
forecast of future events. It has a plain
message, which we shall endeavor to portray.
The Bible is the
most wonderful of all books. The Old Testament
begins with the story of Creation. It reveals to
us the Fall of man into sin and God's judgment
because of the Fall. It is interesting that the
last word in the Old Testament in the King James
Version is "curse" and it implies that those who
sinned against God are under the curse of God's
judgment on sin. The opening words of the New
Testament introduce us to the Creator, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Incidently, Jesus Christ is the
first name in the New Testament and it is also
the name of the One who lifts the curse. In Adam
there is the sad record of sin, and in Adam all
die. The New Testament begins with the
generation of Jesus Christ and is the source
from which we derive our hope of eternal life;
in Christ all are made alive. "For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive" (I Cor. 15:22). It is interesting too,
that the first and last name in the New
Testament is Jesus Christ. It is also the first
and last name in the Book of Revelation. The
name of Jesus Christ is first and last. This is
further emphasized in the fact that He is called
the first and the last and also the Alpha and
Omega. The alpha and omega were the first and
last letters of the Greek alphabet and was the
same as saying, "I am the alphabet." The
importance of this claim is the fact that this
alphabet comprehends all that we know and all
that we ever will know. Every book that is
written and everything that is said and
everything that we can possibly know is
comprehended in the alphabet, and what the
alphabet is to literature, Jesus Christ is to
life. He is the beginning and the ending. He is
the One, which is, and which was, and which is
to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8b).
We find the
opening words of the Book of Revelation to be,
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ." We are not
justified in thinking that Revelation is a book
of predicted history, but it is a Revelation of
Jesus Christ. Many people think of prophecy as
an unfolding of future events. Prophecy is not a
prediction, nor is it prognosis, that is, a
forecast of what is likely to happen, a shrewd
guess of future events. Prophesy is a divine
statement of what lies beyond human knowledge
(Deuteronomy 18:22). It should be emphasized
that the Book of Revelation is the Revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show
unto His servants things which must shortly come
to pass. The Book of Revelation is not something
to speculate upon. It is something from which to
discern what God has designed for His followers.
Sometimes one
puzzles at the language in which Revelation is
written. We get some latitude in its application
by the statement that is made in verse one, "and
he sent and signified it by his angel unto his
servant John." The fact that He signified it
shows that it is written in code or in symbols.
The reason for this is that Revelation was
written at a time of severe persecution and
frequent martyrdoms of those who were followers
of Christ. To expose the Roman Empire and its
Emperor in plain language would be to invite
death or inhuman persecutions, so John wrote his
message in symbols. It is quite possible that
the people living in John's time were familiar
enough with all of the symbols to know exactly
what was meant by his use of such illustrations,
but at the present time, we are not familiar
with all of them; therefore, we shall endeavor
to follow what is the plain teaching of
Scripture and leave to the reader the things on
which it is necessary to speculate. After all,
the silences of God are often just as vocal as
when He speaks, and where He does not reveal
Himself clearly, we should tread with reverent
caution and not say more than what is revealed.
We pass on now to
Revelation 1: 12-17, which reads as follows:
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with
me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His
head and his hairs were white like wool, as
white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of
fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if
they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the
sound of many waters. And he had in his right
hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was
as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I
saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid
his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear
not; I am the first and the last." Observe here
that this description is the only description of
Christ in the Bible. It is a description of the
resurrected Christ and it was the manner in
which he appeared to the seven churches in Asia.
In the gospels we do not have a description of
Christ's appearance. We do not know the color of
His hair or how tall He was or what His voice
sounded like or any of His features. All we have
in the gospels is His character and the
description of His Deity, His miracles and His
words. The gospels were written almost
exclusively without using the pronoun "I".
Everything is focused on the person of Christ,
and in the first chapter of Revelation it
Describes the appearance of the resurrected
Christ.
Going back to
verse four we find than words, "John to the
seven churches which are in Asia ... and from
the seven Spirits which are before the
throne..." Here we find the first introduction
to the number seven. It is a perfect number. The
number three signifies the number of God-the
Trinity, and four signifies the number of man,
or creation. Thus seven signifies the complete
number that is representative of the
relationship between God and man. The greeting
indicates that Jesus Christ is the Faithful
Witness-the first begotten of the dead, and the
Prince of the Kings of the earth. Further, its
says, "unto Him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins, in His own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father..."
You will notice that it is revealed to us that
Christ is the Faithful Witness and that we are
saved by being washed from our sins in His
blood. Naturally, we have to take this for what
it means, for actual blood would not wash our
sins away, but the blood of Christ avails for
those who are sinners and estranged from God,
and we are thus cleansed and made ready for
acceptance into the Family of God. Our position
then is as kings and priests, for we are
reigning over sin and we have a priesthood of
believers who are equipped to offer up
sacrifices that are acceptable to God through
Christ (I Peter 2:5).
We should pause
for a moment at verse ten where it says, "I was
in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." It is
worthy of note that John did not say, "I was in
the Spirit on the Sabbath day," rather than the
Lord's day. It is quite beyond dispute that the
early Christians met on Sunday to celebrate the
resurrection day of the Lord. They were no
longer under the types and shadows of the Law,
but they had a new day to honor and exalt their
Savior. In the Old Testament (Exodus 31:16) it
says, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall
keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath
throught their generations, for a perpetual
covenant. " The New Testament begins with, "The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ , the son
of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). A new
generation was begun in Christ and the law and
the prupose of the Sabbath was fulfilled as we
read in Exodus 31:17, "It is a sign between me
and the children of Israel forever; for in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh day he rested and was refreshed." The
sabbathe was given as a sign between God and the
children of Israel to commemorate their
deliverence from Egypt. In the New Testament
under the generation of Chirst, we keep the
Lord's day in commemoration of our deliverance
from sin and the entrance into a new life in
Christ Jesus. We have ceased from our works and
we enter into His rest, as it tells us in
Hebrews 4:10. So the Lord's day that is
mentioned by John indicates that the early
Christians observed this day not as a Sabbath
day of rest, but to commemorate the event ot His
resurrection. We cease from our labors and
participate in His rest.
We are now given
our first introduction into the meaning of the
symbols used. In verse 20 it tells us that the
mystery of the seven stars means the seven
golden candlesticks, and it also says, "the
seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches." The implication
of this explanation is that there are seven,
which does not necessarily indicate the number
seven, but the complete number of the churches
that are under the scrutiny and the government
of Jesus Christ. Some people infer that the
angels of the seven churches are the bishops o
'r pastors who have the oversight of the
churches. It is perhaps not necessary to be too
dogmatic at this point, but the angels are the
ones who are in charge of the various churches
that are designated by John; consequently, it
could mean the ministers who are representing
the will of the Lord in these places.
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