Well, having only taught the book of Revelation, it is never been a book that I have ever preached through before. There have been so many different interpretations through the ages, positions that people take, which have divided believers and caused many to have very negative emotions. back in the 1970s when Hal Lindsey wrote, The Late Great Planet Earth, it revived a worldwide interest in biblical end time prophecy known as eschatology. A few years after its release, I was being mentored by a pastor who had previously served on staff of Campus Crusade for Christ with Hal Lindsey. But I noticed that Gene did not share an interest in eschatology with Lindsey. And one day I asked him why this was. Gene's answer was, there is too much of the Bible that is clear. and that it needs to be proclaimed and followed. Why venture into an area of so much guesswork? I'm too busy with what I know the Bible teaches to concern myself with end time matters, which may or we may not fully understand. Now, perhaps my early mentor's influence had predisposed me from preaching through this book. But as I have studied many other sources in the years to follow beyond the late great planet Earth, and as I look around at our world today, I believe that the message of this book is needed now more than ever. Recent Russian aggression, North Korea's muscle flexing, China's military expansion into the South Pacific as they grab more and more islands and militarize them. Iran's disregard for agreements and treaties. Worldwide Islamic terrorism. Court decisions right here in the United States that deny religious freedoms of born again Christians. An election primary season unlike any ever seen before. And a culture that increasingly sees our faith as contemptible and Christians as a public enemy. And much, much more. All of this shouts to me that we have abundant need for revelation's message. You see, Revelation's message is not at all uncertain. God has given us the book of Revelation so that we can know him in his glorious justice and mercy and live worshipfully by faith. I've given the title to this new series, which may take a few years, Living Faith in a Hostile World. We progressively face the same kind of hostile environment that the original readers of Revelation faced. John wrote Revelation about A.D. 95 during the reign of Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Domatian. First century Roman historian Suetonius and others have preserved for us a rather consistent picture of the emperor Titus Flavius Domitian, who lived from 51 AD to 96 AD. Suetonius wrote that he made himself free with the wives of many men. And that he even went so far as to marry Domitia Longina, who was at that time the wife of Aelius Lemia. Suetonius also relates that when his brother Titus was seized with a dangerous illness, Domitian ordered that he be left for dead before he actually had drawn his last breath. When Cornelia, a woman of his court, was found guilty of having a lover, Domitian had her buried alive. He seduced his niece, who was married and eventually became the cause of her death by compelling her to get rid of a child of his by abortion. Domitian was a moral catastrophe of a man. And he was also physically unimpressive. There's an account of him vigorously scratching a festered wart on his forehead and drawing blood. He's described as being sensitive about his baldness and having a protruding belly and spindling legs. This weak and wicked Caesar insisted on being addressed as Lord and God. Dominus et tu Deus. Now perhaps you've been concerned about the prospects of our nation's next leader. I know I have. But I don't think that we have quite stooped so far down. Almost. And maybe it is where we are headed. But the Roman Caesars were pictures of absolute human depravity. Imagine living in a world ruled by a man who would leave his brother to die, seduce his own niece, kill people who simply made jokes about him, and then demand to be addressed as Lord and God. The early church father, Arrhenius, tells us that Domitian had jailed the apostle John, and had banished him to the island of Patmos, where John wrote the book of Revelation. It was toward the end of Domitian's reign. Christians were facing severe persecution around the Roman empire, and it was all unleashed by Domitian. Now persecuted people are not normally inclined to feel that God has blessed them. persecuted people are not normally inclined to praise God. But God had John write Revelation to induce his blessed and persecuted people to praise him. It gives us great reason to do so. The churches that received the book of Revelation needed to know how God had blessed them, because by the world's standards, it didn't seem like they were blessed. We too need to know God has blessed us. At this point in our experience, most of us are probably not facing exile like John experienced. And while the news media only shows Christians being martyred for their faith today in other countries, most of us are not facing the threat of being killed for our faith, not yet. But this does not mean that we face no persecution for our faith. Have you ever had family members resent your presence, even if you haven't said anything because they know what you believe? Have you ever been accused of being judgmental? Have you ever been called narrow-minded, arrogant, self-righteous, intolerant, bigoted, unenlightened, because you believe that the only way to be right with God is to trust in Jesus Christ? Even if these mild forms of persecution have not resulted in exile or physical violence, Our culture communicates to us that our Christian values and morals will not be tolerated. Now, the original audience that John wrote to was being wooed toward lives of compromise to soften their persecution. And although Christians in today's world often face different types of persecution, the basic temptation is there for us to succumb to the world's pressure that we would compromise to soften persecution. When we face such persecution and temptation, Christ's revelation to us can put everything back into perspective. No matter how difficult our situation, Revelation announces that God is still in control and he will conclude this stage of history the way that he has promised. He often provides happy endings to our individual trials, but even when God does not, we have the assurance that a time is coming when everything will be as it should be. precisely because Christ rules history. He can assure us of its outcome. The Bible is one book from the first book to the last. Genesis is completed by the book of Revelation though. Tangled threads of the Bible history flow into revelation like the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In Genesis, we find the entrance of sin and the curse. In Revelation, it's end. In Genesis, we find the dawn of Satan and his activities and his doom in Revelation. In Genesis, the tree of life is relinquished, and in Revelation, it's regained. In Genesis, death makes its entrance, and in Revelation, its exit. Genesis records the beginning of sorrow, and in Revelation, it is banished. Genesis records the commencement of prophecy, and Revelation records its consummation. The book of Revelation does not provide a lot of new information. Instead, it takes about 500 prophecies that are scattered throughout the Old Testament. Genesis only starts it off. This book catches up and weaves together the Bible's lines of prophetic revelation. This book is the capstone of all prophecy in the Bible. Revelation puts it in a chronological order so that we have a sequence of the events. It gives us a framework for all the prophecies. Now the study that we begin today, living faith in a hostile world, will use Revelation as our base. But we will be all over the Old Testament. This will be a study where you and I will get to know our Old Testament. as well as the very last book of the Bible, Revelation. That's another reason why this study may take a few years of Sunday mornings. Many people have said that they're afraid of Revelation because it speaks of the future. Let me say that we are not to fear the book of Revelation. We are not to avoid it, ignore it, belittle it, or dread it. We're to embrace it. study it and be blessed by it and warn the lost of what it contains. Revelation is the record of the ninth inning or the fourth quarter of world history. And it shows us that Jesus wins and Satan loses. I am convinced that we are today in the ninth inning. And for this reason, it's true, this should motivate us as believers to live our lives for Jesus Christ until he returns. Or we go home to heaven. One more thing before we turn to our opening verses of this book. I'd like to try to answer a question that many may have. Why did John use symbolism? If he wanted to be encouraging the saints who were suffering, wouldn't it have been better to write more plainly in a manner that leaves no confusion? Well, for one thing, this kind of spiritual code is understood only by those who know Christ personally. If any Roman officers had tried to use revelation as evidence against the Christians of the first century, The book would have been a puzzle and an enigma to them. So there was a practical reason for doing it. But even a greater reason is that symbolism is not weakened by time. John was able to draw on the great images in God's revelation and assemble them into an exciting drama that has encouraged persecuted and suffering saints for centuries. However, you must not conclude that John's use of symbolism indicates that the events described here are not real. They are real. There's a third reason why John uses symbols, not only to convey information, but also to impart values and arouse emotions. John could have written, a dictator will rule the world, but instead he describes a beast. The symbol says more than the mere title of dictator. Instead of explaining the world system, John simply introduces Babylon the great and contrast is also Satan's harlot with Christ's bride. In understanding John's symbolism, however, we must be careful not to allow our imaginations to run wild. Biblical symbols are consistent with the whole of biblical revelation. Some symbols are explained in close proximity to their use here in Revelation, such as in Revelation 120, 4-5, and 5-8. Others are to be understood from Old Testament symbolism. Several examples we will see of that, but there are a few symbols that are not explained at all, like the white stone in Revelation 2.17. So to the best of our ability, we will anchor our interpretations to what God has already revealed in order to minimize misinterpretations of this important prophetic book. Now let's get started. We're not going to get far today, perhaps only in the first eight verses, but we have more than enough for us to chew on. So let's look at the opening verse, Revelation 1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants, the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant, John. Well, first of all, please notice that the title of this book is Revelation, singular, not plural, Revelations. The word revelation comes from the Latin re, meaning back, and vellum, meaning veil covering. It means to pull back the veil or to uncover. The Greek word apokalupsis, it means unveil, to lay bare, to expose. In revelation, the veil is pulled back and we see that which has been hidden up until now. If you will notice, please, that it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Many Bibles will, I think, wrongfully put in the title there, the revelation of John. No, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's all about Jesus. In the revelation, we can see his person, his plan, his purpose, his promise, his priorities, and his power. Now the message to Daniel in the Old Testament during the time of Babylon, when Babylon was flourishing, was this, Daniel 12.4, but you Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. The prophecies of Daniel were sealed, but praise God, he has now pulled back the veil and revealed the plan of the future. Compare what God told Daniel with what he told John, and it is the exact opposite in Revelation 22.10. And he said to me, do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. It is not intended that this book be mysterious or confusing. to the servants of Christ, but illuminating and revealing. God wants his bondservants to understand what this book is about and what we have to look forward to. And what is the destiny of unsaved men and women? It's an open book. in which God reveals his plans and purposes to his servants. The revelation is to be shown to particular people. The word servants here in verse one refers to believers. Referring to believers as servants gives us a lesson here on revelation and submission. Those who submit to Jesus Christ will receive and perceive revelation. The message of revelation is for God's servants and not to unsaved man. The unsaved cannot fully understand this book because it is revealed to his servants to show them his plan. First Corinthians 2.14 says, a natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God for they are folly to him and is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Eight times in the book of Revelation, we find the admonition, he that has an ear, let him hear. It takes the dedicated ear of a willing bondservant of Jesus Christ to understand the truths that are set forth in this book. The first one in the English Standard Version, which I was reading from here, refers to the things which soon must take place, it says. And perhaps a better translation, though, would be the things which must shortly or quickly take place. The word in the ESV translated as soon is the Greek word entaki, which Forms are English word tachometer. A tachometer is an instrument that is used to measure speed or velocity. And the Greek word entaki indicates swiftness. The events of this book will come to pass swiftly once they get started. And so this is a statement, not so much about when the events will occur, but how they will occur. They will occur very speedily. It's a warning that the divine judgment will come so fast that the sinner will not have time to repent. And therefore we need to be ready always. Verses two and three. who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even 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 keep what is written in it for the time is near. John intends this book to produce a radical change of perspective. He intends persecuted believers to feel the reality that we are blessed in spite of the fact that we may be at odds with our reigning culture. And in spite of the hostility against us, we are blessed. But this pronouncement of blessing means more than just that. God has promised a special blessing to those who read, who hear, and who keep its inspired truths. Now, if God promises a blessing to those who read, who hear, and who keep its words, then can you imagine how cruel it would be if it was not understandable? It simply must be comprehensible. And it's a sad thing that many of God's people know little or nothing of the Revelation and have such little motivation for even trying. Revelation is the only book in the Bible that both opens and closes with a promised blessing for those who read it and keep it. It ends with Revelation 22, seven, which says, Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Now the word for keep, blessed is the one who keeps the word of this prophecy means to watch. After reading and listening to the book of revelation, the believer should have a longing for the return of the Messiah. Those believers who love and look for his return are promised a special crown, which we will discuss later in the study of this book when we come to it. But for now, please notice that number one, there is a promise, special blessing. Number two, it is attached to the study of the book of Revelation. And three, it is a conditional blessing. The condition is that we allow it to develop in us a longing for Christ's return. Verse four. John, to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. Now the author is the Apostle John and his original audience was the seven churches that are in Asia. The seven churches. Now the region that was in John's day known as Asia had more than seven churches. But what John used here and will continue to use is prefaced with the definite article, the. There's something very specific that he is trying for us to catch onto here. The church at Colossae to whom Paul wrote the book of Colossians was located in Asia. but it is not one of the seven churches that he addresses specifically in chapters two and three when he names them. Another one was Troy. That's where Paul spent some time during his missionary travels. We saw in the book of Acts as we were studying it together. These were significant churches. And by the time that revelation was written, there were more than seven churches that John addressed in his letter. Why does John only address seven churches on the Asian province and mention them specifically in chapters two and three and refer to them as the seven churches? And then after he finished addressing each one of these seven churches, specifically in chapters two and three, after at the conclusion of each of them, he always wrote, he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Now it's not the seven churches, but simply the churches. I'm convinced that John wrote to seven specific churches in Asia who faced contemporary situations at the time that he wrote this letter from the island of Patmos. But their contemporary situations also characterize seven definite periods of church history. From the time of Pentecost, when the church was born the time when the rapture will happen and the church is taken up. The things that were happening in those seven churches perfectly correspond with what would be occurring in seven distinct historical eras of the church here on earth. We'll see when we come to chapters two and three of Revelation, how the situations that John wrote about match and parallel in perfect sequence seven distinct periods of church history. And just wait till you see how perfectly the last situation, the final church, which represents the final period before the rapture, matches the church age that we are living in right now. So chapters two and three are about the church on earth through the ages. Revelation is intended for Christ's church on earth until we are taken up in glory at the rapture. The number seven is important in this book because it signifies fullness and completeness. The complete church, the seven churches. In Revelation, you will find seven seals, Revelation 5.1. Seven trumpets, Revelation 8.6. Seven vials, Revelation 16.1. Seven stars, Revelation 1.16. And seven lampstands, Revelation 1.12 and 20. In this very same verse right here, we're looking at Revelation 1. where we see the seven churches. The number seven is used twice. At the end of this verse, it's used again by the Holy Spirit being referred to as the seven spirits. Isaiah 11, two also mentioned seven spirits. In the Bible, interpreters say this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. When Zechariah used a seven lamp candelabra in Zechariah four, verses two and six, It is also seen as a reference to the Holy Spirit. Seven is symbolic for fullness and completeness in Revelation and throughout the Old Testament. So from Revelation 1.4, we learn that John wrote Revelation to the church in its completeness through the ages. offering grace and peace from God the Father, who is referred to him who is, who was, and who is to come. And from the Holy Spirit, we see that in the seven spirits that are mentioned here. And in verse five, from Jesus Christ. Verse five. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings on earth. John comforts his persecuted readers with the truth that Jesus has triumphed over death, firstborn from the dead, and that he is sovereign over all earthly powers, even Caesar, since he is the ruler of all the kings on earth. And he has made us a kingdom of priests. Look at that in verse six. and made us a kingdom priests to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. After God had redeemed Israel from Egypt, he called them a kingdom of priests in Exodus 19, six, thus indicating that all of them were holy to him. And all of them had a special task to do with men on earth. Look what Peter wrote in his letter, 1 Peter 2.9, Peter says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his light. If you're saved, you're a priest in God's eyes. Now this points to two things Christians are to do. First, Christians are to serve and worship God. And second, we mediate the knowledge of God to others. We proclaim the saving good news. Are you living like a priest? Worshipping God and helping others to know God? Does your life announce the glory that belongs to Jesus Christ? Are you telling others that Jesus is coming back? Verse seven. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so, amen. Jesus is coming. The coming of Christ will be in two stages. His first coming will be better called His appearing. He'll appear in the clouds, in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15.52 tells us, like a thief in the night, 1 Thessalonians 5.2, It will happen with such great rapidity that many will not know what has happened. Only the saved will honestly understand and experience that miraculous event. That's the next event in prophecy to occur. The clouds which attend his coming are symbols of his glory and his majesty. Just as we have seen many times in the older Testament, like when the clouds filled the temple in Isaiah chapter six and the cloud that led the Israelites through the desert. Jesus is going to come and get his church, his bride, every true believer who knows the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you be taken from this earth? After this, the rapture, there'll be a period of seven years of tribulation. At the close of the seven year period of time, Jesus will come back again. Revelation 19 verses 11 through 21 gives a picture of that occasion, which we will discuss in that context. But right now, right here, Revelation 1.7 pertains to that second stage of his second coming, because the verse here in Revelation 1.7 says, every eye will see him. When he appears the first time, this would not be a valid statement, as every eye will not see him. But when he comes at the close of the tribulation, every eye will see him. every knee will bow and every tongue confess." Romans 14, 11. At his second coming, the Jews and all those who inhabit the earth will realize what they did to him on the cross. And they will wail because of this knowledge. The first time the Lord arrived, he was veiled in the body of a little child. When he returns, He will be unveiled and seen as He really is, the Son of God. The first time He came, a star marked His arrival. The second time He comes, the heavens will roll up like a scroll and the stars will fall out of the sky. The first time He came, gifts were brought to Him by wise men and shepherds. When he returns, he will be bringing gifts and rewards with him for his servants. The first time he came, there was no room for him in the inn. When he returns, the whole earth will not be able to contain his glory and majesty. The first time he came, only a few attended his arrival. The next time the Lord comes, every eye will see him. First time he came, he came as a baby. Soon he will return as King of King and Lord of Lords. Verse eight. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. The titles given to God and Revelation 1.8 make it clear that he is certainly able to work out his divine purposes in human history. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. So God is the beginning of all things and he is also at their end. He is the eternal God unlimited by time. We know that what the Lord has begun, he will finish. He's also the Almighty, he can do anything. Almighty is a key name for God in Revelation. This name for God appears at least 48 times in the Old Testament and it's applied to Jesus here. It's a direct claim that Jesus is God. Don't let anyone tell you that your Bible never says Jesus is God. It's the Hebrew word, Shaddai. meaning the sufficient one or the one who satisfies. Shaddai, several scholars believe, was derived from another Hebrew word, Shad. Shad refers to the breast of a nursing mother. The picture is that the Lord is our satisfier and that he is all that we need. He is our encourager and giver of strength. What a comfort to any believer who faces persecution or uncertainty. or disappointment, the whole world is keeping in on you. He is the all sufficient, powerful one. This is the relationship that every believer can have with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to meet every need you and I have if we will let him meet our need. I close this morning as I want to address every believer who understands that God has made you a priest. We all know what took place on September 11th, 2001, 19 terrorists, four planes, two towers of the World Trade Center. What if you had known? But all of that with absolute certainty on September 10th, 2011. What if you had gotten information on the afternoon of September 10th, 2001 about what was going to happen the next morning? What if your wife or your son or your mother or your brother-in-law was going to be on one of those planes? Would you not do absolutely everything in your power to use the information you had received to help people avoid the fiery destruction that was coming? What would your life look like if you made use of what God has revealed about what is to come? Something is going to happen that is infinitely worse than 9-11, eternally worse. judgment of God. As we begin this series, let's ask the Lord to use this book to fire us with the same urgency we would have if it were September 10th, 2001, and we had just learned what was going to happen the next morning. You would not rest with this information. So may it be. with this information. Amen. Let's pray.