Friday, December 18, 2009

An Annotated Outline of Revelation

Message: God is the Provider and Defender of those are faithful to Jesus.

Chapter 1: Revealing Jesus
John the prophet is given a set of visions, who wrote them down and returned them to the churches in Asia Minor.
Jesus is the great Spirit, God over His people, most powerful of all spirits. And he speaks to his congregations.

Chapters 2-3: Revealing Congregations
Ephesus: Jesus commends them for orthodoxy, but condemns them for their lack of love. Unless they change, they may not be part of the church.

Smyrna: This congregation has been made poor through persecution, but Jesus says that they are rich. Jesus calls them to endure and so be victorious.

Pergamum: Jesus commends them for remaining faithful through persecution. But he condemns some for compromising with idolatry for the sake of employment. Jesus calls them all to remain faithful.

Thyatira: This is an almost perfect church in faithfulness, love and service. However, there is a false teacher, who is saying that compromise with idolatry is good. Those who stay with her will be judged, but those who remain faithful will live.

Sardis: This church has an excellent reputation, but it is built upon nothing. Jesus tells them to do really positive, loving works, not just things that look good. Follow the example of the few who are faithful.

Philadelphia— Jesus commends this persecuted church for remaining with him, even thought their salvation was called into question. Jesus says that their place in heaven will never be lost.

Laodicea—This church is wealthy, and they think that they are self-sufficient. Jesus says that their self-sufficiency is their death and unless they surrender their earthly wealth, they will never have eternal wealth.

Chapter 4: Revealing the Father
God the Father is shown on a throne, his enemies at his feet, surrounded by his promises. The apostles, the patriarchs, and representatives of all the realms of creatures worship Him.

Chapter 5: Initiating the Kingdom
The document initiating the plan to begin the rule of God over the earth is presented. No one is found worthy to begin this process. Then, a warrior who was sacrificed steps forward—Jesus. He is the only one worthy to open the document and to begin the kingdom.

Chapter 6: The Present Age
Jesus initiates the present age of God’s kingdom. It is an age characterized by conquerors, war, famine and death. Throughout this age are many martyrdoms. The martyrs cry out for God’s justice, but they are told to wait until all the martyrs are killed. This age began right after Jesus’ ascension to God to the present time. The end of this age may be indicated by a great earthquake.

Chapter 7: Preparation for the end
Fast forward to a future age. The church has shrunk to only 144,000 people. And there is a great multitude of people who has been killed.

Chapter 8-10: The Little Judgment
God begins to judge the world, but he holds back, only judging one third of the world. He uses plagues that are similar to Egypt’s, so the world will recognize that it is Him doing them. They are each initiated with a trumpet blast. A third of the trees are burned, a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the fresh water is poisoned, the celestial lights are darkened by a third, a third of humanity is in terrible pain for months and a third of humanity is killed by a demonic army.
The world does not repent of its worship of evil things. Heaven declares the earth ready to be judged. John is happy at the revenge for God’s people, but regretting the terrible judgment.

Chapter 11: Call to Repent
The heavenly temple is measured to indicate where God’s rule really is based. God sends two prophets to the earthly Jerusalem to tell people to repent. No one listens, and they are killed, while the world rejoices over their bodies for three days. God raises them from the dead and they ascend to heaven. In this repeat of Jesus’ passion, God shows the world that they are deserving of the final judgment. The final stage is in place, and nothing will stop God’s final judgment.

Chapter 12: Flashback! Satan and the People of God
To explain more what happened to cause this judgment, John backtracks and gives some background. The people of God had been waiting for the Messiah—God’s king—to come and rule. Satan had also been waiting to destroy that same Messiah. But Satan missed his opportunity, as the Messiah came and ascended to the Father. After the Messiah began to rule, Satan’s place was taken from him and he was thrown out of heaven, along with his angels. In his rage, Satan began to attack God’s people, especially the people of Jesus.

Chapter 13: Empire and Worship
To accomplish this attack, Satan brings up the spirit of the empires that have always persecuted God’s people. Empire claimed to take God’s place in offering salvation, requiring obedience and demanding worship and service. John, at this point, declares that everyone must make a choice to either serve in the Empire’s army or to be killed and gain eternal life. The Empire Spirit appoints a false teacher to lead people to worship the Empire. At this point, the Empire is given the whole world for three and a half years, during which time he persecutes and kills anyone who does not worship him. Those who worship the Empire are given a tattoo, and those who do not have a tattoo cannot buy what they need.

Chapters 14-16—The Great Judgment
Heaven prepares for the great judgment to come. The remnant of the church are brought to heaven and pronouncements of the destruction of the Empire are made, as well as declaration of punishments for those who worship the Empire. Jesus casts a sickle to the earth, to indicate that the “harvest” of judgment is to begin, and the waiting martyrs give their praise to God for the judgment. Seven angels are given seven bowls of plagues. Suddenly, all at once, the people of earth have sores, all the sea becomes blood, all the fresh water becomes blood, flames come from the sun to cause severe burns and all the Empire becomes completely dark. The people of the world know that this is judgment from God and so they speak evil against God, and plot to destroy Jesus with armies when he returns. A mass of storms, earthquakes and huge hailstones fall upon them.

Chapters 17-18—Woe of the Great City
A pause is given to focus on the controlling city of the Empire. This is the city that seduced the world to love greed, to worship the Empire and to kill God’s people. The city did so through economic forces, controlling the market, and the Empire supported the city through it’s army. In the chaos of judgment the city is destroyed by its own army, and the world’s economic leaders weep.

Chapter 19—Jesus’ Kingdom
Jesus comes to earth with all the angelic host of heaven. All the armies that gathered to attack Jesus are destroyed. The birds come to eat their flesh. And Jesus establishes his rule with his people.

Chapter 20—Summary of End time stuff
Jesus reigns with his people for approximately a thousand years, during which time Satan is imprisoned. There is no Empire apart from Jesus’ and no false teaching. God’s utopia reigns. Satan is then released, and deceives nations to attack Jesus again. They are defeated by God. Everyone that has ever lived is resurrected and God judges them all based on their actions. The eternal life begins.

Chapters 21-22—The Final Kingdom
In eternal life, all of the enemies of God are no more. Satan and his angels are in hell, the sea is dried up and the celestial lights are unnecessary. God lives with his people, and his temple—his courtyard—is on earth. God’s people live in a magnificent, huge city, as tall as it is wide, and God is at the center. The city is the center of all the earth’s wisdom, wealth and power. No one who does evil will live in the city, but there will be people who live outside the city, under God’s rule.

Chapter 22—The Last Exhortation
These events of the coming of God’s kingdom is going to occur anytime, Jesus says. So be ready. Don’t be cowardly or hide your worship of Jesus. Rather, live for Jesus in all things and so reign with him in eternity.

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