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Understanding the Book of Revelation Hope for the Times we are living Now - with Details from Daniel and the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks Copyright 2013 by H. D. Shively IntroductionThe Euphrates River is drying up. I have been surprised by the number of pastors and individuals I have talked to who have not been aware of this fact. Many of them also were not aware of the prophetic significance of this event. The drying up of the Euphrates River precedes the last battle that occurs on our war beleaguered planet. This battle is called Armageddon and it occurs just before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In all honesty, I wasn’t aware of the condition of the Euphrates until I was doing research for this book. It was a further confirmation to me that we are definitely living in the latter days, and that an understanding of the prophetic book of Revelation that chronicles this critical time in human history is vitally important. |
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Table of Contents The Eyeglasses of Interpretation The Tour Guide - Charting the Terrain - Revelation's Structure and an Overview On an Island Alone with God - Revelation Chapter One Calling the Bride - Revelation Chapters Two and Three The Throne Room - Revelation Chapters Four and Five Stampede - Revelation Chapter Six The Church Victorious - Revelation Chapter Seven The Time of Warning - Revelation Chapter Eight Warfare - Revelation Chapter Nine Video Version Hope in the Storm - Revelation Chapter Ten Brethren of the Inner Court - Revelation Chapter Eleven Crossing the Bridge - Revelation Chapter Twelve The Gate - the Beast and the false prophet - Revelation Chapter Thirteen Details from Daniel The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks The Great Tribulation - Revelation Chapter Fourteen Victory in the Storm - Revelation Chapter Fifteen The Bowl judgments - Revelation Chapter Sixteen Babylon's Fall - Revelation Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen The Blessed Hope - The Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah - Revelation Chapter Nineteen The Millennial Reign - Revelation Chapter Twenty Video Version The New Jerusalem Revelation Chapter 21 The New World - Part Two - Revelation Chapter twenty-two |
According to Irenaeus, the book was written during the latter part of the reign of Domitian around 95-96 AD. Jerusalem had already been destroyed by Titus in 70 AD, and the Apostles Paul and Peter had previously been martyred by Nero during his siege against Christianity which he instigated in 64 AD.
The book of Revelation is a gift from God to His church, written to prepare His bride to face persecution in every age and encourage her through it. No matter what generation this book speaks to, its purpose remains the same. The goal of this study is to also prepare and encourage God’s people to face tribulation, no matter when it transpires, or what form it takes. There are more Christians being martyred in this generation than at any other time in history; therefore it is vitally important that we understand the principles this book contains. We need to receive and value what the book of Revelation has been designed to communicate to us, in order to help us through our own journey into the future described in Revelation’s pages. The first seven chapters of the Book of Revelation are introductory chapters that introduce and lay the foundation for the remainder of the book. The primary focus of these first seven chapters is the church. From God’s communion with the individual believer represented by the Apostle John in chapters one, four and five, to the Lord’s instructions to His church in chapters two and three, to the vision of His martyrs in chapter six, to the spectacular vision of the overcoming church in chapter seven; we are shown that God’s primary concern is the spiritual welfare of His people, His church: the bride of Christ. The second and third chapters which deal with Jesus’ admonishments to His church are among the most important of all the Scriptures, especially as we come closer to the time of Jesus’ second coming. It is here we learn the keys that can protect us from succumbing to the prophesied latter day’s apostasy. The Apostle John was the only disciple that was not martyred. It is recorded that he lived to be one hundred years old, and he died a natural death. I believe that John is symbolic of the Philadelphian remnant that is to be kept from the great tribulation. It is God’s desire that all those who have placed their faith in our Messiah Jesus, become that victorious overcoming bride represented by the Apostle John. Therefore the purpose of this study is to help guide those who read it into that place of spiritual victory. This book originally began only as a study on Revelation’s chapter thirteen and gradually expanded to include the remainder of the book. One normally doesn’t write a study of Revelation by starting almost in the middle, but as the project progressed, I began to see the wisdom behind focusing on these particular chapters. As we witness the stirrings of Revelation’s beasts begin to ripple across the waters of our age, even if we do not see it fully arise in this generation, if we are prepared to face a future beast, we will be prepared to face whatever tribulations come our way as we serve Jesus in our lifetimes. If we can face the beast, we can face anything. This ugly, red apparition that arises before John, also arises before every believer in one form or another. This is our Goliath, and as we are reminded through this study, its reign is temporary, its judgment has been pre-determined and it is destroyed by the Rock that is Jesus. Chapter thirteen is also a pivotal chapter illustrating the culmination of all the previous systems that have inflicted misery upon the world and persecution upon the Lord’s people. Revelation’s beasts have tentacles that have slithered throughout the entire history of the church. The prophecies that were given to Daniel concerning these latter days, relate back to chapter thirteen in Revelation and no study concerning Revelation would be complete or accurate without consulting them. Because of the abundance of Scripture concerning the last days in the Old Testament that refers us to Revelation’s thirteenth chapter, it indicates the importance of our need to be able to understand it, at least in principle. And so, by facing the beast, and recognizing the victory we have in Jesus over it, we can face the future with confidence knowing that the villain that opposes the church that we see operating in Revelation’s visions, is a defeated enemy, whose reign is temporary, whose destruction is inevitable.
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falls off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. – Isaiah 34:4 |
