Don Green: The Apostles and Pope Leo XIV

Voddie Baucham: The Centrality of Christ in Revelation

Joel Beeke: How to Interpret the Book of Revelation

Don't Be Afraid of Revelation

The last of the book of the Bible, Revelation, is one of the most studied and most ignored books in scripture. Some Christians are afraid to read it let alone study it. I must confess, I have been timid when diving into this book.

Why are some Christians afraid of Revelation? I do not a concrete answer on that but I do have some ideas. First, it can be confusing. We see a lot of imagery in Revelation that can get a little confusing if we are looking at it from a literal point of view. Second, bad teaching. Lets be honest, there is a lot of bad teaching from preachers/scholars who think they have mastered Revelation. Many have taken the images and apply it to modern images that we see today. Others may have said that God has given us a hidden code as to when Jesus will return. There is also the Left Behind series, which caused more confusion because they think the events in that series will happen exactly as written. Third, the news. People read or watch the news and they see similarities to the book of Revelation. We have let the news interpret scripture for us. Finally, it could be they do not want to think about the end. That's understandable and a normal feeling. Those who are young do not want to think about the end of time especially they are recently married. Most are getting their careers going and do not want to think about the end till they become success. Others just want to cross things off their bucket lists/

My hope for this post is not make anyone feel bad for ignoring Revelation, but it is my hope that you give God you fears as you engage in this wonderful book that gives a glimpse into the future and also heaven. We see Jesus is all His beauty and that all time is under His control. We see people from different tribes and tongues worshipping the Lord around the throne showing us heaven will be filled with people who are not like us, but are brothers and sisters because of Christ's finished work on the cross. Yes, we do see evil making one final stand against the Lord, but we see He wins in the end. Yes, we do see images from it that makes you want to scratch your head and ponder. Yes, there are many views on eschatology as to when Christ will return, but Revelation serves us as reminder and God's final authority that while things are bad, Jesus wins in the end.

We may not understand all the things in Revelation and may not hear a sermon series on it, but we do not have to be afraid of Revelation. It is God's Word for us in this world that seems to be falling apart everyday. What is happening in the world should not shock us, but it should reminds us of what Jesus said at the end of Revelation, "...behold, I am coming soon...'Surely I am coming soon'" (Revelation 22:7, 20) and we can say with the Apostle John, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

Is Revelation About The Rapture?

Most Christians think the book of Revelation is about the Rapture. Some scholars believe that the Rapture, a word not in the Bible, is when Christ comes and gathers His church in the air, as shown in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and will be away from the earth during the Great Tribulation. When some read the book of Revelation, they see that the world as God judges it without His people in the world.

Richard Gilbert has written what Revelation is really about, which one of them is not about the Rapture:

1. Revelation is about Jesus.

The basic message of the Scriptures is clear to anyone who can read them. This does not mean that every part of Scripture is equally clear. Some passages are, indeed, difficult to understand and it helps to have the consensus of the Church through the centuries to correctly interpret them. But the basic message of what man's condition is, who Jesus is and what He's done for us, and how I can be saved, is perfectly clear.

The Scriptures are about Christ. This is no less true of Revelation than it is of any other book of the Bible. Again, this is not to say that everything in Revelation is as plain as the Gospel of John, nor do I claim to understand everything in it perfectly. After all, the book of Revelation is part of the genre known as apocalyptic literature, that is to say, it is full of symbolism. It employs numbers and images that were very familiar to 1st century Jews and Christians to get its message across. To understand the book of Revelation it is essential to have some knowledge of what these numbers and images represent.

Most people are familiar with some of these already (3 is the number for the triune God, 4 is the number for creation, 6 is the number for man, 7 is the number for perfection, 12 represents the tribes of Israel or the apostles, 1000 is a number for completeness–so when a number like 666 is used it means always coming short of perfection, or a number like 144,000 is 12 squared times 1000 meaning a great multitude, everyone who's meant to be included is, with no one left out).

But Revelation, like the rest of Scripture, is about Christ, and any interpretation that ends up with something else as central has not only missed the entire message of the book but, to put it simply, is wrong. By, "about Christ", I mean that it is about His person (He is both fully God and fully man), and His work (His life, death, and resurrection) on our behalf, and not merely about His second coming.

2. Revelation was written to the persecuted church.

It is important to note first the circumstances under which this letter was written. What was John's purpose? This letter was written during a time when the Church was increasingly being persecuted, John was himself exiled to the island of Patmos under this persecution. The power of the state was beginning to be used with great force against the Church. Christians were being tortured and killed for their faith. They were watching their friends and their family members die horrible deaths. Doubts were beginning to arise about the wisdom of being a Christian. Christ had promised them that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. Now they were beginning to wonder if it actually might.

So John writes a letter to encourage them. He shows them how all things are still in God's all-powerful hands. Christ, to whom "all power and authority has been granted" will ultimately triumph over the forces of evil arrayed against the Church. This is so because He has, in fact, already defeated them. Christ is "the Almighty," "the First and the last," "the Beginning and the End," "the Alpha and the Omega" (1:8; 21: 6; 22:13). In short, He is God Himself, the one "who is and who was, and who is to come" (compare 1:4 with 1:8). He is "the ruler of the kings of the earth" (1:5).

3. Revelation is about victory.

The believer can take courage, whatever happens to him (even death), because his eternal destiny is in Christ's hands. Christ has done it all for him. Recognizing this, the elders around the throne lay their crowns at His feet (they realize that they can take no credit for either being there, or for receiving their crowns, and that they owe all to Christ alone). Christ is "the firstborn from the dead" (1:5). He "was dead," yet is "alive forever and ever" (1:18). By His death on our behalf, He "has freed us from our sins" (1:5).

By emptying the wrath of God onto Himself, and dying in our place, the just for the unjust, He has satisfied the justice of God, and canceled the debt we owed. Thus, He disarmed Satan of his greatest weapon against us, his ability to accuse us of our sins before God (cf. 12:10). By His resurrection He "holds the keys of death and Hades" (1:18). It is Christ who, alone, is found worthy when none of us were (Ch. 5).

The Christian is righteous because he has washed his robe and "made it white in the blood of the lamb," i.e., because Christ's death has covered his sins. The fine linen that the bride (the Church) wears, to the wedding feast, is a gift. We are told that this fine linen represents righteous deeds. Our righteousness is something given to us. It is not our own. It is, to use a word the Reformers used, an alien righteousness. It is Christ's righteousness given to us (19:7-8). This is meant to give courage to the Christian undergoing persecution, because, if Christ has been able to do all this, then surely, all things in this world are in His hands as well.

Ultimately, the forces of evil, arrayed against the Church, will be defeated completely, and all their deeds will be punished. Satan will no longer be able to attack the Church. He will be cast down and bound forever in the lake of fire. His access to God will be cut off. God will put all enemies under Christ's feet and He will establish, fully and forever, the reign He now already has over all things. Then, there will be a new Heaven and a new earth where there will be no more suffering, no more death, no more tears, for He shall wipe away all tears, and the Christian shall be with Him forever. Christ is central. We are saved by Him, not by anything we have done to deserve it. His righteousness is imputed to us, and it's on this basis that we have any standing with the Father.

This is the message of Revelation. It is not about a tribulation. It is not about a rapture. It is not a one world government. It is not about Russia attacking Israel. It is about Christ, and what He has done, continues to do, and will do, for us. And, just as we must not take away anything from the message, we must not add anything to it by our interpretation, or the warnings contained therein will apply to us. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Recommended Reading:

Victory in Jesus: A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Donald R Johnson

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation by Vern S. Poythress

Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative by Sam Storms

A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times by Kim Riddlebarger

Donald R Johnson on the Mark of the Beast

The question remains. What is the mark of the beast? “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” There is all manner of fanciful interpretations as to how the number 666 plays out: a social security number, a swastika, a bar code, a computer chip placed under the skin, or an actual tattoo bearing 666.

The mark of the beast, like the sealing of the Holy Spirit, is not something that is limited to the physical body. It is a mind and heart issue. The mark of the beast contains all qualities that are embodied in the acceptance of false doctrines. Consider what the beast is— a universally accepted false religion. It is a system, a set of beliefs, and an obvious sensual form of worship. It is a false way of salvation.

A mark is something that distinguishes between two or more things. In this case, the mark of the beast is that which distinguishes those who worship the beast from those who do not. The placement of the mark is significant. It is placed either on the right hand or the forehead. The forehead symbolizes false doctrine that is accepted and confessed within the mind or the intellect. It is the mental acceptance and confession of anti-Christian teachings. It is not a dangerous or damning stamping of some external physical mark on the body, but rather, doctrines held firmly in the mind. This is truly serious and potentially soul-destroying.

The mark on the hand is an emblem of the works of the flesh, evil practices, professions, and beliefs that lead to identifiable deeds. The effects of false doctrines do not remain benign or obscure; they burst forth into a most wicked behavior in God’s sight and the most violent abuses of one’s fellow man. Truly, bad teachings equal bad living. Look at the series of sixes. Good but often misguided men have seen the number 666 as a code for producing a specific name from an ancient Hebrew method of equating a letter to a number. Most convincing are the Latinos, or Romans. Other names have been suggested such as Nero, Adolph Hitler, Stalin, Bill Clinton, and even Barack Obama. It seems unlikely that it is such a code.

Adapted from Victory in Jesus: A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Revelation

Donald R Johnson on the 144,000 in Revelation

The vision of the 144,000 is meant to distinguish the true and spiritual Jew from the world of unbelievers: “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”

As the whole, the vision is symbolic in nature. To limit the 144,000 as pertaining to Israelites according to the flesh is to break the general hermeneutic flow of symbolism into a bold, uncharacteristic literalism. To use the chosen people of the old covenant to represent the chosen people of the new covenant is both scripturally and spiritually consistent (Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:16). Moreover, the roster represented here does not match the original twelve tribes of Israel. Dan is not mentioned at all. Reuben does not lead the list. Ephraim does not appear at all. We see Joseph and his brother Benjamin representing two groups of twelve thousand. Furthermore, at the time of this writing, most of the tribes of Israel had become extinct. The kingdom of Israel was divided after the reign of Solomon into eight northern tribes and the two southern tribes, Benjamin and Judah.

However, the identity and distinctiveness of the northern ten tribes was generally lost in the Assyrian captivity. By the time of Christ, it was almost exclusively the tribe of Judah that could trace its lineage, which was important for establishing the genealogy of Christ. Why such contradiction if this list was meant to be taken literally? Rather, this list is a spiritual characterization of the kingdom of God, comprised of God’s elect (who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit) from every tribe and nation of the world. These are those who are the true children of Abraham by faith. The servants of God enjoying the work of the Spirit no longer include Jews only but also the Gentiles. Paul designates the church as the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16), and earlier John labeled the unbelieving Jews as belonging to the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9; 3:9). The church, and not national Israel, is God’s multinational and universal kingdom that makes up the chosen people of God.

The church is one body that is the spiritual heir to all the promises and legacy of Old Testament Israel: “I will call them My people, which were not My people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God” (Rom. 9:24–26).

Why 144,000? Why not 132,000? The number 144,000 is representative of God’s entire elect people. It is a whole, precise, and complete number. This number embodies multiples of twelve, perfectly cubed and then enlarged by a thousand. It represents twelve tribes and the twelve apostles and then multiplied a thousand times. This number represents God’s called-out witnesses to the world. It tells us that the Spirit will effectually seal all that the Father has given to Christ. Not one of God’s elect children will be left out. In short, we learn that the approaching day of wrath and the universal judgment of the world will not occur until all God’s elect people are sealed with the Spirit. The definite number of God’s elect must be completed.

Adapted from Victory in Jesus: A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Revelation

Around The Web-October 3, 2018

Are Catechisms a Baptist Thing? by Jeff Robinson

Common Objections to the Reformed Doctrine of Predestination

10 Lessons I Learned from Preaching Revelation by Sam Storms

12 Questions To Ask Ourselves In Conflict by Mark Altrogge

How to Prepare a Bible Study by Michael Milton

Does the Bible Teach an Age of Accountability? by Stephen Wellum

The Romans 8 Driven Life by Jared C Wilson

Around The Web-February 26, 2016

Great resources for Easter are available at Westminster Bookstore

Understanding Bible Translations from Renewing Your Mind

Greg Beale on Revelation

10 Common Ways Churches Get Off Mission by Jared C Wilson

Doctrine, Doxology, and the Local Church from Servants of Grace

The Reformed Pubcast talk with Jeff Durbin and Marcus Pittman about Christians and media

Hillary, Bernie, Donald, and Me by John Piper

There’s only one book no one can make me get rid of by Aaron Armstrong

Matt Carter on training young men in ministry.



A Spoken Word video from Apologia Radio on why being Pro-life isn't enough.



Henry Cavill asks kids one of the world's biggest questions, who is better, Batman or Superman.

Book Review: The Heart of Revelation by J. Scott Darvall

I recently heard Greg Beale say that people in the church want Revelation preached while pastors want to avoid preaching it. The book of Revelation has been a great deal of confusion and controversy over the years especially here in America. If you have a collection of commentaries by John Calvin, you will notice there is not one for Revelation because he thought it was too weird.

J. Scott Darvall, in his book, The Heart of Revelation, said there are two responses from Christians regarding Revelation. The first response is we avoid it. We avoid it like we would avoid Leviticus in our Bible reading plan. When sermons are preached on Revelation, people will tune out. No one wants to a buy a new commentary on Revelation.

The second response to Revelation is becoming obsessed with it. Think about it. We have more movies and fiction books on Revelation than any other Biblical writing. We become obsess over who the Antichrist is, what is the Mark of the Beast, and who are the 144,000. How many of you have seen preachers using charts to calculate the return of Christ. I personally have seen prophecy books sold at Wal-Mart right next to Fifty Shades of Grey.

What Darvall does in this book is not give another one of those books which we guess what we think God showed the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos. He communicates that Revelation is all about God. It is all about how God will bring into fruition His eternal plan that He had since the beginning of time.

Darvall does not specifically tell you what end time philosophy he believes, but one would assume from reading this book, he is not dispensational. As I said, he does not stress any of those end time beliefs but points to the beauty of the book which is the worship of God, the end of evil, and Jesus reigning forever and ever.

I loved this book. I think book will help those who are scared of Revelation. Those who wish to read Revelation should have this book by their side. I would definitely use this book in my studies of Revelation.

Thanks Baker Books for letting me review this book.

What is the Message of Revelation?

The message of the book of Revelation is this: We are waiting for the sovereign God to come, execute his judgments, deliver us through the blood of the Lamb, and bring us into his presence forever (Mark Dever, The Message of the New Testament).