Revelation Was Written to Be Understood

Welcome to The Revelation Sessions

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to the Revelation Sessions. I'm Vince DePolo, and we're reading Revelation the way its first hearers heard it. This podcast grew out of a personal journey. Learning to understand Revelations through Scripture and the world of its first hearers. I wanted to share what helped me in plain language with people who have found this book confusing.

Reading Revelation Through Ancient Eyes

SPEAKER_00 0:37

The author of the commentary writes concerning this issue. A manual of spiritual warfare, volume one, written by Max Doner. Starting at the bottom of page 25 and reading through 31. Understanding, we cannot view the Book of Revelation from a modern day perspective. If we do, we will be utterly confused by it. We must understand the book of Revelation from two perspectives, from a first century perspective and from an Old Testament perspective. What would John's first century readers have understood as they read the book of Revelation? How would they have understood its structure, its language, its symbolism, and message? That's how we must seek to understand it. Modern day dispensationalism schemes, current political events, last day speculations are not a basis for understanding the Book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is firmly rooted in the first century and in the Old Testament. It is from those two perspectives, a first century perspective and an Old Testament perspective that we must approach the book and seek to gain understanding of it. The book of Revelation was written to be understood. It can be understood if it is approached and interpreted with a proper methodology, a mythology that the first century Christians would have understood and used. It says in Revelations one three Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein. For the time is at hand. The clear implication behind that verse is the expectation that the ordinary Christian would read this book, understand it, and obey the instructions it provides. The modern day Christian is often baffled and confused by what it says and cannot comprehend what it means. This is entirely unnecessary. This book can be understood and can be understood as it is properly approached and interpreted. It does not need to be a mystery and a source of confusion and frustration as it is read.

From Paradise Lost to Christ’s Victory

SPEAKER_00 3:24

It is fitting that the book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible because it tells us the end of the Bible story, and it concludes the message of the Bible conveys. The Bible opens with the book of Genesis, otherwise known as the Book of the Beginnings, where we see the original creation of the world and humanity. The book of Genesis describes the work of the devil in engineering the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden and in the private and the curses that fell upon creation and all mankind as a result. As we read the early chapters of Genesis and see that Satan has triumphed over God and has destroyed the work of God. However, God will not be defeated. God promised in Genesis three hundred fifteen that He will send His Son, the seed of the woman whom Jesus Christ, whom is Jesus Christ to crush the devil and his works. He will restore the paradise that had been lost. He will redeem the souls of the fallen men. The devil and his works will be destroyed. In Genesis three hundred fifteen, God's declaration of war against Satan and the rest of the Bible is the record of how that war develops and ends. As the Bible unfolds, we see the progressive defeat of Satan as the plan of God is slowly but surely developed over time. The book of Revelation records the confusion of that plan, the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ, and the final defeat of Satan. Genesis tells us about the beginning of sin and paradise lost. Revelation tells us about the defeat of sin and paradise restored. It says in 1 John 3 8. For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The Book of Revelation is a declaration from the start to the finish that Jesus Christ has accomplished that purpose. Our goal is to see and rejoice in the triumph of Christ, to see his triumph destroy the works of the devil, in restoring paradise lost, in redeeming his people from sin and all its effects. As we begin our introduction, we see there are several issues that we need to consider, each of which has an important impact on our understanding and our interpretation of the book. Some of these introductory issues might not seem too exciting at first, but each of these points is an important building block in understanding the book as a whole and understanding its various parts. Without them we cannot hope to achieve those two goals. In chapters one through six which form the introduction are critical to the understanding and the exposition of the text in chapter seven and following.

What Revelation and Apocalypse Mean

SPEAKER_00 8:16

The title of this book in our English Bible is The Revelation of Saint John the Divine, and it is commonly called the book of Revelation. The word revelation is derived from the Latin and simply means unveiling. The basic idea here is that something is being concealed behind a curtain. When the curtain is removed, what is behind the curtain is revealed. There has been a revealing or a revelation of what was formerly hidden. When we read through the table of contents of some Bibles, the last book of the New Testament is listed as apocalypse. The word apocalypse is derived from the very word of the Greek text of the book which is opkalos. And he's it's spelt A P O K A L U P S I S, not a Greek speaker. The Greek word apocalyphalis is translated into apocalypse, which also means to uncover, to unveil things that were previously hidden. Revelation unveils the plan of God for the future and what will unfold over the process of time. We are told what the church will do in the future and what will happen to it. We are told what the world will do in the future and what will happen to it. There is an unveiling of the things that will occur and the characterization of the age between the first and second coming of Christ. In the first century, believers did not know how God's plan was going to unfold over time. The book of Revelation pulls back the curtain and gives them an unveiling or a revelation of how history is going to unfold and what spiritual warfare is going to look like from the first century unto the second century of Jesus. In Revelation 1 1 it says this book, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which he gave unto him. God the Father gave Jesus this revelation when he gave him the book in Revelation 5, which was sealed with the seven sealed. Contained in this book is the revelation described the things that will occur and characterize the entire period from John's day unto eternity. What first century Christians could see and what we can see today is the declaration by God of what history is going to look like, and how it is going to unfold over the process of time.

Prophecy Beyond Specific Historical Events

SPEAKER_00 11:39

This does not mean that this book foretells specific future events that have occurred over the last two thousand years, like the rise of King Constantine, the French Revolution, the establishment of the America, the World War One, World War II. When we say that Christ reveals the future history, we are not saying that he reveals specific events in the unfolding of that history, so that the seal refers to the French Revolution. And the trumpet that refers to World War One or something similar. That is the historical view of the Book of Revelation. That's not the proper method of interpreting the Book of Revelation. When we say that Revelation gives us a view of what history is going to look like and how it is going to unfold over the process between the first and second coming of Christ, we mean that it will foretell the general characteristics of the spiritual warfare that will take place in this age. It is set out the types of blessings that will be granted to the believers, and it describes the kinds of judgment that will fall on the wicked. It tells us about the struggle between the church and the world, what that will look like. It tells us about the conflict between God and Satan and what that will consist of. It tells us about the second coming of Christ and the eternal state of the saved and the lost. And while it does deal in some very specific events that take place right at the end of the age, and the primary thrust is to set out the characteristics of the spiritual warfare going on to take place throughout this age between the first and second coming of Christ, and how that warfare will turn out. In short, it reveals to us what we might expect to see and experience in the spiritual warfare that is going on until Christ returns, and the outcome of his second coming will produce when he appears.

A Field Manual for Spiritual Warfare

SPEAKER_00 14:25

This is the reason for the name of the book. It is unveils what the future will consist between the first and the second coming of Christ, and therefore it is relevant to every generation until Christ returns. Every section of this book has relevance to every generation of Christians. Every section describes each generation's spiritual conflicts and fighting to establish the kingdom of God and fighting against Satan and his forces, and experiencing the protection and blessing of God as they fight. The Book of Revelation is a guidebook. It tells us what we are experiencing and why we're experiencing it and how it should be responded to. During your lifetime, you have been undergoing spiritual warfare. What you have been undergoing is described in this book. It is described in the seven seals, in the seven trumpets, in the seven vials. It is described in the conflict between the dragon and the beast and the false prophet on one side and the people of God on the other. It equips you to fight that spiritual warfare as you rightly understand and apply its message and teachings. Revelation is the first field manual in our present spiritual warfare, for the spiritual warfare of all previous generations and for all the spiritual warfare of all subsequent generations until Christ returns. Since it is a field manual that explains what the spiritual warfare of the age in which we live looks like and how it might successfully we might successfully triumph in it. It is sad that this book is so broadly misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misapplied. It is especially sad that so many get frustrated with revelation and throw up their hands in confusion over what it is saying, and therefore ignore it and leave it unused. That's like a general giving his troops intelligence about the enemy, supplying them with a battle plan for defeating the enemy, telling them the proper tactics to employ, and promising them victory if they use them. And then for the soldiers to say we cannot understand all this, we will just set it aside and figure out what to do on our own as we go along. The failure of the church to properly understand and rightly use the book of Revelation is the reason for so much confusion, ineptitude Christian display in their methods of spiritual warfare. The modern day church is largely characterized by ignorance as to how to conduct spiritual warfare and obtain victory in it. My hope is that you study this book that will say to ourselves as we go through it, of course, now I see why things happen the way they had they do. Now I see why I experienced the conflict I have. Jesus told us that this is how it is going to be during this period. I can also see that if I patiently persevere, the triumph is mine and Christ will obtain the victory for himself and for me. Therefore, I can fight these battles with confidence and with the knowledge that I am using the proper tactics and that I am assured a triumph outcome when I understand the battle as he describes it, and when I prosecute the battle as he has instructed me. To summarize what the book unveils to us is how history is going to unfold, the spiritual conflicts that are going to categorize it, who the parties are, what the issues are, and how we are going to fight in that battle in our generations, how we are supposed to fight that battle in our generation, and we must fight it the same way the first century fought it. And the same way the 33rd century church will fight it, if this world goes on that long. This is not a book just about the past, this is a book about the future. This is a book about the spiritual warfare we are facing right now, to be sure it covers regarding the past and regarding the future. But the primary, it's revelation is about how we fight the spiritual war right now in our present lives and in our generation. It tells us how we may expect the battle to look and how we should respond

The Commentary Behind Our Study

SPEAKER_00 20:19

to it. So that was written by the author of the book, Revelation, a spiritual guide to the warfare, pages 25 to 30. That was by Max Doner. That was his writing. And that is the book we primarily are using for the study. I also will make you aware uh that the title is A Manual of Spiritual Warfare. It's two volumes. So it's Revelation, a manual of spiritual warfare, two volumes, and I will supply links underneath to buy the discount of that. And I would recommend anyone to read through that. I bought this book for several folks. We have had a Bible study using primarily this as a background for four years in my home, and it has been very beneficial to the hearers and to myself.

Finding Lasting Wealth and Hope

SPEAKER_00 21:22

I will tell you that everything I just read to you, I have personally experienced. When I look back over the four years, and through the reading of this scripture and through the studies on Sunday nights in my home, I can tell you that for the first time in my life, I can actually understand the way governments work and why. I can understand why we're in wars. I can understand what why some people seem to have a great deal of money and some people seem to have none. I can understand how these attacks take place, what the true wealth is, and I'll tell you up front, that is understanding what your what the warfare is and knowing God's promises are true. No one can take away your wealth that God gives you. I can tell you, as a man who's had a full career and a family and has had failures and successes, there is no comfort as you get older. No matter what you own or what you have, you know you're not going to cheat the clock. So why let yourself get to that point? Why not now consider where you're heading? No one gets to escape. There's no free lunch in life. There really is none. I would strongly encourage everyone to join us. These studies are going to be 15 to 20 minutes. I don't want to uh go in on a lot of different facts and have your eyes glaze over, but I think in 15 to 20 minutes we can cover a verse or two, possibly three, at least make one point, and then you can consider that. And you can come back next week and do the same. You can also ask questions at our website that you'll be getting these on, which is the Revelation Sessions.com. And I will do my best to answer them, if not personally, on the show. So with that said, I wish to thank you all for your time. And if you have a question, go to the Revelation Sessions.com, hit ask the question, I'll answer it on the show. Until next time, blessed is the one who hears and takes the team.