Ch 9: The Book of Revelation

Sermon Notes

HIS-STORY: The Bible in 18 Weeks

Volume II: The Old Testament Story

Chapter 9: The Book of Revelation - God’s in Charge

1. The Literary Form (Genre)

a. Letter

b. Prophecy

c. Apocalypse

•       “Crisis” Literature 

•       Eschatological

•       Symbolic & Bizarre Imagery

2. The Author: John

3. Occasion & Date

a. Exiled on Patmos

b. Either AD 60s or 90s

4. Recipients: Seven Churches of Asia Minor

•       Some of these churches have experienced persecution

•       But the greatest dangers are complacency & unfaithfulness

5. Reading Revelation

a. Preterist Interpretation

b. Idealist Interpretation

c. Futurist Interpretation

Four Principles for Interpreting the Imagery of the Revelation

•       Recognize the predominantly symbolic nature of apocalyptic imagery.

•       Focus on general rather than specific meaning.

•       Recognize that the Old Testament (not the newspaper!) is our “code book” for interpretation.

•       Recognize the first century as the historical context of the book.

Study/Discussion Questions:

1. Why is the book of Revelation so hard to understand?

2. What the three literary forms does Revelation draw from? What are the characteristics of “Apocalyptic” literature?

3. Who wrote the book of Revelation and from where?  How do his circumstances relate to the key themes of the book?

4. To whom was the book written? What were these churches experiencing?

5. Can you name the three different interpretational approaches to the Revelation? What strengths or weaknesses do you see in each?

6. What 4 principles of interpretation were suggested for Revelation? Do you agree with these? 

7. What is the central theme of the book of Revelation? How is this theme relevant for the church today? How is it relevant for you personally?

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