the book of revelation -...
TRANSCRIPT
1
The Book of Revelation
by Weldon E. Warnock
© Guardian of Truth Foundation 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN 10: 1-58427-337-2
ISBN 13: 978-158427-337-0
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Table of Contents Page
Lesson 1: The Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Lesson 2: The Preface (1:1-8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Lesson 3: The Majestic Christ (1:9-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Lesson 4: Jesus Amidst the Churches (2:1-3:22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Lesson 5: The Throne Scene (4:1-5:14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Lesson 6: The Seven Seals (6:1-8:5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Lesson 7: The Seven Trumpets (8:6-11:19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Lesson 8: The Seven Personages (12:1-14:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Lesson 9: The Seven Vials of Wrath (15:1-16:21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Lesson 10: The Doom of Babylon (17:1-18:24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Lesson 11: The Vision of Victory (19:1-20:15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Lesson 12: The New Jerusalem (21:1-22:5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Lesson 13: The Conclusion (22:6-21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
FOREWORDThis book has been written
with the hope of encouraging Bible students to delve more into the contents of one of the much ne-glected books of the Bible. Many have been reluctant to study Rev-elation because of its symbolic and apocalyptic nature. They have told themselves that the book cannot be understood, so why bother studying it. Certainly there are several details that are difficult, if not impossible, to understand. However, one can grasp the overall picture by devot-ing some time to an investigation of this grand and marvelous book.
Revelations was written to serve an immediate need for the
suffering Christians of Asia Minor. It was written to console, comfort and assure those saints who were experiencing affliction, even death, at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Domitian, and his cohorts. It ful-filled this need perfectly.
You will probably find yourself in disagreement now and then with some of my views. This is to be expected since there is widespread disagreement on the interpretation of Revelation, even by esteemed and scholarly men. I do not pre-tend to have all the answers to all the questions that might be raised concerning Revelaton. I feel, how-ever, very strongly about my basic
approach to the letter, believing it to be sound and defensible. My approach is simply that Revelation must be interpreted in the light of its historical setting, just like the other books of the Bible. The stage for the action of Revelation is the church in the midst of the hostile Roman Empire. The message for us today is that we too can overcome the opposing forces of evil, con-quering through Christ.
My prayer is that this commen-tary-workbook will enable you to have a greater love for and a better knowledge of the Apocalypse of the apostle John.
Weldon E. Warnock
The Background 5
Lesson 1
The Background
Revelation is a book of prophe-cy (1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). This does not mean that Revelation is simply a book of predictions of future events. Rather, the word prophecy suggests the declaration of God’s mind and counsel, whether past, present, or future. Thayer’s Lexicon states that prophecy is a “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admon-ishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.”1
The apostle Paul wrote, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhorta-tion, and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3). R. C. H. Lenski called the Revelation letter, “immediate prophecy.” He said, “Immediate prophecy is given directly by God and reveals not only the future but together with it also the divine realities of the pres-ent and of the past.”2 The prophecy in Revelation is to be heard and kept (1:3). You could not keep the unfolding of future events, hence, the book primarily entails teaching and comfort for the immediate use of the Christians to whom it was addressed.
Written in SymbolsThe book is apocalyptic, highly
symbolic and figurative. It was written in code with many of the symbols being grounded in the Old Testament. “It contains no less than four hundred allusions to the Old Testament, although no direct cita-tion can be found.”3 The first verse of the book declares that “he sent and signified it by his angel unto
his servant John.” The word signi-fied means to “codify or express by signs.” The reason for writing in such style is because of the danger-ous and threatening conditions of the times. The message could be concealed from the persecutor, but revealed to the people of God. Ray Summers wrote in his excellent commentary the following:
Often one is led to question as to why literature is presented in such cryptic manner as character-izes apocalypses. The answer to such a question is seen in the fact that this literature was written in dangerous times. The personal safety of both writer and reader was endangered if the persecu-tors understood the true meaning of the book. For this reason the message of the Apocalypse was written so as to conceal and to reveal — to conceal the message from the outsider but to reveal its message to the initiated.4
Apocalyptic literature was quite common, both among the Jews and Christians. There are several non-canonical, apocalyptic books. There is the Book of Enoch, the Assumption of Moses, the Secrets of Enoch, the Book of Baruch, the
Ascension of Isaiah, and the book of IV Esdras. These are dealt with at length in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Zechariah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are apocalyp-tic or symbolic. Thus, apocalyptic imagery was not new or unfamiliar to the first century Christians. They understood the symbolic connota-tions and significances.
An understanding of this type of literature is imperative to our understanding of Revelation.
Theme and PurposeThe theme of the book is vividly
set forth in 17:14. “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” What a con-solation to the suffering Christian! Throughout the prophecies of this amazing book, Jesus is portrayed as the great Victor and Conqueror (1:8; 2:8; 11:15; 12:9-12; 14:1; 15:2-4; 19:16; 20:3; 22:3). In the book Jesus overcomes hades, death, the beasts, the dragon, and those who worship the beast. As the Christ is victorious, so are his followers.
1 Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 552.2 R. C. H. Lenski, St. John’s Revelation, 19.3 Merrill C. Tenney, The New Testament: A Survey, 404.4 Ray Summers, Worthy Is the Lamb, 5.
The Book of Revelation6
William Hendriksen superbly sets forth the lofty purpose of the Apocalypse, he stated:
Persecuted believer, this book of Revelation seeks to impart comfort to you. That is its main purpose: to comfort the militant church in its struggle against the forces of evil. It abounds with consolations for afflicted believ-ers. Unto them is given the assur-ance that:• God sees their tears, 7:17; 21:4.• Their prayers rule the world,
8:3, 4.• Their death is precious in his
sight and their soul immediately ascends to heaven. A heaven whose glory far surpasses the intensity of earthly suffering, 14:2; 20:4.
• Their final victory is assured, 15:2.
• Their blood will be avenged, 6:9; 8:3.
• Their Christ lives, and reigns forever and forever! It is he who governs the world in the interest of the church, 5:7-8.5
Although defeat seems certain and conditions appear gloomy, the saints will overcome; they will be victorious!
DateJohn wrote Revelation when the
Roman Emperor, Domitian, was on the throne. He reigned A.D. 81-96. The weight of scholarship favors the date of Revelation toward the end of Domitian’s reign, about A.D. 95. For a thorough study of the date, you may consult various com-mentaries. Many of them deal with the date at length in their introduc-tions. A few argue the early date, A.D. 58-64, during Nero’s reign,
while the vast majority contend for the late date, about A.D. 95.
One major reason for assigning Revelation to the Domitian era is because of the widespread persecu-tion of the church during his reign. Neronian persecution was localized, initiated by Nero blaming Chris-tians for burning Rome. (This was most likely to cover up his own guilt.) Domitian persecution was far reaching, and involved Caesar worship. Revelation was written in this atmosphere of intense and widespread persecution. William Barclay wrote:
By the time the Revelation was written Caesar worship was the one religion which covered the whole Roman Empire; and it was because of their refusal to conform to its demands that Christians were persecuted and killed. The essence of Caesar worship was that the reigning Ro-man Emperor, as embodying the spirit of Rome, was divine. Once a year everyone in the Empire had to appear before the magis-trates in order to burn a pinch of incense to the godhead of Caesar, and to say: “Caesar Is Lord.” . . . And to refuse to burn the pinch of incense, and to refuse to say: “Caesar is Lord,” was not an act of irreligion, it was an act of political disloyalty. If a man refused to go through the annual ceremony, the Romans did not regard him as an irreligious man; they regarded him as a bad and disaffected citizen who refused to acknowledge the greatness of Caesar and the divinity of Rome. That is why the Romans dealt with utmost severity with the man who would not say: “Caesar
is Lord.” And no Christian could be persuaded to give the title Lord to any one other than Jesus Christ.6
Domitian was a wicked, cold blooded persecutor who demanded to be addressed as “Lord God.” Those who refused to do so suffered persecution and death. What was the Christian to do? It was either Caesar or Christ. Revelation shows why the choice should be Christ.
Methods of InterpretationThere are four main views or
schools of interpretation of the book of Revelation. As Summers says, “The interpretation of the book of Revelation depends entirely upon the method of approach.”7
The Preterist View. This ap-proach makes all the symbols related only to the events of the day in which it was written. The imag-ery depicted altogether the Roman Empire and its emperor, Domitian.
5 William Hendricksen, More Than Conquerors, 11-12.6 William Barclay, The Revelation of John, I: 19.7 Summers, op. cit., 27.
Domitian (A.D. 81-96) ruled Rome when the book of Revelation was written.
The Background 7
The seals, trumpets and bowls of wrath have no place in the future. They have all been fulfilled and the book, at the most, has only a liter-ary interest for us today.
The Historical View. Merrill C. Tenney stated it well when he wrote, “The Historicist interpreta-tion holds that Revelation outlines in symbolic form the entire course of history of the church from Pen-tecost to the advent of Christ. The symbols portray in sequence the great events that have taken place: that is the seals are the breakup of the Roman Empire; the eruption of locusts from the bottomless pit is a picture of the Mohammedan invasions, etc. Each major event in the history of Christendom was thus broadly foreshadowed, so that Revelation becomes a calendar of events written in advance.”8
The Futurist View. This school advocates that Revelation is deal-ing with future events at the end of the world. The Futurists are literal-ists and millennialists. Revelation means literally what it says, they say, and chapters 4-19 are occur-rences that will transpire in about
seven years—a period they call “the Rapture” or “the Great Tribulation.” The first three chapters were appli-cable in the day that they were writ-ten or else the seven churches repre-sent seven stages of church history. Chapters 20-22 are concerned with the millennial kingdom, judgment of the wicked dead, and the eternal state. This school could be classi-fied as almost wholly eschatological in its method of interpretation.
The Spiritual View. This is also called the “Idealist” view. Charles R. Erdman wrote in his commentary that this theory finds “no reference to specific events or persons of the past or present or future, but only the presentation of great principles, intended to guide and encourage the followers of Christ through all the ages of the world. These principles are illustrated by the successive symbolic visions.”9
Reflecting on the foregoing interpretations, I find myself unable to fully agree with any one of them. The Preterist view is closer to what seems to be the gist of Revelation, except for the fact that it does not allow spiritual applications for
successive generations. Revela-tion is meaningful to Christians in every age. The principles that were applicable to imperial Rome and Caesar worship are just as appropri-ate to oppressive political powers and false religious systems today. If we would combine the Spiritual and Preterist views, we can form a suit-able approach to the book of Rev-elation. The Historical view would have had no value to the early Christians. “Revelation, understood from this viewpoint, is entirely out of touch with the situation of the Christians to whom it was origi-nally given.”10 It would have been meaningless to them. The Futurist concept is just as farfetched as the Historical view. It would have been out of step with their needs. Too, John said that these things must “shortly come to pass.” This pro-nouncement and the Futurist theory are incongruent and incompatible. The method of interpretation of Revelation that we occupy will be seen more fully as we pursue this study further. We trust that your understanding will be enlightened and your appreciation enhanced of this last book of the Bible.
8 Tenney, op. cit., 405.9 Charles R. Erdman, Revelation of John, 24.10 Summers, op. cit., 38.
Suggested Exercises1. Revelation is a book of prophecy. Does this mean that it is a prediction of future events? Explain. _________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Analyze Thayer’s definition of “prophecy” in paragraph one and enumerate the things prophecy entails in his definition. _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. List the elements that Paul includes in prophesying.
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
The Book of Revelation8
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
4. According to Revelation 1:3 what were the recipients of the letter to do with it? ________________________
5. The book was written in symbols or signs. Why? ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. List some Old Testament books that are apocalyptic (symbolic).
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
7. The theme of Revelation is set forth in 17:14. What implication does this have for the Christian? __________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. Enumerate the things that Jesus overcomes that are mentioned in the theme.
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
d. _____________________________________________________________________________________
e. _____________________________________________________________________________________
9. State the purpose of Revelation according to Hendriksen. _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. What Roman emperor was on the throne when John wrote Revelation? _______________________________
11. Give the years of his reign. ___________ Briefly describe his character. ______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
12. Give one major reason for assigning the date of Revelation to about A.D. 95 rather than the years A.D. 58-64 during Nero’s reign. _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
13. Briefly state what was involved in Caesar worship. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
14. List the four methods of interpretation and describe each in your own words.
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
d. _____________________________________________________________________________________
15. State what you find wrong with each method of interpretation.
The Background 9
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
d. _____________________________________________________________________________________
The Book of Revelation10
The book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ that was given unto him by God. The word revelation means simply “an uncovering; an unveiling.” William Barclay states that it is “a disclosure of that which is hidden and secret.”1 There are different uses of the word in the New Testament. For example, the second coming of Christ is called a “revelation” (2 Thess. 1:7). It will be an unveiling of his glory and majesty (1 Pet. 4:13). Paul received his message by revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12). The mystery (God’s plan of salvation for Jew and Gentile) was made known by revelation (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:3-4). The righteous judgment of God will be a revelation of God’s justice and holiness (Rom. 2:5). Paul went up to Jerusalem by rev-elation (Gal. 2:2). He did what God wanted him to do.
Order of DisclosureIn the Revelation letter, Jesus
unveils, uncovers, or discloses God’s mind by symbols and signs. The word signified in verse 1 means that the message was to be expressed by signs. So, the book of Revelation is a revealing of God’s mind through symbols. Notice the order of disclosure. The message
originates with God and is given to Christ. Jesus said that during his personal ministry, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16). “I do nothing of my-self; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28).
The intermediary between Christ and John was an angel. Angels played a part in the giving of the Law (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19). Angels also have a significant role in Revelation. John was the human agent to whom this revelation was given. Of course, he was to see that it was circulated among Christ’s servants in order that they could be warned, consoled and have their hope brightened.
These events of which John writes “must shortly come to pass” (1:1; 22:20), for, as Jesus says, “the time is at hand” (1:3). Summers wrote:
This does not mean that every detail of the book is to be an im-mediate fulfilment. The interval of time between the beginning of relief for the Christians and the fi-nal consumation was not revealed to John; neither he nor the other Christians needed to see that. They needed the assurance of im-mediate relief and final complete
victory. That is exactly what was given them.2
The Blessings of GodA blessing is pronounced upon
the one who reads this prophecy as well as those who hear and keep the things written therein. The one who reads in the text (v. 3) is the public reader of the book. Copies of letters were very limited due to the ardu-ous task of copying by hand, thus a reader or lector would be appointed to read to the assembly in the early church. Timothy was told to give at-tendance to the reading at Ephesus to see that it was sound and whole-some (1 Tim. 4:13). The definite article “the” is in the original lan-guage which makes the verse read, “Till I come, give attendance to the reading.” Hence, what was read was all important as those who heard and obeyed would be blessed. Our text in Revelation plainly shows that the book could easily be under-stood by the first century Christians. Verse 3 is one of the seven bless-ings or beatitudes in the Revelation letter. The others are:
14:13 — “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”
16:15 — “Blessed is he that watch-eth and keepeth his garments.”
19:9 — “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage sup-per of the Lamb.”
20:6 — “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec-tion.”
22:7 — “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
22:14 — “Blessed are they that do his commandments.”
All of these beatitudes are open to every child of God, being espe-cially timely for those Christians in Asia Minor.
Lesson 2
The Preface
1 William Barclay, op cit., 25.2 Ray Summers, op cit., 100.
The Preface 11
The Significance of Seven Churches
There is some difficulty as to why just seven churches are inden-tified in verse 4 when indications are that there were more than seven. There was a church at Colosse (Col. 1:2), one at Hierapolis (Col. 4:13), one at Troas (Acts 20:5), and perhaps one at Miletus (Acts 20:17), although there is no way to say for certain. Some say that these churches had ceased to exist when Revelation was written and that only the seven remained. But this is unlikely. Most probably the number seven stood for completeness and therefore only the seven churches that are designated represent or symbolize all the churches of Asia as well as those everywhere else.
The number seven occurs 54 times in Revelation. There are sev-en Spirits (1:4), seven candlesticks (1:13), seven stars (1:16), seven seals (5:1), seven horns and seven eyes (5:6), seven thunders (10:3), seven angels (15:6), and seven vials of wrath (15:7). Barclay said that the “ancient peoples regarded the number seven as the perfect num-ber, and it runs all through Revela-tion.”3 In fact, there are a series of numbers in Revelation that are symbolic in meaning with definite concepts. The number two indicates strength, courage, and energy. The number three represents divinity. The number four symbolizes the world where we live. The symbol for human completeness is ten. The number twelve among the He-brews was the symbol of organized religion in the world. “This num-ber was reduplicated to 144,000 when the writer of our Apocalypse wanted to picture the security of a
perfect number.4 The number one thousand stood for ultimate com-pleteness and perfection. Seven, cut in half, is three and one-half. This signified incompleteness or imper-fection. The expressions a time, times, and a half time, forty-two months, and a thousand two hun-dred and threescore days all mean the same thing. The number six was a bad omen—just like thirteen is thought to be by many today. We will discuss this farther when we come to 666 in 13:18. So, in view of the foregoing, the seven churches could well symbolize the whole.
Barclay states that one plausible reason why only the seven were addressed is that these seven were the centers of seven postal districts. He writes:
If letters were delivered to them, they would circulate in the dis-tricts of which these towns were the centres. Troas was off the beaten track. But Hierapolis and Colossae were within walking distance of Laodicea; and Tralles, Magnesia and Miletus was close to Ephesus. Letters delivered to these seven cities would eas-ily circulate in the surrounding areas; and it must be remem-bered that every letter had to be hand-written, and therefore, each letter would need to be sent to the district where it would reach most easily the greatest number of people.5
But whether seven churches or a dozen churches, the message is just as applicable and relevant to suffering Christians. Asia in the Bible is not the continent of Asia, but rather Asia Minor. This area is now the western coast of Turkey.
Divine GreetingsGrace and peace came from
God the Father who is and who was and who is to come, from the seven Spirits and from Jesus Christ (vv. 4-5). Different views are expressed as to the meaning of the seven Spir-its. The designation is also found in 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6. Several contend that the seven Spirits are the Holy Spirit—seven being symbolic of completeness and perfection. Others avow that this expression denotes the spirit of each of the seven churches. It is likely that the Holy Spirit is meant.
Jesus is described as the “faith-ful witness, and first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.” A witness is one who has seen or heard or knows. Jesus knows (John 3:11). Jesus came from God and has intimate knowledge of him (John 1:18). The “first begotten of the dead” does not suggest that Jesus was the first to be resurrected (others were previously raised), but that Jesus was the first to be raised, never to die again. The others returned to corruption. Jesus is also designated as “ruler of the kings of the earth.” From this exalted posi-tion he governs and controls the af-fairs of men. Furthermore, he is the sacrificial Lamb, having “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (v. 5). By this process we are made kings (kingdom) and priests unto God (cf. 5:10). Peter wrote that we are a “holy priest-hood,” and a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9).
Jesus Coming in JudgmentJesus’ coming in clouds in
verse 7 is the same as his coming
3 William Barclay, op cit., 24.4 Ray Summers, op cit., 24.5 William Barclay, op cit., 35.
The Book of Revelation12
quickly in 22:20. Clouds depict judgment (Isa. 19:1; Ezek. 38:16; Matt. 24:30). His coming in judg-ment would be upon the persecutors (Romans) of the saints. This would be through natural means, just as he came in judgment upon the Jews by the Roman armies. The destruc-tion of Jerusalem is referred to as a coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven which would be seen by all tribes of the earth (Matt. 24:30).
Likewise, the impact and import of the events surrounding the judg-ment on Rome would be universally known. Every eye would see it and all kindreds would wail because of it. In chapter 18 the kings, mer-chants, shipmasters, and sailors cried and wailed at the fall of Rome (vv. 9, 11, 15, 17, 18). This was the fulfilment of 1:7.
The Alpha and Omega (first and last letters in the Greek alphabet)
apparently has reference to Christ (cf. 1:11; 21:6; 22:13). However, some think that the appellation refers to God. The designation indicates completeness and per-fection. It affirms and ratifies the things about to be spoken as the unalterable testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, the eternal one, the Almighty, will come and inflict judgment—He will conquer!
Suggested Exercises1. Define the word, “revelation.” _______________________________________________________________
2. Point out different uses of the word “revelation” in the Scriptures. ___________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. List the number of agents involved, including the recipients, in the giving of the Revelation letter.
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________________________
d. _____________________________________________________________________________________
e. _____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Relatively speaking, when were the things in Revelation to take place? _______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. On the basis of your answer in number four state why the Historical and Futurist views are objectionable.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. How many beatitudes are in Revelation? _______________________________________________________
What is the meaning of “beatitude”? __________________________________________________________
7. There seems to have been more than seven churches in Asia Minor. Give a plausible reason why just seven are identified. ____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. List the symbolic concepts of the following numbers.
a. Seven ________________________________________________________________________________
b. Two __________________________________________________________________________________
c. Three _________________________________________________________________________________
The Preface 13
d. Four _________________________________________________________________________________
e. Twelve ________________________________________________________________________________
f. Six ___________________________________________________________________________________
g. Three and one-half ______________________________________________________________________
9. What might the seven Spirits indicate? ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. In verse five Jesus is called by three designations. Name them and briefly tell what each means.
a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________________
11. Jesus is to come in clouds in verse seven. Are the clouds literal or figurative? Explain. ___________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
12. What coming of Jesus in verse seven is referred to? Why do you think this? ___________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
13. Explain the meaning of Alpha and Omega. _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________