Who Was Who Is and Who Is To Come
Comments for Study 1
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I. Prologue (1:1-3)
* The drawing is called "Christ in Glory". It was in the "September 1522 Luther Bible", the first Bible translated into German. Luther's New Testament was published in September of 1522, with a second edition coming out in December of the same year both adorned with woodcut illustrations by Lucas Cranach.
>1. What does revelation mean? (1)
* Revelation 1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,"
* "revelation"
* "what must soon take place"
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>To whom is this revelation for?
* "to show his servants"
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>How did the revelation that follows come to us?
* "of Jesus Christ"
* "which God gave him"
* "He made it known by sending his angel"
* "to his servant John"
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>2. In what way did John receive this revelation? (2)
* Revelation 1:2 "who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ."
* "everything he saw"
* "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ"
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>What does it mean to be blessed? (3)
* Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
* "Blessed"
* "is the one who"
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>What is prophecy?
* "the words of this prophecy"
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>How is one bless by this prophecy?
* "who reads"
* "those who hear it"
* "take to heart what is written in it"
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>What is near?
* "because the time is near"
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II. Greetings and Doxology (1:4-8)
>3. Where were the churches that seven letters that follows were addressed to? (4)
* Revelation 1:4 "John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,"
* "churches"
* "in the province of Asia"
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>From whom does grace and peace come from?
* "Grace"
* "peace"
* "from him who is, and who was, and who is to come"
* "from the seven spirits before his throne"
* "and from Jesus Christ"
>How is Jesus described in verse 5?
* Revelation 1:5 "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,"
* "who is the faithful witness"
* "the firstborn from the dead"
* "the ruler of the kings of the earth"
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>How is our relationship with him defined?
* "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood"
* "To him who loves us"
* "has freed us from our sins by his blood"
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>4. What does it mean that Christians are a kingdom? (6; Dan. 2:44-45)
* Revelation 1:6 "and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."
* Daniel 2:44-45 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.""
* "has made us to be a kingdom"
* "priests to serve his God and Father"
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>That we are priests? (5:10, 20:6; 1 Peter 2:5, 9-10)
* Revelation 5:10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
* Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."
* 1 Peter 2:5 "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
* 1 Peter 2:9-10 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
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>5. How is Jesus' soon appearance described in verse 7?
* Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."
* "Look"
* "he is coming with the clouds"
* "and every eye will see him"
* "even those who pierced him"
* Matthew 26:63-64 "But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
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>Why will some people morn when he comes again? (Matt. 8:11-12, 13:40-43, 49-50, 22:13-14, 24:48-51, 25:28-30)
* "all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him"
* "So shall it be! Amen."
* Matthew 8:11-12 "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 13:40-43 "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
* Matthew 13:49-50 "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 22:13-14 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen."
* Matthew 24:48-51 "But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 25:28-30 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
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>6. What does it mean that the Lord God is the Alpha and the Omega? (8)
* Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
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>What does it mean that he is, was and is to come?
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III. Our Defender Jesus Christ (1:9-20)
>7. What is Christians state before Jesus comes? (9)
* Revelation 1:9 "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."
* "brother"
* "companion in the suffering"
* "and kingdom"
* "and patient endurance"
* "that are ours in Jesus"
>Why was John on the island of Patmos?
* "on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus"
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>8. What does it mean that John was "in the Spirit"? (Luke 4:1; Acts 6:3)
* Revelation 1:10 "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,"
* Isaiah 58:1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins."
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>What does it mean that the voice was like a trumpet? (10; Isa. 58:1)
* Luke 4:1 "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,"
* Acts 6:3 "Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them"
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>What do you know about the seven cities? (11)
* Revelation 1:11 "which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."
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>Why might churches be represented by lampstands? (12, 20; Matt. 5:14-16)
* Revelation 1:12 "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,"
* Revelation 1:20 "The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
* Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
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>9. What does it mean someone was "like a son of man"? (13; Matt. 17:1-2)
* Revelation 1:13 "and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest."
* Matthew 17:1-2 "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light."
* Mark 9:2-3 "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them."
* Luke 9:29 "As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning."
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>How does verses 14-15 further explain this title?
* Revelation 1:14-15 "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."
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>What does this say about the future of those who are in Christ? (1 Cor. 15:51-54; Phil. 3:20-21)
* 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
* Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
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>10. What does the fact that he holds seven stars in his hand reveal? (16; John 10:28-30)
* Revelation 1:16 "In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."
* John 10:28-30 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
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>What does it mean "out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword"? (Heb. 4:12-13; John 1:14)
* Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
* John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
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>Who was this one "like the son of man"? (17-18)
* Revelation 1:17-18 "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
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>What is Jesus about to tell John? (19)
* Revelation 1:19 "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."
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