Introduction: These transcripts of Kay Arthur's lectures on Revelation (Parts 2-4) are provided as a service to the body of Christ with the written permission of Precept Ministries International. This material is the property of Precept Ministries International and all rights are reserved. The transcripts are for the most part verbatim with deletions identified by the characters (… ). The utilization of italics, bolding, hyperlinks and pop up notes represent editorial additions. Any written additions are identified by the designation "Ed note". Note that all text in blue identifies a link or popup. All reference are the NASB unless otherwise indicated. Please note that these lectures by Kay Arthur supplement the excellent Precept Upon Precept inductive Bible study on the Revelation. Click the following links to view each division of this encouraging study and note that you can also download the first lesson of each of the 4 parts:
- Revelation - Pt 1 - Revelation 1-3, 10 lessons
- Revelation - Pt 2- Revelation 4-22, 12 lessons
- Revelation - Pt 3- Revelation 4-22, 11 lessons
- Revelation - Pt 4 - Revelation 4-22, 14 lessons
If you can find a local Precept class studying Revelation, I would strongly encourage you to join the class, as I know of no other study available anywhere in the world that will equip you so thoroughly to discern the signs of the times and cause you to live expectantly as you look for Christ's Return!
Literal chart summaries
Revelation Pt 2, Lecture 1
by Kay Arthur
Are you frightened or misled about the future? You can know for sure what will happen in the future from the Book of Revelation and you won't be misled, terrified or frightened. If you read and heed, living accordingly, you will be blessed. (cf Rev 1:3+) The time is near, even though Revelation was written in 95A.D. The time of waiting may soon be over. This is the revelation that God gave to Jesus Who in turn gave it to an angel, who in turn gave it to His bond-servant John who wrote it down for us, His bondservants, so that we can know the things that will shortly come to pass.
Revelation is the Greek word apokalupsis (see word study) meaning to unveil, to take away the cover so that one can see something more clearly. Note that the book of "The Revelation" is not just an unveiling of Jesus Christ but of those things that precede His Coming and follow the Coming of Jesus Christ. Most people think that the Revelation equates with the revealing of the Coming of Jesus Christ, but it is far more, for it uncovers the events that precede and that follow His Second Coming. So many are misled because they do not understand what His Word says about the events that precede the Second Coming of Christ. Some are misled even to the point of taking their lives. In Revelation, Jesus is the "Revealer" rather than the "Revealed". Jesus is taking the veil off the events that precede and follow His Second Coming…
In Rev 1:19+ Jesus is speaking and gives us the outline of the book of Revelation
SIMPLE OUTLINE OF
THE REVELATION:
- Revelation 1:1-20 - The things that you have seen
- Revelation 2:1-3:22 The things that are
- Revelation 4:1-22:21 - The things that will take place
In Revelation 2-3 Jesus speaks to the churches.
In Revelation 5 Jesus is the One Worthy to open the scroll.
In Revelation 6 the Lamb breaks the seals. In each of these scenes Jesus is Revealing.
In Revelation 8 Jesus breaks the 7th seal.
In Revelation 21 there is an Unveiling (see Revelation 21:5+.
Revelation 22:7+ again refers to Jesus' Revealing as does Revelation 22:12+ where He describes rewards.
Revelation 22:20+ refers again to His coming (quickly).
In Revelation 1:1+ we find the Greek phrase Ha dei genesthai which means the things that must take place. The word shortly is not in the original manuscript.
In Revelation 4:1+ we again find the phrase what must take place which is the identical Greek phrase found in Revelation 1:1+.
In Revelation 22:6+ we see the same phrase (which must shortly take place) with the addition of the word shortly which is the Greek phrase "en tachei".
So these verses describe the Unveiling as Jesus explains the events that will come to pass, so that we don't need to be frightened or misled.
Revelation 1:19 after these things which is the Greek phrase "ha mellei genesthai". These are things that will take place and which will bring in His Kingdom.
In Rev 2:25-28+ until the end is a very important phrase. Jesus Himself declares that you dearly beloved will rule over a kingdom with Christ! Refer to the parables (cf., Luke 19:11-27+;Mt 25:14-30) which teach that those who are more faithful will rule over more cities than those who are not as faithful.
So this is a call for us to overcome (compare 1Jn 5:4, 5:5+ with Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:26, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21, 21:7) and to keep His deeds until the end (Revelation 2:26+). We are called to take up our Cross, remembering that a Crown is coming. Hold fast until He comes (Rev 2:25+)!
Revelation 11:15+
And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.
And the faithful will rule with Him.
Revelation 20:4+
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years
The Testimony of Jesus is the book of Revelation!
REVELATION HAS IT'S ROOTS IN THE OT
Go to Daniel 2
(Ed note: Kay states that her goal in this course is to help us understand in every last detail what Jesus Christ is saying in the Revelation so that we will have a plumb line with which we will be able to check out all that we hear and assess it according to what the Revelation teaches. It will take work but as you go through the book of Revelation, you will truly know this book).
In Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and threatens to kill all the wise men because they cannot reveal his dream (Da 2:5+). (the date of this prophecy is about 605-603 BC)
Daniel 2:20-22+ (Which is Daniel's response to God answering his prayer and revealing the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream)
Daniel answered and said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
Daniel 2:28 (Daniel in his explanation to Nebuchadnezzar as to how he is able to interpret the dream declares that)
there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.
In the vision the Stone strikes the great statute on the feet and the interpretation is given in Daniel 2:40-43+
Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it (the Stone) will crush and break all these in pieces. And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery." (Remember that this interpretation refers to the time period of the days of the 'ten toes) And in the days of those kings (the ten toes = ten kings) the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed and that kingdom (the Kingdom which God sets up) will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
When you do your homework, watch for the fulfillment of this prophecy in Revelation.
The book of the Revelation describes the things that are absolutely going to happen because God said so and each kingdom portrayed in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has come to pass except the ten toes which is yet future.
In Daniel 3:1-30+ Nebuchadnezzar tried to thwart God's plan and to keep his earthly kingdom together but God showed him that He alone rules as Nebuchadnezzar eventually testifies, declaring that God ''is able to humble those who walk in pride." (Da 4:37) So in the final kingdom, Jesus is the King and the saints rule with Him.
Now go to Matthew 24:6 (Jesus is speaking to His disciples in the "Olivet Discourse")
And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (Mt 24:6+)
The context of this verse is that in Matthew 24 Jesus is leaving the magnificent buildings on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and His disciples are pointing out the splendor of these edifices (Mt 24:1+). Jesus replies that all these buildings will be torn down much to the dismay of His disciples (Mt 24:2+). Thus the disciples ask when would these events occur and what would be the 'Sign of Your coming'? (Mt 24:3+) Rev 1:8+ clearly states He is indeed coming. In Revelation 19:11ff+ Christ's Coming is described in detail, and refers again to the ''rod of iron'' (Revelation 19:15+) mentioned in Rev 2:27+. The Revelation then gives us the details of the SIGN OF HIS COMING & of THE END OF THE AGE. So once again the Revelation is an UNVEILING of those things that must SHORTLY COME TO PASS.
The events will take place SHORTLY and some scholars believe this phrase refers to SOON in time or RAPIDLY once it begins.
| 605-603 bc | 29-30 ad | 70 ad | Future | |
| Daniel 2 Prophesy of the Stone that crushes "10 toes" (Lecture on Daniel 2) |
Mt 24 Lk 21 Jesus explains when these things are "about to take place" (Lecture on Mt 24) |
Lk 21:20-24 Fulfillment of Jesus' prophesy of destruction of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26) |
Revelation The things which must shortly |
|
| Times of Gentiles begin with Babylonian Invasion of Jerusalem |
Times of the Gentiles Continue |
Times of Gentiles fulfilled with trampling of Jerusalem by Gentiles for 42 months Revelation 11:1; 11:2 |
||
Those who knew the Old Testament knew about the Messiah's coming, including even the Second Coming (because they knew that His Coming would bring in His kingdom rule and that this event was not fulfilled in His first Coming). You and I need to know the events leading up to and following the Second Coming. As we do, we will develop a burden to compel others to come into His Kingdom. We will live as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and will hold forth the word of life (see notes Philippians 2:14; 2:15; 2:16) without shame because we know the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (see notes Romans 1:16), and that this salvation is not just salvation from the penalty of sins but is salvation day by day (Ed note: sanctification) for it provides the power to keep us from sinning and finally the power to take us to heaven.
Now go to Luke 21 which is the parallel chapter of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, all three taking place in the last week of Jesus' life. If you are in your last week of life and know it, you want to tell everything that's truly important!
In Luke 21:6-7-note Jesus is telling the disciples that the Temple is going to be destroyed and they ask Him when these things are about to take place (same phrase in Rev 1:19). In (Luke 21:8) Jesus responded by warning them not to be misled for many would come in His name saying (1) I am (the Messiah) and (2) the time is at hand. Jesus warned them not to "go after them."
In Luke 21:9 Jesus added that
when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but THE END (which is the same time as when the Stone crushes all the other kingdoms in Daniel 2) does not follow immediately. Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. BUT BEFORE all these things, (great earthquakes, plagues and famines, etc) they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My Name's sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves… " (Luke 21:9-14-note)
(Ed note: In the middle of Jesus' prophesy concerning the end, Jesus gives a specific prophecy about Jerusalem in Luke 21:20-24 which most conservative commentators interpret as fulfilled in 70 ad.)
Luke 21:20-24-note
But when you see JERUSALEM surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written MAY BE FULFILLED. Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to THIS PEOPLE, (the Jews) and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and JERUSALEM will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (see Timeline)" (Compare Revelation 11:2 "And leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations (the Gentiles); and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.'')
What Jesus is prophesying about in Luke 21:20-24 is the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred in 70 AD.
Jesus goes on to add that
there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28-note)
The study of the REVELATION will help you lift up your head!
Luke 21:34-35
Be on guard (present imperative - make this the habit of your life, only possible as you rely wholly on the Holy Spirit to enable you) that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap, for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
Do your homework (Ed note: referring to Precept Upon Precept course Revelation - Part 2) and you will come to know THE THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE and you will be able to hold fast until the end. Daniel used the term in the latter days. In Matthew 24 (and Luke 21) Jesus said it is not yet the end. In Revelation the angel told John
Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (Revelation 22:9).
It will soon take place because a day with the Lord is as a thousand years and thousand years as one day. (see note 2 Peter 3:8, Ps 90:4).
THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME LEFT - When you see these things come to pass, you will know that your redemption is drawing nigh.
Prayer: Father, we bow before You and thank You for Your word, that You have not left Your people in the dark, but that You reveal to us the things that are going to happen before they take place. That is the birthright, the gift, that You give Your bondservants so that they are never caught unaware. So if we are caught unaware, if we are frightened, if we are misled, it is our fault because we haven't exerted ourselves, we haven't disciplined ourselves to study, to show ourselves approved unto You, workmen that need not be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth. (cf note 2 Timothy 2:15) Father, we thank You for the Revelation of Jesus Christ You gave to Him to show to us, Your bondservants, the things that will shortly take place. Father, thank You and may we honor what You have give us by studying it. In Your name. Amen.
Credits: These transcripts of Kay Arthur's lectures on Revelation (Parts 2-4) are provided as a service to the body of Christ with the written permission of Precept Ministries International. This material is the property of Precept Ministries International and all rights are reserved. The transcripts are for the most part verbatim with deletions identified by the characters (… ). The utilization of italics, bolding, hyperlinks and pop up notes represent editorial additions. Any written additions are identified by the designation "Ed note".
Please note that these lectures by Kay Arthur supplement the excellent Precept Upon Precept inductive Bible study on the Revelation. If you can find a local Precept class studying Revelation, I would strongly encourage you to join the class, as I know of no other study available anywhere in the world that will equip you so thoroughly to discern the signs of the times and cause you to live expectantly as you look for Christ's Return!