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!
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Rev Pt 4: Lec 1: THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS RETURNING: |
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Click following for literal chapter by chapter chart summary of: |
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Kay’s story of General Douglas Macarthur's famous promise 'I will return. Don’t give in.' And the little Filipino answered 'I will not give in… I will fight until you return.' And MacArthur kept his promise and did return. When Jesus left He promised He would return and when He did that He would take His own to be with Him. As Jesus ascended from the mount of Olives two angelic beings encouraged them Acts 1:11 and they also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.' Jesus was gone but the battle was not over and in fact would get worse. But He promised to return again. Kay cut these tapes in Feb, 1994, and the hour is dark as the clouds begin to mount presaging the coming battle directed at evangelical believers. She specifically alludes to laws that stand in direct opposition to what we believe. How will we survive? Jesus Christ is coming again and that is our Hope. Revelation is an UNVEILING Remember Revelation is an UNVEILING by Jesus Christ (not the unveiling of Jesus Himself). In the Revelation Jesus would unveil the things that must shortly take place. Shortly = en tachei… which can mean near in time or soon to take place or it can also mean suddenly or swiftly. So it is going to come soon bc it has been almost 2000 years since He left. Assuming a literal coming of Christ, and given the almost 2000 year 'delay' His return could indeed be extremely imminent even in our lifetime. That would be shortly. We need to be living each day with a sense of His imminent return as a motivating force. And en tachei can mean suddenly just like in the days of Noah when the flood came door to the ark shut ‘they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (Mt 24:39). Review of Revelation: God => Jesus => Angel => Bondservant John => us John is bearing witness to THE WORD OF GOD, THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST and it is TRUE, for Jesus is TRUTH and there is no lie found in him. Satan is the LIAR. Rev 22:6 And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true'; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place. So we know what is going to happen because Amos 3:7. Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. So if you and I will study what God has given to the prophets we will know what is going to happen. Rev 1:3-note Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. What we are learning about prophecy should affect our behavior-what we spend our money and time on, etc. 'NEAR' is engys (or eggus) = the time is close. Everything in Revelation pivots around the one fact shown in… Rev 1:7-note Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. So the focus is not the character or work of Christ but HIS RETURN and EVERY EYE will see Him. These things that must shortly take place include things that come before His coming and that come after His return, referred to in Titus 2:13-note as THE BLESSED HOPE (elpis). If you live in the expectancy of His coming, when you see Him face to face you will not be disappointed even if He does not come in our lifetime. You need to set your mind and focus on the truth that HE IS COMING. What does the HOPE OF HIS COMING DO in our life practically? It will cause us to heed His truths and live in the light of those truths. On the other hand if we live as if He is not coming in our lifetime and He indeed does come, then we will be shocked and sorry. If He does not come, you will still be miserable when you die and see Him face to face. What are the effects of living with a focus on His coming?
(1) ENCOURAGING HOPE Why? Because it could be soon. The early church lived with this expectancy and hope of seeing Christ return as King of kings and Lord of lords, just as Paul emphasized to the afflicted believers at Thessalonica. And connected with this encouragement is the exhortation to HOLD FAST! HOLD FAST! HOLD FAST! LIVING WITH A SENSE OF IMMINENCY IMMINENCY: means our Lord Jesus Christ could come at any moment (including while you are watching this video or reading this transcript). If this is true then what about the 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets and 7 Bowls? Don’t we have to see those things happen and then we get ready? Not necessarily according to 1 Thes 4:13-18-note and 1 Cor 15:51-55 speaking of the RAPTURE when He comes to take His church from the earth. When does the RAPTURE occur? And how do we know? We’ll study this next semester so hold fast! In any event we can be ENCOURAGED bc it is a fact that HE IS COMING and when He comes He will reign. This should encourage us no matter how dark our society becomes. (See also Imminency, Imminent) (2) PURIFYING HOPE: 1 John 3:1-note See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. The world system today similarly does not know Him and they will condemn us for our thinking even more than our behavior… but we have a hope and He will right all wrongs… in the meantime the world hates true believers and so our tendency is to give up a bit on our beliefs and come over to the side of the world so that they will accept us. This is the problem with the church in America but since they don’t know Him they will not know us. 1 John 3:2-note Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. (John saw the glorified, exalted Jesus on the Isle of Patmos). 3 (note) And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. The fact that we are going to see Him and give an account (Rev 22:12 His reward is with Him) to Him ought to motivate us to live a life of moral purity and excellence. The fact that His return is imminent, shortly, soon should cause us to desire to put away sin and purify ourselves even as He is pure. Are you flirting with sin? Most of evangelical believers in America are in fact flirting with sin… especially 'mentally'. Why 'mentally'? Because they are reading and studying everything BUT THE WORD OF GOD. Kay alludes to a series of Christian novels as the presumed source of a believer’s theology. HERE IS THE CRITICAL QUESTION? ARE WE SPENDING AS MUCH TIME IN THE PURE MILK OF GOD’S WORD AS WE ARE IN CHRISTIAN NOVELS, OR ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN BOOK ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD? Kay feels the answer is that as a rule believers are not in the Word as much as in books about the Word. She can tell by talking with believers, by the way they live. The problem with the church is that we know more about the psychology and philosophy of the day then we do about the oracles and precepts of the Word of God! What is going to come out of His mouth when He comes? The sword of the Word of God and He is the Word of God and we will stand before Him. 2 Pet 3:7-note But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (We know He is coming shortly in respect to the length of time or He is coming suddenly. Let’s assume 'shortly' so that makes 2Pet 3 a prophetic passage. The reason He has not come is because He still has sheep to bring into His fold. We call it 'slow' but in God’s economy the 2000 years are like 2 days.) 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, (His coming will be a time of mourning for the world, a time of judgment and destruction for the world… so Peter asks the question that follows… ) what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, (Rev 21-note and Rev 22-note) in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, (term of conclusion) beloved, since you look for these things, (all connecting with His coming) be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; … ' His delay means salvation… it may be your son or daughter, a parent, etc. in the context of describing the pouring out of the 7 bowl judgments Jesus says: Rev 16:15 Behold (aorist imperative) I am coming (erchomai = simply means to go from one place to another and used in another form in Rev 7:1. If He is coming with the clouds it is from heaven.) like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, (Rev 2 &3 talk about how our garments are to be spotless, washed in the blood of the Lamb} lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.' Rev 22:7 'And behold (aorist imperative), I am coming (erchomai) quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.' Heed these words and you will be blessed. Rev 22:12 'Behold (aorist imperative), I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. We are living in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation… in a nation that has turned its back on God and is beginning to come against Christianity. Kay believes you and I will have the 'privilege' of giving up our freedom and possibly even giving up our life for the Lord Jesus Christ. What will hold you in a society where there are no ABSOLUTES? In the midst of an evangelical church where 52% say they don’t hold to any absolutes? The absolute we are to hold fast to is HE IS COMING and it should encourage and cause us to purify our lives, knowing that when He comes, He will reward the faithful. If you are not faithful you will shrink back in shame at His coming. (1 Jn 2:28-note). (3) COMFORTING HOPE: His coming is a reassuring hope. It is comforting to know that the ungodly will get the judgment that they deserve. In our society it looks like the ungodly are getting off unscathed while believers are suffering, but they haven’t seen the end of story. 2 Thes 1:6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well (THE RELIEF COMES) when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (In Rev 19:11ff Christ returns and in Rev 20:11-15 the dead of the world are judged according to their deeds.) 2 Thes 1:10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed. So what is the COMFORT? That those who have been afflicted will some day be honored, glorified and shown to be on the winning side and that should comfort us. And the guilty will be judged by a Just Judge. (4) SOBERING HOPE Why? Watch what He says to the church ABOUT HIS COMING: TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS Rev 2:5-note 'Remember (present imperative) therefore from where you have fallen, and repent (aorist imperative) and do (aorist imperative) the deeds you did at first; (your DEEDS show what you truly believe) or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place-unless you repent. TO PERGAMUM IMMERSED IN IMMORALITY Rev 2:16-note 'Repent (aorist imperative) therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them (those who are committing immorality) with the sword of My mouth. TO THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA Rev 2:24-note 'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them-I place no other burden on you. 25 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast (aorist imperative) until I come. TO SARDIS WHICH IS DEAD THAT HAS ONLY A FEW WHO HAVE NOT SOILED THEIR GARMENTS: Rev 3:3-note 'Remember (present imperative) therefore what you have received and heard; and keep (present imperative) it, and repent (aorist imperative). If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. TO THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA Rev 3:11-note 'I am coming quickly; hold fast (present imperative) what you have, in order that no one take your crown. When General Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines he was looking for that faithful man and when he found him, he did something that he did not do for the others… he placed his arms around him and said in essence 'Well done'. What God has said to us is that He is coming and this is our blessed hope… a purifying hope… an encouraging hope… a comforting hope… a hope you and I need to cling to because when He comes His reward is with Him. He is saying 'Hold fast' because 'I am coming.' You may not know the day or the hour but it is a certainty 'I AM COMING-- You and I are a kingdom of priests unto God and He means for us to occupy until He comes. If you do you will have a crown and you will be able to lay it at His feet and you will hear 'Well done my good and faithful servant.' Whatever is happening in your life you can remember that it is a certainty… 'Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.' Rev 1:7 Come quickly Lord Jesus Christ. |