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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 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 |
by Kay Arthur
Have you ever studied for yourself what the word of God has to say about the Revelation so that when you listen to others, you know that you know whether they are teaching you what is right or not? As you get into the Revelation and God gets into your life, it will be awesome. But you may be saying ''I am afraid to study Revelation.'' You don't need to be afraid bc this book is not meant to make you afraid but on the contrary to take away the fear.
If you are afraid, prophecy and the book of Revelation specifically is not designed to make you afraid to but is designed to bring you to the FEAR OF THE LORD.
Ps 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do [His commandments]; His praise endures forever.
Note: There is a difference in being afraid and ''the fear of the Lord.'' To fear God means to have a REVERENTIAL TRUST of God, an AWESOME RESPECT for God. When you get into His word, what happens is that you begin to see Who God really is and this causes you (or should cause you) to trust Him and to respect Him (to fear Him). WISDOM is how to take truth and apply it to one's life.
Job 28:28 "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"
So that when you get into God's Word and begin to get a respect and trust of God, that is WISDOM. But then to take what you have learned and to depart from evil, that is UNDERSTANDING. In Revelation we see how God judges evil (the dreadful Day of the Lord) and this is one reason we fear this book. How far away is this DAY.
Mt 24:37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 "For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
The point: The Day of the Lord could come suddenly, swiftly and when it comes God will judge evil. So we need to be prepared. What is evil? The world does not know what evil truly is and does not have a concept of what is right & wrong bc ABSOLUTES are gone. The world will be caught unaware.
Ps 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
If you fear the Lord and have a wisdom about what is going on bc you have submitted yourself to His Word to KNOW GOD, in turn ACTING on that wisdom and depart from evil, you can rest in God's promise that the angel of the Lord is encamping round about you. In the OT when He sends judgment, He protects and delivers the righteous bc He knows who are His.
Remember RIGHTEOUSNESS comes from knowing what God says about life and departing from evil. The person who responds in this manner is the one who has a healthy FEAR of the Lord. As you study TRUTH in Revelation you will not be caught unaware bc you will understand what is going on and you will be able to evaluate the signs of the times (Sept, 1993: massive flooding, serious drought, the worst earthquake in Japan's history). We are living in awesome days. God creates the floods, hailstorms, wind and yet USA Today quoted a Christian leader saying God doesn't bring about adverse weather conditions. But he is wrong. God is in control and when you are in the midst of fearful circumstances/feelings what you do is stand on what you know to be true about God.
Second common reason for not studying Revelation: I'll never be able to understand it!
This is true if you are not willing to discipline yourself to study diligently. The time is short and many are not prepared for the day ahead and whatever it takes we have to get prepared. Many who have finished Revelation testify that it has absolutely changed their relationship to God.
Deut 29:29 "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
What belongs to God? The SECRET THINGS. What belongs to us? The THINGS REVEALED
| Ps 25:14 The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. |
All that we are about to study in Revelation has to do with God's covenant (with Israel, to the church--the new covenant, the everlasting covenant). Remembering WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED belongs to us…
Rev 1:1 The Revelation (apokalupsis=unveiling) of Jesus Christ, (not of the person--that's in the gospels/epistles) which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, (the church: those that belong to Him, who fear Him, who bow the knee to Him as Creator, putting away pride and independent living, putting away sin, coming to Him to be clean, to be forgiven, to belong to His family, to be part of the everlasting kingdom of God) the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated [it] by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 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.
SHORTLY= en tachei: Does not mean will happen in a ''short time'' but that when it begins to happen, the events will come swiftly. God's wants us to know those things that are going to take place suddenly and shortly. So the Revelation is not ABOUT Jesus but it's from JESUS to show us the things which must shortly take place (en tachei). And if Revelation is a REVEALING and the THINGS REVEALED belong to us, God clearly wants us to know these things and He will make it known (in fact He has spelled it all out in this book). GOD ==> JESUS CHRIST ==> ANGEL ==> JOHN ==> HIS BOND-SERVANTS
The early church's watchword was MARANATHA (the Lord is coming or Lord come) Kay added ''en tachei''.
Can we understand Revelation?
Surely we can or why else would God promise a blessing for something we can't understand? The problem is that many are not willing to persevere until they do understand. So many allow the things of this world to get in the way of studying God's word. Hang in there. It's only 11 weeks. It will be worth it. (Ed: It’s a good way to spend your summer vacation if you have one!)
Ps 147:11 The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Revelation will show us the JUDGMENT OF GOD but this Psalm promises that God will bless those who wait for His lovingkindness. Right now it doesn't look that way. But know this: this present evil age will come to an end. So many times we get in the midst of a trial and because we can't see the other side (which is always victory for the child of God) we run away or we give up in that trial. Don’t give up because the Lord favors those who fear Him and who trust Him.
FEAR comes from the subject matter covered in the segment of the book that we are going to study. In Revelation 6 the book (literally a ''scroll'') in the hands of Jesus Christ has 7 seals. When Jesus Christ breaks those seals the JUDGMENT OF GOD begins to be poured out on the face of the earth.
Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer. (This is not Jesus Christ. It does appear to be situation in which the conquering occurs without actual war… possibly a ''manipulation'' of some sort)
Breaking of Second Seal > War
Breaking of Third Seal > Famine
Breaking of Fourth Seal > Death & Hades
Rev 6:9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
So what you see here is martyrdom bc their Christianity, bc they have embraced Jesus Christ, bc they have said the Bible is the Word of God and they would not compromise, even if it cost their lives. They were willing to die for what they believed.
Rev 6:10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
They call Him ''Holy & True''. They feared the Lord and thus were willing to die for Him. They embrace His Word and said it is ABSOLUTE TRUTH and is worth LIVING for and is worth DYING for and is not to be compromised even if it cost their lives. These are obviously men and women who have feared the Lord and they are crying out not ''unjust'' but ''holy & true''. They are able to WAIT on the Lord bc they know His lovingkindness is on the way.
Rev 6:12: Breaking of the Sixth Seal: Cataclysmic changes and men who dwell on earth cry out:
Rev 6:16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand? "
Before the seals are ever broken, God lets us know certain things: That when the scroll is broken and brings forth judgment on the earth, you can know that the scroll is not on earth but is in heaven. It is not in the hands of man but in the hands of God! If you fear God, and have a proper understanding of Who God is, then no matter what happens around you, you will be able to stand strong bc the people who know their God will be strong and will do exploits. (Dan 11:32b) You will ''… be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.'' (1 Cor 15:58).
When the storm comes, you will walk in the eye of the storm. Kay tells story of a friend's husband who died of cancer and how knowing the names of God kept her friend focused on God. God also used the ''tragedy'' to draw her husband closer to God so that as he fell asleep for the last time he did so as his wife was reading Phil 1:21 ''For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.''
That's what this study is about. It's to cause you to LIVE FOR CHRIST and to cause you to know that to DIE IS GAIN. God wants us to know that the SCROLL is in the hands of God not man, and is Heaven not on earth. It is God's possession not men's. Whatever comes, if you know that it is God, you can hold fast.
God is eternal, holy, worthy, Creator
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. (ETERNAL) … 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
From this point on all that follows concerning the awesome movements of God on the face of the earth BEGINS HERE in Rev 4 with a clear explanation of WHO GOD IS.
What follows is not what COULD take place, but what will SURELY COME TO PASS. That's why you need to study Revelation. These events have not happened (if one takes them literally) but they are going to happen because God said so!
What you are about to learn is not to satisfy your CURIOSITY regarding the FUTURE but it is to show:
1) God is in control: you will clearly see this truth all through the Revelation and the cross-reference passages. You will also learn what WILL CERTAINLY TAKE PLACE en tachei.
2). MAN WILL NOT PREVAIL nor will NATIONS PREVAIL. Man thinks he is going to prevail! (Cp. Psalm 2)
3). The ENEMY, SATAN, WILL NOT PREVAIL: Kay describes a threatening phone call she received, but how she did not fear because she knows that God is on His throne and He never leaves His throne. The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. (Pr 29:25) Kay fears God.
4). SIN & EVIL will not prevail.
5). DEATH WILL NOT PREVAIL: this is the hope of the child of God.
GOD WILL PREVAIL
He Who was, He Who is and Who is to come.
Revelation will bring you peace and rest and calm and security in the eye of the storm.
What will be the sign of jesus’ coming?
Mt 24:3 (not the same question as Luke 21) And as He (Jesus) was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, (destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem) and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.''
Kay gives example of Bennie Hinn's ''Word of faith'' gospel in which he says all you have to do is confess it and it will come to pass. Christianity Today article gave details of Hank Hanegraff (Bible Answer Man, CRI and author of Christianity in Crisis) and James Robison going to Bennie Hinn showing him where he was teaching incorrect doctrine. Hinn seemingly responded to their admonitions. The point is that Hinn's followers WERE MISLED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT KNOW THE WORD OF GOD. They did not know the whole counsel (Acts 20:27) of the Word of God.
We MUST know the Word of God! That is why Jesus answers them by warning them not to let anyone MISLEAD them. He wants us to understand this important warning and the only way is by digging into God's Word for one’s self. This study may bring some frustration but it's worth it. None of know how long we have left on this earth. Our time is short until we meet Jesus face to face.
How can you know when someone is misleading you? When you know God's PLUMBLINE for yourself, as Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God) emphasized at a meeting Kay went to in the summer.
Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door [standing] open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like [the sound] of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
This parallels Jesus in
Rev 1:19 "Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are and the things which shall take place after these things.
The things you have seen: John's vision of the glorified Christ
The things which are: The Letters to the Seven Churches: At the end of each letter Jesus reiterates:
''He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.'' and
''He that OVERCOMES… '' and then Jesus gives a PROMISE.
Jesus knows that not everyone in the church is a child of God. He knows that everyone who PROFESSES to believe in Jesus Christ does not POSSESS Jesus Christ. He knows that the reality of your relationship with God is shown in our relationship with the world and in what we overcome.
1Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.
Where is FAITH from?
Ro10:17 ''So faith [comes] from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.''
So he that has an ear let him HEAR. What you have is the Word of Christ.
The things which shall take place
after these things
Jesus is saying to the Church: ''I want you to know with an absolute certainty the things which are going to take place en tachei, shortly, swiftly, suddenly. I want you to be prepared. I do not want you to be misled because I love you with a perfect love (perfect love casts out fear -1Jo4:18). I want you to know that you can understand because I have written it down through My bond-servant John. I have given it to you and I will tell you what it means.''
He will tell us if we will remain at His feet and
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.