Class Description:

Revelation is one of the most confusing and yet most controversial books of the

Bible. It seems to predict the future and yet defies decoding. People have used it to define

the day the world would end and who is in or out of heaven. And yet in it’s first verses it

seems to set out it’s purpose is to “bless” us.

This course will look at the content and structure of Revelation and explore a

framework for understanding this unique book. We’ll discern the purpose of the book and

let its message speak good news to us today. Finally, we’ll figure out how the end is

going to look and determine if an exact date is even possible.

Learning Goals:

Understand the literary genre of the book of Revelation

Discover symbolic meanings rooted in the Old Testament

Be able to explain the overall structure of the book of Revelation

Explore the END and understand its implications for our NOW

Find Good News in any passage of Revelation

Class Location: Narthex

Times: Thursdays, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Requirements: Bible, pen and class notebook

Schedule of Classes:

Feb. 26 Getting Our Head Around The Book

Mar. 5 Seven Stars and Red Dragons?

Mar. 12 And Then I Saw…

Mar. 19 No Class – Spring Break

Mar. 26 The Way The World Ends

Apr. 2 Makes All The Difference Today

St. Philip’s Episcopal Spring 2008

Segment II

Revelation Reading Plan

“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.”

Feb. 26 Rev. 1:1-20

Feb. 27 Rev. 2:1-17

Feb. 28 Rev. 2:18-3:6

Mar. 1 No Reading

Mar. 2 Rev. 3:7-22

Mar. 3 Rev. 4:1-11

Mar. 4 Rev. 5:1-14

Mar. 5 Rev. 6:1-17

Mar. 6 Rev. 7:1-17

Mar. 7 Rev. 8:1-13

Mar. 8 No Reading

Mar. 9 Rev. 9:1-11

Mar. 10 Rev. 9:12-21

Mar. 11 Rev. 10:1-11

Mar. 12 Rev. 11:1-19

Mar. 13 Rev. 12:1-17

Mar. 14 Rev. 13:1-10

Mar. 15 No Reading

Mar. 16 Rev. 13:11-18

Mar. 17 Rev. 14:1-20

Mar. 18 Rev. 15:1-8

Mar. 19 Rev. 16:1-21

Mar. 20 Rev. 17:1-18

Mar. 21 Rev. 18:1-24

Mar. 22 No Reading

Mar. 23 Rev. 19:1-21

Mar. 24 Rev. 20:1-15

Mar. 25 Rev. 21:1-27

Mar. 26 Rev. 22:1-21

I. First Thoughts

II. Genre & Context

A. Apocalyptic Genre

Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937)

B. The Book

III. Four Approaches to Revelation

A. Idealism:

Guernica is about war not history

B. Preterism:

Guernica is a coded photograph

C. Historicism:

Guernica is a road map

D. Futurism:

Guernica is a prophecy of the end

IV. A Fifth Approach - Gospel

A. Small Group Study of Rev. 1:1-8

B. Revelation as Gospel

We will be digging into the Bible together at our tables. Take some time for each person to read the passage to themselves and

then begin to answer the following questions. Please take notes on your own sheet. Leave room for other notes/insights as we share as

a class. Select someone to report back from your group to the class. Feel free to jot down other thoughts from the whole class debrief

time.

Passage: __________________

God: What does this tell me about God?

Relationship: What does this tell me about how we

relate or interact?

Us: What does this tell me about us or

about creation?

Can you summarize your findings in one sentence?

I. Biblical Theology of Revelation 12:1-6

II. Making Sense of the Symbols

A. Symbols are not secret codes - REVELATION

B. Stop looking for this = that; focus on theology

C. The best commentary is the Bible itself

D. Don’t mix Picasso and Rockwell

E. Numbers are more than numbers

Number Other References? John’s Meaning

III. Letters to the Churches (Rev. 2-3)

A. To REAL people

B. Key themes

C. Good News for us

We will be digging into the Bible together at our tables. Take some time for each person to read the passage to themselves and then begin to answer the following questions. Please take notes on your own sheet. Leave room for other notes/insights as we share as a class. Select someone to report back from your group to the class. Feel free to jot down other thoughts from the whole class debrief

time.

Passage: __________________

God: What does this tell me about God?

Relationship: What does this tell me about how we

relate or interact?

Us: What does this tell me about us or

about creation?

Can you summarize your findings in one sentence?

The Symbolism of Numbers in the Bible compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

1 singularity; God in monotheism (Deut 6:4); unity for humans (John 10:16; Eph 4:4)

2 duality: contrary (light/dark, good/evil) or complimentary (material/spiritual; human/divine)

3 God's actions: 3 "visitors" (Gen 18:2); "third day" (Exod 19:11); later "Trinity" (Matt 28:19)

3½ half of seven; thus things in process, still incomplete

4 earth, directions, winds, empires; later the four Gospels or four Evangelists

6 human work/effort (Luke 13:14); incompleteness, imperfection, lack (not yet 7)

7 days in a week, sabbath rest (Gen 2:1-3); thus natural & divine completeness/perfection

8 Jewish day of Circumcision (Exod 22:30); Christian day of Resurrection (John 20:26)

10 completion; basis of many number systems (# digits on fingers/toes!)

11 incompletion; only eleven apostles remain after Judas' death

12 months per year, tribes of Israel, apostles of Jesus; human completion

[13] [used in later superstition; based on Judas, but not used in Bible itself]

24 Christian number for completion/restoration: OT tribes + NT apostles

30 days in month in ancient lunar calendars

40 very long time: years of Israel's Exodus, days of Jesus’ temptation

42 number of months in 3½ years (half of seven years; see also 1260 days)

100 = 10x10

144 = 12x12, thus perfect completion

360 number of days in a lunar year

365 number of days in a solar year (cf. Gen 5:23)

666 number of the beast (Rev 13:18 only; variant reading is 616)

1000 = 10x10x10

1260 number of days in 3½ years (thus incompletion)

10,000 “myriad”; highest ancient number with its own name

Key Questions Ephesus Smyrna Pergamum Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea

Who From?

(List symbols) holy & true

holds key of

David, opens and shuts doors.

Who To? Church in Philadelphia

What’s Good? Kept my word, not denied Jesus, endured patiently,

What’s Not

So Good?

They have had to

endure, yet a time of trial is coming,

What Commands

Are Given?

Hold on to what you have,

overcome, hear what the Spirit says

What Promises

Are Made?

enemies acknowledge they were right,

keep from hour of trial,

permanent in temple, new name of God

I. Biblical Theology Worksheet: Revelation 4:1-11

Hints: Draw the diagram out as you read it Don’t get hung up on decoding. Focus on the actions and dialogue.

This is mostly about God

II. Is the Book Chronological ?

III. A Circular Approach

A. The best teachers repeat

B. Should have only one end (Rev. 6:12-14)

C. Explains the similarities

D. Lines up with Jesus teaching in the Gospels

7 Trumpets 7 Bowls

8:7 earth/land 16:2 8:8-9 sea 16:3

8:10-11 rivers 16:4-7 8:12 sky 16:8-9 9:1-12 torment 16:10-14

9:13-21 destruction 16:12-16 11:15-18 end 16:17-21

You Are Here

Jesus First Coming Jesus Second Coming

E. Explains my experience today

F. The Eighth Scene

III. The Seals (Rev. 6-7)

1. Rev. 6:1-2

2. Rev. 6:3-4

3. Rev. 6:5-6

4. Rev. 6:7-8

5. Rev. 6:9-11

6. Rev. 6:12-17

7. Rev. 7:1-8:1

We will be digging into the Bible together at our tables. Take some time for each person to read the passage to themselves and then begin to answer the following questions. Please take notes on your own sheet. Leave room for other notes/insights as we share as a class. Select someone to report back from your group to the class. Feel free to jot down other thoughts from the whole class debrief

time.

Passage: __________________

God: What does this tell me about God?

Relationship: What does this tell me about how we

relate or interact?

Us: What does this tell me about us or

about creation?

Can you summarize your findings in one sentence?

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 Rev.

20-21

7 Visions

Ultimate Reality

(19-20)

7 Letters to the

Churches (1-3)

7 Seals Suffering

Church (4-7)

7 Words Babylon

Destroyed (17-18)

7 Trumpets

Warning World

(8-11)

7 Bowls Punish

World (15-16)

7 Visions

Cosmic Conflict

(12-14)

Key Assumption is that Revelation is NOT Chronological timeline but a repeat of

patterns to drive home the point.

Eight scenes in total. The first seven take a different perspective on the reality leading up

to the end. The eighth scene is of the New Jerusalem. (Scenes represented by arrows)

Each scene begins with a change of location/view, usually with the words, “Come” and “I

saw”.

Within each scene Wilcock sees another pattern of seven reflected in the circles above.

Rings 1to 4 are various aspects of present reality. Ring 5 focuses on the inner experience

of people or an intensification. Ring 6 is destruction and ring 7 is the end.

The inner circle (8) is the eighth scene representing the new age described in Revelation

20 and 21.

I. The Great Debate

A. Premillennial

B. Postmillennial

C. Amillennial

II. Assumptions So Far

A. Guernica not Rockwell (i.e. more symbolic than literal)

B. Numbers are more than numbers

C. John’s “then’s” are more sequence of vision than sequence of history

D. Best commentary is the REST of the Bible

Millennium Last

Judgment

Second

Coming

Premillennial

Millennium Second Coming &

Last Judgment

Postmillennial

Symbolic/Spiritual Millennium

Amillennial

Second Coming &

Last Judgment

III. Establishing A Reference Point

A. Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 24:1-31)

B. Paul’s teaching (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

C. The pattern of Revelation 1-19

IV. Revelation 19:11-20:15

A. Key Elements

B. Timeline

V. My Take On The End

Verse Element Verse Element

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________ __________________________________________

You Are Here

I. We Know the End

A. The Bride (Rev. 21:9-10)

B. The Holy City (Rev. 21:10-21)

C. The Temple (Rev. 21:22-27)

D. The River of Life (Rev. 22:1-6)

II. We Know the Present Reality (Rev. 5:1-14)

III. We Know Our Job

A. Rev. 2:7

B. Rev. 2:11

C. Rev. 2:17

D. Rev. 2:26

E. Rev. 3:5

F. Rev. 3:12

G. Rev. 3:21

IV. We Know Our Prayer (Rev. 22:17-21)

Cry No More Holy Culture

One day I won't cry no more Can't wait for the day when people won't die no more

Daddy's won't say, bye no more; lie no more In the streets bullets won't fly no more

Won't feel no pain no more Won't have to push, pull, won't have to strain no more

Won't have to walk lame no more

Won't have to play the game no more.