Introduction:
Blessed
Is
He
Who
Reads,
Hears
and
Heeds
One
summer
vacation
my
family
visited
a
unique
national
park.
It
was
Mammoth
Cave
in
Kentucky.
Having
never
been
there
before,
I
was
expecting
to
simply
go
through
a
passageway
into
a
large
room
under
the
ground.
I
did
not
realize
this
cave
system
contained
350
miles
of
passageways.
How
strange
it
was
being
underground
for
several
hours.
It
was
like
being
on
another
planet.
We
took
a
historic
tour
that
went
through
two
miles
of
the
caves.
We
saw
and
experienced
such
places
as
the
Bottomless
Pit,
Fat
Man's
Misery,
and
the
actual
Mammoth
Cave
Room
that
was
several
hundred
feet
tall.
We
listened
to
the
guide
tell
us
the
history
of
the
caves.
We
were
amazed
to
see
some
of
the
Indian
artifacts
that
were
found
there,
how
the
caves
were
mined
for
saltpeter
which
was
used
to
make
gunpowder
for
the
War
of
1812,
and
of
the
church
that
used
to
hold
services
in
one
of
the
large
chambers
(Great
acoustics
and
free
air
conditioning!).
Yet
probably
the
most
amazing
piece
of
history
to
me
was
simply
how
many
people
had
been
in
Mammoth
Cave
before
us.
This
cave
system
has
been
explored
and
mapped,
and
now
over
two
million
people
a
year
visit
it.
Our
tour
was
hardly
rugged
or
frightening,
for
we
were
walking
on
lighted
boardwalks
and
paths
with
patio
stones
and
handrails,
and
had
the
ease
of
going
up
and
down
staircases
others
had
built.
At
one
point
in
the
tour,
the
ranger
stopped
us
and
turned
off
the
lights.
It
was
instantly
so
black
that
you
could
not
see
your
hand
in
front
of
your
face
and
you
quickly
became
disoriented.
Had
he
left
us
there,
we
would
have
become
utterly
lost.
Yet
with
a
flick
of
a
switch,
the
lights
came
back
on,
illuminating
the
tunnel
and
making
navigation
possible
through
that
portion
of
the
cave.
When
it
comes
to
the
book
of
Revelation,
many
people
can
feel
as
if
they
are
exploring
a
cave.
They
find
this
book
to
be
dark,
confusing,
and
disorienting.
After
all,
it
is
a
strange
book,
for
it
too
has
bottomless
pits
and
speaks
of
misery.
Yet
what
we
must
realize
is
that
the
Lord
has
provided
to
us
the
help
of
the
Holy
Spirit,
whom
He
promised
will
bring
illumination
and
insight
into
all
of
His
word.
We
should
realize
that
there
are
many
whom
He
has
led
to
travel
through
this
book
before
us,
and
we
will
find
they
have
shed
light
and
built
safe
walkways
to
help
us
navigate
through
it
so
we
can
appreciate
its
wonder
and
beauty.
If
we
understand
certain
principles
of
Biblical
interpretation,
these
will
function
as
the
walkways
that
will
keep
us
from
error.
It
is
not
only
important
to
read
the
Bible,
but
to
take
care
how
we
read
it.
This
makes
all
the
difference.
Consider
then
the
four
following
principles
for
reading
this
book.
Remember,
the
Lord
Himself
wants
you
to
be
blessed
as
you
read
(verse
3)!
This
first
principle
may
seem
unnecessary
to
note.
For
if
you
believe
the
Bible
is
God’s
Word,
then
certainly
you
accept
that
the
last
book
of
the
Bible
is
God's
Word
as
well.
Many
Bibles
entitle
Revelation
as
“The
Revelation
of
John.”
Yet
note
how
the
book
starts
off.
In
verse
1
we
see
this
is
“the
Revelation
of
Jesus
Christ.”
John
calls
himself
a
bondservant,
who
is
testifying
to
“the
word
of
God
and
the
testimony
of
Jesus
Christ”
(verse
2).
John
wants
us
to
see
this
is
not
his
book,
but
one
that
Jesus
gave
to
him
to
bring
to
us.
One
cannot
emphasize
too
strongly
that
the
book
of
Revelation
comes
from
the
Lord
Jesus.
Our
Lord
did
not
give
us
this
book
to
confuse
us,
one
whose
meaning
is
to
be
shadowed
in
mystery.
Jesus
Himself
says
that
we
shall
be
blessed
if
we
read
this
book,
hear
or
understand
what
these
words
mean,
and
then
heed
or
obey
what
is
written
here.
This
book
was
written
for
us
to
understand.
That
is
seen
in
the
name
of
the
book
itself.
The
word
“revelation”
in
the
Greek
comes
from
the
same
word
we
get
“apocalyptic”
from
in
English.
The
word
“apocalypse”
means
“to
disclose,
to
uncover
what
is
hidden.”
The
sense
of
this
word
would
be
very
much
like
the
experience
of
being
in
a
dark
cave
and
having
more
and
more
light
shed
on
your
situation
so
that
you
can
see
your
surroundings.
This
book
was
given
to
us
by
Christ
to
shed
more
light.
The
question
is
“To
shed
more
light
on
what?”
Many
think
Revelation
was
given
to
shed
more
light
on
what
will
take
place
in
the
future.
Yet
as
the
last
chapter
of
God’s
Word,
the
“revelation”
of
Revelation
is
to
shed
more
light
on
what
the
rest
of
the
Bible
is
teaching
us
about
Christ
and
His
gospel.
Though
Revelation
surely
speaks
of
the
future,
its
primary
intent
is
to
complete
the
story
God
is
telling
in
His
Bible.
Though
the
Bible
is
a
collection
of
books,
we
must
never
forget
it
is
a
book
itself
(the
word
Bible
is
derived
from
the
Latin
word
meaning
“book”).
To
not
understand
Revelation
in
this
manner
is
like
reading
a
novel
that
has
sixty-six
chapters
but
stopping
at
the
sixty-fifth
one,
or
worse,
reading
the
last
chapter
of
a
story
without
considering
all
that
came
before
it.
Revelation
is
truly
completing
the
story
of
Jesus
Christ
found
in
the
rest
of
Scripture.
This
principle
will
then
affect
how
we
read
Revelation.
If
this
book
talks
about
locusts
with
whirring
wings
(as
it
does
in
chapter
9),
then
to
understand
what
is
meant
we
should
not
pick
up
the
local
newspaper,
read
about
Cobra
helicopters
having
whirring
wings,
and
then
conclude
this
is
what
Revelation
means.
If
it
tells
us
about
an
invasion
of
an
army
with
200
million
troops,
we
should
not
let
Hal
Lindsay
tell
us
(as
he
does
in
his
book
The
Late,
Great
Planet
Earth)
that
John
was
talking
about
the
Red
Chinese
army.
If
it
speaks
of
an
angel
flying
in
heaven
proclaiming
an
eternal
gospel
(as
it
does
in
chapter
14),
we
should
not
let
the
Mormons
convince
us
this
was
the
angel
Moroni
giving
his
special
revelation
to
Joseph
Smith.
Instead
of
looking
around
us
for
meaning,
we
should
look
back
in
Scripture
to
what
came
before
this
book.
Are
locusts
spoken
of
elsewhere
in
Scripture?
Large
invading
armies?
Angels?
Yes,
yes,
and
yes.
We
should
then
ask,
“What
do
we
know
about
them
from
what
the
Bible
itself
teaches?”
We
then
must
use
the
Scripture
itself
to
interpret
this
book.
In
verse
1,
John
says
God
gave
this
revelation
to
Christ
that
He
might
“show”
these
things
to
His
servants.
He
then
says
Christ
"signified"
or
"gave
signs"
by
sending
His
angel.
This
indicates
that
God
is
using
signs
or
symbols
to
communicate
truth
to
us.
This
book
uses
symbols
repeatedly,
and
we
should
find
their
meaning
from
Scripture.
For
instance,
perhaps
the
most
famous
sign
of
all
in
Revelation
is
the
number
666
found
in
Revelation
13:18,
which
is
the
number
of
the
beast.
Rather
than
playing
games
with
people’s
names
or
watching
out
for
certain
Social
Security
numbers
to
identify
the
beast,
we
should
look
to
see
if
this
number
appears
elsewhere
in
Scripture.
(It
does,
by
the
way,
but
you’ll
have
to
read
that
chapter
to
find
out
where
and
who
the
beast
is!)
Jesus
could
have
just
told
us
who
this
beast
was,
but
by
using
this
number
He
takes
the
Bible's
own
system
of
symbols
and
communicates
far
more
to
us.
Revelation
must
be
read
connected
to
the
rest
of
Scripture.
Throughout
church
history,
there
have
been
basically
four
approaches
to
interpreting
Revelation,
which
are
briefly
explained
below.
The
Futuristic
Interpretation
–
This
method
of
interpretation
views
most
of
what
is
written
in
Revelation
as
having
to
do
with
events
far
in
the
future
to
the
first
century
church,
but
in
the
near
future
for
us
today.
This
method
is
popularized
today
in
the
Left
Behind
Series.
The
Historic
Interpretation
-–
This
view
sees
the
Book
of
Revelation
as
telling
the
story
of
church
history
from
the
first
century
to
the
return
of
Christ.
The
seven
churches
of
Asia
are
representative
of
seven
stages
of
church
history.
This
view
was
predominant
in
the
Reformation
period,
and
still
has
proponents
today.
In
many
ways
the
futuristic
method
is
a
modern
application
of
this
approach
to
interpreting
Revelation.
The
Symbolic
or
Spiritual
Interpretation
-
This
means
of
understanding
Revelation
says
that
most
of
the
events
of
this
book
are
not
a
specific
reference
to
any
historical
event
per
se.
Rather,
Revelation
is
basically
an
allegory
of
the
battle
between
the
kingdoms
of
light
and
darkness,
with
the
eventual
conquest
occurring
at
the
final
return
of
Jesus
Christ
at
the
end
of
the
world.
Perhaps
this
view
is
most
clearly
taught
in
William
Hendricksen’s
book
More
Than
Conquerors.
The
Preterist
Interpretation
-
Preterist
means
"past,"
and
this
view
believes
that
this
book
was
written
primarily
to
the
first-century
church
and
most
of
the
events
described
in
this
book
occurred
in
that
time.
While
allowing
for
future
hope,
historical
application,
and
spiritual
meaning,
many
of
those
holding
to
this
view
believe
the
book
of
Revelation
was
written
before
70
A.D.
and
the
destruction
of
the
Jewish
temple,
and
concern
the
events
happening
in
the
early
church.
As
we
look
at
how
to
read
and
hear
the
words
of
this
book,
it
becomes
apparent
that
it
is
this
last
method
of
interpretation
that
is
taught
in
the
Book
of
Revelation
itself.
We
can
see
this
in
who
wrote
the
book,
and
why
he
wrote
it.
That
the
Apostle
John
was
the
human
author
God
used
is
apparent
(See
Revelation
1:1,
4,
9).
John
was
writing
this
book
by
order
of
the
angel
(verse
2)
to
the
seven
7
churches
of
Asia
(verse
4),
which
are
listed
in
chapters
2-3.
These
seven
churches
were
connected
by
a
Roman
road,
and
were
the
churches
at
Ephesus,
Smyrna,
Pergamum,
Thyatira,
Sardis,
Philadelphia,
and
Laodicea.
Unlike
what
many
teach,
this
entire
book
(Revelation
1:4)
was
written
primarily
to
these
seven
churches
to
encourage
them
to
be
faithful
during
a
time
of
great
suffering
and
persecution.
Just
as
we
understand
that
the
Old
Testament
books
were
written
to
the
people
of
their
day
first
(such
as
Ezekiel
to
the
Jews
in
Babylonian
exile
(Ezekiel
1:1)
or
Hosea
to
the
northern
kingdom
of
Israel
(Hosea
1:1-5)),
and
understand
the
other
New
Testament
epistles
were
written
to
particular
people
or
congregations
(Do
we
question
Titus
was
written
to
the
person
of
that
name
(Titus
1:4)
or
Philippians
was
not
written
to
the
church
in
that
city
(Philippians
1:1)?),
so
we
must
first
see
Revelation
written
to
the
seven
churches
John
says
he
was
writing
to!
And
just
as
we
would
consider
the
historical
context
any
of
the
characters
of
the
other
books
of
the
Bible
were
set
in,
so
we
must
do
for
this
book.
That
Revelation
was
written
for
first
century
believers
can
be
also
seen
in
the
time
frame
references
found
within
it.
The
book
begins
with
John
telling
us
that
the
things
described
within
these
pages
“must
shortly
take
place”
(Revelation
1:1).
He
says
“the
time
is
near”
for
them
to
occur
(1:3).
Jesus
declares
that
“I
am
coming
quickly”
to
the
church
at
Philadelphia
(3:11).
The
book
ends
by
saying
that
Jesus
“sent
his
angel
to
show
his
bond-servants
the
things
which
must
shortly
take
place”
(22:6).
Though
it
may
go
contrary
to
all
you
have
heard
in
the
popular
media
about
Revelation,
“the
things”
Jesus
is
talking
about
happened
in
the
immediate
future
of
the
seven
churches,
not
the
distant
future.
Certainly
Old
Testament
books
have
embedded
within
them
prophecies
and
types
of
things
that
were
to
come,
yet
still
they
were
addressing
the
people
and
issue
of
their
day.
The
prophecies
and
types
of
things
to
come
could
only
be
understood
in
the
historical
context
in
which
they
were
written.
So
it
is
with
Revelation.
Many
of
the
early
church
fathers
in
the
first
few
centuries
understood
that
the
events
of
Revelation
were
in
their
past,
not
the
future.
Imagine
you
heard
a
news
report
about
a
woman
archaeologist
finding
a
love-letter
from
an
ancient
culture
that
is
2000
years
old,
written
from
a
husband
to
a
wife
that
he
adores.
Think
of
all
you
could
learn
from
reading
a
letter
like
that
-
the
culture
of
that
day,
the
relationships
of
family
members,
the
historical
events
going
on
at
that
time.
Yet
the
report
goes
on
to
explain
that
this
lady
archaeologist
has
been
out
in
the
sun
too
long,
and
thought
the
letter
she
discovered
was
really
a
magical
letter
lost
in
antiquity
that
was
actually
written
to
her.
So
when
she
reads
of
the
man
speaking
longingly
of
his
wife's
beautiful
blue
eyes,
she
thinks
he
is
speaking
to
her,
even
though
her
eyes
are
brown!
“Maybe
they
will
change
color
some
day,”
she
fantasizes.
Though
he
uses
a
name
in
the
letter
for
his
wife
different
than
the
one
the
archaeologist
possesses,
hers
begins
with
the
same
letter
so
she
believes
it
is
a
code
name
for
her.
If
we
heard
of
a
story
like
that,
we
would
think,
“That
is
absurd!
Poor,
deluded
woman!”
Yet
that
is
what
the
church
has
done
to
the
book
of
Revelation.
She
has
wrenched
it
out
of
context,
causing
it
to
lose
its
meaning
and
Spirit-inspired
application
to
our
day
because
of
all
the
crazy
beliefs
surrounding
it.
As
you
journey
through
this
book,
remember
that
Jesus
is
speaking
through
John
to
the
first
century
church.
How
could
this
have
had
any
practical
benefit
to
them
if
it
was
as
futuristic
as
people
make
it
out
to
be?
How
will
it
have
any
true
benefit
to
us
if
we
do
not
understand
it
properly?
Another
important
principle
of
interpretation
is
to
remember
that
the
Bible
is
a
story
about
God's
covenant
relationship
with
His
people.
The
story
of
the
Bible
is
first
and
foremost
a
love
story
between
the
holy
God
and
an
undeserving
people.
Opening
to
the
first
pages
of
the
Old
Testament,
we
read
how
the
Lord
weds
Himself
to
Israel
through
the
covenants.
As
we
keep
turning
the
pages
of
Israel’s
history,
we
become
amazed
that
God’s
bride
wanders
off
into
every
imaginable
adultery
with
the
nations
of
the
world
and
their
idols.
Yet
the
Lord
is
faithful
to
judge
and
lovingly
call
Israel
back
to
Himself,
all
the
while
promising
her
a
Messiah
who
will
come
to
redeem
her.
Coming
into
the
New
Testament,
the
story
reaches
its
climax
as
the
Father
finally
sends
from
heaven
His
own
Son
to
His
wayward
bride.
Rather
than
welcoming
Him,
however,
Israel
as
a
nation
,
His
own
bride,
ultimately
rejects
Jesus
the
Christ
by
calling
on
yet
another
lover,
the
Roman
Empire,
to
put
Him
to
death
on
the
cross
(Matthew
27:22-23).
Yet
God’s
story
is
not
finished.
The
Son
rises
powerfully
from
the
dead
and
ascends
to
heaven.
Then
in
a
display
of
both
His
tender
mercy
and
righteous
anger,
Christ
calls
to
Himself
through
the
preaching
of
the
apostolic
gospel
a
new
bride,
the
church,
while
divorcing
and
destroying
those
unfaithful
to
Him.
Revelation
is
the
final
chapter
of
this
wondrous,
prophetic
and
ironic
drama,
which
completes
both
the
canon
and
story
of
Scripture.
If
while
reading
the
last
book
of
the
Bible
you
do
not
see
the
conclusion
of
God’s
dealing
with
the
Old
Covenant
people
of
Israel,
you
will
miss
the
whole
point
of
the
book.
You
will
fail
to
see
what
Jesus
is
giving
testimony
to
(Revelation
1:2).
You
will
fail
to
appreciate
the
terror
and
beauty
of
this
love
story.
In
Revelation
we
have
the
Knight
in
shining
armor
riding
in
on
a
white
horse
as
the
Lord
of
lords
and
the
King
of
kings
(19:11-16).
He
comes
to
rescue
and
wed
His
beloved
and
beautified
bride,
the
church
(19:7),
by
slaying
the
great
dragon,
Satan,
that
threatens
her
(20:2-3,10),
and
those
in
league
with
him,
namely
the
seductive
harlot
and
the
beast
this
harlot
loves
(17:1-7
–
You
will
see
that
this
is
Israel
and
Rome,
respectively.)
You
must
see
Revelation
in
light
of
God's
covenant
history
with
Israel,
or
you
miss
the
true
Love
Story
of
all
love
stories.
Finally,
we
must
not
overlook
what
John
says
about
this
book
in
verse
3.
It
is
a
book
of
prophecy,
and
we
must
read
it
as
such,
like
the
book
of
Ezekiel
or
Daniel.
Again,
even
Daniel
and
Ezekiel
were
not
just
speaking
of
the
distant
future,
though
they
certainly
contain
elements
of
foretelling.
They
were
prophets
raised
up
by
God
for
the
forth
telling
of
truth
by
calling
the
people
of
their
day
back
to
a
morality
as
defined
by
the
law
of
God,
to
see
the
tumultuous
events
surrounding
them
as
a
judgment
from
the
hand
of
God,
and
to
put
their
trust
in
the
Lord’s
grace
as
described
in
the
word
of
God.
Prophets
like
Isaiah
or
Amos
would
use
God’s
law
to
“make
a
case”
against
Israel
or
other
nations
in
their
failure
to
honor
God
and
to
call
them
to
repentance,
and
Revelation
is
no
exception.
The
apostle
John
speaks
prophetically,
relying
heavily
upon
the
Law
and
the
Prophets,
to
make
his
case
in
this
book
for
God’s
coming
judgment
on
Israel
and
the
establishment
of
the
church.
Thus
we
must
be
careful
in
each
passage
of
Revelation
to
see
its
continuity
to
Old
Testament
prophecy.
For
instance,
seeing
that
Revelation
is
a
prophetic
book
following
patterns
established
in
the
Old
Testament
helps
us
see
the
book’s
structure
(I
am
indebted
to
David
Chilton
for
pointing
this
out
to
me).
If
you
turn
to
one
of
the
curse
sections
of
the
law
of
God,
Leviticus
26,
you
will
see
in
Leviticus
26:18,21,24,28
that
four
times
a
seven-fold
judgment
would
come
upon
Israel
for
turning
from
God’s
ways:
“And
after
all
this,
if
you
do
not
obey
Me,
then
I
will
punish
you
seven
times
more
for
your
sins.
I
will
break
the
pride
of
your
power;
I
will
make
your
heavens
like
iron
and
your
earth
like
bronze.
And
your
strength
shall
be
spent
in
vain;
for
your
land
shall
not
yield
its
produce,
nor
shall
the
trees
of
the
land
yield
their
fruit.
Then,
if
you
walk
contrary
to
Me,
and
are
not
willing
to
obey
Me,
I
will
bring
on
you
seven
times
more
plagues,
according
to
your
sins.
I
will
also
send
wild
beasts
among
you,
which
shall
rob
you
of
your
children,
destroy
your
livestock,
and
make
you
few
in
number;
and
your
highways
shall
be
desolate.
And
if
by
these
things
you
are
not
reformed
by
Me,
but
walk
contrary
to
Me,
then
I
also
will
walk
contrary
to
you,
and
I
will
punish
you
yet
seven
times
for
your
sins.
And
I
will
bring
a
sword
against
you
that
will
execute
the
vengeance
of
the
covenant;
when
you
are
gathered
together
within
your
cities
I
will
send
pestilence
among
you;
and
you
shall
be
delivered
into
the
hand
of
the
enemy.
When
I
have
cut
off
your
supply
of
bread,
ten
women
shall
bake
your
bread
in
one
oven,
and
they
shall
bring
back
your
bread
by
weight,
and
you
shall
eat
and
not
be
satisfied.
And
after
all
this,
if
you
do
not
obey
Me,
but
walk
contrary
to
Me,
then
I
also
will
walk
contrary
to
you
in
fury;
and
I,
even
I,
will
chastise
you
seven
times
for
your
sins.”
This
seven-fold
judgment
repeated
four
times
for
covenant
breaking
forms
the
outline
of
the
book
of
Revelation.
For
as
you
read
this
book
and
the
curses
of
which
it
speaks,
you
will
recognize
these
were
the
very
curses
God
had
threatened
Israel
with
in
Leviticus
26,
Deuteronomy
28,
and
other
places
of
Scripture.
Thus
the
basic
outline
is
simply:
1.
Introduction
(Revelation
1:1-3)
2.
The
Seven
Letters
(Revelation
1:3-3:22)
3.
The
Seven
Seals
(Revelation
4:1-7:17)
4.
The
Seven
Trumpets
(Revelation
8:1-14:20)
5.
The
Seven
Bowls
(Revelation
15:1-22:21)
Whether
you
are
beginning
or
continuing
your
journey
through
the
Book
of
Revelation,
be
reminded
of
the
eternal
importance
of
reading
thoughtfully,
hearing
with
understanding,
and
keeping
carefully
the
words
of
this
magnificent
book
(Revelation
1:3;
22:7-10,16-21).
How
blessed
you
shall
be
if
you
do,
Jesus
says.
Yet
be
warned
as
well.
Like
wandering
around
a
dark
cave,
you
will
be
in
danger
of
falling
into
the
curses
contained
in
this
mysterious
book
if
you
are
not
guided
by
the
light
of
His
Spirit
and
by
these
principles
He
has
given
us
for
its
interpretation. |
|
