The Revelation is the Revelation of St John the Beloved, the Son of Zebedee, the Theologian, the Virgin
He is called the Theologian because he focused on the Divinity of Christ in the Book of Revelation, the Epistles and the Gospel
He lived in the time of Domitian at the end of the 1st Century and wrote Revelation between 85-100 AD and was exiled to a place called Patmos
The first Revelation he saw was on the Lord's Day (Sunday)
St John was very old, he was separated from his congregation and his church, he was in exile - he was in bad shape. But God gave him consolation with the Revelation - so the Book of Revelation for the Church becomes a book of comfort
To show us (symbolically) the beauty of the heavenly kingdom
The joy of heavenly kingdom
To see Christ
Revelation has a different structure - John sees something in heaven, then sees something on earth, then something in heaven, then something on earth... so he is going up and down and up and down. And at the last chapter he sees the new heaven
First Chapter shows us Christ in His Glory and asks John to write. Last Chapter shows us Christ in His Glory and al of His children surrounding Him, and ends with the words "Lord come quickly"
Book of the Rites of the Church - through our rites, we live in the Revelation of St John and we bring heaven on earth
Even though we only read it once on Apocalypse
Lights
White clothes
Red color
Praises
ⲑⲱⲕ ⲧⲉ ϯϫⲟⲙ
Incense
St John represents the person who has one foot on earth and one in heaven - at one point he is sad because he sees the suffering of the Church on earth, and at the next point he is happy seeing the glory of God and the believers in heaven
Seven
Angels, pots, plagues, etc.
Seven means "completion" and seven refers to our life on earth
Eight refers to "eternal life" (7 + 1)
24 priests, 144,000
Book of Praises
All praises we have come back to Revelation
We see all of the characters in heaven - 4 creatures, 24 priests, angels, etc. and all of them are praising
At one point (Revelation 14) we read about harpists playing the harps and singing a song and St John writes "no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth" - so not everyone could learn it because they weren't used to praising on earth. But those who were used to it, could do it
Who is going to heaven?
Those who are attaching themselves to God and focusing on Him and living a life of repentance
Those who are puffed up in pride, not repenting, living their life on earth without a thought for God... not so much
The point of the plagues and the wars and all of that is to encourage people to repent before they happen!
Role of angels
Pray for us
Send us messages of comfort
Protect us
Battle the demons for us
St Mary
Symbol of the Victorious Church
Defeated the Beast
Overview
Revelation 1:1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants"
Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is he who reads and who hears the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near"
Blessed is he who reads, who listens, who keeps
Revelation 1:4 "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia"
John was the first Patriarch of Asia Minor - and he is writing the Revelation as a message to the seven bishops of the seven cities in Asia Minor
Revelation 1:4 "who is and who was and who is to come"
Revelation 1:5 "the firstborn from the dead"
Christ is the only one who rose from the dead and didn't die again
Revelation 1:5 "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Revelation 1:7 "Behold, He is coming with clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him"
Those who died, those who didn't
Those who accept Him, those who don't
Those who are Christians, those who are not
Those who persevered and those who didn't
EVERY EYE will see Him
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty"
God is telling John: I am coming, all will see me, I am the beginning and the end - I made all things in the beginning, and I will end all things at the end
Revelation 1:9 "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ"
He is in tribulation with them even though he's far away
Revelation 1:9 "was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ"
He's on Patmos and for what reason? The word of God and the testimony of Christ
Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet"
For a moment, he felt that he was in the end times when he heard the loud voice like a trumpet
Revelation 1:11 "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches"
Revelation 1:12-17
"I saw"
Christ on the Throne, wearing white, wearing a royal crown, the words coming out of His mouth like a sword
Revelation 2-3
Letters to the 7 churches
Ephesus - I am sad that you have lost your first love
Smyrna - I am happy because you are persevering - endure
etc.
7 Churches represent 7 different spiritual states
Someone who likes to appear righteous but on the inside he's empty
Someone who doesn't take spiritual life seriously
God is telling them I know your works - you can't trick me
God gives them a treatment - what to do to return to the right way
God works in all of us, knowing our strengths and our weaknesses - and gives us guidance for our weaknesses
Revelation 4 - Happy!
Open door in heaven
He saw the throne in heaven
Jasper
Sardius stone
Rainbow
emerald
24 priests in white robes and crowns of gold
Revelation 5 - Happy!
Sealed scroll that no one can open
Seven seals on it
Until the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Christ) comes to open
Revelation 6 - Sad!
Seven seals
White horse, victorious Church
Red horse, battles and wars
Black horse, heresy, etc.
etc.
Revelation 7 - Happy!
After the shock of Revelation 6, God shows him heaven again - and those who are sealed and who are redeemed and they are praising God
"no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues"
Revelation 8-10 - Sad!
Seventh seal reveals seven angels with seven trumpets
Seven trumpets come with plagues on the earth - one after the other - for the people to repent, but they don't repent
First Trumpet: Vegetation on the earth is struck with fire and hail
Second Trumpet: Seas
Third Trumpet: Waters
Fourth trumpet: Sun and moon and stars
Fifth Trumpet: Locusts
Sixth Trumpet: Angels of death
Revelation 11 - Happy!
Two witnesses
Seventh Trumpet: Kingdom of God proclaimed
Revelation 12-13 - Sad!
Woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, on her head 12 stars
Church that is wearing the Lord has a garment
St Mary clothed in the glory of being mother of God, St John the Baptist is the moon under her feet, 12 stars are the 12 disciples
Dragon, Beast of the Sea, Beast of the Earth
Revelation 14 - Happy!
The Lamb stands victorious, surrounded by His followers
Angels proclaim the destruction of the beast and Babylon
The saints are victorious
The earth's harvest is reaped
The grapes of the earth are reaped
Revelation 15-16 - Sad!
Seven bowls
Sores
Sea turned into blood
Waters turned into blood
Men are scorched with fire
Darkness and Pain
Euphrates is dried up
Earthquakes
Completion of the wrath of God
Revelation 17 - Sad!
The angel explains one of the signs... and it's inexplicable
Revelation 18-19 - Happy!
Fall of Babylon
Heaven exults over fall of babylon
Christ on a white horse
Beast and armies defeated
Revelation 20
Satan bound for 1000 years, Christ reigns for 1000 years
We are living in these 1000 years right now when Christ reigned on the Wood of the Cross and bound Satan in Hades
Revelation 21
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth"
All things are made new
Revelation 22
"These words are faithful and true"
"Behold, I am coming quickly!"
"Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book"
"Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand"
"He who is unjust, let him be unjust; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still"
If someone wants to walk the wrong path after hearing all of these things, let them do it
If someone wants to repent and walk in the way of God after hearing all of these things, let him do it
"Blessed are those who do these commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life"
