“REVELATION: DOES IT DESCRIBE OUR DAYS?” SERIES
#4: “Chapter by Chapter Overview”
INTRO:
William Hendriksen describe the book of Revelation this way:
“Beautiful beyond description is the last book of the Bible. Beautiful in form, in
symbolism, in purpose, and in meaning. Where in literature do we find anything that
excels the majestic description of the Son of Man walking in the midst of the seven
golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12-20)? Where in Scripture do we find a more vivid
and picturesque portrayal of the Christ, Faithful and True, going forth unto victory,
seated upon a white horse, arrayed with a garment sprinkled with blood, followed by the
armies of heaven (Revelation 19:11-16)? Where again, do we find a sharper contrast
than that between the doom of Babylon, on the one hand, and the felicity of Jerusalem
the Golden, on the other (Revelation 18-22)? And where are the Throne set in heaven
and the blessedness of heavenly life depicted in a manner more serenely simple, yet
beautiful in its very simplicity (Revelation 4:2-5; 7:13-17)? What a wealth of comfort;
what an insight into the future; above all, what an unveiling of the love of God is
contained in the words of the prophecy of this book!” (More Than Conquerors, Baker
Book House, Grand Rapids, MI,1939, 1967, p. 11)
The main purpose of the Revelation of Jesus to John is to comfort the church in
its struggle against the forces of evil.
Evil takes on many different forms. It’s not just immorality and violent behavior.
It’s greed and the hunger for power. It’s often diabolically political.
Evil’s enemy is belief in God and Christ and His church, therefore Satan, the
leader of evil’s forces, attacks the weakest part of the forces for good, which is the
church and the individual Christian.
The church struggles against the forces of evil and ultimately wins. This is the
message of Revelation.
Today, I’d like to take you on a quick trip through the book of Revelation, chapter
by chapter, while recognizing at the same time the seven sections.
I am indebted to William Hendriksen’s commentary on the book of Revelation for
much of the rest of this series.