Blessed Hope: The Book of Revelation

Many Christians simply do not know what to do with the book of Revelation. Common approaches to this book include treating it as a code to be cracked, as an inside look into events unfolding around the globe, or as an angry diatribe against contemporary culture. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will introduce some helpful ideas and strategies for understanding this book as God has intended. As you begin your journey through Revelation, Dr. Godfrey’s hope is that you will be blessed to understand God’s Word more fully and to live faithfully for Him.

The book of Revelation is not just a book of abstract predictions about a distant future. Instead, it tackles real and practical challenges that all generations of believers face. In the opening chapter of this book, John wastes no time in addressing the suffering and adversity that he and his fellow Christians have experienced. Yet, in the midst of trials and tribulation, he expresses a vision of God’s redemptive mission that offers hope to God’s people in all eras.

The first chapter of Revelation concludes with a stunning heavenly scene. Jesus, the risen and glorious Conqueror, stands in majesty in the midst of His churches. Even though a glimpse of Jesus in glory is enough to bring John to his knees, Jesus speaks gentle words of blessing to His people. As we begin to explore Christ’s letters to the seven churches, we will behold a picture not just of Jesus’ sovereign majesty but also of His tender, pastoral heart for His people.

After beholding the glorious vision of Jesus in the heavenly temple, John was commanded to record letters from Jesus to seven specific churches. In this lecture, Dr. Godfrey explores the first two letters, which deal with very different circumstances. Even though these letters were written two thousand years ago, they still have much to teach believers today.

Continuing our study of Christ’s letters to the seven churches, we will turn our attention in this lecture to the three churches in the center of this literary section. These three congregations—located in the cities of Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis—are all commended for their acts of faithfulness to Christ yet still struggle with real problems. To believers of all ages who wrestle with the tension between their desire to live for Christ and their sin, these letters offer both deep encouragement and a call to renewed obedience.

Jesus concludes His seven letters to the churches with a letter of encouragement to the believers in Philadelphia and a letter of rebuke to the church in Laodicea. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey examines these final two letters, concluding the first of Revelation’s seven cycles and revealing a wealth of warning, instruction, and encouragement for believers today.

The second cycle of Revelation begins with a dazzling description of God in His glory, seated in radiant splendor on His heavenly throne. The host of heaven and the redeemed human race are fixated on Him, their every thought focused on showering Him with the praise He deserves. Amid the struggles of day-to-day life, John reminds believers that even now our God reigns. As we fix our eyes and hearts on this reality, Scripture calls us to join our hearts and voices with the heavenly chorus as it declares that God alone is holy and worthy of praise.

After describing the breathtaking glory of the worship taking place in God’s throne room, John presents a grave conundrum. In God’s hand rests a scroll that holds the future of the human race, yet no one is present who is able to open it. Just as John begins to despair, he finds hope in the Lamb of God, who alone is worthy to open the scroll and consummate God’s design for human history. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will explore this dramatic heavenly scene and revel in the glorious hope that we have in the ever-worthy Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

As we continue to examine the seven seals that John describes in the second cycle of the book of Revelation, God’s Word invites us to wrestle with challenging questions. In all ages, God’s people cry out, “How long, O Lord?” If God is in control, why is evil allowed to endure? Why is Jesus taking so long to return? In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will navigate these questions and others, concluding that God is indeed in control, that salvation belongs to Him, and that even now He is at work in rescuing His people from darkness and despair.

After John revels in the sight of the great multitude from every nation in praise of God in the heavenly throne room, the focus once more turns back to tribulation and suffering. In contrast with the rejoicing of God’s people who have emerged victorious from their earthly troubles, the cycle that follows speaks of the even greater suffering experienced by the unbelieving earth. As we move from the seals of the second cycle to the trumpets of the third cycle, Dr. Godfrey will point out key insights to help us better have a heavenly view of the suffering we see around us.

As the third literary cycle continues to describe judgment poured out on the earth, some difficult questions emerge. When the forces of evil appear to be so strong, how do we know that God is greater? In the face of intense suffering, why do more people not turn to Jesus? Why has God chosen to reveal some parts of His plan but not others? In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will examine these questions and other complex features of these passages, finding hope in God’s sovereign power and faithful care for His people.

As we conclude our study of the third literary cycle in the book of Revelation, we encounter vivid descriptions of joyous celebration in heaven and of two witnesses who face opposition on earth. In Revelation 11, John continues to develop some of the major themes of this book, such as the faithful witness of God’s people in the face of suffering, the world’s refusal to repent and turn to Christ, and the culmination of Christ’s rule over a new heaven and a new earth. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will examine this complex chapter and point out vital insights into God’s work throughout history.

After presenting the first three literary cycles of seven letters, seven seals, and seven trumpets, John unveils a dramatic narrative about a woman and a dragon. Depicting the devil’s ferocious onslaught against the people of God, this central cycle of Revelation offers a vivid account of the trials and tribulations that Christians experience on earth. Nevertheless, this account also offers God’s people encouragement and hope that the dragon is defeated and their victory is assured.

In one of the most famous sections of the book of Revelation, John imparts a vision of the great dragon, Satan, looming by the side of the sea and summoning forth a powerful beast to wage war against God’s people. To reinforce this beast’s power, a second beast emerges from the earth and seeks to persuade all people to worship the first beast. This unholy trinity, which dominates the central literary cycle of Revelation, has prompted debate, discussion, and speculation among interpreters for centuries. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will examine this vivid passage and reveal its message of practical insight and unwavering hope: try as they may, Satan and his beasts cannot and will not defeat God’s people.

No matter how fiercely Satan may attempt to subdue God’s people, his efforts will end in failure. This principle is powerfully seen at the end of Revelation’s fourth cycle, with its description of the mark of the beast and the final victory of God’s people. As the focus of John’s visions begins to shift from the church’s perseverance to the judgment that awaits the wicked, the pastoral thrust of John’s message remains the same: repent and persevere.

God will leave nothing undone. As John continues to relate his heavenly vision, the unfolding story of Revelation is one of completion. When the harvest of God’s elect is ready to be gathered, Jesus will welcome every saint into His fold; when the hour of judgment arrives, God will answer the martyrs’ unresolved cry for justice; when the heavenly host observe God’s treatment of the righteous and the wicked, they will erupt with praise and adoration for His holiness, justice, and truth. Christians in all ages can take heart that God is at work and will not fail to accomplish His purposes.

As we approach the final cycle of Revelation, John recapitulates major themes of this book with increasing clarity and intensity. In this lesson, which completes the sixth cycle, we find that the wicked persist in their wickedness, the righteous are called to be always alert and ready, and all heavenly and earthly powers will one day bow before the triumphant Lamb.

Revelation’s seventh cycle begins with a vivid and detailed description of Babylon. Appearing as a prostitute who has seduced many nations and peoples, Babylon exudes arrogance, indulgence, and self-glorification. However exalted and unconquerable she may appear, the angels announce that her doom is certain. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey will examine John’s account of Babylon the great, noting the warning, hope, and encouragement that this narrative offers to God’s people.

After describing the hubris and fall of the great prostitute Babylon, John describes the dismayed reaction of the global powers who benefited from her indulgent reign. In contrast to the bitter sorrow of the wicked at Babylon’s demise, John also presents the chorus of praise that erupts from the poor and lowly when this oppressive mistress meets her end. He then points his readers forward to the glorious scene surrounding the marriage supper of the Lamb, when the church will emerge as a dazzling bride ready to take her place at Jesus’ side.

The final chapters of Revelation present God’s victory in increasingly clear and decisive terms. In this lesson, we will first examine what Revelation teaches about Jesus’ triumph over the beast. Finally, we will discuss the period of one thousand years described in Revelation 20. Because God is in complete control and has limited Satan’s power, the church can faithfully and fearlessly carry out her mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

After describing the fall of Babylon, the defeat of the beast, and the chaining of the dragon, John at last turns his attention to the eternal destruction that awaits the dragon in the lake of fire. Not only will God pass judgment on the dragon, but He will also resurrect every person who has ever lived to give an account for their actions. To those whose names appear in the Book of Life He promises an eternity of new life in a new heaven and new earth.

After describing Christ’s ultimate victory over the dragon, the beast, and rebellious humanity, John turns his attention to the glorious future that awaits all those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. As we survey the final chapters of Revelation, we encounter lofty descriptions and otherworldly imagery that our finite minds can barely fathom. Though John tells us many things that we cannot yet understand, he nevertheless offers us the clear and beautiful hope of a day that is quickly coming when God will dwell with us and we will be His people.

As we approach the end of our survey of the book of Revelation, we will reflect on major themes of John’s conclusion to this book and major themes of Revelation as a whole. Dr. Godfrey powerfully paraphrases this book’s final message to its readers: “God is more glorious than you think. Life is not what you see. Life is not even what you think. It’s always better. God is more glorious. Sin is more serious. Evil is more powerful, suffering is greater, time is shorter, and Jesus is stronger.”

Even though the basic message of Revelation is simple enough for any Christian to understand, a lifetime is still not long enough to learn everything that this book has to offer. In this final lesson, Dr. Godfrey turns his attention to common questions that arise from studying this book. Whether all your questions are answered or not, his hope is that you have been richly blessed through this study of Revelation and that you will continue to be blessed as you seek to know Christ and to make Him known to others.