1 00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:10,169 Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a 2 00:00:10,169 --> 00:00:15,349 moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. 3 00:00:15,789 --> 00:00:22,329 And today I want to challenge you to think through the issue of introducing the book of 4 00:00:22,329 --> 00:00:27,969 Revelation. That's what I've been doing in our church services at New Geneva Orthodox 5 00:00:27,969 --> 00:00:33,929 Presbyterian Church. We are well into the book of Revelation. What an exciting time it's been 6 00:00:33,929 --> 00:00:41,289 for our church as well. Many of our people have anticipated this for a long time, and I just 7 00:00:41,289 --> 00:00:48,210 invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and 8 00:00:48,210 --> 00:00:54,530 Boulevard so that you can participate with us in our study of the book of Revelation and on the radio 9 00:00:54,530 --> 00:01:02,549 here. I have been in the midst of introducing the book of Revelation. This radio program lags maybe 10 00:01:02,549 --> 00:01:08,930 a week or two behind where we are in our preaching series. But nevertheless, you'll get pretty much 11 00:01:08,930 --> 00:01:15,530 what you get on Sunday morning here on the radio. But I would just enjoy having you come and visit us 12 00:01:15,530 --> 00:01:21,930 at New Geneva and join us for this series in person. And it's always better to fellowship with brothers 13 00:01:21,930 --> 00:01:29,329 and sisters. So I invite you to our study of the book of Revelation on Sunday morning at New Geneva 14 00:01:29,329 --> 00:01:35,790 Orthodox Presbyterian Church. But here's just a bit of a sample of what we've been doing. And I have 15 00:01:35,790 --> 00:01:44,909 introduced in the past, several weeks now, ago, I've introduced, for example, the author of Revelation. 16 00:01:44,909 --> 00:01:49,709 And we looked at that in quite some detail. And of course, it is the Apostle John. There's some 17 00:01:49,709 --> 00:01:56,390 competing theories. But we concluded that it was indeed the Apostle John who authored the book of 18 00:01:56,390 --> 00:02:09,189 Revelation. And that as well, we had the date then, we nailed that down at about AD 64. With all of the 19 00:02:09,189 --> 00:02:15,430 context in which we've approached the book of Revelation and some of the features of the book, 20 00:02:15,590 --> 00:02:22,770 we concluded that the book of Revelation was authored at about AD 64, before the destruction of Jerusalem, 21 00:02:22,770 --> 00:02:29,849 during the reign of Nero. A couple other issues I'd like to deal with as we are introducing the book 22 00:02:29,849 --> 00:02:36,770 of Revelation, just so we establish some of our working order and principles while we interpret 23 00:02:36,770 --> 00:02:43,110 this book. Because that's one of the greatest challenges to this mighty book of Revelation, 24 00:02:43,569 --> 00:02:51,550 is indeed to put it in its context so we can better understand it and really grasp what's going on 25 00:02:51,550 --> 00:02:57,469 in this book. And so let me deal with another issue that comes with introducing the book. And that is 26 00:02:57,469 --> 00:03:04,990 the audience. To whom was the book of Revelation written? Well, it was indeed written to the seven 27 00:03:04,990 --> 00:03:12,909 churches of Asia immediately, but the whole church immediately. Yes, the seven churches of Asia 28 00:03:12,909 --> 00:03:19,590 immediately. That is proper and right up front. But in the background, of course, John had in mind 29 00:03:19,590 --> 00:03:26,789 all of the church throughout the ages in mind as well. Rarely in the history of interpretation do teachers 30 00:03:26,789 --> 00:03:35,189 agree unanimously on anything. But here, amazingly, almost all commentators agree that Revelation was written 31 00:03:35,189 --> 00:03:41,990 for all the church militant that is here on the earth, still in battle here on the earth, rather than 32 00:03:41,990 --> 00:03:49,830 translated to our heavenly rest. Revelation was written for all the church militant. And for John, the number seven 33 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:57,449 symbolizes completeness and fullness, the totality of the thing represented. And so, the seven churches of Asia 34 00:03:57,449 --> 00:04:07,129 symbolize the whole of the church, extant then, and that which she would become down to our own day. Next, we want to look at 35 00:04:07,129 --> 00:04:14,629 the genre of Revelation. That is the type or kind of writing that it is. The type or kind of writing 36 00:04:14,629 --> 00:04:26,550 that it is. And of course, the genre of Revelation is apocalypse. A-P-O-C-A-L-Y-P-S-E. Apocalypse. That is a genre. 37 00:04:27,009 --> 00:04:33,529 Apocalypse. Let me give you my brief definition of the genre of apocalypse. Apocalypse 38 00:04:33,529 --> 00:04:41,569 is a record of divine disclosures made known through the agency of angels, dreams, and visions 39 00:04:41,569 --> 00:04:50,769 employing vivid and sometimes bizarre images for historical realities meant to comfort and encourage 40 00:04:50,769 --> 00:04:58,209 saints in or under distress and persecution. Let me repeat that again if you wanted to jot this down 41 00:04:58,209 --> 00:05:06,410 so you have a record of it. Indeed, apocalypse as a genre. Apocalypse is a record of divine disclosures 42 00:05:06,410 --> 00:05:13,850 made known through the agency of angels, dreams, and visions employing vivid and sometimes bizarre 43 00:05:13,850 --> 00:05:22,170 images for historical realities meant to comfort and encourage saints in or under distress and 44 00:05:22,170 --> 00:05:27,410 persecution. Unquote. And some of the features of the genre of apocalypse, and this is something that 45 00:05:27,410 --> 00:05:33,410 you need to keep in mind when interpreting this book, the features of apocalypse are, first of all, 46 00:05:33,490 --> 00:05:40,569 A, vivid and bizarre images. This is one of those things that gives apocalyptic its imaginative zing, 47 00:05:40,689 --> 00:05:47,610 doesn't it? It makes apocalypse alive and exciting around the proverbial campfire, and apocalypse captures 48 00:05:47,610 --> 00:05:52,889 your attention and it opens you up to be taught. That's one of the purposes that John has in mind, 49 00:05:52,889 --> 00:05:59,029 to open you up, to make you see, in order to be taught. But this is both its bane and blessing, 50 00:05:59,149 --> 00:06:05,269 unfortunately. If those vivid and bizarre images are misinterpreted, which many, many people do today, 51 00:06:05,709 --> 00:06:12,889 then you are led merrily down the prophetic lane to grandma's house, where that interpretive wolf is 52 00:06:12,889 --> 00:06:17,990 in grandma's nightgown, and you are food for foolishness. Don't be food for foolishness. 53 00:06:17,990 --> 00:06:24,930 Understand what the genre of apocalypse is before you go interpreting it. Well, another feature, 54 00:06:25,269 --> 00:06:34,009 B, another feature of apocalypse is its historical rootedness. Apocalypse is inevitably historically 55 00:06:34,009 --> 00:06:41,410 rooted. The imagery and symbolism of apocalyptic is not anchored in airy fairy tale or exclusively for 56 00:06:41,410 --> 00:06:47,829 far-off generations, no. But rather, apocalypse is anchored in the historical reality of the time 57 00:06:47,829 --> 00:06:54,029 in which it was written, though it will move from there to unveil consequences for the future, too. 58 00:06:54,449 --> 00:07:02,209 Okay. Another feature, C, another, there are a lot of features to apocalypse, and dear listener, 59 00:07:02,410 --> 00:07:07,829 you have to keep these all in mind. You have to keep these balls in the air of the variety of features 60 00:07:07,829 --> 00:07:14,850 of apocalypse, if you're going to understand it. C, another feature of apocalypse is an oscillation 61 00:07:14,850 --> 00:07:20,810 between heaven and earth. Oh, revelations replete with this, isn't it? There is always an oscillation 62 00:07:20,810 --> 00:07:26,910 between heaven and earth. The same scene is sometimes played out in both heaven and earth, primarily to 63 00:07:26,910 --> 00:07:33,329 show that no matter how desperate things may seem below, how unknown and unseen they may seem below, 64 00:07:33,750 --> 00:07:41,230 they are yet all part of God's divine plan, and their saint remains in God's hand. Because when you 65 00:07:41,230 --> 00:07:46,610 oscillate to heaven, you see God sovereignly superintending and overseeing and ordaining all 66 00:07:46,610 --> 00:07:53,670 things that come to pass. Well, another feature of apocalypse, D, another feature of apocalypse is 67 00:07:53,670 --> 00:08:01,050 repetitive cycles. Oh, this is so important to keep in mind in Revelation. Revelation is not a linear 68 00:08:01,050 --> 00:08:08,470 progress of history, no. Revelation is full of repetitive cycles. The same scene, the same reality, 69 00:08:08,470 --> 00:08:15,629 the same circumstance is often taken up multiple times to highlight a different feature or aspect 70 00:08:15,629 --> 00:08:21,410 of that scene, reality, or circumstance. And as we will see with the approaching eternal state, 71 00:08:21,509 --> 00:08:27,050 for example, just one example, the eternal state is taken up multiple times with increasing fullness 72 00:08:27,050 --> 00:08:33,009 until the closing chapters of Revelation, where it is dealt with extensively with great power and glory. 73 00:08:33,250 --> 00:08:38,250 It's kind of like the magnifying feature you often find online, right? Where you can move a digital 74 00:08:38,250 --> 00:08:44,330 magnifying glass over a product maybe that you're thinking of buying to view its features in greater 75 00:08:44,330 --> 00:08:49,870 detail? Well, Revelation does kind of that same thing as well. Correspondingly, the temporal state 76 00:08:49,870 --> 00:08:55,309 too. Not only the eternal state, but the temporal state shares some of these features. The temporal state 77 00:08:55,309 --> 00:09:01,570 is dealt with extensively at the outset, like the earthly state of the seven churches of Asia. But this 78 00:09:01,570 --> 00:09:07,750 earthly state recedes into the background increasingly as Revelation progresses. And the eternal state 79 00:09:07,750 --> 00:09:13,909 is highlighted greater and greater. Oh, dear listener, we must always keep in mind that 80 00:09:13,909 --> 00:09:19,830 Revelation is full of repetitive cycles. Another feature then of apocalypse, you have to keep this 81 00:09:19,830 --> 00:09:28,210 in mind too. Another feature of apocalypse is the cataclysmic end of all things. We sometimes use 82 00:09:28,210 --> 00:09:34,509 the word apocalyptic, something this or that event is an apocalyptic event because that is one of the 83 00:09:34,509 --> 00:09:41,330 features of apocalyptic is the cataclysmic end of all things. In apocalypse, as Daniel chapter 12 gives 84 00:09:41,330 --> 00:09:48,629 eloquent testimony, brings ultimate reassurance that all of history is in God's hands and that he will 85 00:09:48,629 --> 00:09:57,169 achieve his glorious salvific purposes at the end of linear history, whenever that end may be, 86 00:09:57,169 --> 00:10:03,269 dear listener. That's one of the features of apocalyptic is its cataclysmic end of all things. 87 00:10:03,269 --> 00:10:10,049 And then finally, another major feature then of apocalyptic, Christian apocalyptic is that Christ 88 00:10:10,049 --> 00:10:16,710 is the glorious center of all history. Oh, isn't this one of the dear themes of the book of Revelation, 89 00:10:16,970 --> 00:10:23,789 dear listener, is that indeed our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious center of all history. 90 00:10:24,169 --> 00:10:29,769 And as the multitude of names, sometimes the names of Christ are repeated seven times, sometimes four 91 00:10:29,769 --> 00:10:35,629 times, sometimes three times, depending on the name. As these multiplicity of names of Christ testify, 92 00:10:35,629 --> 00:10:42,309 he is the subject, object, and central character of the drama of Revelation. He's the reason for being, 93 00:10:42,710 --> 00:10:49,049 he's the focus of our worship and the only hope for a lost and dying world, dear listener. He is the alpha 94 00:10:49,049 --> 00:10:57,210 and omega first and the last. Oh, these are some of the features of the genre then of Revelation. 95 00:10:57,549 --> 00:11:02,190 Well, I have some other things that I want to introduce to you in the course of Revelation, 96 00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:07,470 but first I want to bring you this urgent bulletin from the Babylon Bee, the news source, 97 00:11:07,629 --> 00:11:13,429 the Babylon Bee. And they report, and I quote from them, in a move sponsored by Tyndale House, 98 00:11:13,429 --> 00:11:20,230 as well as several prominent dispensationalist scholars, the Left Behind series has been declared 99 00:11:20,230 --> 00:11:26,169 the official modern replacement for the book of Revelation. Sources confirmed on Friday. Oh, 100 00:11:26,250 --> 00:11:30,850 dear listener, isn't this scary? Tyndale House is replacing the book of Revelation with the Left 101 00:11:30,850 --> 00:11:37,110 Behind series. They go on to say, at the Babylon Bee, all copies of the Bible going forward will replace 102 00:11:37,110 --> 00:11:43,149 the complex imagery of John's apocalyptic vision with the clear, compelling narrative of the 103 00:11:43,149 --> 00:11:48,570 left behind novels to minimize confusion among readers. Oh, what a relief, dear listener. 104 00:11:49,269 --> 00:11:55,190 Now obsolete copies, they go on to say, now obsolete copies of the Bible already in print can be mailed 105 00:11:55,190 --> 00:12:01,330 to Tyndale House, where the final book of the New Testament canon will be torn out and tossed in the 106 00:12:01,330 --> 00:12:07,309 fire to be supplanted with freshly pressed pages of the new official description of the Eschaton. 107 00:12:07,309 --> 00:12:15,789 And as one, as Jerry B. Jenkins and as Dr. David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Community Church said 108 00:12:15,789 --> 00:12:21,769 Friday, he says, does the book of Revelation ever leave you stumped? Well, be perplexed by signs and 109 00:12:21,769 --> 00:12:28,549 symbols no more. As the masterful writing of Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye transports you to the very 110 00:12:28,549 --> 00:12:33,409 near future, you'll no longer have to spend hours attempting to line up dragons, blood moons, 111 00:12:33,409 --> 00:12:38,990 and harlots with modern day politicians and countries. The dream team of LaHaye and Jenkins 112 00:12:38,990 --> 00:12:45,870 did all the legwork for you already. Unquote. From Dr. David Jeremiah. Oh, dear listener. 113 00:12:46,950 --> 00:12:52,669 Parenthetically is too. Let me also point out, they point out for us that left behind the kids. 114 00:12:53,190 --> 00:12:59,750 The popular adaptation for children will also be included in the new Bibles in an apocryphal section, 115 00:12:59,750 --> 00:13:04,610 according to the publisher. And at publishing time, sources had confirmed that the book of Genesis 116 00:13:04,610 --> 00:13:11,950 would also slowly be phased out in favor of the entire Answers in Genesis website. Oh, dear listener, 117 00:13:12,470 --> 00:13:19,690 what's our world come to? What has the Christian world come to, dear listener? Well, there are two 118 00:13:19,690 --> 00:13:27,250 reactions to this news story, the Babylon Bee, over which I have great concern. Number one, two concerns I 119 00:13:27,250 --> 00:13:31,529 have for you. If you think the end of the world has finally come, that anyone could do this to the 120 00:13:31,529 --> 00:13:38,110 Bible, that is, that you take it seriously. This was a parody, of course. I also have concern for you 121 00:13:38,110 --> 00:13:44,289 if, number two, if you rejoice at the prospect of this actually happening, that is, that revelation 122 00:13:44,289 --> 00:13:49,990 is due to be replaced by the left behind series. I have great concern for you if this is what you think 123 00:13:49,990 --> 00:13:56,370 is a glorious thing. And hopefully you see the Babylon Bee story for what it is. It's a parody. 124 00:13:56,970 --> 00:14:03,429 But the thing about humor is that what makes it funny is the kernel of truth at its center. And the 125 00:14:03,429 --> 00:14:09,750 kernel of truth here is that for far too many evangelical Christians, functionally, if not 126 00:14:09,750 --> 00:14:16,929 consciously, they see the world created in the series left behind. They see it based upon a true 127 00:14:16,929 --> 00:14:21,590 understanding of revelation. And everybody, of course, would admit that the person's dialogue 128 00:14:21,590 --> 00:14:26,409 and circumstances of the left behind series are fiction. But all would say that what will happen 129 00:14:26,409 --> 00:14:32,629 will be something like what Tim LaHaye projects from his imagination. The particulars may be fiction, 130 00:14:32,730 --> 00:14:39,830 but the general shape of what will happen is not to so many people today. And it's taken with such 131 00:14:39,830 --> 00:14:44,250 faith and conviction that to question it is to question the authority of the Bible and to be some 132 00:14:44,250 --> 00:14:52,009 kind of unbeliever or even heretic, right? And so the Babylon Bee's parody transpires. So rather than 133 00:14:52,009 --> 00:14:59,230 exegete the left behind series, let me continue to establish our groundwork, our introduction for the 134 00:14:59,230 --> 00:15:05,889 book of Revelation by articulating the purpose of the book of Revelation for you. Let me just say, 135 00:15:05,889 --> 00:15:15,090 the purpose of the book of Revelation is to encourage and exhort the poor suffering church to continue 136 00:15:15,090 --> 00:15:22,110 her witness to Christ, since she triumphs by the blood of the Lamb, although the shedding of that 137 00:15:22,110 --> 00:15:28,649 blood may seem at the time a defeat. Oh, the purpose of Revelation, oh, especially in the day in which it 138 00:15:28,649 --> 00:15:34,950 was composed, the circumstances of the suffering church, purpose of Revelation was to encourage and 139 00:15:34,950 --> 00:15:41,169 exhort the poor suffering church to continue her witness to Christ, since indeed the church then 140 00:15:41,169 --> 00:15:46,470 and the church now still triumphs by the blood of the Lamb, although the shedding of that blood may 141 00:15:46,470 --> 00:15:55,590 seem at the time a defeat. There's a divine irony throughout Revelation that is consistent too with 142 00:15:55,590 --> 00:16:04,129 the cross. That is, God uses man's very instrument of weakness and defeat cross to bring about his power 143 00:16:04,129 --> 00:16:10,009 and victory. This is divine irony at its most poignant and powerful, isn't it, dear listener? 144 00:16:10,470 --> 00:16:17,090 Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. He says, for the word of the cross is folly to those 145 00:16:17,090 --> 00:16:22,590 who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will 146 00:16:22,590 --> 00:16:28,970 destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart, Paul says. He goes on 147 00:16:28,970 --> 00:16:35,409 to say, where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? 148 00:16:35,929 --> 00:16:41,389 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not 149 00:16:41,389 --> 00:16:48,309 know God through wisdom. It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 150 00:16:48,309 --> 00:16:56,409 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified as stumbling back to Jews 151 00:16:56,409 --> 00:17:03,029 and a folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God 152 00:17:03,029 --> 00:17:09,829 and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger 153 00:17:09,829 --> 00:17:19,930 than men. Unquote. The divine irony of the cross. Yet in this sign, we conquer, do we not? The sign of 154 00:17:19,930 --> 00:17:26,549 the cross. And so it is throughout the book of Revelation. This is that theme, that grand theme. 155 00:17:26,910 --> 00:17:34,029 The more we bleed and die, the more we triumph and overcome. This is a thing that the dragon and his 156 00:17:34,029 --> 00:17:39,589 minions will never understand. Since Cyprian put it succinctly, he said, the blood of the martyrs is the 157 00:17:39,589 --> 00:17:46,029 seed of the church. The more we suffer and die, dear listener, the more we grow, we triumph through 158 00:17:46,029 --> 00:17:53,049 the cross. We have testimony from converted Muslims in Syria, for example, who burned and crucified 159 00:17:53,049 --> 00:18:00,410 Christians, thinking to stamp them out. But instead, the peaceful manner in which they died, the serenity 160 00:18:00,410 --> 00:18:06,250 in which they surrendered their lives to Christ, graciously asking God to forgive their persecutors, 161 00:18:06,250 --> 00:18:13,289 this kind of dying made a lasting and humbling impression on many Muslims. It is a little known 162 00:18:13,289 --> 00:18:21,609 fact that there is a quiet revival going on in Syria precisely because of this principle. There is a 163 00:18:21,609 --> 00:18:26,910 direct line of dissent from the martyrs of the first century who conquered in the same manner. And they 164 00:18:26,910 --> 00:18:32,490 have conquered him, that is Satan, the enemy of our souls. They have conquered Satan by the blood of the 165 00:18:32,490 --> 00:18:39,269 lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Unquote from 166 00:18:39,269 --> 00:18:46,930 Revelation chapter 12. Now, Revelation, the book of Revelation, the apocalypse exists in part to show 167 00:18:46,930 --> 00:18:53,230 this and to show as well the ultimate end of their struggle, our struggle. And that ultimate end, we will 168 00:18:53,230 --> 00:18:58,970 see at the conclusion of Revelation, of course, the heavenly city coming down from heaven, adorned like a 169 00:18:58,970 --> 00:19:04,710 bride for her bridegroom. How glorious it is, Lord. Glorious it is, dear listener. The purpose for the book of 170 00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:11,730 Revelation. Therefore, dear listener, please do not desecrate the memory of those martyrs and others yet to 171 00:19:11,730 --> 00:19:18,690 come by an obsession with end times prophecies and prophetic hobby horses of four horsemen of the 172 00:19:18,690 --> 00:19:24,730 apocalypse and identification of the Antichrist in an escape hatch rapture and speculations of a 173 00:19:24,730 --> 00:19:29,910 seven-year tribulation in which Nicolai Carpathia will finally unveil himself as the Antichrist. 174 00:19:30,369 --> 00:19:36,150 Oh, dear listener, what an abomination. The purpose of Revelation is not to entertain dispensational 175 00:19:36,150 --> 00:19:43,309 dilettantes and red heifer rapture ranters, but rather the apocalypse is here to encourage and exhort 176 00:19:43,309 --> 00:19:51,930 the poor suffering church to continue her witness to Christ. Since that dear beloved church triumphs by 177 00:19:51,930 --> 00:19:58,190 the blood of the lamb, although the shedding of that blood may seem at the time a defeat, it is not. It 178 00:19:58,190 --> 00:20:04,910 is a triumph in the end. Well, that is the purpose of Revelation. But there's also a history too, a history 179 00:20:04,910 --> 00:20:10,490 to the composition of the book of Revelation. And I want to cover that just briefly because it's germane 180 00:20:10,490 --> 00:20:15,890 to understanding that book. First of all, the history of Revelation in the life of the church 181 00:20:15,890 --> 00:20:22,569 is long and complex and sometimes fraught with conflict and controversy, dear listener. Are you 182 00:20:22,569 --> 00:20:27,130 surprised at that? No, it still is today, isn't it? The apocalypse appears in the life of the church 183 00:20:27,130 --> 00:20:34,329 very early. It's alluded to or directly referenced by the church fathers. For example, the shepherd of 184 00:20:34,329 --> 00:20:41,230 Hermas and the letter of Barnabas, both composed early in the second century, use the very language of 185 00:20:41,230 --> 00:20:47,710 Revelation in a very familiar way. And the church father, Papias, and the church father, Justin 186 00:20:47,710 --> 00:20:54,430 Martyr, both who wrote in the mid to late second century, they cite Revelation too. And they give 187 00:20:54,430 --> 00:20:59,730 some background to it as well. But the first church father to write a complete commentary on the book of 188 00:20:59,730 --> 00:21:06,890 Revelation was a man named Melito, who was Bishop of Sardis, one of the churches addressed in the book 189 00:21:06,890 --> 00:21:12,789 of Revelation. Melito wrote a full commentary on Revelation, Bishop of Sardis, and he did that in 190 00:21:12,789 --> 00:21:19,789 AD 175. So we see the book of Revelation very early in the life of the church. And during those early 191 00:21:19,789 --> 00:21:27,970 years, expectation was high that the Lord would return very soon. Yet everything changed too. If you 192 00:21:27,970 --> 00:21:33,329 understand your history of the church, I taught a whole course on the history of the church and we 193 00:21:33,329 --> 00:21:39,710 covered this particular point. That is, everything changed when Rome began to decay and collapse and 194 00:21:39,710 --> 00:21:46,630 then finally fall in AD 410. And the book of Revelation in part predicts the fall of the Roman 195 00:21:46,630 --> 00:21:56,150 Empire. It finally did in AD 410 when Alaric, the barbarian of the Visigoths, he sacked Rome in AD 410. 196 00:21:56,289 --> 00:22:01,130 Sacked Rome like a stricken sick man. Rome would linger on for years, but it would never be the same. 197 00:22:01,130 --> 00:22:08,450 Most people chronicle the fall of Rome from about that time, AD 410. And it's so distressed and 198 00:22:08,450 --> 00:22:15,309 shocked one bishop in particular in the far-off city of Hippo that he set about to explain to both 199 00:22:15,309 --> 00:22:20,890 the pagan world, because the pagan world blamed the church and Christianity for the fall of Rome, 200 00:22:20,930 --> 00:22:25,750 but he also set about to explain to the growing Christian world, many of whom thought Rome would 201 00:22:25,750 --> 00:22:30,930 flourish until the end of the world, to the end of time. Kind of like many Americans see the 202 00:22:30,930 --> 00:22:36,390 United States in prophecy, you fools, thinking that you see the United States in prophecy in the Bible. 203 00:22:36,569 --> 00:22:42,750 No. Many fools in the Roman world thought that Christians thought that Rome would go on forever 204 00:22:42,750 --> 00:22:47,890 to the end of the world. So they were shocked when Rome fell. And Augustine, St. Augustine, 205 00:22:48,170 --> 00:22:54,289 set about to explain to both pagan and Christian what God was doing. This man, Augustine of Hippo, 206 00:22:54,289 --> 00:23:01,269 St. Augustine, set about then to explain exactly what was going on, what God was doing in history. 207 00:23:01,710 --> 00:23:09,710 And this distress and anxiety and perplexity drove this genius too, as it so often does. Anxiety, 208 00:23:09,849 --> 00:23:17,789 perplexity drives geniuses. Well, it drove Augustine to write his magnum opus, that is the city of God. 209 00:23:18,009 --> 00:23:22,109 Where do you think he got the title, the very title of the city of God? He got it, of course, 210 00:23:22,109 --> 00:23:27,710 from the book of Revelation. Oh, what a work it is, dear listener. This masterful work 211 00:23:27,710 --> 00:23:35,230 called the city of God ranges over all of scripture, the whole of history of man. But for 212 00:23:35,230 --> 00:23:41,769 our purposes, the city of God also shifts the church's perspective on last things. And we in 213 00:23:41,769 --> 00:23:47,250 our own generation need a shift from last things, dear listener. Instead of reading Revelation as a 214 00:23:47,250 --> 00:23:52,670 handbook of the second coming, we were meant to decode when the time was near. No, Augustine saw 215 00:23:52,670 --> 00:23:59,769 Revelation as a mandate given by Christ to his church to conquer and transform a lost and dying world, 216 00:23:59,869 --> 00:24:06,069 that is the Roman world. The church, in his mind, must settle down and expect to be in the world but 217 00:24:06,069 --> 00:24:11,670 not of it, and be in the world but not of it for a long indeterminate time. This is why both 218 00:24:11,670 --> 00:24:17,009 amillennialists and postmillennialists can claim St. Augustine. Augustine tried to persuade the church 219 00:24:17,009 --> 00:24:22,349 that it could be for millennia, which it has been. And simultaneously, he tried to persuade the dying 220 00:24:22,349 --> 00:24:28,049 pagan world that Christ and his gospel was salutary for them, too. The church had been nothing but 221 00:24:28,049 --> 00:24:35,069 gracious to all men, even pagans, innocent, wrongdoing, and supportive of just emperors. So, 222 00:24:35,710 --> 00:24:41,410 Augustine has transformed eschatology. His shadow looms large over all of the Bible interpretation, 223 00:24:41,410 --> 00:24:47,589 even today. But this didn't stop the futurists. As we will see, when the prophecy bug bites, 224 00:24:47,809 --> 00:24:52,990 millennial fever overwhelms even the most sober, thoughtful man and drives him and his followers 225 00:24:52,990 --> 00:24:58,990 over the prophetic cliff like lemmings. And this, in part, is why both Luther and Calvin approach 226 00:24:58,990 --> 00:25:05,089 Revelation with great caution, even skepticism. Opposition to Revelation has almost always been 227 00:25:05,089 --> 00:25:10,589 because of the abuse to which it has been put and the extremes to which Revelation has been 228 00:25:10,589 --> 00:25:17,569 subjected. Well, we'll cover some of those extremes and some of those abuses in our next lesson as we 229 00:25:17,569 --> 00:25:21,470 continue to introduce the book of Revelation. And there's many cautions I want to bring to you, 230 00:25:21,470 --> 00:25:26,890 dear listener, in all of these things. But I also want to encourage you to come full-throated to the 231 00:25:26,890 --> 00:25:31,410 book of Revelation because it does exalt our Lord Jesus Christ, doesn't it? He is the center, 232 00:25:31,750 --> 00:25:37,230 the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega of the apocalypse. And it is to him that we come when we 233 00:25:37,230 --> 00:25:44,130 worship and Revelation will unfold various modes of worship for us as well. One of the exciting 234 00:25:44,130 --> 00:25:50,369 motifs that we find in the book of Revelation and many, many more. Well, it's not just Revelation, 235 00:25:50,690 --> 00:25:57,910 red heifer rapture rants that we want to engage in when we come to this book of Revelation. And I hope 236 00:25:57,910 --> 00:26:02,849 you've seen that. It's an approach maybe you have never heard of before when we come to the book of 237 00:26:02,849 --> 00:26:09,829 Revelation, but one with which you will encounter in perhaps a new and fresh way, our Savior, the Lord 238 00:26:09,829 --> 00:26:15,869 Jesus Christ. I love him. He has saved me and he's bringing me to that eternal city, that bride adorned, 239 00:26:15,930 --> 00:26:21,029 that city adorned like a bride for a bridegroom. I look forward to that time. And I say with you, 240 00:26:21,230 --> 00:26:27,009 come Lord Jesus, come soon. This has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian 241 00:26:27,009 --> 00:26:32,329 Church with the Moment of Truth. We encourage you to join us for worship at New Geneva. We meet for 242 00:26:32,329 --> 00:26:38,990 worship at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Call us for more information 243 00:26:38,990 --> 00:26:49,849 about this series about our church at area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196.