Walk in His Blessing a Companion Guide to the Book of Revelation

By Gordon Magee

The Book of Revelation, is it too hard to understand or just too scary? Jesus said: ‘No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you’ (John 15:15). I present to you this companion guide, in hopes that we can all gain greater clarity and understanding from His Revelation and its application within our daily lives.
‘Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near’ (Revelation 1:3).

My cup overflows. The journey began at age 18, profoundly lost and knowing nothing of Christ or Christianity, I picked up the Book of Revelation and took my first steps through Jesus’ narrow gate and onto His difficult way which leads to life (reference Matthew 7:13-14). Just over 40 years down that road I take joy in publishing my third book, a Companion Guide to the Book of Revelation. Where ever you find yourself regarding His path today, may this guide be of assistance to you as you seek Him. God Bless!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gordon Magee
• Release date: Jul 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370181957

Gordon Magee

My name is Gordon Philip Magee, I am in my mid 50s, married only to Petra who has blessed me with 7 children and by whom we have many grandchildren. I live and work in Sonoma County CA as a Senior Engineering Manager for an equipment design corporation. But it was not always so. Thoroughly lost by age 18 I said yes to the salvation of Jesus, broken completely as a curbside addict by age 20 I understood His calling and began to follow. My first book 'Breaking the Cycle of Slavery to Sin' includes the story of my recovery through His power. My second book 'Seeking God for Daily Living and Destiny' includes the story of what happened over the years as I let the Lord God have His way and write His-Story into my life.

Book preview

Walk in His Blessing

A Companion Guide to the Book of Revelation

By Gordon P. Magee

Copyright 2017 Gordon P. Magee

Smashwords Edition

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

(All Scriptures are presented in Italics in this Text.)

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. He took the time and spent the effort to seek me out, walk me through the restoration of my life, and has befriended me like no other over these last 40 years.

Also to my readers, you may or may not recognize this at present but you are about to turn the pages of this book because of Him. All the events of your life, good or bad, easy or difficult, whether this or that, have all been of Christ or at least allowed by Him. They are signposts pointing you to His way. ‘Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left’ (Isaiah 30:21).

Acknowledgements

My mother Goldie Magee and my daughter-in-law Amy Magee have my gratitude for their time and effort in providing editorial comments and review as well as the original cover art provided by Amy.

Other books by this Author:

Breaking the Cycle of Slavery to Sin

Seeking God for Daily Living and Destiny

Table of Contents

Introduction (Don't skip the Introduction!)

Chapter 1, The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Chapter 2, Jesus' Letters to the Churches, Part 1

Chapter 3, Jesus' Letters to the Churches, Part 2

Chapter 4, The Throne Room of God Almighty

Chapter 5, The Lion-Lamb's Worthiness to Unseal the Father's Scroll

Chapter 6, The Great Tribulation, Scroll Seals One-Six

Chapter 7, Jesus' Servants Sealed and the Rapture of His Church

Chapter 8, The Seven-Fold Wrath of God Begins, Opening of the Seventh Seal

Chapter 9, The Wrath of God Continues, First Woe Completes, Second Woe Begins

Chapter 10, A Mighty Angel with a Little Book

Chapter 11, Completion of the Second and Third Woes

Chapter 12, A God's Eye View into Pre-Revelation History

Chapter 13, Behind the Scenes of Tribulation, Rapture, and the Beginning of Wrath, Part 1

Chapter 14, Behind the Scenes of Tribulation, Rapture, and the Beginning of Wrath, Part 2

Chapter 15, The Final Wrath of God, Part 1

Chapter 16, The Final Wrath of God, Part 2

Chapter 17, The Judgement of the Great Harlot Babylon, Part 1

Chapter 18, The Judgement of the Great Harlot Babylon, Part 2

Chapter 19, The Bride of Christ and Jesus' Victory at Armageddon

Chapter 20, Fate of Satan, Jesus' Millennial Reign, Final Great White Throne Judgement

Chapter 21, The New Heaven and Earth and God's Holy City

Chapter 22, Jesus' Provision and Warnings and the Closing Words of Revelation

Appendix A: Simplified Listing of the Event Flow of the Book of Revelation

Introduction

Don’t skip the Introduction!

Revelation: Challenge, Warning, Purpose, Flow, Dating, Authorship, Setting, and Why Me?

The Challenge:

It was the month of October 2015. We were on a mission trip visiting and working with our ministry partners in Southern India. I was seated at breakfast with three fantastic men: Pastors Ron Hunt and Tom Burgess, both my seniors, each having close to half a dozen decades of interpersonal church and mission experience. I was next in line with almost 40 years of following Christ in lay ministry of many kinds and just shy of my 58th birthday. Last but certainly not least was my excellent and youthful Senior Pastor Kevin Finkbiner of New Life Christian Fellowship, Petaluma California.

In his mid-30s, Kevin is a great guy with a preaching and teaching style which makes church both relevant and fun all on the same day. On this particular day he had a question for the three of us. Neither of us remember the exact words but in general he was asking us about the book of Revelation, how we understood it, and how it might be effectively used to teach and train the church?

Going around the table each of us had a different take on the subject. When we were done, I remember Kevin stating something like: ‘Wow, now I am really confused. If the three of you can’t generally agree upon Revelation’s message and relevance, then how am I supposed to figure out how to share it with our people?’

Maybe it has something to do with my nature, just the way God put me together, but for me this presented a clear challenge. Indictment made, gauntlet thrown. To me, Revelation has always been an open book, a great blessing and encouragement in my life; and I want very much for the Pastor Kevins of this world to be able to share that blessing with their congregations. I want those seeking God for the very first time, as well as those who already know Him, to enjoy the blessing Jesus has given us in this book. But do I pick that gauntlet up?

I know from past experience that it is quite a challenge, an investment of over a year, for me to set aside mornings in my work-a-day and ministry life to adequately address such a challenge. Lord, you know the type of person you have formed me to be. You know that this sort of thing has now set my heart and mind on fire. Lord, what would you have me do? This companion guide to the Book of Revelation: ‘Walk in His Blessing’ is the result.

The Warning:

This companion guide is written to assist us in exploring the Book of Revelation, in gaining insights from its passages, and in discovering some of the many ways it challenges us to yield to, think about, act upon, and mature in the Grace of God. I am acutely aware of Jesus’ warnings spelled out for all of us in the closing chapter of the Book of Revelation and I assure my readers in advance that nothing I write will add to or take away from the words or intent of His Revelation. ‘For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book’ (Jesus- Revelation 22:18-19).

Purpose of this Guide:

This is a true companion guide best used by first reading the corresponding chapter from the Book of Revelation, then using the same chapter number in this guide to explore the topics. In fact, you may find this guide a bit hard to follow if you choose not to read the corresponding chapter, of the Revelation first. Each of my chapters will reference passages from the chapters of Revelation in a chapter-verse format. For example, Chapter 1 will start with reference to 1:1-2, indicating that the first comments are related to Revelation Chapter 1 Verses 1 and 2.

This guide has been penned for readers and students at all levels of faith. There will always be those who are just beginning to explore Who God is or may actually be. That is where I was when I first opened Revelation. Others are already in the faith and Jesus means or is coming to mean everything to them; they have a desire to explore, to learn, to grow in their faith. My hope is that this guide will also aide those who pastor us in the faith, like my Pastor Kevin, who seek to sound a clearer note for their congregations.

Over my years, I have definitely noticed two main reaction which western Christians have towards the Book of Revelation, in fact they constitute an odd relationship towards a very direct gift of Christ which was meant to bless us all.

First, I have encountered many who don’t read, or re-read, the Revelation at all. Let’s face it, Revelation requires a bit of effort to really take it in and process its message internally. If you have found yourself mystified, confused, even scared by this last book of the Bible you are not alone.

Second, even before the days of the internet but more so now, we find that others have gone to great lengths to interpret the nuances of Revelation, attempting to very specifically nail down its events, perhaps tie each and every facet of it to world events; even going as far as to predict the future. Within this second approach there seems to be an overarching need to be right, resulting in the numerous arguments, disagreements, and even shameful disunity we can readily find connected to many a simple internet search. When it comes to these sort of specifics, it is important to get past the felt need to be right, otherwise we tend to learn very little from our studies. As you are working your way through this companion guide, and if you should encounter an area where you think that Gordon Magee is just wrong about that, then OK count me wrong on that point and let’s move forward to add to our faith and learn something from Jesus which transcends taking offense with one another.

My goal throughout this guide, paraphrasing a quote from my friend Pastor Ron Hunt, has been: ‘take the cookies and put them on the bottom shelf so that the children can simply help themselves’. I would love nothing better than to demystify the Book of Revelation for ‘modern’ Christians, seekers, and those who teach them. If in some way I can spread Jesus’ blessing by bringing the Book of Revelation back into prominent use, then this guide will have served its purpose.

We will definitely cover many of the intricate facets of symbolism found in the Revelation, which have fascinated scholars for centuries. However, this guide is not an attempt to fully explain each and every one. Determining the hidden meaning of 666 or the exact kings referred to by the horns of the beast are left to the writings of others, simply because they are not core relevant in a study such as this one which attempts to gain life guiding perspectives vs. nailing down every detail.

I hope you will find this to truly be ‘A Companion Guide’, a framework for understanding Revelation, not THE framework, as if I had all I’s dotted and T’s crossed. I will ever be learning from this glorious book and my hope is to take my readers into the blessing(s) intended by Jesus. As much as ever before in history there is great need for believers and those seeking to believe to be rooted and grounded in God’s good doctrine and truth, not in fantasy nor even in church traditions. The Apostle Paul has clearly called upon us to: ‘Prove all things; hold fast that which is good’ (1 Thessalonians 5:21). I invite you to come along on this journey into Jesus’ Revelation and along the way take the time to prove out for yourself those take away areas which Christ alone will confirm in your hearts, then hold fast to them and be blessed.

Flow of the Book of Revelation:

For the follower of Christ, the Book of Revelation provides a wealth of information and what should be a clear and very encouraging view of what lies ahead for us as we continue through Jesus’ narrow gate and on the difficult way which leads to life (reference Matthew 7:14). For those who have yet to receive and acknowledge Jesus as their Lord, the Book of Revelation draws a clear line regarding man’s choices with their attendant benefits and consequences. It does so in a manner that should ‘scare straight’ anyone outside of Christ who is still on the broad way that leads to destruction (reference Matthew 7:13) and yet are brave enough to read Revelation and begin to embrace its message.

The overall message Jesus brings to us in Revelation is very clear. The premise of which is already validated by human history past and present; the future of which is embraced in the hearts of those who believe.

Erring mankind, in league with the devil, is at war with God persecuting those who follow Jesus and ultimately reaping the wrath and judgement of God. The followers of Jesus, though persecuted in this life, look forward to that glorious time of blessing when: ‘He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, God Himself will be with them and be their God and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’ (Revelation 21:3-4).

I will always advocate that one of the best methods for getting close to Jesus’ Revelation is simply to read through it without any concern for what happens when, whether an event is real or symbolic, or who in history past it may potentially refer to. However, being humans with inquisitive minds and hearts, we find that this Revelation of Jesus Christ can take us in many different directions and at times can be a bit confusing, at least in regard to what happens when, as it does not always respect strict chronology. Perhaps this is why it has become a neglected book regarding its open use in the teachings of so many churches? Perhaps as modern followers of Christ the Revelation scares us and, instead of resting in the security of Jesus’ love, we wonder where we as individuals actually stand? And perhaps we deem Revelation too strong a message, being concerned that those who have yet to come or are on the edge of deciding for Christ would be put off by a God who long ago let us know that ‘Vengeance is Mine’ (Romans 12:19) when we read of Him actually taking it?

Either way, my goal has been to offer you my best in seeking and connecting with the Lord and prayerfully writing this companion guide with the intention of letting the Book of Revelation, in partnership with other scriptures, decipher itself for us in a manner which I hope you will find encouraging and helpful as you seek the things of Christ.

The Book of Revelation provides a definite ‘flow’ of events from start to finish. However, a number of the chapters can perhaps best be described as providing ‘Greater Scope’, each of which take us deeper into the details of certain portions of the actual flow of events. Scope is defined as: the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with or to which it is relevant, as in: we widened the scope of our investigation. This is precisely what these specific chapters do for us; they take us deeper into the details of something we will have already read. Within this guide, I have clearly pointed these out and I have also used this idea at various points in the guide to add many of my own contributions which are labeled as: ‘Additional Scope’. There is also one chapter of Revelation in particular which provides what may best be described as ‘Backstory’. This would be Chapter 12, which mainly takes us back to events which happened prior to the flow of events of the greater Book of Revelation. For a simplified flow of Revelation, noting those chapters providing ‘Greater Scope’ and ‘Backstory’, see Appendix A.

Dating the Book of Revelation:

Determining the general date for ‘when’ the Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John is partially, but not globally, important in understanding its message. For example, if the Revelation were to have been received before AD 70 then the temple mentioned in Chapter 11 may have been the Jewish temple at Jerusalem. However, if received after AD 70 then it could not have been, since that temple was destroyed that year and not rebuilt. Such information while perhaps interesting really has no impact on the content of the Revelation at all.

There are those who argue for a pre-AD 70 dating and state that the Revelation is mainly focused upon that singular historical event in which the Roman General Titus laid siege to and destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple. In other words, they claim that the scope of Jesus’ Revelation has played out in the past vs. being mainly about the unfolding future. Simply stated, such a view has no credit because it discounts the clearly global context which you will encounter again and again in the message of Revelation, while the destruction of Jerusalem was a local, not global, event.

Jesus provided this Revelation as a blessing of guidance and warning to all people and it culminates in events which will affect every person who has ever or will ever live. Regardless of its dating, Jesus’ message remains relevant for all of us today and we do well to pay attention to it, ignoring it at our own peril.

Let’s see what might be learned with regard to the dating of the Revelation from the earliest available sources.

Irenaeus was born into a Christian family in the first half of the 2nd Century, sometime between AD 115 and AD 145. He was a student of Polycarp of Smyrna, who himself had been a direct disciple of the Apostle John to whom the Revelation was given. In time, Irenaeus became a Bishop or Pastor in Roman Gaul, which today is the city of Lyon, France. His writings had considerable influence within the early church. He wrote that the apocalyptic vision (i.e. Revelation) was seen not very long ago, almost in our own generation, at the close of the reign of Domitian (reference: Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V, Chapter 30, Paragraph 3). Domitian reigned from September 14, AD 81 to September 18, AD 96. Based upon this, and for the purpose of consistency in this companion guide, I have chosen to refer to the date of Jesus’ Revelation as: around or about AD 96.

Clement of Alexandria (AD 155 to 215), an early Christian theologian and contemporary of Irenaeus, though stationed half an empire away in Alexandria, of Egypt, stated of the Apostle John: on the tyrant's death, he returned to Ephesus from the isle of Patmos (reference: Clement, Who Is the Rich Man that shall be saved?, Section 42). Eusebius (AD 263 to 339), known as the Father of Church History, identifies the tyrant as Domitian (reference: Eusebius, The History of the Church Book 3, Section 23).

Victorinus of Pettau, an early Christian writer whose works flourished around AD 270, provides a further glimpse into the dating of Revelation expressed by Irenaeus and Clement. From Victorinus’ commentary on the Book of Revelation we read:

When John said these things he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the labour of the mines by Cæsar Domitian. There, therefore, he saw the Apocalypse; and when grown old, he thought that he should at length receive his quittance by suffering, Domitian being killed, all his judgments were discharged. And John being dismissed from the mines, thus subsequently delivered the same Apocalypse which he had received from God (reference: Victorinus, Commentary on Revelation 10:11).

Jerome (AD 347 to 420) a priest, confessor, theologian, and historian of the early church, best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin and his Gospel commentaries, also added his assertion regarding John’s persecution under Emperor Domitian allowing for an around or about AD 96 dating of the Revelation. In the fourteenth year then after Nero, Domitian having raised up a second persecution, he [John] was banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse (reference: Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men, Section 9).

To all of this may be added further comments of Eusebius, who reaffirms the historical tradition of his time (approximately AD 324) stating: There is ample evidence that at that time (during Domitian’s cruelty) the apostle and evangelist John was still alive, and because of his testimony to the word of God was sentenced to confinement on the island of Patmos. Writing about the number of the name given to Anti-Christ in what is called the Revelation of John. He goes on to support the statements of Irenaeus that the one who saw the actual revelation received it at the end of Domitian’s reign (reference: Eusebius, The History of the Church Book 3, Sections 17 and 18).

Finally, McClintock and Strong, in contending for the later date (i.e. ~AD 96), declare that there is no mention in any writer of the first three centuries of any other time or place (reference: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Page 1064).

Authorship of the Book of Revelation:

Majority opinion has always held that this Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to and penned by the Apostle John. We know from the historical inferences quoted in the prior section that this was certainly believed as fact by those who knew the Apostle John.

The Book of Revelation was however met with some early skepticism as to validity and authorship. Not unlike our own times, Christians from various parts of the world, though not yet broken up into denominations and other groups, did not always see eye to eye at first.

The controversies of the first three centuries, before the very defining First Council of Nicea (AD 325) was convened under the first Christian Emperor, were not mainly focused along denominational divides as controversies are in our day. Rather, they were focused upon the many and various heresies, which Jesus warned the church to expect (reference Matthew 7:15-20). Many of these arose as attempts to either bring the gospel into agreement with the practices of the world, mesh competing religions, or simply promote the supposed prominence of a particular leader.

Early Christian writers spent quite a bit of effort countering these heresies, note the title of Irenaeus works quoted above: ‘Against Heresies’, and so we may forgive the early church if they were skeptical of the Revelation at first though ultimately by AD 325 it was included in the accepted group of the books of the New Testament.

As we shall see, John was instructed to write the things he would see and send it to the seven churches in Asia. Historically, we understand this to mean the Roman Province of Asia which was the western-most province of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey. There is no mystery here because John had been home based in this area for decades and was the most prominently known Christian teacher, evangelist, and, by at least 20 years, the last remaining member of the original twelve Apostles of Christ. The churches and Christians of this area would have readily received anything from John and, whether he sent it ahead or, having been shortly thereafter released from Patmos, brought it in person, they had John as a direct connection to the Revelation.

Though not quite within a days walking distance of each other these seven churches were located no farther than 50 or less miles apart. A teacher like John could easily visit them in circuit within less than a few months starting from Ephesus and visiting each in the order in which the letters are presented in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3. The Island of Patmos was also connected to the Roman Province of Asia being located just off the Western coast. Early Christian tradition recorded by Eusebius states that after the death of Domitian: the Apostle John, after his exile on the island, resumed residence at Ephesus (reference: The History of the Church Book 3, Section 20).

This was not the case for churches in other parts of the Roman Empire and beyond, not having our luxuries of the nightly news or word of mouth by trusted friends in on-line internet communities. Any ‘new’ teaching would definitely have been met with initial skepticism in such a time where it was necessary to confront heretics. We have the writings of one such very honest seeming skeptic who did not take issue with the Revelation itself, but with whether it could have been written by John the Apostle rather than another John. Even early on, due to their prominence, Peter, Paul, James, and John had already become very common names which Christian families gave to many of their