An Easy Guide Through the Book of Revelation

By Jack Lippo

Have you tried to read Revelation and felt totally lost? Mystified by its riddles and confused by strange images? Those mystifying symbolisms are enough to keep even the serious prophecy readers confused. Dont give up; there is hope.

This is a simple, easy-to-understand outline study of this prophecy. It takes each chapter, verse by verse, explaining in a simple, easy-to-read version. This book of Revelation is designed to assist those who have an interest in the study of Revelation and to prepare them for a deeper study in Bible prophecy.

Many unanswered questions you may have are explained in a simple way.

When will the rapture occur in relation to Revelation? How will the rapture take place? What is the Judgment Seat of Christ, and when is it going to occur? If you died today, will you have a body in heaven?

There are special chapters dedicated to the rapture, Lucifer in the beginning, and are you ready for the rapture?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449765125

Jack Lippo

Coming to know the Lord at a young age, Jack Lippo serves his Master as a layman through the local church in many capacities. He is well known for his knowledge and teachings of Revelation. He serves with his wife, Mary, in a Southern Baptist Church in Ocala, Florida.  

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Copyright © 2012 by Jack Lippo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The New King James Version®.

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

All Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copy Typist: Jack Lippo

Proofreaders: Gale Caldwell and Mary Lippo

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-6511-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-6513-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-6512-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012915818

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/15/2013

CONTENTS

Dedication

Preface

Appreciation

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

The Rapture

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Lucifer in the Beginning

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Are You Ready for

the Rapture?

References

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all who are seeking to understand the Book of Revelation. May God bless you during your journey through this book.

PREFACE

Many Christians view the book of Revelation as a mystery of riddles. They are confused by its symbolism and by the images John used in his visions. Many believers avoid a serious study of the book due to the difficulties in understanding its importance. Such shortsightedness deprives believers of the blessings the book promises to those who carefully read and study it. The promises in Revelation are found in verses 1:3 and 22:7.

Theologians offer difficult, comprehensive studies, explaining Old Testament prophecies and providing speculation with many deep interpretations. The ordinary Christian will find it hard to understand and digest what the book is trying to tell him or her.

I have been one of those ordinary Christians for many years, avoiding deep reading and study of Revelation. Then one day during my daily devotions, the Lord put on my heart to write a simple, easy-to-understand outline study of the subject. After months of studying Revelation and reading many books on the subject, I began to understand what the book was trying to say to me. The Holy Spirit began to open my mind to the things He wanted me to know and teach to others. During one of my group Bible studies, I felt the need for a less complex look at Revelation. While many people prefer in-depth studies, there is a real need for an easy-to-read version. This book is written mainly to help the new Christian understand more before advancing to a higher level of study.

The book of Revelation was written about three events:

1) the things which you have seen,

2) the things which are, and

3) the things which will take place after this.

All three are cited in verse 1:19.

Chapter 1 is past, chapters 2 and 3 are present, and chapters 4 through 22 are future. Revelation is written in chronological order, except for a few chapters and verses; these fall into the category of an interlude. An interlude is a period of time between two events when something happens that is different from what was before or after. Interludes are not limited to the same time frame as other events in Revelation. The catching away of the church, or the rapture as we call it, occurs just before or at the beginning of chapter 4. Following immediately after is the judgment seat of Christ. Armageddon occurs at the end of chapter 19, followed at once by the millennium and then the great white throne judgment. Next, Revelation tells us, the new heaven and new earth will come down out of heaven, and we will live with Christ forever.

This book is designed to assist those who have an interest in the study of Revelation and to prepare them for a deeper study in Bible prophecy. For anyone who does not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, I pray this book will provide a pathway to eternal life with Him in heaven.

Jack Lippo

APPRECIATION

I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to my Bible study group and my friends for their prayers of encouragement and support as I wrote this book.

All my love and thanks go to my wife for her support, patience, and understanding in allowing me to spend so much time on this project.

INTRODUCTION

The Emperor Nero had launched an attack on the Christians living in Rome. Though Christians were good citizens, they were undergoing persecution for refusing to recognize the Roman gods. God’s people endured great suffering. Thousands, including the apostles Peter and Paul, were martyred in these vicious attacks.

Following Nero’s rule, Domitian became emperor. He also opposed the Christians but was a little less harsh toward them. Instead of executing them, he exiled them from Rome. He attempted to rid the Roman Empire of all Christians without getting blood on his hands.

All the apostles were martyred except John, who was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. The church was some sixty years old and on its own. It was time for the church to receive a new revelation of the Scriptures. John was called on to be the scribe for the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Without this remarkable book, our Scriptures would be incomplete.

John was exiled to an island called Patmos. Patmos is a barren, volcanic island about ten miles long and six miles wide and located some forty miles from the Turkish coast. John’s living conditions would have been harsh. He was forced to work at hard labor under the watchful eyes of the Roman guards. He probably had insufficient food, water, and clothing. He had to sleep on the bare, rocky ground, probably in an opening in a cliff. These harsh conditions would have taken a toll on a ninety-year-old man. Only his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ could have given him the strength to persevere. God revealed things to John so he could write down what he saw and heard and produce the last book of the Bible, Revelation.

CHAPTER 1

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

Introduction and Benediction

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that He saw (Rev. 1:1-2).

Many Bibles call this book The Revelation of John; however, it is not of John, but to John. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. God gave it to Jesus Christ, Jesus gave it to an angel, and the angel gave it to John. God used angels for many duties throughout Revelation. The message given was the news of the second coming of Christ and all its judgments upon the world.

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 (Rev. 1:3).

This verse tells believers of the blessings awaiting those who carefully read the book of Revelation and keep it in their hearts as they wait for that glorious day of Christ’s return. Another blessing verse is Revelation 22:7.

Greeting the Seven Churches

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne (Rev. 1:4).

Here, John was speaking to the seven churches in Asia, which God had chosen to represent all the churches in the future. They were picked because of their individual characteristics. They were chosen to be the foundations of all churches and to be compared and criticized. They were selected for study by which God would deliver blessings, warnings, and hope to others. The seven Spirits of God are explained in Revelation 5:6b, which says there stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. These Spirits are sent out to all churches.

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Rev. 1:5).

The salutation and greetings were from Jesus Christ. Revelation is focused on His character. In John 8:14, He said, My witness is true. He was called the firstborn from the dead in Colossians 1:18. Acts 26:23 stated, He would be the first to rise from the dead. Jesus is the prince and ruler of all that is on this earth. He washed our sins away with His blood on Calvary.

and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (Rev. 1:6).

John finished his praise to Him, responding with gratitude for the greatness of the blessings Christ had given to His people. This should be the response we all give to Him for His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen (Rev. 1:7).

In this verse, John referred to the second coming of Christ, not the catching away of the church or the rapture, which occurs in Revelation 4. According to Revelation 19:11, this coming will start as heaven opens up and Jesus rides out on a white horse. He will come for the battle of Armageddon and the start of the millennium, as Revelation 20 notes. In the Bible, clouds manifest the presence of God and symbolize His glory. The phrase in Revelation 1:7, every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him, refers to the Roman government of Jesus’ day and the government existing at the time of His return. The tribes will mourn, most likely from terror and not out of repentance. Then John added his own remark: Even so, Amen.

‘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’ (Rev. 1:8).

This verse reveals that all things are in Jesus Christ. He has no beginning or end. This reveals that He—the Word of God—is absolutely complete. All things were created by the Word of God. He is the Jehovah, the Almighty.

Vision of the Son of Man

I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).

John identified himself to his fellow apostles and readers as their brother and companion, for he too had been suffering persecution for his stand for Christ, as the introduction noted.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea’ (Rev. 1:10-11).

John received his vision while he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. The voice came from behind him. It sounded to John like a brass trumpet. The voice was Jesus Christ. It was a mighty voice telling John to write in a book and send it to the seven churches. The voice affirmed His perfect power and His signature on the prophecy.

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band (Rev. 1:12-13).

John