Victory Through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit

By David M. Hapenney

Victory through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit is written for those of us who believe in the power of God to fashion our lives contrary to compromising influences and disturbing world events. As the title suggests, each of us can experience the revelation of Jesus Christ to bring us into complete victory, even over the most deceptive human philosophy.

Many authors present the events described in the book of Revelation outside the context of the book. Victory through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit upholds the unity of Revelation, so we as servants of Christ can hear what He is saying to us in connection to the events seen by the apostle John. Because of the focus on Gods power to transform us into His conquering people, Victory through Revelation also opens a fresh understanding of the last days. It introduces a paradigm to shift us as individuals and the church of the twenty-first century from living in struggle and defeat to experiencing victory upon victory.

Victory through Revelation shows how achieving victory through the revelation of Christ is essential for living daily for God in an increasingly immoral and godless world, and it underscores the guarantee of our eternal victory no matter what transpires.

Those of us who want the power of the revelation of Christ to raise us to life in order to escape the things that are about to come upon the world would do well to read Victory through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512706789

David M. Hapenney

David Hapenney has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in theology. In 2011 he created The First Worldwide Bible Study on the Book of Revelation, which became the basis of Victory through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit. The author, together with his wife and their three children, live in Southern California.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-0677-2 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 08/21/2015

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The CEB and Common English Bible trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Complete Jewish Bible (1998; David H. Stern)

Douay-Rheims Bible (NT 1582; OT 1609–10;

based on Vulgate)

The Expanded Bible (Thomas Nelson, Inc.; 2011)

Greek Interlinear Bible (Scripture4all Foundation, Parsing Adapted from Robinsons Scrivener TextusReceptus 1894; 2009)

Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.

Lexham English Bible (by Logos Bible Software; 2012)

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Phillips New Testament in Modern English (paraphrase by J. B. Phillips; 1962)

The Voice Bible (Thomas Nelson, Inc.; 2012)

Weymouth’s New Testament in Modern Speech (Richard Weymouth; 1903; rev. 1924 and 1929)

Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible (Young; 1862; based on KJV; rev. 1887,

1898; public domain)

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Chosen for Revelation

3 Open to the Spirit

4 A Call to Heaven

5 The Lamb Who Conquered

6 Wake Up!

7 Dressed in White

8 God’s Plan

9 God Protects

10 Listen to Him

11 Purity and Victory

12 Christ is King!

13 Endurance and Faithfulness

14 Earth and Heaven

15 Take Your Stand

16 Keep Watch

17 Judgment on the Prostitute

18 Out of Babylon

19 Stand with Christ

20 The Millennial Reign

21 The New Jerusalem

22 Come, Drink Freely

23 Victory Through Revelation

24 Final Thoughts

About the Author

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and the only way any of us can see heaven.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I would like to acknowledge the love and grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is revealing Himself more and more as Messiah to both Jews and Gentiles. He has made writing Victory Through Revelation: Overcoming the Antichrist Spirit a labor of love for me, and without Him I could not have written what I have. Where I am right, may all the credit and all the glory go to Him. Where I am wrong, may I be humble enough to admit it.

I would also like to acknowledge my friends, whom I have known for more than thirty years, without whom I may have never gotten this project off the ground. Charmaine and Norman, I appreciate your encouragement to start the online study group, The First Worldwide Bible Study On The Book of Revelation, which became the impetus of this book.

I would be amiss if I did not also acknowledge my mother, who is dancing in heaven. We will be together before we know it in the blink of an eye. What follows is fruit born of her prayers and influence upon my life.

1

INTRODUCTION

Jesus in Revelation chapter 22 discloses the secret to receiving all the promises contained in its pages.

The key to experiencing the promised rewards of Jesus is by not adding to, or taking away from, what He says prophetically in the book. Adding to or taking away from the power of His words has unavoidable moral implications. Doing so divorces the people of God from His Lordship and leaves them open to desolation and deception. Through Moses, God in Deuteronomy 4:1–4 forever connected not adding to or subtracting from the prophetic words of God to being able to obey them. Adding to or taking away from God’s word breeds idolatry and apostasy. On the other hand, embracing the revelation of Christ in all its fullness brings full restoration of the power of God’s word with all its good fruit for life. Obedience to the full counsel of God is what defines believers in the last days.

The ambition behind this book is for believers to fully experience the life of Christ through openness and obedience to His voice. Through our complete openness to Him, May God reveal Christ and what has been previously hidden from us, so we may know and glorify God in everything we do.

How This Project Began

Although writing a book about Revelation has been a dream of mine for many years, I began developing a specific plan for the project in conjunction with studying the book of Revelation online. While the online study took many months to complete, I was not fully satisfied with the experience. I desired to research more to understand all I could and to be sure I was accurately hearing what I thought God was saying through Scripture. That additional research together with what I posted online resulted in what you are about to read.

Format

As it was pragmatic online to discuss one to several verses at a time, so it seemed best to maintain that format in print. Presenting only a few verses rather than whole chapters at once has made the study much more manageable than it otherwise would be.

Taking a chronological rather than topical approach has the added benefit of disclosing images and concepts as they arise, ideally leading the reader to arrive at conclusions inductively rather than deductively. The goal is openness to hear what the Spirit is saying through God’s word and not to justify pre-conceived beliefs with pre-determined interpretations.

Although the following chapters discuss the 22 chapters of the book of Revelation, I conclude the study with one chapter that traces the theme of victory through Revelation. Each chapter is organized by first quoting the text then offering personal observations and Biblical reflections.

Note on Translations and Resources

I quote from Young’s Literal Translation as the primary source throughout each chapter unless otherwise noted. Online resources provide convenient access to many Bible translations and commentaries, putting great study tools at the fingertips of every disciple of Christ.

How to Get the Most from This Book

Prayerfully reading and studying this book along with a devotional reading of Revelation will help the reader derive the most benefit from the chapters that follow. Being diligent to search the Scriptures in order to know Christ is just as important today as it ever has been, and growing in relationship with God through Scripture is one of the greatest blessings imaginable.

Create and maintain on online log or notebook with observations and questions. Note what God is saying to you. Ask Him to open your eyes, that you would experience the victory Christ has secured, so that you may reign with Him and be found doing His will, prepared for His return in power.

Ask God to speak to you personally. He speaks for Himself, and all who desire to do His will should be listening to His voice. If during New Testament times, many false prophets and seducing spirits went out to deceive the church, then how much more so today as both darkness and light intensify. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice, so read through the Bible references, search the Scriptures to discover for yourself what is true, and by communing with Christ through the Scriptures, develop intimacy with Him to hear and respond to His voice. May He speak into the depths of your being.

Allow God to challenge long-held assumptions. Request His discernment to accept wholeheartedly the clear revelation of God, to hold lightly the opinions of man, and to discern wisely between the two.

Approach

I have made changes and additions to the online study as a result of allowing Scripture to challenge my assumptions. Additions occurred for a number of reasons. Particularly, since I had already completed a study of the book of Revelation, I could see themes arise and unfold as the book went on. One of those themes, the thread of victory, which weaves through the Revelation like a river, became the subject of Chapter 23. By the time you reach chapter 23, it is expected that you will be able to readily recognize the theme and draw out your own inferences.

Although both my undergraduate and masters degrees are related to theology, this book takes a devotional approach to understanding Revelation. I have, however, consulted various Bible translations, Old and New Testament Scriptures, as well as Christian and Rabbinic commentators. My goal was to respect the integrity of Scripture while avoiding an overly academic writing style.

Caveat

Much more can be written about the book of Revelation than what follows. Since in these last days God has poured out His Spirit on all flesh, rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated, we can expect God to speak to each of us through the Revelation of Christ relative to our personal journeys. All who are Christ’s have been made a kingdom of priests. No one, not so-called prophecy experts nor prolific authors, not mega-church pastors nor famous evangelists, necessarily hear the voice of the Spirit any clearer than an ordinary, sincere believer can. God speaks through His Son to each of us who know Him. We hear His voice by His grace and not by virtue of cultural status. We all enjoy direct access to God through Christ, and in love He is weaving together each of our narratives into His grand salvation story. May God continue to write upon our hearts, and speak to us through His word, to align us with His perfect plan and eternal purpose.

Last Days Events

As the book of Revelation is not a history book per se, it is not assumed to present a strict chronological order of events but rather events of a past, present, and future nature recorded in the order that best suits God’s purpose. The events unfold according to His will and are not grasped through human understanding or cleverness. Even exegesis with the best intentions cannot ensure avoiding mistakes or missing what God is saying. If this were not the case, then the most religious Jews would not have missed the first appearing of Messiah. I consider what I have written as adding to a conversation and not establishing dogma.

What the Bible says about the order of end time events and how close we are to the end judging by signs in the earth and sky have always been controversial. God only reveals events at certain times; at other times, He chooses to hide their meaning. It is impossible to conclude, except by divine revelation, how events relate in time even by looking at events that appear to occur together when reported in Scripture. The prophet Daniel, for example, desired to know when his prophecies would be fulfilled, but he was told to seal up the prophecies until the end. Only Christ can open what has been sealed.

The only one who really sees everything in its place and time is God. We can only see in part and only understand in part, only what God chooses to show any one of us at any given time. God gives people the light they need for life. In other words, the right focus for all believers is upon hearing the voice of the Spirit and what He is saying to the churches in order to serve God through Christ. God wants us to heed His voice and overcome all obstacles by His grace. All the events of Revelation unfold under the reign of God, as the people of God serve Him obediently with all their hearts.

In this book I have resisted the temptation to construct specific timelines. Anyone would be hard-pressed to see the events of Revelation in strict chronological order without honestly admitting the problems inherent in such an approach. Events can be overlapping or could occur in the world out of order from how they appear in prophecy. Because the goal of every believer should be to know Christ rather than order events, I have chosen to focus most on principles and teachings, their development in the text, and their relevance to the lives of believers.

This emphasis on obeying what is written will indeed make us blessed because God promises to bless the readers of Revelation for making obedience their goal. His promises are for those who hear what the Spirit is saying. Keeping God’s word by taking it to heart and obeying God’s voice will enable us to walk in the light of His will regardless of what is happening now in the world or what will soon come to pass.

Word of Commitment

If you believe that taking appropriate action in obedience to the voice of Jesus is what God desires, please consider adopting the following intent —that reading this book may lead to obedience to overcome through the resurrection power of Christ any and all challenges to the Lordship of Jesus, the Messiah.

Christ has used my experience of writing this book to reveal Himself to me in ways that I could never have imagined. It is my prayer that God may use this book to touch your life in ways you have yet to experience through the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

2

CHOSEN FOR REVELATION

God has chosen to reveal Jesus Christ to you and to manifest you as His bondservant. Be prepared, for it is to happen quickly!

Revelation Chapter 1:1–5

A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly; and he did signify [it], having sent through his messenger to his servant John, 2 who did testify the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, as many things also as he did see. 3 Happy is he who is reading, and those hearing, the words of the prophecy, and keeping the things written in it—for the time is nigh!

4 John to the seven assemblies that [are] in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is coming, and from the Seven Spirits that are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born out of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth; to him who did love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood,

Observation and Biblical Reflection

The very first word of the book of Revelation is actually the word revelation, which, along with revealing, means, uncovering and unveiling. The words that follow, Jesus Christ, Savior and Anointed, show that the book of Revelation is, first and foremost, the means God has chosen to unveil to us the Messiah and what He has to show us through His Word and testimony.

What is the purpose of God unveiling Jesus? The Scripture indicates that God gave the revelation of Jesus Christ in order to to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly. Looking at alternate meanings, particularly make known as an alternative to "shew to, and who instead of what things," Scripture may suggest that along with showing his servants what must come about quickly, God also provided the revelation of Christ to make known His servants, who must of necessity come into being very quickly.

The suggestion is that God gave the revelation of Christ not only to provide details about future events, but also to bring into being the faithfulness of His servants along with the recognition of those events. Both the immediate and broader contexts appear to corroborate this view. Later in chapter 1, Christ will expose John’s great need and reveal the complete provision of Christ Himself to meet John’s — and our — deepest spiritual needs. In the seven churches, the obedient response of those who have ears to hear indeed indicates who His servants are. Later in the book, we shall see that those who overcome are those whom Christ identifies as His own people. God grants that they serve Him forever. When we perceive Christ as He is, our great need for Him, and His complete provision, we can never be the same again.

God sent an angel to John, God’s servant, to signify the message. While reading the book of Revelation, we should expect Christ to reveal Himself to John as well as to us through the message.

Jesus could have chosen anyone including Paul or Peter, Matthew or James, or any of the other apostles, but God in His divine wisdom chose John, the beloved apostle, who at the last supper with Jesus and the other disciples, rested his head upon the chest of his Savior. Jesus gave John (along with John’s brother James) the surname of Boanerges, which meant a son of thunder, but John is also known as the one whom Jesus loved.

Like John, we have a special, strategic role and divine purpose in God. Those whom He has called He has preordained to be conformed into the image of Jesus, so that our inner identity is conformed to His likeness. And we, who are loving and obeying God, can perceive that His purpose for us in all things is to produce that which is good. That is God’s purpose for all those who are the called. May we make it our prayer to be known by Jesus and be given a name (a promise to one of the churches in Revelation chapter 2) which reflects the unique character of our relationship with Christ, a true love for God and His love for others, and faithfulness in our role and purpose in Him.

The meanings of the words in verse 3 suggest that a person becomes enlarged, and therefore blessed, by reading the book of Revelation in such a way as to know with certainty the words that God is speaking. The kind of hearing that takes place and leads to blessings is a hearing again, yet as if it were the first time. This kind of hearing produces faith. Because of what must come about quickly, the time and opportunity to obey the prophetic word of Christ is right now.

Being an obedient servant of Jesus Christ is the requirement for understanding what is to come about, for as verse 1 indicates, A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants… Being faithful to the voice of Christ as His servants is the right focus in order to know Christ as Savior, our Safety and Messiah. Seeing or perceiving Christ, and obeying what follows, go hand in hand, and the promised blessings come through hearing in such a way that aligns our lives to what God is saying.

Do we want to know what is going to happen? Do we want to be revealed with Christ as God’s servants when He comes in power? According to the Lord’s word to the churches in the book of Revelation, many believers need to wake up to prepare themselves. None of the wicked will understand. The only ones who will comprehend the times are those who purify themselves and act wisely (Daniel 12:10). For those who desire to see Jesus Christ revealed in glory and to be raised together to reign with Him, the starting point and the goal for reading the book of Revelation should be to hear what God is saying and to obey His voice.

Christ made all these things known to John by sending His angel, and John has told all that he saw. There is no error and no omission to what God wants us to see. This is John’s report about God’s message, which is the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. Since the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of the prophecy, the reader, to perceive what God is saying, must come to Jesus with a servant’s attitude having ears to hear Him and the heart to obey His words no matter what the cost. This type of hearing bears the fruit of life consistent with the kingdom of God.

John could see that the time was near for all these things that he spoke of to happen. As God reveals Christ to us and we respond in obedience to His voice, we should also perceive the nearness of events. We should not be like those whom Scripture warns about, the people who do not recognize the signs of the times. They relegate the coming of Christ to a time far off in the future. If we, for whatever reason, refuse to hear what God is saying, we cannot see what He wants to reveal. If we harden our hearts, how can we rightly prepare ourselves in line with His message to us?

In John 7:17, Jesus stated, [I]f any one may will to do His will, he shall know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God, or — I do speak from myself. We must know God, who gave Jesus the revelation, if we are to know what is revealed.

In John 8, Jesus made even clearer the demand upon the lives of those who claim to know God:

34 Yeshua answered them, Yes, indeed! I tell you that everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain with a family forever, but a son does remain with it forever. 36 So if the Son frees you, you will really be free!

Christ is returning for a mature, victorious people, dressed in pure white because they know Him and are walking as God’s beloved children.

John speaks a blessing of grace and peace from God and from Jesus the Messiah to the churches in the province of Asia. We, too, should receive the revelation of Christ with peace and grace from Jesus the Anointed, God the Father, and from the seven Spirits in front of His throne (Revelation 1:4). What we see and experience in our reading should all be part of knowing God more fully as the One who was, who is, and is to come.

We and all true servants of Christ should experience grace and peace from Jesus Himself, who is the faithful prophetic witness to all that is written, the One who is the first to be raised from death and who is the ruler of the kings of the world.

An inseparable connection exists between who God is, the activity before His throne, being raised to life, being an obedient servant washed in the blood of the Lamb, and the reign of Christ. All those realities come through grace and peace from Him.

Revelation 1:5–11

5b [T]o him who did love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood, 6 and did make us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him [is] the glory and the power to the ages of the ages! Amen.

7 Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen!

8 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is coming — the Almighty.’

9 I, John, who also [am] your brother, and fellow-partner in the tribulation, and in the reign and endurance, of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, because of the word of God, and because of the testimony of Jesus Christ; 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s-day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 11 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last;’ and, ‘What thou dost see, write in a scroll, and send to the seven assemblies that [are] in Asia; to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’

Observation and Biblical Reflection

Immediately after describing the nature of God, Christ as ruler, His victory, and the reason for it, John says that Jesus loves us. John is doing more than reporting facts. He is speaking from an intimate experience of Christ, who revealed Himself to John as the victor over death. What John writes are the very real implications of the revelation of the Messiah. It was the ultimate loving and sovereign act of God to send Jesus, who died for our sins. And having taking upon Himself the penalty for our disobedience, Jesus released us from our sins and has set us upon the path of eternal service as kings and priests under His reign.

It takes humility to accept that Christ sacrificed His life on the cross for us,