… approaches to the book of Revelation.
Firstly, it would be helpful to read it slowly.
Secondly, get an overview of the whole book ( https://thebibleproject.com/ )
So far
Revelation … from God the Father to Jesus, to an Angel that gives it to John who then testifies to the church everything he saw.
… who God is
… write to seven churches. encouragement & strong rebukes
Dangers we face
Firstly … one Revelation
Secondly … not get bogged down
Thirdly… do not try and explain all the details.
Fourthly … Do not speculate
Fifthly … do not try and fit Revelation into our predetermined theological perspective.
Revelation 4
His vision of the throne room of heaven.
… the throne of God.
… four living creatures
Drawn from the OT (Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, Daniel 7)
… 24 elders
The worship of God on his throne.
Revelation 4:11 … why God is to be worshipped.
Revelation 5
… scroll written on both sides and sealed with seven seals.
… only the Lion of Judah, the root of David who has triumphed is able to open the scroll
… Sees a lamb, looking as if it had been slain.
… all in heaven worship the lamb.
What does it all mean?
Jesus is the lamb … who takes away the sin of the world.
…the divine Son of God who is worshipped in heaven, alongside the Father, by every living creature.
How can we worship God today?
… praise him for his work in creation and salvation.
… read his word and obey it.
… meet with his people
… persevere in your walk with Jesus because you trust him:
– when times are tough,
– when there is opposition
– when you are faced with life-changing sicknesses
– when your body ages and stops you doing the things you want
… watch your thought life:
– don’t feed ungodly thoughts
jealousy, gossip, slander, lust, pride, greed, anger…
– feed godly thoughts and actions
praying to him, reading his word
loving thoughts become loving actions
… godly conduct
… truly loving your spouse
… persevering when your marriage is tough
… persevering when your parents/kids are giving you a tough time
Why worship God in all these things? Because the King is on his throne, the Lamb has won and he has purchased you by his blood.