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Introduction: These transcripts of Kay Arthur's lectures on Revelation (Parts 2-4) are provided as a service to the body of Christ with the written permission of Precept Ministries International. This material is the property of Precept Ministries International and all rights are reserved. The transcripts are for the most part verbatim with deletions identified by the characters (...). The utilization of italics, bolding, hyperlinks and pop up notes represent editorial additions. Any written additions are identified by the designation "Ed note". Note that all text in blue identifies a link or popup. All reference are the NASB unless otherwise indicated. Please note that these lectures by Kay Arthur supplement the excellent Precept Upon Precept inductive Bible study on the Revelation. Click the following links to view each division of this encouraging study and note that you can also download the first lesson of each of the 4 parts: Revelation - Pt 1 - Revelation 1-3, 10 lessons If you can find a local Precept class studying Revelation, I would strongly encourage you to join the class, as I know of no other study available anywhere in the world that will equip you so thoroughly to discern the signs of the times and cause you to live expectantly as you look for Christ's Return! |
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A Prophecy Regarding Israel: By Kay Arthur Click following for literal chapter by chapter chart summary of: |
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Revelation is certainly God's message to the church. It's the unveiling of things which must shortly take place. It is also a prophecy regarding Israel. It's like the end of the end or the beginning of the end. In Genesis we see a number of beginnings: man, sin, nations, prophecy of promise to land to Abraham and his descendents forever. When we go to Revelation we see the end of this creation and the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth. In Genesis we see the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. In Revelation we see the Tree of Life in the Holy City, Jerusalem coming down out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband. In Genesis we see the beginning of the nation of Israel and in Revelation we see the culmination of those promises and that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable as they relate to Israel. In Genesis there is a promise to the Church that in Abraham all the nations will be blessed. Paul teaches that "the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS SHALL BE BLESSED IN YOU." (Gal 3:8) So God preached the GOSPEL to Abraham and gave us the promise of Jew and Gentile coming together. We see the fulfillment of Jew and Gentile in Revelation where the BRIDE, the CHURCH is told to make herself ready because He is coming and His reward is with Him. In Genesis God lays out the seeds of all the major truths of His Word and in Revelation we see it all unveiled. What is started in Genesis is finished (completed, brought to fulfillment) in Revelation. When you look at the Bible, you see that the OT centers around THE NATION OF ISRAEL, THE JEWS. But don't think that if the OT centers on Israel it has no significance for you. If you are going to know God, to understand His ways, to understand prophecy, to be prepared for the future, the OLD TESTAMENT is absolutely crucial.
The OT is the ''Bible'' of the Jews for the most part because they have rejected Jesus Christ. The OT is filled with PROPHECIES: about the first coming of Jesus Christ, about the second coming of Jesus Christ (although most Jews do not believe in a first coming), about the nations that have ''touched'' the nation of Israel, & about Israel's birth and future. There are very few prophecies about the church in the OT, a mystery which Paul reveals as Jew and Gentile in one body. So as you read the OT prophecies like Jer 31:31 (see Scripture below. This passage is also quoted in Heb 9 &10), remember that this prophecy was primarily given to Israel and has a still to come fulfillment (refer to last week's lecture).
The promise to the church is hidden in Genesis
When you come to the NT the focus is JESUS CHRIST, with great detail of His FIRST coming in addition to prophecies regarding His SECOND coming.
So except for a REMNANT (see more detail on "Remnant" in Ezekiel 6 notes) most of Israel did not RECEIVE the MESSIAH at His first coming. Then in Acts we see the GOSPEL being proclaiming to the Jews in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria (half Jew and half Gentile) and then to the uttermost parts of the world. So in Acts 2 it begins with Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell the Jews and about 8 years later the Holy Spirit indwelling the Gentiles and thus you have the CHURCH. So in the NT you think more of Jesus and the Church. The prophecies in the NT then have to do with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and also the relationship of the Church to His Second Coming. 1Cor 15 and 1 Thes 4:13-17 (v17 says "we who are alive and remain shall be caught up...to meet the Lord in the air" where "caught up" is Greek word for "snatched away". Our English "rapture" comes from "raptus" meaning "seized") describe a ''Rapture'' or catching up of the church. These saints won't die but will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air along with those who are resurrected to be with Him forever. You also see prophesy regarding Israel in the NT. Remember that most Jews will not read the NT but God has it all present in the OT...including the GOSPEL and everything they need to know for salvation is in the OT. The NT is the fulfillment of these prophecies. THE PURPOSE OF REVELATION IN THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD'S WORD What is the specific role and purpose of Revelation in the NT and in the whole counsel of God's Word? The prophecies regarding Israel are not only in Revelation but also in Romans, this latter giving an explanation of the gospel, the most complete explanation of the gospel in the word of God. You need to get Romans under your belt (Marty wants us to begin Romans, part 1 of 4, in the Spring of 1998). Romans 9-11 explains why Israel has refused the Gospel and what God is going to do in regard to Israel in the future. Now Israel's rejection has been our (Gentile's) salvation, but God is going to save Israel when a Deliverer comes from Zion and then all Israel will be saved. This is God's covenant with them when He takes away their sins as Paul taught in Romans "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." "AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS." (Ro 11:25-27 quoting Jer 31:31-34). Why? "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Ro 11:29) And those gifts and callings are explained in the OT. REVELATION WAS WRITTEN TO THE CHURCH Revelation was written specifically to the CHURCH...to show the things which must shortly take place...those things which lead up to the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. John is told to write and send to the 7 churches in Asia. Revelation opens with a word to the church and closes with a word to the church.
So as the BRIDE OF JESUS CHRIST you are to take these truths of things that will shortly come to pass and to offer them to JEW & to GENTILE (the gospel is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile). We are still in the times of the fulness of the Gentiles and there is still only a remnant of Jews who will believe in Messiah. The Church is the Bride of Christ and Israel is the Wife of God. See Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel for a description of the WIFE of God (esp. Ezek 16). God's "Wife" played the HARLOT, so He sold her into CAPTIVITY in Hosea. But Hosea redeemed his wife Gomer from the auction block of slavery, brought her home, shut her up for a while and then went back into her, re-consummating their marriage. Revelation is the message to the Bride of Christ, the Church and the OT is the message to Israel, the Wife of God. Where did Jesus Christ come from? From Israel. So Jesus was born from the woman Israel so to speak. Rev 12 teaches that from a woman would come a Male Child Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. REVELATION TEACHES ABOUT ISRAEL, THE WIFE OF GOD Revelation also teaches much regarding God's Wife Israel. Why? Because the OT prophecies have not been fulfilled. So when you study Revelation you have to carefully study to determine whether the text is talking about Israel or the Church. You may say for example that any time ''saints'' is referred to is about the Church but that is not true because in the OT ‘saints’ refers to Israel. Revelation has more OT prophecies (~300-350) than any other NT book and many are almost straight quotes from the OT. Revelation is in fact a ‘Jewish’ Book. THE HEAVENLY CONFLICT FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION In the OT & the NT we also see a HEAVENLY CONFLICT that begins in Genesis 3 when the Serpent comes into the garden and tempts Eve. In Rev 12 God identifies the Serpent as Satan. In Isaiah 14 there is a prophecy about the king of Babylon but that prophecy goes beyond the king of Babylon to speak about a power who is ruling through the king of Babylon. In Ezekiel 28 there is another section that gives us clues as to how Satan came into being. In Ezek 28 the prophecy about the king of Tyre shows us a glimpse of Satan acting through this leader. HEAVENLY CONFLICT IN DANIEL Daniel 10: Daniel is praying and an angel shows up: Da 10:12 Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia (There is an angelic being behind the prince) was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, (from Da 10:21 and 12:1 we know that Michael is the angel that watches over Israel) one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.14 "Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future."…20 Then he said, "Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. HEAVENLY CONFLICT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT So there is a HEAVENLY CONFLICT in the OT and it is directed specifically against the NATION OF ISRAEL. When you come to the NT what is the conflict that you see? You see Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness and then all through the gospels you see Jesus confronting demons and the disciples confronting people who are demon possessed. In the Epistles you see constant warnings about our ADVERSARY. In Revelation you see the HEAVENLY CONFLICT once again, especially in Revelation 13. Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. Just as in the OT the kings of Tyre and Babylon got their power from Satan, we see a similar power behind the Beast. Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. So as you study Revelation remember that we are seeing a CULMINATION OF THIS HEAVENLY CONFLICT as the Devil is first bound for 1000 years and then cast into the Lake of fire in Rev 20. THE CHURCH & ISRAEL IN THE REVELATION Rev 1:19 Write the things which he saw: Jesus Christ in His power and glory Rev 2 & 3: The things that are: To the church Rev 4-22: The things that must take place after these things. The church is not mentioned from Chapter 4-19, where the BRIDE is mentioned Rev 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, So in Rev 2&3 the CHURCH is mentioned and then again in Rev 19 & 21, but at that time the CHURCH is in HEAVEN not on earth. When is the first time Israel is mentioned in Revelation?
The next mention of ISRAEL in Revelation is Rev 11:1-2ff (the Temple). Just remember that Revelation as the last book of the Bible is summing up everything. It is the culmination, the fulfillment, the finishing of everything that God began in Genesis. When Israel appears on the scene you have had a description of the 7 seals but just before the 7th Seal is broken we are told that God says to hold back the winds until the 144,000 are sealed on their forehead. Then with the 7th Seal broken we have 144,000 of Israel sealed and after that we see the 7 Trumpets come forth. We see 1/3 of the earth burned, all of the green grass burned, 1/3 of the waters being polluted…so you see that the earth is being harmed. But you know that before the earth is harmed 144,000 Jews are sealed. THE PIVOTAL POINT IN THE REVELATION When you get to the 6th Trumpet (2nd Woe) you see some significant things happening. The 2nd Woe in Rev 11 is the 7th Trumpet and Kay believes that this is the pivotal point in the Revelation. You may not agree but before you go read what other commentators say, go to the word of God yourself. What is happening is that as we read commentaries, some of the things they say make sense but they don't present the whole picture. At the 7th Trumpet God takes Israel ‘by the hand’ and brings her center stage. As the 7th Trumpet is blown you see a fulfillment of much OT prophecy that has to do with this critical period in Israel’s history, the time of Jacob’s distress (Jer 30:7).
This 42 months either has to go back somewhere into the seals and trumpets or forward. Kay feels that at this point in the study it seems that this speaks to a future time when the Holy City will be given to the Gentiles. The 3 ½ years is a crucial time period in the history of Israel.
WHO ARE THE 2 WITNESSES?
Who are they? We know they have been prophesying for 3 ½ years. Kay believes that up until the 6th Trumpet the TWO WITNESSES have been prophesying for 3 ½ years. How far back she cannot say.
So again we see the FOCUS IS ON ISRAEL. And Kay feels that since Elijah never died one of these prophets could be Elijah and the other might be Enoch. But she admits that this is just speculation. Rev 11:14 Behold, the third woe is coming quickly Here is the pivotal point in Revelation for the nation of Israel and it is at this time that Israel steps on the scene as a MAIN CHARACTER. In the 7th Trumpet the kingdom of the World becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Then in Rev 12 we see a SIGN of a Woman, pregnant with a CHILD, God’s Child through Israel, God’s only begotten Son. What was God’s Son to do? The OT said that He was to rule and reign with a rod of iron. So He was caught up to heaven. Satan was cast down and when he is cast down he persecutes the WOMAN and she flees into the wilderness for 3 ½ years . If the city of Jerusalem was not being trodden down at this time by the Gentiles, they would feel as if they were politically and militarily secure. But they are not, for the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, the Little Horn, the first Beast, breaks his covenant in the middle of the Seven Year period, and the woman, Israel, flees into the wilderness for 3 ½ years. In Matthew 24:15 Jesus taught that when the Jews saw the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place they were to flee. So Matthew 24 fits into this time from the 7th Trumpet on. Luke 21:20-24 is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD but it also jumps to the time of the end (eg, Luke 21:25ff). Mt 25:31-46 describes the Messiah coming to judge all the nations based on how they treated the Jews. As you think of Revelation, remember to think of the events in terms of when God is dealing with the Church and when He is dealing with Israel. You have seen precious truths that you would not have seen if you had just listened to Kay teach or just read someone else’s commentaries. As you read the OT try to decide what period God is talking about. Blow Holy Breath upon us and open the eyes of our understanding so that we might see and understand what the Spirit is saying to us about the things which must shortly take place so that we will live accordingly, knowing that He Who is coming will come quickly and His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his deeds. What will your reward be? Walk in the light of what you are hearing. Heed the words of this prophecy. |