Mark Hitchcock - 101 Answers to Questions About the Book of Revelation

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

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101 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Copyright 2012 by Mark Hitchcock

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hitchcock, Mark, 1959-

101 answers to questions about the book of Revelation / Mark Hitchcock.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-4975-0 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4976-7 (eBook)

1. Bible. N.T. RevelationCriticism, interpretation, etc.Miscellanea. I. Title.

BS2825.52.H575 2012

228'.06dc23

2012010773

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

To Jerry and Sherry Roberts

Thank you for your faithful friendship and love for our Lord and my family. You and your family are a blessing beyond description to us and so many others.

We are living in the strangest days that man has ever known. The world has passed through terrible times before, but never has the whole earth been so bound together in its wild plunging through one catastrophe after another as today. There have been wars down through the ages, but never wars that have touched so many nations as the conflicts through which we have passed in this generation. There have been political crises, but not on a scale that touched all of the continents.

Civilization has brought so many new means of communication that the matters which affect one nation affect all. Events that take place in Europe and Asia become news that vitally concerns the farmer in the Mississippi Valley. Thoughtful Bible students agree almost universally that we are living near the end of the age, and that at any moment the outline of prophetic events preserved for us in Scripture will begin its course of fulfillment. The world will then rush rapidly through all of the scenes of history which God has written in advance.

The book of Revelation is the book for the present hour.

Donald Grey Barnhouse

Generally speaking there are two extreme attitudes toward Revelation. Some say the book cannot be understood, and therefore should not be studied, taught or preached. Differences of interpretation, they point out, have divided Christians, and therefore the book should not be interpreted. Others consider themselves so sure of every detail of the book that they set dates and propose highly fanciful interpretations. To them Revelation seems the only book in the Bible worth studying Let our approach be neither theoretical and detached but always personal and involved God can motivate believers today by the understanding of those things which He has revealed through John in Revelation.

Charles C. Ryrie

W HERE ARE WE TODAY? H OW much longer do we have? What on earth is happening? Where are we on Gods prophetic calendar? Whatever ones background or beliefs, these are the questions on the minds of people everywhere today.

The book of Revelation is the capstone of Gods Word to man. It tells us where this world is headed. It answers the great questions we all have about the future. Yet for many it remains a closed book. Sadly, its panorama of prophecy is a sealed mystery for most Christians.

There are many excellent commentaries and studies on Revelation, but many people find them too intimidating, too in-depth, or too irrelevant.

Given what is happening in the world today, it has never been more important for people to understand Revelation. Yet at the same time, many dont seem to know where to begin. I thought it would be helpful to put together a book that answers the key questions about Revelation in an accessible, user-friendly format. When this idea was presented to the folks at Harvest House, they enthusiastically agreed that this format would offer a fresh, unique contribution alongside the many fine commentaries that are available on Revelation.

At Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, where I serve as pastor, we took a full year to complete a verse-by-verse study of Revelation. As an adjunct professor at Dallas Theological Seminary in the Department of Bible Exposition, Ive had the privilege on several occasions to teach through Revelation. Even after having done these studies, I dont claim to have all the answers about the book of Revelation. But I do believe Ive become familiar with the kinds of questions people are asking. Ive compiled 101 of those questions in this book, and my hope is that this resource will help you understand Revelation better, and that it will also deepen your love for Gods Word and our Lord, who is the subject of Revelation.

In this book I have two goals: (1) to answer key questions about Revelation in a clear, concise manner, and (2) to motivate us to live as God would want us to in light of what is to come in the days ahead.

R EVELATION IS AN IMPORTANT BOOK to study if for no other reason than it is the capstone of Gods self-revelation to man. Revelation is the book of consummation. It tells us the ending of the story that began in Genesis 1. The greatest value of Revelation is what it teaches us about the future. It discloses that this world is headed for a devastating seven-year period of divine judgment; the rise of a final world ruler; a global government, economy, and worship; the great war of Armageddon; the second coming of Christ; the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth; the final judgment; and the new heaven and new earth. Revelation tells us where this world is headed, and where we are headed.

Revelation is also important because it reveals and reaffirms many of the great doctrines of Scripture. Revelation is theologically rich. It displays the sovereignty and holiness of God. It teaches us that God is in control, that He has a plan that He is bringing to fulfillment. It reveals that God alone can foretell the future and that He does so with 100 percent accuracy.

The Christology (doctrine of Christ) is glorious in Revelation. Jesus is the Lamb (28 times) who was slain, yet is alive forevermore. He is God (Revelation 1:17; see also Isaiah 44:6). He is worshipped as God (Revelation 5:13). He is the focus of all history and prophecy (19:10). Salvation comes through Christ alone by faith alone in His death on the cross (1:5). Only His blood can wash away our sins (5:9; 7:14). He is the Lion of Judah who is coming again as King of kings and Lord of lords (19:16).

Revelation unveils the total depravity of man, who deserves judgment, and shows mans desperate need for the grace of God. Nowhere in Scripture do we see a more awful picture of mans depravity, rebellion, and blasphemy. The book of Revelation provides a divine view of history. We see that no human empire can endure. Mans day will come to a tragic end.