Biblical Overview: Hebrews to Revelation

Greetings, and welcome to the Faith Chapel podcast. My name is Jason,

and I am the pastor of Faith Chapel.

Today is our final lesson on the overview of the Bible.

We will start with the book of Hebrews and go all the way through the Revelation,

pointing out how these books lead us to Jesus. Thanks for joining us today.

As we finish up our series tonight on this overview of the Bible,

we're going to begin by again discussing why it's important to read the Bible.

And to help us to answer this question, we're going to look at Hebrews chapter 5 verses 11 to 14.

Hebrews 5:11–14

It says, there is much more we would like to say about this,

but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen.

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others.

Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's Word.

You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food,

for someone who lives on milk is still an infant.

And doesn't know how to do what is right.

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill

to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

So what this passage is declaring is that as a follower of Jesus,

you and I should grow and mature in our faith.

We need to be able to understand the theology of who God is and what our response to him should be like.

We should be able to take people through the death and resurrection of Jesus

and be able to explain why that's important to us and why that impacts our lives so much.

And if we want to be able to do that, which is what scripture says followers

of Jesus do, then we ought to study scripture so that we can declare these things to other people.

The objective is to read scripture so that we grow in our faith,

so that we can tell other people about who Jesus is.

And that's our reason today about why we should read the Bible.

The culmination of the Bible is the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

And the reason why that's not the end of the Bible is because the followers

of Jesus had a new covenant to live by,

and they had to be taught,

and they had to grow in maturity.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Bible, but after Jesus ascended into heaven,

after the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost, they were still

living in a broken world and they needed guidance on how to do that in the way

that Jesus would want them to do.

So while the story of the Bible points to Jesus, there were still many in the

church struggling with persecution.

Living in holiness with the faith and what it meant with walking in the wisdom

of Jesus, with the suffering that happens in this world and more issues they were facing.

And so these letters, along with Paul's letters that we went through last week,

are meant to help believers understand how the culmination of the Bible in Jesus's life,

ministry, death, and resurrection answered these questions and concerns.

All of the Bible points to Jesus, and in order to live for Jesus and live out

the commands that Jesus taught us, we needed practical instructions to be able to live that out.

And that's what the remainder of these letters are all about.

So today, we're going to begin with the book of Hebrews. Now,

I mentioned that we went through Paul's letters last week.

Hebrews is a debated letter as to who wrote it.

There is not agreement on it. Some people do think Paul wrote this letters.

Other people do not think that Paul wrote this letters.

And so we have placed it outside of the Pauline letters because of that reason.

The author is addressing Jewish Christians who are facing persecution and are

tempted to return to Judaism.

And as he writes, he's encouraging these Hebrew readers to persevere in faith

by demonstrating Christ's supremacy.

He emphasizes Jesus as a better covenant. He's a better covenant.

Urges steadfastness in the face of persecution and doubt.

So in Christ's supremacy, he goes through a couple of different facets.

One is declaring Jesus is greater than the angels.

For instance, in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 2 through 4, we read,

Hebrews 1:2–4

but in these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son,

whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,

and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much

superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

So here, what we're reading is that the author wants to declare that Jesus is

far greater than the angels.

He does that by just talking about what Jesus does. he made purifications for

our sins. This happens at the cross.

And he sat down at the right hand of majesty.

The author here uses Old Testament passages declaring that the Messiah is God's son.

Here he says that he is much superior to the angels.

Then we have him declaring also that Jesus is greater than Moses.

In Hebrews chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, we read, Therefore,

Hebrews 3:1–6

holy brothers, when you share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus the apostle

and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him,

just as Moses was also faithful in all of God's house, for Jesus has been counted

worthy of more glory than Moses.

As much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

Now Moses was faithful in all of God's house as a servant to testify to these

things that were to be spoken later.

But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if indeed

we hold fast our confidence and are boasting in our hope.

The author here is declaring Jesus is greater than Moses.

Jesus has more glory than Moses, and he uses the analogy of the builder of a

house having more honor than the house itself.

A newly built house is something to be celebrated.

But when you look at it, you're not complimenting the house.

You're complimenting the people who laid the foundation, the people who put

up the studs around the house, the people who put up the drywall,

who put the plumbing in there,

the electricity in there, who did the painting.

These are the people who receive the accolades. And that's how he's describing Jesus.

Jesus deserves these accolades.

Jesus is the one who did the building.

And then he uses another simile, whereas Moses is like a servant to God, Jesus is a son.

We all know that a son is greater than a servant.

A son has more authority in the household.

The household actually could potentially become that son's, but a servant is

just working. The son has greater power.

The son has greater authority.

The son has more responsibility in this.

In that same way, Jesus is greater than Moses.

And then the author also declares that Jesus is greater than the old covenant.

And he uses a couple of different illustrations for this.

The one we're going to go over is that Jesus was the greatest high priest,

which was a title given to Moses's brother Aaron as God relayed the old covenant

or the Old Testament to Moses.

But this is what the author of Hebrews says about Jesus being a high priest.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest,

holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,

first for his own sins, and then for those of other people,

since he did this once for all when he offered himself daily.

Jesus is the only one who could offer a perfect sacrifice of his life to God

so that we could be healed by his wounds.

And the author here is declaring that since he did not have to offer a sacrifice

for himself to become clean and holy before God, but he was already clean and holy,

he was thus able to offer this sacrifice of himself to God on our behalf.

Jesus is greater than the old covenant and specifically in this instance,

the high priest, because he is the spotless lamb of God, the only human who

has ever lived that was sinless.

This exalts him above all these things.

To his audience, the author of the book of Hebrews is declaring that Jesus is greater.

You don't need to return to Judaism because we have the one who is better than

Moses, better than the angels, better than the old covenant.

And this is his way of encouraging these readers to stay true to the gospel of Jesus.

The author goes on to describe what this new covenant is like.

In Hebrews chapter 8 verses 5

Hebrews 8:5–7

through 7, we read, They served a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.

For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God,

saying, See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent

than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

For if that first covenant had

been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

And we know that that old covenant had that fault in it because God declares

in the book of Jeremiah, I'm going to create a new covenant.

I am going to create something new, and I'm going to change people's hearts with it.

Because that first covenant, that old covenant, was not faultless.

And so to establish this, Christ's ministry, his covenant, was better.

Also, to go along with this is that Christ's one-time sacrifice is the only

thing needed, whereas in the old covenant, there was needed a continual sacrificial system.

There was a day of atonement every year. there were daily sacrifices that were done in the temple.

And so it was perpetual, but Jesus was a one-time sacrifice for everyone of all time.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 11 through 14 puts it this way, and every priest stands

Hebrews 10:11–14

daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,

which can never take away sins.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemy

should be made a footstool for his feet.

For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sacrificed.

Jesus's sacrifice was one time and it was for everything.

These other sacrifices that were going on all throughout the Old Testament,

even up into AD 70 when Jerusalem was ransacked and torn apart,

these sacrifices were perpetual.

They had to keep happening to keep people in a right relationship with God.

But now there is a better covenant that a one-time sacrifice expunges the guilt

of all believers in Jesus for all time.

This is the declaration, again, to help his readers see the need to stay with

Jesus and not to go back to the old system,

not to give in to the persecution or the suffering that they were going through,

but to continue to stay on track to be with Jesus.

And so he then goes into a section where he talks about living out your faith.

Even though there's persecution, even though there's difficulty,

Jesus is greater than all those Old Testament covenants.

Jesus is greater than Moses.

Jesus is greater than the sacrifices, the high priests, everything.

We need to live out our faith. Stay faithful.

And one of the ways he shows this is by going through a series of Old Testament

figures where he lays out their story and how they remained faithful to God.

So one of those examples is the story of Noah.

In Hebrews chapter 11, verses 6 and 7, we read,

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, For whoever would draw near

to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen in reverent

fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household.

By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that

comes by faith. The author here declares that Noah did not see,

had not yet seen what was coming.

It was not something that happened regularly, this worldwide flood.

And yet he believed God, he trusted in God, and he put in the time and the effort

to build this ark, to get the animals on the ark, etc.

And so the author here is encouraging the readers to continue to live out their

faith in reverent fear of God,

no matter the situations that are going around.

As he is encouraging the readers to follow after Christ's.

To continue in their faith and not go back to Judaism.

He is ending his letter by exhorting them to continue these practices that Jesus taught,

that the apostles passed on, and that these are the things that we need to do

to continue our faith in Christ, to show our faith in this world.

We need to let brotherly love continue. We need to not neglect to show hospitality

We have an obligation to follow after God in these ways.

That is the letter of the Hebrews.

The next book is the book of James.

James is the brother of Jesus. And after Jesus's death, he came to faith in

Jesus, became a leader in the Jerusalem church.

He is writing to Jewish Christians who are scattered outside of the Palestine area.

He is outside of Jerusalem and Judea and that area.

And these Jewish Christians are facing trials and challenges in their daily living.

James in this letter is emphasizing practical Christian living,

such as how to live wisely through trials and by living out one's faith,

not just proclaiming it.

So to deal with the trials that are going on in their lives,

James gives this advice in chapter 1 verses 2 through 4.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,

lacking in nothing. And so there is some counterintuitive things that are going on here.

When we come through trials, it is not something that we generally consider

a joy, something that we want to go through.

But James is encouraging them to count it all as joys when these trials and tribulations come,

because you know that they are putting you through the fire,

that they are testing you, that they are refining you, that they are getting

you to a place that where you will become a stronger Christian.

And this is how he is encouraging these believers, that it is difficult,

it is hard, but it will lead to something greater.

It will lead to your edification, your being built up as a follower of Jesus.

James is also about practical application in the area of Christian living.

The first century followers of Jesus were living a new normal.

They had applications from the Old Testament, but there were some things that

weren't going to be there.

They did not have to offer sacrifices at the temple anymore because Jesus was

that once and for all sacrifice.

And so there's living into this new normal. They had to figure these things out.

And James encourages them by instructing them on what they should do.

The main takeaway from the rest of the book of James is to show your faith by your works.

James chapter one, verses 22 to 25 says, but be doers of the word and not hearers

only deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks

intently at his natural face in a mirror, for he looks at himself and goes away

and at once forgets what he was like.

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty,

and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts,

he will be blessed in his doing.

And so James encourages them to really contemplate what you're looking at.

Look at the law of liberty. It is perfect.

Study it. Let it transform your heart and mind.

And so James is encouraging us to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

He also encourages us in James chapter 2 verses 14 to 17 with these words.

James 2:14–17

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking

in daily food, and one of you says to them,

go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body,

what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

And the proclamation there is that it is something that you just can't say.

You can't just proclaim Jesus is my Lord.

You have to let Jesus come into your heart to transform you,

to change you into being who he wants you to be.

It's not about you and your wants and your desires. It's all about what Jesus wants for you.

And so you look at somebody and you see that it's a really cold day and they

are ill-dressed for the occasion.

You see that they are down on their luck, that they are hungry,

and you just say to them, be encouraged, sir.

You're a child of God. And you walk on not helping them out,

not giving them a place to stay, not helping them chop wood to put in their wood furnace.

You are just giving them that verbal encouragement. That is nothing,

according to James. It is false.

But if you look upon their plight and it burns at your heart and you go and

you give them that meal or you

give them a place to stay or you buy them clothes or a new sleeping bag.

That will show them your faith.

Faith without works is dead. But works do not save you.

James nowhere teaches that works equal salvation.

James is clearly saying here that when you have the Spirit of God inside of

you, faith will move you to action.

He also talks about not playing favorites, and he talks about taming the tongue

and making sure that you are saying things that need to be said.

Sometimes you need to correct people, but sometimes your words can be hostile

and mean, and therefore you have to be able to tame your tongue.

So James is all about working through practical concepts of faith,

and he's emphasizing living like Christ would live and persevering through these

trials and tribulations.

Moving on to 1 and 2 Peter, this is attributed to the apostle of Jesus.

Peter, who becomes one of the earliest church leaders.

And he is writing to churches throughout Asia Minor, and these churches are

facing various struggles.

He is writing to encourage the believers to stand firm in the face of trials and suffering.

He's reminding them of Jesus as their living hope, and he's warning against

false teachers who distort the gospel.

Peter, in these two letters, encourages his readers in the face of trials.

In 1 Peter 3.5, we read.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living

hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance that is imperishable,

undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being

guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

And so this is a very encouraging remark that God has raised us to life as he

resurrected Jesus from the dead, and that we are on course,

we are invited to an inheritance that will never end.

And the concept here is clearly declaring that you stay focused on Jesus.

Peter here is clearly saying, you have an award waiting for you.

God is holding it in his hand and no one can take it away from him.

No one is strong enough to do that.

Your inheritance in eternity is imperishable, undefiled, unfading.

Stay true to the faith. I know the persecution's hard. I know the suffering is real.

Stay true to the message of Christ.

Stay true to Christ himself.

And so his letter is encouraging these readers to continue to walk the road with Jesus.

In 2 Peter 3, 9, we also read these words.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises, as some count slowness,

but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,

but that all should reach repentance.

And in this moment, he's talking about how some people are saying, where is this Jesus?

He's supposed to come again. He hasn't come again. It's been decades since he rose.

Where is he? And Peter is saying, hey, don't listen to those scoffers.

God is going to wait for the perfect time. And he is not slow like you and I

would consider slow, but he wants all people to be saved.

He doesn't want anyone to perish. And so he's giving people time to repent and

believe in Jesus. God's not slow.

God is working everything out. And we need to stay secure in this because his

goal, his objective is for you to stay firm and to bring other people along

with you so that all people will be saved.

Peter also encourages his readers to stand firm in the face of trials.

So he says in 1 Peter 2, 11 and 12, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles

to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against

you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

So stand firm. Keep your conduct honorable and you will receive a reward.

You are not from this planet. This planet is not your home.

You are a sojourner. You are a wanderer. And so keep the passions of the flesh at bay.

They are waging war against your soul. I get it.

Peter's experiencing this too, it sounds like. And he just wants them to remain

committed to Jesus. in spite of the temptations that are around them.

Then in 1 Peter 3, verses 13 to 17, we read, Now who is there to harm you if

1 Peter 3:13–17

you are zealous for what is good?

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ as the

Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you

for a reason for the hope that is in you.

Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered,

those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame,

for it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

Peter's saying, stand firm, Continue to focus on the teachings of Jesus. Do good.

Don't fall into the patterns of this world where people do wrong and they seem

not to have anything bad happen to them.

Be resolute in your faith in Jesus and adhere to what he is declared because

that will lead again to a reward.

But even if it doesn't lead to a reward on this earth, it is much better to

suffer evil for doing good than suffer evil for something that you deserve to suffer evil for.

Have as your witness your character. Let other people see it. Let other people know.

And if they mock you, that's fine. It hurts, it stings, but wipe it off because

what's most important is being a true witness of Jesus.

Peter here affirms that we need to be strong in our faith.

We need to be resolute in what we believe, and trusting in Jesus is what our

goal and objective should be.

Along with that, he knows it's tough.

He knows the trials. He knows the suffering is tough, and he wants to encourage

us to continue to fight through these difficult moment,

to remain focused on Jesus and to live for him, not for ourselves.

Then we go to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John in these letters, which are written by

John the Apostle, one of the 12 apostles like Peter was.

So John is writing to encourage believers to live in the light of God and in his truth and love.

He also writes to combat the early Gnostic heresies, denying Jesus's incarnation,

saying that Jesus was only a spirit.

He wasn't fully God and fully man. He was fully God with the appearance of man,

but not fully man himself.

And so he's trying to combat these teachings as well as to encourage believers

to live in the light of God and in his truth and love.

In encouraging his readers to live in the light, love, and truth.

John writes in 1 John chapter 1 verses 5 to 7, this is the message we have heard

1 John 1:5–7

from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness,

we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one

another and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin.

The objective of that passage is to declare that God is light and there's no darkness at him at all.

Darkness is merely described as the absence of light. When you do have light,

it makes the darkness hide, and God is this light.

We need this light in our lives all the time.

Then in 2 John, which is only one chapter, in verses 4 to 6,

we read, I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth,

just as we were commanded by the Father.

And now I ask you, dear lady, not as though I were writing a new commandment,

but one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.

This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning,

so that you should walk in it.

And so John is rejoicing when his children walk in the truth.

The truth is the gospel message of Jesus being the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

And when you're walking in that truth, you are also walking in love,

which is not a new commandment, but a commandment that they have had from the beginning.

Love is the epitome of this. And when they describe love in the Bible,

it is going to describe a sacrificial type of love.

It's not a selfish sort of love.

What you give to me, that's why I love you.

That's why we're together. It is a love that says, I don't care what you do.

I am sacrificing for you.

And this is a very challenging and difficult kind of love, but this is the command

that they have had from the beginning.

And so it's about walking in the light of Jesus. It's about walking in love,

sacrificial love for other people.

And it's about knowing the truth of the gospel and living out that truth.

In terms of combating false teaching, John declares in 2 John verses 7 and 9,

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the

coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.

Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for,

but may win a full reward.

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God.

Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

And so people were being deceived by these internal false teachers.

They were not declaring that Jesus had a human body, that he was just a spiritual

being that people interacted with.

John actually ate food with him.

Jesus actually was able to touch things. He was actually able to embrace and give hugs to people.

He was a physical being, and anyone who says he wasn't is a deceiver and do not follow them.

Then in 3 John 9-12, we read, I have written something to the church,

but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us.

And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops

those who want to welcome the brothers and puts them out of the church.

Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good.

Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God.

Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone.

And from the truth itself, we also add our testimony. And you know that our testimony is true.

And so here he is comparing two different people, someone called Diotrephes,

who likes to put himself first, who seems to be arrogant in his teaching.

And John is saying he's someone that is not doing the right things.

He's not welcoming the brothers, and he's even kicking them out of the church

when they help the brothers.

Like, he is not living for Jesus. He is living for himself.

But Demetrius, he is the one who has a good testimony from us.

He is the one who is doing good from God.

He is writing this comparison so that the churches are able to decipher what

is true as a leader and what is false, and know which one to believe.

So the books of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John are about encouraging the believers to live in the light,

the truth, and the love of God, and to combat some false teachings that were

going on in those congregations.

The last letter that we have is the letter of Jude.

Jude is also, like James, a brother of Jesus.

He is writing to urge believers to contend for the faith against dangerous false teachers.

These people have infiltrated the church and promoted immorality and have denied Jesus's authority.

His letter is only one chapter long, and an example of contending for the faith

against false teachers, he writes in verses 8 through 10,

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh.

Reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about

the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment,

but said, the Lord rebuke you.

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed

by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.

Jude is saying here, you can understand who the false teachers are because they're

just behaving like they're on instinct.

They don't have any ability for self-control.

They are living like ravenous animals who are devouring whatever they want to devour.

They are living out the pleasures of the flesh, and these are people that you need to reject.

Then his example of standing firm in the faith, we go to verses 21 to 22, and we read.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying

in the Holy Spirit, keep yourself in the love of God,

waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

So the declaration there is that you need to stand firm.

You need to build yourselves up. You need to be praying in the Holy Spirit.

You need to keep yourself in the love of God. These are things that are important.

Reflect these things, meditate on these things, live out these things,

because there are difficulties in this world.

We are still living in a broken world. The world has not been healed.

It is still distorted by sin.

Satan is still around. He is tempting and he is destroying what God has created.

And our objective is to stand firm in the faith and to continue to face God

following after his decrees and directives.

And so Jude is again urging the believers to contend for the faith and to combat

false teachings. So this is a repeated pattern of the early church.

There There were false teachers out there that needed to be corrected.

They needed to be expunged from the church.

There was persecution and there were hardships that were happening in the church of that day.

And these letters are constantly reminding people, these are the things you

need to be looking for in terms of false teachers.

These are the things you need to be doing, keeping your eyes fixed and focused

on Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the one that we need to be resolute in.

He's the one we need to be following.

And so these letters are exhorting these things.

But it's not until we come to the final book of the Bible where we get a glimpse

of what the future will be like. We have bits and pieces of what the future is like.

In Revelation, the last book of the Bible,

we see why it's so important to keep resolute in our faith, to continue walking

after God, to pouring out all of our efforts to live in his teachings.

Even though it's challenging, even though it's hard, even though he says,

treat people the way you want to be treated, well, they're not treating me nice

and I don't want to treat them nice. We have to overcome these temptations.

When we do, when we continually follow after Jesus, when we overcome the obstacles

and the persecution and the sufferings in this world and keep our eyes focused on Jesus,

we have a glorious reward ahead of us.

And this is what the revelation.

So the Revelation is written by John, more than likely the apostle again,

the writer of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John that we've already talked about.

Revelation is described as an apocalypse, which is a word that means a revealing.

So if you've ever had a present that was wrapped some way, but it had certain

characteristics that you could kind of guess what it was, but you didn't know

fully until you opened it,

the apocalypse would be the idea of not just seeing the outline of it and saying,

all right, that kind of looks like a video game.

That kind of looks like a book, something like that.

When you open the wrapping paper, that's when it's an apocalypse.

That's when it's revealed to you what is happening.

And that's what the revelation is. It is a unveiling of the things that are

in the unseen spiritual realm.

What's going on and what do we get to look forward to if we continue in our faith of Jesus?

So the revelation is a vision of the victory of Jesus over evil.

It offers encouragement to persecuted believers, warns of judgment on the wicked,

and promises the final restoration of God's kingdom.

In terms of encouragement, we can find that in a couple of different places.

One of them is Revelation chapter 2 verses 9 and 10.

Revelation 2:9

Revelation 2 and 3 are full of encouragement to the seven different churches of Asia Minor.

In verses 9 and 10, it is specifically referring to the church in Smyrna, and Jesus is...

Quoted as saying, I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich

and the slander of those who say that they are Jews, but are not,

but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw

some of you into prison that you may be tested.

And for 10 days, you will have tribulation, be faithful unto death,

and I will give you the crown of life.

And the encouragement there is, you're doing good things.

I know your tribulation. I know your poverty. I know the slander of these other people.

If you're faithful to me all the way through death, you will have the crown of life.

And so in all of those letters to the seven different churches,

you can generally find some encouragement of what they're doing well.

And the Church of Smyrna is an example of that.

Then we have in Revelation 21, another encouraging description where John declares,

and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God.

This encouragement comes after the final judgment, when the new heavens and

the earth are appearing and God is living with us.

That is the goal and the objective of the follower of Jesus,

that we get to be in his presence and that he will take care of every one of our needs.

But Revelation is more than just encouragement because there is also warnings of judgment here.

The seven, there are three different cycles of seven in the book of Revelation.

One of those is the seven seals that are unopened.

So in Revelation chapter six, verses 12 to 14, the sixth seal is opened.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked and behold, there was a great earthquake.

And the sun became black as sackcloth.

The full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as

the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.

The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up and every mountain and

island was removed from its place.

And so this is a warning of judgment.

This is coming upon the earth. There is sin that's infecting and these are the

things that are going to happen. These are cosmic events that are describing

the day of the Lord as told in the Old Testament.

And they will come upon the earth. When you go through the other cycles of seven,

the seven trumpets, they signal God's wrath.

The seven bowls of wrath are the final plagues that are poured out on the earth.

These are also warnings of judgment that are happening on this planet.

Then we have the final judgment also as a warning.

In Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15, we read, Then I saw a great white throne,

Revelation 20:11–15

and him who was seated on it.

From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what

they had done. and the sea gave up the dead who were in it.

Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged,

each of them, according to what they had done.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found

written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So the judgment is also a warning of things that are coming.

This lake of fire is not a place that you want to be, but this is the destination

of those who don't follow God.

And the warning here is to follow God.

Trust in Jesus as your salvation.

And that's the last message of the book of Revelation, to follow after Jesus

because he is the victor.

In Revelation chapter 5 verses 6 through 8, it describes Christ being the victor in this way.

Revelation 5:6–8

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders,

I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and seven

eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders

fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense,

which are the prayers of the saints.

Jesus here is described as a sacrificed lamb.

And he is the only one who is worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals.

And he receives glory and honor and praise from these elders.

They are exalting Jesus.

Jesus is the victor. But we really see this in the last two chapters of Revelation.

In Revelation 21 verses 5 through 8, we read, And he who was seated on the throne

Revelation 21:5–8

said, Behold, I am making all things new.

Also, he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

And he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the beginning and the end to the thirsty.

I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers,

the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will

be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,

which is the second death.

And so here God is reigning. God is supreme.

And the people that God props up are the people who are surrendering and submitting

to him, glorifying and praising him.

And revelation ends in this glorious message that Christ is the victor,

that God will defeat sin and brokenness and rebellion and that he will be our God.

We will be with him in eternity.

He will wipe every tear from our eye. He is the light in eternity.

There is no more need for sun or moon or stars.

He is the victor. And this is the purpose of Revelation to help us understand

that, yes, living for Jesus on this world is difficult.

It is hard. It is taxing, but it is worth it.

And so now that we have come to the conclusion of this section and the entire

Bible, I just wanted to take a moment to kind of help us to see the importance of scripture.

So as we end this overview, the Bible reveals a good God.

Who creates humanity in his own image and likeness.

These image bearers rebel against God and choose right and wrong for themselves.

But God has in his goodness a desire to live with humanity forever.

And so he sends his son Jesus to pay the debt we owe for our sin so that all

who believe in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.

Until Jesus comes a second time, we, however, are living in a broken,

sinful world, but the Spirit of God is inside of us.

The Spirit of God is encouraging us to live in the love of God and love each other.

And these letters at the end of the Bible are full of instructions on how to

do that. The Bible ends with Jesus's second coming and showing us how worth it it is to follow him.

There will be no pain. There will be no sickness.

There will be no trials or tribulations. It will be us living in perfection

with God. We must endure the trials, the tribulations.

We must endure the mockings that can come upon Christians. We must endure.

And when we do, our future is secure.

Our future is set.

In God's perfection. And so I keep saying throughout this series that the Bible,

the entirety of the Bible is pointing to Jesus,

whether it's in the garden with the proclamation from God that a descendant

of Eve would stamp the physical representation of evil, which is the serpent,

while the serpent strikes at the heel of this descendant of Eve,

foreshadowing the cross, whether it is the promises to Abraham of a blessing

for the whole world, whether it is the promise to David that he would have a

descendant rule and reign forever,

Jesus comes as the fulfillment of the entire Bible.

And the letters point us to live for Jesus in spite of the hardships that we face.

And the revelation points us to Jesus's eternal home.

This is what our hope is. Our hope is in Jesus and our resurrection.

And because He rose from the dead, the promise is that we will too.

Thank you again for joining us in our survey of the New Testament books from

Hebrews 2, the Revelation.

This is the sixth and final episode in the series on the overview of the Bible

in which we have shown that all Scripture leads us to Jesus.

If you would like more information about Faith Chapel and its ministries,

please visit the website gofaithchapel.org.

Next week, we will begin a new series as we look at the resurrection of Jesus

as told from the perspective of 1 Corinthians 15. Have a great week.