40-Day Devotional Study of The Book of Revelation NKJV Edition Dr. Danny Campbell The Tabernacle of Danville, Virginia www.thetabernaclefamily.org 2 How to Use this Book: God’s Word is Awesome! The Lord promises that if we will diligently study the Bible He will use it to increase our faith. Romans 10:17 says: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” The first thing you need to do to make this study be everything it can be for you is to commit yourself to becoming a student of God’s Word. You’re going to need to find at least 30 minutes each day to study and to prayer! Don’t cop out and say you can’t do that! How much time do you spend on your smartphone each day? How much time watching TV? How much time on your computer? How much time gaming? You can find 30 minutes for God! Next you need to begin each session in prayer, asking God’s Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth! Then read the passage for the day, preferably in the New King James Version of the Bible. The blanks you will be asked to fill in follow the New King James Version. After reading the passage from Revelation, then follow the study guide for that day, which will guide you through this devotional book. Then end each time in prayer also, using the things you’ve learned that day as a launching pad into praying for all the things going on in your life. God bless you as you study God’s Word!!! 3 CHART FOR THE BOOK OF REVELATION Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Ages! Ch. 1 Ch. 2-3 Ch. 4-5 Ch. 6-19 Ch. 19 Ch. 20 Ch. 20 Ch. 21-22 Ages Past Age of Rapture? Age of Age of Eternity Grace Wrath Peace Future The One The Look into The The The The Great New Earth who was, Church Heaven! Tribulation Second Millennium White OR Lake is, and will Age Coming of Throne of Fire be! Christ Judgment Eternal Lord of Lord of Lord of Returning Lord of the Lord of Eternal Lord the Heaven Israel Lord Nations Judgment Lord Church Again Seal Judgments Ch. 6 Trumpet Judgments Ch. 8-9 Bowl Judgments Ch. 15-16 144,000 Ch. 7 Mighty Angel Ch. 10 Woman/ Scarlet Beast Ch. 17 Multitude Ch. 7 Two Witnesses Ch. 11 Fall of Babylon Ch. 18 Woman, Child, Dragon Ch. 12 Marriage Supper Ch. 19 Two Beasts Ch. 13 Lamb + 144,000 Ch. 14 Angels Proclaim Ch. 14 4 CHART FOR THE BOOK OF REVELATION Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Ages! Ch. 1 Ch. 2-3 Ch. 4-5 Ch. 6-19 Ch. 19 Ch. 20 Ch. 20 Ch. 21-22 Ages Past Age of Rapture? Age of Age of Eternity Grace Wrath Peace Future The One The Look into The The The The Great New Earth who was, Church Heaven! Tribulation Second Millennium White OR Lake is, and will Age Coming of Throne of Fire be! Christ Judgment Eternal Lord of Lord of Lord of Returning Lord of the Lord of Eternal Lord the Heaven Israel Lord Nations Judgment Lord Church Again Seal Judgments Ch. 6 Trumpet Judgments Ch. 8-9 Bowl Judgments Ch. 15-16 144,000 Ch. 7 Mighty Angel Ch. 10 Woman/ Scarlet Beast Ch. 17 Multitude Ch. 7 Two Witnesses Ch. 11 Fall of Babylon Ch. 18 Woman, Child, Dragon Ch. 12 Marriage Supper Ch. 19 Two Beasts Ch. 13 Lamb + 144,000 Ch. 14 Angels Proclaim Ch. 14 5 Day 1- Read Revelation 1:1-8 Revelation begins in the original Greek language with the word we get “revelation” from. It is the Greek word apokalypsis. You can see our word “apocalypse” in there, can’t you? Unfortunately, the word has come to mean something like “scary end times events” for most people. But the word itself simply means “revealing, uncovering, disclosing.” Many people quickly jump into The Book of Revelation to discover the end times events that it speaks of. And it certainly does deliver in disclosing to us events: the current church age and what follows: the 7- year Tribulation after the Rapture of the Church, the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ to earth, the 1,000 year Millennium, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the New Heavens and Earth. But as we begin this study, do not miss that this amazing book also reveals the FINAL PORTRAIT we have in the Bible of Jesus Christ Himself! If you study Revelation properly, you will never be able to pray again without seeing Jesus as He is presented in Revelation! We have locked into our minds the picture of the Babe born at a manger in Bethlehem. We have locked into our mind the picture of Jesus’ mangled 33 year-old body being crucified for sinners at Jerusalem, and the scarred body appearing three days later, risen from the dead – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! But Revelation presents Him as He is in Heaven – the All Powerful, All Knowing, All Seeing God who created us, White-haired and Fiery-eyed Lion of the Tribe of Judah, ready to leave Heaven’s stables on a white horse and return to earth as Victorious Conqueror! Once you get Revelation’s image of Jesus in your mind, it changes what you picture when you are praying! So here’s the challenge as we begin our study – even as you become more clear on the events of Revelation, be on a quest to learn more about the spiritual takeaways from this book! Look up and write down I Peter 1:13 here, which includes a reference to Jesus “Revealing” ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Back in Revelation 1:1, we are told that Jesus is going to use this book to tell His servants things which must “shortly take place” (New King James Version). The word used there could be translated “rapidly.” You can count on it - once the Tribulation period described in chapter 6 begins on earth, the events described in chapters 6-19 will unfold rapidly! Verse 2 indicates the human instrument God used to give us the Book of Revelation was the apostle John. John is the only human author in the Bible who wrote a gospel (John), a letter (3 actually – I, II, and III John), and a book of prophecy (The Revelation). When we add the number of chapters in each book up, we learn that John wrote 50 chapters of the Bible! 6 In verse 3 we learn that we will be blessed if we do three things with this book. Write then here: _______________ _______________ _______________ TO read this book will be to learn what it says (observation). TO hear this book will be to meditate on what it means (interpretation). TO keep this book will mean to apply it to our lives (application). In verse 3 we read that Revelation is a prophecy, like great prophetic books in the Old Testament such as Daniel. Even though Revelation uses some dramatic language, like speaking of a Dragon in chapter 12, it usually gives us clues to help understand, as chapter 12 does when it makes clear the Dragon is a reference to Satan. In verse 4 we learn that Revelation is also a letter to seven actual churches that were in 7 actual cities in Asia Minor. We will learn more about these cities in chapters 2-3. The Apostle John, who is now an old man when Revelation was written, had ministered among these churches and was anxious to give them the word that the Lord had for them. Whenever studying the Bible, it is important to try and understand the ‘first audience’ the message was given to. But this message is of course for all of us as well, as made clear by the last instruction to each church: “Hear what the Spirit says to the churches (plural).” In verses 4-5 we get a wonderful reference to the Trinity, that our God is a Triune being. Fill in the blanks below from these verses. God the Father is called “Him who _______ and who _______ and who is to _______.” God the Holy Spirit is called “the __________ Spirits who are before His throne. God the Son is called “Faithful __________, the _________ from the dead, and the __________ over the kings of the earth.” Don’t get thrown off by that reference to the Holy Spirit as the “Seven” Spirits. This is an example of something we will see in the Book of Revelation – numbers given as symbols. In this case the number seven represents perfection, that God the Holy Spirit is perfectly present. If you look up Isaiah 11:1-2, you will read of seven traits of the Spirit that will characterize the Messiah – rest (presence), wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear. I love the reference to Jesus as the Faithful witness – He is the perfect Prophet. He is also the first born from the dead – He is the perfect Priest. He is also the ruler of the kings of the earth – He is the perfect King! Jesus is our Prophet, Priest and King. When Jesus conquered the grave at His resurrection, He became the “firstborn” of all who through faith in Him will also conquer the grave! That is why verse 5 dedicates the book back to Jesus – To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood! Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? If you are, you too are one of His kings and priests representing God in this sinful world! 7 If you are not, turn to Jesus for salvation.