Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Thru the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard the Bible Bus as we journey through the greatest book of prophecy in God's Word. It's the book of Revelation. Dr. McGee often described Revelation as the great Union Station or the International Air Terminal where all the trunk lines of prophecy converge from across scripture. So as you grab your Bible and turn it to chapter one, Greg and I want to spend just a few minutes sharing how God is growing our home group movement around the world.

Greg: Oh yeah, something you and I always love to talk about. And just for the folks that might be a little new, a home group is nothing more than just picture a home Bible study, a gathering, where instead of studying some written curriculum, they listen to Dr. McGee's teaching in their mother tongue. And we have, Steve, probably at least 25,000 to 30,000 of these around the world. It's an incredible number.

And Bangladesh, which is a place we've both been and sat literally in a home group in a tin shed with a queen-sized bed and not much else around, just a bare light bulb. That's what I always go to whenever I think about it and those brothers and sisters studying God's word. This is a listener named Subol, who says this from Bangladesh. "I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior a few years ago. I lead a home group and have been listening to this teaching for one year with my family and group members. I have benefited a lot. Although I had received Jesus Christ as my savior, I was not confident about the assurance of my salvation. Studying the Bible with you, I have now found the assurance of my salvation. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity."

What it made me think of that situation where we were sitting in that home. That young man, we didn't understand what he was saying, but we could tell he was going to be a pastor. And so getting this systematic teaching is going to ground him in his ministry. So these home group leaders can really become leaders in the churches. So let's go to India where from Chhattisgarh, which is one of the 36 or so states and provinces they have in India, it comes this letter.

"We are a family of five. For a long time, I struggled with substance abuse. Because of this, most of my income was wasted, leaving us with very little to survive on. There were times when we had nothing to eat and our family was in a very difficult and painful situation. I am deeply thankful to a brother who invited me to a radio home group to listen to the word of God. He told me that if I listened with an open heart, I would find peace and happiness in my life and family. That simple invitation changed everything.

After attending, I experienced a transformation in my life. By God's grace, I am no longer struggling with my harmful habits. God's word has given me joy and strength and it has been a great blessing both to me and my family. I now listen to the messages regularly and the teachings continue to encourage and guide us. I want to sincerely thank your team for this meaningful initiative which has helped restore my life and brought peace to our home."

Steve Schwetz: Wow. I hope you're encouraged by that testimony of the way the Lord is changing people's lives, in part through the ministry Thru the Bible, but because of the power of the gospel. Amen. Here's another one. This is from a listener in Bangladesh as well. "I am a home group leader." It's interesting you get these messages, these letters from home group leaders. I haven't even read this one yet, but they're going to talk about probably how it affected them.

"A few years back, I received a media kit from the local church in my area. In that media kit, I found the holy word of our Lord God. Listening to the good news of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for sin, I came to know He is the only way to salvation. I learned that my sin separated me from God, that He planned to save me through His son. Searching the Holy Bible, I found this truth. I put my faith in Jesus, asked forgiveness for my sins, and accepted Him as my personal savior. I was then baptized and joined the local church two months back."

Greg: And now he's a home group leader. Amazing. Full circle.

Steve Schwetz: Greg, let me pray for us as we begin. Heavenly Father, we are so encouraged to hear testimonies of how You are moving in people's lives and how You are choosing to use the ministry of Thru the Bible, in the case of Bangladesh, with these home groups. We pray that You would continue to bless them, that You would continue to use Your Spirit to call many people to Yourself, that You might be glorified, Lord, and we might be able to hear testimonies not only in this life, but in eternity of the impact that You've had through the ministry Thru the Bible. Bless it now, Lord, as it goes out in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, here's our study of Revelation, chapter one, on Thru the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Last time we were talking to you about the different theories of interpretation of this book of Revelation. Now, Dr. Broadus lists seven theories and Traggellis, he lists three. And I have the notes that I told you of a very fine commentator of the past, and he divides each one of these up. The preterist theory into about 20 different divisions. So there's been a great deal of difference of opinion in the interpretation of this book.

Now, we mentioned last time that we accept the futurist theory. And that means we accept what is known as the premillennial viewpoint. And this is the view of all premillennialists, and most premillennialists follow a certain form of interpretation that conforms to the book of Revelation. We'll see it when we come to the outline of the book here that we have this revelation of the glorified Christ. Then we have the church brought before us and the whole history of the church given. And then at the end of chapter three, you don't find the church anymore in the book of Revelation.

And you find a bride when you get to the end, but that's the church, but no longer the church because the church has left the world and the church is going to come with Him to the earth. And then He comes to the earth and establishes His kingdom, that thousand-year reign, which John tells us about. It's a time of testing for at the end of that period, Satan is released for a brief season and then the final rebellion is put down and then you enter eternity.

That is by and large the viewpoint that is generally accepted. Now, I recognize that there are many today that are attempting to not only discount this, but they say rather harsh things about this interpretation. One recent book shown me, I understand that he quotes me in that book as well as some very outstanding Bible expositors today. And I also understand he's just a layman. There's nothing wrong with him being a layman, but he probably ought to stay in his own field.

He called me by phone. I wasn't well at the time. He called me one morning when I was busy getting ready to come to the office, asked me a question. I didn't want to answer, which I didn't. And I understand he makes the statement in the book that I was unable to answer his question. Well, the point was, I didn't want to answer his question. I didn't want to get involved in an argument with a man that I was convinced that was very fanatic in his position. And if he has misquoted others as he has me, then I would have no confidence in the book whatsoever, although a copy of it has been sent to me.

Now, the question arises, and that's the question that book raised, that this viewpoint that we have today is something that's brand new. Well now, I'll admit it's just been really developed, as all these other interpretations in the past few years. Now, when I started out as a young man first saved, there was what is known as post-millennialism. Well, post-millennialism believes that the world would get better, the church would convert the world, then Christ would come and reign.

Well, that viewpoint is pretty much dead today. You find very few that hold that viewpoint. Two world wars, a worldwide depression, and today the uncertainty and the crisis through which the world is passing, that just doesn't minister to post-millennialism and it's pretty well gone. By the time I got to seminary, my denomination, every professor there was an amillennialist. And amillennialist means you don't believe that there is a millennium. In other words, this is where most of the post-millennialists ran to cover.

Now, there was one professor there that still was a post-millennialist. But he couldn't hear. He was a very old man and in fact, when they told him the war was over, why he thought that they meant the Civil War. He was really a back number. So he was still a post-millennialist. Well, most post-millennialists have become amillennialists. And it's like several years ago at Winona Lake, a man came up, in fact, he was a minister, and he said to the late Dr. Herbert Beiber, he says, "Dr. Beiber, I'm not a premillennialist and I'm not a post-millennialist. What do you think of that?"

Well, Dr. Beiber says, "I think that's preposterous." By the way, and I think it is also. Now, this morning as I'm making the tape in morning, some of you hearing it of an evening, may I say that I'd like, even at the risk of being a little tedious and monotonous, of going back and telling you the viewpoint of men in the past. That they were looking for the Christ to come. They were not looking for the great tribulation and they weren't even looking for the millennium. They were looking for Him to come.

And that's the very heart of the premillennial viewpoint by the way as we hold it today. Now, even as far back as Barnabas, who was a co-worker with Paul, he has been quoted as saying, "The true Sabbath is the 1,000 years when Christ comes back to reign." Clement in 96 AD, he was Bishop of Rome. He says, "Let us every hour expect the kingdom of God. We know not the day." Polycarp in 108 AD was Bishop of Smyrna and was burned at the stake there. He says, "He'll raise us from the dead. We shall reign with Him."

Ignatius, who was Bishop of Antioch, and the historian Eusebius says was the Apostle Peter's successor. He says, "Consider the times and expect Him." Papias in 116 AD was Bishop of Hierapolis, whom Irenaeus said saw and heard John. He says, "There will be 1,000 years when the reign of Christ personally will be established on earth." And Justin Martyr in 150 AD said, "I and all others who are orthodox Christians on all points know there will be a thousand years in Jerusalem as Isaiah and Ezekiel declare."

And then Irenaeus in 175 AD, he says that this can only be fulfilled upon our Lord's personal return to the earth, and that was the kingdom. And when the Lord said He'd drink anew of the wine in the kingdom. Tertullian in 200 AD said, "We do indeed confess that a kingdom is promised on earth." And you can go on down. Martin Luther said, "Let us not think that the coming of Christ is far off." Calvin in his third book of the Institutes, he says, "Scripture uniformly enjoins us to look with expectation for the advent of Christ."

And Canon Faucett said this, "The early Christian fathers, Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, looked for the Lord's speedy return as the necessary precursor of the millennial kingdom. Not until the professing church lost her first love and became the harlot resting on the world power did she cease to be the bride going forth to meet the bridegroom and seek to reign already on earth without waiting for His advent." And then Dr. Elliot wrote, "All primitive expositors, except Origen and the few who reject Revelation, were premillennial."

And Gosslers' work on church history, he says, "It was so distinctly and prominently mentioned that we do not hesitate in regarding it as the general belief of that age." And Chillingworth declared, "It was the doctrine believed and taught by the most eminent fathers of the age next to the apostles by none of that age condemned." Dr. Adolf Harnack wrote, "The earlier fathers, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, believed it because it was part of the tradition of the early church. It is the same all through the fourth centuries with those Latin theologians who escaped the influence of Greek speculation."

May I say to you, when anyone says that this is something that was originated a hundred years ago by some old witch in England, my friend, you don't know what you're talking about. And after all, what does the Bible say? That's the important thing. I tried to the only answer I gave that. I said, "I'm not interested in what some old witch said 100 years ago. What does Paul say? What does the Lord Jesus say? What does the Word of God say?" That's the important thing. But it's interesting to note, is it not, that this was the belief of these men.

Now, we come today to something else. And as we do, I want to mention this. In our notes and outlines we send out, we have a little chart. It's a very simple chart. I consider this very important. Begins with the cross of Christ and His ascension. And in chapter one, we see the glorified Christ here in Revelation. In chapters two and three, we see the church. And in chapters four and five, the church is in heaven.

And then there takes place on the earth the great tribulation period, chapters six through 18. Chapter 19, He comes to earth again and He establishes kingdom and you have in the 20th chapter of Revelation the thousand-year reign of Christ. Then the Great White Throne is set up and there's where the lost are judged, and then eternity begins. That's the book of Revelation. Now, is that the way that it's given to us? That is very important, by the way.

And John wrote this book on the Isle of Patmos approximately around 96 AD or 95, somewhere in that time. It was when Domitian was on the throne. But Stalfer puts it like this. He says Domitian was also the first emperor to wage a proper campaign against Christ. And the church answered the attack under the leadership of Christ's last apostle, John of the Apocalypse. Nero had Paul and Peter destroyed, but he looked upon them as seditious Jews.

Domitian was the first emperor to understand that behind the Christian movement there stood an enigmatic figure who threatened the glory of the empress. He was the first to declare war on this figure and the first also to lose the war, a foretaste of things to come. That's very important. Now, the one thing before we give you the division of this book is to give you the subject of the book. And I want to put this down. It's so important to see. And I'd like very much to emphasize it and to reemphasize it.

And in order to do that, I'm going to turn to the first verse of Revelation. Let me read it. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." I want us to keep this in mind, that this book is a revelation of Jesus Christ. In the gospels, you have the days of His flesh. You do not have the full revelation of Jesus Christ. You see Him there in humiliation.

Here you see Him in glory. You see Him in charge of everything that takes place. He's in full command here in the book of Revelation. And this is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. And Snell put it like this, and I'd like to give you this quotation from him. He says, "In the Revelation, the Lamb is the center around which all else is clustered, the foundation on which everything lasting is built, the nail on which all hangs, the object to which all points, and the spring from which all blessing proceeds.

The Lamb is the light, the glory, the life, the Lord of heaven and earth, from whose face all defilement must flee away and in whose presence fullness of joy is known. Hence, we cannot go far in the study of the Revelation without seeing the Lamb like direction posts along the road to remind us that He who did by Himself purge our sins is now highly exalted and that to Him every knee must bow and every tongue confess." And my friends, to that grand statement I say hallelujah. Hallelujah, for the Lamb is going to reign on this earth. That's God's intention. That's God's purpose.

Now, we have said that the book of Revelation actually is not really a difficult book, that it divides itself very easily. Well, it certainly does. If you will read the 18th and the 19th verses of this first chapter, John will divide it for you. This is one book you don't have to work in trying to make a division of it. John does it all for us here. He says in verse 18, the Lord Jesus now is speaking as the glorified Christ, "I am He that liveth. I was dead and behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death."

And four grand statements are made concerning Him. He said, "I'm alive." He said, "I was dead." And then He says, "And behold, I'm alive forevermore." And then He says, "And I have the keys of hell," that is of grave, "and of death." Now, John is told to write. Now, here is going to be his outline. He gives it to us. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." Now, friends, this is a wonderful grand division that he's given to us here.

In fact, there's nothing that's quite like it. First he says, "Here I am He that liveth." He says, "The things which thou hast seen." That's the Son of Man in heaven. That's Christ in glory. That's chapter one of Revelation. Then you have, He says here, "Behold, I'm alive. I was dead and behold, I'm alive." He says, "Write the things which are." Now, you're going to see that the living Christ is very busy doing something today.

Do you know that He's the head of the church today? Do you know the reason the church is in the mess that it is today? The church is like a body that's been decapitated. It's no longer in touch with the head of the church. And you have that outline given in seven churches in chapters two and three of Revelation. That is the things that are present. The things that are past was that vision of the glorified Christ. Now, beginning with chapter four through 22, it's future.

He says, "You're to write the things about to be after these things." And that's very important. The Greek *meta tauta*, "after these things." What things? After the church things. So that beginning with chapter four, you're dealing with things that are going to take place after the church leaves the earth. And that is the great fallacy of the hour, of reaching over into the book of Revelation beginning with chapter four and trying to pull those things up to the present.

And that's the reason we have all of this wild and weird interpretation today. Why don't we follow what John tells us? He says, "Here's my outline." Now, he says follow it. "Write the things which you have seen, the things which are, the things which are going to be, *meta tauta*, after these things." And John's going to let you know when he gets to *meta tauta*. He's going to begin chapter four, "the things after these things." So that you can't miss it unless you've got a system of interpretation that just won't fit in at the book of Revelation, and if it doesn't, then you're going to have your problem.

Now, we must keep in mind, the Lord Jesus Christ is back of everything that takes place in this book. He's in full charge. He's the glorified Christ. Oh, that you and I might see Him today. Now, I have attempted to give certain divisions of this book in many different ways. I've divided it into the division John has given us. And in chapter one, the person of Jesus Christ, Christ in glory. Then chapters two and three, the possession, not first the person of Jesus Christ, then the possession of Jesus Christ.

That's His church. That's His church that He loved the church, He gave Himself for it, that it might be His. And then you have in chapters two and three the church, but it's His church. And then the program of Jesus Christ as seen in heaven, chapters four through 22, that's the consummation of all things on this earth. That's the thing that makes this book here such a glorious, wonderful book, if you please. Now, we got down to verse one, but we didn't get very far in verse one.

Well, next time we'll begin with the text of this very marvelous, wonderful book of Revelation. And may the Spirit of God be our teacher. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.