The sealed book represents unfulfilled prophecy before the actual reality with real people and events appears. To reveal means to open and show the fulfillment of the prophecy. In Isaiah 29, the blind leaders taught rules made by men instead of understanding God’s word which was like a sealed scroll to them. Like Ezekiel was commanded to eat God’s scroll/word, Jesus as the “son of man” lived out and spoke God’s word, even to the rebellious house of Israel who largely rejected him. In Revelation 5, the sealed scroll is opened by the worthy Lamb (Jesus). In Revelation 10, John is told to eat this opened scroll, just as Ezekiel did, to prophesy again to many peoples. Eating the scroll represents internalizing and speaking God’s revelatory word, whether people listen or not, allowing the prophecies to be ultimately fulfilled through real events and people. The sealed prophecies are opened and revealed through Jesus first speaking them, and ultimately through his followers continuing to speak and live out the revealed word until all is accomplished.

 

Study Guide SCJ Bible Study

 

The Sealed Book and the Revelation of the Old Testament and New Testament

Is 29, Ez 3, Rv 5, Rv 10

 

 

One important thing to understand is that we are using the term “revelation” in a general sense for today’s lesson, not referring to the book of Revelation (with a capital R).

We’ll be looking at general revelation, which means to reveal or show. 

Our main reference chapters are Isaiah 29, Ezekiel 3, Revelation 5, and Revelation 10.
These chapters are very important for understanding the sealed book and how that sealed book is revealed. That’s what we’ll be discussing today.
The topic is the sealed book, and the revelation of the Old Testament and New Testament, based on Isaiah 29, Ezekiel 3, Revelation 5, and Revelation 10.

Our hope is to understand how the sealed book is opened at the first coming and second coming, and who ate and testified about it.

Mindset

There are a few things we should discuss before jumping into the content today. We need the right mindset to truly understand what God is doing and how Satan is trying to lead us off course. How does Satan work?

Satan works through people and the church, but he also works in a more personal way. Way number one is that he attacks our thoughts first. If he can’t get us through our thoughts, he then goes after us through the people around us. 

Look at the example of Jesus – Satan first came after him directly, didn’t he?

Yes, he technically came after Jesus when he was born through Herod, but when Jesus was mature and about to begin his ministry, Satan tempted him in the desert. Jesus hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for 40 days and 40 nights, so he was really tired and hungry. Satan thought, “He’s weak, let me try him.” But by God’s grace, Satan was unsuccessful.

Then how did Satan try to come after Jesus after that? Through Judas. But was Judas the only one Satan used to go after Jesus? No, Peter.

“Get thee behind me, Satan.” Jesus had to say that to Peter because Peter had a worldly mindset, but Jesus had the mindset of God. Jesus knew certain things had to take place – he had to suffer and die for our salvation.

Until the disciples finally understood this, they also struggled. Remember, 1 Peter 5:8 says Satan is like a lion looking to devour. Do lions give up easily? No, they are determined to get their meal. If Satan is compared to a lion, we need to understand how a lion hunts and attacks.

Lions get into tall grass, low to the ground, peeking occasionally to observe the herd grazing, unaware of the lion’s presence. The lion patiently waits, looking for who?

The young, the weak.

When the lion finds its target, it pounces. The herd then notices and starts running, but the young, weak, and sick can’t run well, and the lion snipes them.

Even if someone starts strong in their faith life, if they become weak or take their foot off the gas pedal, Satan will catch up. Don’t let him, because people can start strong but end weak. 

How many times in the Bible have we seen people who started well but did not end well? Many times – Solomon, Judas, David (though he ended well, Satan almost got him with a big misstep). These were people who started really strong.

John the Baptist can be included in this category too. When Satan gets his claws around someone, he gets that foothold, and he will not let go. So don’t give him any footholds, and don’t just because things are starting to make more sense and things are clicking faster, think “I’m okay, I’m getting it now.”

Always think there’s always something new to learn. There’s always something new to understand. Yes, you’ve heard this before, and they’ve said this a thousand times, but listen as if it’s the first time you’re hearing it.

Continue to have that heart because there’s always new things within the thing you’ve heard before that you didn’t catch the first time, the second time, or the tenth time. So always listen carefully. 

Ephesians 6:10-17, of course, talks about the full armor of God, being always clothed with that armor.

We cannot take this armor off until Satan is captured. We’re still in wartime, which means people who don’t realize this, people who don’t realize that we have been at war for 6,000 years, who are laxed and comfortable, those people are easy to devour.

Let me say this: comfortable people are easy to devour by Satan.

They’re in trouble. It’s like what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5: do not be asleep as others, then be someone who was surprised by the coming of Christ, who is coming like a thief in the night. Instead, be awake, be alert, be the children of the day. Someone who is comfortable is asleep.

They’re easy to devour. Satan doesn’t have to try very hard. But this is the advice that Jesus gave.

Let’s read Matthew 24:13, and as we’re turning there, I want to give an example that hopefully will make it make a little bit more sense, a physical example, because we really like physical examples.

It’s been a while since we have had physical examples since the parables period is now concluded, but let’s say someone is starting their health journey, and they start a new diet and have started exercising. They’re starting to see results. It’s slow, but a pound this week, two pounds the next week.

They’re stronger than they realize, like, “Wow, that’s not as heavy as it used to be. Man, my back pain’s kind of going away. That’s pretty cool. Wow, like when I go up the stairs, I’m no longer panting as much anymore.” They’re starting to see benefits, and then three months go by, and they’ve hit their goal, and they’re like, “Wow, I feel amazing.

I’m looking pretty good. I get compliments now. Let me have that pizza. I’ve been doing really good. I think I’ll have that slice of cake, okay? I think I’ll do this a little bit, put off the gas pedal.” And then, “Oh, there’s a pound extra this week.

Oh my goodness, what’s going on?” The next week, two pounds, then three, and they’ve let off the gas pedal, and their health that they spent all this time building up is starting to do this again, starting to plateau and starting to go back down. Health is not a one-and-done thing. 

You can’t just take one pill and be fine. It is a lifestyle. It is how you need to become to maintain what you have built, and Jesus said something very similar in Matthew 24:9-13.

 

 

Jesus spoke about the state of things at the time of the second coming. Many people’s hearts will grow cold, and there will be an increase in wickedness. However, he said that amidst all these things, those who stand firm until the end cannot give up or let off the gas. He did not say that those who stand firm for a little while or for 300 meters out of the 400-meter race will be okay. He emphasized standing firm until the end, which means we cannot give up or let off the gas. 

In fact, now that we’re starting to turn the corner, we need to run even harder than before. We’re starting the intermediate level, and things are different now. It’s no longer a simple addition and subtraction, but more like calculus, requiring a higher level of understanding and effort. It’s a little bit harder, and it takes a little bit of extra effort, so we must not let off the gas. We were doing really well to get to this point, so let’s stay firm.

One way to continue this practice is to complete our parables list, which we discussed earlier in the class. Some of us were able to keep up with this, but for others, it would be quite beneficial as a review tactic. The document lists many of the parables we’ve covered in the course, leaving blanks for the meaning and verses. Everyone should go through and write down the meanings and verses of each parable.

As you’re doing this and going through your notes again, it will be a valuable review process, and you’ll have that sheet to help remind you of certain things we’re covering later on. So please make a parables table of contents if you haven’t already. There are many parables listed, so go through this and fill it in, as it will help us stay diligent.

1. Main Content

We’ll be covering is the sealed book and revelation.

 

ONE – The sealed book represents prophecy.

When you think about prophecy, what we should really be considering is what is said and what is to come, right? Oftentimes, when prophecies are spoken, they are conveyed through parables. When a parable is spoken, God often uses figurative language, but it’s always pointing to something that will appear in the future, correct?

So, in Isaiah 28:16, it says, “See, I lay a stone in Zion.” Until that stone appears, is it a literal stone? Does the stone represent the word or something else? Or does it mean a person who is strong and powerful? Or is it an actual stone on the mountain? No one could know for sure until the reality of the stone is revealed.

The sealed book is another way of saying “before the actual reality appears.“ The stone represents a person, but which person? Jesus.

Understanding this is like understanding the word of testimony, the actual reality, the word that has become flesh that you can now touch and feel. It makes sense because you’re witnessing it in reality.

The sealed book represents this: the parable without an explanation yet. Why? Because it has not been fulfilled.

When it is fulfilled, there’s actual reality. But first, someone must have an understanding of what has been fulfilled. So, like in 1 Peter 2, it talks about how the living stone is our Lord and Savior. And then it says that we too become living stones. Now we have the actual reality.

 

TWO – Revelation means to open and show. 

That’s what it means to reveal. It signifies that prophecy has been fulfilled or that actual reality has appeared.

So real people, real events that can be identified as what has been prophesied. In other words, the book has been opened. The book has been revealed. To open and show. So let’s see how this plays out in the time of the Old Testament.

We’ll look at a quick example that we know quite well, and then we’ll dive into Isaiah 29.

Prophecy is sealed until reality appears.

Let’s go over an example. The prophecy starts as sealed. Remember Daniel 12:8-10. Daniel asks God, “What is the meaning of these things? What is the end of the matter?” And God says, “Go on your way, Daniel, for these things are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.”

So it simply wasn’t possible for Daniel to understand these things. Why? Because they had not yet been fulfilled. So they remained sealed. But when they are fulfilled, they become open, and people can believe. There are many people who say many different things about the Bible. 

But one thing that I’ll share with us, which should help us discern in our time, is that fulfillment ends arguments.

Fulfillment destroys vagueness. Fulfillment ends the speculation of “it could be this, it could be that.” Fulfillment happens once.

For example, Isaiah 7:14, “a virgin gives birth to a child.” For 700 years, people were in the state of speculation, “it could be this, it could be that.” Until Mary, who was a virgin, gave birth to Jesus. Then the argument was over. There was no more speculation, “it still could be this, it still could be that.” No one was having that argument anymore because fulfillment ended it.

Does that make sense? So what we should be waiting for in Revelation’s time is fulfillment, so that the arguments are ended. There is no more speculation, “it could be this, it could be that.”

Another example is Micah 5:2, which says, “out of Bethlehem will come a ruler.” Okay, so for 400 years, or several hundred years, people were expecting a ruler, a king, someone who would sit on a throne, who was born in Bethlehem and would command the Israelite people. And then the prophecy was fulfilled.

And who was the reality of this prophecy? A carpenter’s son. He came from a poor family. They grew up in Nazareth, of all places. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Jesus, who was a ruler spiritually, which means people didn’t realize it. He looked like just a normal guy, completely unassuming, unless you listened to him speak. And then they realized, “Whoa, okay, there’s something about this guy.” But if you just saw him walking down the street, you would have no idea who that person was. He would just walk by, and you’d think, “Okay, let me continue on with my day.”

Just a normal guy. And then they realized, “Oh, this is not a normal guy. Whoa, he just healed that person. That guy has been deaf and lame for 40 years. Now he’s walking and can see. This guy’s next level.”

And he really was a ruler. But people were expecting a king to sit on the throne, and Jesus did not do that, nor was he interested in such things. So people’s thoughts led them away from the truth because they thought it would be like this when, in reality, it was something different.

So first, wait for actual reality and take the guesses out because they will lead us away from the truth. Our guesses will lead us away from the truth. You can’t guess fulfillment.

God always looks at people who guess and says, “Nope, not like that. No, it’ll be different. And I’m looking for the people who are humble enough to accept the way I determine it will be, not the way we thought it would be.”

So keep that in mind.

 

 

Let’s break down this passage step by step.

 

ONE – Verses 9-10: Heads, prophets (leaders) = asleep, blind

First, we’ll look at verses 9-10. Here, it refers to the prophets, or the heads and the eyes, as leaders.

What does it say about the heads and the prophets? It states that they are asleep and blind. The leaders, the heads, and the seers are described as being asleep and blind, which is not a favorable position.

 

TWO – Verses 11-12: Vision = Sealed Book or scroll

In the next verses, it talks about their inability to understand what? Verse 11 mentions their inability to comprehend the vision.

That’s right. For them, this vision is described as nothing but words sealed on a scroll.

The vision is likened to a sealed book or scroll, and it is sealed to them.

Who is the “them” here? Who is being referred to?

It is referring to the prophets.

Because who is the prophet addressing?

It says, “Be stunned and amazed; blind yourselves, be sightless, be drunk, but not from wine, staggered, but not from beer. The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep. He has sealed your eyes, the prophets. He has covered your heads.” For them, these words are nothing but words sealed in a scroll. So, God is speaking to someone, right?

And the ones He is addressing are the leaders mentioned in verses 9 and 10. These people are supposed to be able to read, meaning they are literate.

Literate means having the ability to read, while illiterate means being unable to read.

But is God concerned about people who cannot physically read and write in this passage?

No, He loves those people too, right? That’s not what He is talking about here. What does it mean to be literate but unable to read?

It means that although they are able to read it, they cannot understand it. Those who are unable to understand, despite seeing it, right?

And those who are illiterate are the ones depending on those who are literate. But because the literate people cannot read (understand), then there is no hope for the illiterate people who cannot read. They are the leader’s people.

So, if the head cannot read (understand), then the body cannot read (understand) either. And what’s the end goal for both? The pit.

 

THREE – v13: Teaching of men (not God)

Like Matthew 15:14 states, “And what did it say that they teach instead? What do they teach instead?”

They teach man’s teachings, rules, traditions, and even ecclesiastical laws. These are all things established by men and held up as important. However, when God looks at it, He’s saying, “Their hearts are far from me. They’re far from God. And all they offer is lip service, which I do not want.”

 

Indeed, lip service is undesirable. If someone pays you lip service, you’d say, “Gosh, just be quiet, man. I don’t even want to hear it anymore because your heart’s not in it. I don’t want to hear that talk anymore.”

We don’t like people who only give lip service. Neither does God. God wants people whose hearts are in it.

So, because the word is in a sealed state, they guess, thinking, “I think it means this. I think it means that.” To guess is to add, and Revelation 22:18-19 tells us not to do this.

Instead, it would have been better for people to be patient. 

“Dear pastor, it’s 1517. What does Revelation mean? We don’t know yet, my brother. It has not yet taken place. Let’s pray and be patient. It may happen in our time, but it may not happen in our time. End of discussion.”

“Let’s continue to study the things we know about, instead of saying, ‘This will be this great war happening in this country, and it will be like this. These are the people that it is,’ but maybe I don’t know. This leads people astray because now they’re looking in the wrong direction, and this has been the case for 2000 years.”

“It was certainly the case from Isaiah to the time of Jesus, a 700-year period where people certainly could not understand the Old Testament prophecy fully. So, let’s look at how the word is revealed because it’s also prophesied how the word is open.”

Oh, this is deep. I don’t know if you guys are ready for this. You’re going to notice some similarities that I think you’re going to love.

2. Process of How Old Testament is Revealed

 

Oh, interesting. We should be thinking about something else as we’re reading this. However, in a vision, Ezekiel is seeing God, and God is calling him “son of man.”
And what does God say to Ezekiel? God says, “Do not be like the rebellious people, but instead, do what? Open your mouth, as stated in verse 8, and eat what I will give you.”

That sounds very familiar. There are no accidents in the Bible, and God repeats himself often. So God comes to Ezekiel and says, “Eat this scroll.”
And on both sides of the scroll were lament and woe, or curses, because this is the word of God, and there were not good things that had to be said.

 

 

Wow, it’s almost word for word. Why is that?

Because God repeats himself. And hopefully, you’re thinking about where else we’ve read something very similar already.

In Revelation. And we certainly did.

So Ezekiel eats the scroll, and it is sweet like honey in his mouth. This is really how you can know that the Bible cannot be written by men.

Because there are so many little details written by people who existed in very different eras, doing very different things, hundreds of years apart. Yet the word seems fresh and new and the same.Because it’s God’s word, not the words of man.

He is told, “Eat this scroll, and then it will go into your stomach. And then your job is to do what? Speak.”

Your job is to speak. And who is he supposed to speak to?

Verse 4 says, “He then said to me, ‘Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.'” So Ezekiel, the son of man, had to eat the scroll and go and speak to the rebellious house of Israel, to the rebellious Israelites.

And there’s something really important about the way that God tells him to do so. If we go to verse 11…

 

 

He said, Go and speak to them. This is what the sovereign Lord says, whether they listen or fail to listen. Your job is not to convince them, although it’s important. Your job is to speak. And those who will listen will come to you. Those who will not listen will not come to you. But your job is to say something. Your job is to open your mouth. Your job is to speak, and I’ll do the rest. So how important is it for there to be someone who speaks? Someone who opens their mouth? Because spirits work through words. If someone did not open their mouth to me, I wouldn’t be here teaching you today.

I would still be doing whatever I was doing at the time before I encountered this word. Just kind of working and being a casual believer and, you know, kind of being impacted a little bit at church, but not that much, you know, chasing whoever would be my wife before I studied the open word. So I was trying to find somebody, right? Just doing, you know, whatever I wanted to do. And then someone opened their mouth, and I listened by God’s grace. Man, I’m so glad I listened. I listened by God’s grace because someone was willing to open their mouth. It’s scary to open your mouth. Even Ezekiel was overwhelmed at the end of chapter 3. It’s not fun to open your mouth to people who have not heard yet, but it has to be done. It has to happen. Someone has to do it.

So Ezekiel is seeing all of these things in a vision, right, everybody? If you eat a steak in a vision, did you eat it when you wake up? No. Now, of course, Ezekiel had to record what God showed him and he had to give it to the people. That he did have to do, Ezekiel. But this is a vision. This is a prophecy, which means It’s pointing to who? Himself or someone else? Jesus.

Yeah. Someone had to come and live out the words that Ezekiel saw. So who was the one that did that? Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So the events that Ezekiel saw, Jesus lived in reality. The events that Jeremiah saw, Jesus lived in reality. The events that Daniel saw, and the events that Zechariah and Malachi and Hosea and Joel and Amos, Jesus lived out their words in reality. 

You diligently study the scriptures because you believe that by these scriptures, the Old Testament at that time, John 5:39, that you believe. I am the someone like Ezekiel. I am the someone like Jeremiah. The someone like Isaiah. It’s me. I’m doing these things. So let’s read about how Ezekiel 2 and 3 was fulfilled. Let’s turn to Matthew 15.

 

 

I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Lost sheep, as we discussed earlier, right? During that time, when we looked at the different animals in prophecy, what kind of animals were the lost sheep? They represent betrayal. 

They are animals of betrayal, similar to dogs and pigs. They are animals that betray, that lose their shepherd or master. And Jesus was sent to them first because God’s heart was for them to be redeemed. That was God’s desire because they were still his chosen people at that time, and God loved them. He was hoping they would accept his son, but they did not.

But Jesus still had to speak to the people, even though he knew it would be difficult and threaten his life. What did he still have to do? He still had to speak. And did Jesus always say pleasant things to them? No, he did not. Like in John 8, he said, “God is no longer your father. Your father is the devil.” He had to say those words. Those were not pleasant words. They were words of lament and woe.

They weren’t pleasant words all the time. But of course, Jesus also spoke words of hope and words of salvation. He had to speak all those types of words, but he also had to speak the words of lament and woe too. And what did Jesus say in John 17:8? “I gave them the words you gave to me.” And some accepted them and believed that he was sent by God. So Jesus was the fulfilment of what we read in Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3.

He was sent to the rebellious house of Israel, and he spoke, whether they listened or failed to listen. And we’re so glad he did.

Okay, so what is the importance of the word that is opened, right? 

Oh, remember one key thing I wanted to remind everyone of. I didn’t focus on this the last time. If you go back quickly to Ezekiel chapter 2, there was one key detail about that scroll that I want us to note. What was the state of that scroll that was given to Ezekiel in a vision?

What did it say in verse 9? What was the state of the scroll given to him? It was unrolled before him. Unrolled means opened. That’s right. It was an opened scroll that Ezekiel, and in reality, Jesus ate.

3. Importance of Receiving “Revelation”

 

Jesus was praying in John 17. This prayer was for his disciples and every Christian who would come after them. In this prayer, Jesus expressed his desire for people to receive eternal life. He stated that for this to happen, there are two things they must know: God and Jesus Christ. The prayer represents Jesus’ hope for the fulfilment of this prophecy. His words serve as a parable, conveying the lesson that knowing God and Jesus Christ is essential for attaining eternal life during that era. The meaning of this prayer is open, yet its significance remains sealed within the figurative language used by Jesus, the Word. He urges people to flee from lies and false teachings, and instead embrace the true path to eternal life by knowing God and Jesus Christ.

 

ONE – The Only True God

What about God? What did Jesus say in the verse so that they may know?

The only true God. Why did he have to use the terminology “true” here?

At that time, there were pagan gods, but Jesus was talking to those who believed in God, primarily the Jewish people. So why did he still have to say “true” here?

Because there was a lot of falsehood being spread by a misinterpretation of the word. 

There was a lot of falsehood. And where does falsehood come from? Satan.

Satan, a false lowercase g god who sets himself up in God’s temple. So people think they’re worshiping the true God, but in reality, they’re not.

This was the state of the people at the first coming. So Jesus is saying, “This is eternal life, that they may know the true God and come out of the places that are teaching them falsehood.”

 

TWO – The One Sent

So that, but in order to believe in the true God, they had to believe in the one sent.

At the first coming, of course, that is Jesus. So the true God lets himself be known to people by sending someone and saying, “Follow the one I’ve sent.” Just like at the time of Moses.

“Moses, go and speak to the people, and you will be my mouthpiece. You are to speak to the Israelites,” like Ezekiel, Exodus 19:5-6, “These are the words that you are to give to the Israelites.”

“If you obey me fully like that.” And so, what was the way the words spread to the people? God would speak to Moses.

Moses would then speak to the people. Then the people would speak to Moses. And then Moses would go back to God and tell him what the people said.

Of course, God knew what the people said, but Moses still had to make his way back up the mountain and say, “Okay, God, this is what they said,” right? That was the way the word was spread. At the first coming, people, in order to know and speak to God, they had to go through Jesus.

This is why Jesus said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father.” Thomas said, “Jesus, show us the father, and we’ll be happy.” Jesus replied, “Thomas, what are you talking about?

Don’t you know that I am in the father, and the father is in me? If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father.” So at that point, they realized, “Oh, if I want to speak to God, I have to come through Jesus.”

And that’s how it works, right?

 

 

Matthew 11:27 states, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Oh, such an important passage. So important.

Okay. First, in order to know the Father, who must you first know? The Son. And in order to know the Son, who must you first know? The Father. 

So the Father reveals the Son to people. This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased. Follow him. And then people are supposed to look at the Son, and the Son says, “Here’s how to know the Father. Do this and do this. Believe this. Hear these words like that.”

So God, the true God, sent His Son to the people so they can know the Father. But at the first coming, this was the 12 disciples, those to whom Jesus chose to reveal God.

Jesus did not reveal God to everybody. That’s why He said in Matthew 13:10-11, “The secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you, but not to them.” Why? Because their hearts had become calloused. Even if I said about God, it wouldn’t go in. It would just kind of bounce off their heart or sit on the top like a path, and the birds would come and take it away. So I’ll reveal it to you.

But did Jesus reveal it to the disciples because they were perfect people? Because they were superior in some kind of way? Did He reveal it to them because they were well-studied, going to the best universities? No. Did He reveal it to them because they were high of stature in the world? No. What differentiated the disciples? They listened. They wanted to know. They wanted to understand. They were humble. They asked, “Jesus, what do you mean? Please explain it to us.” Which reveals their heart condition.

That’s the reason someone is chosen. Not because of any other physical thing or where they’re from or anything like that. It all depends on a person’s heart. Is it soft and open, where the word that’s spoken can go in? Or is it hard and calloused and packed like a path? Or is it thorny with worries and pleasures of the world? Or is it rocky, and then the sun comes and scorches it because the roots are shallow? That’s why Jesus said that parable, so we can prepare our hearts to receive the seed. Otherwise, the seed won’t go in.

Okay. So now let’s talk about the second coming and how this pattern repeats.

4. Sealed Book and Revelation of the New Testament

 

We will now discuss the concept of revelation in two ways – the general meaning of the word “to reveal,” as well as the Book of Revelation from the Bible. 

The goal is to explore these ideas without causing confusion by keeping the language clear and easy to understand.

 

 

Let’s break down what we’re observing here.

The first statement made is “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him.” Why? To show his servants, peoples, nations, languages, and kings what must soon take place.

Eventually, the word needs to reach the servants, right? But how does it get there? He, meaning Jesus, made it known by sending his angel to his servant, John, who testifies to everything he saw.

That is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near. And that’s the book of Revelation.

Well done, everyone. We’ve finished with the class. You did great.

Congratulations. Right? That summarizes the whole book of Revelation.

That’s Revelation right there. The first three verses summarize the entire book. So, let’s break down these verses further.

Remember, one of the main reference verses for the lesson is Revelation 5.

 

 

We see a sealed scroll, a sealed book in God’s right hand. No one can open it, and it has been this way for the last 2000 years since these words were written. The prophecies have been sealed as God has been waiting for the time when they will be fulfilled. When John realized this, in verse 4, he began to weep because if the word remains sealed, there can be no end or fulfillment of revelation, which ultimately means no salvation. That’s why he wept. But then one of the elders came to him and said, “Do not weep, for there is one who is worthy to open the seals and look inside.”

Who was the one worthy to open the seals? It was the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, because he overcame and because he was slain. So what happens? Jesus then opens the seals. He takes the scroll in Revelation 5:7. “He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.” So Jesus takes the scroll, as stated in Revelation 5:7. And then, what does Jesus begin to do? He begins to open the seven seals.

How does he open them, and in which chapters? In Revelation 6, he opens 6 of the seals. Revelation 7 is totally different. We take a break from opening the seals, and we’ll understand why when we get to Revelation 7. Then, in Revelation 8, the last seal is opened. So now, the book that was sealed in God’s hand is now open. But that’s not the end of the journey for that book, because just like Ezekiel 2 and 3, the book must be eaten. The book’s journey is not done yet. So let’s keep going.

We have Jesus here, of course. Jesus makes it known by sending his angel. So let’s now go to when the angel receives it.

 

 

We see a really cool-looking angel, and we’ll also understand why he looks so cool.
There are so many things ahead, everyone. Stay the course. There are so many cool things left to be seen and understood.

So then we get the angel, and he has a pretty cool appearance. And he takes the scroll from Jesus’ hand, right? He’s holding a little scroll.
Where did it come from? It’s the same one that Jesus just opened. So he takes the scroll, and then, as John is seeing these things, we’ll now read verses 8 to 11.

The angel then does something with the scroll that he receives from Jesus.

 

 

Wow, that’s very cool. Just like in Ezekiel 2 and 3, John eats the book as he was commanded to do. And in his mouth, it is sweet like honey. 

However, when it hits his stomach, it turns sour. And then he is told, “You must now prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. You must speak.”

It’s the same situation. And you must speak so that people realize where they are, in the field, and they come out to the barn. There must be a harvest.

And someone must speak in order for the harvesting angels to work, because they have to work through a people. And those who come out will be the servants who took to heart, which represents the 12 tribes, the new 12 tribes of new spiritual Israel. All people will be included.

All people will hear and come out, regardless of who they were before, where they came from, or what they were doing. All people need to be at Zion. All people.

And God has a plan for every person. But I pray people are humble enough to listen to God and come.

There will be those who will be like teachers, those who are 100% sealed, and they will help gather the great multitude in white.

A really important job. But not everyone will come. Revelation talks about a group that will never come.

And they’re called Gog and Magog. Very sad. We cannot be those people.

And we’ll talk about that in detail later.

But I have one last little trivia question. See who was paying attention.

Maybe you saw this. We didn’t read it. But I wanted to make sure we understood this concept.

So John’s stomach turned sour. Did Ezekiel’s or Jesus’s turn sour as well?

It sure did. It sure did turn sour. Should we see?

 

 

Receiving the word from God was not easy for him. Did his stomach turn sour? Yes, it did. Because he realized what he had to do. Everyone says, “God, speak to me.” But are you truly sure? Are you really sure you want that? I don’t know. Because it’s a big responsibility for those to whom God speaks directly like that. A big responsibility indeed. So let’s be those who hear, listen, and run with the word.

Memorization

 

Let’s Us Discern