Revelation (Apocalypse) Honor

Missionary & Community Activities

Requirements

1. What does the word apocalypse mean? Why was Revelation written in symbols?

   Answer: 1) What the word apocalypse means: it comes from the Greek apokalypsis and means revelation or unveiling (removing the veil from that which was hidden). 2) Why Revelation was written in symbols: because the church was living under Roman persecution, and the veiled language protected the message; because symbols transcend eras and cultures, communicating to all generations; because they follow the prophetic pattern of the Old Testament (Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah); and because they require careful study, guided by the Bible itself and by the direction of the Holy Spirit. — The name appears in Revelation 1:1 — apokalypsis Iesou Christou (the revelation of Jesus Christ). The book was written by John approximately in 95 AD, during the reign of Domitian, amid persecution.

2. Create a table with at least five symbols from Revelation and the meaning of each one. Take into account the principle that the keys to understanding Revelation are in the Bible itself.

   Answer: Five symbols with a biblical basis: woman = church (Jeremiah 6:2; Revelation 12:1); dragon = Satan (Revelation 12:9); beast = kingdom or political power (Daniel 7:17,23); waters/sea = peoples and nations (Revelation 17:15); lamb = Jesus Christ (John 1:29; Revelation 5:6). — The sola scriptura principle interprets Revelation by the Bible itself — Revelation 17:15 explicitly defines waters as peoples, and Revelation 12:9 identifies the dragon as Satan, making external speculation unnecessary.

3. What is, in Revelation, the Seal of God? And the mark of the beast?

   Answer: The Seal of God is the sign that identifies the faithful who obey all the commandments, being sealed by the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:2-4; Ephesians 4:30) — for Adventists, the Sabbath is the distinctive sign. The mark of the beast is the voluntary or forced acceptance of a false worship imposed by the apostate religious power (Revelation 13:16-17). — Revelation 7:3 speaks of sealing the foreheads of the servants of God; the parallel with Ezekiel 9:4 shows the seal as the mark of the faithful who are spared in the judgment — the Adventist tradition identifies this seal with the sanctification linked to the fourth commandment.

4. Who is worthy to open the seven Seals? Why?

   Answer: Only Jesus Christ, called the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb as though slain, is worthy to open the seven seals (Revelation 5:5-9). He is worthy because he conquered through the blood shed on the cross, purchased people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, and was enthroned at the right hand of the Father after the resurrection. — Revelation 5:9 says: 'You are worthy because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe' — the worthiness comes from the atoning sacrifice, not from one's own merit.

5. Make a drawing fitting the following events into a timeline diagram: the return of Jesus, the First resurrection of the dead, the millennium, the second resurrection, and the new Earth.

   Answer: The order is: 1) The return of Jesus (visible, audible, glorious); 2) The first resurrection (of the righteous dead, who rise with the transformed living); 3) The millennium (a thousand years with Christ in heaven, the Earth desolate, Satan bound); 4) The second resurrection (of the wicked, at the end of the thousand years); 5) The final judgment and the eternal New Earth. — The sequence is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 20:4-15, and Revelation 21 — the first resurrection is of the blessed (Rev 20:6) and the second is of the wicked for judgment (Rev 20:13).

6. What are the seven churches of Revelation and what do they represent? Which one represents our era and what is the message that God has for this church?

   Answer: The seven are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 2-3), representing seven phases of Christian history. Laodicea portrays our era — a lukewarm, self-sufficient church, but spiritually poor. The message: repent, buy refined gold (faith), white garments (the righteousness of Christ), and eye salve (the Holy Spirit). — Revelation 3:14-22 calls Laodicea lukewarm and says it will be spit out of Christ's mouth — the final invitation is 'behold, I stand at the door and knock' (Rev 3:20), offering restored communion with those who hear.

7. What are the messages of the three angels? Why are these messages important and why should they be proclaimed?

   Answer: Revelation 14:6-12: the first angel proclaims the eternal gospel, exhorts people to fear God, give him glory, and worship the Creator, announcing the hour of judgment; the second declares the fall of spiritual Babylon; the third warns against worshiping the beast and its mark. They must be proclaimed to every people, tongue, and nation before the return of Christ. — Revelation 14:6 indicates that the eternal gospel is taken to 'every nation, tribe, tongue, and people' — for Adventists, these three messages are the core of the end-time mission and of the identity of the remnant church.

8. Cite three promises from Revelation related to the new Heaven and the new Earth.

   Answer: Three promises: 1) God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, pain, weeping, or crying out (Revelation 21:4); 2) God will dwell personally among men, and they will be his people (Revelation 21:3); 3) There will be no more night — the glory of God will illuminate the city and the saved will reign forever (Revelation 22:5). — Revelation 21:1 opens the vision of the new Earth with 'a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had passed away', and 21:5 concludes: 'behold, I make all things new' — central promises of the Christian hope.