Secrets Unsealed

ANCHOR School of Theology

Stephen Bohr

1. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 1

2. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 2

3. Principles for the Study of Bible Prophecy- Part 3

4. Notes on Daniel 2

5. The Importance of the Historical Flow Method- Part 1

6. The Importance of the Historical Flow Method- Part 2

7. Christ is the Center of Bible Prophecy Part 1

8. Christ is the Center of Bible Prophecy Part 2

9. A Providential Election

10. The Sabbath and Redemption

11. The Son (God) and the number 666

12. Who’s Hero Is Jesus Christ?

13. What Was Literal & Local is Spiritual & Global

14. The Flood Story As An Illustration of Historical Typology

15. The Year-Day Principle

16. God’s Israel: Understood Globally and Spiritually

17. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 1

18. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 2

19. The Stoning of Steven.. The Last Straw

20. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 1

21. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 2

22. The Sanctuary Sequence in the Book of Revelation

23. Daniel’s Little Sealed Book

24. Revelation 10

25. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 1

26. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 2

27. Revelation 12-22

28. How All the Books of the Bible Meet and End in Revelation

29. Learn how to use the writings of Ellen G. White- Part 1

30. Learn how to use the writings of Ellen G. White- Part 2

We have some exciting things to study in this session.

We're going to begin by taking a look at Principle number 13.

Seems like yesterday that we started Principle number 1, but we're already on 13, we have number 14 and then we'll be finished.

Now let's go in our syllabus to page 33 and we're going to work through this material.

I am only going to choose a few examples from the list that we have under point number 13 because obviously we don't have time to cover all of these examples, it would take us a full week session just to go through all of these examples.

So let's begin at the top of the page, page 33, and the principle is that all the books of the Bible meet and end in Revelation.

The book of Revelation is the grand finale of the redemption story.

For example, let's take a look at Genesis 315 and its relationship to Revelation Chapter 12.

We did a little bit of this this morning.

Do we have the same elements in Revelation Chapter 12 as we have in Genesis 315?

Yes we do, it is the fulfillment of Genesis 315.

We have a woman, is there a woman in Revelation 12?

Then we have a seed that the woman has in her womb, is that in Genesis 315?

In the third place we have a serpent that wants to devour the child, do we find that in Genesis 315?

Yes, enmity between the woman and the serpent, and the serpent and the seed of the woman.

And then in the fourth place we have enmity, is there enmity in Genesis 315?

So the same 4 elements that we find in Genesis 315 are found in Revelation Chapter 12.

In other words, Revelation Chapter 12, the first few verses is the fulfillment of Genesis 315 because there is where the dragon or the ancient serpent also called, attacks the child to try and kill the child, but the child escapes from his hands.

So this shows that Genesis is to be understood in the context of the book of Revelation.

Another example, and we'll give more examples as we go along is the 3 angels messages of Revelation Chapter 14.

That is foreshadowed in the book of Genesis before the destruction of Solomon Gomorrah.

3, and if you look at their messages you'll find that they're in the same order as the messages of Revelation Chapter 14, and so What I'm saying is that what you find in Genesis foreshadows what you have in the book of Revelation.

Revelation is a Hebrew book written in Greek.

A Hebrew book, in other words its background is the Old Testament, but it is written in the Greek language.

It is saturated with Old Testament allusions.

In fact there are more than 1, 000, some people say 2, 000, allusions to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation.

These references include words, concepts, phrases, sentences, verses, and sometimes the thematic order of entire chapters from the Old Testament.

It must be borne in mind that the Jewish language is spiritualized and applied to the Christian church, we've already studied that.

Revelation is a book for the church that's why it begins with messages to the 7 churches, it is not for literal Israel.

Revelation keeps the same Old Testament terminology but gives the language a spiritual not a literal significance.

That is Revelation still says Babylon but we are to understand that that name applies to the Christian church and it's worldwide.

In other words, even though the terminology from the Old Testament is conserved, still it is spiritualized and globalized in the book of Revelation.

Revelation is like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle which had thousands of pieces.

When these pieces are properly assembled there is a beautiful mosaic of truth.

It is like a majestic symphony which unites the entire Bible in a beautiful musical masterpiece.

Ellen White has said in Acts of the Apostles page 585.

In the revelation all the books of the Bible meet an end.

Here is the complement of the book of Daniel, 1 is a prophecy the other a revelation.

In Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end.

There is no book of the Bible that is not related somehow to the book of Revelation.

It is important to remember that the book of Revelation sometimes takes a solitary symbol from the Old Testament to encourage us to study the entire context where that symbol appears, we've dealt with that before.

Thus if we find Elijah terminology in Revelation we are to study the entire story of Elijah.

If Balaam is mentioned we must study the entire story of Balaam.

Now we have a few examples here, preliminary examples about the relationship between the Bible and the book of Revelation.

You know really the Bible is what you call an inclusio because you have in Genesis 1 to 3 Eden created and Eden lost.

At the end of Revelation 20 to 22 you have Eden restored and Eden regained, and in between you have everything that happened to regain what was lost.

And so Revelation 21 and 22 and Genesis 1 to 3 are thematically related because both of them have Eden, both of them have a river of life, both of them have a tree of life, they're very intimately related.

Now what about Revelation 14 verse 7 where it says, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.

There's a text in the Old Testament that is very similar to this 1 and helps us understand this particular verse.

It's found in the book of Ecclesiastes, the book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 and verse 13 and you're going to notice immediately the similarity.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.

Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all, for God will bring every work into judgment, and then it says, and every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

Is there any relationship between that verse and Revelation 14 verses 6 and 7?

Revelation 14 says, Fear God, give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.

Ecclesiastes says, Fear God and keep His commandments because God is going to bring every work into judgment.

And so we know where the terminology comes from in Revelation 14 verse 6 and verse 7, a source would be Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13.

Now notice Revelation chapter 7 and verse 1 Revelation chapter 7 and verse 1.

Here we find an interesting description that includes an interesting symbol, it says there in Revelation 7 verse 1.

After these things I saw 4 angels standing at the 4 corners of the earth, holding the 4 winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

So the question is, is the wind here literal wind?

We have to find out what trees represent, we have to find out what the sea represents, and we have to understand what the earth represents.

Does the book of Revelation explain those symbols?

Yes it does, there's a beast that rises from the sea, there's a beast that rises from the earth, and what is meant by trees?

We go to other texts in the Old Testament to find out what is meant by a tree symbolically.

Now let's examine this by going to a couple of texts and then we'll read a statement from the Spirit of Prophecy.

Go with me to Psalm 92 and verses 12 through 14, Psalm 92 and verses 12 through 14.

And you're going to notice here what is symbolized by a tree specifically.

Once again Psalm 92 and verses 12 through 14.

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall still bear fruit in old age, they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright, He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

So what is represented by a tree here in Psalm 92?

It represents the righteous who flourish like a tree.

We also read earlier in this course Psalm 1 where it speaks about a tree planted next to rivers of waters and the tree does not wither, it bears its fruit in season.

So when you find this in Revelation chapter 7 and verse 1 are you going to try and find some literal tree somewhere that this applies to?

Well is this the Pacific, the Atlantic, or is it the Mediterranean?

Well the earth represents the new world, the sea represents the old world, the trees represent God's people.

Part 1 of 30

28. How All the Books of the Bible Meet and End in Revelation