Understanding The Bible
STUDY REFERENCE
Clarence E. Mason's "REVELATION"
INTRODUCTION |

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BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
Philadelphia College of Bible
1969
Revelation
Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF BIBLE
1969
REVELATION
INTRODUCTION
1. The book of Revelation is the climax of the Bible. It is
one of the most misunderstood of the Bible books. In this book God brings us to
the terminus of His revelation to man. Ail things reach their climax here.
2. The Bible teaches trends and states ultimate results. We
should not hang the truth of prophecy on current events. These things change;
the Word remains. Things move in cycles. Even if events seem to be moving in the
opposite direction to an announced end, have patience. The turn of the cycle
will come. The Bible deals with ultimates. We cannot pinpoint where we are on
the way to the ultimate fulfillment. We do not interpret the Bible by the
newspaper, but the newspaper by the Bible. Even then, we watch the trend. We
have no way of knowing whether we have come to the final cycle or are in one of
the cycles on the way. So the coming of the Lord is presented in Scripture as
ever imminent (i.e., He may come at any time), not impending (i.e., He must come
soon).
PIVOTAL FACTS ABOUT THE BOOK
- It is an unveiling, not a mystical obscuring (v. 1).
- Anybody CAN and SHOULD understand the book.
- The very title, Revelation (unveiling), implies that it
is to be understood.
- It is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ, " not of "St.
John."
- Rev. 1:3 gives a special blessing to those who heed the
book.
- In Revelation we see Christ IN COMPLETE CONTROL, as
Victor.
- In Revelation, when He is finished, everyone opposed .to
Him is judged and set aside.
- It is a panorama of the future.
- "Must shortly come to pass" (v. 1), - obviously future.
- The viewpoint is imminence.
- "Must" indicates certainty.
- With God there is no past nor future; all is present.
(Actually there is no present with us, only past and future. "Now" is "past"
a second after we say it.) but with God, time is like a circle; there is no
beginning nor ending. He is the eternal "I am."
- A day is "as a thousand years" with God and vice versa
(i.e., He doesn't
count time as we do).
- "Why get excited about the headlines? God doesn't! He's
not biting His fingernails!" He has things under control. He's still on the
throne. God is able finally to turn everything to His glory or keep it
within the confines of His permissive will.
- "Where was God when my boy was killed?" cried a
distraught father, To which the pastor was given wisdom to reply, "The same
place He was when His own Son was killed!"
- It is a book of visions.
John is commanded to write all the things that he SAW (vv.2,11). We can't
"see" justification, etc. Truths in this book are generally represented in
vision form. Naturally, therefore -
- It is a book of symbols.
- This view avoids the crude extremes of the unbridled
imagination of some misguided literalists who fail to allow for legitimate
use of figurative language.
- Verse 1 - "signified" = sign-ified; it is a book of
signs.
- 12:1 - "wonder" = sign of woman clothed with sun.
Let extreme literalists try to translate or explain this verse without
producing absurdity. How could a woman literally clothe herself with the
sun? If that is not a figure, nothing is.
- 12:3 - "wonder" = sign of Satan as Red Dragon.
Is Satan actually a red dragon? Does this not show the book to be one of
signs? (To explain symbolically is not to spiritualize or allegorize a
passage. This approach does no harm to legitimate literalism.)
- 9:19 - Much damage has been done to the dignity of the
prophetic Scripture by unwise guesses of distorted literalism. For instance,
I have a book written in World War II which said that 9:19 was prophetic of
the tail gunner on the B-29's. There is no need thus to make the Word
ridiculous. (Some people are educated beyond their intelligence.)
- Every symbol is explained in the book itself, or
somewhere else in Scripture.
- 5:8 - "odours" = prayers of saints, not Heavenly Scent
nor Yardleys.
Observe that "odours" is explained in the very verse in which it is used.
- Hence, the principle of interpretation is that every
symbol is explained either in this book itself or in some other(s) of the
remaining 65 books of the Bible. Indeed, the implication of the book is that
the reader understands the 65 books which precede Revelation. This may give
a cue to the common difficulty people have in interpreting the book.
-
For
instance, 17:1 - "many waters. " See v. 15 for proof and explanation. (Cp.
Isa. 60:5, "sea, " i.e., they had to take a boat to get to most of the
nations and thus "sea" became the symbol of "nations." Had this symbol not
been explained in Revelation, we should have known its meaning already from
our previous study of the Bible.
- 17:9 - "mountains" = kingdoms or great nations. See Dan.
2; Isa. 2:2. "Hills" are lesser nations or authorities; Dan. 2:35,44,45 -
Christ's kingdom will fill the whole earth.
- The key to the book of Revelation is at the door.
- As to the major divisions of the book itself (1:19).
WRITE THE THINGS WHICH:
- "Thou hast seen" (the vision of chapter 1).
- "Are" (i.e., are in process of being fulfilled in the
Church era).
- "Shall be hereafter. " God hangs the key at the door,
like the American custom of leaving the key under the doormat. Why break
into the cellar when the key is available?
- As to the proper viewpoint from which chapters 2 and 3
are to be viewed (1:20). "MYSTERY" = something that was secret until
revealed; i.e., something associated with this age, -- hidden in the OT but
now revealed. Hence, the Church Age is in view in chapters 2 and 3.
- As to the beginning point of the third division = "things
hereafter. "
The words are "meta tauta" = "after these things" (cp. 1:19 and 4:1).
Also note "come up hither" (4:1); compare rapture of Church, 1 Thes. 4:16ff.
- As to the pivot point of the third division: 10:7; cp,.
11:15-18.
Chapters 4 and 5, "The Terrible Meek." The Lion of Judah is a Lamb. "Who is
worthy to open the scroll?" (Who has the right to reign?) None other in
heaven, earth, or under the earth has. Only the Lamb is worthy—and has the
authority. He is introduced AFTER A STRATEGIC PAUSE (5:3-7).
- God's purpose finished-- "time" or delay no longer—when
the 7th trumpet sounds; cp. 10:7 with 11:15-18.
- "Thou must prophesy again" (10:11) = the scroll was
written on both sides (5:1), front and back.
- So chronologically there is no more time in which to
put the bowls of wrath (15-16) after we get through 11 ;18. We have
finished one side of the scroll by 11:18. John was told to "prophesy
again, "i.e., to turn the scroll over to the other side (which is from
11:19 on).
- As to Israel's
prominence in the events rehearsed in the second part of the third major
division of the book (11:19-21:8).
Particularly observe the phrases "ark of covenant" (11:19) and "woman in
sun" (12:1). What follows 11:19 must be a review of the seven trumpets
chronologically, emphasizing the effect of all this on the Jews (the people
distinguished by "the ark of the covenant"), The Beast rules over the
revived fourth world (Roman) empire (not the whole world; only over the 10
kings of the "Roman Earth. " Cp. Lk. 2:1, which read with footnote in New
Scofield Reference Bible).
- The message of the book.
Three great words summarize the book's message: VICTORY COMFORT WORSHIP
- It is a terminus of all the various tracks of truth from
Genesis to Jude.

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