Updated Edition of Revelation Study Guide

Fred Stokes has recently updated his study outlines for the Book of Revelation. Fred taught a Sunday school class at Oakland Hills Community Church (OPC) in Farmington Hills, Michigan back in 2010.  Fred developed and wrote down this material over the past year – after more than 30 years of study.  Since February, Fred worked with several helpers and an editor to update the material once more. The updated Book of Revelation Study Guide is now available as a FREE eBook (PDF).

From the forward:

Although the Book of Revelation is, by its very nature a revealing, it has elicited more views and interpretations than any other book in the Bible. Having read many of these views and being familiar with many more, our focus and interpretation will be from within a conservative position regarding Scripture and from a reformed perspective theologically.

Many early church fathers, and those that followed them down through the centuries, did not delve to0 deeply into writing commentaries on this mysterious book. They seem to have been content to quote from portions, and produce some thoughts in sermons. Some selections from Revelation were used as challenges and refutations in the church, of which there is ample testimony in their writings. It was not until the eighteenth century that scholarship (within the church) concerned itself with fuller detailed studies and large commentaries.

Soon to come were many speculative theories along with serious studies, then with the advent of Dispensationalism (1830’s) whole new vistas opened up, which in our guarded opinion left the “Book” for emphasis on “portions” of the book. Our goal is to stay within the confines of the book and see what it has to say about itself by letting it speak from within. I am certainly aware that we need other Scripture to interpret this Scripture, and I have no hesitation in relying on that fact, and to use as much of the data found elsewhere to support our study.

This brief and relatively simple study shall always be under the beacon of light shed by a comment made by Geerhardus Vos, he sees the book (Revelation) as “so enigmatical” (this phrase is taken from a larger comment which we will view later). The key here is “enigmatical” which speaks to and suggests caution when engaging in a study of this kind. In many ways the book is an enigma. Our purpose will be to get to the content of the book quickly. We have divided this
study of the book structurally into twelve chapters. As an example, our chapter one covers the book’s chapter one, our chapter two covers the books chapters two and three; hence, multiple Revelation chapters are dealt with, within our single chapter.

Our view of the literary construct of the book is that it is highly figurative and symbolic. The portions that we see as literal will be evident, the portions we see as symbolical, figurative, or metaphorical will be detailed. The preface to our study will explain more of our position in that regard. I am certainly aware of the volumes of late that have been written on the book, and the scholarship exhibited in them. Our purpose includes a view that make it essential for every reader of this Revelation to think through the book chapter by chapter, theme by theme and to pay strict attention to the book itself. This idea stresses the book and not portions of it, and it stresses how the book relates to itself. As stated above, we have read studies that promote certain positions, especially in the area of millenarianism. It is not however, our intention here, to disparage millenarianism. Much excellent work has been done in this area for the purpose of edifying the church.

The reader must judge when examining these works, and to be cautious of the extreme measures that are posited by those who elicit too much from this book on subjects, that they see elsewhere, i.e. millennial and kingdom relationships. We must also examine carefully the works of those, whose focus is too narrow, by only seeing apocalyptic features throughout, or those whose focus is too limited, overlooking valuable details. Let the book speak. Our understanding is that God gave the book to the church for the purpose of edification. We have tried to bring many features of the book to the forefront to provoke and challenge thinking — so, let the reader be cautious, enjoy and learn from this exceptional revealing.