Chew on Revelation-Preparing the End-Time Church.
Pastor Dr Chew Weng Chee
In the foreword by Pastor Edmund Chan, he divides Revelation into 5 sections,
1. The Reminder of the King (Revelation 1-3) Letters to the seven churches
2. The Redemption of the King (Revelation 4-5) How we became servants in His glorious
kingdom
3. The Rise of the King (Revelation 6-18) How the kingdom of this world became the
kingdom of Christ
4. The Return of the King (Revelation 19) The Second coming of Christ
5. The Reign of the King (Revelation 20-22) The consummation of all things unto His glory
Revelation is written to the servants of God. Revelation 20:12 says that during judgement all our
actions will be accounted for.
Rewards for the overcomers are promised to faithful followers of Christ.
1.They will eat from the Tree of Life (Rev 2:7)
2.They will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2:11)
3.They will be given hidden manna (Rev 2:17)
4.They will have authority over the nations (Rev 2:26)
5.They will be clothed in white garments and will never be erased from the Book of Life
(Rev 3:5)
6.They will have written on them the name of God and the name of the city of God:New
Jerusalem. (Rev 3:5)
7.They will be given the right to sit with Jesus on His throne (Rev 3:12)
Tribulation is a period of spiritual warfare waged by evil forces against God’s people.
Jesus said in Matt 24:21 that there will be a period of great distress, together will Daniel’s
prediction in Daniel 12:1. The Antichrist will be a deceiver, initially appearing as a man of peace,
unifying the world but later shows his true colour by turning violent and aggressive.
A prevalent problem in the modern church is lukewarmness and loss of the first love for
Christ.
The unholy trinity of Satan, the Antichrist (Beast) and the False Prophet continue to
persecute believers and deceive the world. The seven seals, seven trumpets and seven
bowls describe God’s judgement which is demonstrated by earthquakes, diseases, pollution
of the environment and death. But still the people do not repent.
The prostitute Babylon is used to describe the evil influence the Antichrist has over the
world and those who refuse to embrace the mark of the beast will be marginalised and even
killed.
The fall of Babylon will also see the fall of financial systems together with the demise of
creativity (craftsmen) and productivity (millstone)- Rev 18:22.
The different views on rapture are discussed.
The Pre-tribulation view is that rapture occurs suddenly, without warning. Matthew 24:40-41 is
taken as reference. 1 Thess 5:9 is another passage used to lend support that the church will not
undergo tribulation.The Second coming of Christ is in 2 stages- the first is the sudden rapture of
the church, and then Jesus comes to set up His kingdom and usher the millennial rule.
The Post-tribulation view is that Rapture, Second coming of Christ and resurrection of the
saints occur at the same time at the end of the seven years tribulation. Matt 24;29-31.
The Mid-tribulation view is that the church will be present in the first half of the tribulation, then
they will be raptured before the second part of tribulation where the seven bowls of God’s wrath
are poured out. Daniel 7;25. 9:24-27, 12:7-12
Ps Chew makes a point that throughout Revelation, the evil forces are battling against the
faithful saints. If the church is raptured before tribulation, Revelation would not have recorded
the persecuted and suffering saints.
Ps Chew also deals with the question of a Christian’s perspective of suffering. He suggests a 3
fold purpose.
1.To glorify God (John 9:1-3). God can use our suffering to achieve a higher purpose for His
glory.
2.To modify our character (Matt 16:24-25). It is through trials and tribulations that we learn
patience, perseverance, hope and obedience to God (Romans 5:3-5)
3.To purify our souls (Hebrews 12:4-11) Our Father refines us through discipline which can
come in the form of suffering. Without holiness, no one will see God, who needs to prepare us
for our eternal home.
Like Paul and job, we need not have an explanation behind our suffering. We need to have a
posture of trust that God knows best.
The Antichrist initially comes as a man of peace, promising stability and inclusiveness. He
promotes laws which are opposed to God’s laws, and demands worship. But ultimately, he and
the False prophet will be defeated and destroyed by Jesus.
The Two Witnesses God sends will do many signs and wonders and will be anointed by the
Holy Spirit but God will allow them to be killed by the Antichrist. The evil forces will gloat but
then the two witnesses will be resurrected. Who these two witnesses are is not entirely clear,
possibly Elijah and Moses, but it is not important for us to spend time disputing their identity but
to be aware that in spite of what happens, God is in control.
Ps Chew then describes the theology of death. Our physical bodies have a limited life span, and
then all of us will die a physical death. For believers in Christ, our souls and spirits will go to
heaven/ Abraham’s bosom/ paradise. Jesus will be with us. For unbelievers their souls and
spirits will go to Hades/ Gehenna. At the second coming of Christ, believers will have their
souls and spirits reunited with their resurrected glorified bodies, and will live in the New
Jerusalem. For the non believer, Hades will give up the dead and after final judgement, all
those not in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.
The question we must ask ourselves is “Am I ready to meet the Lord if I were to die
today?”. Do I know whom I have believed and am I persuaded that He is able to keep that
which I have committed to Him against that day ? (2 Tim 1:12)
There will be signs of The second coming of Christ.
1.Disasters in the world: wars. Earthquakes, famines
2.Deception in the church:False teachers and False prophets
3.Dictatorship in the middle east
4.Darkness in the sky
5.As in the days of Noah:the wickedness and evil intent of man reaches its peak
6.As in the days of Lot:humanity and sexuality are perverted.
When the sea, death and Hades give up the dead that were in them, each person will be
judged according to what they had done.(Revelation 20:13)
As for believers, their names will be in the book of life as they have received forgiveness of
sin and purification by faith through grace (1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1-2, Revelation 3:5).
But for believers we will be rewarded according to our actions, though we receive
salvation by grace through faith.
1.Our inner attitudes, use of talents for service and motives. (Matt 25:14-28, 1 Cor 4:4-5)
2.Our Outer behaviour:Acts of kindness (Matt 6:1-4, Matt 25:31-40)
3.Our wider family-encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ (Hebrews 6:10)
4.Faithful service in church.(1 Cor 3:10-15)
5.Faithfulness during trials (Revelation 2 & 3)
The New Jerusalem will be the eternal city of God. Man will experience uninterrupted fellowship
with God, communion with God whom we can finally see face to face (Revelation 22:4)
Jesus reminds us that He is coming soon, and He will reward each person according to what
they have done (Revelation 22:12). Will we say “Come Lord Jesus” or will we say “Not yet, I am
not ready”.
The Seven blessings of Revelation.
1.Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it
and take heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Rev 1:31)
2.Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. (Rev 14:13)
3.Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so he may not go naked and
be shamefully exposed. (Rev 16:15)
4.Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. (Rev 19:9)
5.Blessed and holy are those who have a part in the first resurrection. (Rev 20:6)
6.Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book. (Rev 22:7)
7.Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and
may go through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)