Lesson 3, April 14-20
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, Revelation 12:1-17, 19:11-15, Ephesians 1:20, Revelation 11:19, 1:10-18.
Memory Text: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21
Even the quickest reading of the New Testament reveals an important truth: the New Testament is directly tied to the Old. Time and time again the Gospels and the Epistles either refer to events in the Old Testament or quote directly or indirectly from it. And when referring to Himself and His ministry, how often did Jesus talk about how the “Scriptures” need to be “fulfilled” (see Matthew 26:54, 56; Mark 14:49; John 13:18; 17:12) ?
The same thing can be said for the book of Revelation. Indeed, it’s all but impossible to make sense of the book of Revelation apart from the Old Testament, especially the book of Daniel. This is one reason why we often study both books together.
A crucial aspect of those Old Testament references in Revelation is that, taken together with the rest of the book, they reveal Jesus. Revelation is all about Jesus, about who He is, about what He has done for His people, and about what He will do for us at the end of time. Of necessity, any focus on last-day events must keep Jesus front and center, exactly what the book of Revelation does. This week’s lesson looks at Jesus in the book of Revelation.
