Family life

1. FAMILIES IN THE END TIMES
Sub Theme: Can you Hear the Beatitudes
of Revelation?
Family Life: Seventh Day Adventist
Church, Roysambu

2. INTRODUCTION
 Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius
 But does oil boil?
 Before its boiling point, oil will start to smoke - ‘smoke
point’
 The smoke points for some common cooking oils are here:
 Saflower – 265, Sunflower – 246, Soybean – 241, Canola –
238, Corn – 236, Peanut – 231, Sesame – 215, Olive – 190,
Lards – 183 to 205

3. STORY OF JOHN THE REVELATOR
 It is said that Roman emperor Domitian commanded that
the apostle John be boiled to death in oil, but John only
continued to preach from within the pot. Another time,
John was forced to drink poison, but, as promised in Mark
16:18, it did not hurt him. Thus John, the head of the church
in Ephesus at the time, was banished to Patmos in A.D. 97.

4. ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, ELLEN WHITE
 John was cast into a caldron of boiling oil; but the Lord
preserved the life of His faithful servant even as he
preserved the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace. By the
emperor’s decree John was banished to the Isle of Patmos"
(Acts of the Apostles, p. 570).

5. STORY OF JOHN THE REVELATOR
 John survived all of this because God had not finished with
him yet. A “revelation” still had to come. While he was in
a cave on the island of Patmos, John received a vision. This
vision became the book of Revelation—the book that
would act as the driving force for evangelism in the church
age. It prophesied the events that surround the return of
Christ. John wrote of Christ’s second coming and welcomed
his arrival. Even today his writings inspire believers to
anticipate the glorious return of Christ.

6. MAIN THOUGHT
 The book of Revelation presents us with seven beatitude
 The pronouncements of blessing are for those who
persevere to follow Christ until the end
 These beatitudes serve also as assurances that Christ will
never abandon His faithful disciples
 These beatitudes are to prevail in our families

7. THE MEANING OF REVELATION
 Revelation 1: 1 & 2
 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show
his servants what must soon take place. He made it known
by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to
everything he saw – that is, the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus Christ

8. THE DICTIONARY MEANING
 Greek term Apocalypse
 The term means Unveiling
 It also means a revealing
 To draw back the curtain
 It is by no means a complex book

9. WHAT IS BEING REVEALED
 The whole Bible is a revelation; for all revelation to men
comes through Christ, and all centers in Him.
 Christ came to John exiled on the Isle of Patmos to give
hum the truth for these last days, to show hum that which
must shortly come to pass.
 Jesus Christ is the great trustee of divine revelation. It is
through Him that we have a knowledge of what we are to
look for in the closing scenes of this earth’s history

10. IMMINENT MEANING
 The soon coming of Christ
 It calls for a people to prepare to meet
 The testimony of Jesus Christ Rev 1:2
 Chapter 1, verse 3 – The first beatitude
 The word blessed means to be joyful or to be made happy
 The same word used over and over in Mathew’s sermon on
Mount

11. BEATITUDES
 Mathew records 8 blessings from the sermon on the mount
 In the book of Revelation, there are 7 blessings
 It is fitting with the complete number found throughout
the book of revelation
 7 Candlesticks, 7 Spirits, 7 Stars, 7 Churches, 7 Seals, 7
Trumpets, 7 Thunders, 7 Plagues
 Perfectly blessed

12. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
 John wrote the book of revelation as a letter
 These letters would have been sent to the churches
 Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, Laodecia
 Someone appointed by the church would read
 This person would be blessed personally by reading
 Jesus would also anticipate a time for families to read this
book – there would be a joy, a happiness, a blessing received
by reading

13. HEAR
 More than reading, the blessing continues
 The second blessing is this:
 “Blessed are those who hear it ….”
 The word hear literally means intent listening
 It is not a casual background type of noise
 It is an intent opening of the mind
 There will be joy, happing, blessing to those that hear the
word

14. KEEP
 There is one more blessing to keep in mind
 The third blessing:
“Blessed are those that keep those things that are written in
it”
 Greek English Lexicon of NT
 Defines as guarding, retaining custody of , observe, obey,
and pay close pay attention to

15. KEEPING THE WORD
 It is not enough to read or hear
 We need to act upon that which we learn
 The verb in its original context means that we are to these
things in a habitual, continual manner
“James 1:23 – 24 – For if anyone is a hearer and not a doer,
he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for
he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets
what kind of man he was.”

16. CALL TO FAMILIES
 If we read, listen, and say one thing but do another we are
hypocritical
 The book of revelation is a call for families of God to be
families of integrity with family members who speak and
act the same way, that is a blessing
 Why, the text ends with the words, for the time is near
 The coming of Jesus is near (Rev 21:20)

17. CALL TO FAMILIES
 The book of revelation is the unveiling of the beautiful plan
of salvation of Jesus Christ
 The book of revelation unveils the beautiful character of
Jesus Christ
 The book of revelation unveils the end of the story – Jesus
wins, Satan loses
 We need to read and obey the words

18. EDUCATION, ELLEN WHITE
 When a real love for the Bible is awakened, and the student
begins to realize how vast is the field and how precious its
treasure, he will desire to seize upon every opportunity for
acquainting himself with God’s word. Its study will be
restricted to no special time or place, And this continuous
study is one of the best means of cultivating a love for the
Scriptures.

19. EDUCATION, ELLEN WHITE
 Let the student keep his Bible always with him. As you have
opportunity, read a text and meditate upon it. While
walking the streets, waiting at a railway station, waiting to
meet an engagement, improve the opportunity to gain some
precious thought from the treasure house of truth.
E.G. White “Education” p. 191

20. COMMITMENT
 Make a commitment to be a family, an individual who
reads, hears, and keeps
 When we do this, he promises to bless
 The Grace of God helps us to read, hear, and do