A Book About Jesus Christ
(
Rev 1:1-3)
A father was trying to read his morning newspaper while his little daughter was asking him all kinds of questions. He decided to give her something to do with her hands that would give him time to finish his reading. He found a map of the world in the paper and tore it out, folded it in several ways, and then cut it into small pieces. He said to his little girl, "Here, honey, is a map of the world. See if you can put the puzzle together." Confident that she didn't know anything about geography, he settled back into his chair and continued to read.
In a matter of minutes the little girl had it all put together on the floor. The surprised father said, "How did you do that so fast?" She replied, "Well, I found a picture of Jesus on the other side, and I knew when I had Him in the right place, the whole world would be all right!"
As the title reveals-"The Revelation of Jesus Christ"-here is a book about the Savior. This book unveils His person like nothing else you will ever read! A "revelation" indicates that something not known in the past is now being understood. This revelation of Jesus Christ can refer to the following three things:
1. Things to know about Jesus Christ Himself;
2. The event in which He comes to this earth;
3. The information He gives to John and to us about
what is going to take place in the future.
The prophecy of Daniel is closely related to the events of Revelation. In Daniel 12:8-9 we read:
Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."
However, in Revelation 22:10 we read:
And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand."
In Daniel, the words are sealed; in Revelation, they are opened for all to see and understand. In Daniel, they are sealed until the "time of the end"; in Revelation, "the time is at hand." As each day passes, we draw that much closer to the events described in this marvelous book of Revelation. Christians speak of the second coming of Jesus Christ as their "blessed hope."
The Titles Given to Jesus Christ
To emphasize why this book is an unveiling of the person of Jesus Christ like no other book in the Bible, consider all the various titles and descriptive phrases given to Him in this book:
1. The faithful witness (Rev 1:5)
2. The firstborn from the dead (Rev 1:5)
3. The ruler over the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5)
4. The Alpha and the Omega (Rev 1:8)
5. The Beginning and the End (Rev 1:8)
6. Who is and who was and who is to come (Rev 1:8)
7. The Almighty (Rev 1:8)
8. The First and the Last (Rev 1:11, Rev 1:17)
9. The Son of Man (Rev 1:13)
10. He who lives (Rev 1:18)
11. He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who was in the midst of the seven golden lampstands (Rev 2:1)
12. He who has the sharp two-edged sword (Rev 2:12)
13. Son of God (Rev 2:18)
14. He who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass (Rev 2:18)
15. He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (Rev 3:1)
16. He who is holy (Rev 3:7)
17. He who is true (Rev 3:7)
18. He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Rev 3:7)
19. The Amen (Rev 3:14)
20. The Faithful and True Witness (Rev 3:14)
21. The Beginning of the creation of God (Rev 3:14)
22. The Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5)
23. The Root of David (Rev 5:5; Rev 22:16)
24. The Lamb (Rev 5:6, Rev 5:8, Rev 5:12, Rev 5:13; Rev 6:1, Rev 6:16, and elsewhere [28 times])
25. Lord, holy and true (Rev 6:10)
26. Lord God Almighty (Rev 15:3)
27. King of the saints (Rev 15:3)
28. The Word of God (Rev 19:13)
29. King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16)
30. The Bright and Morning Star (Rev 22:16)
31. Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20)
32. Lord Jesus Christ (Rev 22:21)
What a testimony to the person and work of Jesus Christ! If you do not see Jesus in this book, you must be blind. He is the focus of it all, the centerpiece of its pages, the reason for its message, the glory of its words.
The book of Revelation is unique in at least two ways: (1) It is unique in the way it was given (Rev 1:1-2); and (2) it is unique in the worth of its message (Rev 1:3).
How Was this Message Given by God to Us? (
Rev 1:1-2)
The opening verse tells us immediately that God gave this message to Jesus Christ, who in turn sent it to John by means of an angel.
According to Revelation 22:16, Jesus claims to have sent His angel to give this message to John for the churches. In Revelation 1:2, John is the one "who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all things that he saw." The words "I saw" or "I heard" appear over sixty times in the book, some forty-four of those referring to separate or distinct visions given to him.
The message given by God to Jesus Christ and sent to John by the angel was communicated by means of signs or symbols. Verse 1 says it was "signified." We should expect, therefore, to see a great deal of symbolic language in the book.
An important insight is found in Revelation 1:10 concerning the unique way in which this message was given to John. John claims: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." Some believe this simply means he was filled with the Spirit when he wrote the book and that it happened on Sunday or the Sabbath (Saturday). The "Lord's Day" is referring to the promised "Day of the Lord" which involves the period of time known as the tribulation. It is what we call an eschatological term (referring to the study of "last things"). The message of the Revelation is primarily dealing with future events-the Day of the Lord.
John's reference to being "in the Spirit" is most interesting. The New King James text (along with many others) has already interpreted the word Spirit as referring to the Holy Spirit by capitalizing it. But does that mean that he was merely Spirit-filled?
It is also possible that John is speaking of the realm of the spirit as opposed to the realm of the flesh. He may have been transferred spiritually to the time of these events and thus actually did see them unfold in front of his eyes. He then tried to explain them in the language of his day and time, some of which seems quite strange to us today.
The following observations lend support to the interpretation that this is what happened to John:
1. The article the is not in the Greek text preceding the word spirit;
2. The verb translated "I was" (ginomai) would be better rendered "I became" indicating a change of condition;
3. Such an experience possibly happened to the apostle Paul (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:1-4);
4. This helps explain the reference in Revelation 4:1-2 where John is evidently caught up to heaven and says "I was in the Spirit";
5. It would also explain the experience of Revelation 17:3 and Revelation 21:10 where John is "carried away in the Spirit."
If this view is correct, it would appear that John was transported by some spiritual time device that placed him at the time of the future events mentioned in this book. John actually saw them occurring.
How Important Is this Message to Us Today? (1:3a)
The book of Revelation is unique in terms of the blessing it promises (Revelation 1:3). This promised blessing emphasizes the importance of the book's message. Three kinds of people are mentioned, all of whom are candidates to be blessed:
He who reads. Before the Bible was printed so that we could each have our own copy, an important function of the pastor was to read the Scriptures. Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 4:13) "Till I come, give attention to reading." The one who read the book would receive a special blessing from the Lord, and that promise is still true today for all who will simply read its message.
Those who hear the words of this prophecy. The change from "he" to "those" indicates that one person read the book in the hearing of others. Those who would listen to the public reading of this book would also receive a blessing from its message.
Those who keep those things which are written in it. This does not refer to keeping the book in a safe place, obviously. It refers to obedience-responding to the message and challenges of this book (and there are quite a few to consider).
How Close Are We to the Events of This Book? (1:3b)
The opening verse states that these events are "things which must shortly take place." Verse 3 adds, "the time is near." How close are we?
The word translated "shortly" is found seven times in the book of Revelation (including Revelation 1:1):
"Repent, or else I will come to you quickly" (Revelation 2:16)
"Behold, I come quickly" (Revelation 3:11)
"The third woe is coming quickly " (Revelation 11:14)
"Behold, I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:7)
'And behold, I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:12)
"Surely I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:20)
It seems to indicate the suddenness of what is coming. It would be similar to the idea of being surprised or taken by surprise. It also indicates that the coming will be soon, perhaps at the point when the events of Revelation begin to unfold.
The phrase "the time is near" refers to the season or opportunity for these events to unfold. The specific "time" involved is the time for God's judgment and wrath to be poured out upon this world. If there has been a delay (and there certainly has-for over nineteen hundred years!), it is for the salvation of people:
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
The disciples of Jesus asked Him this question right before His ascension to heaven: "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Jesus responded with these important words: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority."
In Matthew 24 Jesus taught: "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.... Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.... Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him" (vv. 36, 42, 44). Matthew 25:13, emphasizes the point again: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
In the great prophecy of Luke 21:20-28, which speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) as well as the coming of the Lord, Jesus made this statement: "And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Some Bible teachers believe these "times of the Gentiles" are over now that the nation of Israel has control of the city of Jerusalem. They then conclude that "the time of the end" is upon us, and it won't be long before Jesus Christ returns. Other Bible teachers are not sure about the application of this prophecy of Jesus to the present control of Jerusalem by the nation of Israel.
In Romans 11:25, the apostle Paul wrote:
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Is the "fullness of the Gentiles" the same as the "times of the Gentiles"? Some believe it is. It speaks of the period of time between the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the second coming of Christ when God is pouring out His Holy Spirit upon all nations of the world and bringing a multitude of Gentiles to salvation. He is not through with Israel, however. The nation of Israel, according to Bible prophecy, will turn to the Lord when He comes (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26), and the partial hardening will be removed.
We believe the "times of the Gentiles" refers to Gentile control of Jerusalem. The "fullness of the Gentiles" refers to the salvation of Gentiles during this age (often called "the church age"). It is possible that they are synonymous in terms of time, although referring to different matters during that time period.
So Is This the Time?
Jesus told us to watch and be ready. That should be enough. Too much speculation keeps us from doing what He said to do while we wait. Guessing is a waste of time. We are obviously closer today than we were yesterday.
As we study the book of Revelation, we must always remember that it is not primarily a book telling us how to set dates or develop a chronological table of events, but rather an unveiling of the Person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord in all of His glory. It's a book that ought to give us hope and joy! It should draw us closer to our Savior, inspiring us to love Him more and to anticipate that glorious day when He shall return in power and great glory.
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