Introduction: Apostasy has a way of derailing a Christian in their walk with God and being the witness, the Bible indicates we are to be. There is every type of false teaching, even those who take tenants of scripture and make them sound biblical yet there is one or two little pieces that will not fit doctrinally. The cults are masters of this. They take biblical truth and surround some small matter of heresy with what God has said. That gives them some form of credibility. That is why a Christian believer must know the Bible in a way they know when they encounter false teachings. This section of Jude gives several methods to incorporate in your walk with God that will keep you on the straight and narrow. These are not earth-shaking nor deep biblical truths. These are simple, straightforward admonitions to remind us of the ways we can incorporate in our walk with the Lord that will keep us close to Him and the truth of the Bible. They are simple yet significant to keep us in tune with God’s truth, reassuring us that our faith journey is not as complex as it may seem.
BUILDING UP YOURSELVES, Jude 20. In the years of my ministry as a pastor, it has been my observation that there is a way of gauging who are the serious Christians and who are not. Church Growth experts will tell us that you can gauge a Christian’s Walk with the Lord by the number of times they are engaged in the services and ministry of the church. Interestingly, attendance can be measured by any church. No matter how large the Sunday AM service the Sunday PM attendance is usually close to half of the number who attended the morning service. The Wednesday attendance will usually be half of the number that attended on Sunday PM. Then, when “visitation” is scheduled, you will find maybe 2% of the number who attended the Wednesday service. For instance, if the attendance is 400 on Sunday AM, the attendance will generally be 200 in the Sunday PM service. Then, you can expect to see approximately 100 people on the Wednesday service. I know you cannot gauge a believer’s spiritual growth by the number of times they attend church. Yet, what are they doing when they cannot come to a church service? This may be a bit boring to some, but the believers of the church need to get serious about their walk with the Lord. There have been times as a pastor that I wish God had installed a “bung hole” in the top of every person’s head. Then we could unscrew the “bung” and pour in some spiritual growth, or spirit filling, or an “antiseptic” of the “pure words of God” (see: Psalm 12:6; 119:40; Prov. 30:5) to heal the malady that keeps believers from growing and doing the work of the Lord.Why do you think Jude had to write to “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost?” Some believers in Jude’s day are like believers in Orlando on August 4, 2024. The 21st-century believer has to be diligent and possess a desire to know what God wants of His children. How are you doing in “building up” yourself in “your most holy faith?” Peter admonished believers in 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV), “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” If we had a child who was not growing normally, our first action would be to consult a physician to find out why this was happening. HOW ARE YOU DOING IN YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH? Do you need to see the “Great Physician?” How do we do this? John Phillips has an excellent outline of this section of Jude, and I don’t usually do this, but I want to borrow his points to give you instructions on this passage of scripture. There are four: The Outward Look, the Upward Look, the Inward Look, and the Onward Look. Let’s get started.
THE OUTWARD LOOK, “Building. . .on your most holy faith,” Jude 20. Jesus gave his disciples an admonition in Luke 17:1-4 about “offences” and that “. . .if a brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn to thee saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (vss. 3-4). The disciples respond in an interesting way. The next verse indicates that their response is interesting in verse 5, “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Jesus responded to them in Luke 17:6 (KJV), “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” The disciples thought they did not have enough faith to forgive someone who trespassed against them even seven times in one day. Jesus suggests that it takes a lot less faith than you think. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in the world, some say the smallest. How would you measure your faith? You say I don’t have much; how much does it take? Do you remember Romans 10:17 (KJV), “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” [Emphasis added.] Jesus was preaching in a house in Mark 2, and some men had a friend who was “sick of the palsy” (Mark 2:4), these men broke through the roof to get their friend to Jesus since so many people blocked the doors. It says in Mark 2:5 (KJV), “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” [Emphasis added.] Note it does not say when Jesus “saw” the faith of the man with the palsy, but the men (plural) who brought him their faith. Do you have that kind of faith? Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from their first missionary journey we are told in Acts 14:27 (KJV), “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he [God] had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” We have a mandate to do the same so other Gentiles just like you and me can believe and be saved. The four men who brought the man with palsy to Jesus believed Jesus could help their friend. Do you have compassion for the lost? Do you want to see people come to the Saviour? Do you believe that God has opened a door to the Gentiles? How did you come to salvation in Christ? The door was opened to you. To continue as a believer, you must be grounded in the Word, which makes you doctrinally strong. A Christian must be willing to study the Bible and learn to apply it to their life. Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:32 (KJV), “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” Are you being built up in the things of the Lord and His word? The Bible word for this is “edification.” Peter talked about spiritual growth and said in 1 Peter 2:2 (KJV), “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” You must “grow” in your spiritual life.This is the only way you will be able to identify false doctrine. The Apostle Paul was encouraging the believers at Ephesus 6:10-11, “. . .be strong in the Lord, and the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God. . .” How strong are you in the Lord today? It does not apply to your age physically but “spiritually.” A soldier must go through intensive training to be an effective soldier. It is no different with a believer.
THE UPWARD LOOK, “Praying in the Holy Ghost,” Jude 20. John Phillips said, “Watching sights the enemy; praying fights the enemy.”How would you measure your prayer life? The Bible says in James 5:16 (KJV), “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” The word “availeth” means “to be strong or able, to be of force or authority.” The current English dictionary avoids the word’s positive meaning and only gives its “negative” meaning. It says, “to no avail,” or in other words, it failed. The Bible tells us of the time Peter was held in prison by Herod and it says in Acts 12:5 (KJV), “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” The people were praying for Peter, and while they prayed, the “angel of the Lord” came to him while sleeping between two soldiers and “bound with two chains” (Acts 12:6); probably, each one was attached to one of the two guards. There were even “keepers before the door.” The text tells us that “a light shined in the prison: and he [the angel] smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands” (Acts 12:7). Have you ever wondered why the two guards and the one at the door did not hear anything and awoke? When the angels got Peter to the door of the house where the people were praying, and Peter knocked at the gate, the young damsel, Rhoda, came, recognized the voice of Peter and recognized him, then, without opening the gate, she ran inside and told the people praying that Peter was standing outside. The classic “unbeliever in prayer” statement in Acts 12:14 and their response is classic. They told Rhoda, “Thou art mad” (Acts 12:15), not believing that their prayer had been answered. Have you ever wondered what it means in Ephesians 6:18 (KJV), “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” How is your prayer life today? Do you have that kind of faith? Jude said, “building on your most holy faith.” When you were saved the Holy Spirit moved into your life and “dwells” in you (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19)? It has been said that the average Christian has no idea of the work of the Holy Spirit in their life.
THE INWARD LOOK, Keep yourselves in the love of God, Jude 21. This point is best illustrated by scripture. Let’s look at some passages that address the “inward look.” The Bible says, Psalm 94:11 (KJV), “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.” Another: Isaiah 55:8 (KJV), “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” There is time when God evaluates the thoughts of man. Look at Jeremiah 6:19 (KJV) Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. King David made a plea to God that fits here in Psalm 139:23 (KJV), “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. Another in Psalm 119:113 (KJV), “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Jeremiah recorded God’s consideration of Israel. He said, Jeremiah 4:14 (KJV), “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? There is an aspect about our thoughts that we don’t often consider. We are told in Matthew 9:4 (KJV), “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (cf. Luke 5:22; 6:8; 11:17) How often do you remind yourself that God knows your thoughts? Sometimes is should be a bit scary if we consider Mark 7:21-23 (KJV), For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Most believers fail to consider that the “inner” part is the source of evil thoughts and actions. What is the remedy for this? We need to consider what is taking place in our inner life and make some changes like, “Proverbs 16:3 (KJV), “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” [Now we can ease off a bit.]
THE ONWARD LOOK, “Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life,” Jude 21. This has the focus of the future. There are several ways we could apply this phrase. “Looking” has the idea of “anticipation.” As Christians we should be reminded of 1 Thessalonians 2:19 (KJV), “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
LOOKING FOR THE LORD’S RETURN. When me and my siblings were growing up, the afternoon after school we would begin to anticipate the coming of our dad from work. It was always a treat to greet him and anticipate a reward for being able to carry his “lunch pail” to the house. He usually left a small morsel of his lunch in the pail, and we would look into it with anticipation. We had a black tongue chow who was the guardian of the external part of our house. He could hear the car Dad drove before we could see it. He would run down the street and then escort the car and my dad to the house. As a child, that was a highlight of our day; we loved that event.
There is an application we could make for the “return” of our Lord Jesus Christ. God gave the Nation of Israel some signs that the Messiah would come and how that could be identified. One is seen in Malachi 3:1 (KJV), “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” The nation missed this coming. There were many signs given. Will we miss the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ? In light of what we have studied earlier about “thoughts” we should consider what is said in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV), “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is a passage we should always keep in mind. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (KJV), “15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
LOOKING FOR THE LORD’S VICTORY OVER EVIL. This point will be a bit of a review for you who went through Revelation in our last study in Sunday School. Look at Revelation 19:11-16 (KJV), “11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
DEVELOPING DIFFERENCE, HAVING COMPASSION, Jude 22.
DELIVERANCE FROM JUDGMENT, “Pulling Them Out Of The Fire,” Jude 23.
DETESTING THE GARMENT SPOTTED BY THE FLESH, Jude 23.
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him, To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass; And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.
Introduction: One Of My Professors In Seminary Had This To Say About The Purpose Of The Revelation. He Said, “And Finally, To Live Confidently Knowing The Ultimate Victory That Is Ours In Christ As Described By John In The Apocalypse. In Fact, That’s Why The Book Of Revelation Was Written, To Give Encouragement And Endurance To Suffering Saints Who Were Undergoing Persecution, So We Would Live Confidently Knowing That Ultimately The Victory Is Ours.” At The Time Of Writing, We Saw That John Had Been Persecuted And Was In Exile In Patmos For The Word Of God And His Testimony Of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).
The First Four Words Of This Verse (Rev. 1:1) Speaks More Than The Eye Often Discerns. We Have Looked At The Word “Revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις) And That It Means An “Unveiling.” The Greek Word Is An Interesting One. It Is A Compound Word, Which Means It Is Formed By Two Or More Words Brought Together. In The Greek The First Three Letters, Apo (Ἀπό) Is A Preposition And Means “From” Or “Away From.” The Second Word “Kalupto” (ΚαλύΠτω) Means “A Cover” Or “To Conceal.” When You Take The Two Words Together You Have An “Uncovering” Or A “Removing Of The Covering.” The Word Means To Show Or Reveal Something That Before Had Been Hidden Or Covered. Now, The Question Is What Needs To Be Revealed? Jesus Christ Has Already Revealed Himself When He Came The First Time. That Is Not What We Want To Explain With This Lesson On Revelation 1:1. What Is The “Revelation” Of Jesus Christ At This Writing About? One Writer Says, “The Key Word Of The Title, “Revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις), Denotes An Unveiling Or Disclosure Of Something Hidden, [BDAG 112; T. Holtz, “Ἀποκάλυψις,” EDNT 1:130–32] Referring To Either The Action Of Revealing (Rom 8:19; 1 Cor 1:7; 1 Pet 1:7) Or The Content That Is Revealed, As Here.” [Emphasis Added.] Another Writer, Leon Morris, Says,
“The Very First Word Of This Book, Apokalypsis (Translated The Revelation), Sets The Stage. The Word Means The Uncovering Of Something Hidden, The Making Known Of What We Could Not Find Out For Ourselves. It Makes Plain That The Book It Introduces Is Not A Book Of Human Wisdom, Nor For That Matter A Discussion Of Philosophical Or Theological Problems. It Is Revelation. It Is A Setting Forth Of What God Has Made Known. This Revelation Is The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which Could Mean Either That The Revelation Was Made By Jesus Christ Or That It Was Made About Him Or That It Belongs To Him. In One Way Or Another All Three Are True.”
What This Writer Contends Is The Meaning Of The Phrase “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ.” Look Carefully At Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him, To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass; And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.” The Progression Of This Verse Is Obvious. The Verse Says That “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him. . .”
Thus The Source Of The Revelation Is With God The Father. The Personal Pronoun “Him” Is A Reference To Jesus Christ. So, God Gave The “Revelation” Of The Events Stated And Described In The Book Of Revelation. That Is What The Meaning Of The Phrase “. . .To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass. . .” Then The Next Phrase, “. . .And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.” This Phrase Explains The Word “Servants” Earlier In The Verse, People. The Progression Of The Revelation Is Like This: God The Father Gave The Revelation Of Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass To Jesus Christ. He In Turn “Sent And Signified It By His Angel.” This Angel Then Gave It To John. The Point To Be Made Is That Jesus Christ Is Not Necessarily The Source Of The Revelation But The Medium By Which It Is Revealed. Not Only Is Jesus The Means In Which Revelation Is Communicated, ButIt Is My Conviction That He Is The Object Of The Revelation As Well. Yet, What Is It That Needs To Be Revealed? What Are We Missing About Jesus Christ. After All, We Have The Four Gospels Which Give A Biographical Explanation Of His Life, Ministry, And Purpose. There Is Evidently Something Left Out That Believers And The World Need To Know. That Is What This Study Is About.
This Concept Is Compatible With What Is Stated In Daniel 12:4 But Thou, O Daniel, Shut Up The Words, And Seal The Book, Even To The Time Of The End: Many Shall Run To And Fro, And Knowledge Shall Be Increased. The Things In The Book Of The Revelation Are Evidently Some Of The Things Sealed Up Until The End. The Events Of The Revelation Are What Was Hidden As Well As The Revelation Of The Person Of Jesus Christ That Was Not Seen With The First Time He Was On The Earth.
There Is Some Things In The Old Testament That Needs To Be Examined To Learn One Of The Things That The Believer May Not Have Seen. It Concerns Some Things Related To The High Priest And His Function In The Life Of Israel.
If You Study The Book Of Exodus, You Find That The High Priest Was Clothed In Garments And Ornaments That Were To Magnify The Office Of The High Priest. Moses Was Instructed To Make For Aaron, The High Priest, Garments “For Glory And For Beauty” (Exodus 28:2). These Garments Included A “Breastplate, And An Ephod, And A Robe, And A Broidered Coat, A Mitre, And A Girdle” (Exodus 28:4). These Garments Are Described Further In Exodus 28:5-10 “5 And They Shall Take Gold, And Blue, And Purple, And Scarlet, And Fine Linen. 6And They Shall Make The Ephod Of Gold, Of Blue, And Of Purple, Of Scarlet, And Fine Twined Linen, With Cunning Work. 7 It Shall Have The Two Shoulderpieces Thereof Joined At The Two Edges Thereof; And So It Shall Be Joined Together. 8 And The Curious Girdle Of The Ephod, Which Is Upon It, Shall Be Of The Same, According To The Work Thereof; Even Of Gold, Of Blue, And Purple, And Scarlet, And Fine Twined Linen. 9 And Thou Shalt Take Two Onyx Stones, And Grave On Them The Names Of The Children Of Israel: 10 Six Of Their Names On One Stone, And The Other Six Names Of The Rest On The Other Stone, According To Their Birth.” The Garments The High Priest Wore Could Not Be Mistaken For What It Represented. The High Priest Was In Charge Of The Priesthood Of The Sons Of Aaron And Had The Responsibility Of Seeing That The Sacrifices, Offerings And Other Things Pertaining To The Purpose Of The Tabernacle Were Carried Out. The Tabernacle Was The Place Where God Met With Man, And There Was A “Mediator” That Went Before God Who Represented The People And Their Need For Worship And Forgiveness. That Person Was The High Priest. The Garments We Looked At Were To Be Worn By The High Priest Always. When He Was In The Camp The High Priest Was Identifiable By The Garments He Wore.
There Was One Exception To This And That Was On The “Day Of Atonement” (Leviticus 16). On That Day The High Priest Would Take Off His Garments “For Glory And For Beauty” And Then Put On “The Holy Linen Coat And He Shall Have The Linen Breeches Upon His Flesh, And Shall Be Girded With A Linen Girdle And With The Linen Mitre Shall He Be Attired: These Are Holy Garment’s” (Leviticus 16:4). Now Do Not Miss What Is Taking Place Here.
Jesus, Before The Incarnation, Was In Glory And Had On His “Garments There Of Beauty And Glory.” When He Came To The Earth He Put On His Linen Garments, A Type Of Holiness. Note: “And To Her Was Granted That She Should Be Arrayed In Fine Linen, Clean And White: For The Fine Linen Is The Righteousness Of Saints” (Rev. 19:8). The “Fine Linen” Here Is Defined As “Righteousness” And The Believer Has This Because He/She Is Clothed In The Righteousness Of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). When Jesus Was On The Earth The First Time He Was In His Righteousness. He Came The First Time To Make Atonement For Sin For The Entire World, Every Human Being. At That Time He Was Clothed In His Righteousness. When He Comes The Second Time He Will Be Clothed Differently As The First Chapter Of The Revelation Demonstrates In Revelation 1:13-17. Note The Description Here Who The Old Testament Describes Similar Appearances Of God The Father.
His Attire: Revelation 1:13 And In The Midst Of The Seven Candlesticks One Like Unto The Son Of Man, Clothed With A Garment Down To The Foot, And Girt About The Paps With A Golden Girdle. Compare Daniel 10:5 Then I Lifted Up Mine Eyes, And Looked, And Behold A Certain Man Clothed In Linen, Whose Loins Were Girded With Fine Gold Of Uphaz:
His Appearance:
Revelation 1:14 His Head And His Hairs Were White Like Wool, As White As Snow; And His Eyes Were As A Flame Of Fire; The Old Testament Comparison,Daniel 7:9 “I Beheld Till The Thrones Were Cast Down, And The Ancient Of Days Did Sit, Whose Garment Was White As Snow, And The Hair Of His Head Like The Pure Wool: His Throne Was Like The Fiery Flame, And His Wheels As Burning Fire.
Revelation 1:15 And His Feet Like Unto Fine Brass, As If They Burned In A Furnace; And His Voice As The Sound Of Many Waters. Another Comparison: Daniel 10:6 “His Body Also Was Like The Beryl, And His Face As The Appearance Of Lightning, And His Eyes As Lamps Of Fire, And His Arms And His Feet Like In Colour To Polished Brass, And The Voice Of His Words Like The Voice Of A Multitude.”
His Attributes. When You Compare These Identifying Things About Jesus Christ With Those In The Old Testament Which Were Attributed To God, You Find That The Goal Of These Instructions Were To Demonstrate That Jesus Christ Is God. All The Things Mentioned, His Hair, Eyes, Throne, The Color Of His Garments (“White As Snow”), Throne, Feet, Voice, Body, Face, Arms, And His Voice. There Is No Reason To Mistake Who Jesus Christ Was. Yet What About The Day Of Atonement In Leviticus 16? There Were Different Garments For This One Day In The Life Of The Nation Of Israel. Does It Have Any Significance? The Answer To This Is A Resounding YES! Now, An Explanation.
His Atoning Sacrifice. When The High Priest Entered The Tabernacle (Temple In Solomon’s Day) One The “Day Of Atonement,” He Had An Objective. That Was To Secure For The Nation Of Israel Forgiveness Of Sin For The Coming Year. That Is Stated In A Passage Looked At Earlier Which Said In, Leviticus 16:4, “He Shall Put On The Holy Linen Coat, And He Shall Have The Linen Breeches Upon His Flesh, And Shall Be Girded With A Linen Girdle, And With The Linen Mitre Shall He Be Attired: These Are Holy Garments; Therefore Shall He Wash His Flesh In Water, And So Put Them On.” Did You Ever Consider The Reason Behind This Activity And How It Might Teach Us Something About The “Atoning Sacrifice” Jesus Made For All Of Mankind?
When Jesus Christ Came To This Earth The Fist Time, He Came Veiled In Flesh And That Flesh Was Perfect Humanity, Not Contaminated By Adam Since His Father Was God The Father. In A Sense Jesus Came Clothed In “Linen,” Flesh Which Had No Sin Nor A Sin Nature. This Made It Possible For Him To Make The Sacrifice For Sin. He Walked Among The People Of The World Without Sin And Demonstrated To The World That He Was The Son Of God. Look At Hebrews 4:15, “For We Have Not An High Priest Which Cannot Be Touched With The Feeling Of Our Infirmities; But Was In All Points Tempted Like As We Are, Yet Without Sin.” And Hebrews 9:28,“So Christ Was Once Offered To Bear The Sins Of Many; And Unto Them That Look For Him Shall He Appear The Second Time Without Sin Unto Salvation.”
The Second Time He Comes He Is Going To Be Dressed In His Garments Of “Glory And Beauty.” Look With At The Description Of The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ In This Same Book, The Revelation. Revelation 19:11-16, “11 And I Saw Heaven Opened, And Behold A White Horse; And He That Sat Upon Him Was Called Faithful And True, And In Righteousness He Doth Judge And Make War. 12His Eyes Were As A Flame Of Fire, And On His Head Were Many Crowns; And He Had A Name Written, That No Man Knew, But He Himself. 13 And He Was Clothed With A Vesture Dipped In Blood: And His Name Is Called The Word Of God. 14 And The Armies Which Were In Heaven Followed Him Upon White Horses, Clothed In Fine Linen, White And Clean. 15 And Out Of His Mouth Goeth A Sharp Sword, That With It He Should Smite The Nations: And He Shall Rule Them With A Rod Of Iron: And He Treadeth The Winepress Of The Fierceness And Wrath Of Almighty God. 16 And He Hath On His Vesture And On His Thigh A Name Written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Jesus Is Going To Come The Second Time To Defeat The Enemies Of God And To Establish His Kingdom And Rule The Earth For 1,000 Years.
Introduction: There Is An Interesting Usage Of The Word Greek Word, Ἀποκάλυψις, Which Means Simply “Uncovering, Of The Head; Disclosing, Of Hidden Springs; Revelation, Esp. Of Divine Mysteries.” The Word Is Found In Revelation 1:1 And Is Interpreted “Revelation.” They Have Made It A “Technical” Word As Although It Is Used In At Least Two Ways. Here In Revelation 1:1 The Word Has The Meaning Of The “Revelation” Or The Unveiling. It Is Used In 1 Corinthians 1:7 To Refer To The “Coming Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” It Is The Same In 1 Peter 1:7. There Are Two Other Places The Word Is Used Is 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Where It To Jesus Christ Being “Revealed From Heaven With His Might Angels.” In 1 Peter 1:13 The Meaning Is The Same As In Revelation 1:1 Which Refers To The “. . .Revelation Of Jesus Christ.”
From This Quick Study Of The Word, We Can Understand That The Word Apocalypse Means Primarily The “Revealing, Unveiling, Etc.” The “Second Coming Of Jesus Christ” Is A Means Of Revealing Him So The Word Has The Meaning Of An Unveiling, A Revelation. This Is What Is Taking Place In The Revelation, A Revelation, An Unveiling Of The Things That Will Happen At The End.
The Study Of The “Last Things” Is Important Since God Gave Us Books In The Bible That Deal With Events And Actions That Have Not Yet Occurred, They Are Still Future. The Prophets Had A Lot To Say About What God Thought Of His People And The World And Many Of Those Things Were Still Future. For Instance, Isaiah Made Some Statement In Isaiah 9 And 11 About What God Was Going To Do And It Was A Reference To The Lord Jesus Christ Although He Is Not Named In Those Prophecies. Many Of The Things Written About The Nation Of Israel Were Designed To Draw Them To God And Spoke Of God’s Dislike Of Their Behavior And Pronounced Judgment That In Some Cases Was Not To Happen For A Long Time. There Are Some Aspects About “Last Things” That Should Cause The Believer To Take Notice As God Tried To Get Israel To Do. For Instance, It Says In 1 John 3:2-3 (KJV)“2Beloved, Now Are We The Sons Of God, And It Doth Not Yet Appear What We Shall Be: But We Know That, When He Shall Appear, We Shall Be Like Him; For We Shall See Him As He Is. 3And Every Man That Hath This Hope In Him Purifieth Himself, Even As He Is Pure.” The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ Is Still Future, And It Has An Application To Believers Today. This Makes An Understand Of The Coming Of Christ An Important Doctrine And Will Have The Effect Of Causing The Believer To Alter Their Lifestyle Considering That Knowledge. In A Sense The Book Of The Revelation Is About The “Revealing” Of The Lord Jesus Christ. He Has A Major Role In The Book. Revelation 1 Is About His Person And A Revelation That He Is God. Revelation 2-3 He Has Some Messages To The Churches That Were In Existence In The First Century Speak To Them Personally In The Message Of John. In Revelation 5:1 He Is The One Who Is “Worthy” To Open The Seals That Kept The Contents Of The Book That Was In The “Right Hand Of Him That Sat On The Throne” (Cf. Revelation 5:5, 9). Thus, The Book Of The Revelation Is About Jesus Christ As You Study The Verses That Indicate The Impact That Jesus Christ Had On Them. Note:
There Is The “Testimony Of Jesus Christ” In Revelation 1:2
It Says In Revelation 1:5 (KJV) And From Jesus Christ, Who Is The Faithful Witness, And The First Begotten Of The Dead, And The Prince Of The Kings Of The Earth. Unto Him That Loved Us, And Washed Us From Our Sins In His Own Blood,
John’s Describes His Location And Was Exiled For The “. . .Testimony Of Jesus Christ.”
The Woman In Revelation 12:17 As Well As The “Remnant Of Her Seed” (The Jews) Had The Testimony Of Jesus Christ.
Look At Revelation 14:12; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4; 22:16, 20, 21. Jesus Is The Focus Of The Revelation
One Writer Makes The Following Statement About The Study Of “Last Things.” He Says,
“The Study Of Last Things (Those That Are Yet Future From Our Viewpoint) Includes The Biblical Teaching Concerning The Intermediate State, The Resurrections, The Rapture Of The Church, The Second Advent Of Christ, And The Millennium.” With These Things In Mind, It Is Incumbent On The Believer To Seek To Understand The Things That Will Occur In The Future. Still, They Have Been Misunderstood And Misinterpreted In So Many Ways It Is Almost Absurd To Read What Some Have Said About The Things Revealed In The Bible And Even The Revelation. To Understand This, It Is Incumbent Of Us To Give You Some Terms That Are Designed To Help Understand How These Differences Of Understanding Of The Revelation Come About.
POSTMILLENNIUALISM. This View Of Last Things Has The Understanding That The “Kingdom Of God” Is Now Being Preached And The Gospel Being Proclaimed To The Extent That The Entire World Will Eventually Be Made Christians And That Will Initiate The Return Of Christ At The End Of Lengthy Period Of Righteousness And Peace Called The Millennium. At The End Of This Period There Will Be A “General” Resurrection And Judgment With The “Introduction Of Heaven And Hell In Their Fullness.” One Of The Flaws Of This Position Is The Belief That “Human Effort” Will Bring In The Perfect Peace. This Is Possible Since They Believe That Satan Is Bound In The Present Age Of The Church. One Wag Said, If Satan Is Bound With A Chain (Rev. 20:1-2) Then It Must Be A Very Long Chain Because He Is Really Causing Havoc In Our World.
A-MILLENNIALISM. This Is The View That There Will Be No Millennium. The “A” In Front Of The Word “Millennium” Is What Is Called A “Privative” Alpha (First Letter In The Greek Alphabet) And It Negates The Word It Follows.This Position Is That Good And Evil Will Function Together With Both Being Developed With God’s Kingdom And Satan’s Kingdom Functioning At The Same Time. At The End Of The World There Will Be A General Resurrection And Judgment Of All People.
PREMILLENNIALISM. This Position Is That A There Will Be A 1,000-Year Reign Of Christ Called The Millennium Which Will Be Established At The Second Advent Of Jesus Christ Concluding The Tribulation Where Christ Will Defeat Satan, The False Prophet And The Antichrist. He Will Establish His Reign And Rule On The “Throne Of David” (Luke 1:32) In Jerusalem For The Thousand-Year Period. Satan Will Be Bound For This Period And At The End Of The 1,000 Years Will Be Released In A Final Rebellion And Be Defeated By Jesus Christ And Cast Into The “Lake Of Fire” (Rev. 20:10). After This There Will Be A “New Heaven And New Earth” (Rev. 21:1).
The Prefix “Pre” Before The Word “Millennium” Is An Important Doctrinal Position. The Bible Teaches That Jesus Will Take The Church, His Bride, Out Of This World (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:9; 19:9), To Be Joined Together At The Rapture Of The Church (1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-18) Which Will Occur “Before” The Millennium (Thus The “Pre” Designation). This Position Holds To The Biblical Teaching That The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). This Paper Holds To This Position And Believes This Is The Accurate Teaching Of The Bible On The “End Times.”
Rightly Dividing The Book Of Revelation
There Are Several Ways Of Looking At The Book Of Revelation. Most Will Consider Revelation 1:19 As A Statement Of The Outline Of The Book. It Says, “Write The Things Which Thou Hast Seen, And The Things Which Are, And The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter.” This Points Out Three Sections That Are Discernable In The Revelation. John Is Instructed To Write:
“. . .The Things That Thou Hast Seen. . .” Revelation 1.
“. . .The Things Which Are. . .” Revelation 2-3.
“. . .The Things Which Will Be Hereafter.” Revelation 4-22.
This Outline Is Easy To Make Not Of. The Tings Which John Saw Are Recorded In Revelation 1 Which Was A Vision Of The Risen Christ And A Description That Goes Beyond Him Being The “Son Of God” But Being “God In The Flesh.”
This Outline Can Be Explored Further As We Examine The Content Of The Book Of The Revelation. The Three Sections Present Very Clear Pictures Of Things That God Wants The Believer To Know About The Contents Of The Revelation.
Revelation 1:1-20, “. . . Things That Which Thou Hast Seen.” This Chapter Presents The Message Of Jesus Christ To John And The Instructions “. . .What Thou Seest, Write In A Book. . .” The Section, Vss. 10-20 Is A Presentation Of The Things John Saw At The First And It Was The Lord Jesus Christ That He Saw. The Description In Vss. 12-16 Is A Graphic Description Of The Lord Jesus Christ In His Glory.
Revelation 2-3, “. . .The Things Which Are.” Note That The Verb “Are” Is In The Present Tense. That Indicates That John Was To Write About The “Churches” Which Were In Existence At The Time Of His Writing. These Are The Seven Churches Of The Revelation, Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11), Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17), Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29), Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6), Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13), And Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). This Gives The Reader An Idea What Was Going On In The Churches At That Time, Yet There Is Another Aspect That Most Conservative Scholars Point Out, And That Is That These Seven Churches Are Prophetic In A Sense And Tell The Characteristics Of The Different Stages Of The Church In History. This Will Be Explored And Explained Later.
Revelation 4-22, “. . .The Things Which Will Be Hereafter.” These Chapters Are All Prophetic And Gives A View Of What God Is Going To Do After The Church Age. The Reason This Is Stated, Is Because The Church Is Not Mentioned Anywhere In The Rest Of The Revelation After Revelation 3. The Reader Will Be Taken From The Church Age To The Establishment Of Eternity Which Is Initiated In Revelation 22.
Other Divisions In The Revelation
Another Way Of Looking At The Book Of Revelation Is To Note The Two Times That “Heaven Is Opened.” There Are Two Incidents Of This:
Revelation 4:1 (KJV) After This I Looked, And, Behold, A Door Was Opened In Heaven: And The First Voice Which I Heard Was As It Were Of A Trumpet Talking With Me; Which Said, Come Up Hither, And I Will Shew Thee Things Which Must Be Hereafter. This Event Comes Immediately After The Seven Churches Are Addressed Which Are Representative Of The Church Age. The Tribulation Is Initiated In Revelation 4 With Chapters 4 And 5 Showing Events That Take Place In Heaven As It Relates To The Tribulation. Revelation 4:1 Shows The Apostle John Being “Called Up” Into Heaven. This Is A Picture Of The Rapture Of The Church In Line With 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 And 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This Is Another Demonstration That The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Besides The Promises To The Church That They Will Not Experience The “Wrath Of God” As In Romans 5:9 And 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
Revelation 19:11 (KJV) And I Saw Heaven Opened, And Behold A White Horse; And He That Sat Upon Him Was Called Faithful And True, And In Righteousness He Doth Judge And Make War. This Event Is At The Second Coming Of The Lord Jesus Christ. This Is When He Returns To The Earth Physically To Defeat The Enemies Of God And Establish His Earthly Kingdom. Note That He Does Not Come Immediately To The Mount Of Olives As Pointed Out In Zechariah 14:4. That Is The First Time His Feet Touch The Earth. Prior To This He Is Riding His “White Horse” Through The Air Leading The Jews Who Have Been Converted (Zechariah 12:8-11).
Some Interpretations Of The Book Of The Revelation
There Are Several Approaches To The Revelation. Dr. Walvoord Calls Them “. . .Interpretive Principles.” This Is How Certain Theologians Interpret The Book Of Revelation And Apply It To The Current Situation. They Are:
Allegorical (Nonliteral) Approach. This Approach Has Its Beginning With The “Alexandrian” School Of Theology And Approaches The Book Of Revelation As Allegorical. This Method Sees Everything As Symbolical And Applies The Events Of The Revelation Applying To The First Through The Fourth Or Fifth Centuries And Tend To Base It Upon The Time Of The “In The First Century AD (The Destruction Of Jerusalem) Or The Fourth Or Fifth Century AD At The “Christianization Of The Roman Empire” By Constantine.
Preterist Approach. This View Of The Revelation Sees It “As Setting Forth Principles Of Divine Dealings With Man, Without Presenting Specific Events.” The Preterist View Ignores The Future Aspect Of The Book.
Historical Approach. The Historical Approach Sees The Revelation As A “Symbolic” Account Of The Entire Church Age. They, In General, Combine The Historical Approach With Other Interpretations To Develop A “Devotional Or Spiritual Teaching” From The Revelation.
Futuristic Approach. This View Is Primarily Found Among The More Conservative Teachers Who Hold To The Premillennial Approach To The Scripture. They See The Section Of Revelation 4-22 As Depicting Events That Are Future To The Present Period Of The Church Age And Follows The Rapture Of The Church. This Is The View Of The Present Writer.
The Author And Date Of The Revelation
The Debate Of The Authorship Of The Book Of Revelation Is Debated By Those Who Have Differing Views Of How The Book Is Interpreted. Historically It Has Been Attributed To The Apostle John. His Name Is First Found In The Book At Chapter 1, Verse 1. His Name Is Also Found In Revelation 1:4, 9; 21:2; 22:8. There Has Been Little Objection To John’s Authorship Through The Centuries. The Only Objection To John As The Author Came From “Erasmus, Luther, And Zwingli” Who Challenged The Book Because Of Its Teaching Of The 1,000-Year Reign Of Christ On The Earth.
The Date Of The Revelation Is Also Generally Accepted By Most As Being 95 Or 96 A.D. Revelation 1:9 Mentions The “Isle Of Patmos” As Being The Place Where John Received The Things Recorded In The Revelation. Tradition Says That John Was There Because Of The Domitian, The Roman Caesar Who Exiled Him There. John Indicates He Was There “. . .For The Word Of God, And For The Testimony Of Jesus Christ.” Most Scholars Believe John Died In 96 A.D. And Was The Last Disciple To Die.
The Number Seven In The Revelation
There Is An Interesting Characteristic Of The Book Of The Revelation And That Is The Presence Of The Number “Seven.” It Is Found 54 Times In The Book And That Is In Only 31 Verses. Note Some Of The “Sevens:”
Seven Churches, Rev 1:4, 11; 2:1-3:22.
Seven Candlesticks Representing The Seven Churches, Rev. 1:12-13, 20.
Seven Stars Representing The Seven Angels Of The Seven Churches, Rev. 1:16, 20.
Seven Spirits Of God, Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6 (Cf. Isa. 12:2).
12.Seven Golden Vials Of The Wrath Of God, Rev. 15:7; 16:1; 17:L; 21:9.
13.Seven Kings, Rev. 17:10.
14.Seven Mountains, Rev. 17:9.
15.Seven Kings, Rev. 17:10.
16.Seven Beasts, Rev. 17:11.
The Number Seven Is Prominent In The Bible. It Is Found 463 Times In The Entire Bible. It Has Been Taught That The Number Seven Emphasizes Perfection, Completeness, Fulness And Plentitude. This Meaning Is Appropriate To Emphasize These Characteristics In The Revelation.
Genesis And Revelation Compared
One Writer Has Pointed Out How The First Book Of The Bible, Genesis, And The Last Book Of The Bible, Revelation Demonstrates The Beginning (Genesis) Of Certain Truths, And The Ending (Revelation) Of Certain Truths. For Instance:
“Genesis—The Commencement Of Heaven And Earth (1:1);
Revelation—The Consummation Of Heaven And Earth (21:1).
Genesis—The Entrance Of Sin And The Curse (3:1–19);
Revelation—The End Of Sin And The Curse (21:27; 22:3).
Genesis—The Dawn Of Satan And His Activities (3:1–7);
Revelation—The Doom Of Satan And His Activities (20:10).
Genesis—The Tree Of Life Is Relinquished (2:9; 3:24);
Revelation—The Tree Of Life Is Regained (22:2).
Genesis—Death Makes Its Entrance (2:17; 5:5);
Revelation—Death Makes Its Exit (21:4).
Genesis—Sorrow Begins (3:16);
Revelation—Sorrow Is Banished (21:4)”.
ADDENDUM
Early Christians Who Saw The Revelation As Prophecy Of The Future
Here Are Two Early Witnesses (2nd Century) Of The Pre-Millennial Interpretation Of The Events Of The Revelation Of Jesus Christ. Thus The Claim That This View Is Recent (19th Century) Is Dispelled.
Justin Martyr
“Justin Martyr (Ca. 100–165) Was One Of The Early Christian Writers Who Thought That John’s Vision Of The Thousand-Year Kingdom Pointed To A Future Reign Of The Saints On Earth. An Articulate And Philosophically-Minded Convert To Christianity, Justin Came To Rome From The Eastern Part Of The Empire. In One Of His Writings, He Tried To Show How The Promises That God Made Through The Prophets Of The Old Testament Are Fulfilled Through Christ. His Argument Is That Christians Do Not Reject The Older Jewish Tradition But Recognize How God Accomplishes His Purposes In Christ And The Church.
Justin Assumed That The Prophetic Visions Concerning The Transformation Of The Earth Into A Peaceful Paradise Would Be Realized In The Millennial Kingdom Mentioned In Revelation. He Quoted Isa. 65:17–25, Which Spoke Of A Time When Life Expectancy Would Be Increased And People Would “Build Houses And Inhabit Them,” They Would “Plant Vineyards And Eat Their Fruit,” Able To Enjoy The Work Of Their Hands Without Fear Of Loss. In That Day The “Wolf And The Lamb Shall Feed Together, The Lion Shall Eat Straw Like The Ox” (Isa. 65:20–25). Only After These Promises Concerning An Earthly Paradise Were Fulfilled Would The Last Judgment Take Place And The Faithful Enter Into Life Everlasting (Dialogue With Trypho 80–81). Many Later Interpreters Followed Justin’s Lead, Even Though The Passage From Isaiah Actually Refers To The New Heaven And New Earth, Something That John Identifies With The New Jerusalem In Rev. 21:1–5, Not With The Millennial Kingdom Of Rev. 20:4–6.”
Irenaeus
“Irenaeus (Ca. 130–200) Was Another Christian Writer Who Read Revelation Futuristically. Born In The Eastern Part Of The Roman Empire, Irenaeus Spent Much Of His Career In Lyons In Southern France, Where He Became The Bishop Of A Christian Community That Had Suffered Persecution. Like A Number Of Other Writers, Irenaeus Thought That World History Would Last For Six Thousand Years, Followed By A Seventh Span Of A Thousand Years That Would Be A Period Of Rest For The World. His Reasoning Was That God Created The World In Six Days And Rested On The Seventh Day (Gen. 1:1–2:4). If One Day Could Symbolize A Thousand Years (Ps. 90:4), Then History Would Last For Six Thousand Years, And The Millennial Reign Of The Saints (Rev. 20:4–6) Would Be The Final Period Of Blessedness For The World (Against Heresies 5.28.3).
Irenaeus’s Insistence That There Would Be A Future Millennial Kingdom On Earth Was Connected To His Belief In The Justice Of God. Since Christians Lost Their Lives Within The Created Order For The Sake Of Their Faith, It Would Be Within The Created Order That God Would Give Them Life Again. Out Of Divine Abundance And Mercy, God Would Restore The Creation To A Condition Of Perfection, Making It Subject To The Righteous Before The Last Judgment (Against Heresies 5.32.1). The Millennial Kingdom Was Also A Way To Affirm The Goodness Of Creation. In Contrast To Gnostic Teachers, Who Thought That The Material World Was Inherently Evil And Irredeemable, Irenaeus Envisioned A Future For The Creation, A Time When It Would Be Lavishly Transformed Into A Place Of Blessing: “The Days Will Come In Which Vines Will Grow, Each Having Ten Thousand Branches, And In Each Branch Ten Thousand Twigs, And In Each Twig Ten Thousand Shoots, And In Each Shoot Ten Thousand Clusters, And On Every Cluster Ten Thousand Grapes … And When Any One Of The Saints Shall Lay Hold Of A Cluster, Another Cluster Will Cry Out, ‘I Am A Better Cluster, Take Me; Bless The Lord Through Me’ ” (Against Heresies 5.33.3).”
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him, To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass; And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.
Introduction: One Of My Professors In Seminary Had This To Say About The Purpose Of The Revelation. He Said, “And Finally, To Live Confidently Knowing The Ultimate Victory That Is Ours In Christ As Described By John In The Apocalypse. In Fact, That’s Why The Book Of Revelation Was Written, To Give Encouragement And Endurance To Suffering Saints Who Were Undergoing Persecution, So We Would Live Confidently Knowing That Ultimately The Victory Is Ours.” At The Time Of Writing, We Saw That John Had Been Persecuted And Was In Exile In Patmos For The Word Of God And His Testimony Of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).
The First Four Words Of This Verse (Rev. 1:1) Speaks More Than The Eye Often Discerns. We Have Looked At The Word “Revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις) And That It Means An “Unveiling.” The Greek Word Is An Interesting One. It Is A Compound Word, Which Means It Is Formed By Two Or More Words Brought Together. In The Greek The First Three Letters, Apo (Ἀπό) Is A Preposition And Means “From” Or “Away From.” The Second Word “Kalupto” (Καλύπτω) Means “A Cover” Or “To Conceal.”
When You Take The Two Words Together You Have An “Uncovering” Or A “Removing Of The Covering.” The Word Means To Show Or Reveal Something That Before Had Been Hidden Or Covered. Now, The Question Is What Needs To Be Revealed? Jesus Christ Has Already Revealed Himself When He Came The First Time. That Is Not What We Want To Explain With This Lesson On Revelation 1:1. What Is The “Revelation” Of Jesus Christ At This Writing About? One Writer Says, “The Key Word Of The Title, “Revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις), Denotes An Unveiling Or Disclosure Of Something Hidden, [BDAG 112; T. Holtz, “Ἀποκάλυψις,” EDNT 1:130–32] Referring To Either The Action Of Revealing (Rom 8:19; 1 Cor 1:7; 1 Pet 1:7) Or The Content That Is Revealed, As Here.” [Emphasis Added.] Another Writer, Leon Morris, Says,
“The Very First Word Of This Book, Apokalypsis (Translated The Revelation), Sets The Stage. The Word Means The Uncovering Of Something Hidden, The Making Known Of What We Could Not Find Out For Ourselves. It Makes Plain That The Book It Introduces Is Not A Book Of Human Wisdom, Nor For That Matter A Discussion Of Philosophical Or Theological Problems. It Is Revelation. It Is A Setting Forth Of What God Has Made Known. This Revelation Is The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which Could Mean Either That The Revelation Was Made By Jesus Christ Or That It Was Made About Him Or That It Belongs To Him. In One Way Or Another All Three Are True.”
What This Writer Contends Is The Meaning Of The Phrase “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ.” Look Carefully At Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him, To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass; And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.” The Progression Of This Verse Is Obvious. The Verse Says That “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, Which God Gave Unto Him. . .” Thus The Source Of The Revelation Is With God The Father. The Personal Pronoun “Him” Is A Reference To Jesus Christ. So, God Gave The “Revelation” Of The Events Stated And Described In The Book Of Revelation. That Is What The Meaning Of The Phrase “. . .To Shew Unto His Servants Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass. . .” Then The Next Phrase, “. . .And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel Unto His Servant John.” This Phrase Explains The Word “Servants” Earlier In The Verse, People. The Progression Of The Revelation Is Like This: God The Father Gave The Revelation Of Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass To Jesus Christ. He In Turn “Sent And Signified It By His Angel.” This Angel Then Gave It To John. The Point To Be Made Is That Jesus Christ Is Not Necessarily The Source Of The Revelation But The Medium By Which It Is Revealed. Not Only Is Jesus The Means In Which Revelation Is Communicated, But It Is My Conviction That He Is The Object Of The Revelation As Well. Yet, What Is It That Needs To Be Revealed?
What Are We Missing About Jesus Christ. After All, We Have The Four Gospels Which Give A Biographical Explanation Of His Life, Ministry, And Purpose. There Is Evidently Something Left Out That Believers And The World Need To Know. That Is What This Study Is About.
This Concept Is Compatible With What Is Stated In Daniel 12:4 But Thou, O Daniel, Shut Up The Words, And Seal The Book, Even To The Time Of The End: Many Shall Run To And Fro, And Knowledge Shall Be Increased. The Things In The Book Of The Revelation Are Evidently Some Of The Things Sealed Up Until The End. The Events Of The Revelation Are What Was Hidden As Well As The Revelation Of The Person Of Jesus Christ That Was Not Seen With The First Time He Was On The Earth.
There Is Some Things In The Old Testament That Needs To Be Examined To Learn One Of The Things That The Believer May Not Have Seen. It Concerns Some Things Related To The High Priest And His Function In The Life Of Israel.
If You Study The Book Of Exodus, You Find That The High Priest Was Clothed In Garments And Ornaments That Were To Magnify The Office Of The High Priest. Moses Was Instructed To Make For Aaron, The High Priest, Garments “For Glory And For Beauty” (Exodus 28:2). These Garments Included A “Breastplate, And An Ephod, And A Robe, And A Broidered Coat, A Mitre, And A Girdle” (Exodus 28:4). These Garments Are Described Further In Exodus 28:5-10 “5 And They Shall Take Gold, And Blue, And Purple, And Scarlet, And Fine Linen. 6 And They Shall Make The Ephod Of Gold, Of Blue, And Of Purple, Of Scarlet, And Fine Twined Linen, With Cunning Work. 7 It Shall Have The Two Shoulder pieces Thereof Joined At The Two Edges Thereof; And So It Shall Be Joined Together. 8 And The Curious Girdle Of The Ephod, Which Is Upon It, Shall Be Of The Same, According To The Work Thereof; Even Of Gold, Of Blue, And Purple, And Scarlet, And Fine Twined Linen. 9 And Thou Shalt Take Two Onyx Stones, And Grave On Them The Names Of The Children Of Israel: 10 Six Of Their Names On One Stone, And The Other Six Names Of The Rest On The Other Stone, According To Their Birth.” The Garments The High Priest Wore Could Not Be Mistaken For What It Represented.
The High Priest Was In Charge Of The Priesthood Of The Sons Of Aaron And Had The Responsibility Of Seeing That The Sacrifices, Offerings And Other Things Pertaining To The Purpose Of The Tabernacle Were Carried Out. The Tabernacle Was The Place Where God Met With Man, And There Was A “Mediator” That Went Before God Who Represented The People And Their Need For Worship And Forgiveness. That Person Was The High Priest. The Garments We Looked At Were To Be Worn By The High Priest Always. When He Was In The Camp The High Priest Was Identifiable By The Garments He Wore.
There Was One Exception To This And That Was On The “Day Of Atonement” (Leviticus 16). On That Day The High Priest Would Take Off His Garments “For Glory And For Beauty” And Then Put On “The Holy Linen Coat And He Shall Have The Linen Breeches Upon His Flesh, And Shall Be Girded With A Linen Girdle And With The Linen Mitre Shall He Be Attired: These Are Holy Garment’s” (Leviticus 16:4). Now Do Not Miss What Is Taking Place Here.
Jesus, Before The Incarnation, Was In Glory And Had On His “Garments There Of Beauty And Glory.” When He Came To The Earth He Put On His Linen Garments, A Type Of Holiness. Note: “And To Her Was Granted That She Should Be Arrayed In Fine Linen, Clean And White: For The Fine Linen Is The Righteousness Of Saints” (Rev. 19:8). The “Fine Linen” Here Is Defined As “Righteousness” And The Believer Has This Because He/She Is Clothed In The Righteousness Of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). When Jesus Was On The Earth The First Time He Was In His Righteousness. He Came The First Time To Make Atonement For Sin For The Entire World, Every Human Being. At That Time He Was Clothed In His Righteousness. When He Comes The Second Time He Will Be Clothed Differently As The First Chapter Of The Revelation Demonstrates In Revelation 1:13-17.
Note The Description Here Who The Old Testament Describes Similar Appearances Of God The Father.
His Attire: Revelation 1:13 And In The Midst Of The Seven Candlesticks One Like Unto The Son Of Man, Clothed With A Garment Down To The Foot, And Girt About The Paps With A Golden Girdle. Compare Daniel 10:5 Then I Lifted Up Mine Eyes, And Looked, And Behold A Certain Man Clothed In Linen, Whose Loins Were Girded With Fine Gold Of Uphaz:
His Appearance:
Revelation 1:14 His Head And His Hairs Were White Like Wool, As White As Snow; And His Eyes Were As A Flame Of Fire; The Old Testament Comparison, Daniel 7:9 “I Beheld Till The Thrones Were Cast Down, And The Ancient Of Days Did Sit, Whose Garment Was White As Snow, And The Hair Of His Head Like The Pure Wool: His Throne Was Like The Fiery Flame, And His Wheels As Burning Fire.
Revelation 1:15 And His Feet Like Unto Fine Brass, As If They Burned In A Furnace; And His Voice As The Sound Of Many Waters. Another Comparison: Daniel 10:6 “His Body Also Was Like The Beryl, And His Face As The Appearance Of Lightning, And His Eyes As Lamps Of Fire, And His Arms And His Feet Like In Colour To Polished Brass, And The Voice Of His Words Like The Voice Of A Multitude.”
His Attributes. When You Compare These Identifying Things About Jesus Christ With Those In The Old Testament Which Were Attributed To God, You Find That The Goal Of These Instructions Were To Demonstrate That Jesus Christ Is God. All The Things Mentioned, His Hair, Eyes, Throne, The Color Of His Garments (“White As Snow”), Throne, Feet, Voice, Body, Face, Arms, And His Voice. There Is No Reason To Mistake Who Jesus Christ Was. Yet What About The Day Of Atonement In Leviticus 16? There Were Different Garments For This One Day In The Life Of The Nation Of Israel. Does It Have Any Significance? The Answer To This Is A Resounding YES! Now, An Explanation.
His Atoning Sacrifice. When The High Priest Entered The Tabernacle (Temple In Solomon’s Day) One The “Day Of Atonement,” He Had An Objective. That Was To Secure For The Nation Of Israel Forgiveness Of Sin For The Coming Year. That Is Stated In A Passage Looked At Earlier Which Said In, Leviticus 16:4, “He Shall Put On The Holy Linen Coat, And He Shall Have The Linen Breeches Upon His Flesh, And Shall Be Girded With A Linen Girdle, And With The Linen Mitre Shall He Be Attired: These Are Holy Garments; Therefore Shall He Wash His Flesh In Water, And So Put Them On.” Did You Ever Consider The Reason Behind This Activity And How It Might Teach Us Something About The “Atoning Sacrifice” Jesus Made For All Of Mankind?
When Jesus Christ Came To This Earth The Fist Time, He Came Veiled In Flesh And That Flesh Was Perfect Humanity, Not Contaminated By Adam Since His Father Was God The Father. In A Sense Jesus Came Clothed In “Linen,” Flesh Which Had No Sin Nor A Sin Nature. This Made It Possible For Him To Make The Sacrifice For Sin. He Walked Among The People Of The World Without Sin And Demonstrated To The World That He Was The Son Of God. Look At Hebrews 4:15, “For We Have Not An High Priest Which Cannot Be Touched With The Feeling Of Our Infirmities; But Was In All Points Tempted Like As We Are, Yet Without Sin.” And Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ Was Once Offered To Bear The Sins Of Many; And Unto Them That Look For Him Shall He Appear The Second Time Without Sin Unto Salvation.”
The Second Time He Comes He Is Going To Be Dressed In His Garments Of “Glory And Beauty.” Look With At The Description Of The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ In This Same Book, The Revelation. Revelation 19:11-16, “11 And I Saw Heaven Opened, And Behold A White Horse; And He That Sat Upon Him Was Called Faithful And True, And In Righteousness He Doth Judge And Make War. 12 His Eyes Were As A Flame Of Fire, And On His Head Were Many Crowns; And He Had A Name Written, That No Man Knew, But He Himself. 13 And He Was Clothed With A Vesture Dipped In Blood: And His Name Is Called The Word Of God. 14 And The Armies Which Were In Heaven Followed Him Upon White Horses, Clothed In Fine Linen, White And Clean. 15 And Out Of His Mouth Goeth A Sharp Sword, That With It He Should Smite The Nations: And He Shall Rule Them With A Rod Of Iron: And He Treadeth The Winepress Of The Fierceness And Wrath Of Almighty God. 16 And He Hath On His Vesture And On His Thigh A Name Written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jesus Is Going To Come The Second Time To Defeat The Enemies Of God And To Establish His Kingdom And Rule The Earth For 1,000 Years.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION: AN INTRODUCTION
Introduction: There is an interesting usage of the word Greek word, ἀποκάλυψις, which means simply “uncovering, of the head; disclosing, of hidden springs; revelation, esp. of divine mysteries.” The word is found in Revelation 1:1 and is interpreted “revelation.” They have made it a “technical” word as although it is used in at least two ways. Here in Revelation 1:1 the word has the meaning of the “revelation” or the unveiling. It is used in 1 Corinthians 1:7 to refer to the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is the same in 1 Peter 1:7. There are two other places the word is used is 2 Thessalonians 1:7 where it to Jesus Christ being “revealed from heaven with his might angels.” In 1 Peter 1:13 the meaning is the same as in Revelation 1:1 which refers to the “. . .revelation of Jesus Christ.”
From this quick study of the word, we can understand that the word apocalypse means primarily the “revealing, unveiling, etc.” The “second coming of Jesus Christ” is a means of revealing Him so the word has the meaning of an unveiling, a revelation. This is what is taking place in the Revelation, a revelation, an unveiling of the things that will happen at the end.
The study of the “last things” is important since God gave us books in the Bible that deal with events and actions that have not yet occurred, they are still future. The prophets had a lot to say about what God thought of His people and the world and many of those things were still future. For instance, Isaiah made some statement in Isaiah 9 and 11 about what God was going to do and it was a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ although He is not named in those prophecies. Many of the things written about the nation of Israel were designed to draw them to God and spoke of God’s dislike of their behavior and pronounced judgment that in some cases was not to happen for a long time. There are some aspects about “last things” that should cause the believer to take notice as God tried to get Israel to do. For instance, it says in 1 John 3:2-3 (KJV)“2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” The second coming of Jesus Christ is still future, and it has an application to believers today. This makes an understand of the coming of Christ an important doctrine and will have the effect of causing the believer to alter their lifestyle considering that knowledge. In a sense the book of the Revelation is about the “revealing” of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a major role in the book. Revelation 1 is about His person and a revelation that He is God. Revelation 2-3 he has some messages to the churches that were in existence in the first century speak to them personally in the message of John. In Revelation 5:1 He is the one who is “worthy” to open the seals that kept the contents of the book that was in the “right hand of him that sat on the throne” (cf. Revelation 5:5, 9). Thus, the book of the Revelation is about Jesus Christ as you study the verses that indicate the impact that Jesus Christ had on them. Note:
There is the “testimony of Jesus Christ” in Revelation 1:2
It says in Revelation 1:5 (KJV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
John’s describes his location and was exiled for the “. . .testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The woman in Revelation 12:17 as well as the “remnant of her seed” (the Jews) had the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Look at Revelation 14:12; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4; 22:16, 20, 21. Jesus is the focus of the Revelation
One writer makes the following statement about the study of “last things.” He says,
“The study of last things (those that are yet future from our viewpoint) includes the biblical teaching concerning the intermediate state, the resurrections, the Rapture of the church, the second advent of Christ, and the Millennium.” With these things in mind, it is incumbent on the believer to seek to understand the things that will occur in the future. Still, they have been misunderstood and misinterpreted in so many ways it is almost absurd to read what some have said about the things revealed in the Bible and even the Revelation. To understand this, it is incumbent of us to give you some terms that are designed to help understand how these differences of understanding of the Revelation come about.
POSTMILLENNIUALISM. This view of last things has the understanding that the “kingdom of God” is now being preached and the Gospel being proclaimed to the extent that the entire world will eventually be made Christians and that will initiate the return of Christ at the end of lengthy period of righteousness and peace called the Millennium. At the end of this period there will be a “general” resurrection and judgment with the “introduction of heaven and hell in their fullness.” One of the flaws of this position is the belief that “human effort” will bring in the perfect peace. This is possible since they believe that Satan is bound in the present age of the church. One wag said, if Satan is bound with a chain (Rev. 20:1-2) then it must be a very long chain because he is really causing havoc in our world.
A-MILLENNIALISM. This is the view that there will be no Millennium. The “A” in front of the word “millennium” is what is called a “privative” alpha (first letter in the Greek alphabet) and it negates the word it follows.This position is that good and evil will function together with both being developed with God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom functioning at the same time. At the end of the world there will be a general resurrection and judgment of all people.
PREMILLENNIALISM. This position is that a there will be a 1,000-year reign of Christ called the Millennium which will be established at the second advent of Jesus Christ concluding the Tribulation where Christ will defeat Satan, the False Prophet and the Antichrist. He will establish His reign and rule on the “throne of David” (Luke 1:32) in Jerusalem for the thousand-year period. Satan will be bound for this period and at the end of the 1,000 years will be released in a final rebellion and be defeated by Jesus Christ and cast into the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). After this there will be a “new heaven and new earth” (Rev. 21:1).
The prefix “pre” before the word “millennium” is an important doctrinal position. The Bible teaches that Jesus will take the church, His bride, out of this world (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:9; 19:9), to be joined together at the Rapture of the Church (1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-18) which will occur “before” the Millennium (thus the “pre” designation). This position holds to the biblical teaching that the church will not go through the Tribulation (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). This paper holds to this position and believes this is the accurate teaching of the Bible on the “end times.”
Rightly Dividing the Book of Revelation
There are several ways of looking at the book of Revelation. Most will consider Revelation 1:19 as a statement of the outline of the book. It says, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” This points out three sections that are discernable in the Revelation. John is instructed to write:
“. . .the things that thou hast seen. . .” Revelation 1.
“. . .the things which are. . .” Revelation 2-3.
“. . .the things which will be hereafter.” Revelation 4-22.
This outline is easy to make not of. The tings which John saw are recorded in Revelation 1 which was a vision of the risen Christ and a description that goes beyond him being the “son of God” but being “God in the flesh.”
This outline can be explored further as we examine the content of the book of the Revelation. The three sections present very clear pictures of things that God wants the believer to know about the contents of the Revelation.
Revelation 1:1-20, “. . . things that which thou hast seen.” This chapter presents the message of Jesus Christ to John and the instructions “. . .what thou seest, write in a book. . .” The section, vss. 10-20 is a presentation of the things John saw at the first and it was the Lord Jesus Christ that he saw. The description in vss. 12-16 is a graphic description of the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory.
Revelation 2-3, “. . .the things which are.” Note that the verb “are” is in the present tense. That indicates that John was to write about the “churches” which were in existence at the time of his writing. These are the seven churches of the Revelation, Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11), Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17), Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29), Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6), Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13), and Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). This gives the reader an idea what was going on in the churches at that time, yet there is another aspect that most conservative scholars point out, and that is that these seven churches are prophetic in a sense and tell the characteristics of the different stages of the church in history. This will be explored and explained later.
Revelation 4-22, “. . .the things which will be hereafter.” These chapters are all prophetic and gives a view of what God is going to do after the church age. The reason this is stated, is because the church is not mentioned anywhere in the rest of the Revelation after Revelation 3. The reader will be taken from the church age to the establishment of eternity which is initiated in Revelation 22.
Other Divisions in the Revelation
Another way of looking at the book of Revelation is to note the two times that “heaven is opened.” There are two incidents of this:
Revelation 4:1 (KJV) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. This event comes immediately after the seven churches are addressed which are representative of the church age. The Tribulation is initiated in Revelation 4 with chapters 4 and 5 showing events that take place in heaven as it relates to the Tribulation. Revelation 4:1 shows the Apostle John being “called up” into heaven. This is a picture of the Rapture of the church in line with 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This is another demonstration that the church will not go through the Tribulation besides the promises to the church that they will not experience the “wrath of God” as in Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
Revelation 19:11 (KJV) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This event is at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is when He returns to the earth physically to defeat the enemies of God and establish His earthly kingdom. Note that He does not come immediately to the Mount of Olives as pointed out in Zechariah 14:4. That is the first time His feet touch the earth. Prior to this he is riding His “white horse” through the air leading the Jews who have been converted (Zechariah 12:8-11).
Some Interpretations of the Book of the Revelation
There are several approaches to the Revelation. Dr. Walvoord calls them “. . .interpretive principles.” This is how certain theologians interpret the book of Revelation and apply it to the current situation. They are:
Allegorical (nonliteral) approach. This approach has its beginning with the “Alexandrian” school of theology and approaches the book of Revelation as allegorical. This method sees everything as symbolical and applies the events of the Revelation applying to the first through the fourth or fifth centuries and tend to base it upon the time of the “in the first century AD (the destruction of Jerusalem) or the fourth or fifth century AD at the “Christianization of the Roman Empire” by Constantine.
Preterist Approach. This view of the Revelation sees it “as setting forth principles of divine dealings with man, without presenting specific events.” The Preterist view ignores the future aspect of the book.
Historical Approach. The Historical approach sees the Revelation as a “symbolic” account of the entire church age. They, in general, combine the historical approach with other interpretations to develop a “devotional or spiritual teaching” from the Revelation.
Futuristic Approach. This view is primarily found among the more conservative teachers who hold to the Premillennial approach to the scripture. They see the section of Revelation 4-22 as depicting events that are future to the present period of the church age and follows the Rapture of the church. This is the view of the present writer.
The Author and Date of the Revelation
The debate of the authorship of the book of Revelation is debated by those who have differing views of how the book is interpreted. Historically it has been attributed to the Apostle John. His name is first found in the book at chapter 1, verse 1. His name is also found in Revelation 1:4, 9; 21:2; 22:8. There has been little objection to John’s authorship through the centuries. The only objection to John as the author came from “Erasmus, Luther, and Zwingli” who challenged the book because of its teaching of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth.
The date of the Revelation is also generally accepted by most as being 95 or 96 a.d. Revelation 1:9 mentions the “isle of Patmos” as being the place where John received the things recorded in the Revelation. Tradition says that John was there because of the Domitian, the Roman Caesar who exiled him there. John indicates he was there “. . .for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Most scholars believe John died in 96 a.d. and was the last disciple to die.
The Number Seven in the Revelation
There is an interesting characteristic of the book of the Revelation and that is the presence of the number “seven.” It is found 54 times in the book and that is in only 31 verses. Note some of the “sevens:”
Seven Churches, Rev 1:4, 11; 2:1-3:22.
Seven Candlesticks representing the Seven Churches, Rev. 1:12-13, 20.
Seven Stars representing the seven angels of the seven churches, Rev. 1:16, 20.
Seven Spirits of God, Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6 (cf. Isa. 12:2).
12.Seven golden vials of the wrath of God, Rev. 15:7; 16:1; 17:l; 21:9.
13.Seven Kings, Rev. 17:10.
14.Seven mountains, Rev. 17:9.
15.Seven kings, Rev. 17:10.
16.Seven beasts, Rev. 17:11.
The number seven is prominent in the Bible. It is found 463 times in the entire Bible. It has been taught that the number seven emphasizes perfection, completeness, fulness and plentitude. This meaning is appropriate to emphasize these characteristics in the Revelation.
Genesis and Revelation Compared
One writer has pointed out how the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the last book of the Bible, Revelation demonstrates the beginning (Genesis) of certain truths, and the ending (Revelation) of certain truths. For instance:
“Genesis—The commencement of Heaven and earth (1:1);
Revelation—The consummation of Heaven and earth (21:1).
Genesis—The entrance of sin and the curse (3:1–19);
Revelation—The end of sin and the curse (21:27; 22:3).
Genesis—The dawn of Satan and his activities (3:1–7);
Revelation—The doom of Satan and his activities (20:10).
Genesis—The tree of life is relinquished (2:9; 3:24);
Revelation—The tree of life is regained (22:2).
Genesis—Death makes its entrance (2:17; 5:5);
Revelation—Death makes its exit (21:4).
Genesis—Sorrow begins (3:16);
Revelation—Sorrow is banished (21:4)”.
ADDENDUM
Early Christians Who Saw the Revelation as Prophecy of the Future
Here are two early witnesses (2nd Century) of the Pre-millennial interpretation of the events of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Thus the claim that this view is recent (19th Century) is dispelled.
Justin Martyr
“Justin Martyr (ca. 100–165) was one of the early Christian writers who thought that John’s vision of the thousand-year kingdom pointed to a future reign of the saints on earth. An articulate and philosophically-minded convert to Christianity, Justin came to Rome from the eastern part of the empire. In one of his writings, he tried to show how the promises that God made through the prophets of the Old Testament are fulfilled through Christ. His argument is that Christians do not reject the older Jewish tradition but recognize how God accomplishes his purposes in Christ and the church.
Justin assumed that the prophetic visions concerning the transformation of the earth into a peaceful paradise would be realized in the millennial kingdom mentioned in Revelation. He quoted Isa. 65:17–25, which spoke of a time when life expectancy would be increased and people would “build houses and inhabit them,” they would “plant vineyards and eat their fruit,” able to enjoy the work of their hands without fear of loss. In that day the “wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isa. 65:20–25). Only after these promises concerning an earthly paradise were fulfilled would the last judgment take place and the faithful enter into life everlasting (Dialogue with Trypho 80–81). Many later interpreters followed Justin’s lead, even though the passage from Isaiah actually refers to the new heaven and new earth, something that John identifies with the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21:1–5, not with the millennial kingdom of Rev. 20:4–6.”
Irenaeus
“Irenaeus (ca. 130–200) was another Christian writer who read Revelation futuristically. Born in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, Irenaeus spent much of his career in Lyons in southern France, where he became the bishop of a Christian community that had suffered persecution. Like a number of other writers, Irenaeus thought that world history would last for six thousand years, followed by a seventh span of a thousand years that would be a period of rest for the world. His reasoning was that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 1:1–2:4). If one day could symbolize a thousand years (Ps. 90:4), then history would last for six thousand years, and the millennial reign of the saints (Rev. 20:4–6) would be the final period of blessedness for the world (Against Heresies 5.28.3).
Irenaeus’s insistence that there would be a future millennial kingdom on earth was connected to his belief in the justice of God. Since Christians lost their lives within the created order for the sake of their faith, it would be within the created order that God would give them life again. Out of divine abundance and mercy, God would restore the creation to a condition of perfection, making it subject to the righteous before the last judgment (Against Heresies 5.32.1). The millennial kingdom was also a way to affirm the goodness of creation. In contrast to Gnostic teachers, who thought that the material world was inherently evil and irredeemable, Irenaeus envisioned a future for the creation, a time when it would be lavishly transformed into a place of blessing: “the days will come in which vines will grow, each having ten thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each twig ten thousand shoots, and in each shoot ten thousand clusters, and on every cluster ten thousand grapes … and when any one of the saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another cluster will cry out, ‘I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me’ ” (Against Heresies 5.33.3).”
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.
Introduction: One of my professors in seminary had this to say about the purpose of the Revelation. He said, “And finally, to live confidently knowing the ultimate victory that is ours in Christ as described by John in the apocalypse. In fact, that’s why the Book of Revelation was written, to give encouragement and endurance to suffering saints who were undergoing persecution, so we would live confidently knowing that ultimately the victory is ours.” At the time of writing, we saw that John had been persecuted and was in exile in Patmos for the word of God and his testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).
The first four words of this verse (Rev. 1:1) speaks more than the eye often discerns. We have looked at the word “revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις) and that it means an “unveiling.” The Greek word is an interesting one. It is a compound word, which means it is formed by two or more words brought together. In the Greek the first three letters, apo (ἀπό) is a preposition and means “from” or “away from.” The second word “kalupto” (καλύπτω) means “a cover” or “to conceal.” When you take the two words together you have an “uncovering” or a “removing of the covering.” The word means to show or reveal something that before had been hidden or covered. Now, the question is what needs to be revealed? Jesus Christ has already revealed Himself when he came the first time. That is not what we want to explain with this lesson on Revelation 1:1. What is the “revelation” of Jesus Christ at this writing about? One writer says, “The key word of the title, “revelation” (ἀποκάλυψις), denotes an unveiling or disclosure of something hidden, [BDAG 112; T. Holtz, “ἀποκάλυψις,” EDNT 1:130–32] referring to either the action of revealing (Rom 8:19; 1 Cor 1:7; 1 Pet 1:7) or the content that is revealed, as here.” [Emphasis added.] Another writer, Leon Morris, says,
“The very first word of this book, apokalypsis (translated the revelation), sets the stage. The word means the uncovering of something hidden, the making known of what we could not find out for ourselves. It makes plain that the book it introduces is not a book of human wisdom, nor for that matter a discussion of philosophical or theological problems. It is revelation. It is a setting forth of what God has made known. This revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which could mean either that the revelation was made by Jesus Christ or that it was made about him or that it belongs to him. In one way or another all three are true.”
What this writer contends is the meaning of the phrase “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Look carefully at Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” The progression of this verse is obvious. The verse says that “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him. . .” Thus the source of the Revelation is with God the Father. The personal pronoun “him” is a reference to Jesus Christ. So, God gave the “revelation” of the events stated and described in the book of Revelation. That is what the meaning of the phrase “. . .to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. . .” Then the next phrase, “. . .and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” This phrase explains the word “servants” earlier in the verse, people. The progression of the revelation is like this: God the Father gave the revelation of things which must shortly come to pass to Jesus Christ. He in turn “sent and signified it by his angel.” This angel then gave it to John. The point to be made is that Jesus Christ is not necessarily the source of the revelation but the medium by which it is revealed. Not only is Jesus the means in which revelation is communicated, but it is my conviction that He is the object of the revelation as well. Yet, what is it that needs to be revealed? What are we missing about Jesus Christ. After all, we have the four gospels which give a biographical explanation of His life, ministry, and purpose. There is evidently something left out that believers and the world need to know. That is what this study is about.
This concept is compatible with what is stated in Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. The things in the book of the Revelation are evidently some of the things sealed up until the end. The events of the Revelation are what was hidden as well as the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ that was not seen with the first time He was on the earth.
There is some things in the Old Testament that needs to be examined to learn one of the things that the believer may not have seen. It concerns some things related to the High Priest and his function in the life of Israel.
If you study the book of Exodus, you find that the High Priest was clothed in garments and ornaments that were to magnify the office of the High Priest. Moses was instructed to make for Aaron, the High Priest, garments “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). These garments included a “breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle” (Exodus 28:4). These garments are described further in Exodus 28:5-10 “5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.” The garments the High Priest wore could not be mistaken for what it represented. The High Priest was in charge of the priesthood of the sons of Aaron and had the responsibility of seeing that the sacrifices, offerings and other things pertaining to the purpose of the Tabernacle were carried out. The Tabernacle was the place where God met with man, and there was a “mediator” that went before God who represented the people and their need for worship and forgiveness. That person was the High Priest. The garments we looked at were to be worn by the High Priest always. When he was in the camp the High Priest was identifiable by the garments he wore.
There was one exception to this and that was on the “Day of Atonement” (Leviticus 16). On that day the High Priest would take off his garments “for glory and for beauty” and then put on “the holy linen coat and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garment’s” (Leviticus 16:4). Now do not miss what is taking place here.
Jesus, before the incarnation, was in glory and had on his “garments there of beauty and glory.” When He came to the earth he put on his linen garments, a type of holiness. Note: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Rev. 19:8). The “fine linen” here is defined as “righteousness” and the believer has this because he/she is clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). When Jesus was on the earth the first time he was in His righteousness. He came the first time to make atonement for sin for the entire world, every human being. At that time He was clothed in His righteousness. When he comes the second time he will be clothed differently as the first chapter of the Revelation demonstrates in Revelation 1:13-17.
Note the description here who the Old Testament describes similar appearances of God the Father.
His attire: Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Compare Daniel 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
His appearance:
Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; The Old Testament comparison, Daniel 7:9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Revelation 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. Another comparison: Daniel 10:6 “His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”
His attributes. When you compare these identifying things about Jesus Christ with those in the Old Testament which were attributed to God, you find that the goal of these instructions were to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is God. All the things mentioned, His hair, eyes, throne, the color of his garments (“white as snow”), throne, feet, voice, body, face, arms, and His voice. There is no reason to mistake who Jesus Christ was. Yet what about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16? There were different garments for this one day in the life of the nation of Israel. Does it have any significance? The answer to this is a resounding YES! Now, an explanation.
His atoning sacrifice. When the High Priest entered the Tabernacle (Temple in Solomon’s day) one the “day of atonement,” he had an objective. That was to secure for the nation of Israel forgiveness of sin for the coming year. That is stated in a passage looked at earlier which said in, Leviticus 16:4, “He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.” Did you ever consider the reason behind this activity and how it might teach us something about the “atoning sacrifice” Jesus made for all of mankind?
When Jesus Christ came to this earth the fist time, He came veiled in flesh and that flesh was perfect humanity, not contaminated by Adam since His father was God the Father. In a sense Jesus came clothed in “linen,” flesh which had no sin nor a sin nature. This made it possible for Him to make the sacrifice for sin. He walked among the people of the world without sin and demonstrated to the world that He was the son of God. Look at Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” And Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
The second time He comes he is going to be dressed in His garments of “glory and beauty.” Look with at the description of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in this same book, the Revelation. Revelation 19:11-16, “11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jesus is going to come the second time to defeat the enemies of God and to establish His kingdom and rule the earth for 1,000 years.
God’s people in this world and these people are gathered into groups called churches; the Bible calls them the churches of Christ. We know them today as Baptistic churches. They recognize no earthly head and are ruled by the Word of God alone. In these congregations of baptized believers, Christ the Bishop of our souls appoints pastors. Men whom he calls and the church recognizes as his servants are installed or ordained to be the overseer or pastor the church.
These men are called in Ephesians chapter four “gifts” to the church. These men are given to the church “for the perfecting of the saints…for the edifying of the body of Christ”. No doubt most of the readers of this paper have experienced the blessing of this gift. A pastor is a gift and those churches that are without a pastor know that and miss it.
Now we need to ask a few questions: Who are these men? How can we know who they are? What does the Bible say?
Who these men are is obvious after they’ve been recognized by a church as being God’s servants. So we need to look and see what the Bible says so that we can know who these men are.
In the Old Testament the Lord told Moses to set apart the sons of Aaron to be his ministers. The Levites were a unique group of people among Israel’s tribes. It was the tribe of Levi alone who was not given a portion in the Land of Promise; the Lord gave them something better.
Numbers 18:20: “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.”
The LORD was their inheritance, they alone would be able to serve in the place of offering, they only would be able to enter the Holy place where the LORD said He would dwell above the mercy seat. I ask you “What could be better than the LORD himself as your inheritance?”
But, not all the Levites were allowed to serve in the Tabernacle. The servants of the House of the Lord had to meet some standards before they would be deemed acceptable to serve in the house of blood. We can see these limitations in the twenty first chapter of Leviticus. The restrictions covered who he married 21:7, 13-15, and what his physical characteristics were 21:17-21.
We point these out to show that from the first days of the Lord having ministers for His people. The corps of servants was not open to all comers, not even to all the sons of Levi! In the New Testament Churches the same principle is found! Not all Christians can serve as the pastor, and not all men in the church can labor in the pulpit; it is a limited office. The Holy Spirit gives, in 1 Timothy and Titus, the qualifications or the characteristics that a church should use to determine if a man is qualified. It is from these passages that we are taught what constitutes the candidate for the bishopric in the Lord’s church.
In this day of apostasy (which has been present since the legalist(s) descended on the Galatian churches) we need to be reminded of what the Bible says.
In these qualifications of a bishop (1 Timothy 3:1-7) God, as He did in Leviticus 21, covers all facets of His minister’s life. Paul records what kind of character God’s man is to possess in relation to His:
1. His Morality– verse 2 points to his past, blameless
2. His Manner– verse 3 points to his prospects, not greedy, not covetous
3. His Marriage– verses 4, 5 point to his present, rules well his family, in love, judgment, correction, and mercy. This gives a good view of how he will lead the church
4. His Maturity– verses 6, 7 point to his principles, must have good report that he is settled in his doctrine (essential, blood atonement, inspiration, salvation, etc.), steadfast in his duty as husband, father and pastor, and surrendered to his destiny the will of God.
It is abundantly clear that the Lord expects a great deal from the men He chooses for His churches. It should be the desire of His men to live up to our Lord’s expectations, or it leaves open the probability that they desire the prestige, power and praise of the position more than the holiness and humbleness that is required in it. There are many Baptist ministers who are mere hirelings. Men who are in it for what they get out of it, rather than solely for the “glory of God”.
When men are in the ministry to gratify their own selfish purposes, they will skirt or reason away God’s qualifications. Sadly, this is why churches have no power with God in a real sense. And when successes are measured in numbers of members or baptisms in a year rather than absolute faithfulness to God, you’ve fallen for the devil’s lie.
An unqualified minister may be very persuasive, personable and likable to a congregation and has apparent outward success, but if he does not meet God’s qualifications, no matter how it looks, he is unfit to offer the bread of God to a hungry world. These qualifications can be, and are in fact, controversial in this day. Nevertheless, they should be followed in ordaining men to the ministry and in recalling ordination of men who become disqualified.
Also, it should be remembered, in the OT the offerings were made for the priests as well as the people to cover their sins, but the blood of those offerings could not remove the blemish in the eye, crooked back or fix the flat nose. (See Lev. 21) These Levites were still disqualified to offer the bread of God. Therefore, in the NT, salvation certainly fits you for heaven, but not necessarily for the office of Bishop or deacon.
The blood of Jesus does cleanse from all sin, but the scars of some those transgressions can remain and be disqualifying from the bishopric. A qualification is a requirement that must be met. These are not options to twist to fit personal manners or moral purview.
If a man desires the office of a bishop, his character and conduct of life must be to the level of God’s qualifications. And God, being sovereign, knows every thought and intent of the heart and He will only call those that meet the criteria for His church officers.
1 Timothy 1:12-13: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
There are things, as Paul says, that a man may have done before he was saved, but there are things also that leave a blemish that cannot be removed. Such could be, a child out of wedlock, child molestation, divorce and remarriage. These can be destructive to a man’s testimony and to the Lord’s church he is trying to pastor.
There was a man who was a pastor that held strong convictions and a very dynamic preacher. Earlier before he was saved and married, he had an illicit affair. It produced a child. He later was saved and believed he was called to the ministry. However, this mother of his child spent years chasing him all over country to get him to take responsibility for his child. When they would locate him, he would resign from the church and move to another state. He would then become pastor of another unsuspecting church. At the least, he would be disqualified under the first qualification, blameless. 1 Timothy 3:2, “A bishop then must be blameless…” Even, though his salvation occurred after the child’s birth. He never married this woman, but did marry another lady and had children with her.
The husband of one wife issue is a hot topic of today. Marriage is a sacred institution that should not be entered into lightly, no matter whether the couple is saved or unsaved. It is to be a lifelong commitment of a man and woman. “Husband of one wife” has been interpreted and reinterpreted over and over, but here are verses that should never be overlooked in connection with 1 Timothy 3:2. Romans 7:2-3:
“For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”
A man may be divorced by the law of the land but according to God’s law the woman is still his wife. Therefore, if he marries another, he has two living wives rendering him disqualified to offer the bread of God to the Lord’s churches.
This writer realizes this is a controversial issue and it is not his intent to run what he perceives as disqualified men out the ministry. It is his intent to teach the Lord’s churches what kind of men they need for the offices of pastors and deacons. By the way, women are never qualified for either of the two offices of the church.
Finally, men of the Lord’s churches and the congregation need to keep in mind:
1. The Ministry is a High Calling.
Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
The Holy Ghost has placed His men in their position as overseers of His possession (church) that Christ purchased with His own Blood. That is a special calling, a serious calling and a selfless calling making it a High Calling by the most High God where there is no room for selfishness on the part of His men.
2. The Ministry is an Honorable Commitment.
1 Timothy 1:11-12 “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.”
The Lord has honored His men by committing to us His GLORIOUS GOSPEL. What a privilege to be put in trust of something, so pure, so precious, so powerful it raises sinners from the dead. Therefore, as God’s men, we should honor Him by being committed to this great trust, proclaiming His given truth and above all, practicing every precept that the Holy Spirit guides us into without fear, favor or fleshly motive.
3. The Ministry is a Humbling Challenge.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Someone once said, “God gives us enough success to keep us going, and enough failure to keep us humble.” It has also been put this way, “The successes belong to God and the failures belong to me.” Suffice to say, humility is the most essential quality of God’s man. It keeps you quiet when you want to lash out or lay blame somewhere else. It keeps you patient when you want to react at criticism, or during seasons of opposition, obstruction or oppression.
The Apostle makes it clear in the previous verses that God intended to keep him humble. Paul gloried in his weakness for these were opportunities to experience the power of an almighty God. Every opposition by the world: government restriction or regulation, compromising influences, etc.
Every obstruction by the flesh: family disagreement, financial shortfall, female temptation, etc., and every oppression by the devil – doubt, fear, defeat or setback – are the times when God shows Himself faithful and mighty. The Bible is replete with episodes that when His men or people are in hopeless and helpless situations to where they are humbled that He gloriously reveals Himself in powerful and spectacular ways. And He alone is glorified.
That is the ministry. Meeting God’s qualifications for the ministry is all about our humility and His Glory. May we His ministers fall prostrate before Him and watch as He shows himself mighty in His power to save, strengthen and sustain His people. Ephesians 3:21: “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
