1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by
sending his angel to his servant John,
I wish to report a theft! Someone has stolen one of the Bible's books;
we only have 65 books now. I was told
that it was only "lost," not stolen.
They say it's only lost, because it isn't taught by most preachers, or
read by most Christians. Well, I know
better, It isn't lost; Revelation has been stolen.
And I know who stole it; it was
stolen by the Enemy, Satan! How did he
do it? How did Satan steal
Revelation? He has convinced the average
believer of two lies:
LIE #1 -- Revelation is too complex to understand
Revelation is a book filled with
symbolism (e.g., weird beasts and images).
There are wings, horns, and multi-headed creatures everywhere. We assume that it is too difficult to
understand what each symbol represents.
Who can know it? Lie #1 -- It's
too complex.
LIE #2 -- Confusion over interpretation can't be avoided
Frankly, we are afraid to be
confused; we don't want to be like the people who set dates for the Lord's
return; God alone knows when that will be.
In a casual reading, even with a strong understanding of the other 65
books of the Bible, one is apt to become confused, so we avoid reading
Revelation.
Too complex and too confusing; I
wish to report the theft this morning, and expose the lie. Revelation is not complex; it's
comprehensive; Revelation is not confusing; it's clear.
The Book does just what the name
says – it is a revelation, an unveiling of Jesus Christ. The Greek word apocalypse (apocalypsis) means to take away a veil, or
covering. In this Revelation, the veil
which hides the future, and a clear picture of the Lord Jesus' plan for
mankind, is stripped away; Jesus is clearly seen. Frankly, anything that helps me see Jesus
clearer is worth studying!
There are at least two reasons
that is true:
1. Revelation is a positive message of hope
Revelation is a book of victory. In it we see the reign of God; He puts an end
to stress! It is such a blessing and
comfort to know our future is secure in Christ.
One preacher said that Revelation is "...like a great union station
where the great trunk lines of prophecy have come in from other portions of
Scripture." Imagine that – all the
prophecies, all the plans of God converging and emerging in a great unveiling
of what God wants to do with us.
Have you ever wondered where it
all is going? Have you ever wondered
what it all means? Revelation is the
unveiling of our hope; it is the picture on our four-color, fold-out travel
brochure, showing us the reasonable way through this foreign land called
life.
Revelation gives us our
destination. It is a positive message of
hope, and I cannot wait to unfold it together!
2. Revelation is a book with a promise of blessing
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and
blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is
near. Revelation 1.3 (NRSV)
The promise of blessing is to
those who engage in the public reading – in other words – a worship
service. G. Campbell Morgan put it this
way: The picture presented then is
that of a reader reading aloud to a group of listening people; and the
beatitude is for that reader and for those who are listening. It must be observed, however, that the
blessing is not only upon the reading and the hearing, but upon the keeping of
the words.[1]
We will gather to read aloud the
Revelation of Jesus Christ and hear the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and then
keep the words – or do what the Revelation of Jesus Christ says to do.
And so, let's go on to the main
thrust or key to the hearing, understanding, and keeping of the words of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
How do we interpret Revelation?
There is a principle that we must
always keep in mind when considering Revelation – the book was written to real
people like you and me who love God. It
was written in time, and for all times.
It is relevant and timely, never out of date. It all ties together, or you have the wrong
interpretation. It is just like all the
rest of the Word of God – consistent!
For instance -- you cannot build
a doctrine or theology of stewardship on one verse that speaks about "prosperity"
for God's people; otherwise you'd have to rip out the verse that records the
words of Jesus, that we'd always have the poor with us. You cannot maintain that God will always heal
in every situation, so if God doesn't heal, our faith is weak. Otherwise Paul would not have gone to his
grave with a thorn in the side.
God is certainly consistent, and
He doesn't put that aside in the Book of the Revelation. It is consistent with history, and it is
consistent with the rest of Holy Scripture.
One writer has it, Prophecy maintains a cordial
relationship with history and keeps the future related to the present.[2]
Our text is the first verse of
The Revelation of Jesus Christ:
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by
sending his angel to his servant John, Revelation 1.1 (NRSV)
The Style -- A secret code
The style of Revelation is a
secret code. The main thrust of our text
is to help us understand the why, what, how and who of that code.
Why a secret code?
Why is Revelation written in
code? The answer may seem simple, and
less than deeply spiritual. The reason
for the code was to avoid persecution.
In John's day the Roman emperor was Domitian. The emperor was a vile, wicked man, who
started the second great persecution of the Church around AD 90. Domitian sent John into exile on the isle of
Patmos. This little island was one big
rock in the Mediterranean Sea. It was an
"Alcatraz-like" prison quarry in the hillside caves. John was an old man, a Pastor, and he missed
his church family at Ephesus. His only
connection was writing to them, and receiving their letters. It was here God unfolded to John in a vision,
that which would be the future of mankind.
John could not very well write to
the churches, and say, I need to tell you
what a completely vile, wicked and Godless man the emperor, Domitian is turning
out to be. John had more sense than
that. He was an old man, but his brain
was still working! John used a symbol of
a multi-headed beast to represent a ruler who controlled many kingdoms. The code was to avoid persecution back then.
The world was in an awful state
then. We seem to have returned to that
condition. It has been building since
the end of World War II, and the 1947 return of the Jews to Palestine. Consider what three men of note have said
about the climate of our day:
"This world is at the end of
its tether. The end of everything we
call life is close at hand."—H.G. Wells
"We have had our last chance."—General
Douglas Macarthur
"Without a moral
regeneration throughout the world there is no hope for us as we are going to
disappear one day in the dust of an atomic explosion"—Dwight D. Eisenhower
What is the key to the code?
Codes are as old as drawings on
cave walls; as old as brands on cattle.
Picturesque codes are used on everything. Everyone knows you're watching the NBC
network when you see that colorful peacock.
Kids don't buy shoes without the wing (Nike logo). Symbols stick in our minds. John used several symbolic methods. Three are important keys:
a. Numbers
represent attributes...7=holy
6=imperfection 5=penalty 10=completeness 12=wholeness
b. Colors represent
actions/characteristics
black=famine red=war
gold=value white=conqueror
c. Animals represent people
7
headed beast = Domitian Lamb = Christ
How is the Revelation unfolded
Revelation is a drama of 7 acts,
with 7 scenes in each act. One of the
reasons I can say that Revelation is not confusing or complex, is that it is
laid-out in such an orderly manner, it outlines itself and explains itself more
than any other book in Scripture.
·
Act 1 -
Seven church letters Ch 1-3
·
Act 2 -
Seven seals Ch 4 - 8.1
·
Act 3 -
Seven angels with trumpets Ch 8.2 - 10
·
Act 4 -
Conflict of Satan & Christ Ch 11 -
14
·
Act 5 -
Seven angels Ch 15
·
Act 6 -
Seven judgments (bowls of wrath) Ch 16 - 19
·
Act 7 - New
Jerusalem Ch 20 - 22
G. Campbell Morgan suggested only
three divisions,
·
Chapter 1 Jesus' glory unveiled (The person)
·
Chapters 2-3 Jesus' grace unveiled (His church)
·
Chapters
4-22 Jesus' government unveiled (His
kingdom)
However you choose to see the
main divisions of the Revelation, please remember that it is not an unknowable
thing which God has given to confuse the saints. Our text declares that God gave it so Jesus
could show it to us.
God doesn't want us to be ignorant of His plan for our future.
Who is revealed?
Dr. J. Vernon McGee says it
plainly: The major theme of the entire
Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Scriptures are both theocentric and Christocentric. Since Christ is God, He is the One who fills
the horizon of the total Word of God.
This needs to be kept in mind in the Book of Revelation more than in any
other book of the Bible, even more than in the Gospels.[3]
This simply means Jesus is the
message, as well as the One who gives the message to John. He delivers to us a message of hope and
promise and power.
The challenge issued by this book
of judgment and hope is to live victoriously in the present, knowing that
Christ has the future in hand. The
closing words of this book (of all inspired Scripture) include the natural
response to this book:
Even so,
come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22.20b
John Calvin said, Scripture
uniformly enjoins us to look with expectation for the advent of Christ.[4]
Clement, Bishop of Rome in AD 96,
said, Let us every hour expect the kingdom of God...we know not the day.
Ignatius was the Bishop of
Antioch, and the successor to Peter said, Consider the times and expect Him.
When we celebrate holy communion
there is a "veil" covering the table.
When lifted, the symbols of the death of our Lord are unveiled. We see clearly the bread and wine, symbols of
the body and blood of our Lord.
This is more code – an encoded
message only the initiated can understand:
God loves you.
This is mystery – a mystery that
God loves sinners like us enough to die for such as me.
This is revelation – as I bow in
His presence, accept His grace and love it is His nature growing in me which I
see more clearly.
You see, Jesus came to die, to be
raised, to reveal Himself – not to the media, not to the creation at large –
Jesus came to reveal Himself to human hearts – my heart, yours. We are reading the words of this book…the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Alpha and Omega
What is your image of Jesus? In your mind's eye, what does He look
like? A little boy was sitting on the
floor near his father one Sunday afternoon.
He was scribbling with crayons on a piece of paper. His dad asked, What are you doing there, son? The little boy didn't look up, but stated in
an offhand way, I'm drawing a picture of Jesus.
Dad thought he'd seize the moment to teach his young son about God. But son, he began, nobody
really knows what God or Jesus looks like. The boy didn't miss a stroke, They
will when I get done with this picture!
All over the world, Christian
people have their image of Jesus. In
Japan, baby Jesus in a manger has yellow skin, black hair and almond shaped
eyes. In Africa, Jesus has black
skin. In Christian Scandinavian homes
Jesus dolls have snow white hair and fair skin.
(I'm afraid in the US. Jesus is increasingly seen with a $2,000 suit, a
briefcase, driving a BMW 733, talking on His I-phone!)
We all have our own created
visual images of Jesus. While it is
impossible (because of our humanity and our finite minds) to totally put aside
these impressions of what Jesus looks like, let us take time to remember that
"graven images" is the idolatry that is forbidden by the Old
Testament. And creating God in our own
image, even only in our minds, is blasphemy.
We must be extremely careful to worship the Christ of Scripture, the
living Word of God. He alone is
worthy. Let's look at Him this
morning...
The "Amens" From Heaven
Jesus is Faithful
4John to the seven churches that are in
Asia: Grace to you and peace from him
who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are
before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our
sins by his blood, Revelation
1:4-5
Jesus is the "faithful
witness." Faithful means
believable, or reliable. There is
nothing about Jesus that can be doubted when it comes to what He has said about
Himself. His miracles were highly
documented. His most incredible miracle,
resurrection from the dead, was the most fully documented of all the
miracles.
Jesus is Powerful
6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him
be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation
1:6
The resurrection of Jesus took
the kind of power that is only vested in God.
With that power Jesus saves all who come to Him in faith. He makes us righteous, justified -- fit to
stand before God. Only the powerful
Christ can do that!
Jesus is LORD
7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every
eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes
of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
Coming in the clouds is a symbol
of judgment and conquest. This is a
bold, undeniable affirmation of what Jesus said He would do -- come again to
judge the living and the dead. Those
who crucified Jesus, both literally as well as figuratively with our sins, will
see Him face to face. Those who reject
Jesus crucify Him anew. There will be
tremendous judgment when He comes.
Wailing means an extreme expression of grief! Only the LORD God can judge!
Jesus is Eternal
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and
who is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8
Alpha is the first letter of the
Greek alphabet; Omega the last. Jesus is
the beginning of all the Word -- and the end!
He is all. He is the Almighty,
eternal, everlasting God. Don't you want
to break into Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus?" The Amens from Heaven, and...
The Instructions From Heaven
Instructions To John the Witness
9I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and
the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because
of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 1:9
John was imprisoned "for the
Word of God" -- his faithful sharing of Christ got the apostle in
trouble. He was a companion to the
church family in their tribulation. As
the under shepherd at Ephesus, John boldly led his people to proclaim Christ in
that community, and it got him thrown in jail.
It should be that way these
days. I cannot see the future, but I
believe we are living in days when we shall see the beginning of the end. If there is to be trouble for churches in the
immediate future, the Pastor should be the first one arrested. Pray for your Pastor, that I will be strong
in the hour of testing, and faithful to the Word.
Instructions to John the Worshipper
10I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud
voice like a trumpet Revelation 1:10
Notice that it was the Lord's
day. John was a worshipping person. If the church is going to have a clear vision
of Christ, and hear even His great voice in these later days, there will have
to be a greater emphasis on worship in the body of Christ. The New Testament says to not forsake the
assembling of ourselves together -- "...and so much more, as ye see the
day approaching."Folks, the day is approaching -- worship is vital. John worshipped, and he saw Jesus. We need to do that.
Instructions to John the Writer
11saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and
to Laodicea.” Revelation 1:11
Notice that there is a word to
the churches here. It is the Word to the
churches -- the Word, Jesus! If there is
anything a good Pastor can do, it is not to share the latest political poll,
give a cute little amusing talk or
speech. It is not to give inspiration
with perspiration, rattle the rafters with prattle and laughters -- The Pastor
needs to give God's people THE WORD OF GOD -- EVEN JESUS THE LIVING CHRIST!
But, please notice that the Word
is already in the churches.
12Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning
I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands Revelation 1:12, 13a
The candlesticks are the churches
(see v.20). Jesus today stands in the
middle of those churches today. There is
always one more gathered for worship than the ushers can count. Wherever you go, church, Jesus is there. Whatever you do, church, Jesus is in the
midst.
Another translation calls them
"lamps." A lamp or a candle
needs constant replenishment. Oil (in
Scripture) stands for the Holy Spirit of God.
Here, Jesus stands in the midst of the church, lit up by the flame of
His righteousness, fueled by the Holy Spirit of the Living God. We are a light unto the world. We are His message to a lost and dying,
Hell-bound generation. In the midst of
the darkness, Jesus lights the light of righteousness among his people the
church, the lamp of God, and the Holy Spirit cries out Shine, Jesus, Shine!!
Amens from Heaven, Instructions
from Heaven, and...
The Snapshot From Heaven
Here is where the real picture of
Jesus comes into view. There is no room
for our meager imaginations in this.
The Value of Jesus
I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a
golden sash across his chest. Revelation 1:13
Gold stands for value in the
Scripture. Jesus' pure garment that
reaches to the floor is bound up with a belt around His middle -- a golden
belt. That signifies that anything you
get from Jesus is the most valuable possession you have. Everything from God is good, even our
chastisement.
The Victory of Jesus
14His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow;
Revelation 1:14a
White is a symbol of the
conqueror. The head is the ruler of the
body. Jesus is the victorious LORD over
sin, death. He is ruler of all.
The Vision of Jesus
his eyes were like a flame of fire, Revelation 1.14b
The eyes see -- flashing eyes are
a symbol of perfect vision. This is the
Christ who knows all. He sees not only
with clarity, but with perfect insight.
He discerns even the intentions of men.
The Bible says that "...the Word of God is sharper than any
two-edged sword, dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not
manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him
with whom we have to do."
Church, we ought to be very
careful about everything we do. That
thing that we think we do in private is entirely known to Jesus.
The Valuation of Jesus
15his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, Revelation 1:15a
Burning brass is a symbol of
judgment. The Bible declares we are to
judge no one regarding his salvation.
That is the exclusive prerogative of God. Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord...It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God."
We ought to dwell on pleasant
things, such as love, joy, peace, and the other good things of God. However, we must remember that God will
judge. The Word of God declares that "...it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
The Voice of Jesus
and his voice was like the sound of many waters. Revelation 1.15b
The authority of God thunders
like all the Niagara's of the world. One
preacher put it this way: "If
Christ were only man, then he is irrelevant to our thought of God. If he were only God then he is irrelevant to
any experience of human life. It is
becoming devastatingly clear that you cannot have Christian principles without
Christ, and the validity of Christian principles depend on Christ's
authority. His authority depends on who
He is -- and that must be clear."
The Vitality of Jesus
16In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp,
two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. Revelation 1:16
In the right hand -- the hand of
strength -- are the Pastors of the seven churches. From His mouth proceeds the only weapon the
church of God needs, the Word of God.
The complete picture of a victorious, radiant, omniscient, omnipresent,
transcendent, omnipotent God is enough to make one faint dead away...and John
does:
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Revelation 1.17a
What else could John do -- What
else can any mortal do in the presence of God, Almighty? At Southern Seminary each year, they hang a
class picture in the Student Union, of
the graduating class. Under the picture
they use a Bible verse that best characterizes the class. One professor was asked what Bible verse
would be best for the current class. He
took a long look at the students, remembered some of them in class, and said,
"John 11.35 -- 'Jesus wept.'"[5]
We see ourselves as complete
darkness next to the great light of God's shining presence; but, notice what
God does:
The Assurance From Heaven
Divine Touch
But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the
last, Revelation 1:17b
Jesus steps forward and puts the
right hand of strength on the dumbfounded apostle. Literally, the sentence says: "And he added his hands onto
me." Wow -- What an
ordination!! How kind that a God who
could simply speak whole solar systems into being would take the trouble to
move towards one simple man. Yet, that
is what Jesus did -- and that is what Jesus does -- He is always moving towards
us. And the touch of the Master's hand
is all that it takes to totally transform a life, an eternity!
Divine Character Means Omnipotence
18and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever;
and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Revelation 1:18
Omnipotence is all the power that
can be. Jesus is alive. We can never speak of Him in any tense but
the present. He transcends time. His resurrection was done at a point in time
from our perspective...but in Heaven it happened before the foundation of the
world. He is authority over death and
Hell. He has all power!
Divine Character Means Omniscience
19Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after
this. Revelation 1:19
John is getting a tour of the
future. Jesus is about to tell him what
will happen, and what to write about it.
Omniscience means you know where you're going, and can lead others. If my faith in Christ means anything, it
means I serve a God who knows and holds the future. I can trust my life to a God who is
omnipotent, omniscient, and
Divine Character Means Sovereignty
20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and
the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 1:20
God explains the mystery -- Seven
pastors, seven churches. They are held
in the hand of our LORD. It is little
wonder that the theme throughout the history of God's dealings with man is
"fear not!" God, who is
sovereign, has it all in control. He is
the safe place. He knows our
weakness. He will get us home before the
dark.
The thing that always blows me
away, is that this magnificent Jesus, crucified, risen, and now glorified --
this Jesus, magnified by the ten thousands and thousands of thousands of angels
-- this Jesus, adored by heaven and all creation, lives within the heart of a
sinful person like me. And what's more,
He wants me to have what He has. The
Bible says that one day this old, sinful, totally depraved Russell will be no
more -- I shall behold Him, and I shall be like Him. I tell you, only Alpha and Omega can do that.
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