9.1.1b “THE TIME IS NEAR” Pt. 2 in Section 1 of REVELATION: “JESUS CHRIST in the MIDST of the LAMP-STANDS.”

“The Time

is Near”

…

With this background material out of the way,

let us now turn to our text, Revelation chapter 1,

beginning at verse 1.

The opening words of this letter

contain a general summary of the whole book

as well as identifying the nature of what follows:

…

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,

which God Gave Him

to Show His Servants

what

Must Soon Take Place.

He Made It Known

by Sending His Angel

to His Servant John.”

…

This declaration can be taken two ways.

Either this book reveals Jesus Christ

as the main character,

or else Jesus Christ is the source

of all that is about to be revealed to John

through the angel.

 In a sense, both of these are true

because the revelation itself is from Jesus Christ

as well as being about Jesus Christ.

…

The Book of Revelation

is certainly one of the most Christ-centered

in the New Testament.
…

But the primary sense of this declaration

is that although this Revelation concerns Jesus Christ,

it comes from God through the means of an Angel,

and is, in turn, given through the pen of John,

“the servant of the Lord.”

…

He is the one through whom

Jesus Christ is Revealed in the Vision

and symbols that follow.
…

Notice, too, that this Revelation of Jesus Christ

concerns things which

“Must Soon Take Place.”

…

This Assertion

creates a serious problem for “futurists”

since it means that what John is about to Reveal

will concern the entire church age–

these are things which must soon take place–

not just

events located at the End of the Church Age

as Bible prophecy pundits often insist.

…

That John is speaking of the entire Churches Age

in the Book of Revelation

is reinforced by several other important passages

in the New Testament.
…

For one thing, in the Pentecost sermon,

Peter declares that The Last Days

were already At Hand

just fifty days after Christ’s Resurrection

because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

(cf. Acts 2:17).

…

The author of Hebrews likewise states that

The Coming of Christ means

that Christians in the First Century

were already living in The Last Days

(Hebrews 1:2).

…

This means that

The Entire Period of Time

between

The First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ–

“this present evil age,”

as Paul puts it in Galatians 1:4–

are also the

“Last Days.”
…

Therefore, the argument we hear from so many,

that

“the last days” are limited to a period of time

immediately before the Second Coming of Jesus,

is completely unfounded

when we look at the teaching

of the whole of the New Testament.

…

In fact,

when Jesus Christ

Took on Human Flesh,

Lived a Perfect Life,

Died upon a Cross,

Rose Again from the Dead

and

Ascended into Heaven,

Human History

Entered its Final Phase.

…

While the duration of this

Period of Time–

the “Last Days”–

is never Revealed to us,

it is certain that the last days

Began with The First Coming of Jesus Christ

and

Will End at His Second

(Hebrews 1:2; Matthew 13:39).

…

Throughout His Messianic Ministry,

Jesus Warns us

Not to become preoccupied with the Date of His Return,

but instead to Keep Watch,

Eagerly Anticipating His Coming

(cf. Matthew 25:1-30).
…

Therefore, what John is about to Reveal

are things which are Soon to Take Place,

things which concern

The Final Age of Human History,

an Age which

Ends when Jesus Christ Returns

in Great Glory,

to

Judge the World,

Raise the Dead

and

Make all things new.

…

In fact, when John speaks of the “apocalypsis”

(Revelation) of Jesus Christ,

he very likely has in mind

that what is about to be Revealed

is directly connected to earlier Revelation

about

The Last Days in the Old Testament,

especially that found

throughout the Book of Daniel.

…

In his prophecy,

Daniel repeatedly speaks of

“the last days”

in connection to the rise of great empires

and

The Coming of the Son of Man.
…

When John says that the things he will Reveal

Must Soon Take Place,

he has in mind those things Daniel foretold,

which were already coming to pass

when John Reveals his Apocalyptic Vision.

…

Indeed, there is a direct connection made

throughout the New Testament

between

The First Advent of Jesus Christ,

The Dawn of the Messianic Age,

and

“The Last Days,”

because these things

Fulfill the expectations of Israel’s Prophets

regarding The End of the Age.

…

In the light of the Coming of Jesus Christ,

John will Reveal

those things Daniel could Reveal

only through the types and shadows

of the Pre-Messianic Era ( of Jesus Christ ).
…
This connection between the apostle John

and the prophet Daniel

can be seen in our Old Testament lesson.

…

As Daniel’s prophecy came to a close,

Daniel is told that his own prophecy

is being sealed until a later time.

…

In Daniel 12, we find this declaration:

“At that time,”

that is, at the end of the age,

“Michael,

The Great Prince

Who Protects your People,

Will Arise.”

…

Michael is the Name

of the Valiant Angelic Warrior

of Jesus Christ.

…

At the end,

“there will be a time of distress

such as has not happened

from the beginning of Nations until then.

But at that time your people—

everyone whose name

is Found Written in the Book—

will be delivered.

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth

Will Awake:

some to Everlasting Life,

others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Those who are Wise Will Shine

like the Brightness of the Heavens,

and

those who Lead many to Righteousness,

like the stars Forever and Ever.”
…

Daniel is not only speaking of the end of the age and the bodily resurrection which accompanies the
return of Jesus Christ, he also speaks of a time of unprecedented tribulation which precedes these events.
This is the so-called “great tribulation” which Daniel connects to the resurrection, but which John reveals
to be that entire period of time between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ (cf.. Revelation
7:14) While Daniel speaks in general terms of a horrible distress, John will describe the nature of this
great tribulation through a series of visions and apocalyptic symbols. As we will see, it is the dragon, the
beast and the harlot who bring about the distress of which Daniel foretold. John’s vision describes
Satan’s final struggle before he is crushed by Jesus Christ and hurled into the lake of fire on that great
and glorious day when our Lord returns with the hosts of heaven to destroy all of his enemies with a final
judgment. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, which explains why Daniel connects this to the resurrection.
It is what follows which connects John’s vision directly to Daniel’s prophecy. In Daniel 12:4, Daniel
writes, “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go
here and there to increase knowledge.” That prophecy which Daniel was ordered to seal up until the
end, is now unsealed–after what appears to be a reference to the general advance of civilization–and
revealed by the angel to John. The Lord himself says to Daniel in verses 9-10 of his prophecy: “Go your
way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified,
made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will
understand, but those who are wise will understand.” Not only will Daniel’s prophecy be sealed until
the time of the end when Christ comes to fulfill all righteousness and lay down his life for his own, but
these things will be intelligible only when viewed through the eyes of faith. As Jesus said, the course of
this age will be very much like the days of Noah. People will go about their business all the while
scoffing at the gospel. But a sure and certain judgment will come upon the world when people least
expect it (cf. Matthew 24:36-42). It was also Jesus who said that unless God grants us understanding of
these things, they will remain a mystery. Daniel foretold of this but his vision was sealed. John now
unveils that which was sealed.
In verses 2-3, John moves on from speaking of the content and the manner of this revelation of Jesus, to
his own trustworthiness as a reporter of the things he has seen in this vision. It is John, the servant of the
Lord, who “testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
And it is John’s reader who will be blessed by receiving this book’s testimony of Jesus Christ, which is
the word of God. Says John: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are
those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
As we have seen throughout our earlier series on redemptive history, the entire redemptive drama unfolds
against the backdrop of a covenant of works, and the works-principle of blessing for obedience and curse
for disobedience. With the time of distress being at hand, John now pronounces a blessing upon all who
read the words of this prophecy–for these words are the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The blessing extends to those who hear these words and who take them to heart, because the time is near.
Since Revelation was a circular letter intended to be read aloud in the seven churches to which it is
addressed, John may mean “hearing” here in the ordinary sense of “hearing” this letter as it is read aloud.
But given the stress upon taking what is heard to heart, “hearing” is probably used in the sense of hearing
not merely as listening to the words, but truly believing what was heard and taking comfort from the
testimony of Jesus Christ which is being revealed. If we believe what we hear and take it to heart, there
is a great blessing in this book for Christ’s church.

This is the first of seven “beatitudes,” or “blessings” found in this prophecy. Numbers used in
Revelation are never accidental or coincidental. They are symbols which point to something else.
Throughout the Scriptures, seven is the number of completeness or perfection.9 The seven blessings in
Revelation are connected to believing and hearing (chapter 1), to being faithful unto death in chapter 14,
to being ready for the Lord’s coming (chapter 16), to receiving rest from our labors (chapter 14), to
responding to the invitation to the marriage supper (chapter 19), to participating in the first resurrection,
(chapter 20), to finally being granted the right to eat from tree of life and enter the new Jerusalem
(chapter 22). Therefore, anyone who hears these words of this prophecy and responds in faith to all
seven of these promised blessings of God, will have the reward of eternal life and victory over death, rest
from our labors, and will dwell in the city of God. In other words, they will receive their seven-fold
inheritance that is ours in Christ (completeness), and obtain every blessing that God has for his people
(perfection).
As we hear John’s words in the Book of Revelation throughout this series, let us continue to respond to
the Savior whose testimony they reveal to us, by taking every word to heart. For God promises us a great
blessing if we do so. In this book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, we have the sure and certain testimony
of that one who gave himself for us and who conquered death and the grave so that we may ever be
victorious. That same Jesus whose testimony is given in this vision, will indeed bless all those who hear
these words and take them to heart.
As we read in Revelation 22:12-13, 20: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will
give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.” He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Beloved, in the name of Jesus Christ, take these wonderful words to heart, for the time is near. Amen!

 

 

9.1.1a “THE TIME IS NEAR” Pt. 1 in Section 1 of REVELATION Chapter 1:1 – 3:22 / “JESUS CHRIST in the MIDST of the LAMP-STANDS.”

“The Time is Near”

…..

Sermons on the Book of Revelation # 1

Overview of Revelation by Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Texts: Revelation 1:1-3; Daniel 12:1-13
__________________________________

Revelation 1: Prologue.

A separate introductory section

that leads to The Revelation of Jesus Christ

throughout The Present Age of His Churches.

Revelation 1:1-3

…

1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,

which God Gave to Him,

to Show to His Servants

Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass;

and

He Sent and Signified It by His Angel

to His Servant John:

…

2 “Who Bore Record of the Word of God,

and

of The Testimony of Jesus Christ,

and

of All Things that he saw.

…

3 “Blessed is he that reads,

and

they that Hear

The Words of This Prophecy,

and

Keep Those Things

which are Written therein:

because

The Time

is at Hand.”

…

 

Michael’s Deliverance

and

The End Times.

Daniel 12:1-13;

…

1 “And at that Time

shall Michael Stand Up,

the Great Prince

which Stands

for the Children of your People:

and

there Will be a Time of Trouble,

such as never was

since there was a Nation

even to that same Time:

and

at that Time your People

Will be Delivered,

every one that shall be found

written in the book.

…

2 “And many of them

that sleep in the dust of the Earth

Will Awake,

some to Everlasting Life,

and

some to shame

and Everlasting Contempt.

…

3 “And they that Be Wise

Will Shine

as the Brightness of the Firmament;

and

they that Turn many to Righteousness

as the Stars Forever and Ever.

…

4 “But you, O Daniel,

Shut Up The Words,

and

Seal the Book,

even to The Time of the End:

many Will run to and fro,

and

knowledge will be increased.

…

5 “Then I Daniel looked, and, behold,

there stood other two,

the one

on this side of the bank of the river,

and the other

on that side of the bank of the river.

…

6 “And one said to the man clothed in linen,

which was on the waters of the river,

How long will it be

to the end of these Wonders?

…

7 “And I heard the man clothed in linen,

which was on the waters of the river,

when he held up his right hand

and his left hand to heaven,

and

Swore by Him that Lives Forever

that it Will be

for a Time, Times, and an Half;

and when He Will Have Accomplished

to Scatter the power of the Holy People,

all these things Will be Finished.

…

8 “And I heard, but I understood not:

then said I, O my Lord,

what Will Be the End of these things?

…

9 “And he said, Go your way, Daniel:

for the Words are Closed Up

and Sealed till The Time of The End.

…

10 “Many Will Be Purified,

and Made White,

and Tried;

but the wicked will do wickedly:

and

none of the wicked will understand;

but the Wise Will Understand.

…

11 “And from The Time

that the Daily Sacrifice

Will be Taken Away,

and

the Abomination

that Makes Desolate Set Up,

there Will be

a Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Days.

…

12 “Blessed is he that waits,

and comes

to the Thousand Three Hundred

and Five and Thirty Days.

…

13 “But go you your way

till the End Be:

for you will rest,

and

stand in your lot

at

The End

of the Days.”

…

No book of the Bible

has captured

people’s imaginations

–both positively and negatively–

as has

The Book of Revelation.

…

From frightening depictions

of the white horse and its Rider

Administering Divine Wrath

upon the Nations of the Earth,

to the image of a multi-headed Dragon

who persecutes the Lord’s churches,

to an evil beast

who wages war upon the saints,

to the seductress

who dwells in the great city of man

and

who has prostituted herself

with the merchants of the world,

to John’s description of Jesus

in His Post-Ascension Glory,

The Book of Revelation

stirs us

like no other book of the Bible.

…

Some find these scenes frightening.

…

Some find them confusing.

…

Sadly, some avoid the book altogether.

…

Far too many have seen this book

as a springboard to fanciful

and wild speculation.

…

Despite such a dubious reputation,
Revelation is a Comforting

and

Pastoral Book

and there is much here

for the people of God,

especially in a time of uncertainty

such as our own.
…

We begin a new series

on the Book of Revelation.

…

When I begin to preach

through a book of the Bible,

I like to jump right in and get started.

…

But that’s not possible

with a book like Revelation.

…

There is so much confusion

about the way in which this book

is to be interpreted

that in order to avoid

adding to that confusion,

we will spend a fair bit of time

on background material

before we tackle

the first three verses of the book,

known as “The Prologue.”

…

Even John Calvin,

the father of the modern science

of biblical studies,

is often quoted as saying

that he

did not write a commentary on Revelation

because he did not think

he understood Revelation well enough

to comment in detail.

…

Whether Calvin actually said this or not,

it is a shame that more commentators

did not take this advice!
…

That being said,

this is one book of the Bible

where recent studies in first century literature

can give us a great deal of help

in understanding the nature of this book

and the meaning of the symbols found throughout.

…

We really do know a great deal more

about Apocalyptic Literature now

than we did even thirty years ago.

…

This explains why it is

that so many outstanding commentaries

and studies on Revelation

have been published of late.

…

Whereas twenty years ago,

Reformed pastors had but one

trustworthy commentary on Revelation

(William Hendricksen’s venerable,

More Than Conquerors)

there are now at least five major commentaries

or studies ranging from basic guides

for the first time reader,

to exhaustive studies

numbering a thousand pages or more.

…

It is my prayer that whatever uncertainty

and apprehension you may have

about studying this book

will give way to a confident sense of understanding.
…

Simply put,

Revelation is a Book

about Jesus Christ’s Victory over Satan

and all  his ( Satan’s ) allies,

as John describes

The Redemptive Drama on Earth

from a Heavenly Perspective.

…

1 According to the best internal and external evidence,

The Book of Revelation

was written by John, the Apostle

and the author of our Gospel and three Epistles,

during his captivity on the Island of Patmos

some time in the mid-nineties of the first century.

1 Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, 7.

…

2 Revelation is the last book to be written

included in the canon of the New Testament.

2 A comprehensive discussion of this

can be found in; Beale, The Book of Revelation, 4-36.

…

In many ways,

Revelation is the most practical book

of the entire New Testament

since it is specifically written to Christians

who live in the post-apostolic age.

…

This means that the symbols and visions we find here

are meant for us.

Therefore, we must make every effort to interpret them correctly

and apply them to our present context.

When we worked our way through the Book of Exodus

(in a previous series)

and studied Israel’s journey through the wilderness,

it was easy to think,

“well, this is interesting,

but how does it impact my life?”
…

But when John

uses symbols throughout the Book of Revelation

drawn directly from the Exodus account,

he now applies them directly to Christ’s church.

As members of that church,

we are the people Wandering through the Wilderness,

Sustained by The Living Bread from Heaven,

Fully Dependent upon the Living Water

to Quench our thirst,

while always living under the constant threat of attack

from God’s enemies.

Nevertheless, we have the certain knowledge that

God Will Fulfill

All of His Covenant Promises

Made to His People.

…

Nothing that Satan can do will ever stay God’s Mighty Hand.

As we will soon see,

the symbols and images in Revelation describe a conflict

in which God Calls us to participate as combatants.

This is why we must attempt to understand these symbols correctly,

thereby lifting the veil of mystery

which continues to shroud this great book.
…

The Apocalypse of John, as it is known,

contains a combination of literary forms.

First, Revelation is a letter (an epistle), written by John

and sent to the seven churches

scattered throughout Asia Minor and
which are mentioned by name in chapters 2-3.

…

But this book is certainly not an ordinary letter!

Even though Revelation takes the literary form of an epistle,

the content of this letter is what is known as “apocalyptic,”

a literary genre utilizing visions and highly symbolic language

to depict the cosmic struggle between God and Satan.3

3 See the discussions of this in: Bauckham,

The Climax of Prophecy and Beale,

The Book of Revelation, 50-69.
…

In apocalyptic literature the symbols

are never intended to be taken literally

–a mistake

that far too many “interpreters” of this book have made.

Instead, they ( the symbols ) are to be interpreted

through the lens of both the Old Testament

and John’s own age

(the later years of the first century)

and historical situation

(the increasing persecution of the church

in Asia Minor).
…

John writes against the backdrop of the Roman empire

with its imperial cult (emperor worship),

and with Rome’s massive military

and political influence upon all aspects of life

always lurking in the background.

…

The evil visage of the emperor Nero

is inescapable in the Book of Revelation.

Nero, who lived in the 60’s of the first century,

was at first ambivalent towards Christianity,

but later unleashed a savage attack upon the church,

burning Christians as human torches in his private garden,

feeding them to lions and wild beasts in the Coliseum,

as well as putting to death both Paul and Peter.

…

For John, Nero Caesar is evil incarnate,

the historical reference point

for all of those enemies of Christ

who come after him.
…

But the primary key

to interpreting the symbols in Revelation correctly

is the Old Testament.

…

The Book of Revelation is very much

like the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah,

which also make use of similar apocalyptic symbols.

…

Most of those who heard the Book of Revelation

when it was read in the churches

to whom it was addressed,

were probably able to

immediately connect the symbols and images

John uses to those Old Testament passages

from which they are drawn.

…

But since we are two thousand years removed

from the original context,

and not Jews steeped in the Torah

and Jewish apocalyptic writings,

we will have to do some work

to keep such a background in mind.

…

This means that in many ways

The Book of Revelation

is a Divinely-Inspired Commentary

on those Old Testament themes

which were not completely fulfilled

by the first Advent of Jesus Christ.

…

To interpret this book correctly, then,

we will look to the Old Testament

to find the meaning of the symbols used by John.

…

It is John who explains to us

what the Old Testament Prophets meant

in the Greater Light of the Coming of Jesus Christ

and the Messianic Age.
…

Therefore, as we try and interpret these symbols

drawn from the Old Testament,

let us not make the mistake

of seeing the conflict they depict

as a struggle between good and evil

as though these were two equal poles

fighting for supremacy.

…

No!

Satan struggles against the Kingdom of God

throughout the Book of Revelation

as an already defeated foe

(cf. Colossians 2;13-15).

…

The final outcome is never in doubt.

…

In fact, since Revelation was written

after the First Coming of Christ

and

The Inauguration of His Messianic Kingdom,

we must understand that John’s vision

presupposes that

Satan’s head was already crushed

by Christ at Calvary

and that

Satan’s final defeat

is Rendered Certain

by Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead.
…

But make no mistake about it,

the images of conflict which are depicted

through the lens of Apocalyptic Symbols and Images

are that of a real conflict

in which the people of God will suffer greatly

at the hands of the devil.

…

Having been defeated by Christ’s cross

and empty tomb,

Satan is portrayed as a wounded animal,

certain to die,

but utterly vicious and irrational in his anger

before The End finally comes.

…

Satan wages war upon the saints, but he cannot defeat them.

When he kills them, they come to Life and Reign with Christ.

Indeed, this is a conflict in which the final outcome is never,

never, in doubt.

…

If you take nothing else from this series of sermons,

take this with you:

God Wins Decisively

in the End !
…

The Book of Revelation is not only

a letter filled with Apocalyptic Visions,

it also contains Predictive Prophecy

in which certain future events are foretold

well in advance.

…

Yet, while there are some elements of Predictive Prophecy

in this great book,

it is wrong to look at Revelation

as though it were simply

“history before it is written,”

as some have described it.

To do this is to confuse John with Nostradamus.
…

John is not writing this letter to tell us

about the minute details of future events.

Rather,

John is writing to tell us about

Jesus Christ’s

Ultimate Triumph over sin and Death

as the final chapters of Redemptive History

Draw to a Close.

…

Therefore, we should view

the Prophetic elements of Revelation

in service of Redemptive History,

and not just as sensational information

given to titillate the curious.
…

There are four major “approaches”

to “interpreting” the Book of Revelation.4

4 These are summarized in Beale,

The Book of Revelation, 44-49.

…

The one with which most of

you are familiar is

the futurist view,

which holds that most of what is written

here remains yet to be fulfilled in the days

immediately before our Lord’s return.

…

This explains why it is that people who hold this view

(like Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye)

spend so much of their time and energy

trying to tie the symbols in the Book of Revelation

to current events.

…

As many of you know, many evangelical churches

and ministries devote themselves to “explaining” every tragedy

and political crisis directly from the pages of Revelation.

…

But if you are expecting me to do the same

you’ll be very disappointed.

I am not going to “identify” the Antichrist,

“predict the date” of our Lord’s return,

or explain the roles of America

and Israel in Biblical Prophecy.

…

Instead,

I will be talking about what John talks about

= Jesus Christ’s Certain Victory

over all of His enemies.
…

Another view–

which is gaining acceptance among Reformed Christians

–is preterism.

…

This “view” holds that Revelation was written

before the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70

and that much of what we find in the Book of Revelation

was fulfilled when the Roman army

sacked Jerusalem in A. D. 70,

destroying the Temple and dispersing surviving Jews

throughout the Mediterranean world.

…

Preterists make the opposite error as do the futurists.

…

Instead of treating this book as though

it deals with future events,

preterists treat Revelation as though it is largely historical

and that most everything written here

has already taken place,

with the possible exception of Christ’s Second Coming

and The Resurrection,

a view taken by so-called partial preterists

like R. C. Sproul and Ken Gentry.5

5 See R. C. Sproul,

The Last Days According to Jesus (Baker);

Ken Gentry, The Beast of Revelation (ICE).

…

This is very problematic because it reduces Revelation

to a mere historical record,

robbing the book of its Apocalyptic Character

and

eliminating John’s stress upon Christ’s Final

and Eschatological ( End of Time ) Victory

when

He Returns in Judgment

to Raise the Dead

and

Make All Things New

on The

“Last Day.”
…

A third “view” is one which has been widely held

by historic Protestants and is known as historicism.
…

Though few still hold it today,

this view sees the book of Revelation

as a kind of historical map

which plots the history of Christ’s church

from the Apostolic Age unto the time of the Reformation.

…

Proponents of this view usually identify the Harlot of Babylon

in Revelation 18 with the papacy and the Roman church,

a view which has been elevated to confessional status

by the Westminster Confession.

Although the papacy may indeed

be a part of the anti-Christian opposition

to the preaching of the Gospel,

this view does not comport well

with the nature of apocalyptic literature,

which depicts not specific events

but

general patterns of a re-occurring conflict

between Christ and Satan

which culminates

in a Final Eschatological Battle.
…

A fourth view is called idealism,

a modified form of which

I will be presenting

throughout this series.
…

This view emphasizes the apocalyptic nature

of the book

and understands the various visions

throughout Revelation

as depictions of the struggle

which takes place

during the entire Period of Time

between the First

and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

…

Each Vision is describing the same period of time

but from a different perspective or vantage point,

each Vision with a different theological theme or emphasis.

…

As Dennis Johnson

from Westminster Seminary California puts it,

each of these visions is like looking at the same scene

from a different camera angle.6

6 See Johnson,

The Triumph of the Lamb.

…

This means that we must not see Revelation

as depicting strictly future or historical events.

…

Nor does Revelation exhaustively map out

the history of the church age.

…

Instead, we must see the visions

and symbols in them

as pictures of the on-going struggle

between

Christ and Satan and his agents,

the Beast and the Dragon,

a struggle which Christ

Will Inevitably Win

on behalf of His People.

…

This is the way

Apocalyptic Literature works.
…

Being Washed in Jesus Christ’s Blood is The Supreme Manifestation of GOD’S LOVE.

Washed In

JESUS’ Blood

True Worshipers of God

Praise Him for Cleansing

in Jesus Christ’s Blood

ADAPTED FROM

A Sermon by Rosco Brong

*****

 

      “To Him that Loved us,

and Washed us from our sins

in His Own Blood,

and has Made us Kings

and Priests to God and His Father;

to Him be Glory and Dominion

For Ever and Ever.

Amen.”

(Revelation 1:5, 6.)

***

      The last book of the Bible,

THE BOOK of REVELATION

Glorifies the Blood of Jesus Christ

and pronounces a fearful curse on any man

that adds to or takes from God’s Holy Word.

***

“For I testify to every man

that hears the Words

of the Prophecy of this Book,

***

If any man adds to these things,

God will Add to him the Plagues

that are Written in this Book:

***

And if any man takes away

from the Words of the Book of this Prophecy

God will take away his part

out of the Book of Life,

and out of the Holy City,

and from the things

which are Written in this Book.”

(Revelation 22:18, 19.)

***

INDIVIDUAL SOULS of MANKIND

WHO DESPISE Jesus Christ’s Bloody Sacrifice of Himself

for the sins of His people

will bear their own Judgment according to GOD’S Word,

but if we Know Him in the Forgiveness of sins

we must join with the inspired apostle

in singing Eternal Praises to JESUS

for His Cleansing Blood.

***

JESUS

LOVED US    

  “To Him that Loved us.”

Some old manuscripts have the present participle here,

so that we can read

GOD’S EXPRESSION to us, here, as:

“To Him that Loves us.”

***

AND, Of course,

“INSPIRATION DOES NOT ALWAYS

‘RUN in the SAME SET of TRACKS”

(i.e., Moses came down from God

with Tablets of Stone,

which WERE IN SOME LANGUAGE

YET, WE KNOW GOD TOLD US,

“DO NOT MURDER”, etc.,

AS GOD’S DIRECTLY INSPIRED

COMMAND TO US, TODAY, ALSO. )

***

SO, it is true either way,

as God has Loved His people

“with an Everlasting Love”.

(Jeremiah 31:3.)

Yet the past tense is very appropriate to the context,

and is less liable to the “perversions of subjective religion”.

***

     JESUS Loved us before we had any existence

except in His Own Mind and Purpose,

for GOD’S ETERNALLY GIVING GRACE

“was Given us in Christ Jesus

before the World Began,”

or, more literally,

“before times of eons.”

(II Timothy 1:9.)

***

     Our text, however,

relates Christ’s Love

to the Entire Cleansing Power of His Blood.

***

JESUS’ Offering of Himself

on the Cross to Bear our sins in His Own Body

was the Supreme Manifestation of His Love,

and no doubt this is the primary meaning of these words,

“To Him that Loved us.”

***

God Commended His Love Toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners,

Christ Died for us.”

(Romans 5:8.)

***

“By this we perceive the Love of God,

because He Laid Down His Life for us.”

(I John. 3:16.)

***

Yes, GOD Loved us when we were unlovely,

unloving, and unlovable;

and so we can be sure

that He will Continue to Love us

as He teaches us to Love Him

and Recreates us in the Image of Himself.

***

JESUS

WASHED US

 “And Washed us”

***

So we were dirty.

This is the Awful Truth

that self-righteous sinners balk at confessing.

***

But God is of Purer Eyes than to Behold evil,

and Cannot Look on iniquity.

“You Are of Purer Eyes than to Behold evil,

and Can Not Look on iniquity:

therefore You look  on them

that deal treacherously,

and Hold Your Tongue

when the wicked devours the man

that is more righteous than he?”

(Habakkuk 1:13.)

***

If we were Ever

to be Acceptable in GOD’S Sight,

we had to be Cleansed Up.

***

     Moreover, only the Power of God could Wash us Clean.

All human efforts fail, and man at his best is still only vanity.

The supposed good works of the self righteous

are vile in the Sight of God, for:

“all our righteousness’s

are as filthy rags.”

(Isaiah 64:6.)

***

All sin is In the CREATED HUMAN Creature,

and All the Power of Cleansing is in the Creator.

***

      Some old manuscripts read,

“and loosed us.”

The English words do not look alike,

but in Greek there is a difference

of only one letter in spelling

and the pronunciation is practically the same.

There is no vital difference in meaning:

“loosed” calls attention to the bondage of sin,

which also is Scriptural Truth.

      I prefer the reading “Washed,”

which has better manuscript authority

and is in accord with the Usual Expressions of Scripture.

If we have Trusted the same Savior that John knew,

He Washed us.

***

FROM

OUR SINS

“Washed us from our sins.”

No mention here of anybody Else’s sins,

but of OUR sins.

*

No mention here of Adam’s sin,

but of our OWN sins.

*

Adam’s sin is discussed elsewhere in the Bible,

and Christ’s Atonement Covers it;

HOWEVER,

before THE JUDGMENT SEAT of GOD,

  the Responsibility of THE SINS

COMMITTED AGAINST GOD

by Adam’s descendants

is not Adam’s Responsibility

but the Responsibility

of EACH INDIVIDUAL SINNER.

***

      Beware, IF YOU WOULD,

of half-baked preaching

which so magnifies the sin of Adam

as to excuse the sins

of ADAM’S descendants.

***

In all honesty, you cannot repent for Adam,

nor are you commanded to do so:

even if some preachers are confused,

God Knows that you are not to be blamed

for Adam’s sin.

***

You are Commanded to Repent for yourself,

and by God’s Grace you can

and must REPENT.

***

     Our sins, our own sins, only our own sins,

can separate between us and our God.

(Isaiah 59:2.)

***

These are OUR sins

from which we need Cleansing;

these are OUR sins

from which JESUS

has Washed us.

***

IN HIS

OWN BLOOD

 “To Him that Loved us,

and Washed us from our sins

in His Own Blood.”

***

It was;

“not possible that the blood of bulls

and of goats should take away sins.”

(Hebrews 10:4.)

***

And of mere human beings,

“None can by any means

redeem his brother,

nor give to God a ransom for him.”

(Psalm 49:7.)

***

Only the precious blood

of the Son of God,

the Lamb Slain

from the Foundation of the World,

could Accomplish this Cleansing.

***

     When did JESUS Wash us

from our sins in His Own Blood?

***

Some people are confused on this question,

but there is no need of confusion.

The washing was in the Purpose of God from Eternity;

***

WE SEE THIS in REVELATION 13:8,

after LOST MEN are DESCRIBED

WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST

and THE DRAGON; SATAN:

in REVELATION 13:3-7;

***

“all the ( LOST ) world wondered after the beast. 

And they worshiped the dragon

which gave power to the beast:

***

and they worshiped the beast, saying,

Who is like the beast?

who is able to make war with him?

***

And there was given to him

a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;

and power was given to him

to continue forty and two months.

***

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,

to blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle,

and them that dwell in Heaven.

***

And it was given to him

to make war with the saints,

and to overcome them:

and power was given him

over all kindred, and tongues, and nations.

***

“And all that dwell on the Earth

will Worship Him,

whose names are not Written

in the Book of Life

of the Lamb Slain from

the Foundation of the World.”

(Revelation 13:8),

***

  JESUS BLOOD

was actually Shed at Calvary

nearly 21 centuries ago.

***

All this was long before you and I were born,

yet we were in the Mind of God.

In personal application,

we were Legally Washed from our sins

when we first came to Trust

in JESUS Precious Blood.

***

“For all have sinned,

and come short of the Glory of God;

Being Justified Freely by His Grace

through the Redemption

that is in Christ Jesus:

***

Whom God has set forth to be a Propitiation

through Faith in His Blood,

to Declare His Righteousness

for the Remission of sins that are past,

through the Forbearance of God;

***

To declare, I say,

at this time His Righteousness:

that He might be Just,

and the Justifier of him

which Believes in Jesus.”

(Romans 3:23-26.)

***

     Now, this Legal Cleansing

at the Beginning of our Christian experience

Is Once for All, Perfect and Eternal,

with no need or possibility of loss or improvement.

***

JESUS

“Washed us from our sins

in His Own Blood,”

***

As far as

Eternal Judgment is concerned,

that is it.

***

 JESUS’

CONTINUED

CLEANSING

     Legal relationship, however,

is not the same thing

as Spiritual Fellowship.

***

As children of God, we need to maintain

(or, when we lose it, to regain) Fellowship

with our Heavenly Father.

***

Maintaining Spiritual Fellowship

with The GOD of The Universe

calls for the Cleansing Power

of the Blood of Jesus Christ,

not now for Justification,

but for Sanctification:

     “If we keep on walking in the Light,

as He is in the Light,

we have Fellowship with one another,

***

and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son

Keeps On Cleansing us

From all sin.”

(I John 1:7.)

***

This is Maintaining Fellowship

by walking in the Light.

Since none of us walks without stumbling:

***

“For in many things we offend all.

If any man offend not in word,

the same is a perfect man,

and able also to bridle the whole body”

(James 3:2),

***

God tells us

how to regain that Fellowship

( WHICH IS STILL

by Virtue of JESUS Blood):

***

      “If we keep on confessing our sins,

He is Faithful

and Just to Forgive us our sins,

and to Cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.”

(I John 1:9.)

***

GOD is Faithful

in this Forgiveness and Cleansing

because it is According to His Word,

and He is Just in it because

OUR FORGIVENESS

by GOD

is upon the Merits

of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

*** 

JESUS’ KINGS

AND PRIESTS

     “And has Made us Kings

and Priests to God

and His Father.”

***

The tense of the verb is Greek aorist,

and the meaning is that JESUS Made us Kings

and Priests at the same time

that He Manifested His Love to us

by Washing us from our sins

in His Own Blood.

***

Here also, Provision is one thing

and Experience is another.

***

While we LOOK FORWARD

to Eternal Glory with JESUS;

***

We ought to rejoice now

in our position with the King of kings:

***

AND SERVE AND REIGN

in JESUS PRESENT KINGDOM on EARTH,

DURING the CURRENT AGE of CHURCHES

as JESUS’ KINGS and PRIESTS:

***

“You are a Chosen Generation,

a Royal Priesthood, an Holy Nation,

a Peculiar People;

***

that you should show forth

the Praises of Him Who hath Called you

out of darkness into His Marvelous Light.”

(I Peter 2:9.)

***

     “Our Great King Endured Suffering for us

before Ascending to His Father’s Throne,

and “if we suffer,

we will also Reign with Him.”

(II Timothy 2:12.)

***

“His Spirit within Bears Witness

that we are God’s children,

***

“and if children then Heirs; Heirs of God,

and Joint-Heirs with Christ;

if so be that we suffer with Him,

that we may be also Glorified Together.”

(Romans 8:17.)

***

     “Our High Priest

has Opened the Way for us

to the Throne of Grace

in the Holy Places of Heaven,

***

so that we have no need of any other Priest,

but can for ourselves

“draw near with a true heart

in Full Assurance of Faith.”

(Hebrews 10:19-22.)

*****

TO JESUS

THE GLORY

     “To Him be Glory and Dominion

For Ever and Ever. Amen.”

***

Of course,

All Glory and Dominion

For Ever and Ever,

Rightfully Belongs to Him,

***

and if He has Washed us from our sins

in His Own Blood,

we will rejoice to see His enemies

be Made His Footstool.

***

We should rejoice in

All JESUS’ Glory and Dominion

even if we did not have a share in His glory,

but as we Receive His Rewards for Faithful Service

we shall rejoice the more.

***

     “Can you join with John

and with all the saints of God

in Praising the Jesus Christ

***

“that Loved us, and Washed us

from our sins in His Own Blood,

and has Made us Kings

and Priests to God

and His Father,”

***

and desire with all our heart that

 JESUS Will have Glory

and Dominion For Ever !

***

     This Joy and this Testimony

can be yours through Faith

in His blood.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law

there will be no flesh be Justified

in His Sight:

***

for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the Righteousness of God

without the Law is Manifested,

being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets;

***

Even the Righteousness of God

which is by Faith of Jesus Christ

to all and on all them that Believe:

for there is no difference:

***

For all have sinned,

and come short of the Glory of God;

Being Justified Freely by His Grace

through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

***

Whom God has Set Forth

to be a Propitiation through Faith in

  His Blood,

to Declare His Righteousness

for the Remission of sins that are past,

through the Forbearance of God;

***

To Declare, I say, at this time His Righteousness:

that He might be Just,

and the Justifier of him

which Believes in Jesus.

***

Where is boasting then?

It is excluded.

***

By what law? of works?

No: but by the Law of Faith.

***

Therefore we conclude that

a man is Justified by Faith

without the deeds of the Law.”

(Romans 3:20-28.)

*****

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 7; Judgment Day will Occur at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The BOOK of REVELATION

Chapter 1, Verse 7

“Behold He comes with the clouds;

and every eye will see Him,

and they that pierced Him;

and all the tribes of the earth

shall mourn over Him.

Even so.

Amen.”

***

WHILE, JESUS’ CONCERN for THE COMFORT of HIS CHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE AGE of HIS CHURCHES is the MOST SIGNIFICANT TOPIC in the BOOK of REVELATION;

Judgment Day is a major topic of Revelation.

***

  A great deal of The Book Of Revelation

relates to the Final Judgment,

and is an event mentioned at least seven times

in this BOOK of REVELATION Prophecy;

HOWEVER THESE SEVEN MENTIONS of JUDGEMENT

are not seven different kinds or occasions of Judgment,

there WILL BE ONLY ONE JUDGMENT DAY.

***

JUDGEMENT DAY is the Final and Awesome Event

that will conclude AND BRING to an END

the Administration of

The NEW TESTAMENT COVENANT of Grace *,

by The TRIUNE GODHEAD and is THE EVENT AT WHICH

we will witness the Resurrection of the Dead

and the Assignment of every man’s destiny,

and JESUS Bringing the Redeemed

into their Eternal Habitation in HEAVEN.

* Please see: ( 5. ) The GODHEAD’S EVERLASTING PLAN

and COVENANT of ETERNAL SALVATION

EXHIBITED from GENESIS to REVELATION.

***

The Efficient Cause

of THE EVERLASTING COVENANT of GRACE

is God:

***

The Covenant

OR “AGREEMENT” of GOD EXTENDING ETERNAL GIVING Grace,

in its Original Constitution Planned in Eternity,

is of God,

***

and therefore THE EVERLASTING COVENANT of GRACE

is called His Covenant,

being made by THE ETERNAL GODHEAD;

***

“I have Made a Covenant

–My Covenant I Will Not Break”,

Psalms 89:3 & 34

***

Whenever any Exhibition or Manifestation of this Covenant was made to any of the patriarchs,

as to Abraham, David, etc. it is Ascribed to God,

***

“I Will Make My Covenant

–He Has Made with me

an Everlasting Covenant”

(Genesis 17:2; 2 Samuel 23:5)

***

The New Covenant,or New Administration of

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT of GRACE,

runs in this form:

***

“I Will Make a New Covenant”

(Hebrews 8:8).

***

This “NEW COVENANT”

“Age OF Jesus Churches”

PERIOD OF TIME

Made by GOD,

WHICH HAS LASTED

from NEW TESTAMENT  TIMES

until NOW,

WILL BE OVER

WHEN JESUS RETURNS.

***

Judgment Day 

will occur

at the Second Advent

of Jesus Christ our Lord.

***

“Behold He comes with the clouds …”

 

These words in The BOOK of REVELATION 1: 7

apply to the Second Advent,

as in Acts 1:9-11;

“And when He had Spoken these things,

while they beheld, He was Taken Up;

and a cloud Received Him out of their sight.

And while they looked

stedfastly toward Heaven

as he went up, behold,

two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said,

“You men of Galilee,

why do you stand gazing up into Heaven?

this same Jesus,

which is Taken Up from you into Heaven,

will so Come in Like Manner

as you have seen Him Go into Heaven.”

***

“Every eye will see Him,

and they that Pierced Him …”

The BOOK of REVELATION 1: 7, cont.

***

“Every eye will see Him,

&

“They” are looking upon the One who was Pierced,

and mourning, with grief for the THEMSELVES

WITH REGARD to The “Pierced One”.

***

AND WHO ARE, “THEY” ?

that See Jesus and Mourn ?

To understand exactly the WHO is mourning here,

one should read the parallel passage

in Revelation 6:15-17;

“And the kings of the earth,

and the great men, and the rich men,

and the chief captains, and the mighty men,

and every bondman, and every free man,

hid themselves in the dens

and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks,

Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him

that Sits on the Throne,

and from the Wrath of the Lamb:

For the Great Day of His Wrath is Come;

and who shall be able to stand?”

***

IT IS:

“All the tribes of the Earth

will mourn over Him” …

This clause, along with the preceding

“every eye shall see Him” indicates the Final Judgment,

that being the Only Occasion when all the tribes of Earth

and every eye (that is, every man)

will behold Jesus Christ.

***

“And they that Pierced Him”

… Even the generation that Crucified Jesus Christ

will HAVE TO Confront JESUS CHRIST

in the Final Judgment.

***

The “mourning” here mentioned will be due

to the startling realization on the part of the wicked

that the whole course of their lives has been wrong.

***

The atheist will suddenly know that God is a Reality

***

“THE SPIRITUAL REALM“

is a HIGHER REALITY

than the “FACTS”.

***

In other Words:

“THE SPIRITUAL REALM“

is a HIGHER REALITY

than ALL MENTAL,

EMOTIONAL

and PHYSICAL

“FACTS”.

***

The proud, the arrogant, the thoughtless,

the sensualist, the materialist,

EVERY INDIVIDUAL

and ALL PEOPLE

who have lived as if there were no God

WILL BE Summoned to a Judgment

which they have never allowed

to “THINK” with “THE REASONING”

of THEIR SIN-CURSED MINDS

as even being possible.

***

The mourning of people in that circumstance

will surpass any possible description of it.

***

In the Artist’s VISUAL DEPICTION

of The Last Judgment fresco

by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo

executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City,

Michelangelo expressed his Vision of the following man,

as just having learned that he will be Cast into HELL FOREVER:

***

And “their mourning” will not be “over Christ”

in the sense of their grieving

for what was done nearly two thousand years ago

TO JESUS

(how could people even imagine such an interpretation?).

***

No, the grief of

“the kings of the earth,

and the great men, and the rich men,

and the chief captains, and the mighty men,

and every bondman, and every free man”

will be for themselves.

***

The Second Advent will be ETERNALLY BAD NEWS indeed

to the vast majority of mankind.

***

“For many are called,

but few are Chosen.”

MATTHEW 22:14

“So the last shall be first,

and the first last:

for many be called,

but few chosen.”

MATTHEW 20:14

***

“So the last shall be first,

and the first last”,

…. As JESUS had asserted in Matthew 19:30

and which is clearly illustrated by this parable,

as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles,

or to nominal and real Christians:

for JESUS “CALLS” MANY;

Externally,

under the Ministry of the Gospel,

WHEN PEOPLE “HEAR” THE PREACHING

of JESUS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION:

as the Jews in general were “CALLED”,

by Christ and His apostles;

but

“few chosen”

***

WHICH MEANS ?:

“FEW” WERE “CHOSEN” in Christ from All Eternity,

both EFFECTUALLY “CALLED by THE HOLY SPIRIT”

to Grace and Glory;

and in consequence, and as an evidence of it,

“few chosen” among the Jews;

as also “few chosen” in the Gentile world,

which includes the rest of Mankind.

***

“FEW ARE CHOSEN”

comparatively speaking:

***

  “Few” of those that are Outwardly EXTERNALLY called,

BY THE SOUND of the VOICE SPEAKING THE GOSPEL

OR THE READING of GOD’S WORD,

are SPIRITUALLY Inwardly and Effectually

“Called by the ALL-Powerful Grace of God”,

out of darkness into Marvelous Light,

into the Grace and Liberty of the Gospel,

into Communion with Jesus Christ,

and to the Obtaining His Kingdom and Glory,

according to the Eternal Purpose of God.

***

It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai (d).

 

“I have seen the children of the world to come

(elsewhere (e) it is, of the chamber),

“and they are few”.”

 

Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two,

they were himself and his son.

***

YOU NEED

to be AMONG THOSE

to WHOM it MAY BE SAID:

“These things have I written to you

that Believe on the Name of the Son of God;

that you may Know that you have Eternal Life,

and that you may Believe

on the Name of the Son of God.”

1 John 5:13

*****

 

(d) T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 13. 4. (e)

T. Bab. Succa, fol. 45. 2. & Sanhedrim, fol. 97. 2.

 

*****

---

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 6; JESUS Made us to be a Kingdom, to be Priests.

The BOOK of REVELATION

Chapter 1, Verse 6

“And He made us to be a Kingdom,

to be Priests to His God and Father;

to Him be the Glory and the Dominion

For Ever and Ever. Amen.”

***

And He made us to be a Kingdom

and Priests to His God and Father.

The teaching of the entire New Testament makes it absolutely certain that Christians are now in Christ’s Kingdom

 in Colossians 1:13;

“Who has delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and has Translated us

into the Kingdom of His Dear Son”

***

The precise terminology of this verse, He made us to be a Kingdom,

being found in Paul’s words,

Translated us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son there.

***

This passage reflects Exodus 19:6;

“And you will be to Me

a Kingdom of Priests,

and an Holy Nation.

These are the Words

which you will speak

to the children of Israel.”

where in Exodus 19:6, it is revealed

that God’s Purpose for Israel was that,

“You will be to Me

a Kingdom of Priests.”

***

1 Peter 2:9 is also parallel to this;

“But you are a chosen generation,

a Royal Priesthood, an Holy Nation,

a peculiar people;

that you should show forth

the Praises of Him

Who has Called you

out of darkness

into His Marvelous Light”

***

Therefore, our text means that, “Christ has Made us a Kingdom, each member of which is a Priest to God.”[20]

This is not some far-off thing that will happen in some so-called millennium; it is the status of things now in Christ’s churches.

As Earle said,

“This is not only a great privilege, but a great responsibility.”[21]

All the members of Jesus Christ’s Kingdom, which INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL SAVED SAINTS THAT ARE ALIVE ON EARTH, WHETHER THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED BY THE AUTHORITY OF GOD AS MEMBERS OF ONE OF JESUS CHURCHES. 

ALL OF JESUS’ CHILDREN should be constantly engaged in offering up the spiritual sacrifices appropriate for a Kingdom of Priests.

***

The Glory and the Dominion … John here breaks into a noble doxology, using words which imply the Present

and Eternal Dominion of the Son of God.

The New Testament doxologies invariably ascribe the same Power, Honor, and Glory which belong to God to His Son, Jesus Christ.

***

DO YOU ?

Ascribe the same Power, Honor, and Glory which belong to God to His Son, Jesus Christ ?

***

Has JESUS Made YOU to be a Kingdom,

to be a Priest

TO JESUS

and HIS FATHER ?

***

ANSWER:

DO YOU SPEAK

OF JESUS and GOD the FATHER

LIKE THIS ??

***

LIKE: Revelation 5:12,13; ?

“Saying with a loud voice,

Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain

to Receive Power, and Riches,

and Wisdom, and Strength,

and Honor, and Glory,

and Blessing.

And every creature

which is in Heaven, and on the Earth,

and under the Earth,

and such as are in the sea,

and all that are in them,

heard I saying, Blessing, and Honor,

and Glory, and Power,

be to Him that Sits on the Throne,

and to the Lamb For Ever and Ever.”

***

Revelation 7:10; ?

“And cried with a loud voice,

saying, Salvation to our God

which Sits on the Throne,

and to the Lamb.”

***

2 Timothy 4:18; ?

“And the Lord will Deliver me

from every evil work,

and Will Preserve me

to His Heavenly Kingdom:

to whom be Glory

For Ever and Ever. Amen.”

***

Hebrews 13:21; ?

“Make you perfect in every good work

to do His Will,

Working in you

that which is well-pleasing

in His Sight,

through Jesus Christ;

to whom be Glory For Ever and Ever. Amen.”

***

1 Peter 4:11; ?

“If any man speak,

let him speak as the Oracles of God;

if any man minister,

let him do it as of the Ability

which God Gives:

that God in all things

may be Glorified through Jesus Christ,

to Whom be Praise and Dominion

For Ever and Ever. Amen.”

***

2 Peter 3:18; ?

“But grow in Grace,

and in the knowledge of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be Glory

both Now and For Ever. Amen.”

and

Jude 1:24; ?

“Now to Him that is Able

to Keep you from Falling,

and to Present you Faultless

before the Presence of His Glory

with Exceeding Joy”

*****

 

[20] R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, “International Critical Commentary” (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1920), p. 16.

[21] Ralph Earle, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 474.

*****

---

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 5; JESUS Alone Came Back from Death Never to Die again.

The BOOK of REVELATION

Chapter 1, Verse 5

***

“And from Jesus Christ,

Who is the Faithful Witness,

the Firstborn of the Dead,

and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.

To Him that Loves us,

and Loosed us from our sins

by His Blood.”

***

Jesus Christ Who is the Faithful Witness … There is a powerful New Testament emphasis on the Faith of Jesus Christ, as in Paul’s writings, especially in Galatians 2:16,20; 3:22; Romans 3:22,26; Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 3:9; etc.

There is a false impression that since Christ was Deity Incarnate He did not need to have Faith; but in our Lord’s Humiliation as a man, Faith in the Father was His Predominate Characteristic.

All hope of Salvation rests ultimately

in the Faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST is the Faithful Witness

in the sense THAT

on behalf of humanity

JESUS FAITHFULLY AND ACCURATELY

DELIVERED to mankind

the Word and the Commandment

which the Father Gave JESUS.

***

The Firstborn from the Dead … The New Testament records the Resurrection of Dorcas, the daughter of Jairus, Eutychus, the widow’s son at Nain, and that of Lazarus in addition to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In addition, there were “many of the saints” who came out of their graves following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

(seven resurrections).

In what sense, then, is Jesus Christ the Firstborn from the Dead?

He Alone Came Back from Death Never to Die again; and besides this, there is the Inherent significance of Jesus being the First of many to Triumph over Death.

As Beckwith put it:

“The language implies the Future Resurrection of the saints.”[15]

***

The Ruler of the Kings of the Earth … Jesus Christ is here spoken of as the Possessor of All Power and Authority,

fully in keeping with the Savior’s words,

“All Authority in Heaven

and on Earth

has been Given to Me”

(Matthew 28:18).

***

It should be noted that this Authority belongs to Jesus Christ in the Present Time and in Perpetually. He is not planning to start ruling at some Future Time;

***

JESUS RULES NOW !

***

 A great deal of the misunderstanding of this prophecy, as well as of the whole New Testament, MAY BE EASILY OVERCOME by FAITH and THE TRUSTING WORSHIP of THE HOLY SPIRIT of GOD to take account of this Tremendous Truth THAT JESUS RULES NOW !

***

Many have difficulty believing that Jesus Christ Rules now; because, as they say, the world is in such a dreadful mess.

***

MANKIND placed this WORLD

UNDER THE CURSE of SIN.

***

ADAM SINNED AGAINST GOD

AND WE, AS CHILDREN of ADAM,

CHOOSE to SIN

by OUR NATURE to SIN.

***

THE WORLD is UNDER THE CURSE

of MANKIND’S SINS AGAINST

THEIR CREATOR.

***

THE WORLD HAS BEEN

in a DREADFUL CONDITION

SINCE THEN, UNTIL TODAY.

***

FOR EXAMPLE, the world was in a dreadful condition in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, who had to eat grass with the beasts of the field for seven years to learn that

“The Most High Rules

in the Kingdom of men”

(Daniel 4:25).

***

As for the reason why God’s Rule Permits such atrocious wickedness on earth, it is clear enough that God Permits it because it is in Keeping with His Purpose.

***

THESE DAYS WHEN God’s Rule

Permits such atrocious wickedness

WITH THE WORLD BEING

UNDER THE CURSE of SIN

on Earth

WILL COME TO AN END

AT THE

RETURN of JESUS CHRIST.

***

The SPIRITUAL REIGN of Jesus Christ now in this Present Time will be more extensively treated under the “thousand years” interpretation (Revelation 20:2).

***

Jesus Christ has

the Right to Rule

AND OVERRULE the Earth

AND He is Exercising

this Authority Over Kings

and nations

and Kingdoms

at this PRESENT TIME.”

***

  Jesus Christ is Exercising His Authority, as His churches receive His Promise that Jesus Christ will be with THEM

“even to the End of the World”

(Matthew 28:18-20)?

***

Yes, THE TESTIMONY of SCRIPTURE

WILL HAVE US to see and recognize

Jesus Christ is Ruling now

and will Continue to Rule

until the last enemy is destroyed

“For He must Reign,

until He has put all enemies

under His Feet.”

(1 Corinthians 15:25);

***

To Him that Loves us, and Loosed us from our sins by His Blood … Of significance are the present tense (loves) and past tense (loosed), showing that Jesus Christ’s Love is Continuous, and that the Redemption mentioned is a Past Accomplishment.

Since it is an undeniable Truth that Jesus Christ keeps on Saving the saved until at last they are Saved Eternally in Heaven, it is evident that the Initial Salvation in Conversion is the Redemption that John had in view here; therefore,

the KJV rendition of this as “washed us” is likewise correct.

On what the scholars consider sufficient textual evidence, this was changed to “loosed us” in subsequent versions.

The Greek words for these two expressions are almost identical in appearance; and, furthermore,

it is immaterial exactly which is the original reading.

As Hinds said:

Both words state True Facts. That Jesus Christ Washes us, Cleanses us, through the Merits of His Blood is unquestionably True,

as stated in Revelation 7:14;

“And I said to him,

Sir, you know.

And he said to me, These are they

which came out of Great Tribulation,

and have Washed their robes,

and made them White

in the Blood of the Lamb.”

WHILE,

by Jesus Christ’s Blood we are Loosed from our sins also.[17]

The passage in Revelation 7:14, as well as the overtones of the whole context, incline us to accept the opinion of Carpenter:

“The general tone of thought would lead us to prefer “Washed”

as the true reading.”[18]

The infallible method of determining accuracy

is by comparison and accepting

GOD’S WORD, AS HE EXPRESSES HIMSELF.

***

[15] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 428.

[17] John T. Hinds, op. cit., p. 22.

[18] W. Boyd Carpenter, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII

(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1939), p. 535.

*****

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 4; I AM THAT I AM, THE TRIUNE GODHEAD.

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1,

Verse 4

“John 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

that are before His Throne.”

***

To the seven churches … Among the Hebrews, this ‘SEVEN’ was a sacred number often used to symbolize the whole or the completeness of something. Thus, the interpretation of these seven standing for all of the congregations of Christ throughout the world would appear to be correct. “It is certain that while the book is addressed to a limited circle of Asian churches, the author’s purpose was to reach beyond these to all the churches throughout the world.”[9] The evidence of this universal destination of the book is found in the repeated injunction, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches,” because the New Testament, itself, names others in the same province, namely, Troas, Colossae and Hierapolis.

 

Of Asia … In the New Testament, Asia always means the Roman province located in the western part of what is now known as Asia Minor, with a possibly wider meaning in Acts 2:9.

Grace to you and peace … Greetings similar to these are found in nearly all the New Testament epistles, especially those of Paul.

From Him Who Is and Who Was and Who Is To Come … The Greek words from which this is translated are literally,

“The BEING

and the WAS

and the COMING.”[11]

There are many examples of such grammar in this prophecy; “(They) are due to the Greek construction, as shown by the predominantly correct uses of the Greek in the book.”[12]

This title of God is Essentially that of Exodus 3:14,

“I AM who I AM.”

Christ also used this Title of Himself

in Mark 6:50;

“For they all saw Him,

and were troubled.

And immediately He talked with them,

and said to them,

Be of good cheer:

it is I;

be not afraid.”

*****

JESUS used this Title

“I AM THAT I AM” of Himself

in Mark 13:6;

For many will come

in my name,

saying,

I am Christ;

and will deceive many.”

***

For many shall come in my name,….

Taking upon them the Name of the Messiah:

saying,

I am Christ;

the word “Christ”, is rightly supplied from Matthew 24:5;

otherwise in the original it is only,

“I am”;

which the Persic version doubles,

reading it,

“I am indeed, I: am”:

IN OTHER WORDS:

He that was Promised and Expected,

the True Messiah;

He that was to Come:

and shall deceive many.

*****

JESUS used this Title

“I AM THAT I AM” of Himself

in Mark 14:62;

“And Jesus said,

I Am:

and you will see

the Son of Man

Sitting on

the Right Hand of Power,

and Coming in the Clouds of Heaven.”

***

And Jesus said, I am,….

That is, the Son of God;

in Proof of which He adds,

and you will see the Son of Man

Sitting on the Right Hand of Power;

that is,

THE RIGHT HAND

of

THE POWER of GOD,

Who is All Power,

the Lord God Almighty:

and Coming in the Clouds of Heaven;

 at the destruction of Jerusalem,

referring to the prophecy in Daniel 7:13;

*****

and in John 6:35;

“And Jesus said to them,

I am

the Bread of Life:

he that comes to Me

will never hunger;

and he that believes on Me

will never thirst.”

***

And Jesus said to them, I Am the Bread of Life,

….Jesus Christ is Called, “THE BREAD of LIFE”,

because Jesus gives Life to dead sinners:

men in a state of nature are dead in trespasses and sins;

and whatever they feed on tends to death;

Jesus Christ, the True Bread, only Gives Life,

which is conveyed by the Word, and made Effectual by the Spirit:

and because He Supports and Maintains the Life He Gives;

it is not in the power of a believer

to support the Spiritual Life he has;

nor can he live on anything short of Jesus Christ;

and there is enough in Jesus Christ for him to Live on:

and because JESUS Quickens,

and Makes the saints Lively in the Exercise of Grace,

and Discharge of Duty, and JESUS Renews their Spiritual Strength, and Secures for them Eternal Life.

He that comes to me will never hunger; not corporeally to hear Him Preach, or Preached, or merely to His Ordinances, to Baptism, or the Lord’s Table; but THOSE WHO COME TO JESUS,  as to believe in Him, feed, and live upon Him, as the next clause explains it:

and he that believes on Me will never thirst; and which is owing, not to the power and will of man, but to Divine Teachings, and the ALL Powerful Drawings of the Efficacious Grace of God; see John 6:44.

*****

Also, JESUS used this Same Title

“I AM THAT I AM” of Himself

in John 8:12;

“Then spake Jesus again unto them,

saying, I Am the Light of the World:

he that follows Me will not

walk in darkness,

but will have

the Light of Life.”

***

Then spake Jesus again unto them,…. Syriac fragment of Bishop Usher’s, published by De Dieu, prefaces this verse thus, “when they were gathered together”, Jesus said, etc., that is, the Scribes and Pharisees, who went out and returned again; or some others of them, who came after this, to whom Jesus Christ addressed Himself thus:

I am the light of the world;

*****

JESUS, again, had used this Same Title

“I AM THAT I AM”;

“Him Who Is and

Who Was and

Who Is To Come”

of Himself

in John 10:7;

“Then said Jesus to them again,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

I Am

the Door of the sheep.”

Then said Jesus to them again,…. By way of explanation of the previous parable, in John 10, since they did not understand it:

Truly, truly, I say to you; this is Certainly Truth, and what may be depended on as such, whether it will be believed or not:

I am the door of the sheep; and of none but SHEEP; not of goats, dogs, or swine; none but sheep enter at this Door; and all the sheep do ENTER INTO  AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, sooner or later: Jesus Christ is the Door to HIS SHEEP.

*****

AND IN John 11:25;

“Jesus said to her,

I Am

the Resurrection, and the Life:

he that believes in Me,

though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

***

Jesus said to her, I Am the Resurrection and the Life,…. Signifying, that JESUS was Able of Himself to Raise men from death to life, without asking it of His Father; and that JESUS CHRIST could Raise men from death to life now, as well as at the General Resurrection; at which time Jesus Christ will be the Efficient Cause of the General Resurrection; and the General Resurrection will Display both JESUS’ Omniscience and JESUS’ Omnipotence.

*****

We see the SAME JESUS

from REVELATION,

“Him Who Is and

Who Was and

Who Is To Come,”

 in John 14:6;

“Jesus said to him,

I am the Way,

the Truth,

and the Life:

no man comes to the Father,

but by Me.”

*****

AND THEN IN THIS VERSE 4

of REVELATION CHAPTER 1:

“And from the Seven Spirits

that are before His Throne “

Isaiah 11:2 has this:

“And the Spirit of the Lord

will rest on Him,

the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding,

the Spirit of Counsel and Might,

the Spirit of Knowledge

and of the Fear of the Lord.”

There are seven titles of the Holy Spirit in this passage from Isaiah, and from very early times this reference in Revelation has been associated with THIS ISAIAH PASSAGE.

“There are seven titles of the Holy Spirit in this passage from Isaiah denotes the Holy Spirit

in the Plenitude of His Grace and Power.”[13]

The decisive reason for this interpretation was given by Hinds:

“It is used in the Salutation

in Direct Association with God the Father and Jesus Christ,

and a Blessing is Invoked from the Three;”[14]

= THE TRIUNE GODHEAD

*****

[9] Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1919), p. 423.

[11] James Moffatt, Expositor’s Greek New Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 337.

[12] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 424.

[13] F. F. Bruce, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 634.

[14] John T. Hinds, A Commentary on Revelation (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1962), p. 20.

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 2: THE REVELATION is Indeed and in Truth the Word of God

The BOOK of REVELATION

Chapter 1, Verse 2

***
“Who bore witness of the Word of God,

and of the Testimony of Jesus Christ,

even of all the things that he saw.”

***

Some interpreters of this verse have found a reference to the gospel and John’s testimony there; but the final clause appears to define the testimony as that contained in this prophecy.

Of the Word of God … This is the great affirmation here.

***

“The Word of God” declares the Book of Revelation

to be Indeed and in Truth the Word of God,

Given by the Father to Jesus Christ,

and by JESUS Christ to John,

who in turn delivered it to Jesus’ churches.

***

This is the Loftiest Claim that possibly could be made on behalf of this sacred writing.

***

Of all things that he saw … The one verb saw embraces also the things which John heard in the course of his seeing the Visions.

*****

---

The BOOK of REVELATION Chapter 1, Verse 1 THE REVELATION of GOD is THE UNVEILING of GOD.

Verse 1
THE APOCALYPSE

INTRODUCTION

(Revelation 1-3)

REVELATION:1

The predominating thought in this chapter

is that of the Exalted

and Glorified Jesus Christ

amidst the congregations of His churches,

His Constant Attendance with His churches

and concern for

ALL HIS CHILDREN,

IN HIS CHURCHES

AND IN HIS KINGDOM

( who are His Children

that are not Baptized Believers

into His churches

by the Authority of God.)

Jesus Children, in His Churches and Kingdom

are being represented in this chapter

as a fact COMFORTED

in connected with

the Execution of Judgment,

  upon all people.

***

The COMFORT of JESUS’ PEOPLE

while the ENTIRE REMAINING WORLD

is Under Judgment

is the theme of Revelation.

***

  The subject of JESUS’ JUDGEMENT

is stated in the master-sentence

of the whole book in Revelation 1:7;

“Behold, He Comes with clouds;

and every eye will see Him,

and they also which pierced Him:

and all kindreds of the earth

will wail because of Him.

Even so, Amen.”

***

In the first paragraph (Revelation 1:1-3),

the writer introduces himself,

states the nature of what he

is about to write,

and pronounces a double beatitude

upon those who read,

and upon those who hear

and keep the words of the prophecy.

***

The second paragraph (Revelation 1:4-8)

contains the salutation

to the original recipients of Revelation

and a noble doxology

in which appears

the grand thesis of the whole book.

***

The third paragraph (Revelation 1:9-20)

has the introductory Vision

of the Christ glorified,

the details of which

strongly emphasize His Character

and Office as the Judge

of all people.

***

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,

which God Gave Him

to show to His servants,

even the things

which must shortly come to pass:

and He Sent and Signified it

by His Angel

to His servant John.”

(Revelation 1:1)

***

The Revelation of Jesus Christ … Although the primary meaning of this phrase regards the source of the prophecy as having come from God through Jesus Christ, it is also true in the extended sense of being a Revelation of the Son of God in His Capacity as the Judge Appointed by the Almighty God Himself and Divinely Commissioned to “Execute Judgment” (John 5:27).

The word “Revelation,” capitalized in the text, was so rendered in order to indicate the word as the title of the prophecy.

It is translated from a Greek word [@apokalupsis], from which also comes the similar English word given to the book and also applied to a whole field of similar writings.

“Revelation” means “an unveiling.”

***

THE REVELATION of GOD

is

THE UNVEILING of GOD.

***

The things which must shortly come to pass …

The early churches and those of God’s Children in His Kingdom lived aware of the possibility of Jesus Imminent Return, just as we do look for Jesus Coming soon, today.

Scholars generally assume that this means: (1) either that all of Revelation was fulfilled within a very short time after John wrote, or (2) that such events as “the thousand years” and the final judgment were mistakenly believed by the apostle to lie in the near future. We simply cannot believe that either proposition is true. Caird declared that all of the events John prophesied were “expected to be accomplished quickly in their entirety.”[1] Even the respected Foy E. Wallace, Jr., wrote that, “The word “shortly” denotes immediacy; the events applied to them, not to centuries after their time, and even yet to come.[2] The objection to the view in (1) is twofold: first, many of the events foretold in Revelation, notably the final judgment, did not take place “shortly”; and secondly, it is incorrect to suppose that the holy apostles of Christ erroneously “taught” that the end of all things would occur soon. It may be freely admitted that they may indeed have been mistaken in thinking such a thing; but, in fairness, it must be admitted that none of them either implied or declared the Second Advent to be an event in the immediate future. The statement before us teaches no such thing. The meaning of it is the same as when Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand,” meaning that the “beginning of it” was near at hand. Furthermore, the declaration of John in 4:1 that some of the things he prophesied were to “come to pass hereafter” categorically refutes such views. Regarding the view in (2), we heartily agree with McGuiggan who said:

***

The claim is made that the early church believed that the second coming was near in time; but this is just not true. They may have lived aware of the possibility of his coming soon, but that they believed he was coming soon is not at all established by the New Testament.[3]

***

Furthermore, such a figure as reigning with Christ “a thousand years” could not possibly have been written by one who believed the end of the world would occur in a few weeks. No matter what view of the prophecy is taken, the extensive treatment of the Second Advent and accompanying judgment of all mankind absolutely forbids the notion that all of this great prophecy has already been fulfilled. There are some who delight in attributing ignorance and misunderstanding to the New Testament writers, using their false interpretation of this verse to bolster their opinions. For a more thorough refutation of the false view that the apostles all expected the speedy return of Jesus, see Commentary on 1Thessalonians, pp. 18-20.

***

Signified it by his angel … The use of angel (singular) here remains in view of the fact that a number of angels are seen in the course of the Revelation. Lenski’s explanation of this:

Such singulars are at times generic. “His angel” does not necessarily mean only one and the same angel. Any angel, now one, now another, would be Christ’s (and God’s) angel … that conferred the commission on John.[4]

***

to his servant John … The only person who ever lived in the first century, speaking with the great authority evident in Revelation, who could possibly have identified himself in these words, was the holy apostle John, the son of Zebedee, and author of the fourth Gospel and the three Johannine epistles.

As Hendriksen expressed it:

We are thoroughly convinced that there was only one John who did not need to add “the apostle”, for the very reason that he was the apostle! Besides, he does not call himself “the apostle” because he (in this book) wrote in his capacity as a seer (or prophet).[5]

*****

[1] G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine (New York: Harper and Row, 1966), p. 12.

[2] Foy E. Wallace, Jr., The Book of Revelation (Nashville: Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Publications, 1966), p. 63.

[3] Jim McGuiggan, The Book of Revelation (West Monroe, Louisiana: William C. Johnson, 1976), p. 32.

[4] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943), p. 31.

[5] William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1956).

*****

adapted from

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible

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